ABSTRACT
Transnationalization can be seen as an important aspect of the European integration process, with the evolving European Union polity being supported by a particularly dense network of transnational social relations, that is, by a transnational civil society. Arguably, within this society, transnational business is amongst the most prominent of transnational actors. Within political science debates, the focus on the role of transnational society is associated with a long theoretical tradition going back to neo-functionalism, whereas, on the opposite end of the ‘classical debate’ on European integration, intergovernmentalists have been much more sceptical and have disputed the role of transnational actors regarding the dynamics of European integration. In fact, the dispute has focussed in particular on the alleged role of transnational business when at the end of the 1980s, explanations were sought for the unexpected revival of the integration process with the single market programme (cf. Sandholtz and Zysman, 1989; Moravcsik, 1991, 1998). With the focus of contemporary studies of the European Union (EU) having largely shifted to the analysis of policy-making and governance, the question about the role of such actors has not lost its pertinence. Indeed, in analysing socio-economic policy-making in particular, much research has been conducted regarding the role of lobbying, EU-level interest intermediation, policy networks, etc., that is, on the role of private (non-state) actors in EU governance. Amongst these actors, the focus is more often than not on business groups. Within the domain of socio-economic actors, organized labour is generally acknowledged to be rather weak at the European level and certainly no match for the economic, organizational and political power of transnational business, as Patrick Pasture also shows in his chapter in this book.
