ABSTRACT
In any political system, interests organise themselves to influence the policy-making process and try to shape the institutions of policy-making to their own benefit. This chapter demonstrates a phenomenon in the European policy-making process to the long-established traditions of national policy-making in Western Europe - high degree of interest group integration into the policy process, based upon the twin 'logics' of organisation and negotiation. This appears to be taking place at the two main levels in the Euro policy process - at the European level itself and within the existing nation states. European public policy is a key feature of their organisational environment. Just how effective and cost effective this density of representation is remains an open question. As at the national level, effectiveness is probably related to techniques of lobbying than size of organisation, although resources clearly do matter. As the Commission is a relatively small bureaucracy it depends on organisations such as interest groups for its expertise.
