ABSTRACT
While scholars have enhanced our understanding of interest groups at the EU level and the impact of enlargements thereupon, little research has been conducted on the impact of enlargement on organized interests. Scholars contend that EU integration has fostered processes of diffusion, learning and adaptation, resulting in new repertoires and templates for interest groups. The analysis examines the interplay between two groups of factors, namely, Europeanization and professionalization. The authors explore the influence of Europeanization on the professionalization (and vice-versa) of interest groups in Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, and Czechia in healthcare, higher education, and energy. The professionalization of interest groups is prone to vary across their different sectors of activity, e.g. some groups may be characterized by more active internal development, while other groups will be less oriented towards professionalization. Some groups may cooperate closely with EU counterparts, and other may not. Based on an online survey, the authors first explore how the EU and public funding impact the professionalization of CEE interest groups. Second, they examine whether the nature of CEE interest groups (e.g. business associations vs. cause groups) affects their level of professionalization based on a cross-country and cross-sectoral statistical analysis.
