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There is a plethora of studies on interest groups in the European Union. While these studies have generated a wealth of insights, it is not actually clear what they have accomplished. This Living Review seeks to identify those areas of interest group studies in which our knowledge is fairly consolidated and in which major research gaps or major controversies can be noted. I argue that these research gaps and controversies stem from both the empirical variance in the interest group landscape and the theoretical segmentation of EU interest group studies. These have been shaped by influences from Comparative Politics, International Relations, Policy Analysis, and Democratic Theory. I suggest that future research should engage to a greater extent in cross-cutting theoretical debates in order to overcome the pronounced demarcation of research areas and in more rigorous theory testing than has sometimes been the case. The article starts by discussing the problem of conceptualizing interest groups before moving on to the fissured theoretical landscape. Thereafter, major research themes are discussed. First, I review the relation between EU institutions and interest groups. Here, I look both into multilevel governance and Europeanization studies that focus on the vertical interaction and into analyses that stress the horizontal segmentation of the EU system in different institutions and sectors. Second, I analyze core themes of EU and comparative interest group studies, namely the issue of collective action, the access of interest groups to policy-makers and their influence on EU policymaking.

The European Commission has adopted a code of conduct regulating lobbyists' behaviour as a forerunner to the voluntary register to be launched by Administration and Anti-Fraud Commissioner Siim Kallas on 23 June.

The 'Code of Conduct for Interest Representatives ', officially adopted on 28 May, contains "clear and precise rules" for lobbyists to follow in their relations with Commission staff, according to the EU executive. 

The code of conduct is intended to complement the lobbyists register the Commission is set to publish on 23 June and constitutes part of the wider transparency initiative launched by Vice President Kallas in 2005. 

It is universally accepted that there has been a huge growth in EU lobbying over the past few decades. There is now a dense EU interest group system. This entirely new volume, inspired by Mazey & Richardson's 1993 book Lobbying in the European Community, seeks to understand the role of interest groups in the policy process from agenda-setting to implementation. Specifically, the book is interested in observing how interest groups organise to influence the EU institutions and how they select different coalitions along the policy process and in different policy domains. In looking at 20 years of change, the book captures processes of institutional and actor learning, professionalisation of lobbying, and the possible emergence of a distinct EU public policy style. More specifically, from the actors' perspective, the editors are interested in assessing how the rise of direct lobbying and the emergence of fluid issue-based coalitions has changed the logic of collective action, and what is the potential impact of 'venue-shopping' on reputation and influence. From an institutional perspective, the contributors explore resource and legitimacy demands, and the practical impact of consultation processes on the emergence of a distinct EU lobbying relationship. It will be essential reading for academics and practitioners alike.

MEPs in the constitutional affairs committee generally agreed that the term should be defined as widely as possible. They also agreed that the European Commission and parliament should set up a common register of all the lobbyists in Brussels, with estimates suggesting there are around 15,000 of them in the city pressing their case at the European institutions.

or his part, Mr Stubb says he is not out to demonise lobbyists, whose activities have come to light recently during the ferocious lobbying on legislation that took place during the development of the chemicals, services and software patent laws. He points out that it is much easier to get information as a civil servant, but that as an MEP, "you are out of the [information] loop and interest groups are good sources of information."

EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson has urged Irish farmers to refrain from linking next month's vote on the Lisbon Treaty to ongoing world trade talks. "I don't think the Doha talks should get mixed up with the Lisbon Treaty or any referendum on it. Rejecting the treaty would not be in Ireland's interests, it wouldn't be in Europe's interests," said Mr Mandelson on Tuesday (6 May).

The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has delivered up the threat of a No vote in next month's referendum to both the commissioner and the Irish government if their interests are not defended in the talks.

European Transparency Initiative COM(2008)323 final: "European Transparency Initiative: A Framework for relations with interest representatives (Register - Code of Conduct)", 27 May 2008. Commission staff working document providing a brief overview of the main results of the consultation on the Code of Conduct. Coming soon: the Commission's Register for interest representatives - http://www.ec.europa.eu/transparency/regrin/ Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Diese Internetseite bietet einen kurzen Überblick über die Transparenzinitiative. Deren Ziel besteht u. a. darin, die EU-Organe und -Einrichtungen offener und zugänglicher zu machen, besser über die Verwendung der EU-Haushaltsmittel zu informieren und der Öffentlichkeit mehr Rechenschaft über die Arbeit der EU-Organe und -Einrichtungen zu geben. Diese Seite wird im Zuge der Debatte kontinuierlich aktualisiert, so dass Sie stets die neuesten Informationen über die Ergebnisse der Diskussionen und über künftige Pläne abrufen können.

The Civil Society Contact Group is happy to announce the publication of the training handbook "Making your voice heard in the EU - A guide for NGOs". It is specifically designed for those 'newcomer' NGOs and activists that are in the process of establishing a European strategy. It does so by providing tailored-made information on EU institutions, the way European NGOs work, as well as lobbying tips, illustrated by examples of EU level campaigns.

The inclusion of think-tanks in the proposal was also a major win for transparency campaigners, who argued that the research bodies, which had earlier been excluded from the report, were "a major part of the lobbying community" in Brussels. "By recognising these are key lobbying channels in Brussels, MEPs have closed an important loophole in the proposal," said Luxembourg Green MEP Claude Turmes. These gains were largely the result of oral amendments tabled by Green MEPs, who also managed to win a requirement that lawyers be included in the register not only when their purpose is to influence policy, but also when they give legal advice, which they argued was still a form of lobbying activity.

Product Description Contributors to this volume address important issues about the terms of representation in politics beyond the state. If the traditional structures of the national state no longer are the ideal or sole "container" of political life, how can we ensure that interests and demands can have access to decision-making? On the one hand, new opportunities may open up for parts of civil society whose previous access to political power was circumscribed. The central focus of the volume is on the extent to which governance, and all it implies for new forms of governing, addresses as well as raises issues about the legitimate basis for democratic rule beyond the boundaries of the state.

Product Details Hardcover: 176 pages Publisher: Manchester University Press (September 4, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 0719075068 ISBN-13: 978-0719075063

EUROPEAN CITIZEN ACTION SERVICE (ECAS) - empowering civil society with the European Union. An association about action as much as information, creating balance between public interest and corporate lobbying. Its work centers on 3 "C's": Civil Society Citizens' Rights Citizenship and Governance

Albania’s right-wing coalition is expected to back a law on the cleanliness of high administration figures, which has come under harsh criticism by the opposition and interest groups. The draft-law would dismiss from office judges and prosecutors that worked during Albania’s half-a-century-long period of communist rule, led by former Stalinist dictator Enver Hoxha. The Albanian opposition has slammed the law as unconstitutional and claims that the government is aiming to get rid of the prosecutors that are investigating high profile corruption cases.

Experts argue that the drafting of the law is problematic because according to the Albanian constitution, to dismiss a supreme court judge, a simple majority is not enough, but two-thirds of parliamentary votes.

While Brussels is home to an estimated 15-20,000 lobbyists, who daily and doggedly attempt to win lawmakers to their clients' point of view, up to now, only around 300 lobbying organisations have signed up to the European Commission's voluntary registry.

None of the major lobbying firms have registered, and only three think-tanks have done so. "I do not see yet the big professional public relations consultancies, nor many law firms - only two have registered so far," Ms Rampi noted. "However, I want to stress the importance of being cautious about the numbers that could be used to measure the 300 figure against," Ms Rampi said. "The figure often quoted in the media of around 15,000 individual lobbyists is an external estimate, which the commission does not endorse," she added, pointing out that this is an estimate of the number of individuals, whereas the commission's register lists organisations.

A European political force opposed to the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty and to further EU integration will emerge today (12 November) after a visit to Ireland by eurosceptic Czech President Václav Klaus.

Klaus's controversial visit to Dublin is expected to culminate later today with a gathering of prominent eurosceptics, the Irish press reported.  Among them are Philippe de Villiers, the leader of French sovereign party Mouvement pour la France, Anthony Coughlan, an Irish 'No' campaigner, English-born columnist Bruce Arnold and several MEPs.  In total, 80 people were invited to a dinner today in Dublin, closed to the media. Both Ganley and Klaus are expected to deliver speeches. 

Abstract:      The concept of 'civil society' has been rediscovered in contemporary discourses concerning the relationship between democracy and governance. This paper analyses this rediscovery in the more specific context of the European Commission's 2001 White Paper on European Governance. However, processes of transnationalisation, governmentalisation and autonomisation may compromise much of the potential of 'European civil society' as an intermediating sphere of social action. By reinforcing these processes, the White Paper undermines the normative claims made for a civil society premised upon the voluntary nature of its associative forms and its distinctive open, communicative and deliberative rationality.