Bureaucrats and Business Lobbyists in Brussels: Capitalism Brokers

With over 30,000 lobbyists in town, Brussels is often called the European capital of lobbying. Despite this, little is known on how this political system works in practice. This book offers an unprecedented window into the everyday relationships between bureaucrats and interest representatives. Where the media only shows lobbyists as they meet MEPs and submit amendments, the book argues that the bulk of their work is done in close contact with EU bureaucrats - a form of 'quiet politics' (Culpepper) developed by the business community, targeting officials with little public exposure. Based on official archives, the book first sets the historical picture for the emergence of a new layer of bureaucrats. Fuelled by European and transatlantic capitalism, it altered the political facade of the business community to fulfil its need for legitimacy. Drawing from observations of internal meetings of the main lobbies operating in Brussels and interviews with lobbyists and Commission officials, the book then shows lobbyists at work. This text will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners of the European Union, interest groups, and more broadly to political science and sociology. Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- List of figures -- List of tables -- Acknowledgements -- Prologue -- Introduction -- Beyond media portrayals of lobbying -- Revisiting the relations between capitalism, bourgeoisie and bureaucracy at the European level -- Exploring what the power of an administration does to the market and to business representatives -- A socio-history of the "discreet" relations between EU officials and the staff of business associations that become "European"--An enquiry into everyday relations between bureaucrats and representatives of interests -- 1 Entanglement: a new administration in search of economic interlocutors (1958-1980) -- The primitive accumulation of bureaucratic capital -- The CAP and the obligatory grouping of the food industry -- An administrative world looking to business -- 2 1970-2010: how Brussels became crucial to the private sector -- Business representation mirroring EEC institutions -- The explosion of lobbying with the Single European Act: companies gain direct access to the Commission -- Selling access to a closed administrative world: the emergence of a market in the representation of business interests -- 3 Lobbying: harnessing bureaucratic resources as a weapon for business -- Different levels of company investment in lobbying: different degrees of dependency on Commission resources -- Investing in Brussels to influence market standardisation -- 4 Routine lobbying: the personal appropriation of administrative knowledge -- Lobbyists: an intellectual, intermediary element of the business bourgeoisie -- Arranging tours and drafting position papers: lobbying on behalf of a business association -- Lobbying dependent on administrative timeframes -- 5 Containing the political and depoliticisation: behind the closed doors of the administration "With over 30,000 lobbyists in town, Brussels is often called the European capital of lobbying. Despite this, little is known on how this political system works in practice. This book offers an unprecedented window into the everyday relationships between bureaucrats and interest representatives. Where the media only shows lobbyists as they meet MEPs and submit amendments, the book argues that the bulk of their work is done in close contact with EU bureaucrats--a form of 'quiet politics' developed by the business community, targeting officials with little public exposure. Based on official archives, the book first sets the historical picture for the emergence of a new layer of bureaucrats; fuelled by European and transatlantic capitalism, it altered the political faÃʹade of the business community to fulfil its need for legitimacy. Drawing from observations of internal meetings of the main lobbies operating in Brussels and interviews with lobbyists and Commission officials, the book then shows lobbyists at work. This text will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners of the European Union, interest groups, and more broadly to political science and sociology."--Provided by publisher With over 30,000 lobbyists in town, Brussels is often called the European capital of lobbying. Despite this, little is known on how this political system works in practice. This book offers an unprecedented window into the everyday relationships between bureaucrats and interest representatives. Where the media only shows lobbyists as they meet MEPs and submit amendments, the book argues that the bulk of their work is done in close contact with EU bureaucrats – a form of ‘quiet politics’ developed by the business community, targeting officials with little public exposure. Based on official archives, the book first sets the historical picture for the emergence of a new layer of bureaucrats; fuelled by European and transatlantic capitalism, it altered the political façade of the business community to fulfil its need for legitimacy. Drawing from observations of internal meetings of the main lobbies operating in Brussels and interviews with lobbyists and Commission officials, the book then shows lobbyists at work. This text will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners of the European Union, interest groups, and more broadly to political science and sociology. "Hello again": regular returns to the Commission -- The parliament as a snapshot of power relations for Commission officials -- Back inside the closed doors of the bureaucracy after the parliamentary interlude -- 6 Serving the scientific standardisation of markets: the technical extension of commercial wars -- Business association staff and standards -- Partial repoliticisation ... but initiated by the business community -- Not "lobbies" but "institutes": business associations transformed into forums for standardisation conducted by experts -- From enlisting science to guiding the science -- 7 Expertise in the service of business: lobbying and the European Chemicals Agency -- "Of Mice and Men": toxicological language in support of business coalitions -- The reception of "scientific" arguments by officials who are "technical specialists"--Conclusion -- What is produced by the critical mass of a bureaucracy? -- Lobbying as a race to manipulate bureaucratic capital -- The emergence of a new disenfranchisement -- Democratic deficits and repercussions for national politics -- Bibliography -- Index