Lobbying Regulation in the EU: A Case Study of the Alcohol Industry

Abstract

Lobbying is today recognised as a key part of corporate strategy. At European Union level it is also an essential part of democratic governance. However, lobbying becomes problematic when particular interest groups exert disproportionate and often hidden influence to procure policy results that will only harm the public interest. It is especially concerning when corporate lobbying shifts the frame of policy debates and thus shifts the balance of policy power towards private over public interests. There is a need to control lobbying activity to mitigate these risks, however the EU has not yet adopted controls that will ensure that lobbying of EU decision-makers is fair and supports the public interest. This article uses the case study of alcohol industry lobbying to demonstrate the flaws in the EU’s current lobbying regulation and then discuss the possibilities for stronger controls on alcohol industry lobbying specifically.