Lobbying in Europe: institutions, strategies, and transparency. Lessons from the VW case.

Abstract

This thesis discusses the phenomenon of organizational lobbying. The first chapter describes lobbying by (1) understanding how the term and practice have evolved and spread, (2) its main characteristics, and (3) the reasons why, according to the literature, interest groups lobby. In addition to this, a detailed analysis of both direct and indirect lobbying strategies is made with practical examples included, and finally, the chapter touches on when lobbying practices become corrupt. The second chapter introduces European law and the main European institutions and then understands how lobbying influences the legislative process of these institutions. Then the issue of transparency is addressed and an attempt is made to understand why it is so important nowadays thanks to a detailed study of the transparency register. Finally, the third chapter uses the transparency register as a research tool in the Volkswagen case study. Through the register, a dataset of the meetings between the group and the various associations it belongs to and the European Commission over the years is created. This dataset is useful in investigating VW's lobbying practices. Finally, the third chapter discusses the lessons learned from the VW case through the evidence gathered by means of the transparency register.