Lobbying in the European Union: The case of indirect lobbying within the Automotive Sector

Abstract

In recent years, an aspect of corporations that is particularly intriguing for stakeholders but also for the entire society, is the growing relevance that their “political” role is gaining. Within this framework, lobbying activities represents a crucial aspect of non-market strategies implemented by firms. Therefore, this study aims at analyzing the role that firms, throughout direct, but mainly indirect lobbying, can play within European Union’s institutions for what concerns the adoption of legislations. To support these argumentations, the case of the automotive sector is analyzed. As one of the most regulated sectors of all times, it constitutes the most suited case to study corporate’s involvement in the decision-making process. Specifically, the focus of the empirical analysis will be on the impact that indirect lobbying had on Euro 7 regulation, which is one of the most debated topics in the current historical period and the extreme relevance that assumed in the public debate made it an exemplary case.