Democratic Dilemmas and the Regulation of Lobbying – the European Transparency Initiative and the Register for Lobbyists
Democratic Dilemmas and the Regulation of Lobbying – the European Transparency Initiative and the Register for Lobbyists

Summary/Abstract: This article provides a preliminary assessment of the register for interest groups launched by the European Commission (EC) in June 2008 within the framework of the European Transparency Initiative (ETI). The analysis is carried out in light of the democratic dilemmas between input and output legitimacy, i.e. between transparency and openness on one hand (input), and effectiveness of the EU decisionmaking process on the other (output). The critique of the ETI is presented from the viewpoints of three classes of actors: the EC, civil society organizations, and business representatives. The critique demonstrates that the ETI tools are too weak, and only partially contribute to strengthening the legitimacy of the EU political system.

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