Lobbying Free Trade Agreements in the EU: An analysis of lobbying on CETA by business associations and Non-Governmental Organisations

Abstract

Lobbying has become an ever-increasing phenomenon in the European Union. The process of lobbying involves influencing EU-officials who are involved in a wide range of issues, among others trade policy in the European Union (EU). Trade is a rather encompassing policy which directly impacts many groups and is therefore an interesting policy for stakeholders to let their voices be heard. Two groups of stakeholders that hold prominent roles in the arena of EU trade lobbying are business associations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The former has traditionally been very involved in the developments in EU trade as it has direct effect on their daily operation. NGOs have more recently experienced that trade policy is similarly an important topic for them as agreements can have far going influence on interests they represent, regardless how diffuse such issues may seem. This research looks at the involvement of those two groups of stakeholders on a specific Free Trade Agreement (FTA), namely the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA). By looking at some main themes such as strategies, the ability of obtaining access at the right institutions, and the stage of engagement of stakeholders, an insight in the practical lobby is provided. The research is based on several fundamental pieces of literature on lobbying in the EU, including the access theory by Bouwen (2004) and the voice strategy by Beyers (2004). After having conducted extensive desk-research and subsequently 17 semi-structured interviews, it has become apparent that there is a significant difference between the existing literature and the practice. Stakeholders have developed over the years and now often possess several types of information that EU-officials would like to have. Moreover, business associations and NGO do not solely use one type of strategy, but rather mix strategies or look at the possibilities of engaging in multiple strategies. The practical insight of lobbying on free trade agreements that this research has provided, can subsequently be used in further studies on future trade agreements.