EU MEMBER STATES AND THE LOBBYING PROFESSION

First of all, we cannot continue to distinguish the 'good' lobbies of the public sector from the 'bad' lobbies in the private sector.

Secondly, today, much of the lobbying that affects Member States happens in Brussels. As a result interest groups need to have people both at home and in Brussels.

Thirdly, EU Member States have problems with their lobbying profession regardless of their political systems, languages, cultures and lobbying histories.

At the end of the day everybody's got an interest in what government does be it at national or EU level and everybody's got to have a lobbyist in some form or fashion out there representing them whether they know it or not.