The very existence and functioning of representative democracy, where citizens delegate policy-making to elected representatives, hinges on the presence of politicians.

Lobbying as a practice attracts a very negative response that excludes the reality of how public policy evolves in democratic setting be it at national or EU level. There is a common and inaccurate perception that lobbying is unethical and damaging to heathly government.This misperception exists because lobbying attracts attention only in the light of contentious issues and not when positive outcomes are achieved.

A political sphere can be defined as a space for communication between political actors and citizens for discussions on matters of common interest, particularly those related to the management of public affairs by a government. Social integration and political legitimacy are the main functions of a political sphere. From a democratic point of view, public debate is the single most important clue for the assessment of democratic quality, because the legitimacy of power holders can be tested in relation to affected interests .

Interest groups and interest representatives play an important role within the European Union. Yet, the basic definition of an interest group - a group of individuals organized to seek public policy influence, usually though not exclusively by attempting to influence government actors - masks an enormous amount of diversity among interests and interest groups.

The EU has concluded a number of trade agreements throughout the world. The table here below provides a quick picture of EU trade relations along 5 prime categories: 1. EU and Customs Union 2. European Economic Area  3. Countries with which the EU has a preferential agreement in place (this category also includes countries with economic partnership agreements) 4. Countries with which the EU negotiates or has a preferential agreement pending official conclusion (this category also includes countries with economic partnership agreements) and 5.

The Syrian conflict has already spilled over to its neighbours. There are approximately 1.6 million registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt and military operations have already spread beyond Syria’s borders into Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and Israel.

2014 wird ein entscheidendes Jahr im Bestehen der Institutionen der Union. Grund hierfür sind mehrere Entscheidungen, die im kommenden Jahr anstehen: Die Wahlen zum Europäischen Parlament sowie die Ernennung seines Präsidenten, die Wahl eines neuen Präsidenten der Europäischen Kommission und die Ernennung der neuen EU-Kommissare, darunter auch die neue Hohen Vertretung der Union für die Außen- und Sicherheitspolitik sowie die Ernennung eines neuen Ratspräsidenten duch die Mitgliedstaaten.

Today the structure of the European Union is much too complex and not transparent enough to create a public discourse on and within it. Although the EU will always remain a complex polity individual citizens cannot be expected to get themselves acquainted with all procedural details. The overall aim and the overall structure of the EU has to become clear to the citizens.

Although nearly 4,000 persons are estimated to represent Italian interests in Brussels, Italian public policy advocacy methods suffer from the structural problems of the Italian system. Italian public policy advocacy work reflects the fragmentation and the parochial nature of Italian interests.

Before embarking on public policy advocacy and influencing at EU level, whether you are influencing in Brussels or from your own country, you should consider the following key questions:

The EU Public Policy Advocacy Checklist