6th Module.pptx

II INSTITUTIONS AND “NEW” ACTORS Interest Groups, Citizens, and Public Opinion in the EU (III) 6th MODULE Marco da Costa, Ph.D Department of Political Science Saint Louis University INTEREST GROUPS CIVIL SOCIETY INTEREST GROUPS (or “Pressure groups”) DEFINITION (or MAIN TRAITS)  Interest groups rep...

II INSTITUTIONS AND “NEW” ACTORS Interest Groups, Citizens, and Public Opinion in the EU (III) 6th MODULE Marco da Costa, Ph.D Department of Political Science Saint Louis University INTEREST GROUPS CIVIL SOCIETY INTEREST GROUPS (or “Pressure groups”) DEFINITION (or MAIN TRAITS)  Interest groups represent a big component of civil society.  Interest groups are conceived as more organized elements of civil society.  They are an essential element of democracy—it is impossible to think of a democracy without interest groups.  They differ from political parties in that they do not seek to present themselves as candidates for government (or any institutional responsibility). But… They pursue political goals and they want to influence the CIVIL SOCIETY DEFINITION Civil society is the framework within which those without political authority live their lives— economic relationships, family and kinship structures, religious institutions and so on. It is a purely analytic concept because civil society does not exist independently of political authority, nor vice versa, and, it is generally believed, neither could long continue without the other; therefore, no very clear boundary can be drawn between the two. What can we highlight from this definition? NO political authority Civil society does not exist independently of political authority, nor vice versa Civil society consists of institutions which stand in an intermediary position between the individual and the state Civil society is impossible without a robust legal system that can protect civil rights (Arab TYPES A) Insider interest groups: We have in that type of interest group the (NEO)CORPORATISM:  (Neo)Corporatism attributes a special role to economic elites, arguing that government outputs are the product of a tripartite relationship between elites in government, business, and trade unions.  As a result, the government (or states) has become less autonomous, relying more on the peak associations of economic interests (european angle: elitism, technocracy, “Troika” during the financial crisis, etc.)  Some states formalize a relationship with some interest groups that represent the views of sections of society that are politically or economically strategic: for example, trade Unions in the case of B) Outsider interest groups: Outsiders rely more upon winning over public opinion through campaigning, lobbying, the media, etc: “Lobbies” (They try to pressure or influence the process of elaboration of public policies): What lobbies need are meetings and encounters with politicians who make decisions to try to influence them (is there transparency?). FOR EXAMPLE: professional associations; groups of business, commerce, and industry; Agricultural organizations; single-interest groups, such as the National Rifle Association in the USA; ideological interest groups, such as the British Humanist Association, or religious groups; public interest groups, such as Amnesty International; The lobbyists make me understand a problem in 10 minutes, while my collaborators take three days. John Fitzgerald Kennedy FUNCTIONS INSIDE THE EU  Interest groups have a particularly important role to play in connecting Europeanlevel institutions with the citizens of the European Union, as well as in mediating between them. Is it an interest shared by all European citizens? They try to convince the European institutions that "their" interest is for the benefit of European citizens GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE EU…. WHY DO INTEREST GROUPS SEEK TO INFLUENCE EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS AND WHY DO THESE INSTITUTIONS INCORPORATE INTEREST GROUPS?  1- Its treaty foundations characterize the EU as a representative democracy. It means… The EU is committed to ensuring the participation of citizens and interest groups in the policy process as a principle of good governance.  2- The EU is a system that favours consensus building: remember, consensusseeking culture in the EU. EU institutions and the national governments need to take the opinions of relevant interest groups  3- The participation of interest groups in EU governance as a mechanism to reduce the EU’s widely debated democratic deficit... In favor of… Pluralism Accountability Legitimacy Democracy Transparency inside of the EU HOW DO THEY WORK TOGETHER? With the European Commission  The European Commission is still the most important point of contact for interest groups at the European level. WHY? And HOW? Interest groups tend to maintain relations with one or several Directorates-General (DGs) that are responsible for specific policy areas and proposals (*Parenthesis). With the EU Council and the European Council  Unlike the Commission, the EU Council and the European Council are more difficult targets for interest groups… WHY? Because it is composed of national representatives (vs. the Commission - “european” interest) With the European Parliament  Since members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are elected by national voters, they are more responsive (sensitive I would say) to demands raised by national interest groups than the Commission. Too much sensitive… Arias Cañete (EPP) was commissioner for Climate Action and Energy in EC. During his mandate (2014-2019) he received a lot of criticism. WHY? His agenda revealed many more meetings with companies (“interest groups”) than with NGOs Pluralism Accountability EUROPEAN COMMISSION Legitimacy Democracy Transparency EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Lora(?) Verheecke is a political activist who works for Corporate Europe Observatory. She said that, when the European Union was negotiating the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Agreement with the United States (2017), 89% of the meetings that the European Commission had held behind closed doors on this Agreement had been with lobbies, EVA KAILI (European Parliament's former vice president) and QATARGATE compared to 9% that were held with. 2022) Civil society organizations. The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU) is a coalition of over 200 public interest groups and trade unions concerned with the increasing influence exerted by corporate lobbyists on the political agenda in Europe, the and the postponement, resulting loss of democracy in EU decision-making weakening, or blockage even, of urgently needed progress The EU has a mandatory (since 2021) register of interest groups, created in 2011 and managed jointly by the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission. Each institution has specific rules. MEPs also publish information about their contacts with pressure groups, but not all are obliged to do so. In May 2021, Civio (journalistic platform) published that half of Lobby groups and transparency in the European Parliament VIDEO TYPOLOGY: Interest groups according to the types of interests that they represent Business interest groups (firms and business associations)  Historically, business interest organizations formed the largest share of interest groups in the EU: several sectors such as automobiles, chemicals, technology, etc. Non-business interest groups  Non-business interests include those pursued by religious, social, human rights, consumer, and environmental groups, and are typically recognized under the umbrella label of ‘non-governmental organizations’ (NGOs) or ‘civil society organizations’ (CSOs).  The number of non-business interests started to significantly increase in the 1980s as a response to new European programmes and competencies.  There is a perceived risk that the EU institutions use NGOs for window dressing in social policy and that interest organizations become highly dependent on the EU institutions, thus influencing the organizations' political positions and activities.  For such reasons, some associations, such as Greenpeace or ALTER-EU, do not accept public funding: the EU’s funding of NGOs has become much more controversial in the recent past with its opponents in the European Parliament arguing that the EU’s funding of NGOs can change the general climate of EU policy debates and may even be against its strategic interests. Time to ban Amazon lobbyists from the European Parliament (Discussion Board 6th) CITIZENS AND PUBLIC OPINION IN THE EU CONCEPT  Definition: The combination of public and opinion in a single expression used to refer to collective judgments outside the sphere of government that could affect political decision-making. 1-combination of public and opinion 2-collective judgments 3-outside the sphere of government 4-political decision-making ORIGIN  The concept of public opinion has its origins in the Enlightenment and with the implementation of liberal regimes in Europe.  Habermas indicates that the Reformation, the dissemination of ideas and the increase in the reading public (press in XIX), closely linked to the growth of capitalism and the dominance of 1962 Jürgen Habermas MAIN PROBLEMS RELATED TO PUBLIC OPINION  Vincent Price, in his book Public Opinion (1992), highlight Lack of competence issues: The citizen is not prepared to manage public affairs. Lack of resources The methods and conditions of debate, discussion, and persuasion of citizens must be improved. The tyranny of the majority For public opinion analysts, this third problem has to do with the possibility that public opinion will highlight a mediocrity of opinion: Alexis de Tocqueville (Democracy in America); Ortega y Gasset (La rebelión de las masas). Susceptibility to persuasion Public opinion is influenced by emotional and not so much rational messages: The imitative behavior and “emotional contagion” of crowds (Gustav Le Bon). The rule of the elites The domestication of the masses and public opinion. This passivity can be related to the domination of the government and the elites (social, economic, cultural, intellectual General Perceptions in Public Opinion about the EU  Public opinion about the European Union ranges widely from open hostility to ambivalence and support.  After the Maastricht Treaty ratification, there was a marked increase in levels of Euroenthusiasm: By 1991, more than 70 per cent of Europeans were claiming that their country’s membership of the then Community was a good thing and the completion of the Single Market made 59 per cent of citizens hopeful.  There was a dramatic drop in support in recent years in response to the eurozone crisis, between 2008 and 2010 (Greece and Brexit, later): “The rise of Euroscepticism”.  Ignorance and lack of knowledge of the citizens: In 2020 only 63 per cent of EU citizens knew that Members of the European Parliament The term ‘Euroscepticism’ was first used in 1986 to describe the position of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The British trojan horse 2 types of Euroscepticism: Hard Euroscepticism exists where there is a principled opposition to the EU and European integration. It is therefore associated with parties who believe that their countries should withdraw from EU membership, or whose policies towards the EU are tantamount to opposition to the entire project of European integration (FARAGE). Soft Euroscepticism arises when there is not a principled objection to European integration or EU membership, but rather concerns about one (or a number) of policy areas, leading to the expression of qualified opposition to the EU, or a sense that the 'national interest' is at odds with the EU’s trajectory (LE PEN / MELONI). Interpretations of Euroscepticism: Euroscepticism can be also interpreted as a “healthy phenomenon” (some scholars say) showing the public's awareness of the relationship between the EU and the national institutions, and engagement with the EU integration process. A term referred to 'doubt and distrust on the subject of European integration’. The concept of EU identity…. This is not just about feeling 'European', being born in the EU, or being a Christian. Instead, support (European pride?) for the EU on behalf of public opinion is explained by specific expectations, such as…? to respect the European Union's laws and institutions; to master any European language; and to exercise citizens' rights, like being active in politics of the European Union, by voting in European elections  Eurobarometer polls: reports published by the Commission and freely available online that monitor public support for various aspects of the European Project. Typical question: ‘Generally speaking, do you think that [our country's] membership of the European Union is a good thing, a bad thing, or neither good nor bad?’  Latest surveys and Publications https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/screen/home DEMOCRACY DISCRIMINATION IN THE EU MEDIA AND NEWS THE EURO AREA THEORIES AND APPROACHES FOR EU ATTITUDES These theories have been developed to try to explain why some Europeans tend to be more positive about the European integration process, while others tend to be more negative. In summary, it is the classic debate about… Eurosceptic citizens versus pro-Europeans 5 THEORIES 1)Rational and utilitarian approaches (Political Economy and rationality) Individuals support or oppose the integration project because they have personally benefited (or will benefit) from it or have been harmed (or will be harmed) by it. Economic benefit: citizens of some of the EU member states are said to be more supportive of the European project because their countries have benefited from the European Project (the EU could bring them economic benefits). Professional Benefit: Individuals with higher levels of education will be more likely (than those with little education) to feel that their knowledge and skills will serve them well in a wider EU market. 2) Attitudes to the national government  In general, the ordinary citizen ignores the complexity of the UE: that´s why, the EU is often perceived in terms of national issues rather than European-level ones. 2 interpretations (what do you think?): 1st: European elections are generally fought on national issues rather than Europeanlevel issues: hostility to the national government is projected onto the EU level, while positive feelings about one’s national government also translate into positive feelings about the EU (- / - ) (+ / +). 2nd: other research has argued the opposite. When the national political system is functioning well, when there is little corruption, a strong rule of law, and a welldeveloped welfare state, individuals are less positive about the EU than when they live in countries in which there is a high level of corruption, weak enforcement of the rule of law, and a weak welfare state. In the case of the former, individuals may look to 3) The influence of political elites  Mainstream parties (pro-European parties) seem to have less mobilizing ability than Euroskeptical parties about the EU issue.  This means that the electorate is more likely to be mobilized by protest parties that frame the EU in Eurosceptic terms. FOR EXAMPLE: Hungary or Slovakia. WHY? Mainstream parties have a weak mobilizing force in post-communist countries, where trust towards political parties is often very low. 4) Political psychology: cognitive mobilization and identity Cognitive mobilization: Some studies indicate that those who can pass a ‘knowledge quiz’ about the history and institutions of the EU are more enthusiastic about the project than those who know very little about the EU. And… These “experts” can talk about politics with their friends and family and influence them OPINION LEADERS Opinion leaders, for Klapper, are those who act as a filter or mediator between the media and public opinion. This filter is carried out through the mechanisms of exposure and selective transmission of media content based on its coherence with the predisposition (opinions, values, etc.) of groups and individuals. Politicians Intellectuals Teachers Philosophers Journalists Writers Social Media (Influencers, Youtubers, Instagrammers, Tiktokers) 5) The Media  According to Eurobarometer (2023), 71 per cent of Europeans use television as their preferred medium to seek information about the EU, followed by the Internet (42 per cent) and newspapers (21 per cent). Social media sites especially have become established as alternative news sources for being informed about the EU (37 per cent).  How does the media impact on public opinion about the European issues? As only a few citizens experience the EU directly, the way media and journalists select and interpret European news can be held responsible for the formation of public opinion about European integration: shaping patterns of SUPPORT…. the transparency of EU decision-making processes and the general availability of information about the EU and its activities the inclusion of the citizens and the possibilities to participate in the political process principle support of European integration and the legitimacy of its main actors and institutions …or OPPOSITION to the European institutions… The Internet, tabloids or regional newspapers increase the risk for European citizens to be confronted with unreliable and biased news about the EU: fake news and conspiracies mainly spread through social networks and digital platforms. EUvsDisinfo is the flagship project of the European External Action Service’s East StratCom Task Force. They are part of the EU’s diplomatic service, which is led by the EU’s High Representative. WEBSITE – LINK It was established in 2015 to better forecast, address, and respond to the Russian Federation’s ongoing disinformation campaigns affecting the European Union, its Member States, and countries in the shared neighbourhood. EUvsDisinfo’s core objective is to increase public awareness and understanding of the Kremlin’s disinformation operations, and to help citizens in Europe and Lately, traditional newspapers and television often appear as the ‘voice of the nation” and thus can be held responsible for defending nationally exclusive notions of collective identity: promoting a polarization between the European population pro-European or anti-European. This is not the case of the RTVE…. WEBSITE - LINK