This post is part of the series EU Agriculture 2020.
The New Reality
There is a new and exciting political reality in Europe and other places. Voters are increasingly acting in hostile ways, and with the Internet, social media, smart phones with cameras and other new technologies, it’s never been easier to hold politicians accountable. Politicians are supposed to take into account the wishes of voters, and those that don’t are increasingly finding themselves under the spotlight.
In Europe we are in the middle of Brexit, and we’ve just had a series of elections at both EU and national levels, which have seen a new wave of extremist politicians ushered into power. The message is clear. If democracy isn’t reformed in Europe, it’s likely to fall apart completely.
This honeymoon won’t last for ever. Now is the time where we have our chance. Now is the window of opportunity. While this post is primarily about Europe, I think something similar is happening in many parts of the world.
The Big Black Hole
The big problem with the so-called Brussels bubble now is it’s awash in special interests. Nearly everyone lobbying there represents someone who pays their salary. There are enormous commercial interests, and cash flow like we’ve never seen before. Nearly no one there actually represents the interests of ordinarily people. This isn’t a secret, and in recent years the EU has taken a number of steps to regulate lobbying, and increase transparency and openness.
The solution to this problem of special interests is not as complicated as it might seem. The solution is really for more ordinary people to spend a little bit of time fighting for causes they believe in. I think most people would be astonished how much of a difference they can make, and how positively their efforts will be received.
It’s the way politicians work, that they have to do what people (lobbyists) tell them to. There’s really no other way. If there are no ordinary people there at the right time and place, their opinion can’t be taken into account.
These days the EU is one of the most open and accessible political structures, often more so than national governments.
Who Do you Represent?
No one person on their own can generally effect significant change. You need to discuss things with others, learn from others, form alliances and strategies, and so on. In general you need to represent a group of people to do lobby work. If you’re an established blogger like me, you probably have a topic and community. Maybe you are a member of a trade union or community group. Maybe your employer will let you represent them. Maybe you want to start your own non profit organization.
If you really don’t have your own group, you may also try approaching other NGOs, but be aware that these are often well funded and generally represent their donors. If you agree with them, fine, but be aware of organizations that say for example they promote environmental issues, but in reality have other goals. These days most NGOs depend on large donors, and the days of surviving off of €25/yr membership fees, and having an open and democratic structure, are mostly gone. On the other hand, teaming up with another NGO in the beginning can be a good way to learn the ropes.
In some way or another, you should try to represent some group and have some area of expertise.
Note the EU does not have any particular requirements that lobbyists be EU nationals or residents. Anyone can lobby the EU.
Choosing the Right Cause(s)
If you are part of a larger group, someone else may choose the causes to fight for, but if it’s just you where do you start?
In general, pending issues are the best place to start. If you are targeting Brussels, registering in the transparency register may be a good place to start, and there you can select a number of topics for which you receive email notifications.
Otherwise, if you want to try to push your own cause, you either need to have a lot of support behind you, or you need a cause that will make some politician look good. For example, if you want to bring back traditional light bulbs, consider you will be going against the corporate interests of Philips, and you will be rehashing a topic that upset a lot of people the last time around. Instead consider promoting organic food or more money for national parks. This is more likely to get the attention of politicians. If you want to promote your own cause, start by writing a letter to the appropriate politician and possibly following it up with a meeting.
A Matter of Ideas
Generally one of the most difficult things for politicians are getting enough good ideas. With ideas, you can always put them side by side and choose the best. If you don’t have any ideas however, it’s hard to know where to start.
Most politicians want to hear from you to get ideas. Don’t be afraid to send an email or write a letter, even if it doesn’t look so professional or the ideas are not completely thought out.
Understanding the Process
The EU has three main institutions: The Commission, the Council and the Parliament. The Commission is the executive branch, is responsible for the introduction of all legislation, and can often act on it’s own authority. The Council is like the US Senate, and contains appointed representatives from the member states. The Parliament is like the US House of Representatives, and it’s members are directly elected by EU citizens. The Council and Parliament make up the legislative branch of the EU government.
Most citizen lobbyists will deal primarily with the EU Commission and Parliament, because influencing the Council generally requires working from within the individual member states.
Timing is Everything
Most politicians don’t have an attention span that goes beyond a few weeks, or a couple of months at the very most. It’s also their nature that they make decisions at the last minute. It’s absolutely critical that you approach them at the right time. Generally you will hear about something pending, or if you are in the transparency register, you may get an email notification. Figure out when a politician is going to be thinking about a particular issue, or making a decision, and contact them at that moment or just a little before.
If you contact a politician at any other time about something that doesn’t have anything to do with them, they will surely just ignore you.
Don’t Favor Political Parties
It may be tempting to side with your favorite political party, maybe you support the environment or it’s aligned with your religion or so on. It’s better not to do this, because it’s often necessary to work with different parties. If you align yourself with one party, then the other parties won’t pay attention to you any more.
If you’re careful to not align yourself with any one party, then generally all the parties will talk with you.
Pay Attention to the Committees
When approaching members of the Parliament, one of the most important issues is which committees they are members of, and their roles within the committee.
Committees can accept or reject legislation, and they also approve amendments. Focusing your effort on members of the appropriate committees will often give you more influence over the legislation in the long run.
Get Your Fingers Dirty and Make Friends
If you want to make changes in the food you eat or anything else, just pick a cause and fight for it. Don’t be afraid to fail.
Look for friends along the way, to team up with and learn how things work.
Don’t be afraid to get in touch with me if you have any questions, or if you would like to work on issues together. I also love to hear from people who just want to tell me what they think about things. When I do lobby work, I can’t represent my readers if they don’t tell me what they think about things.
