Polish Business Lobbying in the EU 2004–2009: Examining the Patterns of Influence

Abstract

Polish business interest groups exerted limited influence on Brussels decision-making in the post-accession period (2004–2009). The patterns of influence are examined by means of a resource-based approach, including factors such as organization and budget, networks and reputation, but also on the basis of process tracing and preference attainment analysis. Limited effectiveness of Polish lobbying could be explained by the short period of socialization to EU politics. However, research shows that patterns of Polish interest representation in the EU should be further explained by the hybrid domestic institutional environment resulting from the transformation and Europeanization processes, as well as by the limited compatibility of the two institutional contexts. In fact, the actual opportunity structures differ to a large extent, both in terms of systemic openness and participatory regimes, between the national and the European level, notwithstanding the formally neo-pluralist character of interest representation systems both in Poland and in the EU.