Central and Eastern European business interest associations and EU policy making

• Published date: 01 February 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1827
• Date: 01 February 2019
• Author: Jean F. Crombois

ACADEMIC PAPER

Central and Eastern European business interest associations

and EU policy making

†

Jean F. Crombois

Department of Political Science and European

Studies, American University in Bulgaria,

Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria

Correspondence

Jean F. Crombois, Department of Political

Science and European Studies, American

University in Bulgaria, 1 Georgi Izmirliev

Square, 2700 Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.

Email: jcrombois@aubg.edu

Funding information

Jean Monnet Module: European Lobbying:

Interest Groups and European Integration,

Grant/Award Number: 553143‐EPP‐1‐2014‐

1‐BG‐EPPJMO‐MODULE; funded jointly by

the European Commission and the American

University in Bulgaria

The interactions between Central and Eastern European (CEE) business interest asso-

ciations (BIAs) and their EU trade associations have not yet attracted much attention

in academic research. This paper has two main objectives. The first is to assess quan-

titatively the participation level of CEE BIAs in EU trade associations. The second is to

assess qualitatively the nature of the relationships between them by surveying

Bulgarian BIAs as a case study. This article stresses the fact that EU enlargement

has decreased the representativeness of EU trade associations due to the weak level

of membership of CEE BIAs. It also highlights the importance of membership in EU

trade associations in terms of both Europeanization and socialization, even though

CEE national BIAs, such as Bulgarian ones, are still very much anchored in their

domestic interactions and lobbying.

1|INTRODUCTION

Notwithstanding the number of challenges EU trade associations

are facing, they remain important actors on the Brussels scene.

On the demand side, they are viewed as the privileged interlocutors

for EU institutions, particularly the European Commission. On

the supply side, they offer their members benefits in terms of

information, education, and knowledge with regard to EU matters

(Gueguen, 2007).

One of the challenges that EU trade associations face concerns

their encompassiveness, which was undermined as a result of the suc-

cessive enlargements of the European Union in 2004, 2007, and 2013

to include the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). In other

words, national business interest associations (BIAs) in the new

member states have not shown the same degree of participation in

EU trade associations as their counterparts in the EU‐15. This raises

an important question for EU trade associations, as their degree of

encompassiveness of interest is considered their main asset when

dealing with EU institutions.

This article has two main objectives. The first one is to assess

quantitatively the level of CEE BIAs in EU trade associations. The

second one is to assess qualitatively the nature of the relationships

between them. Bulgarian BIAs served as a case study and were

surveyed in fall 2015.

1

In doing so, this article seeks to contribute to filling a gap in the

literature. Indeed, previous publications have emphasized the impor-

tance of civil society in the process of Europeanization in the CEE

countries; however, empirical research on the subject, especially with

regard to BIAs, is lacking.

This article thus raises two main questions. What are the partici-

pation rates of CEE business associations in EU trade associations?

†

The author wishes to thank the students of his EU lobbying course for

helping him with this project.

1

Electronic questionnaires were sent to 38 Bulgarian business associations that

were identified as members of an EU trade association. The surveys were

complemented with phone interviews. Out of 38 associations, 24 agreed to take

part in the survey. These were the following: Association for Assistance of Small

and Medium Enterprises (United Business Club); Association of Banks in Bul-

garia; Association of Bulgarian Insurance; Bulgarian Association of Apparel and

Textile Producers and Exporters (BAATPE); Bulgarian Association of Electrical

Engineering and Electronics; Bulgarian Association of Electricity; Bulgarian

Association of Essential Oil, Perfumery and Cosmetics; Bulgarian Association

of the Metallurgical Industry (BAM); Bulgarian Association of Pharmaceutical

Wholesalers; Bulgarian Association of Shipbuilding and Ship Repair; Bulgarian

Association for Water (БАВ); Bulgarian Books Association; Bulgarian Chamber

of Mining and Geology; Bulgarian Construction Chamber; Bulgarian Industrial

Association; Bulgarian Industrial Gazes Association; Bulgarian Petroleum and

Gas Association; Bulgarian Retail Association; Bulgarian Soft Drinks Association;

EcoPack Bulgaria; National Association of Industrial Security Association; Union

of Brewers in Bulgaria; Union for Private Economic Entreprise; Union for Private

Entrepreneurs. All respondents were the managers in charge in each of these

organizations. The authors thank these organizations and their managers for

agreeing to take part in the survey.

Received: 9 June 2016 Revised: 31 January 2018 Accepted: 3 April 2018

DOI: 10.1002/pa.1827

J Public Affairs. 2019;19:e1827.

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1827

© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa 1of8