Keeping an Eye Out for Each Other? Regional Authorities and Regional Civil Society Actors in EU Public Consultations

The diversity of interests that get represented and the type of competition that prevails in specific lobbying processes are key questions in the study of EU interest representation. Research on these issues has mostly focused on functional interests, neglecting territorial interests. This paper adds territorial interests to the agenda. We consider the diversity and density of lobby patterns in five EU level policy processes in which sub-national authorities are closely involved (CAP Reform, TEN-T, Horizon 2020, Cohesion Policy and Environment). Based on 13 online consultations we map the diversity of functional and territorial interests aiming to influence policy outcomes. This allows us, first, to map the level of competition between regional authorities and other organized interests. Second, it enables us to examine variation in the activity patterns of both territorial and functional interests across policy domains. Third, it allows us to examine the interaction between functional interests and regional representations. By coding the geographical origin of all mobilized stakeholders we can examine the complementary or parallel nature of territorial lobbying. Moreover, public consultations are said to be an effective instrument of involving actors that would otherwise not participate in the policy process. In addition, other scholars argued that business and older EU member states are overrepresented. Systematically scrutinizing consultations allows us to investigate the role of regional interests in these processes. The paper has, in addition to its focus on territorial interests in public consultations, also broader methodological relevance as it uses data on EU consultations to examine the representation of functional and territorial interests. The paper also reflects on consultation data as a useful research tool in the field of interest group and territorial politics.