en
Przegląd Europejski – European Studies Quarterly

(Un)ethicality of interest groups' influence on EU institutions

2025, 2025, No. 3

Jarosław Filip Czub

0000-0002-0872-472X

Warsaw University

University of Warsaw (Warsaw, Poland)

University of Warsaw (Warsaw, Poland), Faculty of Political Science and International Studies

DOI

10.31338/1641-2478pe.3.25.9

Publication date

28.11.2025

Submission date

07.02.2025

Acceptance date

30.09.2025

Publishing model

open access

License type

CC BY 4.0 Int.

Field

Social sciences

Discipline

political science and public administration

Language of publication

English, Polish

Downloads

PDF 211 KB

Article

Number of views:27

Number of downloads:33

Crossref citations:0

Altmetric score:0

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present ethical and unethical behaviour of interest groups, which - using the tool of lobbying - influence the decision-making process in the European Union in political, economic or social dimension. The influence through lobbying activities of individual interest groups is visible both at the European and national level through the implementation of EU law. Due to the increasingly stronger involvement of lobbyists in the decision-making processes of the European Union, it is justified to verify the ethicality and unethicality of their behaviour in the actions taken. Therefore, the aim of the study is to verify the (un)ethical actions taken by lobbyists within the decision-making process of the European Union. The main elements of verification in the article are to show their possibilities of legal channels of access, forms of influence and legal possibilities of their functioning within the network of connections in the decision-making process of the European Union.

Keywords:

lobbying,interest groups,European Union,Poland

Bibliography

ALBARENDA Adrià, SAZ-CARRANZA Angel, VAN ACOLEYEN Michiel, COEN David (2023), Business lobbying in the executive branch: Unpacking access to political heads, political advisers, and civil servants, “Business and Politics”, vol. 25(1).

BECKER Markus, BUSCHMANN Rafael, NABER Nicola, NEUKIRCH Ralf, TRUCKENDANNER Petra (2023), A Secret Meeting in Suite 412: Inside the European Parliament Corruption Scandal, “Spiegel”, https://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/a-secret-meeting-in-suite-412-inside-the-european-parliament-corruption-scandal-a-af0228b9-3557-47ca-8184-7e355ad151c3 (20.01.2023).

BOGASON Peter, TOONEN Theo (1998), Introduction. Networks in Public Administration, “Public Administration”, vol. 78.

BÖRZEL Tanja A. (1998), Organizing Babylon – On the Different Conceptions of Policy Networks, “Public Administration”, vol. 76.

BOUWEN Pieter (2001), Corporate Lobbying in the European Union. Towards a Theory of Access, San Domenico.

BOUWEN Pieter (2002), A Comparative Study of Business Lobbying in the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of Ministers, MPIfG Discussion Paper 02/7.

BOUWEN Pieter (2004), Exchanging Access Goods for Access. A Comparative Study of Business Lobbying in the European Union Institutions, “European Journal of Political Research”, vol. 43, issue 3.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6765.2004.00157.x

CLAMEN Michel (2005), Lobbing i jego sekrety, Warszawa.

COEN David, KATSAITIS Alexander, VANNONI Matia (2024), Regulating government affairs: Integrating lobbying research and policy concerns, „Regulation & Governance”, vol. 18, issue 1.

https://doi.org/10.1111/rego.12515

CZUB Jarosław F. (2012), Lobbing grup biznesu w Unii Europejskiej, Warszawa.

DECYZJA PARLAMENTU EUROPEJSKIEGO z dnia 11 maja 2011 r. w sprawie zawarcia porozumienia międzyinstytucjonalnego pomiędzy Parlamentem Europejskim a Komisją w sprawie „Rejestru służącego przejrzystości” (2010/2291(ACI)), Dz.U. UE C 377 E, 7.12.2012.

DOWDING Keith (2001), There Must Be an End to Confusion. Policy Networks, Intellectual Fatigue, and the Need for Political Science Methods and Courses in British Universities, “Political Studies”, vol. 49, no. 1.

EHRLICH Stanisław (1962), Grupy nacisku w strukturze politycznej kapitalizmu, Warszawa.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION (1993a), An open and structured dialogue between the Commission and special interest groups, Dz.U. UE C 63/2, 5.03.1993.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION (1993b), Green Paper. European Social Policy – Options For the Union, COM (93) 551 final, Brussels, 17.11.1993.

FURNEAUX Craig, BROWN Kerry (2007), Policy Entrepreneurs and Policy Networks: A New Approach, in: Proceedings Fourth AGSE International Entrepreneurship Research Exchange, Brisbane, Australia.

GENOVESE Vincenzo (2025), Lobbying scandal related to Huawei: What we know so far, https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2025/05/21/lobbying-scandal-related-to-huawei-what-we-know-so-far (21.05.2025).

GOERGEN Pascal (2006), Lobbying for Brussels: A Practical Guide to the European Union for Cities, Regions, Networks and Enterprises, Brussels.

HAAS Ernst B. (1964), Beyond the Nation State. Functionalism and International Organisation, Stanford.

HAMILTON J. Brooke, HOCH David (1997), Ethical Standards for Business Lobbying: Some Practical Suggestions, “Business Ethics Quarterly”, vol. 7, no. 3.

https://doi.org/10.2307/3857317

ITRICH-DRABAREK Jolanta (2011), Interes urzędniczy, w: Konstanty A. Wojtaszczyk (red.), Efektywność reprezentacji interesów Polski w Unii Europejskiej, Warszawa.

JASIECKI Krzysztof, MOLĘDA-ZDZIECH Małgorzata, KURCZEWSKA Urszula (2000), Lobbing. Sztuka skutecznego wywierania wpływu, Kraków.

KOMISJA EUROPEJSKA (2008), Komunikat Komisji: Europejska inicjatywa na rzecz przejrzystości. Zasady dotyczące stosunków z przedstawicielami grup interesu, COM (2008) 323, Bruksela, 27.05.2008.

KOMISJA EUROPEJSKA (2006), Zielona księga „Europejska inicjatywa na rzecz przejrzystości”, COM(2006) 194, Bruksela, 03.05.2006.

KURCZEWSKA Urszula (red.) (2008), Deficyt demokracji w Unii Europejskiej a europejskie grupy interesów, Warszawa.

KURCZEWSKA Urszula, MOLĘDA-ZDZIECH Małgorzata (2002), Lobbing w Unii Europejskiej, Warszawa.

LEFÉBURE Thierry (1992), Lobby or not to be, Paris.

MILWARD Brinton H., PROVAN Keith G. (1998), Measuring Network Structure, “Public Administration”, vol. 76, no. 2.

NOWAK-FAR Artur (2002), Funkcjonowanie gmin w Unii Europejskiej. Kompendium dla gmin wiejskich, Warszawa–Poznań.

PARLAMENT EUROPEJSKI (2025), Regulamin Parlamentu Europejskiego, Dziesiąta kadencja Parlamentu  styczeń 2025, Załącznik I: Kodeks Postępowania Posłów do Parlamentu Europejskiego dotyczący uczciwości i przejrzystości, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/RULES-10-2025-01-20-TOC_PL.html#tocsect20 (31.01.2025).

PETERSON John, O'TOOLE Laurence J. (2001), Federal Governance in the United States and the European Union: A Policy Network Perspective, in: Kalypso Nicolaïdis, Robert Howse (eds), The Federal Vision. Legitimacy and Levels of Governance in the United States and the European Union, Oxford University Press, New York.

https://doi.org/10.1093/0199245002.003.0012

RHODES R.A.W. (1999), Control and Power in Central-Local Government Relations, 1st ed., Routledge.

https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429463518

ROSAMOND Ben (2000), Theories of European Integration, New York.

SEJM (WWW), Lobbing, http://orka.sejm.gov.pl/SQL.nsf/lob?OpenAgent&wykazl (26.01.2025).

SROKA Jacek (2009), Lobbing jako strategia promocji interesów grupowych, w: Andrzej W. Jabłoński, Lech Sobkowiak (red.), Marketing polityczny w teorii i praktyce, Wrocław.

SUTOR Bernhard (1994), Etyka polityczna, Warszawa.

USTAWA (2005/1414) z dnia 7 lipca 2005 r. o działalności lobbingowej w procesie stanowienia prawa, Dz.U. 2005 nr 169, poz. 1414 z późn. zm.

VAN SCHENDELEN Rinus (2005), Machiavelli in Brussels. The Art of Lobbying the EU, Amsterdam.

VINOCUR Nicholas, BRAUN Elisa, WAX Eddy, VOLPICELLI Gian (2023), When Eva met Francesco: The golden couple at the heart of Europe’s Qatargate scandal, “Politico”, https://www.politico.eu/article/eva-kaili-francesco-giorgi-couple-heart-european-parliament-qatargate-scandal/ (09.12.2023).

Similar publications