Businesses have long since grasped it – and now civil society is following suit: Whoever wants to make political gains can no longer afford to be solely active in their respective capitals. NGOs may be moving somewhat more slowly, yet, to a remarkable degree, they are beginning to go to Brussels. Whether it is about the environment, about consumer protection, about civil society in the digital age – increasingly Brussels is the place where the action is.
Between the Berlaymont Building and the European Parliament there is – side by side with the offices of law firms, businesses, nations, foundations, and EU agencies – an increasing number of NGOs – and that in spite of the fact that mostly EU politics is still taking place behind closed doors.
In their register the European Commission and the EU Parliament list almost 1,500 non-governmental organisations ranging from the African Diplomatic Academy, the German Firemen’s and Foresters Association, the World Uyghur Congress, to the Verein der Zwiebelfreunde (Association of Onion Lovers) – an organisation that promotes web-based anonymiser services. All of them want to have their say in Brussels. And this is not were it ends, as not all NGOs are listed. As a comparison: The same register lists almost 600 self-employed consultants, law firms, and consultancies, and almost 2,500 representatives of businesses, professional associations, and trade unions. In sum, and compared to the presence of NGOs, this does not seem to be an excessive number, however, one has to take into account that many of the latter are professional, often highly paid full-time lobbyists.
Great power, little publicity
The more politics devolves to Europe, the more flagrant becomes the fact that, except for the financial crisis, there is very little EU media coverage. The German news magazine Der Spiegel, for example, has two editorial departments for German affairs, but no independent department for European matters. Regarding other traditional media, the situation is hardly any better.
Even the two German radio stations Deutschlandfunk and DRadio Kultur, otherwise known for their high-quality reporting, only employ two European correspondents while there are nine full-time journalists in their Berlin studios on a daily basis. All to often, Europe is truly “undercover business.” The effect is, that the internet is increasingly becoming the centre of debates on Europe. Numerous high-ranking political functionaries, EU Commissioners, as well as MEPs are active on Facebook, Twitter, etc. – and there NGOs and their supporters can get in touch with them easily.
The fact that ACTA, an issue specific to the web, has demonstrated how effectively a transnational European public can be mobilised, has probably motivated other, non-digital NGOs to follow suit. Nevertheless, without any publicity in the media very few issues will reach those who are at the grassroots of NGOs’ national activities – ordinary people who as member, supporters, activists, or donors are the backbone of political action. Will the web be able to change all that? There is already a small but select group of online media with an EU focus, be it the “euro bloggers,” web magazines such as Euractiv or the EU Observer, or the Twitterati. Slowly but surely something is happening in this area – among other things because the traditional media have missed the opportunity.
The web also plays a role for many EU institutions: Hardly anymore is there an EU Commission consultation process without the possibility for EU citizens to participate online. No matter whether it is about a reform of subsidy procedures, block exemption regulations, ocean energy, foods from cloned animals, or a revision of EU rules regarding the fruit and vegetable sector: The “Your voice in Europe” (IPM) programme is considerably more progressive than current political practice in Berlin where the pinnacle of participation is to consult major associations. In addition, many – although by far not all – documents pertaining to EU treaties and legislative processes are easily accessible online.
Web key to greater transparency and participation
This combination of greater transparency and participation gives short shrift to the common prejudice that Brussels is some kind of a spaceship operating in deep space and out of touch with common earthlings. It is also a great help to civil society organisations, as only those with access to certain documents will be able to spoil the lobbyists’ power games and keep an eye on Commission officials and parliamentarians alike.
Still, whoever wants to achieve sustainable results in Brussels will have to go there in person. As a reporter who is relatively new to the EU parliament recently told me, it is not at all unusual that concerning fiercely contested policy areas Euro MPs will receive visits from around 80 industry and business representatives within a fortnight. Such efforts are not without their effects. Only few NGOs can afford a continuous presence, and this is especially true for German NGOs that, compared to those from other countries, tend to be among the largest, yet they are nevertheless underrepresented. A train ride from Berlin to Brussels takes seven hours, and, ever since Lufthansa bought their rival, Brussels Airlines, to fly there can be a costly undertaking.
Thus it is a matter of logic that an increasing number of national organisations are deciding to leave lobbyism in Brussels no longer to their respective umbrella organisations and are establishing their own European offices instead. This is for good reason, too, as those whose voices are not heard among the turbulent parliamentary work on Place Luxembourg, will not be able to have their say.
Of course there is some division of labour, for example when a Dutch NGO that finds it easier to go to Brussels than their Greek allies, will lobby for the latter’s concerns and causes. Nevertheless, this does not suffice to guarantee that the diversity of European civil society is being heard. Looking at it the other way, the tendency of civil society to move to Brussels will mean that it itself will develop into a more strongly transnational phenomenon, and that it too will no longer make its decisions in Lisbon, Athens, Berlin, or Helsinki … however that still is dreams of the future.
Falk Lüke is a freelance journalist.
Translated from the German by Bernd Herrmann.