Social Movements and the European Interest Intermediation of Public Interest Groups

Abstract

It is argued that, in the EU environment, social movements are important actors and acquire distinctive traits in terms of coalitional activities, inter-institutional relations, modes of financing, and representational activities. They put forward an often utopian vision of desirable policy changes that other non-state organizations and institutional activists can utilise as a negotiating standards, whilst recognising, however, that they may be unachievable. This role is appreciated by institutional activists — bureaucratic and political actors sympathetic to movements — who typically attempt to channel funds, legitimacy and visibility to social movement organizations, both for reasons of ideological congruence and to engage in processes of bureau-shaping and budget maximising from which they benefit. The relative absence of strong policy steering on the EU level enables them to do so to a larger extent than in national polities. This is however more likely to occur when there is a specific legal base that legitimises movements’ support.

Key Words:

• Social movements
• political representation
• public interest coalitions
• EU legitimacy
• governance

Notes

1. See http://www.alter-eu.org/ (website accessed 28 July 2011).

2. See http://www.green10.org/ (website accessed 28 July 2011).

3. See http://www.act4europe.org/code/en/default.asp (website accessed 4 March 2011).

4. For a description of EEB funding sources see http://www.eeb.org/index.cfm/about-eeb/our-donors/ (website accessed 4 March 2011).

5. This is for instance typically summarised in the following excerpt from the website of CSGT the Civil Society Contact Group previously mentioned: ‘The EU Civil Society Contact Group defends a vision of the European Union that is an advocate for and guarantor of peace, solidarity, justice, equality for all, equality between women and men, non discrimination, sustainable development, protection and improvement of the environment, the eradication of poverty and observance of human rights to ensure a high quality of life and well-being for present and future generations within the EU and globally’ (see http://www.act4europe.org/code/en/hp.asp website accessed 28 July 2011).

6. http://www.enar-eu.org/Page_Generale.asp?DocID=15279&la=1&langue=EN website accessed 28 July 2011).