Regional Lobbying in Brussels. A Case Study on the Mobilization of the Regional Offices on the ‘EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region'

Regional offices grow of more and more importance for the interest representation in Brussels. This study involves what determines if a region takes lobbying actions, what mobilization variables are important for the performance and what lobbying strategy is supposed to be the most successful. The study is a case study on the regional mobilization within the development of the ‘EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region’ and is based on empirical data gained by interviews with regional offices and Commission officials. Since there is usually a lack of theoretical backgrounds within lobbying, a theoretical framework with different lobbying strategies and several mobilization variables that determine these strategies was evolved. It turned out that the variables of representation, agenda setting and resources are the main influences for the different strategies, which is highly related to the decision making power of the region, the amount of partners established in the office and the interest in European issues at the home level. The main instrument used by the offices, a coalition, was not as successful as expected. A model of mobilization types is presented which distinguish ‘the committed’, ‘the follower’ and ‘the reluctant’