What the heck is the EU?

[Sprayber]

My only question is which country will be the first to double cross the others?

France, Germany, Greece, or a darkhorse contender?

[Spiffor]

Well this works everywhere. Just as well with national governments and parliaments.

Sure, but all institutions / countries are not as wide open to lobbyism : in France, lobbies are seen with a tad of defiance, while in Europe, they're seen as valuable representatives of the civil society. Thus they have much more impact in Europe than in France, but it doesn't mean they don't have any in France.
I still think that, wherever they act, lobbies are evil simply because they betray the very idea of democracy : the politician should enforce his idea of the public good (that's why he's elected), and he's getting influenced to enforce the interests of groups.
It reminds me a thing : a mayor has to choose the best swimming pool project for his city. There are several competitors, and one influences the mayor to choose his own... through money. But here, it's not called lobbyism, it's called corruption I guess lobbyism is a legal corruption with other means.

BTW, I love your sig

[Roland]

"Sure, but all institutions / countries are not as wide open to lobbyism"
"I guess lobbyism is a legal corruption with other means."

When special interests buy legislation, it is corruption IMO (you might want to discuss this point with DanS though, as he sees nothing wrong with it in the US). On the other hand, fighting for your interests is perfectly legitimate in a democracy. So it is a murky area. The EU's legislative process sure breeds some strange flowers....

Abot the sig - I just love Krugman beating the trash out of silliness of the Bush regime.

[Bereta_Eder]

Another thing to ponder is that the shortcomings of the Commission in regard to expertise obliges it to run to the companies themsevles for advice on lawmaking.

To ask for advice and to consult with the companies on whom the laws are going to be applied is one thing.

But to actually base and depend on what THEIR experts say and draft the law based on that is discomforting.

This is a significant problem.

To counterbalance this there are only the trade unions and such, but many times they do not have the expertise or the resources that the companies specialist have.

Also the pressure of time is what leaves the Commission compeled to follow companies experts advice...

Roland, he's also a judge in the Court of Justice of the EU,nice guy but pendantic like you

[Roland]

"he's also a judge in the Court of Justice of the EU,nice guy but pendantic like you"

At the Court of First Instance, to be precise... ooops.

[Adalbertus]

Originally posted by Roland:
Really ? Even I can't remember that...

The cinnamon stuff was something I read about a few years ago in the Kölner Stadtanzün- oops anzeiger.

[Ecthy]

you seem to be pretty familiar with that kind of humour... quite odd for a frog...

[Adalbertus]

(In the style of "Weltenbummler") Ecthelion.

Didn't you read the second line of my sig I recently added?

(For "Weltenbummler" you have to know a bit about the Carnival of Cologne ...)