The project 'Democratizing Influence' imagines an alternative system for interest representation in the EU. It is a vision of a new architecture to host a transparent and participatory European democracy. We believe that lobbying should happen in the open - not in secrecy behind the curtain walls of office blocks in Brussels. But we do not only promote lobbying transparency at the EU level. The project also seeks to empower citizens to partake in EU politics through a new citizen network that can counterbalance professional interest groups. In that sense, we are not claiming that there is too much lobbying; instead we want to ensure that a broad and diverse spectrum of interests, ideas and opinions can be expressed through a transparent and fair representation in the EU.
Lobbying in the European Quarter
The European Quarter in Brussels does not only host the most powerful institutions of the EU but also large numbers of lobby organizations set in office buildings around the institutions. Estimates suggest that more than 25.000 lobbyists work in Brussels with the aim of influencing EU policy-making. Democratizing Influence looks into the architecture of what is sometimes referred to as the “Brussels Bubble” and proposes a rethinking of how and what interests are represented in the policy making process.
House of Influence, Brussels
House of Influence is a new EU institution for lobbying and interest representation. The new institution will allow the public to scrutinize the process of lobbying while diversifying the representation of interests.
A Local Citizen Assembly, Brussels
The new citizen assemblies strengthen the link between citizens of Europe and the decision-makers in the EU Quarter. They are situated across Europe and form a new infrastructure for influence acting as a counterweight to the professional lobbying.
