Czech Journal of International Relations (Mar 2015)
Reflection of the decade of the European Commission’s public consultation practice and position of the stakeholders
Abstract
The Lisbon revision of the primary law led to the confirmation of the pre-existing Commission’s commitment to carry out “broad consultations” while preparing European legislative acts. The aim of this article is to elucidate formulation of the Commission’s public consultation practice and evaluate positions of the interest groups to the Commission’s strategy. The attention is accorded to the analysis of the consultation’s level of formalization and inclusivity, the two principal consultation’ components. The analysis is build upon the study of the selected interest groups’ positions brought forward during the years 2002–2012 and upon the reaction of the Commission to the interest groups’ feedback. The available empirical data suggests that the interest groups appreciated the introduction of the minimum standards for consultation, however, they have been steadily alerting to their frequent breach and arbitrary application.
