Lobbyists Flock to Europe
March 17, 2008, Financial Times

Because of the disproportional size of the European Commission to the many countries it oversees, there are many lobbyists in Brussels.  These lobbyists can strongly influence new EU policies, The Financial Times reports.

"Key to a lobbyist’s success in shaping policy," says Thomas Tindemans, counsel in the Corporate and Financial Services Practice at White & Case in Brussels, "is having a vision and answers to problems. You need to come up with a solution for the problem of the decision-maker, not just a solution for you. 'No' is not an amendment."

"You have to know the process," he continues. "If it is legislation you can go to the Commission, parliament and Council. If it is the implementation, you go to national governments. The skill of lobbying is to focus on the people who have the decision making power," he says.