EU & International Cooperation Branch
15 thousand people are rushing to lobby, now a gigantic industry in Europe
ENTRY TO UN THROUGH THE "LOBBY"
Lobbying is a constitutional right in the USA, a billion dollar industry in Australia, and a legal and essential part of the democratic process in Britain. In the EU, lobbying forms a huge cog that consists of 15 thousand lobbyists, the European Commission, the Parliament, working groups and national representatives. This industry, which has extremely high revenue, requires a specialized knowledge of law in areas such as competition, environment and logistics. Hence, lawyers are in high demand.
The year is sometime in the 1870's...
The location is the lobby of Willard Hotel in Washington D.C.
The hero of our story is Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the United States. It is well known that Mr. Grant frequents the Willard Hotel, two blocks down from the White House, to enjoy a cigar and brandy in the evenings. The lobby of this hotel is where those who are interested in getting a draft passed in the Senate or those keen to secure a public tender meet with Grant by “coincidence”. They then try to influence him towards their desired goal by ordering him a drink.
Even though there are those who believe that this story is apocryphal, it does explain the term “lobbying” well, both in terms of etymology and popular history.
Despite the fact that lobbying is associated with underhanded business activities, such as bribery, favoritism, vested interests or threats, in actual fact, lobbying is a constitutional right in the USA, a billion dollar industry in Australia, and a legal and essential part of the democratic process in Britain. In the EU, lobbying forms a huge cog that consists of 15 thousand lobbyists, the European Commission, the Parliament, working groups and national representatives.
