Resumen de Regulating interest group participation in the European Union: changing paradigms between transparency and representation

Stijn Smismans

• The European Union's approach to interest group regulation in the Union has changed over time. The article argues that three main paradigms of regulation can be identified since the European Union started taking a more formal approach to interest group participation. These paradigms are characterised by the use of different concepts, different objectives, and different regulatory instruments. The effectiveness of the regulatory instruments in achieving these objectives is assessed. It is argued that the shift between the three different paradigms can mainly be defined in terms of the changing priority given to two key reasons for regulating interest group participation, namely transparency and representation.