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.