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EU decision-making: reinforcing interest group relationships with national governments?

Theories of interest intermediation in the European Union (EU) increasingly emphasize how domestic embeddedness influences the strategies of domestic interest groups. This article investigates a number of hypotheses advanced in this area empirically, based on analysis of the mobilization of local government interests in Denmark, Ireland and the Britain in relation to EU environmental directives. Interest groups that have a weak influence over national governments may be tempted into a ‘by-pass’ strategy, while interests that have a privileged position in domestic policy networks may be initially reluctant to embark on EU-level strategies. However, such strategies are not static but rather evolve and change over time – there is evidence of policy learning and a trend towards ‘venue shopping’ at both national and EU levels. On the other hand, those interests that remain weak at national level may also remain weak at European level.