”Ingen är tillräckligt stor i Bryssel” En komparativ studie mellan Västra Götalandsregionens och Region Skånes upplevelse av inflytande på EU:s policyprocesser

Abstract

This thesis aims to contribute to a practical insight on the working strategies of two Swedish regional offices in Brussels. The aim is to investigate the officials’ experiences of regional influence on EU policy. The main results of this study show that small regions find it hard to impact EU policy through direct lobbying towards the institutions. However, an indirect impact can be achieved through persistent networking and presence. To create and maintain relations with actors and stakeholders within formal and informal networks is, according to the regions, considered as key to gain actual influence. Sweden has a history of being a strong nation-state with corporative character, which involves inviting different administrative authorities and interest groups to join the political room. Today, new types of governance has come to challenge the traditional political order. The involvement of actors from horizontal and vertical spheres has given regions a central place in politics with an opportunity to influence the policy processes. An increased number of regional offices are today established in Brussels to monitor regional interests and to attempt changing EU politics to their favor. The region of Västra Götaland and the region of Skåne have in this study been compared as regional lobbyists. The focus of this thesis lies within comparing the officials’ experiences why the method is mainly concentrated to interviews. Through the theory of Network Governance this study focuses on revealing the regions’ various interests, strategies and resources to gain influence at the EU level.