Europeanized Convergence? British and German Business Associations’ European Lobbying Strategies in the Formulation of REACH

Abstract

In February 2001 the European Commission published the White Paper on the Strategy for a Future Chemicals Policy (European Commission, 2001b), in which it outlined its plans for REACH (Registration Evaluation Authorization of Chemicals), the future regulation of chemical substances in the EU.² The publication provoked a shocked outcry among Europe’s chemical industry business community, which saw its international competitiveness decline and predicted a large-scale loss of jobs if the Chemicals White Paper were to be translated into EU law. As a consequence, firms as well as business associations took action to influence the EU’s future chemicals policy. In this chapter I will comparatively analyze how British and German chemical industry business associations organized their strategic lobbying activities from the publication of the Chemicals White Paper until the publication of the European Commission’s legislative proposal.

I want to thank Jürgen Grote, Achim Lang, Dirk Lehmkuhl, Philippe C. Schmitter and Volker Schneider for helpful comments on an earlier draft of this chapter.