Assessing conditions for influence of interest groups in the EU

Abstract
An important factor for the ability of interest groups to contribute to democratic decisionmaking is the balance between their input and the political autonomy of decision-makers. This article focuses on the results of four case studies of decision-making in the fields of IT and transport in the EU. These case studies show that private actors do contribute to decision-making, but they are less influential for EU politics than anticipated. Based on the case studies, this article assesses how and to what extent interest groups contribute to decision-making in the two sectors, in the context of the EU’s political structure and, notably, its alleged democratic deficit.