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Publishers Abstract:
The European Commission has formalised the dialogue with civic groups by adopting general principles and minimum standards governing the process of consultation with interested parties. According to these general principles and minimum standards, interest groups must fulfil particular criteria in order to participate in EU consultations of stakeholders and in-depth impact assessments carried out by the Commission prior to the drafting of legislative proposals or the open method of co-ordination guidelines. In this relatively recent development, a number of elements are still far from clear, such as the scope of application of the standards adopted by the Commission, the legal status of the entitlements of interest groups to participation, and the relationship between standards and principles drawn up in different fora and contexts, including the proposed, but not adopted, Statute for a European Association. This article examines these issues, starting from the application of the criteria chosen by the Commission, and the impact thereof upon the further development of the civil dialogue in the EU.
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