Organized economic interests: Diversity and change in an enlarged Europe (original) (raw)

A wide range of organizations and associations seek to represent the interests of their members within the national public sphere, as well as at the European level. Contemporary organized interests in Europe comprise, on the one hand, various groups representing specific economic interests within production or consumption spheres, and on the other, groups whose primary or direct interests are non-economic and who concentrate instead on issues such as the environment or gender equality. This chapter is focused on one segment of the arena of organized interests, namely on functional economic interests represented by organizations of business and labour. The significance of these actors in contemporary interest politics stems not only from their size, organizational capacity and long-standing structures, but also from the fact that they have been traditionally the key players in shaping distinct models of interest representation and thus different types of political economies in Europe.