IndexLobbyingNegative image“Lobbying” in the EUValue of informationInternal and external lobbyingBig Data LobbyingRegulation of lobbying in EU countriesPositive image and online globalizationConclusionThe EU lobbying system is not a recent circumstance. The European citizen (an individual or an organization) has become an active role in the decision-making process thanks to the Lisbon Treaty “Every European citizen, any legal entity, be it NGO, SA or LTD, has the right to submit a petition to the all attention of the European Parliament, has easy access to the documents and decision-making process of the European institutions and has the right to receive a response to the suggestions and referrals he makes officially. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay According to Coen, "at the European level, it became clear to the first wave of business lobbyists that those wishing to lobby directly would require mobilizing more skills than simply monitoring progress to influence the European public policy system of European directives and to the occasional presentation of positions to the Commission”. Interest groups tend to designate resources “among possible lobbying targets” – “whether they be institutions they are often looking for external experts due to their rather small number of staff compared to the large amount of EU policy expertise. Lobbying Negative image“People always get scared when you say you are a lobbyist. They stare at you with a kind of embarrassed horror, like I just made a shocking confession." When Burson-Marsteller conducted a survey with 600 participants in 20 European countries on public opinion of the role of lobbyists, they found that 77% of participants believed that “corporate lobbyists act against the public interest”. Furthermore, 70% believe that lobbyists have a critical (and redundant) influence on the decisions of the EU institutions. Interestingly, they also uncovered the three main issues related to lobbying: “insufficient transparency, prioritizing the interests of the rich and powerful, and manipulation of data/information.” A plethora of American-style opportunity structures for interest groups to turn to. The creation of the EU has, therefore, created an entirely new opportunity for what Baumgartner and Jones call “venue shopping” by national and transnational interest group actors in Europe (not all, of course, are “Europeans” )” According to Baumgartner and Jones, political actors are adept at “strategic action employing a dual strategy”: “On the one hand, they seek to control the prevailing image of political disadvantage through the employment of rhetoric, symbols, and political analysis . On the other hand, they try to change the agenda of those who take part in the issue by seeking the most favorable venue for examining such issues.” Although 'venue shopping' was developed from a study of nuclear energy policy in the United States by Baumgartner and Jones, its relevance to the EU is quite obvious. “Like the US, the EU is a system with multiple entry points. Therefore, on-premise shopping is now normal in the EU, just as it is in the US.” Since “each venue or opportunity structure” manifests its own biases, this creates “…incentives for supporters to push issues to the venue with maximum receptivity to their point of view.” Value of information Access to information is considered an important step in 'successful lobbying' in the EU.“Information plays an important role in shaping the organization and behavior of an interest group, its daily activities and even the extent to which it can influence decisions in its favor. Fundamentally, the information defines how interest groups interact with EU decision-makers. The groups are relative experts on the policy issues that most affect their interests and have considerable technical, specialized and politically relevant information on these topics. Europe's woefully understaffed and time-poor decision makers find it useful, if not necessary, to draw on this information to reduce uncertainty about potential policy outcomes." Interest groups “provide data to decision makers in exchange for legitimate information.” access to the policy-making process with the aim of making their voice heard at EU level and ultimately guiding the EU policy-making process”.Internal and external lobbyingInterest groups, in their persuasion effort, they have two options: they can either directly contact political elites (e.g. internal lobbying) or cause pressure indirectly by appealing to the public (e.g. external lobbying). Internal lobbying is aimed directly at policy makers and as such is not visible to the public. On the other hand, “external lobbying takes the form of press releases and conferences, contacts with journalists, public campaigns, social media advertisements or protest events.” De Bruycker and Beyers also found that external lobbying performs better (compared to internal lobbying) when “defending a position that gains broad support in the public sphere.” However, according to Mahoney, there is a negative relationship between external strategies and lobbying success. However, Chalmers found that internal and external lobbying are equally effective in gaining access: "several analysts have concluded that external lobbying is often conducted by powerful and resourceful actors, since the skillful use of media tactics requires resources in terms of resources". access to: a wider audience through external pressure; different access points (due to shopping on premises); and the need for information (critical for success) has made the Internet bubble an important factor in the world of lobbying. Interest groups' access to the right people in the right places at the right time can make a dramatic leap forward. Voltaire said, “Those who can convince you to believe in absurdities have the science to convince you to commit atrocities.” This quote could be considered an important “moral aspect of lobbying”. Influencing someone's decisions using data is an infamous tool not only in marketing but also in lobbying. Cambridge Analytics' data-driven approach is known to have a huge impact on political elections that can influence thousands of voters. Focusing on specific locations, tailoring political messages or planning demonstrations based on voter data collected are just some of the ways big data can be used to their advantage. Power lies not only in analyzing historical data and catering to people's interests, but also in making predictions about how people will behave in the future and then acting accordingly to influence and guide voters in a certain direction, potentially against the will of the voter. Despite the opportunities that Big Data can offer lobbyists and politicians, they remain a threat to people's privacy.Regulation of lobbying in EU countriesWith Big Data lobbying and the negative image that lobbying has acquired over time, national authorities and EU institutions have.