Open Access#12010
Brussels: a lobbying paradise
First paragraph: In the last 30 years, in the light of a series of new European Union treaties, thousands of lobbyists have flocked to Brussels, drawn by the increasing importance of EU-level decision making. Today on average 30-40 per cent of all national laws and regulations in the 27 EU Member States derive from EU rules and legislation; for environmental issues, it is more than 60 per cent.