HOW TRADE ASSOCIATION ENGAGE POLICYMAKERS ?

Trade associations represent the ‘voice of business’, or of particular industrial sectors, and act as a convenient, accessible aggregator of opinion for those sectors. Policymakers tend to give greater weight to the views of trade associations than they do to individual companies. Trade associations often claim to represent tens or hundreds of thousands of jobs, and a large percentage share of particular markets, and are perceived to have a more impartial perspective than particular companies. Trade associations allow companies to utilise their specialist knowledge and contacts in policy arenas (like the EU) where they may not have the expertise or resources to lobby effectively. Companies may represent the trade association at meetings with policymakers, and second members of staff to trade associations to put forward their views. Trade associations provide a forum for information sharing and discussion with both trade association officials and other companies.

Trade Associations use a variety of tools and mechanisms to engage policymakers 

1. Establishing key relationships and briefing policymakers: Trade associations see relationships with key policymakers as critical in shaping the policy agenda. Trade associations highlight  the importance of one-to-one (or small group) private meetings to brief policymakers. The most effective way is to have one-to-one meetings and just explaining what the issue is, highlighting the type of discussion that they ‘ve had within their membership. It is useful for the policy makers to hear discussions trade associations have had internally, and then how they’ve reached the position they got to. Some trade associations consider the importance of informal relationship building e.g. having an informal coffee just to discuss everyone’s understanding.
2. Shaping the policy agenda at an early stage, including pushing new policy initiatives and agendas within the European Commission, Parliament and Council of Europe: In this manner trade associations may seek to influence not just policy proposals but the policy agenda itself, before policy options are being considered.
3. Utilising companies and other stakeholders to drive messages home : for example, through organising meetings and dinners between CEOs of large companies, and EU Commissioners, key MEPs ahead of key decisions. What trade associations sometimes do is meet the MEPs with a small delegation of their  members who are brought in as lobbyists.
4. Working with policymakers to swing votes and influence decisions:  Trade associations are not always working solely to influence policymakers; sometimes they work alongside policymaker allies to advance particular policies. The closer to closing a legislative deal, the more time intensive lobbying becomes.
5. Press work, publishing open letters and adverts:  Press work carried out by trade associations may be particularly high profile in the run-up to key decisions. Major trade associations all put out press statements, position papers or public letters.
6. Writing briefing papers and formal letters, and sharing information with policymakers and companies. Trade associations acknowledge the importance of putting together formal statements and position papers. Timing and the importance of policy items determines when formal position papers are formulated. There is no point in sending letters during the year just for fun, but really when it is near to decision. Formal position papers and statements are developed alongside private meetings with policymakers.
7. Events involving policymakers and technical policy experts; In terms of actual tactics events are quite effective because decision makers are given a platform to speak and you’re there as a captive audience for a couple of hours. Invitations to events like these are likely only to go to ‘insiders’ and such events are often held in the Parliament “behind closed doors”.
8. Providing technical information and advice : Instead of using confrontational tactics with public officials, European lobbyists typically gain access through expert consultations, and advising the European Commission on technical policy matters proves to be the most common and most successful mode of participation of societal actors of all kinds’. The further you get into the detail the more technical it gets, so the more opportunities to lobby. This lobbying can take a variety of forms, from providing briefing papers to being an expert witness at hearings in the European Parliament. Trade associations can also commission and provide the evidence on which decisions are based. When policy-makers need to know something about an industry to actually design a policy then the industry is at its most effective as they know the information and the degree to which they can come across as credible they would be by and large able to steer the direction of that policy for quite a long time.”

Summary

• Production of written statements (briefings, position papers, technical documents, policy briefings) and letters
• Formal consultation responses.
• Press releases
• Organising Events for industry and policy makers
• Working Groups
• Meeting with policymakers and legislators
• Stakeholder consultations
• Publications (e.g. statistical information) to inform the debate
• Reports
• Provision of technical expertise