Environmental Lobby Effectiveness – The Case of Lithuania and the United Kingdom

Abstract

In the last decades, the world has been facing important and rapid changes of global climate and other aspects of environment. In response to this, countries are adopting climate change laws and other environmental regulations, which are causing huge social tensions and involvement of lobby groups. Lithuanian environmental interest groups are increasingly influenced by Europeanization and a parallel process of institutionalization. Interestingly, Lithuania already accepted a Law on Lobbying Activities in 2000 and became a pioneer in Europe. The UK case is significant, because they have introduced the Climate Change Act 2008 and, due to high pressure from different interest groups, ENGOs and corporate sector. The aim of the article is to examine the main factors and determinants that influence legal environmental regulation as a consequence of lobbying in Lithuania and the UK. The analysis examines lobby effectiveness as the difference among interests groups policy preferences (before lobbying), proposed policy (after lobbying) and the general outcome of prominent cases. The results indicate that the ability of groups to influence decision making process varies with the policy issues.