The strongest ally in the public for reforms must be the support of citizens, but behind that is a complex crossword of interests that we cannot solve without serious management of political processes and interests.
Recently, I participated in a round table of a political party where the discussion focused on how to build the urgently needed expressway. The discussion turned to explaining the historical injustice in defining road construction priorities, as well as the long-standing need to realize this important regional project that will have significant economic effects on several counties in that region. As the only professional lobbyist on the panel, I clearly stated that I would organize lobbying for this project, suggesting the establishment of an economic interest association that would bring together politicians, entrepreneurs, and other interested parties who share the common goal of faster progress in that area. Everyone agreed on several methods and techniques that I proposed, which lobbyists have in their arsenal when preparing lobbying campaigns. It was interesting to understand that politicians do not use organized lobbying to promote party projects, but rather try to negotiate and trade, albeit without a well-organized political machinery that is achieved through lobbying and mobilizing interest groups. Another important conclusion is that small interventions can quickly raise the level of professionalism in political work by using classic lobbying tools such as targeted gathering of interested stakeholders and their training.
Political work
While negotiations are ongoing regarding the constitution of the Parliament and the Government, lobbying in politics is discussed differently. It does not have the same connotation or meaning that I just explained with a concrete example. Moreover, lobbying in politics means political trading and favoring interests and groups with influence and votes. Three votes in the Parliament, some say, can in such tense and close negotiations for forming the Government mean one ministerial position and a considerable number of seats in the state administration and state-owned companies. Where do the interests of lobbyists appear in all this, and what is, in fact, just a convenient story for the public? And why must lobbyists, in fact, be skilled connoisseurs of the political process and the culture that shapes it?
The insistence of the Bridge party on implementing reforms is indeed a significant advancement in the Croatian political scene. Whether and how much they will succeed in this will only be seen in a year or two. All governments so far have started with the same mantra about changes, but if you analyze the content of the agendas of Croatian government meetings and the way that weekly collegium is ‘led’ and take that as an indicator of possible interventions in the systematization of work, you quickly notice that the biggest reform in leading government meetings was placing laptops on the ministers’ tables. Nothing much has changed in that regard, not even with Croatia’s accession to the European Union, which is itself a bureaucratic colossus and imposes new processes and constant interdepartmental consultations.
