A lot of Brussels lobbyists act as if their national capital will stop Commission proposals from coming out the door.
There is little evidence to support that this is a winning strategy.
They see things through the eyes of their national flag.
They do so knowing that Brussels (EU) does not work like Berlin, Paris, Rome or Warsaw.
No one country, or political family, has the weight to get the Commission to bend to their political will.
Will Your Commissioner Wave the Flag
Commissioners swear an oath of office not to take instructions from their government. It’s useful to read it. You can find it here. And, most of the time, they are faithful to their oath.
Sure, some countries are listened to more attentively than others. France, Germany, and the UK were always listened to more attentively than other countries.
Most of the time a Commissioner will ignore the pressure from back home when taking a decision. The calls from old national parliamentary colleagues, the national press, and calls from the government, don’t tend to sway minds.
If a Commissioner starts unsubtly promoting the national line, they’ll find themselves, and pat issues, sidelined for a (long) while.
The decisions of the College are by consensus. So much so, that the College rarely vote. President Barroso in his 10 year time in office had around a handful of votes.
Sometimes, a Commissioner will force a vote in the College to appease a national line. This lands them up in a coalition of one. It tends to lead to the Commissioner being sidelined in the College. Their act of national interest is never remembered back home.
There are checks in balances. Commissioners who forget their vow of office find themselves short-staffed and ignored.
The European Voice – the EP
The Commission listen a lot to the European Parliament. They do so because the Commission can only be brought down by the European Parliament. The Santer Commissioner resigned to preserve their pension when faced with the inevitability of being booted out by the European Parliament.
And, the European Parliament is divided along political families, and not by nationalities. There is strong resistance for any one country to dictate the Group line.
Is there a better way
There are some easier and more effective ways.
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European interest. If you could forget what the accident of birth has assigned you – a passport and nationality – and think and act as a European. You’ll have a better success rate. Framing action around benefiting the European interest is a must. If you ignore this, your chances of success are slim on a good day.
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Evidence. The stronger the technical and scientific case for action at the EU level you can make, the more likely it is to be taken up.
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Champions. It helps to have champions. Tony Blair’s promotion of action on Climate Change helped the Commission take up the issue and promote action at a time when France and Germany were not interested
And, I know there are exceptions to this general rule. They are a few. Too few to think your national flag will sway the day.