The Merchants of Influence

By Kamal Dehane

At the limit between economic interests and political decision, lobbying is both intriguing and fascinating. It also apparently contains something of the mysterious, since it participates in all kinds of fantasies. In Brussels, lobbies are of substance: their number, variety and methods have transformed the European capital into a paradise of international interest groups. Clusters of society-related questions converge on this singular phenomenon; the film sets out to provide answers to a few of the most basic ones:  who are the lobbyists? how do they work? what interests do they defend and with what means? To portray the entire range of lobbies and the techniques employed, both lobbyists and European parliament members attempt to answer the most important question of all:  is lobbying a threat or a help to the effective functioning of democratic society?