Not to be confused with a recent review of the same name - this work mostly explains the environment in which the lobbying of the EU system takes place. For anybody with a desire to affect policy in the continent, this is definitely instrumental reading, however the book doesn't go into the actual lobbying techniques, rather staying in the field of simple EU functioning.
Throughout the book, the unaccountable nature of the EU commission is looked at in a positive light, which one would understand is advantageous for somebody trying to steer policy toward their own ends. Furthermore, the entire EU Parliament and alleged elections that take place for it are almost entirely glossed over, as "the turnover is too quick, and relationships cannot be built to last".
It's extremely painful to have to jump into this septic tank of a field unprepared, but this book does a good job of explaining the psyche of people in lobbying, especially the European kind. The book explains that some jurisdictions are more accepting of lobbying (primarily those of a common law stripe) and some take a professional civil service approach to things, and are wary of lobbying attempts.
This is definitely more of a textbook of EU organisational theory than it is a realistic explanation of tactics and strategies to be used in lobbying, and that seems to be the running theme with all lobbying books I read. The field is apparently very experience and relationship intensive, and there doesn't seem to be much to be learned from the literature.
6/10