Civil Society and EU Policymaking : NGOs in the Development of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) play an important role in European Union (EU) policymaking by providing expertise, representing societal interests, and advocating for policy change. This thesis examines how NGOs used advocacy strategies to influence EU policymaking during the development of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, focusing on the Justice is Everybody’s Business campaign as a case study of civil society advocacy. The thesis draws on interest group theory, the insider and outsider advocacy framework, Transnational Advocacy Network theory, and the Advocacy Coalition Framework. It analyses how NGOs engaged with policymakers, coordinated advocacy activities within coalitions, and navigated the opportunities and constraints of a contested EU legislative process. The study uses a qualitative case study design based on eight semi-structured interviews with NGO representatives involved in advocacy surrounding the Directive, supplemented by academic literature, campaign materials, and official policy documents. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings show that NGOs combined insider and outsider advocacy strategies. Insider strategies included meetings with policymakers, consultations, policy briefings, and legislative advocacy, while outsider strategies included public campaigns, demonstrations, social media communication, and awareness-raising activities. These strategies were closely interconnected, but they were not always carried out by the same organisations. Rather, they were often distributed across coalition members and coordinated through coalition structures. The findings further show that transnational cooperation, information sharing, and division of labour within the Justice is Everybody’s Business campaign and the European Coalition for Corporate Justice enabled organisations to pool expertise, coordinate advocacy efforts, and increase their collective visibility and legitimacy. The thesis finds that NGOs’ opportunities to influence were shaped by expertise, access to policymakers, coalition participation, and broader political opportunity structures. At the same time, influence was constrained by resource asymmetries, organised business opposition, institutional complexity, and changing political conditions. The thesis concludes that NGOs’ perceived and potential influence in the development of the Directive emerged through the interaction of advocacy strategies, coalition dynamics, and political context rather than through any single mechanism. The study contributes to scholarship on NGO advocacy, civil society participation, and EU policymaking by providing an in-depth analysis of a contemporary EU legislative campaign.