Regulating lobbying by the law in France

The article intends to deny the central role conferred on the European Union during the progressive adoption of the legal regulation of lobbying in France. Contrary to an approach in terms of non-binding soft Europeanization, the update (2008-2016) of the process of legalization shows an ambivalent relationship to Europe marked by a flexible referencing and a progressive disengagement of European actors initially involved. Firstly, even if Europe is not absent from the debates, the quest for regulation is first and foremost marked by the challenge of the qualification of lobbying in France and by prestige struggles between institutions. The presentation of the hybrid device finally established by the law makes it then possible to specify to what extent the appropriation of international requirements and of certain North-American devices was crucial even though the French formula was itself proposed as a new standard for Europe.