Advocacy and Policy Change in the Multilevel System of the European Union: A Case Study within Health Policy

Abstract

Health policy is basically Member States’ competence. However, the European Union has recently raised a number of key questions facing both (pharmaceutical) industries and public health interests. By applying the Advocacy Coalition Framework, the paper sheds light on policy change within the European multilevel system. The analysis is based on a case-study strategy. Two processes in the pharmaceutical policy are taken into account: the “Pharma Forum” and the “Pharma Package”. They both concern “information to patient”—a controversial policy issue at the crossroad of competing pressures.