Samenvatting

In July 2013, the EU and the US began negotiating a comprehensive trade and investment treaty: TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership). This was the beginning of a hefty public debate on the – supposed – contents of the agreement, such regulatory cooperation and ISDS. In the Netherlands, this debate was also held extensively, not in the
least due to extensive media-coverage and public protests by a coalition of NGOs and civil society organisations called STOP-TTIP. After months of discussions, then-minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Lilianne Ploumen announced a ‘reset’ of Dutch trade policy. How come the STOP-TTIP coalition was so influential on the Dutch trade
policy?

In this undergraduate dissertation, an answer to that question has been given. A case study approach was chosen as a method, supplemented by four in-depth semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders. A literature review on the field of interest group research constitutes the foundation of the dissertation.

The main findings of this research suggest that the STOP-TTIP coalition in the Netherlands was able to control the debate in the Netherlands on several important themes at the hand of an organised campaign. A combination of powerful frames, lobbying tools, and message alignment created a ‘perfect storm’ for the campaign. Furthermore, the coalition has succeeded in creasing the salience of trade policy – a highly technical topic. As a result the recommendations of the dissertation have suggested that it is of importance for the Dutch administration to find a corresponding narrative that addresses the issues of the STOP-TTIP coalition - not in the least because the coalition will continue to address key trade policy issues. In terms of the coalition campaign, the high salience of trade related issues could prove a fertile ground for the attainment of more policy preferences in trade policy.