This book examines how mass protests shape policy-making in the European Union, offering novel empirical evidence on the influence of activism on some of the most contested EU policies in recent years. Through detailed case studies of protests against ACTA, TTIP, and the EU Copyright Directive, it uncovers the mechanisms by which protests affect policy outcomes in the EU’s multi-level governance system. Introducing the first dynamic, process-oriented framework for understanding protest impact at the EU level, the book highlights how changes in issue salience, policy framing, and inter-institutional conflicts can drive policy change. Bridging the literatures of social movement impact studies and EU politics, it offers a fresh perspective on the role of citizen engagement in shaping European policy. This book will appeal to scholars, researchers, and students in EU politics, social movement studies, political sociology, and public policy.

Lisa Sophie Fenner is Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and specialises in AI and Politics. Her research examines bottom-up political participation and its influence on EU policy-making. She earned her PhD at the University of Cambridge, UK, focusing on Europeanised protest, the politicisation of European integration, and EU institutional responsiveness. Her teaching covers comparative politics, European Union politics, protest and social movements, the history of European integration, and digital governance and regulation in the EU.