There are currently a wide range of independent UK regulatory bodies, covering both public services and private industry, which provide functions relating to consumer protection, economic regulation, competition and fair trading policy, professional standards and technical oversight.

BBC: Scotland politics

The main areas in which firms tend to want to lobby the commission competition policy, state aid, anti-dumping actions, product and market regulation are ones where decisions usually involve a pragmatic mixing of economic, political and legal arguments.

ECONOMIST: The Brussels lobbyist and the struggle for ear-time