European Policy Analysis
The Dynamics of Conference Meetings
Another of the aspects covered in our analysis was the meeting dynamics , a matter that touches directly on the interactions among the individuals who attend these meetings and which might possibly have some influence on the institution ’ s performance .
In this respect , our informants state that the human factor , particularly with regard to the personal profile of the Sectoral Conference ’ s chair , seems to have an effect on the way in which the meetings take place , on the atmosphere during them and , possibly , on the fact that the Sectoral Conferences discuss fewer or more issues .
(…) here again there is a part played by the human factor , the personality , the character of the person in charge at the Sectoral Conference , that is to say , the person responsible , the minister . If you are willing to enter into dialogue and you go along in order to listen , even to disagree , to see whether you can integrate that point of view , then that is
worth a lot . ( Interview 2 )
Another indicator considered here is relevant at this point : the duration of the Sectoral Conference meetings . Looking , for example , at the duration of the Environment Sectoral Conference sessions , a certain influence of the minister ’ s personality can be seen : specifically during the mandate of Cristina Narbona , reputedly the most conservationist-minded minister in charge of the department during the period analyzed , the duration of meetings was considerably longer ( Graph 4 ). Furthermore , during her time as minister , this was the only period when the physical venue of the conference changed and meetings took place in different Spanish cities . That is to say , the process , in terms of duration , matters dealt with and the overall approach of the conference underwent a change that disappeared when new ministers , some of them from the same political party ( Elena Espinosa and Rosa Aguilar ), chaired the conference .
The authors consider that changes in this indicator can be considered as evidence of the effect of the human factor on how meetings are run , but that this effect is neutralized by the processes , in terms of the institutionalization of the conference , whose internal regulations dictate how decisions are taken and the very form of understanding these decisions , meaning that any changes are limited .
In further reference to the meeting dynamics , our interviewees describe how , depending on the nature of the matters dealt with , the alignment of the participants , according to which parties they belong to , is more explicit . In other words , the more political prominence the items on the agenda have , the clearer it is that Sectoral Conference participants adhere to the government-opposition dynamic .
(…) at that time the Socialist Party was in government , and , furthermore , the party was practically in a majority in the Autonomous Regions as well . However , in general , the Popular Party acted as a block , that is to say , normally when there was a matter that they opposed , they would oppose it together . It was not an operational process . There , they did not represent the Madrid Region or the Valencia Region ; they went to present a series of political objections , not territorial ones . Yet the same happened with the PSOE ; the PSOE regional representatives supported , often indiscriminately , ministerial proposals , whether or
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