Before examining interest organization at the Community level, it is important to reflect on the nature of the Community itself. Much of the research and reflection on interest-group activity in Western countries over the last thirty years has emphasized not just government as a target of group activity, but also the way in which government influences, intentionally or not, the structure, scope, and character of activity by interest organizations. The state as a shaper of interest groups has been a central theme of the recent literature on pressure groups (Wilson 1990).