PA scene in Berlin maturing[de] 

More than seven hundred, mostly German, PA and PR specialists gathered in Berlin to participate in a large international conference on political communication, organised by the German publishing house Helios Media. The panel discussions were grouped around the following themes: economy and associations, parties and political groups, government and administration and values and responsibility.

Among the key note speakers were Garry Kasparov, former chess world champion, Stanley Bernard Greenberg, former political advisor of US President Bill Clinton and Jacques Séguéla, election campaign manager of the former French President François Mitterand. 

The most important message was that PR and PA work in Germany and Berlin is becoming increasingly professional and gaining in importance. Introduced by the Publisher of media partner EurActiv Christophe Leclercq, a panel discussion on modern PA tools showed that EU politics and alliance-building are essential for successful lobbying. 

On the eve of the conference Hans-Dietrich Genscher, former foreign minister of Germany, received an award for his life’s work and his decisive contribution to German and European unification. Furthermore, several German politicians, campaign managers and PA companies were given awards for successful and innovative PA strategies.