EurActiv Logo
EU news & policy debates
- across languages -
Click here for EU news »
EurActiv.com Network

BROWSE ALL SECTIONS

EurActiv survey confirms the increase in Brussels-based communication resources

-A +A
Published 15 June 2004 - Updated 29 January 2010
Tags
corporate public affairs
Printer-friendly versionSend by email

Realising the importance of public opinion in policy-making, companies responding to the Corporate Affairs Survey 2004 confirmed that their representations in Brussels continue to increase their communications resources.

EurActiv's survey of corporate affairs representations in Brussels reveals that a majority of companies are increasing the size of their Brussels staff, with a deliberate emphasis on public affairs and communication. As most companies also recognize the special skill sets of consultants, many plan to continue relying on the latter, in the area of public relations in particular. 

Selected conclusions:

  • Most respondents said that they are focusing more staff resources on the PA and Communication functions than they did 5 years ago.
  • Strong to moderate growth in PA staff is predicted by 72% of respondents.
  • 57% of the respondents said they use different consultants for each area. 
Positions: 

Martina Bianchini, Dow Europe, told EurActiv that complexity of EU institutional issues is growing. "The cumulative effect of this is that we must continually improve our knowledge and professionalism. In the future, we will likely adapt the dynamic external policy environment. This may drive Dow to focus more public policy communication in Brussels." (See the full interview). 

Steve Newsome, Royal Mail, said that "depending on who we need to engage with on our priority issues, we draw on the expertise in our headquarters. So while my position is our single presence in Brussels, it is part of an integrated external relations unit and we deploy frequent visits by senior executives to Brussels." (See the full interview). 

Andrew Hawkins, Chief Executive of CommunicateResearch Ltd, who contributed technical expertise and data analysis, commented: "for those of you working in PA, you can expect that your skills will be in high demand over the coming few years: none of the survey respondents expect any sort of decline in PA!"

Christophe Leclercq, EurActiv Publisher, said: "after NGOs, companies now also recognise that policy decisions are often shaped by public opinion, not just through classical lobbying efforts."

Philip A. Springuel, EurActiv's Senior Public Affairs Manager adds "consultancies with integrated skills and a particular expertise in PR will see continued demand for their services."

Next steps: 

A 4-page Summary Report of the Survey results is being distributed to the respondents to the survey. 

Companies that wish to learn more about the Survey results may contact Philip Springuel on public.affairs@euractiv.com, or call +32 2 226 58 17. 

Background: 

A corporate affairs office in Brussels may have several different functions, roughly broken down into three areas: 

  • Public affairs (PA),
  • Public Relations/Press (PR),
  • Communications/Marketing (Communication).

Traditionally, one senior person represented companies in Brussels, with expertise in one of the functions.

With increased complexity of European affairs issues, anecdotal evidence indicated that corporate affairs representation in Brussels was growing, but to what extent the functions were integrated, and which ones were emphasised had not been clear.

To check these trends, the Public Affairs Section of EurActiv and its partners CommunicateResearch Ltd, the Journal of Public Affairs  and the consultant Edelman, conducted a survey in corporate circles to provide a more accurate picture. Out of 300 to 400 corporate representations in Brussels, 84 answers were received.

More in this section

Advertising

Advertising

Advertising