Tag: public affairs

Ex-diplomats with an understanding of how the EU works are likely to be a useful part of the scene for the foreseeable future. They after all have training in history, geography and power – the very essence of both public affairs and foreign policy, writes Tom Spencer, executive director of the European Centre for Public Affairs (ECPA), in an April commentary. 

As Brussels gains clout in world governance, salaries in public affairs and communication mirror the professionalisation of the sector, but are far from matching levels in other lobbying capitals like Washington and London, according to the first ever Brussels remuneration report, to be published today (17 September).

The new European Parliament is likely to be more pro-business and more industry-friendly, adopting a less 'green' stance on major policy issues than the previous legislature, public affairs bosses told EurActiv ahead of its inaugural session in Strasbourg tomorrow (14 July).

Public affairs professionals are in the trust business, heard participants in last week's European Communication Summit in Brussels, but that trust is in danger of being compromised by uncoordinated communications strategies that antagonise policymakers.

Public affairs professionals gathered in Brussels for a conference earlier this month were optimistic about their prospects for 2009, insisting that the ongoing economic turmoil will create new opportunities despite stagnating PA budgets.

"For public affairs practitioners to be truly effective, [they] must have a profound understanding of institutional and cultural differences," argues Michael Burrell, vice-chairman of Edelman Europe and deputy chairman of the European Centre for Public Affairs (ECPA).

Public affairs, or the "interaction of society with its political institutions," is essential to democracy, particularly a 'new' democracy on a continental scale such as the EU, writes Tom Spencer, executive director of the European Centre for Public Affairs (ECPA), in an article for EU Reporter.

Officials working for the European institutions are regulated "more strictly" than their counterparts at national level, reveals a study carried out by the European Institute of Public Administration in Maastricht. The study recommends tightening ethical rules in each institution rather than a one-size-fits-all solution.

Anti-Fraud Commissioner Siim Kallas has urged lobbyists to work with the Commission on setting up a voluntary register of professional lobbyists in Brussels, or face the prospect of mandatory regulation.

Specialised media and lawmakers are preceived as the most important factors for European federations, EurActiv's 2007 survey found.

Expectations of the German EU Presidency are high. Nevertheless the German Federal government seems not to be well prepared. This article by Chritian Arns published in politik&kommunikation examines why and stresses the importance of effective communication for the Presidency.

EurActiv manual receives input from Brussels journalists, NGOs and civil servants on how to draw up good media relations strategy.

Tom Spencer, executive director of the European Centre for Public Affairs, assesses the latest batch of mixed views on the Commission initiative to enhance transparency at EU level.

Christophe Leclercq and Kristina Weich Hondrila from EurActiv write in this Politik & Kommunikation article (in German) about the state of affairs of a European energy policy after the EU spring summit and future developments.

Mark E. Dillion, PA consultant in San Francisco and Berlin, writes in this Politik & Kommunikation article about the image-crisis of the USA in Germany. In this context he is trying to find an answer to the question of why the USA, the country which developed public relations, seems to be unable to better promote its own image to the world in general. 

The full text is only available in German.

How much pressure did the US government exert in order to promote US industry interests on the EU’s draft REACH regulation?  The answer: "A lot, but careful", say researchers of the Kennedy-Institute of Freie Universität Berlin.  The case study “Trading softly: Europe, chemicals, and the Bush administration” (by Francis R. Pickerung, Jason Dorn, Alant Jost, Mehmet Yilmazata and Felix Mann), was finalised in January 2006 at the seminar “America’s Lobbyists” at the Kennedy-Institute, under the supervision of Dr. Marco Althaus, Deutsches Institut für Public Affairs (DIPA).

Berlin is one of the youngest European capitals. However, as the 'Politikkongress' on 30 November 2005 shows, public affairs have firmly taken root.

Just a week before the Commission decides on a European initiative on transparency, Commissioner Kallas has asked France to publish its list of CAP beneficiaries "for all citizens".

Tom Spencer, Visiting Professor of Public Affairs at Brunel University and Executive Director of the European Centre for Public Affairs, explains in Public Affairs News how two recent reports misunderstood the conduction of public affairs and which are typical of outsiders with no understanding of the lobbying industry. 

Why do companies or interest groups use European associations, in-house lobbyists and political consultants simultaneously, alternatively or partially even opposing each other? What does this mean for the influence lobbyists exert on European political decision-making? These questions are addressed in a recent book (in English) authored by Irina Michalowitz, Assistant Professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna – with a provocative finding: EU lobbying may be far less influential than is generally expected.

Alan Donnelly turned his back on his job as Leader of the Labour Party in the European Parliament to fulfil a dream to set up his own public affairs business. He told Public Affairs News editor Jolyon Kimble about starting a PA practice from nothing, turning away clients, and dealing with the dangerous beasts in the F1 jungle

15.000 lobbyists are estimated to work in Brussels. After enlargement and the entering into force of the Nice Treaty they are faced with the challenges of an increasingly multileveled system of governance. The authors (Steffen Dagger and Manuel Lianos) of this article that was published in Politik & Kommunikation argue that, due to the complexity of decision-making processes and the multitude of political actors, the only way forward for interest groups and consultants is to build issue-based alliances in Brussels and EU wide. Furthermore, as is the case in the US, consultants and lawyers should work hand in hand to combine PR with judicial know-how to be able to carry out their work more effectively.

The EurActiv "Federation Communication Survey 2004" shows that online communication is set to become a top priority, mainly due to limited communication budgets.

This book compiles five recent essays by Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank. These essays expound with great clarity some important lessons to be learned from the uniting of Europe over the past half century.