Est. 1min 13-10-2004 (updated: 29-01-2010 ) Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Languages: Français | DeutschPrint Email Facebook X LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram At an ECPA workshop, 25 leaders from across Europe exchanged experiences of best practices in the public affairs profession. At the workshop in September, all participants agreed that being invited to contribute information and intelligence to policy-makers is a strong indicator of achieving excellence as a lobbyist. Read more with Euractiv New Commission wants to "reconnect" with European citizensDuring a two-day informal seminar, the Barroso commissioners held a first policy debate on future priorities expressing their firm will to revitalise the Lisbon agenda. Subscribe now to our newsletter EU Elections Decoded Email Address * Politics Newsletters Positions Dr Jon White, Henley School of Management & Birmingham University, quoted a recent CEO survey which indicates that many large public companies feel that they have under-invested in external relations. CEOs also worry whether recruits are sufficiently well-trained; how to measure and evaluate public affairs and how to decide whether to open a representative office in Brussels. A leading corporate practitioner recounted how his management sought three assurances from public affairs: Keep us out of trouble; Identify new issues that can either create advantages or cost serious money; Advise on necessary resources to accomplish 1. & 2. Senior consultancy representatives generally agreed that these were important guiding principles. Consultancies are often able to offer access to parts of the political process that companies have difficulty reaching. Consultancies are also in more regular contact with the political process than most companies. Heads of a cross-section of leading trade associations volunteered their perspectives. Federations offer critical mass and weight which few companies or consultancies can match. The EU institutions often prefer a well constructed position paper from one federation to a collection of often disparate single company perspectives. Federations rely on a two-way flow with their national counterparts: often they receive instructions from their national offices but they also need to be able to send instructions to the national offices on when and how to lobby in the national capitals on particular EU issues. Christophe Leclercq, Publisher of EURACTIV, presented the conclusions of a recent survey which concludes that companies with representation in Brussels are continuing to increase their expenditure on communications. Early results from another survey carried out by EURACTIV indicate that trade associations are clearly moving to online communications. However, they are often hindered by a combination of limited budgets and traditional reliance on meetings and print publications. BackgroundOver a period of two years, the European Centre for Public Affairs (ECPA) has held a series of workshops bringing together practitioners from companies, consultancies, federations, non-governmental organisations, academics and the media. The workshops explored best practices to improve mutual learning. ECPA Director, Tom Spencer, moderated a half-day exchange in Brussels between more than 25 public affairs leaders from Paris, London, Berlin and Brussels. Further ReadingEU Actors positions European Centre for Public Affairs (ECPA):website Society of European Affairs Professionals (SEAP):Code of Conduct Time-saving Overviews EURACTIV survey confirms the increase in Brussels-based communication resources
