Quadriga University of Applied Sciences & European Agenda present:
4th Conference
EU PUBLIC AFFAIRS 13 /14 February 2014 The Hotel, Brussels +++ DIGITAL TOOLS +++
HOW
+ + + E U I N S T I T U T I O N S A N D L E G I S L AT I V E P R O C E S S E S + + +
BRUSSELS +++ NETWORKING IN BRUSSELS +++
WORKS
Discounted registration available until January 17
+ + + T O D AY ’ S T R E N D S & T H E F U T U R E O F L O B B Y I N G + + + W IT H E ++ + W O RK IN G U G O AL DI ER LD ++ + ST AK EH O AN D LO BB YI N G S IE G TE RA ST 1 DAY RE ST S ++ + + . CO RP O RATE IN TE VS N O TI LA PL EM EN TATI O N ++ U G IM RE + ++ N IO PT M EP S ++ + O AF TI N G ++ + AD PR O CE SS ++ + DR VE TI LA IS G LE 2 DAY
www.eu-publicaffairs.eu
PROGRAMME 2014 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014 12:00 pm–1:30 pm
Meet & Greet/Tour of Brussels (Optional)
1:30 pm–2:00 pm
DOORS OPEN AND WELCOME COFFEE
2:00 pm–2:15 pm
WELCOME/INTRODUCTION Professor Christian Thorun, Quadriga University Grit Fiedler, Editor-in-Chief, European Agenda
2:15 pm–3:00 pm
KEYNOTE: The Politics of Informing the EU: An Organisation Theoretical Perspective Professor T Tannelie annelie Blom, Maastricht University MODULE I: STRATEGIES, LOBBYING AND CAMPAIGNING
3:00 pm–3:30 pm
BEST CASE: Modern Public Affairs in Brussels: Regulation vs. Corporate Interests Christof-Sebastian Klitz, Head of Volkswagen Group EU Representation, Volkswagen
3:30 pm–4:00 pm
COFFEE BREAK
4:00 pm–4:30 pm
INFO SESSION: Curse or Blessing: How Do I Work with MEPs? Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Member of the European Parliament - TBC
4:30 pm–5:00 pm
BEST CASE: T Transversal Lobbying: Building Alliances in Order to Promote Campaigns as an NGO Tony Long, Executive Director, WWF European Policy Office Brussels
5:00 pm–5:30 pm
INFO SESSION: Networks and Contacts: Whom Should I Know and Where Do I Meet Them? Frank Schwalba-Hoth, Independent Political Analyst and Strategist, Former MEP
5:30 pm–6:00 pm
BEST CASE: The Meandering Role of the Multi-stakeholder Dialogue Steve Leroy, Vice President Legal and Corporate Affairs Europe, Anheuser-Busch InBev
8:00 pm
DINNER AND KEYNOTE SPEECH Stefano Sannino, Permanent Representative of Italy to the European Union - TBC
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014 8:30 am
DOORS OPEN
9:00 am–9:15 am
WELCOME/INTRODUCTION Professor Christian Thorun, Quadriga University Berlin
9:15 am–9:45 am
KEYNOTE: Reshaping European Lobbying: The Current State of Play Daniel Guéguen, Founder & Chairman, PACT European Affairs; Professor at the College of Europe MODULE II: THE EU DECISION-MAKING PROCESS
9:45 am–10:30 am
BEST CASE: Influencing the Drafting Phase of the Commission Proposal: Working with Impact Assessment Erik Akse, Author, Trainer, Coach
10:30 am–11:00 am
COFFEE BREAK
11:00 am–11:45 am
BEST CASE: Finding the Way Out of the Labyrinth: The Adoption Phase Adrian Harris, Director General, Orgalime
11:45 am–1:00 pm
WORKSHOP 1: Comitology and Delegates: Growing Concerns and a Call for a More Efficient Modus Vicky Marissen, Partner and Managing Director, PACT European Affairs
11:45 am–1:00 pm
WORKSHOP 2: Social Media in Public Affairs: Practical Tips T Andras Baneth, Managing Director, Public Affairs Council
11:45 am–1:00 pm
WORKSHOP 3: Developing Public Affairs Strategies in a Changing Europe David Earnshaw, CEO, Burson-Marsteller
11:45 am–1:00 pm
WORKSHOP 4: Issues, Monitoring and Development Elaine Cruikshanks, Partner, Acumen
1:00 pm–2:00 pm
Lunch
2:00 pm–3:15 pm
Workshops repeat
3:15 pm–3:30 pm
Summing up
EU PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
HOW BRUSSELS WORKS
Conference
EU PUBLIC AFFAIRS HOW BRUSSELS WORKS
Grit Fiedler Editor-in-Chief European Agenda
The EU has undergone profound transformations in the last years. 2014 brings new elections and changes at the top level of the European Commission. The future president will have the challenging task of bringing together the Union’s divided parties and creating a common and united voice. In this context the legislative process should not be overlooked. The first part of this year’s EU Public Affairs conference looks at strategies and campaigning, while the second part will focus entirely on the three phases of the legislative process: drafting, adopting, and implementing. Helping companies to meet the right experts and the dynamics behind the legislative process are the two main areas of focus at this year’s conference, which also looks at ways of increasing transparency in the lobbying process. During the two-day event we facilitate interactions between lobbyists, political analysts and EU representatives who will be willing to answer all your questions.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
CONFERENCE FORMATS KEYNOTE The keynotes will get the conference started with an insight into how lobbying has transformed in the past few years and what organisational theory fits the EU’s institutional structures.
BEST CASES Listen to best cases from some of Europe’s best-known companies and how they manage to support their cause in front of the European institutions.
Understanding the EU’s legislative process
Getting an insight into working with MEPs
Exploring new Public Affairs strategies
Learning what social media has to offer in the field of public affairs
Finding solutions for a more transparent lobbying process
Finding the right approach in networking with the right people
HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS Experience the practical aspects of working in Brussels and collaborating with the European institutions in our workshops, which will be offered twice on the second day of the conference.
INFO SESSION The info sessions will take you behind the stage at what might be the most important aspects in the institution’s life: finding new contacts and working together with other MEPs.
Getting to know over 100 PA professionals
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2014 OPTIONAL
12:00 PM–1:30 PM
GUIDED TOUR – THE EUROPEAN QUARTER We offer our participants the possibility to visit one of Brussels’ busiest districts, the European Quarter. This is an amazing opportunity to see the European Union’s official buildings but also explore the historic centre while networking with fellow participants.
1:30 PM DOORS OPEN/WELCOME COFFEE 2:00 PM–2:15 PM WELCOME/INTRODUCTION
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION Grit Fiedler, Editor-in-Chief at European Agenda, and Christian Throun, professor at Quadriga University Berlin, will open the conference with a few welcoming words and a short introduction to the event’s programme.
Grit Fiedler, Editor-in-Chief, European Agenda Magazine
Prof. Christian Thorun, Quadriga University
2:15 PM–3:00 PM KEYNOTE
THE POLITICS OF INFORMING THE EU: AN ORGANISATION THEORY PERSPECTIVE Prof. Tannelie Blom will provide a framework for finding the appropriate organisational theory which applies to public organisations and fits the emphasis on information and information processing as crucial resources and mechanisms of influence on policy-making. It weaves post-rationalist decision theories into the basic model of organisations as information processors geared to the creation of decisions, as well as providing an analysis of the politics of organisational information processing.
Prof. Tannelie Blom, Professor of European Studies, Maastricht University
M O D U L E I : S T R AT E G I E S , L O B BY I N G A N D C A M PA I G N I N G 3:00 PM–3:30 PM BEST CASE
MODERN PUBLIC AFFAIRS IN BRUSSELS: REGULATION VERSUS CORPORATE INTERESTS In the last 10 years Brussels lobbying has changed considerably and today it is more professional than ever before. The cause of this change can be traced back to the Lisbon Treaty and legislation in the areas of climate change, transparency, and so on. In this best case, Christof Klitz will explain how these changes have influenced the lobbying practices of corporate representation.
ChristofSebastian Klitz, Head of Volkswagen Group EU Representation, Volkswagen
3:30–4:00 PM COFFEE BREAK
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4:00 PM–4:30 PM INFO SESSION
CURSE OR BLESSING: HOW DO I WORK WITH MEPS? Working with MEPs can be very rewarding but requires a lot of preparation, as there are certain do’s and don’ts that need to be taken into account. This best case will provide insights into the work of an MEP and show how collaboration between MEPs and lobbyists really works.
Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Member of the European Parliament - TBC
4:30 PM–5:00 PM BEST CASE
TRANSVERSAL LOBBYING: BUILDING ALLIANCES IN ORDER TO PROMOTE CAMPAIGNS AS AN NGO As Tony Long will explain in this best case, WWF has built a track record of working with a diverse range of partners to advocate for policy and legislative change at Member State and EU institutional level. Their style of advocacy is what one commentator refers to as ‘transversal lobbying’, fairly spontaneous alliances that build up around particular issues where common interests are at stake and which remain flexible to change when the moment moves on.
Tony Long, Executive Director, WWF European Policy Office Brussels
5:00 PM–5:30 PM INFO SESSION
INFO SESSION: NETWORKS AND CONTACTS: WHOM SHOULD I KNOW AND WHERE DO I MEET THEM?
Frank SchwalbaHoth, Freelance Consultant, former MEP
In Brussels it is all about having the right contacts and knowing the right people. But knowing where to find them and how to approach them can be quite challenging. Networking is key, and identifying where to look for the right persons is the focus of this info session. 5:30 PM–6:00 PM BEST CASE
THE MEANDERING ROLE OF MULTI-STAKEHOLDER DIALOGUE Alcohol abuse by a small minority of people is the biggest societal issues beer, wine and spirits producers need to help tackle. Together with other brewers, Anheuser-Busch InBev has been an active member of the European Alcohol & Health Forum, set up by the European Commission as a key platform for reducing alcohol-related harm. Seven years later, an evaluation encourages the Commission to continue this effort. The session will outline Anheuser-Busch InBev’s engagement with different stakeholders and present key learnings on how to engage in successful multi-stakeholder dialogue.
Steve Leroy, Vice President Legal and Corporate Affairs Europe, Anheuser-Busch InBev
FROM 8:00 PM KEYNOTE
DINNER AND KEYNOTE SPEECH Following previous year’s tradition we invite an ambassador to share his insights into leading the European Union and what changes their country has managed to bring about during its presidency. Challenges, goals, successes – key words for every presidency. In recent years we welcomed amongst other Kornelios Korneliou and Dr. Richard Corbett.
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Stefano Sannino, Permanent Representative of Italy to the European union - TBC
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014 8:30 AM DOORS OPEN/WELCOME COFFEE
9:00 AM–9:15 AM WELCOME/INTRODUCTION
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION The second day of the conference will open with a short introduction by Professor Thorun and a summary of the first day of the event.
Prof. Christian Thorun, Quadriga University
9:15 AM–9:45 AM KEYNOTE
RESHAPING EUROPEAN LOBBYING: THE CURRENT STATE OF PLAY Daniel Guéguen, Founder & Chairman, PACT European Affairs; Professor at the College of Europe
An ‘inter-governmental’ Europe, widespread use of trilogues, more and more implementing measures: lobbying today is completely different from the lobbying of the past. Every lobbyist, trade association and NGO has to reshape its structures, its priorities and its tools. Faced with a system that is now more complex, more legal and more opaque, how can we maintain our capacity to influence?
MODULE I I : THE EU DEC ISION - MAKING PROC ESS 3 LEGISLATIVE PHASES PHASE 1: DRAFTING PHASE
PHASE 2: ADOPTION PHASE
PHASE 3: IMPLEMENTATION PHASE
If you thought that the decision-making process in the European Union can be complex and hard to follow, the second day of the conference will clarify how the process actually works. The session focuses on the three phases – drafting, adopting, implementing – and look at which EU institution has the last word.
PHASE 1: THE DRAFTING PHASE
9:45 PM–10:30 AM BEST CASE
INFLUENCING THE DRAFTING PHASE OF COMMISSION PROPOSALS: WORKING WITH IMPACT ASSESSMENT Impact assessments are the foundation stones for many Commission proposals. Yet too many stakeholders are unaware of what impact assessments are, how they work and what the possibilities are to influence them effectively. Erik Akse will provide insight into these and many other issues.
Erik Akse, Author, Trainer, Coach
10:30–11:00 AM COFFEE BREAK 6
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PHASE 2: THE ADOPTION PHASE
11:00 AM–11:45 AM BEST CASE
FINDING THE WAY OUT OF THE LABYRINTH: THE ADOPTION PHASE Adrian Harris, Director General, Orgalime
Adrian Harris, experienced public affairs specialist and Director General at Orgalime, will provide concrete examples from the legislative process. He will focus and elaborate on the adoption phase and thereby shed light on this rather complex process.
P H A S E 3 : I M P L E M E N TAT I O N P H A S E
11:45 AM–1:00 PM WORKSHOP SESSION I COMITOLOGY AND DELEGATED ACTS: GROWING CONCERNS AND A CALL FOR A MORE EFFICIENT MODUS OPERANDI Member States, parliamentarians and stakeholders have woken up to the challenging reality of delegated/implementing acts and the way they impact business. HowevVicky Marissen, er, many feel unequipped to face Partner & the challenge. Among other points Managing Director, PACT of discussion, Vicky Marissen will European Affairs address strategies and actions to incorporate delegated and implementing acts into a public affairs strategy.
DEVELOPING PUBLIC AFFAIRS STRATEGIES IN A CHANGING EUROPE
David Earnshaw, CEO, BursonMarsteller
This session will provide participants with the opportunity to learn about recent developments and the latest trends in creating Public Affairs Strategies. Not only will different strategic angles be shown but participants can also apply and improve their approaches. Everyone will learn various ways to achieve corporate goals and to implement strategies in Brussels during times of momentous change.
ISSUES, MONITORING AND DEVELOPMENT Identifying what is coming up in the pipeline and understanding the political dynamics behind policies are crucial to a successful public affairs programme. And with the European Parliament elections due to take Elaine place in June 2014 and a new European Cruikshanks, Commission due to be in place by NovemPartner, Acumen ber 2014, the time has never been better to plan for the next five years. This interactive workshop will provide tips and tricks on gathering political intelligence and provide examples of succesful engagement at an early stage of the process. SOCIAL MEDIA IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS: PRACTICAL TIPS
Andras Baneth, Managing Director, Public Affairs Council
The workshop takes a structured and practical look at how EU public affairs professionals can use social media and digital communication in making the highest impact in their advocacy. Looking at specific industries, case studies and examples, participants will examine best practices and digital toolkits. The workshop includes a practical exercise and exchange of views with other peers and the speaker.
1:00–2:00 PM LUNCH 2:00–3:15 PM WORKSHOP SESSION II 3:15 PM–3:30 PM SUMMING UP
SUMMING UP
Prof. Christian Throun, Quadriga University
After two intense days of networking and practical tips we close the conference with a wrap up of the event and highlighting the most important learnings.
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GET TO KNOW OUR 2014 SPEAKERS Prof. Christian Thorun Quadriga University Professor Dr. Christian Thorun is professor for political science, international politics and public affairs at Quadriga University Berlin. He is also founder and managing director of ConPolicy, a research and consultancy institute in the field of consumer politics. He is member of the Board of Directors of the FLO-Cert and of the think tank Club of Rome.
Daniel Guéguen Founder & Chairman, PACT European Affairs Professor at the College of Europe With 35 years of experience in EU public affairs, Daniel Guéguen is founder and Chariman of PACT European Affairs and Vice President of Europolitics. In 1996 he founded CLAN Public Affairs and the European Training Institute and before this, Daniel was T Director General for the European Sugar Industry and Secretary General of COPA-COGECA, the EU farmers’ union lobby. Daniel Guéguen is visiting professor at the College of Europe in Brugge as well as at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. He is a renowned author of 15 books, which have been translated into 20 languages. Recent publications are: Handbook on Secondary Legislation (2012) and Reshaping European Lobbying (February 2013).
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Christof-Sebastian Klitz Head of Volkswagen Group EU Representation, Volkswagen A graduate of University of Hamburg‘s School of Law, Christof-Sebastian Klitz has a vast amount of public affairs experience, having served in various positions at BDI in Cologne, and as deputy director of the Office of German Industry and Trade in Washington DC. He has also served as Burson Marsteller‘s head of government relations in Bonn and Berlin and has also worked for Deutsche Telekom. ChristofSebastian joined Volkswagen in 1999 and has been their head of government affairs in Brussels since 2008.
Grit Fiedler Editor-in-chief European Agenda Grit Fiedler is the editor-in-chief of European Agenda and also serves as an adviser to the European Association of Communication Directors and as a head of international relations and strategy at Helios Media. Prior to her current role, Grit worked as an international project coordinator at Helios Media and at the Budesverband deutscher Pressesprecher (BdP).
Alexander Graff Lambsdorff Member of the European Parliament Alexander Sebastian Léonce Freiherr von der Wenge, Graf Lambsdorff is a German politician and MEP with the Free Democratic Party of Germany, part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. He sits on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and is a substitute for the Committee on Culture and Education. Alexander was first elected into the European Parliament in 2004 and re-elected for a second term in 2009. Since 2011, he has been chairing the 12-member German FDP delegation in the European Parliament.
Frank Schwalba-Hoth Independent Political Analyst and Strategist, Former MEP As co-founder of the German Green Party, Frank SchwalbaHoth has served as a member of the Landtag of Hesse and also as an MEP in the European Parliament. Since leaving the European Parliament, he has led Greenpeace’s EU Office in Brussels and has also occassionally worked for the European Commission TACIS Programme in Central Asia. He now works as an independent political analyst and strategist in Brussels.
Adrian Harris Director General Orgalime Adrian Harris is the director general of Orgalime, the European Engineering Industries Association, which speaks for 34 trade federations representing some 130,000 companies in the mechanical, electrical and metal articles industries. Before joining Orgalime in 1996, Adrian worked for 20 years for a number of general contractors for the construction of complete plants, essentially in the agro-industrial and beverage area.
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Erik Akse Author, Trainer, Coach Erik Akse is a specialist on Smart Regulation, the Commission’s leading principle for the preparation of legislative and policy proposals. He focuses on the possibilities stakeholders have to get involved in the earliest phase of EU decision-making: the drafting phase. In 2013, Erik published his book Influencing the Preparation of EU Legislation: A Practical Guide to Working with Impact Assessments.
Steve Leroy Vice President Legal and Corporate Affairs Europe, Anheuser-Busch InBev Steve Leroy leads both the legal and corporate affairs departments in Europe for Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world’s largest brewer. Steve stewards a team of around 80 professionals across Europe. He is also in charge of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s relationships with stakeholders at European Union level.
Tony Long Executive Director, World Wide Fund EU Representation Tony Long has 35 years of experience leading environmental nongovernmental organisations in the UK and Europe. He founded and heads the WWF European Office in Brussels which opened in 1989. Prior to that, he worked for WWF in the UK, the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) and several local authorities in northwest England. He serves on the Assembly of WWF International, the main decision making committee of the organisation, and is a Board member of WWF Greece.
Elaine Cruikshanks Partner, Acumen Elaine Cruikshanks has over 25 years’ experience as a senior manager and public affairs and strategic communications professional at Hill & Knowlton. As CEO of the Brussels operation, she built up their Brussels office from 1994-2010 to be the largest PA/PR consultancy on the Brussels market, as well as having the role of director of the global public affairs practice. Her background is public affairs (having worked for the UK Foreign Office). Over the years, she has run Brussels, EU- wide and international campaigns for a range of clients.
David Earnshaw CEO, Burson Marsteller David Earnshaw has worked on European policy and political communications issues for 30 years, including in the European Parliament for six years (1987-1993) with the former chair of its Committee on Environment and Public Health (Sir Ken Collins). He ran the Brussels office of GSK for six years and followed that running advocacy in Brussels for Oxfam International. He joined Burson-Marsteller in 2002 and become CEO in Brussels in 2011. W W W. E U - P U B L I C A F F A IR S . E U
Andras Baneth Managing Director, Public Affairs Council Managing director of the Public Affairs Council (www.pac.org) European office, András has extensive experience from EU institutions and has trained over 1000 corporate public affairs executives from various Fortune 500 companies on European public affairs, digital communications and advocacy. He was the co-founder and director of the European Training Academy and senior partner at Arboreus, the company running the no. 1 EU career preparation website (www. eutraining.eu). He’s delivered policy briefings for President Barroso, served as member of cabinet in the office of European Commissioner Kovács.
Vicky Marissen Partner & Managing Director, PACT European Affairs Vicky Marissen is co-founder and managing director of PACT European Affairs/PACT Training. She is a recognised expert of the EU decision-making process, in particular post-Lisbon commitology procedures. Previously, Vicky was managing director at the European Training Institute and senior consultant at CLAN Public Affairs specialised in secondary legislation.
Stefano Sannino Permanent Representative of Italy to the European Union Between 2002-04, Stefano Sannino served as Romano Prodi‘s diplomatic adviser when Prodi was president of the European Commission. From 2004 to 2006 Stefano was the Commission’s director for crisis management and representative to the Political and Security Committee, the EU‘s main foreign-policy decisionmaking body. In 2006-08, he was diplomatic adviser to Prodi when Prodi was again prime minister. In 2008-10, Sannino held senior positions in the Commission‘s external-relations department before becoming deputy director-general for enlargement.
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EU PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
BUILD YOUR EUROPEAN NETWORK The Public Affairs Conference in Brussels is a great opportunity to interact with Europe’s best-known political analysts and European Union representatives while being updated on the latest developments in terms of lobbying, campaigning and legislative processes.
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A Look Back:
HOW BRUSSELS WORKS 2013
ants ticip l par ered in a n gath natio inter peakers or our f s ls d se t an Brus 3 even 1 0 2
Every year we welcome participants from across Europe who are interested in learning more about the European Union institutions or who’d like to share their knowledge with their fellow peers.
7% 29%
27%
EU Government Official
Governmental Relations/ Public Affairs Director
Director Public Relations
16%
Communications Manager
10%
EU Affairs Manager
11%
Head of Communications
Participants in the 2013 event came from various industries and backgrounds.
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16
ns, atio and t n e res ops e p rksh ing v i t o k a rm ve w rovo info racti ght-p tes o inte thou keyn 10
For me, not being a PR/PA professional, it was a very good introduction into this line of work.”
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COMPANIES THAT PARTICIPATED
EU PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
Coca Cola +++ Audi AG +++ Zurich Insurance +++ Hitachi Ltd+++ Vodafone +++ METRO AG +++ Johnson & Johnson Medical +++ Statoil Hydro +++ Kellogs +++ TATA Consultancy World Health Organisation +++ McDonalds +++ The Brewers of Europe +++
HOW BRUSSELS WORKS
It was interesting to see the daily activities of a company in Brussels, including the relationship with headquarters. Very useful.”
JTI +++ European Chemical Industry Council +++ European Broadcasting Union +++ Nutricia +++ European Communities Trade Mark Association
There were over
46
Brussels-based organisations, corporations, government bodies and NGOs represented at our 2013 conference There we
25
re over
INTERACT WITH PEERS The Public Affairs Conference brings together EU representatives as well as public affairs and communication professionals. Brussels is the best place to interact with EU experts and address most urgent issues in terms of public affairs.
This conference gave me the opportunity to know some practitioners and have a picture of the function.”
countries represen ted at the How Brussels Works conferen ce in 201 3
I was able to learn changing trends of lobbying in Brussels or should I say, changing characteristics of the EU.”
LEAVE BRUSSELS WITH VALUABLE INSIDER TIPS The goal of the conference is to provide participants with a learning platform that will allow them to better understand the EU legislative process and help their companies be more efficient in the lobbying process.
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L
obbying represents a dilemma for most organisations. On the one hand, organisations should seek to influence government departments or regulators whose actions affect them. On the other, any lobbying-like communications appear suspicious to the media and ultimately the general public. This suspicion makes government nervous over business involvement with government decision-making, which then makes organisations nervous about engaging with government. Gradually, a vicious circle develops where a legitimate corporate activity looks illegitimate. How can organisations negotiate a path through what is either a dangerous threat to organisational reputation if they do lobby, or organisational performance if they do not? And what is the role of the communications director in this discussion?
Public mistrust
Responsible lobbying Lobbying may be the archetypical dirty word, but introducing transparency and promoting its market-making benefits should change perceptions. By Howard Viney and Paul Baines
from y l e v i s u l c Ex ector r i D n o i t a c Communi
We start with a problem we believe is at the heart of the question: the public’s mistrust of the concept of lobbying. Mistrust derives from the image of the lobbyist as a furtive influence peddler seeking to buy influence with government to protect the interests of a shadowy client. The implication is that public well-being is undermined by lobbying wherein well-resourced organisations use their resources to protect market failure or imperfections in the market. From an economic perspective, lobbying is evidence of ‘rent-seeking’ behaviour which is seen less favourably than ‘market-making’ activity. Market-making increases the sum of well-being in an economy by increasing employment and encouraging growth. Rent-seeking behaviour has the opposite effect and represents exploitation of existing strength to no-one’s benefit except the corporation. Using this line of thought, the lobbying company is clearly a corporate villain. The nail has been further hammered into the coffin of lobbying’s reputation due to its frequent association with the bribery of public officials – an illegal act – or the making of excessive campaign contributions – which is not always illegal. High profile examples have compounded the problem. Many organisations make contributions across the political divide at elections, favouring no one party but seeking to influence all. However this represents one side of the argument. The other side proposes that organisations play a significant role in a
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representative democracy, supporting government in the creation of effective laws and regulation and assuming much of the cost. At the very highest level, organisations can co-create new laws and regulations. This may be looked upon disapprovingly in some quarters, but if a new technology is emerging or new ethical dilemmas are created by a medical development, would tax-payers be willing to pay for government to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver a wholly objective opinion? We suspect not. Co-creation with organisations leading the technological change is frequently a necessity on many levels. Similarly, organisations already play a very important role in the provision of information in developing laws or regulation, offering opinions during the policy development phase of the legislative process. From this perspective, lobbying activity plays an active and positive role in a representative democracy. However, the key question is the selfinterest involved in lobbying. The inevitable suspicion is that organisations are only motivated to act when their interests are challenged. But is this necessarily a negative act? Individuals faced with a planned new building project, for example, have a legitimate right to make their voices heard and would feel justifiably aggrieved to have that opportunity denied. Why does this not apply to organisations? We believe it should apply to all organisations, but the challenge is in how that message is communicated and what organisations must do to ensure that the message is credible and legitimate.
The route forward
Organisations often face difficulty in managing ethical dilemmas because they are designed as profit-maximising machines and their managers are incentivised to seek profit maximisation; anything less would be to fail to deliver against their financial responsibilities to their owners. If this is no longer acceptable, politically or socially, organisations need to review their organisational capabilities to live in their new operating environments. However, this does not imply a fundamental review of how organisations conduct their business. Rather, there are a number of small actions for business and for government which offer the potential to create a win-win-win outcome. For business we suggest a change in attitude regarding how organisations talk about
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their engagement with government. We argue for a commitment on the part of organisations towards openness about how and why they interact with government, recognising the inherent self-interest of any such action but also emphasising the positive contribution such dialogue can make to an effectively operating democracy. The argument that an organisation is seeking to advance its commercial interest is not one that ought to be disguised, especially if the motivation is market-making and will have a wider positive outcome. The vast majority of lobbying activity is legitimate and makes an active contribution to a well-functioning representative democracy. Organisations should reflect this reality in their communication strategy. As a sign of good faith, large organisations could take an extra step by appoint-
are taken. We argue that making dealings transparent will break the cycle of cynicism and mistrust. If organisations believe that their interactions with government are legitimate and potentially beneficial to the economy, why hide this? The initial response may be negative, but additional confidence-building activity such as the appointment of a non-executive ethicist may go some way to reducing cynical responses. This does not absolve government of responsibility for establishing clearer and more comprehensive guidelines for relationship engagement. Appropriate regulation will also help address concerns regarding whether organisations are equipped to judge what is, or is not, ethically appropriate behaviour – an issue which our suggestion of having an ethicist on board goes some ways to addressing.
For government, we suggest a much more explicit code of conduct to govern relationships. ing a non-executive director whose sole responsibility is to offer advice on the ethical aspects of any decisions taken by an organisation. The role of the non-executive ethicist would be to act as the conscience of the organisation, tasked with the responsibility to act as devil’s advocate, challenging major decisions to ensure that they can be defended and anticipating public responses to actions so that they may be communicated to stakeholders without fear of reputational damage. The role of being the board’s ethicist might represent a significant change in the background of appointees. Such a role would require a different range of working experience or training to be able to address complex ethical questions in order to improve rather than simply hinder executive decision-making. For government we suggest a much more explicit code of conduct to govern relationships but this code should emphasise the positive rather than the negative and alongside this positive positioning of lobbying, governments should take the opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of enterprise to an effective democracy alongside the rights of organisations to be heard when important decisions
Win-win-win We believe that the outcome of embracing these ideas would be: win – better decisions are taken: government gains access to the information and expertise it would otherwise be unable to obtain or would take too long to develop; win – business can focus upon business: with a greater acceptance of the legitimate strategic option of lobbying organisations can focus upon operating effectively with the reduced risk of reputational damage currently associated with lobbying; and win – society benefits from a more effective democratic process and policies which are transparent and hopefully more efficient. We suggest that there are benefits from recognising that members of the public are able to appreciate the realities of public policy decision making as well as the motivations of organisational action – an improvement in the political discourse and a reduction in the extent of suspicion surrounding the motives of all involved.
Dr Howard Viney Senior Lecturer, Strategic Management Open University Business School, UK Dr Paul Baines Professor, Political Marketing, Cranfield School of Management, UK
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HOW BRUSSELS WORKS
EU PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
SERVICE LOCATION
Brussels from above
For a conference which deals with Public Affairs there couldn’t have been a better location than Brussels. This year’s conference will be held at The Hotel, which is situated in the heart of Brussels and provides a stunning view over the city. Tel: +32/ 2 504 33 35 E-mail: book@thehotel.be
GETTING AROUND
TAXIS IN BRUSSELS
STAYING IN BRUSSELS
Brussels is accessible by metro, bus, tram and train. Plan your journey online using Brussels‘ public transportation site: www.stib.be
Autolux: +32 (0)2 411 1221 Taxis Bleus: +32 (0)2 268 0000 Taxis Verts: +32 (0)3 494 949
Quadriga University often has special hotel deals available for conference participants. For more information on accomodation, please visit our website at: www.eu-publicaffairs.eu
CONTACT
HOST
PARTNERS
Quadriga University of Applied Sciences Berlin is committed to modern, integrated management training and educates managers in communication and human resources management, as well as public affairs. Through its crosssubject structure, Quadriga offers an education that meets the requirements of management, communications and public affairs. www.en.quadriga.eu/quadriga
European Agenda is the international platform for EU political processes and the Brussels political community. European Agenda has also hosted the European Agenda Summit. www.europeanagenda.eu
How Brussels Works Square de Meeûs 37 B-1000 Brussels Phone: +32 (0) 2 219 2290 Fax: +32 (0) 2 219 2292 www.eu-publicaffairs.eu
Sebastian Lang International Events, Quadriga University sebastian.lang@quadriga.eu
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Quadriga Hochschule Berlin GmbH Werderscher Markt 13 D-10117 Berlin Germany Phone: +49 (0) 30/44 72 94 00 Fax +49 (0) 30/44 72 93 00
Communication Director is the international magazine for public relations and communications. Published quarterly, Communication Director is also the host of the European Excellence Awards. www.communication-director.eu
W W W. E U - P U B L I C A F F A IR S . E U
EU PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
TERMS AND CONDITIONS 1. Discounted Prices Quadriga Akademie Berlin GmbH ( hereafter Quadriga) grants discounts on the listed prices of respective conferences for members of the European Association of Communication Directors (EACD) and other partner associations. Subscribers to our media partner Communication Director magazine also receive a discount on attendance fees for seminars and symposia. The participant’s personal membership and/or subscription must be presented and verified at the time (s)he makes a booking. All discounted prices are valid only if the amount invoiced is received by Quadriga within the time stated on the invoice. 2. Cancellation Please note that all cancellations should be in written form. If a previous booking is cancelled and no replacement participant can be found, the following cancellation charges will be incurred: • Cancellation 31 days or more before the event takes place: no charge • Cancellation between 14 days and 31 days before the event takes place: 50% of total price • Cancellation less than 14 days before the event takes place: 100% of total price
3. Cancellation and changes Quadriga reserves the right to cancel or to reschedule seminar locations or times, or to arrange a substitute instructor if this is absolutely necessary due to there being less than six participants, an unforeseen problem with the instructor, or other unforeseen reasons which are out of the control of Quadriga. In these cases, Quadriga is not required to compensate travel or accommodation costs, loss of working time, or other damages, and in other cases, only when there is gross negligence. If relocation is not reasonably possible for the participant, then (s)he is entitled to cancel the booking immediately and free of charge. 4. Place of Jurisdiction Berlin. Registration The registration fee includes participation in the programme, all conference documents, and dinner and lunch buffets, as well as coffee breaks. Travel expenses and accommodation are not included. A booking confirmation and an invoice will be sent to you after registration. Please remember to include your name in the reference of the transaction when making a payment. As the number of participants is limited, please be aware that your registration is only valid after receiving a booking confirmation. Please feel free to contact us should you not receive a booking confirmation within 24 hours.
REGISTRATION
EU Public Affairs Conference, February 13/14, 2014
Fax:
+49 (0) 30/44729300
I would like to attend the How Brussels Works conference. I agree with Quadriga Akademie Berlin GmbH Terms and Conditions available on www.eu-publicaffairs.eu/terms-conditions
General Admission: Conference Fee 1160 Euro* Early bird discount: Early bird registration deadline is January 17. Conference Fee 920 Euro* I am an inhouse communications professional and a full member of the European Association of Communication Directors OR I would like to become a full member of the European Association of Communication Directors (annual membership fee, including Communication Director subscription: 140 Euro) and hereby officially apply for membership: Conference Fee 840 Euro*/** Special fee for lobbyists registered with the European Institutions, professionals working for European organisations and subscribers to partner publications: Conference Fee 840 Euro*
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Register online at: www.eu-publicaffairs.eu W W W. E U - P U B L I C A F F A IR S . E U
* Prices do not include VAT; included in the participants fee is access to all parts of the conference programme, as well as to the dinner reception. ** Prices do not include VAT; please see EACD conditions of membership on www. eacd-online.eu. *** Mandatory fields **** For this invoice to be exempt from VAT within the EU, under the principle of EU Directive 2008/8/EC (services to clients within the European Community), a VAT number must be specified. Should no VAT number be submitted, VAT will be charged at the German VAT rate of 19 percent.
EU Public Affairs Conference How Brussels Works Square de Meeûs 37 B-1000 Brussels Phone: +32 (0)2 219 2290 Fax: +32 (0)2 219 2292 www.eu-publicaffairs.eu
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