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30Nov 2019 by Isabella Ritter
“A new level of knowledge” – Impressions of the EU Academy

“A new level of knowledge” – Impressions of the EU Academy

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Next level of knowledge - I learned more from this programme than I have from years of studying political science. That might be slightly provocative – not least towards my dear university – but of course, in reality there is no conflict. Academic knowledge provides a general structure, which serves its purpose. From this training, I instead got a new level of knowledge of the institutions and how to work towards them: more detailed, more actionable, and more powerful. High-level speakers - The level of the guest speakers, the quality of their contributions and the generosity of their attention were very high. In the constructive and open conversations we were able to have, we discussed details on how to interact with the EU institutions. The perspectives of the guests gave…
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14Nov 2019 by Isabella Ritter
“An educational and inspiring ride” – Impressions of the EU Academy

“An educational and inspiring ride” – Impressions of the EU Academy

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On a sunny Thursday morning, myself and a wonderful group of other young professionals from various non-profit organisations in Brussels and beyond gathered in Holland House on Place de Luxembourg in Brussels. With a beautiful and fitting view of the European Parliament against the blue autumn sky, we embarked on an educational, exciting, high-speed journey along the EU policy and legislative tube line. The two-day EU Academy course “Advocating for the public good: from one European Commission to the next” organised by EUChanger and Better Europe Public Affairs began with a brief summary of the outcomes of the 2019 European elections, followed by a more general overview of the EU institutions and policy cycle. Coming to the course in the hope to gain a better understanding of how the European…
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14Oct 2019 by Isabella Ritter
“Knowledge that will last a lifetime” – Impressions of the EU Academy

“Knowledge that will last a lifetime” – Impressions of the EU Academy

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On Thursday at 9 am, along with 19 other participants from all over Europe, I was warmly welcomed at Holland House (a few metres away from the European Parliament) by two trainers greatly experienced in the world of EU advocacy: Marc-Olivier Herman and Joost Mulder. From the very beginning, I was glad to see that EUChanger had come with a complete and comprehensive learning programme. It offered a combination of basic, but essential, and advanced information intended for all kinds of profiles, whether you are an expert in the functioning of the EU institutions or vaguely familiar with it. For my part, despite learning about the EU political system at university, I lacked a concrete and experienced perspective from inside the institutions, which was successfully provided by the organisers. The…
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30Nov 2018 by Joost Mulder
Lobbytijd bij toezichthouders en beleidsambtenaren kopen? – FTM

Lobbytijd bij toezichthouders en beleidsambtenaren kopen? – FTM

In the media
Public affairs-specialist Joost Mulder maakte de conferenties enkele keren van binnenuit mee. Jarenlang werkte hij voor de financiële lobbywaakhond Finance Watch; in die hoedanigheid kon hij als een van de weinige vertegenwoordigers van publieke organisaties af en toe een kijkje nemen op de bijeenkomsten. "Het is het beste voorbeeld van groepsdenken dat ik ken," vertelt hij op een herfstige namiddag in een Brusselse koffietent. Je moet het zien als een schoolreisje, of als heidagen. Alle ideeën komen in een snelkookpan terecht en aan het eind van de conferentie is iedereen het eens." https://www.ftm.nl/artikelen/eurofil-verkoopt-lobbytijd  
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31May 2018 by Joost Mulder
#askalobbyist

#askalobbyist

In the media, Opinion
Is lobbying a corporate affair? Lobbying and advocacy - is it all the same? What are the strenghts and weaknesses of NGOs, associations and businesses, and what can they learn from each other? (more…)
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24Apr 2018 by Joost Mulder
MEPs: Green finance good, sustainable finance better

MEPs: Green finance good, sustainable finance better

News
As the European Commission is finalizing the last set of legislative proposals that can still be completed before the European Parliament elections, MEPs today adopted a non-legislative report in ECON calling for a more ambitious strategy on sustainable finance. MEPs support the criticism that the Commission's Action Plan on Financing Sustainable Growth is too narrowly focused on climate change and should support a wider European agenda on long-term sustainable financing of the European economy. (more…)
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31Jan 2018 by Joost Mulder
HLEG Sustainable Finance – waiting for the Commission’s Action Plan

HLEG Sustainable Finance – waiting for the Commission’s Action Plan

News, Opinion
Today, the EU High-Level Expert Group (HLEG) on Sustainable Finance published its final report. It's a key step but not the final one - the Commission's Action Plan on sustainable finance, due early March 2018, is where we will see which recommendations will be transformed into EU policy initiatives. The final HLEG report (PDF) published on 31 January 2018 widens the scope of sustainable finance beyond environment and climate change to social issues (although governance issues seem to be left out). (more…)
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07Nov 2017 by Joost Mulder

Cold shower for European Financial Supervision changes

News
Looking at the Presidency briefing, today's ECOFIN discussion on European financial supervision promised to be difficult. It suggested that "Whereas some member states support the proposed reforms, a number of others are critical. In their view, the proposals don't reflect the results of the Commission's public consultation, and are insufficiently justified by its impact assessment. Concerns have also been expressed about the complexity of the proposals, and the additional burden this will place on market players." (more…)
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