European Union public affairs strategies
Better Europe provides a wide range of services to help you understand the impact of EU policy on your organisation and to effectively influence it. There are typically two phases to public affairs consultancy – an initial start-up phase of three to six months followed by a longer phase of continued assistance.
In the first months, we make sure you are in charge of the policy process by identifying the key initiatives in your policy area, and putting a monitoring system in place that ensures no important policy development is missed. We also help you decide whether or not to set up your own local presence and how to enhance your network. Afterwards, we continue working with you to complement your own engagement with the European and national institutions. More detail about the services provided in each phase is provided below.
While we certainly do project-oriented work including crisis communication, we prefer to build long-term relationships to ensure policy-makers are open to your concerns and you are not perceived as a single-issue actor. Unlike some other jurisdictions, Brussels decision-making remains strongly relationship-based and you will be more effective if you a have long-term relationship with decision-makers throughout the multi-year policy cycle (see image on the right).
To discuss how we can help you, please get in touch.
Start-up phase: understanding the impact of EU policy on your organization
In the initial phase of a Public Affairs project, it is important to do a wide scan to correctly identify any EU policies that might affect your organization, and understand the impact of these policies. This commonly includes policies outside of your primary field of work, as many initiatives in Brussels are cross-sectoral and sectoral competences are often shared between multiple Commission Directorates-General. We can provide the following services to get you started:
- Initial Impact Assessment: mapping of ongoing and future EU policy initiatives relevant to your organization in terms of urgency, impact, and opportunities to intervene in the policy cycle
- Strategic Planning: forward-looking planning of a public affairs strategy, developing theories of change to achieve a desired outcome, advice on strategic alliances with other stakeholders
- Stakeholder Mapping: identifying potential allies, existing coalitions, opportunities, and legislative vehicles to influence issues of relevance within the European policy community; setting up common campaigns and narratives
- Training and Coaching: Brussels-based or in-house crash course on EU policy for your non-PA staff, decision-making process, lobby techniques, including simulations of advocacy meetings, tailored coaching of senior staff ahead of advocacy campaigns
Campaign phase: understanding and influencing what’s going on
Once you are in control of the policy environment, we can help you to engage on a regular basis with relevant EU decision-makers. Typical services include the following:
- Policy Monitoring: tracking legislative and non-legislative policy debates of relevance for your organization and understanding their impact; periodic (weekly/monthly) or ad-hoc alerts on key developments, meetings, documents and influencing opportunities; weekly conference calls
- Policy Development: developing studies, issue papers and stakeholder briefings to explain the impact of EU policy to your cause to decision-makers; advice on the framing of your issues
- Logistical Support: help in organizing contact programmes with EU decision-makers in the three key institutions, in national permanent representations, and other stakeholders, setting up events
- Representation: direct representation of your organization’s interests with EU decision-makers on your behalf; attending events on your behalf; public speaking
National public affairs – Netherlands and Belgium (federal/regional)
With our wide network in Dutch and Belgian national politics, we also provide public affairs services aimed at influencing national decision-makers.
To discuss how we can help you, please get in touch.