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 5th Conference
EU PUBLIC AFFAIRS
26 /27 March 2015
The Hotel, Brussels
HOW
BRUSSELS
WORKS
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
IN THE EU POLITICAL
PROCESS & THE FUTURE
OF LOBBYING
Discounted
registration
available until
February 27
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conferences.quadriga.eu/en/publicaffairs
PROGRAMME 2015
THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2015
12:00 pm–1:30 pm
Meet & Greet/Tour of Brussels (Optional)
12:00 pm–1:30 pm
Public Affairs in Brussels 101 (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
2:15 pm–3:00 pm
KEYNOTE: A GRAND JOURNEY THROUGH THE INSTITUTIONS BY AN EU LOBBYIST
Daniel Guéguen, Founder & Chairman, PACT European Affairs, Professor at the College of Europe
MODULE I: STRATEGIES AND CAMPAIGNING 3:00 pm–3:30 pm
BEST CASE: HOW DOES A BRUSSELS REPRESENTATION WORK AND HOW TO ALIGN PA ACTIVITIES AND COMPANY STRATEGY
Marie-France Van der Valk, European Affairs Director, Renault
3:30 pm–4:00 pm
COFFEE BREAK
4:00 pm–4:30 pm
4:30 pm–5:00 pm
BEST CASE: THE RISE OF AD HOC COALITIONS IN EXTERNAL ADVOCACY
Christiaan Prins, Director European External Affairs, Unilever
INSIGHT: COORDINATING PA WORK BETWEEN BRUSSELS AND MEMBER STATES –
A MULTINATIONAL’S PERSPECTIVE
Nikolaus Tacke, Public Affairs and Government Relations Director, Europe, Coca-Cola
5:00 pm–5:30 pm
5:30 pm–6:00 pm
8:00 pm
INFO SESSION: WHO I SHOULD KNOW AND WHERE DO I MEET THEM?
Frank Schwalba-Hoth, Freelance Consultant, former MEP
BEST CASE: BUILDING ALLIANCES IN BRUSSELS
Christina von Westernhagen, Director EU Advocacy, The Dow Chemical Company
DINNER AND KEYNOTE SPEECH
Stefano Sannino, Permanent Representative of Italy to the European Union
FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015
8:30 am
DOORS OPEN
9:00 am–9:15 am
WELCOME/INTRODUCTION
Professor Christian Thorun, Quadriga University Berlin
9:15 am–10:00 am
10:00 am–10:30 am
KEYNOTE: THE CULTURE OF TRILOGUES
MODULE II: WORKING WITH EU INSTITUTIONS
INSIGHT: IMPACT OF THE NEW EU TRANSPARENCY RULES ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ADVOCACY IN BRUSSELS
Max von Abendroth, Executive Director, European Magazine Media Association
10:30 am–11:00 am
COFFEE BREAK
11:00 am–11:30 am
INSIGHT: THE EUROPEAN UNION FROM A MEMBER STATE PERSPECTIVE: THE ROLE OF NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
Andris Pelšs, Representative to the Political and Security Committee, Permanent Representation of Latvia to the European Union
11:45 am–1:00 pm
11:45 am–1:00 pm
11:45 am–1:00 pm
WORKSHOP 1: COMITOLOGY AND DELEGATED ACTS: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Vicky Marissen, Partner and Managing Director, PACT European Affairs
WORKSHOP 2: REPUTATION: CAN IT BE MEASURED?
Nick Andrews, Senior Vice President & Senior Partner, FleishmanHillard
WORKSHOP 3: ESSENTIAL BUILDING BLOCKS OF A EU PUBLIC AFFAIRS PLAN
Giles Keane, Founding Partner, Acumen Public Affairs
1:00 pm–2:00 pm
LUNCH
2:00 pm–3:15 pm
Workshops repeat
3:15 pm–3:30 pm
Conference Summary
EU PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
HOW BRUSSELS WORKS
Conference
EU PUBLIC AFFAIRS
HOW BRUSSELS WORKS
Prof. Christian ­Thorun
Quadriga University
Last year, the European Union underwent profound developments.
The elections rearranged the top level of the European Commission
as the Parliament chose Jean-Claude Juncker as their first elected
president. With Juncker willing to establish an inter-institutional and
mandatory lobbying register for Council, Parliament and Commission, the Commission’s transparency initiative for TTIP and Lobbying is only the first step, with many more to follow.
While the first part of our conference will focus on strategies and
campaigning, the second day will focus entirely on recent changes
in the institutions and their impact on your daily work.
During the two-day event we facilitate interactions between ­lobbyists,
political analysts and EU representatives who are ready to a­ nswer
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 provide you with insights
into the culture of trilogues.
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
new rules
Exploring new Public
­Affairs strategies
Finding solutions for a
more transparent lobbying
process
Getting to know over
100 PA professionals
Getting an insight into
­working with officials from
the ­Council, Parliament
and Commission
Learning how to build an
­effective PA plan aligned
with c­ ompany strategy
Finding the right approach
in networking with the
right people
CONFERENCES.QUADRIGA.EU / EN / PUBLICAFFAIRS
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 officials from the EU.
3
HOW BRUSSELS WORKS
EU PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2015
12:00 PM–1:30 PM
OPTIONAL
GUIDED TOUR – THE EUROPEAN QUARTER
PUBLIC AFFAIRS IN BRUSSELS 101
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.
In order to allow for all participants to be at the same level we invite you to
our optional Public Affairs Basics session. The session can be taken as an
alternative to the bus tour and will be hosted by Christian Thorun, our moderator and professor of political science, international politics and public affairs at ­Quadriga University Berlin. Use this opportunity to freshen up your
knowledge and get ready for two insight-packed days.
 1:30 PM  DOORS OPEN/WELCOME COFFEE 
2:00 PM–2:15 PM  WELCOME/INTRODUCTION 
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION
Christian Throun, professor at Quadriga University Berlin, will open the conference with a few w
­ elcoming
words and a short introduction to the events’ programme.
Prof. Dr. Christian Thorun is professor of political science, international politics and public affairs at Quadriga University in 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.
4
Prof. Christian Thorun
Quadriga University
CONFERENCES.QUADRIGA.EU / EN / PUBLICAFFAIRS
EU PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
HOW BRUSSELS WORKS
M O D U L E I : S T R AT E G I E S A N D C A M PA I G N I N G
2:15 PM–3:00 PM OPENING KEYNOTE
A GRAND JOURNEY THROUGH THE INSTITUTIONS BY A EU LOBBYIST
During the 2014 conference Daniel Guéguen presented the consequences of the Lisbon treaty on lobbying. He elaborated in particular on the slide from primary legislation – which is becoming ‘framework’
legislation – to delegated and implementing acts. In this year’s conference Daniel will analyse the role
the newly appointed Commission and the new European Parliament play. The impact of the 2015 Work
Programme and the negotiations on a new inter-institutional agreement will be analysed from the perspective of lobbying techniques.
With 35 years of experience in EU public affairs, Daniel Guéguen is founder and Chairman 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 Director General for the European Sugar Industry and Secretary General of COPA-CO-GECA, the EU farmers’ union lobby. Daniel Guéguen is a visiting professor at the College of Europe in Bruges
as well as at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. He is a renowned author of 15 books, which have been translated
into 20 languages. New publications are currently available: Handbook on ­Secondary Legislation (2012) and Reshaping European Lobbying (2013).
Daniel Guéguen
Founder & Chairman, PACT
European Affairs and Professor at
the College of Europe
3:00 PM–3:30 PM  BEST CASE
HOW DOES A BRUSSELS REPRESENTATION WORK AND HOW TO
ALIGN PA ACTIVITIES AND COMPANY STRATEGY
A company’s representation in Brussels is like an embassy. It carries the company’s ­messages to the institutions and informs the corporation of the political situation in Brussels. This s­ ession will explain how such
corporate embassies are organised and what their day-to-day work ­consists of. PA activities and company strategy are very much interlinked. The PA department adapts its message towards decision-makers to
the company’s strategy, but the company’s strategy is also influenced by the information gathered by the
PA department with other key Departments. This session will explain how this two-way relationship works.
Marie-France van der Valk
European Affairs Director,
Renault
Marie-France Van Der Valk was appointed in 2010 European Affairs Director of Renault. She is promoting the interests of the Group – for both Renault and Nissan – to the European Institutions on all issues linked with car industry. Marie-France joined Renault in 1996 in the Legal Department and spent 4 years at the Manufacturing Department. Previously, she worked for the OECD (Nuclear Energy Agency) and for the ­International Chamber of Commerce
(ICC). Marie-France has a Law degree (Private International Law and Environment Law).
3:30 PM–4:00 PM  COFFEE BREAK 
4:00 PM–4:30 PM  BEST CASE
THE RISE OF AD HOC COALITIONS IN EXTERNAL ADVOCACY
In addition to traditional trade associations, alliances are increasingly build through ad hoc coalitions.
What are the advantages of ad hoc coalitions over trade associations and what weight do ad hoc coalitions carry in the political debate?
Christiaan Prins joined Unilever in May 2008 and holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Groningen (NL) and a PhD in Arts from the University of Groningen (NL). Before joining Unilever, he worked
for more than five years in the European Parliament as a policy advisor to an MEP. Since January 2014 Christiaan
heads the Unilever European External Affairs Office in Brussels.
CONFERENCES.QUADRIGA.EU / EN / PUBLICAFFAIRS
Christiaan Prins
Director European External Affairs,
Unilever
5
HOW BRUSSELS WORKS
EU PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
4:30 PM–5:00 PM  INSIGHT
COORDINATING PA WORK BETWEEN BRUSSELS AND MEMBER
STATES – A MULTINATIONAL‘S PERSPECTIVE
What do corporate public affairs look like today? What are the best platforms to reach out to policy
makers? How can public affairs activities efficiently be coordinated between Brussels and EU Member
States? What to expect from the re-formed EU institutions and their new transparency initiative? Some
insights from a multinational’s perspective.
Nikolaus Tacke is Coca-Cola’s chief lobbyist in Europe, leading the company’s work with EU institutions and stakeholders, and developing company strategies to address public policy developments in the areas of health, environment, taxation, competition, trade and agriculture. Nikolaus is in charge of coordinating Coca-Cola’s Government
Relations across the 38 countries of its Europe Group, the strategy for European trade and industry associations,
and the management of consulting agency support. Prior to joining Coca-Cola in 2008, Nikolaus worked in the public
affairs department of a global agribusiness company in Brussels and headed the office of a multinational PR agency in Berlin. He is member of several trade associations and chairs a number of industry groups and association
committees. Nikolaus holds a PhD in Egyptology and a Master’s degree in Classical Archaeology and Art History.
Nikolaus Tacke
Public Affairs and Government
Relations Director, Europe, ­­
Coca-Cola
5:00 PM–5:30 PM  INFO SESSION
WHO I SHOULD KNOW AND WHERE DO I MEET THEM?
At first glance, building a useful professional network in Brussels seems complicated: the terminology, the
institutional interplay, the consultations, and the lack of separation between government and o­ pposition.
In seven steps, Frank Schwalba-Hoth will attempt to decipher the unspoken words of decision-­making
in Brussels and identify ways you can find your own place in the Brussels inner-circles.
As co-founder of the German Green Party, Frank Schwalba-Hoth has served as a member of the Landtag of H
­ esse,
and also as an MEP in the European Parliament. Since leaving the EP, Frank has lead the Greenpeace EU Office in
Brussels, and has also occasionally worked for the European Commission TACIS Programm in Central Asia.
Frank Schwalba-Hoth
Freelance Consultant and former
MEP
5:30 PM–6:00 PM  BEST CASE
BUILDING ALLIANCES IN BRUSSELS
In her session, Christina von Westernhagen will focus on alliances that are building up around ­particular
issues where common interests are at stake and need to be worked on. Learn in this session about the
importance of alliances to achieve corporate goals and how to build them up.
As Director of EU Advocacy Ms. von Westernhagen provides advocacy services and policy analyses on EU policy initiatives to support business growth, manage cost and mitigate regulatory risk for The Dow Chemical Company. She is an active member of several trade and business associations including Cefic, the American Chamber
of Commerce to the EU (Amcham EU), and others, and also represents the company directly to the EU Institutions,
opinion formers and other stakeholders.
Christina von Westernhagen
Director EU Advocacy, The Dow
Chemical Company
FROM 8:00 PM  KEYNOTE
DINNER AND KEYNOTE SPEECH
Join us on Thursday evening for dinner with your fellow participants and our conference speakers. Use
this chance to get to know everyone and to get a sense of what Brussels networking sessions are like.
Stefano Sannino will share insights of a Permanent Representation to the European Union and reflect
on Italys’ Presidency of the Council during the second half of 2014.
Between 2002-04, Stefano Sannino served as Romano Prodi‘s diplomatic adviser when Prodi was president of the
European Commission. From 2004-06 Stefano was the Commission’s director for crisis management and from 200608, he again was diplomatic adviser to Prodi, being the prime minister back then. Afterwards he held senior positions in the Commission‘s external-relations department before becoming deputy director-general for enlargement.
6
Stefano Sannino
Permanent Representative of Italy to
the European Union
CONFERENCES.QUADRIGA.EU / EN / PUBLICAFFAIRS
EU PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
HOW BRUSSELS WORKS
FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015
 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–10:00 AM KEYNOTE
THE CULTURE OF TRILOGUES
Trilogues are hard to grasp as these informal tripartite meetings attended by representatives from the European Commission, the Council and
the Parliament do not follow a specific standard. Both attendance as well as content and purpose of these meetings can vary in level and
from political discussions to technical ones. Learn in this session more about trilogues, their purposes and how you can benefit as a lobbyist.
M O D U L E I I : W O R K I N G W I T H EU I N S T I T U T I O N S
10:00 AM–10:30 AM  INSIGHT
IMPACT OF NEW EU TRANSPARENCY RULES ON EFFECTIVENESS OF
MEDIA ADVOCACY IN BRUSSELS
In his presentation Max will outline new requirements for lobbying organisations related to the updated EU transparency rules. He will reflect the impact of these changes on the everyday work of the European Magazine Media Association, EMMA, with the EU institutions and discuss best-practices on dealing with the new rules.
Max von Abendroth joined the European Magazine Media Association, EMMA, (www.magazinemedia.eu) in January 2005 as Director of Communications and Sustainability. He became Executive Director of EMMA in September 2009. In recent years EMMA twice received an award for being the most effective and most innovative trade
organisation in Brussels. He is the initiator of the Future Media Lab. (www.futuremedialab.info), a think tank initiative that provides a common platform for media innovation and public policy. Max holds a degree in Economics
and Business Administration from Witten/Herdecke University, Germany.
CONFERENCES.QUADRIGA.EU / EN / PUBLICAFFAIRS
Max von Abendroth
Executive Director,
European Magazine Media
Association
7
HOW BRUSSELS WORKS
EU PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
10:30 AM–11:00 AM  COFFEE BREAK 
11:00 AM–11:30 AM  INSIGHT
THE EUROPEAN UNION FROM A MEMBER STATE PERSPECTIVE: THE
ROLE OF NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EU
In this session, Andris Pelšs, Political and Security Committee Ambassador at the Permanent Representation of Latvia to the EU will expand on the decision-making process in member states, the role of the
Council of the Ministers and their specific role with regards to trilogues.
Ambassador Andris Pelšs is representing Latvia to the Political and Security Committee that is responsible dealing
with the Common Foreign and Security Policy issues, including Common Security and Defence Policy.
Andris Pelšs
Representative to the Political and
Security Committee, Permanent
Representation of Latvia to the
European Union
11:45 AM–1:00 PM WORKSHOP SESSION I
COMITOLOGY AND DELEGATED ACTS: LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Expert groups and a possible register for delegated acts; alignment Omnibuses withdrawn; a new
­inter-institutional agreement to remedy the distrust over secondary legislation amongst EU Institutions?
Comitology and delegated acts are topics in full development and high on the EU agenda. What do these
evolutions mean in terms of PA and what is tomorrow made of for secondary legislation.
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 Comitology procedures. Previously, Vicky was
managing director at the European Training Institute and senior consultant at CLAN Public Affairs specialising in
secondary legislation.
Vicky Marissen
Partner & Managing Director,
PACT European Affairs
11:45 AM–1:00 PM WORKSHOP SESSION I
REPUTATION: CAN IT BE MEASURED?
In this session, Nick Andrews will be exploring the drivers of corporate reputation to determine ­whether
reputation can really be quantified and measured.
Nick Andrews is Senior Vice President & Senior Partner of FleishmanHillard in Brussels. He has been a corporate
communications and public affairs consultant for over twenty-five years, specialising in crisis management and
change management. Nick brings valuable experience in managing large, multi-market communications programs
across Europe and in almost all sectors; from oil and gas, to aviation, to pharmaceuticals.
Nick Andrews
Senior Vice President & Senior
Partner, FleishmanHillard
11:45 AM–1:00 PM WORKSHOP SESSION I
ESSENTIAL BUILDING BLOCKS OF A EU PUBLIC AFFAIRS PLAN
What do you want to achieve with your EU public affairs strategy? What are the tools and resources you
need to have in place? Who are the people you should be talking to, how and when should you a­ pproach
them, and what are the messages you should be communicating?
This interactive workshop will provide useful insights into the essential elements of EU public affairs
progamme, and practical advice on how to go about developing a successful action plan.
Giles Keane has over ten years’ experience in EU public affairs consultancy. Prior to join acumen public affairs
as a founding partner, in his previous position he was a Director of International Corporate Communications at
Hill & Knowlton Brussels. He has worked across numerous sectors and policy areas including food & agriculture,
­environment & energy, healthcare and international trade.
8
Giles Keane
Founding Partner, Acumen PA
CONFERENCES.QUADRIGA.EU / EN / PUBLICAFFAIRS
EU PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
HOW BRUSSELS WORKS
1:00 PM–2:00 PM  LUNCH
2:00 PM–3:15 PM  WORKSHOP SESSION II
3:15 PM–3:30 PM  SUMMING UP 
SUMMING UP
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.
Christian Thorun
Quadriga University
CONFERENCES.QUADRIGA.EU / EN / PUBLICAFFAIRS
9
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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Who to meet and what to learn
5 years of Quadriga How Brussels Works:
A look back and outlook
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.
EU Government Official
31%
Governmental Relations/
Public Affairs Director
8%
Director Public Relations
17%
Communications Manager
EU Affairs Manager
25%
Head of Communications
Participants in the 2014 event came from
various industries and backgrounds.
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The information given
will change the way
in which I do my job.”
9%
10%
COMPANIES
THAT PARTICIPATED
EU PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
HOW BRUSSELS WORKS
(Selection)
Coca Cola +++ Audi AG +++ Zurich Insurance +++ Hitachi Ltd
+++ Vodafone +++ METRO AG +++ Johnson & Johnson Medical
+++ Statoil Hydro +++ Kellogs +++ TATA Consultancy +++ World
Health Organisation +++ BASF +++ Le Monde +++ Volkswagen
+++ 3M +++ WWF +++ McDonalds +++ The Brewers of Europe
I found the event inspiring,
providing significant „food for
thought“ and enriching interactions
with Public affairs proffessionals.”
Caroline Edlund Toulemonde, Merial
+++ JTI +++ European Chemical Industry Council +++ European
Broadcasting Union +++ Nutricia +++ European Communities
Trade Mark Association
INTERACT WITH PEERS
There were over
110
corporations, government
bodies and NGOs represented
at the 2014 conference
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.
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 processes and help their companies be
more efficient in the lobbying process.
LEARN FROM THE BEST
In recent we have been able to gather speakers from
Vodafone, Mc Donald’s, Jaguar Land Rover, The ­European
Parliament and many more. We are happy to ­continue
this tradition in 2015 and invite you to learn from their
­experience.
There we
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4
Interesting topics, speakers
and participants.”
Evert Jan van Lente, AOK-Bundesverband
96%
of all p
articipa
nts wo
recomm
uld
end the
event to
a collea
gue
Very useful to better know
how European Affairs work
in theory and especially in practice.
Useful for networking as well.”
CONFERENCES.QUADRIGA.EU / EN / PUBLICAFFAIRS
11
HOW BRUSSELS WORKS
EU PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
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
ly from
Exclusive Director
cation
Communi
12
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
CONFERENCES.QUADRIGA.EU / EN / PUBLICAFFAIRS
EU PUBLIC & GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
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
self-interest 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
CONFERENCES.QUADRIGA.EU / EN / PUBLICAFFAIRS
HOW BRUSSELS WORKS
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
13
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: [email protected]
GETTING AROUND
TAXIS 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
CONTACT
HOST
How Brussels Works
Square de Meeûs 37
B-1000 Brussels
Phone: +32 (0) 2 219 2290
Fax:
+32 (0) 2 219 2292
conferences.quadriga.eu/­
en/publicaffairs
Sebastian Lang
International Events,
Quadriga University
[email protected]
PARTNER
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
14
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 cross-subject
structure, Quadriga offers an education that meets the
requirements of management, communications and public
affairs.
www.en.quadriga.eu/quadriga
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
CONFERENCES.QUADRIGA.EU / EN / PUBLICAFFAIRS
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, March 26/27, 2015
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
http://conferences.quadriga.eu/en/terms
General Admission: Conference Fee 1190 Euro*
E
arly bird discount: Early bird registration deadline is February
27. Conference Fee 980 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 890 Euro*/**
pecial fee for lobbyists registered with the European InstiS
tutions, professionals working for European organisations
and subscribers to partner publications: Conference Fee
890 Euro*
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CONFERENCES.QUADRIGA.EU / EN / PUBLICAFFAIRS
* 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 sub-
mitted, VAT will be charged at the German VAT rate of 19 percent.
Square de Meeûs 37
B-1000 Brussels
Phone: +32 (0)2 219 2290
Fax: +32 (0)2 219 2292
conferences.quadriga.eu/en/
publicaffairs
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conferences.quadriga.eu/en/publicaffairs