Archive
Year: 2010
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A Quick Tour Through the FH Blogosphere
November 25, 2010
Whilst we’d like to think that Public Affairs 2.0 was the only blog worth reading when it comes to the digital/public affairs/PR sphere it’s not the case at all! There are quite a few excellent bloggers at FH who blog in both a personal and professional capacity, and we thought we’d bring you a few samples once in a while, from Brussels to across the Atlantic. Firstly staying in house; some of our regular contributors...
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Euro Markets Unnerved, Despite Tough Controls Ahead
November 8, 2010
Storm clouds loom once again over the eurozone. Interest rates on Portuguese, Irish and Greek government bonds are continuing to rise. Ten-year bond yields for Ireland reached a record 7.75 per cent on Monday, while for Portugal they were 6.67 per cent. The ECB started buying bonds again after several weeks’ abstention. There was some respite for Greece after helpful results in local elections. At the political level the Franco-German demand for new disciplines to...
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Local social network expanding: Telegraaf buys Hyves
November 8, 2010
Last week, the popular Dutch social network site Hyves was bought by one of the largest Dutch media groups Telegraaf Media Group (TMG). TMG is particularly known for its daily mainstream newspaper De Telegraaf but also owns other publications, websites and radio stations. Hyves and several parts of TMG already collaborated on projects in the past. Whilst looking for new cross media marketing options, TMG emphasises that “Hyves will remain Hyves”, not changing its character...
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Privacy’s new clothes
November 4, 2010
Europe is gearing itself up to update the way it deals with privacy in today’s modern society. After almost a year of public consultations, hearings, conferences, the European Commission has finally published its first substantive document outlining how it wishes to play out the review of Europe’s Data Protection legal framework. This is only the first step in what is likely to be a long and arduous process. But let’s leave the nitty gritty of...
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Defence Cuts Bring UK and France to the Altar
October 20, 2010
The big cuts in Britain’s defence capabilities announced in London earlier this week will have far-reaching consequences for European defence policy. The decision of Britain’s coalition government to reduce defence spending by 8 per cent over the next four years condemns the UK to closer co-operation with European allies, and especially with France. British Prime Minister David Cameron explained to the House of Commons on October 19 in response to a question from MP Edward...
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Fleishman-Hillard: Consultancy of the Year nominee, European Public Affairs Awards 2010
October 12, 2010
Apologies for veering off topic for a day... but we'd like to announce that we've been shortlisted for "Consultancy of the Year" at the 2010 European Public Affairs Awards. It's been a great year all-round in terms of the usual measures of success: profit growth (30%), new hires (22 people so far in 2010), and staff retention. What we're most proud though is the root of this success: the fact that we've been able to...
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From fighting corruption, to reuniting refugees, to keeping councils accountable – Personal Democracy Forum Europe 2010
October 11, 2010
[slideshow] The Personal Democracy Conference (PdF), which Fleishman-Hillard co-sponsored, took place last week in Barcelona. PdF is the biggest conference of its kind, leading the way in providing a forum for analysis of how technology is changing politics. We had a great time hearing passionate and inspiring people from all walks of government, business and civil society speak and debate about how the Internet can make Europe safer, fairer, more transparent and open, and in...
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We’re All Europeans Now!
October 5, 2010
We’re all Europeans now! At least when it comes to the Ryder Cup – the biennial golf competition between the United States and Europe. The European team triumphed on the final day by a nail-biting 14½ points to 13½ . Spot the flags in the victory picture! And note José Manuel Barroso’s proud message of congratulation. I’m sure the Commission president had no doubt that his visit to rain-soaked Wales for the opening ceremony had...
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Off to See the Wizard: Creating EU Foreign Policy
September 23, 2010
Readers may recall the refrain of Dorothy’s three friends in the Wizard of Oz: “If I only had a brain”, “if I only had a heart”, “if I only had courage . . .” Three wishes which maybe sum up Herman Van Rompuy’s comments this week on Europe’s struggle to make its mark in the world. The Council president was reporting to the European Parliament on the September European Council. He spoke of the perception...
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Exploring technology & politics at the Personal Democracy Forum, Barcelona
September 23, 2010
The Personal Democracy Forum Europe is taking place in Barcelona on October 4th and 5th. We’re co-sponsoring the event so a few of us will be heading down to mingle with the best and the brightest minds in the “internet + politics” space. Why are we involved? In short, the Internet is revolutionising the interaction between citizens, civil society, business and politicians. As the world’s largest conference on how technology is changing politics, the Personal...