Archive
Year: 2008
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Council’s website: a symbol for all that’s wrong with the EU?
July 9, 2008
Image via Wikipedia Some of us have had a particular bugbear about the Council of Minister's lack of transparency for some time now. We've even taken the time to write irate letters to the FT on the subject (much to the shock of colleagues it must be admitted). Ok, so Council has opened up to hold "public deliberations" (mostly on topics where agreement has already been reached), but the single most annoying thing about the...
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An American in Paris – talking about America
July 9, 2008
No, this isn’t the title of a French horror movie – or even a francophilic indie film poking fun at its less gentrified countrymen. Last week in Paris, Fleishman-Hillard CEO Dave Senay (who is American by my own professional estimation) gave a presentation on the digital media employed by the Obama campaign in the US to an absolutely packed auditorium at Science Po. It’s no secret that the Obama campaign has generated a massive amount...
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France to Scrap Referendum Commitment on Turkey?
July 3, 2008
I may be sceptical about the timetable for EU enlargement of the European Union following Ireland’s referendum, but there has been one welcome development as France takes over the presidency: the French Senate has voted by 297 votes to seven to scrap the obligation to hold a national referendum over Turkish membership. The issue is scheduled for final decision on July 7, when the National Assembly will be asked to revoke a recent bid to...
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Website in “average shape” as France takes over
July 1, 2008
Today is significant. Firstly, it's 30 degree sunshine in Brussels, and secondly it's the first day of the French Presidency of the EU. Bonjour. As a shameful Anglophone, I'll be dusting down the pocket dictionary, practicing my rolled Rs, and getting ready for six months of unmitigated Frenchness. And hurrah for it, as an initial look at the French Presidency's website reveals our "citizen-orientated" Presidency is taking its digital communications seriously. So often EU presidency websites have been about...
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Internet has 8 times the influence of newspapers on Europeans
June 30, 2008
Our digital practice in Europe has recently launched the results of a piece of research conducted in France, Germany and the UK with consumers on the impact of the use of the internet on their decisions. The Digital Influence Index that results uses both the time spent on different media and the influence consumers say it has on the decisions they take to come to an index that we shall be using to track the...
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It’s time to go .crazy!
June 30, 2008
If you have felt a burden upon your shoulders your whole internet-enabled life and it recently seemed to dissipate, leaving you feeling light and free, then Public Affairs 2.0 has just discovered why (thanks, of course, to another blog - Digital Daily). ICANN – the mysterious group who is actually the internet not on computers – has just unrestricted the part of the web address after the dot. Yes, instead of being limited to .com...
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Russia Sees Key Role for EU Beyond Trade Issues
June 29, 2008
The new Russian president Dmitry Medvedev made a big effort at last week’s summit in the Siberian oil town of Khanty-Mansiisk to give new impetus to the EU-Russia dialogue. The president offered each of his EU guests an album of his own photographs and apparently charmed Messrs Solana, Barroso and Jansa in a way his predecessor never did. The mood music seems to have changed. Let’s not forget that Medvedev practises yoga rather than judo...
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The idea and the internet
June 19, 2008
Image via Wikipedia Among many unjust accusations, Brussels is considered a back-water of digital integration. We frequently hear that San Francisco, London, Tokyo, New York, Seoul are the digital cities and that Brussels will always be “a few steps behind.” So it was with great happiness we read that Belgian Paul Otlet conceptualized the internet and World Wide Web long before a valley in California was named Silicon. From the New York Times: In 1934...
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Enlargement in Doubt as Ireland Scuppers the Lisbon Treaty
June 18, 2008
The worst fears of Europe’s leaders have been realised: Ireland’s voters have scuppered the Lisbon Treaty, with 862,415 votes against and 752,451 in favour on a turnout of 53.4 per cent in the Irish referendum. Politicians can complain till the cows come home about small countries and slim majorities. After all, the Irish “no” voters represent maybe one in 300 of the EU’s voting population. But the people have spoken and Ireland cannot ratify. The...
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Senay on Obama and the internet in Paris
June 17, 2008
For those who fancy a reason to go to Paris for the day, we have received word that FH global CEO Dave Senay is to speak on the successful use of the internet by US Presidential nominee Barack Obama on 30 June in Paris. A subject close to our heart on this blog, as you may have noted. Caroline Marchetti and Cyrille Arcamone from FH Paris, who are organising in collaboration with the association of...