Archive

Year: 2010

  • New Age of the Train in the Winter Snow

    December 21, 2010

    See amid the winter snow!  For the second year running Eurostar services from London to Paris and Brussels have been hit by the weather. This time last year freezing snow in the drive motors stopped the trains for three days; this year thousands of frozen passengers have been queuing at the Gare du Nord and in London, spilling out of St Pancras station and tailing back for half a kilometre in a thoroughly British queue...

  • A Social Media Butterfly: an event for your calendars

    December 20, 2010

    Dear readers, Before you head home for Christmas take a moment to put this date in your diaries. On 12th January at 1530 in the European Parliament the pleasantly named Butterfly Europe is holding an event. The Italian web magazine turned ‘social think-tank’, Lo Spazio Della Politica and GliEuros are joining together to invite EU decision makers, functionaires and consultants for a roundtable discussion on social networks and social media. What distinguishes this event is...

  • FH Podcast: European Parliament’s social media team – interview

    December 17, 2010

    As part of our continuing quest to seek out new and interesting people implementing digital we bring to you this podcast with Florent Le Montagner and Barbara Quilez. They both work at the European parliament web communications unit specialising in Facebook and Twitter outreach respectively. We spend a lot of time trying to harness internet tools to create a dialogue and in public affairs it is often the institutions that we want to engage. For...

  • The Highlights – “Social media: what works & and what doesn’t?” from the European Public Affairs Action Day

    December 13, 2010

    So Thursday was the long awaited European Public Affairs Action Day, organised by the Parliament Magazine, and of course it was every bit as good as it promised to be. We hosted a workshop entitled ‘Social Media: what works what doesn’t’? We aimed at having a range of perspectives in our panel to get a good picture of how social media is being developed in different areas, from industry to national and then European politics...

  • The Limits are Set: Merkel and Sarkozy Have Spoken!

    December 12, 2010

    Merkel and Sarkozy have spoken! Forget about euro-bonds. Forget about increasing the emergency funding launched last May. Europe’s leaders, when they meet in Brussels next Thursday, will face a stark reality: the limits of eurozone support have been determined, at least for now, following the Franco-German summit in Freiburg. Economic growth combined with budget restraint is the only way ahead: There will be no euro-bonds to cut the cost of government borrowing, and no additional...

  • The end of “Sarkozyism”?

    December 8, 2010

    Just 3 years ago, newly elected President Sarkozy named a broad-based government which included an unprecedented number of women, minorities and members of the opposition. This openness was one of the defining features of “Sarkozyism” which drove the President to power in 2007. When this election rhetoric was transformed into ministerial appointments, the new government was hailed by some at the time as the beginning of a new period of openness and cooperation in French...

  • “Social media: what works & what doesn’t?” – FH workshop at the Public Affairs Action Day

    December 2, 2010

    We’re hosting a workshop as part of the Parliament Magazine’s Public Affairs Action Day (9 December at 11.45 in Brussels). It’s simply entitled “Social media – what works and what doesn’t?” and will look at addressing some of the following concerns: Am I not exposing myself to needless criticism? How can I really measure its effectiveness? Will I be able to control the discussion on line? Brussels is a tiny community. Can’t I just pick...

  • Social Europe First Victim of the Euro Crisis

    November 26, 2010

    The eurozone will never be the same again – and nor will Europe as a whole. The scale of the crisis which has hit the single currency area in recent weeks is transforming the European Union. It looks as if the first victim is the European social model, as governments slash and burn, reducing public services, cutting benefits, tackling the spiralling cost of pensions and even – in Ireland’s case – reducing the minimum wage...

  • Cloud Computing – ICT’s New Frontier

    November 26, 2010

    Cloud computing is one of the most exciting developments in the IT world. Broadly defined as internet-based on-demand computing, the benefits of cloud computing to businesses and governments are unprecedented. The market value of cloud computing in terms of cost savings, efficiency increase for customers and market gains for cloud service are already worth billions of euro and will only continue to grow.  It is therefore no surprise that the world’s largest ICT and technology...

  • Join Us: Roundtable Discussion on Privacy in the 21st Century

    November 25, 2010

    Fleishman- Hillard will be hosting a roundtable discussion with Thomas Zerdick from the European Commission to debate the review of Europe's data protection legal framework. The roundtable will provide an opportunity for interested stakeholders to comment and debate the communication directly with the European Commission. Around 25 participants representing a cross section of industry and associations will participate in an interactive discussion under Chatham House rules to share their views and expertise on this crucial...