Archive
Year: 2010
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The UK’s first digital election campaign?
March 19, 2010
The following post is from Simon Benson of our London team There has been much written in the UK media that this will be the first truly digital general election campaign. This is true to an extent, with the numbers of blogs and websites devoting themselves to politics and the election having increased widely since the last General Election in 2005 - it is hard to believe that neither Facebook nor Twitter existed the last time Britons...
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What PR types can learn from Brussels’ shrinking press corps
March 18, 2010
The Economist’s Charlemagne, Libération’s Jean Quatremer and communications consultant Michael Malherbe, all blogged this week about the diminishing numbers of accredited journalists in Brussels. There are plenty of PR types who will be using this fairly seismic shift as an excuse to our bosses or clients when our story doesn’t get covered. But the press corps could double, and a press release that merely ”welcomes” a Brussels announcement on an issue that is irrelevant to...
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FixHousingFirst: Public Affairs Campaign of Year at PR Week awards
March 15, 2010
News from the US late last week that our Washington D.C. colleagues have picked up a gong at the US PR Week awards for FixHousingFirst campaign. Congratulations to Pat Cleary, Bill Black, Ben Clark and everyone else involved. We don't do the work for the awards, but receiving one is pretty special anyway. In summary, the team helped a bunch of home builders build a broad-based coalition to advocate for federal funding for home-buyers as...
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Fleishman-Hillard’s Michelle Gibbons joins Board of American Chamber of Commerce EU
March 11, 2010
Following recent elections Michelle Gibbons, Deputy Managing Director of Fleishman-Hillard's Brussels office, has joined the Board of the American Chamber of Commerce for the European Union (Amcham EU) for a two year tenure commencing 11 March 2009. Michelle has been a member of Fleishman-Hillard's Brussels team for over a decade. During that time she has played an active role in Amcham EU on food and healthcare issues. She joins representatives from Microsoft, Accenture, Motorala, Citi...
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eHealth – A revolution for Europe’s health systems?
March 10, 2010
Image via Wikipedia The topic of ehealth is attracting huge interest in Brussels amongst policymakers, stakeholders, think tanks.... Basically our Brussels' bubble. First of all - what is it? A good definition seems "the application of information and communications technologies in the health sector". Secondly, will it transform European healthcare system in the long term? In a two pager, posted on our FH website, we have tried to outline its benefits and the barriers that have...
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Commission breaks impasse on GMOs
March 5, 2010
The new Barroso Commission has wasted no time in grasping the GMO nettle, after years of delay and obfuscation. It is authorising the cultivation and use of Amflora, a new genetically modified potato for industrial use, while at the same time working on a policy which will allow individual member states to forbid the cultivation of GM crops on their territory. I guess this optional approach is the only way to resolve an impasse based...
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Financing Europe’s Energy and Climate Action Needs
March 4, 2010
Greatings from a sunny, if cold, Washington D.C. where we've been having our global public affairs meeting over the past couple of days. Many highlights in the course of the two days, much of which you can catch at the FH Public Affairs twitter account. DC colleague Silvio Marcacci patiently sat at the back of the room tweeting away as various colleagues gave their views on everything from food safety and healthcare to energy and financial services...
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Commission Breaks Impasse on GMOs
March 3, 2010
The new Barroso Commission has wasted no time in grasping the GMO nettle, after years of delay and obfuscation. It is authorising the cultivation and use of Amflora, a new genetically modified potato for industrial use, while at the same time working on a policy which will allow individual member states to forbid the cultivation of GM crops on their territory. I guess this optional approach is the only way to resolve an impasse based...
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Bank Deposit Dispute May Delay Iceland Talks
February 27, 2010
Ironic that the European Commission’s positive report on Iceland’s application to join the EU, produced in just six months, should have coincided with the breakdown of talks over the €3.9 billion which the Netherlands and the UK are demanding from Iceland for the collapse of the Icesave bank. It is widely predicted that Icelanders will vote against the terms of repayment in the March 6 referendum, inevitably requiring new negotiations. A Council decision to launch...
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Fleishman‐Hillard named European Consultancy of the Year 2009
February 18, 2010
BRUSSELS, February 18, 2010 – For the first time, Fleishman‐Hillard International Communications has been named European Consultancy of the Year by The Holmes Report. The Report – which is the key source of news and intelligence for the public relations industry ‐ based its decision on the firm’s 2009 performance, citing growth in clients, capabilities, geographic footprint, staff and leadership as just a few of the factors that helped put the agency in first place...