Archive

Year: 2011

  • FH Podcast: Reputation and Public Affairs

    October 11, 2011

    Public Affairs in Brussels has traditionally centred heavily on government relations, namely the practice of communicating with policy-makers. In a digitalised world, however, organisations and industries are increasingly finding that reputation issues that have little to do with the legislative, often very technical, debates that take place in Brussels, are having an impact on how they are perceived here. For that reason, Public Affairs professionals are increasingly required to appreciate and incorporate elements of reputation...

  • Footie Fans’ Jubilation on TV Case May be Premature

    October 6, 2011

    It’s not often that court rulings from Europe are celebrated in British pubs, so it was a rare sight to see the delighted reaction of football fans to this week’s ECJ pronouncement on the broadcasting of Premier League matches. The Court of Justice was responding to the High Court of England and Wales which had asked for guidance on two cases: a legal action by the English Premier League against pubs using cheaper Greek decoders...

  • When Europe sneezes, will the world catch pneumonia?

    September 28, 2011

    Since the eurozone crisis first erupted three years ago it has largely been seen as Europe’s problem. It has now become a global emergency. This crisis is “scaring the world” says President Obama, whose Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner visited Europe twice in a week to meet European finance ministers and who has demanded speedy action in the strongest language, warning of “cascading default, bank runs and catastrophic risk”. Such US criticism looks a bit rich...

  • When Europe Sneezes, Will the World Catch Pneumonia?

    September 27, 2011

    Since the eurozone crisis first erupted three years ago it has largely been seen as Europe’s problem. It has now become a global emergency. This crisis is “scaring the world” says President Obama, whose Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner visited Europe twice in a week to meet European finance ministers and who has demanded speedy action in the strongest language, warning of  “cascading default, bank runs and catastrophic risk”. Such US criticism looks a bit rich...

  • Merkel battles for the euro, but her troops are restless

    September 14, 2011

    People may have questioned Chancellor Angela Merkel’s commitment to the European Union over recent years, but there is no denying the pivotal role which she is playing in defence of the euro. What a desperate battle she has to fight! The trouble is that her own battalions are deeply sceptical of her campaign. The misgivings in Germany over any bail-out of Greece, Portugal or Italy already run deep (Ireland is making tangible progress in tackling...

  • Merkel Battles for Euro, but Her Troops are Restless

    September 11, 2011

    People may have questioned Chancellor Angela Merkel’s commitment to the European Union over recent years, but there is no denying the pivotal role which she is playing in defence of the euro. What a desperate battle she has to fight! The trouble is that her own battalions are deeply sceptical of her campaign. The misgivings in Germany over any bail-out of Greece, Portugal or Italy already run deep (Ireland is making tangible progress in tackling...

  • Brussels Summit a Game-Changer for Eurozone

    July 24, 2011

    A game-changer: that’s how Christine Lagarde, new boss of the IMF, described last week’s eurozone crisis summit, which agreed revised bail-out terms for Greece and far-reaching new capabilities for EU financial institutions, virtually creating a European Monetary Fund. There is no doubt that the decisions taken in Brussels on July 23 2011 opened a new chapter in the story of European integration. Europe will not be the same again. As so often, it was German...

  • An American in Brussels

    July 20, 2011

    It’s that time of year again. The time of year when the populace of the EU Quarter abandons Brussels like rats from a sinking ship and those few of us left on board are trying to wrap up all of the ‘admin’ tasks that we’ve put on hold for the several previous, hair-raisingly busy months. It’s also the time of year when I, as an American, have to go through the annual bureaucratic rigmarole that...

  • European Parliament goes mobile – when to choose a mobile website over a native app

    July 20, 2011

    Earlier this month the European Parliament launched the mobile version of its ever popular (at least in the Brussels bubble) website. Hooray! Forgot the room number of the MEP you are meeting? Well now you can go on your mobile device and find it with ease. In seeing the new site, we asked ourselves why an organisation would choose a mobile website rather than one of those trendy apps we spend far too much time (and money) downloading for...

  • PdF meetup: how did that go?

    July 13, 2011

    “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”. This quote is from Margaret Mead, an American anthropologist, who lived in the pre-Internet world. Now thanks to social networks, it has never been easier for people with a passion to share it with the world, gather support, and make a difference. “How has the Internet changed your life?” was the question...