Archive
Year: 2011
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A selection of recent posts on FH blogs
March 16, 2011
In my post A quick tour through the FH blogosphere, I shared some articles from other FHers writing on their own or team blogs. Here’s what some of them have been up to so far this year. First of all we start by welcoming back James Stevens to Brussels. Having originally pioneered this blog back in the day, James has been in the Washington DC office for the past year and writing his own blog Bubble...
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How the European Citizens’ Initiative will shake up the Brussels bubble
March 14, 2011
The European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) is a new instrument whereby the European Commission has to put forward legislative proposals to respond to a petition that has gathered one million signatures within a year coming from at least 7 EU Member States. Although some organisations such as eBay or Greenpeace have already started ECI-like petitions, the first “official” ECIs are expected as of February 2012 in order to allow Member States to take the necessary measures...
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Libya and the Euro Pact: Pressures for Change
March 14, 2011
The European Union is continuously forged by the pressure of events. Far more than individual member states the EU is in a state of permanent flux as it changes and adapts to meet new challenges. That’s never been more so than it is today. The turmoil across the Arab world, and particularly the civil war in Libya, is testing the reality of a European external relations policy, while the eurozone is being transformed as it...
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FH Podcast: Kroes and digital – interview with Ryan Heath
March 8, 2011
In our latest podcast, I have a chat with Ryan Heath, speechwriter and social media manager for European Commission Vice President and Commissioner for Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes. In an impressively varied and accomplished career so far, Ryan has been Assistant Director at the UK Cabinet Office, political adviser to former Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has written for publications such as the Sydney Morning Herald, and published a book on Generation Y, as well...
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Libya’s Fate Will Have Major Impact on Europe
February 27, 2011
It’s amazing what can happen in two weeks! Since posting my blog on the Year of (Arab) Revolutions on February 13 the winds of change have hit Libya with a vengeance. Of all the countries in the region Libya is the one whose fate will have the biggest short term impact on Europe. The international community has reacted relatively quickly to the Libyan crisis. The United Nations agreement on sanctions will lead this week to...
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Reviewing our MEP digital trends survey: fewer bloggers, more Facebook and Twitter users. Why (and so what?)
February 23, 2011
In our recently published survey on the online habits of Members of the European Parliament, we found that: 69% of MEPs use social networks (mainly Facebook) up from 33% in 2009 34% are on Twitter, up from 21% 29% write a personal blog, compared to 40% in 2009 So we’re witnessing a shift towards the snappy interaction of social networks, and a move away from the more content driven blog. I’ll look at two things...
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EU Must Build, not Shout, in the Year of Revolutions
February 13, 2011
Watching events unfold in Cairo over the last two weeks, towards the dramatic climax of Hosni Mubarak’s resignation, has been an exciting and moving experience, reminiscent of those days when we watched the collapse of communism and the spread of democracy across central and eastern Europe 20 years ago. But it presents a formidable challenge to the European Union, now blessed (we hope) with a joined-up foreign policy. The revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt and perhaps...
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Fleishman-Hillard Becomes First Agency Chosen as Pan-European Consultancy of the Year for Two Straight Years
February 8, 2011
Fleishman-Hillard International Communications has been named Pan-European Consultancy of the Year 2011 by The Holmes Report, making it the first agency ever to receive this accolade for consecutive years. The public relations industry newsletter based its decision on the firm’s year-on-year performance since 2009, citing growth in clients, capabilities, geographic footprint, staff and leadership as just a few of the factors that once again put the firm in first place...
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How do MEPs use the web? FH’s 2nd European Parliament Digital Trends Survey
January 26, 2011
Our survey of the digital habits of Members of the European Parliament is now live at www.epdigitaltrends.eu. The findings show that MEPs are increasingly using digital channels to reach out and to inform themselves on issues of importance. In parallel, the survey also indicates that personal contact and traditional media remain essential, highlighting to anyone engaging in communications that digital is not replacing established modes of communication, but living alongside them. Here are ten key...
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European Parliament Digital Trends Survey Shows MEPs’ Rocketing Use of Social Networks but Decline in Blogging.
January 26, 2011
While MEPs continue to make use of a wide range of channels to communicate, the most notable developments since the previous survey in 2009 have been the doubling of social network uptake (mainly Facebook) - up from 33% to 69%, the rising popularity of Twitter - albeit slower than the take up of Twitter generally, and - notably - the decline in blogging - down from 40% of MEPs to 29%. Three-quarters of MEPs who...