Archive
Year: 2012
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Good news for the ozone layer, but what lessons for climate change?
March 27, 2012
A few days ago the death was announced of F. Sherwood Rowland, the American scientist who identified the damage being caused by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) to the earth’s protective ozone layer. His pioneering scientific work and the fierce campaigning by him and his collaborators led to a UN framework agreement to tackle the problem and to the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which provided the basis for the global phasing out of CFCs and halons in refrigerators, aerosols...
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New deal on finance tax may bring calm
March 14, 2012
A compromise may be in sight to defuse the conflict over a proposed EU turnover tax for all financial transactions. It seems that finance ministers are looking at stamp duty on share deals as an alternative way of taxing the financial sector, perhaps marking a calmer phase in the evolution of European financial services legislation. The argument over a Tobin-type tax has come to exemplify deep-seated antagonisms over the future of financial services within the...
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The Temptation of Protectionism
March 13, 2012
I think most French would agree that the presidential election debate has been pretty poor since its beginning in February. No nuances, small media stories turned into polemics, little content overall - all very frustrating for those who enjoy a decent confrontation of ideas on what matters for the country. If you missed the saga of halal meat labelling (no joking), feel lucky. Up until now, the role of France in the EU had been...
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Event: Transatlantic Energy Futures
March 12, 2012
On Wednesday 7 March 2012, Fleishman-Hillard Brussels hosted the book launch of ‘Transatlantic Energy Futures’, followed by a high-level panel discussion on transatlantic energy relations chaired by Dan Baxter, SVP and head of the office’s Sustainability Team. The book was launched by its editor David Koranyi, Non-Resident Fellow at Johns Hopkins SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations and by András Simonyi, Managing Director of the Johns Hopkins SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations, to an audience of...
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Greek debt report reinforces doubts on bail-out deal
February 27, 2012
It’s no surprise that the “disciplinary” elements of this week’s Greek bail-out deal have been badly received by many in Greece. Strengthening of the Commission Task Force in Athens to provide an “enhanced and permanent presence” to oversee Greek government measures, and deposit of quarterly debt repayment funds in an escrow account to ensure their availability are difficult for anyone to accept. It’s as bad as having the IMF dictate your economic policy! But the...
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Managing the word on the (Brussels) street
February 14, 2012
What does it take to weather a reputation storm in Europe’s capital? FH Brussels mulls it over at European Public Affairs Action Day. Reputation. Built over time; destroyed in an instant. Coveted but capricious, it can seem uncontrollably fragile when disaster hits. But it is possible to keep reputation safe and sound in the face of adversity – if you nurture a reputation nest egg when the going’s good. We invited two industry professionals with...
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Fierce troika attack on Greek labour costs
February 9, 2012
Devaluation was invariably the path to survival for weaker European economies in the days before the euro. But when devaluation is no longer an option, there is evidently no choice for failing economies but to squeeze public spending and slash labour costs in the hope of paying off debt and restoring competitiveness. A striking aspect of the Greek case is the attack by the troika of ECB, IMF and European Commission on wages and non-wage...
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EMEA Public Affairs Consultancy of Year
February 7, 2012
The Holmes Report has named Fleishman-Hillard as Public Affairs Consultancy of the Year in its annual Europe, Middle East and Africa awards announced on 6 February 2012. The award recognizes the leadership of Caroline Wunnerlich and her Brussels team in conducting public affairs for key sectors such as financial services, energy, technology and healthcare as well as the firm’s thought leadership in the Brussels market. The award comes after Fleishman-Hillard was named pan-European Consultancy of the...
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Talking ‘Reputation’ at Public Affairs Action Day
February 2, 2012
On February 8th, Fleishman-Hillard will lead a panel discussion about reputation as part of the European Public Affairs Action Day in Brussels. Francoise Humbert, Communications Director at CEFIC, the European Chemical Industry Council, and Florence Ranson, Senior Adviser at the European Banking Federation will join Fleishman-Hillard’s Anita Kelly to discuss “How to harness reputation to succeed in Brussels”. The sold-out event brings together the Brussels public affairs community and takes place at the Renaissance Hotel...
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Efficiency, renewables and fossil fuels – What’s the right energy for Europe?
January 27, 2012
On 25 January Fleishman-Hillard Brussels organised a roundtable discussion on the future of the EU energy mix, with a particular emphasis on the role that energy efficiency could play in this context. A discussion paper laying down the terms of the debate had been prepared by the FH energy team for the occasion. 50 participants were there to listen to Dagmara Koska, Member of Cabinet of Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger, delivering insights on the Energy Efficiency...