Archive

Year: 2015

  • 5 things Brussels’ newest airline association should be doing

    September 15, 2015

      The deadline for applications closed recently for a plumb new job in Brussels – the head of the new airline trade association representing Europe's five largest airlines – AirFrance-KLM, easyJet, Lufthansa, IAG and Ryanair. Following the tumultuous weeks before the summer that led to the fracturing of the airline association world in Brussels, the chosen candidate could be forgiven for wondering how she/he is going to bring the membership together to successfully advocate industry positions in Brussels. The timing...

  • Operation Europe

    September 8, 2015

    This is the “last chance” Commission… This dramatic statement was pronounced by Jean-Claude Juncker in October 2014 to Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, during his formal presentation of the College of Commissioners and their proposed 2016-2020 programme. Juncker to deliver his first ever SOTEU! On Wednesday 9 September, Jean-Claude Juncker will head back into the Strasbourg hemicycle for his first ever speech on the so-called State of the European Union (or SOTEU). Although...

  • Winning in EU policy communications means winning over a niche audience

    August 26, 2015

    The EU is big and so is the body of policy that it churns out. But the niche communities of people who make and influence policy are typically much smaller. This is a conversation that I think many of us in EU public affairs find ourselves having on a regular basis. When we're communicating our point of view on EU policy, who are we actually communicating to? Sure, our ultimate target audience is made up...

  • 5 tips for creating great e-mail newsletters

    August 17, 2015

    It's the oldest channel in your digital arsenal and sometimes the most effective. It's e-mail. As ubiquitous as modern social channels may be, finding the totality of your audience there can be difficult. What do you do when your target group swears by a strict daily diet of the FT's print version,  the BBC News homepage (reached by bookmark) and their organisations' intranets? You tap into the what is arguably the longest running (kind of...

  • European politics of gender equality: the mountain that gave birth to a mouse?

    August 13, 2015

    On paper, gender equality is high on the current EU agenda. In his 10 ‘Commandments’, President Juncker has committed to a more gender-balanced Commission; the European Parliament has maintained continued pressure on other institutions to present and adopt regulatory measures; and, just last week, Commissioner Jourova pledged to present a comprehensive legislative package on gender equality in 2016. This focus on gender equality shouldn’t come as a surprise; women can be the edge Europe needs...

  • THE YEAR OF CLIMATE

    August 12, 2015

    Today, in a post Kyoto Protocol period, the world faces the same challenge as back in 1997 - We are again facing the need to reach an international agreement to set the scene for effective action against climate change. There is however a considerable difference between today and 1997 - climate discussion has been elevated to a different level, where it has become a great concern of the majority of governments, corporations, NGOs and citizens...

  • Reforming The EU Emissions Trading System – FH Insights and Analysis

    July 16, 2015

    On 15 July 2015, as part of its ‘Summer Package of proposals’, the European Commission came forward with a legislative proposal to reform the EU emissions trading system (ETS). Referred to by one industry association “the largest industrial policy decision it [the Juncker Commission] will take in its entire mandate”, the proposal seeks to reform the currently underperforming ETS, the chief instrument to decarbonise Europe’s energy systems and meet Europe’s 2030 Climate & Energy targets...

  • Reaching MEPs with Twitter ads: Lessons from our brainstorm sketchbook

    July 13, 2015

    What do we know about Members of European Parliament on Twitter? We know from the 2015 FleishmanHillard European Parliament Digital Trends Surveythat 77% of MEPs have Twitter accounts and 61% say they follow social media conversations every day. What does all this mean? It means that Twitter has well and truly arrived as a channel where MEPs and their staff spend a significant portion of their time. Paid Twitter content can often make sense as part of a larger public affairs...

  • Circular Economy – Parliament presents its wish list whilst Commission remains tight-lipped

    July 10, 2015

    While the European Commission is not revealing much about its vision on how to achieve a “circular” economy, the European Parliament has now made its mind up. The own-initiative report from rapporteur Sirpa Pietikäinen, adopted yesterday in plenary with 394 votes in favour, 197 votes against and 82 abstentions, aims to inspire the Commissions’ discussions on the new Circular Economy package, which is expected before the end of the year. Whether the EP’s recommendations will...

  • 5 observations of the Parliament’s report on TTIP, and the road ahead

    July 8, 2015

    A lot will be written about today's vote in the European Parliament on Trade Committee Chair Bernd Lange’s own-initiative report on TTIP. In the immediate aftermath of the vote, we noted that: Rules can work in your favour if you have the right position The European Parliament’s President Martin Schulz followed the Rules of Procedure to the letter, though he frequently had to read directly from the rules to explain his decision to his fellow...

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