Archive
Year: 2018
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EU Climate & Energy Policy: Ending the year with a bang
December 19, 2018
A landmark year for the EU energy and climate policy draws to a close. The European institutions are finalising complex agreements on new rules for the internal electricity market as part of the Clean Energy Package adopted by the European Commission in November 2016. Regulations aimed at cutting emissions of light and heavy vehicles are also reaching towards the final stage of negotiations between the Council and the Parliament. Over the past months, the European...
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The fads, the fears, the future – what can we expect from tech trends in 2019?
December 18, 2018
FleishmanHillard today released “Tech Trends 2019: The Fads. The Fears. The Future” a new report offering insights and predictions for the technology industry. The report features an analysis of 1 billion tech-focused consumer conversations on Twitter between 2017 and 2018, along with insights from more than 25 technology thought leaders from around the world. “Technology changes at a rapid pace and what once consumers barely even imagined, today they barely even notice,” said Sophie Scott, global managing...
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What are the implications of the UK leaving the EU for business?
December 10, 2018
As it stands, on 29th March 2019, the UK is due to exit the European Union. Whilst much of our attention is dedicated to following the debate, important questions persist regarding the future of business within the EU. In this video, Matt Hinde, FleishmanHillard’s Brexit lead, suggests some of his forward-looking insights into what the implications could be for EU business. As the EU's third most populous state, the UK is an influential player in the European...
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Airbnb on the birth of a new brand of pan-European grassroots lobbying
November 29, 2018
https://vimeo.com/303005824 On 22 November, FleishmanHillard had the honour of hosting the official launch of the Grassroots Professional Network – a sign of the growing momentum of a uniquely European brand of grassroots lobbying in a fast-changing European political landscape. Georgina Browes and Sergio Vinay from Airbnb are absolute trailblazers in this space and explained that you can't just show up to your user base when you have a regulatory problem and ask them to sign...
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How to Measure the Impact of Social Media for Public Affairs
November 28, 2018
Our Challenge: Social Media is for Marketers Social media has become a veritable public affairs tool in its own right. Public affairs activities are incredibly difficult to measure, but with social media we’ve been given a gift. We have data, so much data, for free and at our fingertips. But there’s a problem. None of these social media platforms were built with us in mind. Social media is for marketers. And marketers need numbers. Marketers operate...
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Move over America, Europe is dealing with its own brand of political and cultural disruption
November 27, 2018
I often find myself explaining the current political climate in Europe to friends, family, and clients with this: “If you think the United States is crazy right now. Europe is at least as crazy as the U.S.” My observation tower for Europe’s current environment is Brussels, where I head the digital public affairs offering for FleishmanHillard across the EMEA region. Yes, Europe’s current politics can rightfully be described as “crazy” but in that environment, we’re seeing something both...
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Next European Commission – What are the tech issues that policymakers will target? #FHYearofChange
November 23, 2018
A long read version of this article first appeared on 22 October Tech policy can garner significant attention in Brussels, especially in light of Commissioner Vestager’s enforcement decisions against Apple, Google, and Amazon, as well as the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal. While Commission President Jean Claude Juncker prophesied in 2014 that the Digital Single Market (DSM) would generate up to €250 billion of additional growth in Europe, the tech sector now gets more closely associated...
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EU chemicals policy under the next Commission
November 16, 2018
The next European Commission will undoubtedly face a busy chemicals agenda. So busy it will only have to pick and choose its issues. But that’s it, it will have to choose, or risk others choosing for it. Looking at the Juncker Commission’s legacy on chemicals policy, one may remember the controversial discussions around glyphosate, the long-awaited criteria to identify endocrine disruptors, or the many fitness check (REFIT) exercises carried out by the administration. But these...
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Takeaways of FleishmanHillard’s Breakfast on Artificial Intelligence and Energy
November 9, 2018
On Thursday 8 November, FleishmanHillard held a Breakfast event entitled ‘The future of energy: how will artificial intelligence impact the energy sector?’. The event gave the energy sector representatives the opportunity to share their opinions directly with the Commission, represented by Head of Unit on New energy technologies, innovation and clean coal, Mr. Haitze Siemers, from the Directorate General for Energy. Agata Pavía, VP & Head of FleishmanHillard Technology Team and Matt Hinde, Director of...
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EPP to elect its lead candidate
November 7, 2018
On Thursday, the European People’s party will elect its Spitzenkandidat (lead candidate) for the European elections. First established in 2014 as part of the procedural changes to electing the new Commission President, it is seen as the official response to an attempt to bring the EU closer to its citizens. However, it is also widely viewed as an attempt by the European Parliament to have a greater say in who becomes the next Commission president...