Archive
News & Opinions
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Digital policy remains top of the agenda with cross-sectoral consequences
September 21, 2022
Europe has achieved much in terms of digital policy this year. Landmark pieces of legislation, such as the long-awaited Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act have been agreed and enter into force from October. Nevertheless, digital policy still remains critical at the European level. In her recent State of the Union speech, Ursula von der Leyen announced two key initiatives for digital in 2023: an initiative regulating the metaverse and a bolster of...
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As the summer break ends, are we entering the most significant period for European Healthcare since the formation of the Union?
September 9, 2022
After a restful, and restorative summer break, the Brussels Bubble is buzzing again. And the buzz is palpable. There is a lot deserving attention, from the looming recession to the lingering pandemic and the critical energy crisis, and amongst it all, there is a packed healthcare agenda. It could be argued that this is the most significant period for European healthcare reform since the formation of the Union. For a long time, healthcare sat firmly...
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Is online advertising in the EU about to change forever?
August 30, 2022
Part 2: We look at what the legislation might mean for campaign managers Dramatic changes to the way advertisers run their online promotions are set to come into force in Europe. Changes to the existing legislation won’t just impact Europeans but anyone wanting to advertise in Europe and from Europe. In our previous blog, we presented the current status and possible developments of the EU's new laws on political advertising, whose main objective is...
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Is online advertising in the EU about to change forever?
August 16, 2022
Part 1: We look at the proposed legislation Dramatic changes to the way advertisers run their online promotions are set to come into force in Europe. Changes to the existing legislation won’t just impact Europeans but anyone wanting to advertise in Europe and from Europe. Online advertising in Europe has had a quite troubled history. In 2018, revelations about Cambridge Analytica threatened to undermine our democratic systems. In the aftermath of the US’ 2016...
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Europe’s ageing population: why it’s considered a crisis and how lessons can be learnt from Asia
July 8, 2022
Last week the question over ageing populations in Europe re-emerged following the release of UK census results, which showed that citizens over the age of 65 now make up almost one fifth of the population, the highest figure ever. The increase in over-65 population is occurring alongside a decline for those of working age, which raises fears over long-term economic stability. This trend is causing increased pressure on overburdened healthcare systems to a degree that...
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REPower in trouble
July 7, 2022
REPowerEU represents a shift in impetus for decarbonization, where wartime energy security now supersedes climate leadership. While the plan maintains its multi-pronged commitment to supporting renewables, extraordinary measures have been proposed by way of managing the immediacy of the conflict’s reverberations. These include options such as boosting LNG imports and the promotion of bio-methane, among others. REpower, as comprehensive as it is, faces five mammoth challenges: First, Moscow is betting on a long war...
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FH Brussels SVP, Máximo Miccinilli speaks at the Financial Times Hydrogen Summit
July 1, 2022
On 16 June, the Senior Vice President and Head of Energy and Climate at FleishmanHillard Brussels, Máximo Miccinilli, participated in a panel discussion at the Financial Times Hydrogen Summit in London. The summit took place in London, gathering business and political leaders to discuss the role of hydrogen in the current political environment marked by high fossil fuel prices and Russian aggression. Both Máximo as well as our senior advisor, Roland Verstappen, travelled to London...
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European Health Data Space: could this change the healthcare industry and better the lives of EU citizens forever?
June 8, 2022
Data is arguably the most valuable coin of our time and it’s set to become more relevant as we progress through the 21st century. Data governs our world, governments and companies around the globe leverage personalized data for diverse purposes, but essentially taking your data footprint – from online purchases to the amount of time spent scrolling certain websites or your last reservations at hotels and restaurants – to build your digital profile. These profiles...
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Why do Europeans wait an additional 180 days to access innovative treatment and what can be done to speed this up?
April 4, 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a seismic shift in our approach to healthcare. On the one hand, the vulnerability of Europe’s healthcare systems has been seriously exposed, leaving policymakers to reflect on how we can do better in the face of future healthcare threats. At the same time, it’s also shown us what’s possible when it comes to discovering new medicines and vaccines and bringing them to patients in a way that would have seemed...
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Healthcare Public Affairs is Changing
March 9, 2022
How to navigate the new European healthcare policy landscape Health policy is undergoing monumental change in Europe. Amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, it has quickly become a key priority for European policymakers. For healthcare public affairs specialists in Brussels, this means our usual ways of working have fundamentally changed. At its origin, the European Union (EU) was an economic and political project – 27 Member States, individual nations, working together towards the creation of a...