Our specialist groups mirror key EU policy areas and we offer some of the longest-established and integrated public affairs experience in the EU capital:
Our team is drawn from industry, policy, legal and communications backgrounds. We have over 23 different nationalities in the Brussels office, and are supported by our network in all EU member states and across the world. We deliver tailored and result-oriented services to cross sectoral organisations locally and across borders.
Environment policy is one of the backbones of EU influence in the world. At its core is the premise that economic growth can be reconciled with cutting greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality, using natural resources in a sustainable way, preserving biodiversity and preventing and recycling waste. By promoting sustainable production and consumption patterns, the EU intends to be at the forefront of the new Green economy. This approach has immediate implications on the way EU policies are formulated and decisions are taken, which are reaching levels of sophistication requiring increased coordination efforts, both across policy areas, industry sectors and supply chains. As the largest single market in the world, the EU has the ability to set and export environmental standards and to shape the new global environmental governance. Environment policy can, in this context, be considered as an emerging EU foreign policy.
Our long-established expertise in this policy area provides clients with integrated solutions to engage in political debates and shape the regulatory framework within which industries, technologies and products must compete.
We have experience in advising clients from the energy, mining, chemical, IT, consumer goods, food, waste management, packaging, construction, aluminium, steel and automotive sectors.
With the EU moving towards a new Energy strategy for Europe and having now a clear competence in energy policy, energy is higher than ever on the EU’s political agenda. As a result of increasing energy dependency, concerns about competition in the energy markets and the need to combat global warming, EU Heads of State and Governments have called for an integrated energy and climate change strategy.
In light of these factors, the EU is driving forward a number of policy and legislative initiatives in key areas such as:
The current context has resulted in a complex policy negotiation and lobbying environment, driven by the new trends with increased integration among environment, energy and transport policies, more framework legislation and a more professional input demanded from interest groups. Effective engagement in the policy making process requires a clear understanding of the direction of EU political priorities and the stakeholders’ agendas, a credible positioning, a timely management of multiple communication channels fed with messages built upon solid research and public policy goals.
The Energy and Climate Change division brings together an unrivalled combination of high level strategic counsel, policy trends and issue expertise. We advise companies, trade associations and public institutions on the dynamics of policy-making and effective positioning in the political debates, as well as communicating messages and policy proposals in the increasingly complex web of decision-makers and stakeholders.
Growing safety andsecurity concerns, coupled with an emphasis on the decarbonisation of transport as well as on the protection of passenger rights have made the EU regulatory framework within which transport companies have to evolve increasingly complex.
Furthermore, because transport is by its very nature an international business, companies in the sector are often confronted with several and sometimes overlapping regulatory regimes, increasing the uncertainty regarding the rules by which they must abide.
We however believe that what may be perceived at first sight as a more and more cumbersome regulatory environment can be turned into opportunities for the most innovative transport companies, as well as for security and safety suppliers, to raise their profile, promote their solutions and gain competitive advantages over their competitors.
Our strength lies in our ability to anticipate legislations, analyse their impact on our clients and design and implement advocacy and communications campaigns supporting their business objectives.
We service international associations and multinational companies working in all modes of transportation as well as in the logistics, space and security sectors.
EU health and consumer protection policy has over the past few years become a growing focus of the work of the European Union. A focus that is set to be further reinforced in the near future as the European Commission intends to place EU consumers at the heart of the next phase of the Internal Market.
To ensure the proper implementation of its ambitious consumer and health policy objectives, the Commission increasingly uses the instrument of public-private partnerships, going beyond the initiation of legislative measures. The so-called Obesity Platform and the more recent Alcohol and Health Forum are two prominent examples of this new approach.
Our specialist team of consumer and food policy experts have gained extensive experience not only in assisting our clients from a range of industry sectors in effectively managing the regulatory agenda but also in successfully seizing the opportunities arising from the public-private partnership approach in terms of positioning and reputation building.
Trade policy is a key area of European competence, with the European Commission driving forward the EU trade agenda on behalf of the Member States. The core principles of free trade and access to markets remain the mantra of the European Commission through DG Trade, even in this time of economic uncertainty. Customs principles are also set at the EU level through the European Commission DG Taxud, where EU wide customs rules and implementation are formulated.
Our consultants work on issues as varied as bi-lateral trade negotiations to customs classification issues, having long standing expertise and excellence in these areas. We work directly with our clients on trade and customs issues and provide hands on strategic advice and intelligence on how best to achieve goals in EU trade and customs policy. Producing tailored strategies and action plans to support your needs, we build on our experience to deliver the services you require. We keep our clients well informed and up-to-date with all the latest developments in EU trade and customs policy.