Picture from Burson Marsteller website

As I mentioned in part 2 of my “The L word” rant, I was pleased by the results put together by Burson Marsteller and PSB this year following a survey they conducted on the effectiveness and perception of EU lobbying, the results of which were issued in powerpoint format in August by the German office and as a full “Guide to Effective Lobbying in Europe“  in October 2009 by the Brussels office, with European Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas as keynote speaker.

Why?

I actually smiled when I read the coverage of these results by EUobserver, in an article by Leigh Phillips titled “Fancy lobby receptions don’t work, say Brussels politicians“. I smiled because this article seemed to consider that the fact MEPs and other EU lobby targets do not enjoy a “wine and dine approach” was a “counterintuitive and startling conclusion” (sic.).

It’s been personally my impression for years, but it’s nice to be able to refer my clients to these study results to alleviate the pressure of some, that still believe Brussels decision-makers have nothing better to do in the evenings then raid cocktail receptions in a  desperate quest for free food. Or that chatting casually with a glass of white wine in one hand, a canapé of foie gras in the other, a napkin squeezed beneath and crumbles of toast at the corner of one’s mouth, is the most efficient manner to (1) convince someone of an issue at an hour of the day where he/she would like to talk about anything but his/her day job and (2) in a location filled with noise, hysterical bursts of laughter and eavesdroppers.

It is true that if you want to live off mediocre wine / orange juice / sparkling whatever every evening and a selection of shrimps / mini-quiches / salmon toasts, you have every opportunity to do so in the EU bubble, as every evening and every lunch offers its choice of reception and events to attend.

But at the end of the day, decision makers want to hear your arguments, and noise-filled places are just not the appropriate location for that exercise.

So what should you do to be an efficient lobbyist?

Well part of the recipe is outlined in Burson Marsteller’s reports:

(c) Burson Marsteller and PSB

1. BE TRANSPARENT, KNOW YOUR STUFF, AIM AT THE MOON BUT BE PREPARED TO SETTLE FOR A STAR

I do not understand why a lobbyist would not divulge who he/she is representing when talking to others. Does anyone think a lobbyists would meet them just on their own, with no one asking him/her to do so? Same thing with the myth that a lobbyists is someone you give a 2-pager and tell him/her to repeat it at nauseam to anyone willing to listen (and many unwilling souls too). If that’s your approach, you’d better start praying no one asks questions or, worse, challenges your “messenger”. And finally, and it’s often the biggest issue when discussing with clients: Brussels is about managing the nuances of gray. We don’t do white, we try to avoid black, but we excel at discovering the multiple facets of gray. So no one wins, many can lose…

2. IF YOU WOULDN’T BUY IT, THEY WON’T EITHER.

I guess you could say EU decision makers are like animals or babies in one respect (and only one, be reassured): they sense it if you’re not sincere. And it takes ages to get a good reputation in Brussels but only seconds to rip it apart!

So if I agree partially with this bit of the movie “Thank you for smoking”:

I definitely do not share this approach to lobbying:

Extracted from Showtime website www.sho.com

In Brussels, it’s all about the “L” word…no, not that word…the “lobby” word. It seems Europe still has to admit to itself that lobbying is not a shady practice done by sleezy car salesmen (and women)-type individuals that would sell anything to anyone.

It is extremely rare in Brussels to find a lobbyist: they are all EU affairs people, PR, governmental relations, regulatory, compliance…basically anything but lobbyists!

It’s actually odd if one compares this to the situation on the other side of the Atlantic: in the USA, being a lobbyist is not only a profession, it’s a statement!

Could it then be one of those cultural differences comparable to the fact that Europeans don’t like talking about money whilst Americans give you an outline of their belongings and annual salary after approximately 5 minutes of social conversation? Or could it just be that more lobbyists need to “come out of the closet” and drop the silly “alternative labelling” stance?

I happen to believe in the usefulness of lobbyists (which is kind of obvious considering I am one and it’s always nicer to believe the job you’re doing could be useful), just like I think medication can be a good thing: it does not always taste great, it should only be used under prescription by a professional and once the expiry date is past, you should bring it back to the shop for proper disposal! But it can ease the pain, or even cure you, if you know how to use it.

So I want to give the “L” word the status it deserves: lobbying is a practice that can be useful to decision-makers, if done in a professional and transparent manner, and being a lobbyist, if you believe in what you do, can be a fun job (sometimes)!

But what is lobbying? If you believe Wikipedia, “Lobbying is the practice of influencing decisions made by government (in groups or individually). It includes all attempts to influence legislators and officials, whether by other legislators, constituents, or organized groups. A lobbyist is a person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of a special interest or a member of a lobby^.”

I actually like this definition as it has the merit to recognise lobbying is not only done by industry or trade associations, but by any organised group and even by “other legislators”.I am often amused when I see statements by bloggers or surfers saying “call your MEP to have law X change and fight against those nasty lobbyists!”: what exactly do they think they are encouraging others to do? Influencing that is so pure it could not be considered lobbying?

This goes back to that negative connotation associated to (all) lobbying activities, which I examine in part 2.

Many EU institutions buildings are located on the streets and avenues joining at the Schuman roundabout. Putting all of them on the map would however have resulted in so many markers pinpointing neighbouring locations, that the map itself would probably no longer be visible.

The Brussels European quarter consists mainly of a 4 square kilometers area located between Avenue des Arts and Parc du Cinquantenaire, which during office hours welcome over 85.000 people in the numerous offices located in that region. The easiest way to get around quickly in Brussels is by public transportation, and notably by metro (lines 1A and 1B – Schuman station) or by train (Brussels-Schuman or Brussels Luxembourg stations).

We have decided to mark the main buildings of the institutions, as putting all of them on this map would probably have been a pointless and unreadable exercise. Moreover, due to the fact that the offices are spread all over Brussels, we have split the maps into (1) Brussels centre and (2) Beaulieu.

Brussels Centre

Many EU institutions buildings are located on the streets and avenues joining at the Schuman roundabout. Putting all of them on the map would however have resulted in so many markers pinpointing neighbouring locations, that the map itself would probably no longer be visible.

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Beaulieu

The buildings located in the Beaulieu area are slightly further from the Centre of Brussels, but quite close to the Brussels Zaventem Airport. They are located just next to the Metro Station Beaulieu.

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This is pretty much self-explanatory: lobbying Europe is mostly about travelling to Brussels and Strasbourg, two places obviously selected for their outstanding climate and the fact that the lack of natural light is a depressing factor that pushes people towards negative thinking!

The offices of the European institutions are numerous and although most of them are located in the centre of Brussels, traffic is not exactly fluid in the Belgian capital, which means it can be a good thing to take into account commuting transport logistics when organising one’s schedule in Brussels.

So follow the links to find your way on the European scene:

• Map of Brussels with the location of the main EU institutions’ offices
• Map of Strasbourg with the location of the main EU institutions’ offices

The Info Section aims to give you some practical guidance to prepare your European lobbying “experience”, both in terms of understanding the EU jargon, preparing your trip to Brussels and Strasbourg, getting a feel of what’s hot in Europe by reading the multiple blogs that relate to it, and checking out the weather (on the latter, if you don’t have time, just consider it will be rainy: you’ll probably rarely be disappointed).
So if you’re looking for some practical advice and pointers, click on:

• Glossary & EU Jargon
• Preparing a trip to Brussels
• Preparing a trip to Strasbourg

Glossary & EU Jargon

The Commission has put together a quite impressive glossary which lists over 230 terms relating to European integration and the institutions and activities of the EU.

This glossary contains not only definitions of terms, but also outlines how the individual terms have evolved, how the institutions work, what the procedures are, what areas are covered by a Community policy and provides references to the Treaties, if necessary.

It is possible to print out all the pages of the Glossary by selecting the “Full version” option, which is available at the top of each page.

Beyond the technical and legal expressions, the unofficial terminology used on a daily basis by the media and EU officials can be found on the Eurojargon page, equally developed by the Commission.

Preparing a trip to Brussels

Taxi Companies

Taxi on Place Luxembourg

Getting a taxi in Brussels is usually reasonably easy, except at the Brussels airport, where queues can be frightening, especially on a Monday at 8:00 am!

If you are in that situation, you are advised to either book a taxi beforehand, or make your way to the departures floor of the airport and jump in a taxi that is driving by to drop off people departing…

A detailed list of taxi companies can be accessed at:

http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&um=1&q=taxi+brussels&fb=1&view
=text&sa=X&oi=local_group&resnum=1&ct=more-results&cd=1

Hotels

Just a few pointers:

• Booking.com
• Brussels-hotels.com
• NH Hotels in Brussels
• Manos Hotel
• Marriott Renaissance Hotel

Subway

Belgian underground sign

When preparing a journey in Brussels, using the metro or subway can be a convenient manner to go from one destination to another whilst avoiding traffic jams which can be painful.

A good place to plan one’s journey is the site of the STIB, the official site of the company in charge of the metro: http://www.stib.be/index.htm?guest_user=guest_en as it allows viewing map of the subway, busses and trams, as well as proposing a journey planner and timetables.

Airports

Click on the logos to access the website of the airport.

The National Airport of Belgium and Brussels (Located in the village of Zaventem, at about 10 km from the centre of Brussels). Nearly all international flights coming into Belgium arrive in this airport

The airport of the city of Charleroi, also called “Brussels South”, located at 46 km south of Brussels. On this website, travellers arriving in Charleroi will find information about the transport possibilities to Brussels.

The local airport of the city of Antwerp.

The local airport of the city of Oostende.

The local airport of the city of Liège

Weather

Tip for the really bored: by putting your mouse on the weather icons, you can make them spin slower or faster, and even reverse direction…if you are actually doing this right as we speak and enjoying it, you really need to find a hobby!

Preparing a trip to Strasbourg

First step is the Tourism Office of Strasbourg, at http://www.otstrasbourg.fr/?lang=en

Taxi Companies

A detailed list of taxi companies can be accessed at: http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&um=1&q=taxi+strasbourg&fb=1&view =text&sa=X&oi=local_group&resnum=1&ct=more-results&cd=1

Book early!

Hotels

Finding a room in Strasbourg in a half decent hotel during a plenary week is quite a headache, most MEPs and assistants booking one year advance to be in the centre! Moreover, most hotels handle a “no cancellation” policy due to the high demand. Just a few pointers:

• Booking.com
• Google results
• Strasbourg-hotel.com

Subway

The official site of the transport company in Strasbourg can be found here but maps and their explanation are only available in French.

Strasbourg metro map

Airports

The airport of Strasbourg

Weather