99 Questions to Answer to Prepare your EU Legislative Campaign

Atwul Gawande’s “The Checklist Manifesto” is one of the most useful books I have read and applied.

Over the last 10 years or so I’ve been building up a checklist of questions that help identify from the very beginning if you have a good chance of success when working to influence a piece of EU legislation.

The more questions you can answer yes to, I’ve found the more likely it is you will win. I’ve used this for both NGO and corporate clients.

Some people resist the idea of answering the questions. It is usually a good sign that defeat is hiding in plain sight around the corner.

Many think the list is too mechanical and lacks flair. I’ve found it is key to get the fundamentals in place – the answers to these questions – before your mind is freed up, and unleash your flair.

The list changes over time. It has been longer and shorter, and I am sure it will change.

Maybe it is of use to some.

 

99 Questions to Answer before you  go live

Step1: Objectives

  1. What is the issue you are campaigning on
  2. What are your objectives
  3. What are your KPIs
  4. Do you have secondary objectives/fallback positions
  5. What does success look like
  6. How long do you think it will take to succeed

Step 2: Preparations

  1. Where is the file/proposal at
  2. Do you have reliable operational intelligence to keep you updated on where the proposal is at all times
  3. Do you have a clear timeline for the file clearly showing all key moments
  4. What is the legal form /type of proposal is it: legislative, secondary, non-legislative (See Annex for adoption)

    Commission

  5. Do you know who in the Commission is dealing with the issue?
  6. Do you know who in the Commission is in ISG
  7. Do you know who holds the pen on the proposal
  8. Who is the Commission’s negotiating team for the proposal
  9. Who is making the decision on the issue in the Commission
  10. In the Commission, who are the Special Chefs
  11. Do you know them/have a working relationship with them
  12. Do you have a working relationship with the lead VP Commissioner special chef/head of cabinet
  13. Do you have enough support to get the proposal through/objections in ISC
  14. Do you know what the key decision-makers in the Commission need to know to back you
  15. Do you have evidence at hand to get the key decision-makers in the Commission to back you
  16. What is driving the Commission – DG to act
  17. What is driving the President & VP to act

    Council

  18. Who is the current and next 3 Presidency’s team dealing with the proposal
  19. Who are the Member State expert group (committees) members
  20. Who are the Member State committee members
  21. Who are the Council Working Group members
  22. Who are the Council expert working members
  23. Who are the Perm Reps officials
  24. Who is making the decision on the issue in each member state
  25. Who is influencing the decision in each Member State
  26. Do you have a working relationship with national PM office leads
  27. Will your PM leads intervene in the final stages of inter-service consultation
  28. Did your national government allies intervene during the public consultation
  29. Did your national government allies raise the issue bilaterally with Commissioners during planned and ad hoc meetings
  30. Did your national allies raise the issue in Council Conclusions
  31. Do you have a working relationship with the Minister and their teams in each country leading on the issue
  32. Do you have a working relationship with the opposition spokesperson and their team in each country leading on the issue
  33. Do you have a working relationship with the key ministers/officials who decide on your issue in each country
  34. Do you know the inner-circle of each key minister

    EP

  35. Do you know the actual or likely rapporteurs/ shadows
  36. Do you know someone with the points to become rapporteur
  37. Do you know the key group advisers and committee secretariat on your issue
  38. Do you know the key national/group co-ordinators in the EP
  39. How have they voted on your issues in the recent past
  40. Does your network have a connection with any of the key decision-makers in the EP

    Other Influences

  41. Do you know the key media outlets that influence the key decision-makers, that they watch, read and listen to
  42. Do you have a good relationship with those journalists and think tanks
  43. Are there any other key influencers on the file that you are aware of

    Politics & Data

  44. Do you know the reasonable worst-case outcome if a vote were to be held today in the EP and Council
  45. What voting scenarios/ blocks are going to get you the vote you want in the EP and Council
  46. Do you have allies you don’t usually work with who could bring on board the votes you need?
  47. Do you have people who are persuasive to the target groups
  48. What are the politics on the issue
  49. Can you reframe the debate on the issue to favour you
  50. What are the “values” of the key decision-makers? See Chris Rose’s “What Makes People Tick”.
  51. Can you re-articulate your messages to their values
  52. Do you know your opponents
  53. What is driving them
  54. Do you have information to hand that will address their points

    Internal

  55. Do you have the available funding to support the campaign over the next 3 years
  56. Are you prepared to be public
  57. What is the visual image that symbolizes your campaign
  58. Do you have the evidence to support your position
  59. Can you tell a powerful story to make your case
  60. Do you have the right team in place: spokespeople, communicators, experts, scientists, legal drafters, story tellers, project manager
  61. Do you have a campaign plan written down?
  62. Have you done the necessary research before starting to campaign, enough to answer the first 67 questions
  63. When is the best time for you to step in to influence decisions
  64. If on time, can you retro-engineer what success looks like
  65. Do you have enough flexibility to shift resources to where they need to be, even if it diverts from a plan
  66. Do you have the mechanisms in place to generate the internal buy-in and support needed for sucess
  67. Do you have real solutions as well as just messages
  68. Do you have objective evidence to support your position
  69. Do you have legislative language that can be tabled/incorporated
  70. Do you have a draft directive/regulation in your filing cabinet that would, if adopted, deliver the changes you want
  71. Do your solutions stand up in public and in the cold light of day
  72. Would you look reasonable, civil and look human if your meetings with Commissioners, Politicians, etc were live screened publicly without you knowing about it
  73. Do your advocates abide by the highest ethical standards in private and in public
  74. How are you going to get your message out
  75. Do you use an information management platform
  76. Do you have the right campaign team with clear roles and responsibilities
  77. Who is going to be the face of the campaign
  78. Do they have the time available to front the campaign
  79. Are they able to deal with difficult meetings with officials, Commissioners, opponents, and journalists
  80. If they are not, can you train them in time
  81. Do you rehearse for key meetings
  82. Can you re-calibrate your campaign in light of developments/intelligence
  83. What does success look like – be as specific as possible
  84. Who decides when you throw in the towel
  85. Do you have people who want to speak for you but you know will harm your case
  86. What can you do to stop them
  87. Is there any country or other interest who if they step into the debate will harm your interests
  88. Have you asked “why are you in this place”
  89. Why have you not solved the issue already, or why don’t enough key decision-makers trust you
  90. Is there something that has happened in the past that taints the whole debate and nobody is telling you, but it is driving the debate
  91. Why did you win or lose relevant votes before
  92. Can you repeat the conditions that led to success or reverse the conditions that led to defeat before
  93. Do you know what winning looks like? Put it down in no more than 200 words.

Further Reading

Atwul Gawande,  “The Checklist Manifesto

Ron Friedman, Decoding Greatness

Chris Rose, What Makes People Tick

Roger Haywood, All About PR