Good Practice

A series of posts on good practice in lobbying and campaigning

Don’t depend on your national flag

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A lot of Brussels lobbyists act as if their national capital will stop Commission proposals from coming out the door. There is little evidence to support that this is a winning strategy. They see things through the eyes of their national flag. They do so knowing that Brussels (EU) does not work like Berlin, Paris, … Read more

What votes do you need to get what you want

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I take a contrarian approach to lobbying. I don’t think it is about officials or politicians supporting your views. I just think it is about getting the votes to get over the winning line. This may seem a nuanced position. It is not. A lot of people will only accept support if the official or … Read more

How Not to Engage With the Commission

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I’ve got a talk coming up next week on how to engage with the European Commission. In advance, I’ve jotted down some tried and tested ways about how not to engage with the Commission. If you have some more, please send them my way. How Not To Engage With the Commission Step in late. New … Read more

Two simple tools to keep track of your legislative work

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If you work in an organization dealing with more than a handful of policy issues, it can get hard to keep track of where things are. A lot of organizations (firms, NGOs, trade associations) keep this information in their heads. I am not so smart. I just can’t keep track of 5 legislative and policy … Read more