If you want to take down a proposal or get it adopted, there is a very effective measure you can take.
You need to bring real evidence and a solution to the perceived public policy issue to the table at the right time, in the right language to the right people.
I came across an interest who for years have been publishing studies and bringing data to the table on an issue. There was little to no support from the Member States or Commission. But, when they walked in with a ‘solution’, made easy to understand for non-experts, and legislative language to co-opt, governments started to back them.
A Checklist Approach
Broken down into a checklist it looks like this:
- The evidence is seen as credible. You can’t bring out an expert who reminds people of Erhardt Von Grupten Mundt from Thank you for Smoking
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2. It needs to be on point and respond to the public policy issue at hand. People will turn to the footnotes to check the sources and turn to the page and paragraph you refer to.
3. You need to step in at the right time. Stepping in a day before the College adopts the proposal is a way too late, as is after the deadline for amendments in the Committee or Plenary.
4. Speaking to your ‘allies’ in the Commission, EP or the Member States, knowing full well that they are in the minority and don’t have enough influence to change the decision is not a smart play.
5. It’s best to focus on the few people who are making and influencing the proposal. At most, across Europe, it’s around 200-250 people. At any one time, you are down to 10-20 people.
6. An easy way to persuade them is to put yourself in their shoes/head and adapt your position so that it speaks to them. Telling them your position, which is just about promoting your self-interest, is not going to work.
7. Try and speak to key decision-makers and influencers in a language that they understand. Policy wonks and experts often speak a language that has a limited relationship with plain English. Words that make sense in your community of policy wonks and experts are likely to mean something very different outside your cloisters. When you speak your audience won’t understand what you are saying or understand the wrong thing.
8. Polish your ask into a policy solution and put it down in policy and legislative language. It is going to make things easier for people to use. If you don’t walk in with a workable solution, your contribution is of limited use.
9. You can show that the perceived problem is not a problem or a small problem. The evidential burden to do this is huge. I’ve seen this work twice in 25 years. Once an issue comes to the policy table for adoption it is hard to remove. And, as most policy issues have been around for 10-20 years, and often longer, your audience will wonder why you have not been able to show there is no issue beforehand.
10. Finally, it helps to have someone who can pull off making your case. If you have a Nick Naylor character on staff use them. Most policy wonks and experts are dreadful policy advocates.