I digress … thoughts on fish & the environment
Trust is the gel that binds effective law and policy-making. It manifests itself in a simple operational rule that “your word is your bond”. If you give an undertaking to take a position or a voting line, you don’t back down from it. The idea of keeping your word is ancient. It is mentioned in … Read more
I gave a talk last month on influencing the new Commission’s agenda. My main message was that the direction of travel (in policy terms) was set and we are now down to the end game of refinement. I’m sure I saw some faces go pale. In the main, a few core documents lay out where … Read more
What can a new commissioner do on day 1 One of the big challenges a new Commissioner faces is bring their DG under control. They’ll need to make sure that the DG works to deliver on the new Commission’s mandate. It won’t be easy. Officials have spent the last 5 years being instructed to push … Read more
There are super powers that will make you a lot more effective as a lobbyist. They are: Being likeable. Being clear: both in writing and speaking. Two of the most effective officials I’ve seen first hand, Ludwig Kramer and Bjorn Hansen, from DG Environment had it. They were both pleasant and decent people. It resonated … Read more