On Friday, I was asked by a friend how they could their issue taken up by the Commission and into a new law. I had to disappoint and let them know this could not be done quickly and not under this Commission.
They had a window of opportunity to get it taken up in the next Commission, and if they wanted to do that, they had to start work now.
What You Need To Do
If you want to bring about public policy change in the EU.
It needs a confluence of events to happen, combining at a single moment in time the following:
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A policy solution that works
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An understandable policy solution. You need to be able to tell a powerful story. You need to put it down on 1 page (issue, solution, costs).
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It addresses the root cause of an EU problem rather than the symptoms.
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Political buy-in at the Brussels level.
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Political buy-in at the national capital level
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A viable financing strategy at the EU level. Money does not grow on trees and the EU budget is going into revision.
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And, more importantly, by national capitals. Money does not grow on trees in Berlin, Paris Or Rome.
If any one of those elements is not present, you are not going to get the real change you want.
If you want to bring about change for the next Commission
I warned my friend that if they sat this out and were not in the next Commission’s Political Guidelines or the mission letter, they could wait for another five years.
You’ll need to know the people preparing the EU agenda for 2024-2029, have existing constructive relationships with them, and be trusted. You’ll need to know how 1-7 is adopted. And you need to be working with the officials and advisers who are already working on the next five-year agenda.
All of the above is possible. It is not easy. Once your policy asks are taken up and locked into the new EU agenda, you’ll then spend the next 3-5 years working hard to get it adopted and implemented.
It is a project not for the faint-hearted.