When should you step in to get the proposal you want

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I was recently asked when is the best time to step in to get the legislative proposal you want.

After 25 plus years in Brussels, there are certain windows of opportunity to make sure you get the proposal you want.

I came up with this list:

  • Recommendations from the Services for the next Commission’s agenda
  • Manifest commitments
  • Political Guidelines
  • Mission Letter
  • Work Programme
  • Communication Annex priority actions
  • Validation for launch
  • Public Consultation
  • Inter-Service Consultation
    • Servicess
    • Update
    • Cabinets
  • The weekend before the proposal is transmitted to the Heads of Cabinet
  • Heads of Cabinet
  • College
  • Amendment by EP or College

Most of the windows of opportunity you have to  get your ideas taken up are not public. The two that are public are in bold.

The later you start in the process, the slimer the chance you have to get your idea taken up.

Most  of the key decisions are taken with few people being aware of their existence or significance.

These are also the moments you need to be aware of in case you want to stop an idea being taken up and put into law. By the time an idea is tabled in the Mission Letter it is hard to get it off the table.

The latter the Commission is in their term of office, the harder it is to get your idea taken up, tabled as a proposal, and adopted into law. It means for the next few months, some people will be frantically trying to get their ideas tabled into new proposals.

If you have an idea you want taken up, it is useful to highlight the European interest, provide data and evidence to support the case for action, and provide a workable solution. You’ll of course bring legal language/ amendments to the table. If you are trying to stop an issue, you’d do more or less the same.

If there are other windows of opportunity, please let me know.

 

 

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