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EU2024 – the Final Countdown begins

EU2024 – the Final Countdown begins

Uncategorized
The current European Parliament (2019-2024) is coming back to work after its last summer recess, in view of a very busy autumn into the Brussels bubble. With the official date of the last plenary session now set for 22-25 April 2024, the final countdown before the 2024 elections, which will bring forward a brand-new European Parliament, has officially begun. Summer developments The two major European political parties, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), show two different trends according to the July polls. The EPP continues to lose another 4 seats compared to earlier polls, bringing it down to 157 seats, and S&D recovers a bit, to 143 seats. The race for third place goes on as the liberal Renew Europe group…
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Riding the right wave – what will the upcoming shift in the European political landscape mean for civil society?

Riding the right wave – what will the upcoming shift in the European political landscape mean for civil society?

News, Opinion
While the European Parliament elections are still almost a year ahead, recent polls and national developments in Europe demonstrate that we may be dealing with a more conservative Parliament during the next EU mandate (2024-2029). Hard-right Hungary and Poland have recently welcomed Italy into their ranks, while Finland and Sweden have formed right-leaning governments after recent elections. The Greek conservatives were re-elected in government last June, and upcoming elections in Spain are expected to oust socialist Pedro Sánchez from office as well. What does this shift to the right mean for advocacy at EU level? Setting the scene While, according to the recent polls, EPP and S&D will remain the two biggest parties in Parliament (with respectively 161 and 142 MEPs), a close race for the third place has already…
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BRUZZ International – At the heart of European lobbying

BRUZZ International – At the heart of European lobbying

In the media, Opinion
Better Europ's Yiorgos Vassalos is discussing the new book by Jean Comte « Au cœur du lobbying européen », on BRUZZ International. Yiorgos explained that "only 20% of lobbyists in Brussels work for NGOs that care about the environment, or human rights, or about development. This creates a structural problem with EU policies -- when they are made, the interests of big corporations are much more taken into acccount than the interests of citizens."
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Brace yourself – elections are coming: Advocacy opportunities in 2023

Brace yourself – elections are coming: Advocacy opportunities in 2023

News, Opinion
While the European Parliament elections might still seem far away, recent developments reveal that the election season has already begun. Since the Qatargate scandal rocked the Parliament, political parties are publicly accusing one another in an effort to polish their image – a clear indication that the gates of the electoral arena have been opened. With the start of the election season, the time is right to look at the anticipated changes and plan your next advocacy steps. What is going to change? According to the latest polls of December 2022, five out of seven political groups are expected to lose seats in the next legislative period. Only the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) are foreseen to substantially win seats, although not as many as their national equivalents in some…
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“Engaging strategically at national level” – Impressions of the EU Academy

“Engaging strategically at national level” – Impressions of the EU Academy

EU Academy
I have worked with Estonian environmental organisations on a range of issues, including oil shale, woody biomass and fossil gas, to promote sustainable energy policies. Even though most emphasis has been on the national level, collaborating with the various EU institutions has not been uncommon. However, despite some experience, insufficient understanding of the broader context and EU processes has inhibited the effectiveness of the EU-level engagement. Participating in the April-May 2021 online edition of the EUAcademy, themed “Bursting the Brussels bubble - Advocating for the public good: a Member State perspective”, made me much more aware of how I can strategically engage at the national level to contribute to more just policies across the EU. The training addressed the shortcomings I experienced in my prior work and provided excellent insight…
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A Bruxelles, l’émergence de lobbyistes « éthiques » – Le Monde 28/08/2020

A Bruxelles, l’émergence de lobbyistes « éthiques » – Le Monde 28/08/2020

In the media
Les lobbyistes grouillent à Bruxelles, et ce n’est pas nouveau. L’ONG Transparency International estime qu’ils sont environ 38 000 à arpenter les rues de la capitale européenne pour influencer les processus législatifs. Parmi eux, on trouve de nouveaux personnages qui veulent accoler les qualificatifs « éthique » ou « durable » à ces pratiques si souvent décriées. ... L’objectif de tout bon lobbyiste, c’est d’avoir un impact. Pour ce faire, il faut connaître les rouages de la mécanique décisionnelle européenne, parfois sibylline. Joost Mulder est de ceux-là. The full article is available here.
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“Ready to make a difference” – Impressions of the EU Academy

“Ready to make a difference” – Impressions of the EU Academy

EU Academy
"In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity." read the slide of Sanjeev Kumar, quoting Einstein during his guest lecture at a recent EU Academy two-day course. Seizing opportunity, it would become clear, was the theme of this season's workshop, scheduled amidst a global pandemic. Masks were on. Hands were slick with sanitizer. Participants were sat in neat, socially-distanced rows. Still, we showed up, ready to learn under extraordinary circumstances. Introductions revealed that some of us had arrived without clear expectations. I was neither sure of what I was hoping to learn, nor confident that I had sufficient background in EU institutions to make sense of the presentations. Thankfully, our trainers Marc-Olivier Herman and Joost Mulder, were flexible and dynamic, able to zoom in and out of specificity and…
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“The right know-hows for our strategic review” – Impressions of the EU Academy

“The right know-hows for our strategic review” – Impressions of the EU Academy

EU Academy
The September 2020 EU Academy ‘Advocating for the public good in the wake of the coronavirus crisis’ gathered sixteen participants from diverse fields such as climate, sustainable development, and human rights. This was one of my first social experiences since the Coronavirus pandemic hit in March! Despite having learned about EU affairs at university, I lacked concrete knowledge about the EU institutions and on how NGOs can strategize to effectively engage with EU processes. Though I am still processing a lot of the information, I am confident that those two days of training have helped me acquire a great deal of practical and applicable knowledge thanks to the two well-experienced trainers – Marc and Joost, as well as insiders from the EU institutions. Learning about the functioning of the Council…
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“Step behind the scenes of EU advocacy” – Impressions of the EU Academy

“Step behind the scenes of EU advocacy” – Impressions of the EU Academy

Uncategorized
The March EU Academy ‘Advocating for the public good: gearing up for the 2020 German Council Presidency’ gathered eighteen participants working on a variety of policy areas, such as climate, sustainable development, human rights and agriculture with varying levels of experience. Led by Marc-Olivier Herman and Joost Mulder, the training combined the essentials of EU decision-making, insights from Council representatives and key steps of an advocacy strategy in a uniquely interactive format. Exploring the role of the Council was undoubtedly a breath of fresh air as its importance in EU advocacy often gets overlooked. However, what made the training really stand out for me was that it went beyond facts and theory. Not only did it offer unique insights into the essentials on ‘when’, ‘how’ and ‘who’ in advocacy but…
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“A hands-on learning experience on EU advocacy” – Impressions of the EU Academy

“A hands-on learning experience on EU advocacy” – Impressions of the EU Academy

EU Academy, Uncategorized
On 10th March, I entered Holland House as a newcomer to Brussels in order to get a better understanding of the EU institutions. 1.5 days later, I left with an incredible amount of practical insights into EU advocacy, including new ideas as to how, when and who to engage with in the Brussels bubble, as well as a broadened network of key NGO people with great experiences in advocacy for the public good. In less than two days, I was given many more practical insights than in my Political Science and European Union studies at University thanks to the great practical knowledge of two EU-experienced trainers, insiders from different EU institutions, and from diverse participants working in fields such as human rights, the environment, corporate accountability and migration. They not…
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