Transcript Making your voice heard in EU!

Shepna or kreshtia?
Making your voice heard in EU!
Richard Linning MIPRA FCIPR EUPRERA
The Stable House Partnership
The Stable House Coldred Road Eythorne Kent UK CT15 4BE
[email protected]
A Quiz ….
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What do these have in common …
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Johan Atanasoff
Nicolai Ghiaurov, Boris Christoff, Raina Kabaivanska,
Ghena, Dimitrova
Simeon I
Christo Javacheff, Pascin, Vladimir Dimitrov
And
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The cyrillic alphabet?
The answer …
България
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but you knew that.
Bulgaria’s New Voice in Europe
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Presidency
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Votes in Council
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10 in 345 (255 qualified majority, 91 blocking minority)
Commission
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one MS of twenty-seven
One Commissioner of twenty-seven
European Parliament
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18 added to 732 (and 35 from Romania)
Democracy –
a competition between ambition and resources
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Concept I – deliberative
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public debate in which citizens or their elected reps
participate on equal terms in the public interest
Concept II – pragmatic
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a competition among a ruling class of self-interested
politicians, politics is war without bloodshed
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Law, Pragmatism and Democracy
Richard Posner Harvard 2003
Council
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a single Council
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simple majority (for procedural decisions),
qualified majority (for the internal market, economic affairs and trade)
unanimity (for foreign policy, defence, judicial and police cooperation,
and taxation).
meets in nine "configurations“ of MS Ministers and responsible
Commissioners
Permanent Representatives Committees (Coreper I & II),
resolve technical-political questions
250 working parties and committees of MS delegates resolve
technical issues
Eligibility for “civil dialogue”
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Exist permanently at a Community level; provide direct access
to members’ expertise and hence rapid and constructive
consultation; general concerns that tally with the interest of
European society; comprise bodies that are recognised at MS
level as representative of particular interest; have members in
most MS; provide for accountability to its members; have
authority to represent and act at European level; be
independent and mandatory; not bound by instructions from
outside bodies; be transparent, especially financially and in its
decision-making structures.
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ECOSOC Opinion on European Governance – a White Paper
CAOBISCO –
Association of EU Chocolate, Biscuit & Confectionery Industries
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2000 companies
236,000 direct employees
more than 43 billion Euros annual turnover
a production of 11 million tonnes of different products
10% of the total value of food exports from the European Union
Exports total 3.3 billion Euros: imports 1 billion Euros
30% of the European production of sugar
35% skimmed milk powder at full EU price
50% of the world production of cocoa beans
as well as a large share of the glucose, butter, wheat, eggs and
dried fruit produced in the European Union.
Shepna works too
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A victory for the little guy!
EU ban on mercury
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Except .. three UK companies
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thermometers
manometers
sphygmomanometers
new and repaired barometers
60kg of 25 tonnes total
“disgrace handful of small producers able to
hold public health to ransom”
Shepna, kreshtia and puskam sluhove
Intelligence
Communication
Pressure
Intelligence
Communication
Pressure
Intelligence
Communication
Pressure
Intelligence
Communication
Pressure
Intelligence
Communication
Pressure
Intelligence
Communication
Pressure
Intelligence
Communication
Pressure
Intelligence
Communication
Pressure
Campaigning
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Intelligence
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For knowledge itself is power (Francis Bacon)
Intelligence
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Identification of the issue
The road map of the legislative process
Analysis of the stakeholders perceptions
Client Position and bottom line
European Parliament Road Map
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EU Treaties confer legislative, budget, legislative
initiative and supervision of the executive powers
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Codecision
Consulation
Budget procedures
Assent procedure
Enhanced cooperation
Appointment
Five other procedures
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/parliament/expert/
staticDisplay.do?id=55&pageRank=1&language=EN
Campaigning
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Communication
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Unless one is a genius, it is best to aim at being intelligible (Anthony
Hope)
Communication
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Message Development
Strategic Communication Plan
Message Delivery and Timing
Evaluation
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a national anti-fraud strategy
a strong centralized AFCOS (OLAF partner)
 in charge of the overall operational and communication coordination
a network of communicators
 all authorities, agencies and institutions dealing with EU funds
a methodology for regular reporting of all anti-fraud activity
undertaken
initiatives such as a Civil Society Forum, partnerships with NGOs
and regular briefings of the EU delegation and resident diplomatic
community and investment and business media and community
Campaigning
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Pressure
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The use of force alone is but temporary .. it does not remove the
necessity of subduing again (Edmund Burke)
Pressure
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Systematic presentation of information and argument
Analysis of consequences and alternatives
Building coalitions and mobilising their support
Use the media to enlist public support
Apportioning blame and giving credit
EU and snus
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1992
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1994
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EU prohibited the sale of tobacco for oral use which included the
Swedish snus
Swedish membership negotiations
storm of public opinion helped the Swedish negotiators to push through
an exemption permitting the continued use of snus in Sweden but
refrain from exporting snus to other EU member countries
2006
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snus continues to be a high-profile and controversial issue
Media – friend or foe?
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Journalists
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are event driven, not issue driven
need to engage and entertain, not just inform
need “trusted sources”
have a hidden (sometimes not so hidden) agenda
suffer from ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).
So the five ‘bees’
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Be Responsive
Be Authoritative
Be Open and Helpful
Be Responsible
Be Organised
Conclusions
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Get in early
Use all the institutions
– including your own government
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Understand the procedures/rules
Respect the agenda/timing
Be constructive
Make your arguments
– concise, consistent, comprehensive
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Be prepared to compromise
You MUST network to succeed.
B l a g o d a r I a