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A Guide to Effective Lobbying of the European Commission Based on a survey of senior Commission Officials Spring 2003

Burson-Marsteller Report: A Guide to Effective Lobbying of the European Commission

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Page 1: Burson-Marsteller Report: A Guide to Effective Lobbying of the European Commission

A Guide to Ef fective Lobbying of the European CommissionBased on a survey of senior Commission Officials

Spring 2003

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Page 2: Burson-Marsteller Report: A Guide to Effective Lobbying of the European Commission

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3A GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE LOBBYING OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

CONTENTS

Background and methodology 4

Executive summary 5

How high is your sector rated? 6

What’s wrong with lobbyists? 8

What makes a good lobbyist? 9

Lobbyists provoke wide-ranging reactions 10

Is your lobbying creative and focused? 12

Why MEPs are doubly important 14

Where decision-makers find information 15

How effective are NGOs? 16

Respective inputs from industry and NGOs 18

Get serious: get off the phone 20

Media as a source of information 22

Appendix 24

About Burson-Marsteller/BKSH and Wirthlin-Europe 26

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A GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE LOBBYING OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

The aim of this survey was toimprove understanding of whatconstitutes an effective approach byindustry to communications on EUpolicy issues with EuropeanCommission officials.

Burson-Marsteller/BKSH commis-sioned the survey from Wirthlin-Europe, an independent companyspecialising in research on strategiccommunications. In 2001, Wirthlincarried out a similar survey forBurson-Marsteller on perceptionsof lobbying among Members of theEuropean Parliament (MEPs).

Structured telephone interviews,each lasting ten minutes, wereconducted with 61 Commissionofficials with posts of sector headand above from a selection of 15Directorates-General and membersof 15 Cabinets in the correspondingpolicy areas.

The interviews took place inJanuary and February 2003 in fourEU languages.

The margin of error is +/-11.2 per centat the 95 per cent confidence level.

BACKGROUND ANDMETHODOLOGY

Reproduction of the data contained in this report is authorised provided credit is given to Burson-Marsteller/BKSH and Wirthlin-Europe.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Industry lobbying at the Commission: not bad - but could be better

The general picture that emerges from within the Commission isthat there is room for improvement in industry lobbying efforts.On a scale of 1-10, the overall score averages 6.

However, there are some significantdifferences in Commission officials’views of the effectiveness of lobby-ing between different policyareas. Inputs from industry scorehigh with Directorate-GeneralsTrade, Energy and Transport.DGs Agriculture and Economicand Financial Affairs, by contrast,view the performance of lobbyistsas one of relative mediocrity.

In the eyes of members ofCommissioners’ Cabinets, industrylobbyists tend to enjoy a somewhatmore positive perception thanamong officials in the DGs.

For interviewees who believelobbyists are doing a good job,reasons cited include:

provision of in-depth specialisedknowledge

well-presented and coherent information

regular contacts.

Those who view lobbyists lessfavourably arrive at this conclusionfor reasons which include:

lack of balanced, independently substantiated informationnot timelynot targeted, not relevant.

MEPs are considered to be importantlobbyists by the Commission,altough perceptions differed signifi-cantly depending on the policy areaconcerned. Their highest impact is inpolicy areas such as informationsociety, internal market, agriculture,environment and health. MEPsscore lower in areas such as trade,economic & financial affairs andcompetition.

NGOs are seen as most effectivelobbyists in sectors such as energy,consumer goods, food & drink,pharmaceuticals and utilities.

The telephone as a tool for lobbyingCommission officials scores poorly.

Written briefings followed by faceto face meetings and e-mail are seenas more effective.

Major inputs into the making ofCommission decisions are perceivedas internal – staff, colleagues andpersonal research. However, industryrepresentation is seen as a fairlysignificant factor, and is particularlyimportant in areas such as trade.

As regards the influence of media,the Financial Times, mirroringthe results of the earlier EuropeanParliament survey, is quite clearlyviewed as the single most importantopinion former for Commissionpolicy-makers. The Economist andAgence Europe also rate highly.

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HOW HIGH IS YOUR SECTOR RATED?

The aim of this survey was to gaina better understanding of the mosteffective ways to communicatewith members of Commissioners’Cabinets and senior officials ofCommission DGs. The survey’s

broad conclusion is that whilethe majority of lobbying is fairlyeffective, some is untargeted andinsufficiently supported byappropriate data. In this respect,the responses of the Cabinet mem-

bers and senior officials broadlyreflect the views of MEPs whomwe surveyed two years ago.

A common thread is discerniblebetween the findings of the

On a scale of 1 – 10, how would you rate the effectiveness of industry lobbying efforts in general?

Base: all respondents

Commission Officials

Cabinet Members

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HOW HIGH IS YOUR SECTOR RATED?

Commission and Parliament sur-veys. For example, the retailingsector emerges as the least effectivein its lobbying efforts, replicatingthe results of the earlier survey ofMEPs. At the other extreme, thechemicals industry scores highestin this survey, slightly bettering itsvery close second place in the2001 survey of MEPs.

Overall, Cabinet members andsenior DG officials rated the effec-tiveness of industry’s communica-tion efforts at 6 out of 10.

Cabinet members rated the effec-tiveness of industry lobbying higher(6.5) than officials in the DGs (5.9).

All in all, industry lobbyingattracts often sharply divergentviews from within the Commission.Some officials remark positivelyon well-presented and documented

information they receive fromlobbyists. Others, more critical, seelobbying efforts as untargeted,ill-timed and unsubstantiated.

Divergent assessments of the per-formance of lobbyists also reflectdifferences between policy areas.Highest scores for lobbyists weregiven by officials in DG Trade andthe Trade Commissioner’s Cabinet(7.8) and by DG Energy andTransport and the correspondingCabinet (7.2). By contrast, lobbyingby industry is viewed as less effectiveby officials in DGs Agriculture(4.6) and Economic and FinancialAffairs (4.8).

Creativity and the tailoring oflobbying efforts to the specificneeds of an official can be crucial.In this respect, the findings showthat in some sectors lobbyists areproviding high quality work.

Rate the following industries on how well you perceive their lobbying efforts on ascale of 1 – 10, where 1 means very poor and 10 means exceptionally good.

Base: all respondents.

Perceived effectiveness of sector lobbying effortsChemical

Energy

Utilities / Public Services

IT / Telecom

Electrical & Electronics

Financial services

HC / Pharmaceutical

Transport

Consumer goods / Food / Drinks

Retailing

The chemical and energy sectorsgain the highest ratings - each sco-ring 6.6 (out of 10) and confirmingthem among the survey’s best per-formers. They also came top in therating of how well their lobbyingefforts are perceived. Lobbyists inthe consumer goods/food/drinkand retailing sectors scored lowestmarks both for creativity andtailoring of messages and for howwell their lobbying efforts areperceived.

Overall, the results indicate that theperformance of industry lobbyists ispatchy. Even if the least performingsectors pull themselves up to thelevel of the best, room for improve-ment would still exist.

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WHAT’S WRONG WITH LOBBYISTS?

“Lobbyists are very heterogeneous – verygood/bad. Many are unprofessional, lackknow-how and produce one largeamount of dross.”

“Most of the time I don’t learn anythingnew. I want to know the interest of thecompany that the lobbyist represents andto whom he/she reports. I expect lobbyiststo have direct links to decision makers in acompany and to tell me about futurestrategy – but this seldom happens.”

“Be factual, be transparent, and declareinterest openly.”

“Some of their information is biased and Ineed to double check it.”

“Continuity of information – one off.Not systematic. Unfocused.”

“Consider the different roles andinterests of the Commission. EuropeanCommission roles are more long-termand industry’s role is more short-term.Industry should do more lobbying as itdoes in the US.”

“They try to be domineering and are toogeneral to be of help. Talks/workshopswith key people in individual industrycompanies are much more useful.”

Some critical views - Cabinet members and senior Commission officialswho did not rate lobbyists highly were asked to give their reasons.

“They just send in material – there’s littlepersonal contact. They’re very passive,make little effort and don’t suggestcoming to see me.”

“Better homework is needed and a grea-ter effort to understand the EuropeanCommission’s political objectives.Submissions should be more focused.”

“I need targeted information – unbiasedinformation.”

“Provide more analysis and substantiatesubmissions. Stop playing one ECdepartment against another.”

“More active, try harder to keep in touch.”

On a scale of 1 – 10, how would you rate the effectiveness of industry lobbying effortsin general?

Base: all respondents.

Perceived effectiveness of industry lobbying by DG

Trade

Energy and Transport

Budget

Environment

Health and Consumer Protection

Competition

Internal Market

Information Society

Enterprise

Education and Culture

Taxation and Customs Union

Employment and Social Affairs

Development

Economic and Financial Affairs

Agriculture

Average: 6.0

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WHAT MAKES A GOOD LOBBYIST?

Some appreciative remarks - Cabinet members and seniorCommission officials who rated industry lobbyists highlywere asked to give their reasons.

“I need to know the practical problemsarising from proposed EC legislationfor the fisheries industry. The fisheriesindustries are extremely proactive intheir dealings with the Commission.”

“Information received is well targeted.”

“I judge their views to be important tothe EU in general and to this DirectorateGeneral in particular.”

“They give good information that enablesme to evaluate the impact of Commissionideas on their sector.”

“They have the know-how and goodcommunications skills. They pass me theright message – good technical evidence.”

“Provide good insight into their problemsparticularly with trading with developingcountries.”

“The anti-dumping work of thisDirectorate is entirely dependent onrepresentations from industry.”

“They provide practical information fromone side of the spectrum and an insightinto what happens in reality.”

“We have a very good and co-operativerelationship with industry. Their infor-mation is generally balanced.”

“We in Research have an easier rela-tionship with the industries than otherDirector Generals, don’t have to directlyfend off immediate commercial interestsbut talk about long term investment andstrategies – useful exchange of ideas,rather than pushing for preferentialindividual consideration.”

Commission officials and Cabinet members in the DGTAXUD/Cabinet rate the importance of their own staff inmaking informed decisions at 9.6 out of 10 – one of thehighest ratings recorded in the survey. At DG InternalMarket, the rating falls to 7.3.

Commission officials and Cabinet members in the BudgetCabinet/DG rated the BBC 8 out of 10 for importance as asource of industry information. At Employment and SocialAffairs the BBC’s rating was only 3.7.

The Trade Cabinet/DG gives European Voice a rating of 7 outof 10 for importance as a source of industry information.DG SANCO gives it a rating of only 2.8.

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LOBBYISTS PROVOKE WIDE-RANGING REACTIONS: ROUND-UP BY SECTOR

Cabinet members and senior Commission officials were asked to rateindustries on how well they perceived their lobbying efforts. Thenthey were asked to explain some of the thinking behind their ratings.

CHEMICAL

“They know how to defend their views –good technical evidence.”

“They react when we are looking forinformation – they will research issues ifwe need feedback.”

“They’re very active – keep in touch butdon’t waste our time.”

“Very intense – good arguments, analysisand technical inputs.”

“Really in the loop of policy-making –very active from the beginning.”

ENERGY

“Very good documentation with adiversity of views – reports well crossreferenced to sources with good techni-cal arguments. Very professional witha global view to enlighten ignorantcivil servants.”

“Good information on market andstructure of their industry.”

“Really in the loop of policy-making veryactive right from the beginning.”

“Well organised – delegations are proper-ly constructed to give a balanced view.”

Rate the following industries on how well you perceive their lobbying efforts on a scaleof 1 – 10, where 1 means very poor and 10 means exceptionally good.

Base: Respondents most familiar with each respective industry.

Perceived effectiveness of sector lobbying by those most familiar with the industry

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LOBBYISTS PROVOKE WIDE-RANGING REACTIONS:ROUND-UP BY SECTOR

UTILITIES/PUBLIC SERVICES

“They have a lack of understanding ofwhat I do – that is what I can and can’t do.”

“Electricity supply industry takes lob-bying very seriously and knows how toapproach the Commission.”

“Very effective – they tap into grassroots organisations and on local poli-tics that turns into national pressure.They use employees and trade unionsfor mobilisation. I don`t like thembecause they stop us from getting on withour work – but I admire their tenacity.”

“We have big issues in Germany andFrance with political overtones. Thelobbyists are close to member govern-ments who assist with lobbying.”

IT/TELECOMS

“They are politically very well organised.They don’t only lobby in Brussels butalso in individual capitals. They cometo the Commission with clear ideas ofwhat they want…sophisticated.”

“They are very well connected withthe Directorate-General and seem veryeffective judging by the directivesapproved by the EC.”

“They provide very detailed informationand explain their complicated subjectswell. Even to a non specialist like me, theyhave credibility.”

“They’re a mixed bag – shallow argu-ments. They benefited too greatly fromthe e-commerce boom and there’s littlesubstantiation in their opinions.”

ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS

“Good communication skills – goodtechnical evidence.”

“Have handled environmental issueswith sensitivity.”

“Keep in regular touch – good researchand provide a bridge with the USAelectronics industry.”

“Disparate approaches from all sides ofthe industry.”

FINANCIAL SERVICES

“A high level of expertise – financialmatters are often very complicatedbut they define the issues clearly. Veryhelpful.”

“They have more to play for and arehighly motivated. With high stakes theycan invest more money in lobbying.”

“This is a very specialised area. We lackknowledge so we rely on them to provideus with specialist’s knowledge – thereforethey are very good at influencing ourdecisions.”

“Not well pitched lobbying – not up todate with contacts.”

HEALTH CARE/PHARMACEUTICAL

“Information is timely and relevant.”

“They are embedded in the EU processand are seen as partners.”

“Quite good at representing generalviews of their industry – they givehonest and comprehensive replies toour questions. They appreciate the roleof regulation.”

“They cannot compromise – cannotaccept decisions that are not 100 percent what they want.”

“Tend to intervene too late when thepolicy has been made.”

TRANSPORT

“Management and support are wellorganised – we meet regularly inworkshops for technical and scientificdiscussions.”

“There is transparency and mutualconfidence – they are good professionals,very co-operative and they work verywell with us.”

“My Directorate is responsible for IT andtelecoms – vital interests of the transportindustry yet we never see them.”

“Too aggressive.”

CONSUMERGOODS/FOOD/DRINK

“Good and relevant technical information– particularly from individual companies.”

“Very strong links with relevantDirectorate-Generals.”

“Really in the loop of policy making –very active at the beginning.”

“A very diverse group – many differentindustries and they can’t get across anycommon message.”

“We have very few contacts with them.”

RETAILING

“Respond well to requests for informa-tion…can provide cross-border view onkey issues.”

“Honest and frank in their replies –close to the public and know they areanswerable to the public.”

“Collective and orchestrated e-mailbombardment – unproductive.”

“Could improve their image – offernothing of added value or interest.”

“Need to provide timely unbiased factualinformation.”

“Very little contact with them.”

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IS YOUR LOBBYING CREATIVE AND FOCUSED?

Interviewees were asked to rate from 1 – 10 the extent to which they felt that industrylobbying is sufficiently creative and tailored to their need.

Base: All respondents.

First we asked all our intervieweesto rate industry lobbying bysector in terms of its ability tomeet these requirements. Then wenarrowed down our intervieweesto those who were familiar withspecific industrial sectors.

On the basis of the overall view, thechemicals sector ranks highest at6.6 and retailing lowest at 5.7. Themargin between best and worst isnarrow at 0.9.

However, when the findings areanalysed on the basis of respondents

most familiar with each industrysector, a startlingly different pictureemerges. Energy becomes the mostcreative and tailored sector (7.6)while the rating of retailing slumps(4.7) – a gap of almost 3 points.

The apparently inescapable con-clusion is that the energy sectorseems to be on message in itscontact with the Commission. Theretail sector would benefit fromdramatic improvement.

Other industries with perceivedimproved creativity and focus by

Lobbying, to be successful, has to be creative and tailoredto the specific needs of Cabinet members and seniorCommission officials.

Perceived creativity of industry lobbying

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KEYS TO EFFECTIVENESS IN APPROACHING THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Target the right officials

Tailor your messages - be sensitive to the needs ofthe interlocutor

Establish an on-going relationship with Commission officialsand their staff

Be timely – present information early in the legislative process

Be objective – provide credible, balanced information and

avoid emotion

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IS YOUR LOBBYING CREATIVE AND FOCUSED?

First, interviewees were asked to rate from 1 – 10 the extent to which they felt that industrylobbying is sufficiently creative and tailored to their need. This graph shows the responseswhen the interviewees were narrowed down to those most familiar with each industry.

Base: Respondents most familiar with each respective industry.

Chemical

Energy

Transport

Financial services

IT / Telecom

Electrical & Electronics

HC / Pharmaceutical

Utilities / Public Services

Consumer goods / Food / Drinks

Retailing

Perceived creativity of industry lobbying sectors by those most familiar with the industry

those most familiar with them are:chemicals, utilities/public services,IT/telecom and electrical/electronics.

While retailing is clearly the poorestsector, financial services does not

perform well either. The concernwith these sectors is that messagesappear to have less resonance withtheir most important audiences inthe Commission.

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WHY MEPs ARE DOUBLY IMPORTANT

This finding illustrates the impor-tance of MEPs, over and abovethe collective legislative role ofthe Parliament, as individual factorsof influence in contacts withCommission officials.

To some extent, the table reflectstheir importance in policy areaswhere the Parliament enjoys co-deci-sion powers. DG InformationSociety and DG Internal Market(respectively first and second in thetable), DGs Environment, Health andConsumer Protection and Budget, areall involved in policy where theEuropean Parliament shares EU deci-sion-making with the Council.

However, the correlation betweenthe Parliament’s vested powers in

certain areas and the level of indi-vidual MEP influence is apparentlynot a hard-and-fast rule. On agri-culture policy, where the Parliamenthas only a limited consultative role,officials surveyed consider MEPlobbying of considerable significance– perhaps reflecting the highlypoliticised nature of some of theissues in this field.

More predictably, the low scoreattached to MEP lobbying by offi-cials in DGs Trade, Economic andFinancial Affairs and Competition -also areas where Parliament has byand large less constitutional powers– suggests that inputs from MEPsare less significant here.

Rate lobbying of your DG/Cabinet by MEPs in terms of its importance where 1 is not at allimportant and 10 means very important.

Base: All respondents.

Perceived importance of MEPs’ lobbying efforts

Cabinet members and senior Commission officials considerlobbying by MEPs of relatively high significance.

A GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE LOBBYING OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

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WHERE DECISION-MAKERS FIND INFORMATION

On a scale of 1 – 10 rank these sources of information in the order in which they are mosthelpful in providing what you need to make informed decisions.

Base: All respondents.

My staff

My colleagues

My personal research

Industry representation

Media

NGO representation

Independent scientific research

Economic impact research

Social impact research

Industry generated scientific research

Regional impact research

On a scale of 1 – 10 rate the importance to the Commission of these types of information.

Base: All respondents.

Though industry lobbying leavessignificant room for improvement,it remains a more helpful sourceof information to Commissionofficials than information and viewscontained in the media.

As inputs to policy-making,Cabinet members and seniorCommission officials tend to lookfirst to their staff, then to theircolleagues and personal researchbefore turning to industry represen-

tation for information helpful todecision-making. Media and NGOrepresentations follow furtherdown the scale. In this respect, ourearlier MEP survey is an interestingpoint of reference. This showedthat MEPs also looked first totheir staff for information. However,while Cabinet members and seniorofficials turn next to their colleaguesfor such help, MEPs rated theircolleagues last in order of impor-tance from this standpoint.

Within the findings significantdifferences exist. At one extreme,DG Trade values industry inputshighly; at the other, DG Health andConsumer Protection appears to bethe least enthusiastic.

Contrasting views are also apparenton the issue of industry generatedscientific research. DG Environmentregards it as more helpful, forexample, than DG Employmentand Social Affairs.

Importance of different sources of information

Importance of different types of research

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The Agriculture Cabinet/DG gives European Report a rating of8 out of 10 for importance as a source of industry information.DG Employment and Social Affairs give it a rating of just 2.

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HOW EFFECTIVE ARE NGOs?

Cabinet members and senior Commission officials familiarwith NGOs working in the energy field found them to bestrikingly effective, as illustrated in our second diagram.

The diagram on this page showsthe responses from Commissionofficials and Cabinet memberswhen asked which NGOs weremost effective in lobbying. TheNGOs in the consumer goods, food,drinks and energy sectors were ratedalmost neck and neck.

Far from breeding contempt,familiarity with some NGOsapparently boosts their credibilityfurther.

When the interviewees were nar-rowed down to those most familiar

Perceived effectiveness of NGO lobbying

Interviewees were asked in which sectors NGOs lobby most effectively.

Base: All respondents.

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HOW EFFECTIVE ARE NGOs?

with each respective industry,NGOs in the energy field soared, asdid those in utilities/public services/consumer goods/food/drink.

Also, many Commission officials'

relative unfamiliarity with NGOsis clear. Nearly a quarter of officialsinterviewed were unsure of whetherNGOs lobbied effectively andanswered either "Don't know" orrefused to answer.

Commission officials and Cabinet members in the ECFINCabinet/DG rate the helpfulness of the media in makinginformed decisions at 7.4 out of 10. At DG SANCO the ratingfalls to 3.8.

The perceived helpfulness of NGOs varies enormously. Asyou might expect, the Development Cabinet/DG rates theirhelpfulness at 7 out of 10 but Internal Market gives a ratingof only 3.

Perceived effectiveness of NGO lobbying by those most familiar with the sectorConsumer goods / Food / Drinks

Energy

HC / Pharmaceutical

Chemical

Utilities / Public services

Transport

Retailing

Electrical & Electronics

Financial services

IT / Telecom

Don’t know

First, interviewees were asked in which sectors NGOs lobby most effectively. This graph showsthe responses narrowed down to those most familiar with each industry.

Base: Respondents most familiar with each respective industry.

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RESPECTIVE INPUTS FROM INDUSTRY AND NGOs

Helpfulness of industry representation to DGs/Cabinet members in their work.

Base: All respondents.

The helpfulness of industry representation variessharply among different Cabinets and DGs.

While DG Trade gives a rating of 8to industry helpfulness, DG Healthand Consumer Protection gives it ascore of only 4.4.

There is a sharp divergence of viewamong different Cabinets and DGs

over the helpfulness of NGO repre-sentation. While DG Developmentgives the top rating of 7, followedby DG Environment (6.6), thefigure falls to 5 for InformationSociety and 4.2 for DG Healthand Consumer Protection.

Perceived helpfulness of industry representation

DG/Cabinet Energy and Transport rate the importance of theirown personal research in making informed decisions at 8.5 outof 10. DG TAXUD/Cabinet gave personal research a rating of 5.6.

The SANCO Cabinet/DG rated the importance of their collea-gues in making informed decisions on industry at 8.4 out of10. At DG ECFIN, the rating fell to 6.6.

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RESPECTIVE INPUTS FROM INDUSTRY AND NGOs

Helpfulness of NGO representation to DGs/Cabinet members in their work.

Base: All respondents.

Generals that have come toregard NGOs as importantinterlocutors: Development, Trade,Environment and Energy andTransport.

Perceived helpfulness of NGO representation

Officials and Cabinet members were questioned on theimportance of research. At Agriculture, social impact researchwas rated 8 out of 10 while at SANCO the rating fell to 4.3.Economic research was rated 8.8 by DG Information Society butonly 5.5 by DG Internal Market. For regional impact research,DG ECFIN gave the highest rating: 7.8.

Commission officials and Cabinet members were asked to ratetheir own national newspaper for its importance as a source ofinformation on industry. The Environment Cabinet/DGs ratingwas 8 out of 10 while DG SANCO gave the lowest rating of 3.5.

DG Budget and DG InternalMarket both give the lowestrating – 3 each.

The diagrams provide a snapshot -to some extent - of the Directorate

Trade

Energy and Transport

Enterprise

Internal Market

Economic and Financial Affairs

Education and Culture

Environment

Information Society

Competition

Development

Taxation and Customs Union

Agriculture

Employment and Social Affairs

Budget

Health and Consumer Protection

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GET SERIOUS: GET OFF THE PHONE

The image of the lobbyist making ceaseless phone calls to changethe minds of politicians and officials is not one that finds favourwith most policy-makers in their day-to-day work.

Importance of phone as means of receiving industry information.

Base: All respondents.

Importance of phone as mean of communication

The importance of conferences as a way to receive industryinformation is rated by the Environment Cabinet/DG at 6.4out of 10. At DG ECFIN, conferences were rated at only 4.

When officials and Cabinet mem-bers were asked how industry bestcommunicates information, thetelephone came last, according tothe survey as a whole. However,aversion to the phone call as ameans of putting the point is less

pronounced in some DGs(e.g.Trade, Health) than others.

Written briefings are regarded asthe best way to communicate,scoring 7.2 out of a maximum often. Meetings (6.9), the second

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GET SERIOUS: GET OFF THE PHONE

Rate the best way that industry information is communicated to you where 1 means it is notan important way and 10 means very important.

Base: All respondents.

Written briefing material

Meeting

E-mail

Site visit

Media

Conference

Phone

Best way of communicating information

preference, are also consideredfavourably. Both means of com-munication rank well ahead ofother means of getting industry’smessage across.

Conferences, while perceived asmore useful than phoning, are not

highly regarded for the purposes ofcommunicating views into thesystem. Views are more effectivelyconveyed via the media and, betterstill, via e-mail. The latter haspossibly superseded the phone asthe preferred means of rapidcommunication.

On-line services, e-mails and written material are highly ratedby the ECFIN Cabinet/DG as ways to receive industry information.Ratings are 8.8, 6.8 and 7.8 out of 10 respectively. ECFIN givesconferences, meetings and site visits the lowest ratings amongall Cabinets/DGs – 4 and 4.8 respectively.

Written material is rated by the Energy and TransportCabinet/DG at 8.2 out of 10 for helpfulness. At the InternalMarket, the rating drops to 5.5.

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MEDIA AS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION

Out of a possible rating of 10, theFinancial Times scored 7.8, followedby the Economist (6.9) and AgenceEurope (6.7).

The policy-maker’s own nationalnewspaper scored 6.2 – the same asthe BBC. CNN came last with 4.7.

Rate your key sources of information from 1 – 10 where 1 means not at all a good source ofinformation on industry and 10 means a very good source.

Base: All respondents.

The clear lead enjoyed by the Financial Times as the mediasource among Cabinet members and senior Commission officialsreflects the judgement of MEPs in our earlier survey.

DG Energy and Transport attach most importance toreceiving industry information through meetings and e-mail– their ratings are 7.8 and 7.7 out of 10. DG Employment andSocial Affairs give e-mail a rating of only 5.2 while DGAgriculture rates meetings at only 6.2.

Rating of different media as information source on industry

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MEDIA AS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION

These charts give an indicationof the importance of identifyingthe right outlet to communicatemedia messages to the Commission.Every Cabinet/DG gives theFinancial Times more than 6 out of10 as a source of information onindustry.

While Euractiv rates 10 out of 10 inEmployment and Social Affairs, itsratings proceed to rapidly collapseand drop to only 3.5 in DG Energyand Transport and nothing atall in DGs Budget, Competition,Economic and Financial Affairsand Trade.

Base: All respondents.

DG Environment rates CNN 7.3 out of 10 for importance as asource of information on industry. Employment and SocialAffairs gives the TV news station a 3.3 rating.

A GUIDE TO EFFECTIVE LOBBYING OF THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Rating of Financial Times as industry information source by DG

Taxation and Customs Union

Information Society

Budget

Competition

Employment and Social Affairs

Education and Culture

Agriculture

Economic and Financial Affairs

Enterprise

Environment

Development

Trade

Energy and Transport

Internal Market

Health and Consumer Protection

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APPENDIX

DG compositionTotal Number = 76

Language of interviewsTotal sample (number =76)

English

French

Italian

Spanish89%

5%4%

1%

Cabinet

DG

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APPENDIX

Country compositionTotal Number = 76

Sample composition

FemaleMale

21%

79%

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Located in the political and media centreof Europe, Burson-Marsteller Brusselsspecialises in Europe-wide public affairsand media campaigns. BKSH is thegovernment relations arm of Burson-Marsteller.

Three things make us different fromother consultancies:

Our stable, senior team comprising 19 nationalities. Our integrated approach to public affairs. Our record of securing results that has led to long-standing relationships with loyal clients.

Contact:Jeremy GalbraithBurson-Marsteller/BKSH118 Avenue de Cortenbergh1000 BrusselsTel: +32 (0)2 743 6611Fax: + 32 (0)2 733 6611Email: [email protected]: www.bmbrussels.be

Wirthlin-Europe, part of WirthlinWorldwide, is one of the world’s leadingstrategic communications researchcompanies. The company is based inLondon and Brussels and handles researchand consulting for a broad range of clientsthroughout Europe and elsewhere.Wirthin-Europe conducts strategicmarketing and communications researchin Europe and, through its colleaguesin Wirthlin Worldwide, globally. Thecompany specialises in corporate commu-nications among employees and externalaudiences; social and political research;pharmaceuticals and healthcare; andstrategic brand development research inall markets.

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118 Avenue de Cortenbergh1000 Brussels

Tel: +32 (0)2 743 6611Fax: + 32 (0)2 733 6611

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