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EU lobbying for Austrian companies

In Brussels the loudest voice rarely wins. The most robust figure does.

Interest representation at the European institutions, listed in the transparency register and coordinated with Vienna.

What it is about

The European administration is small measured against what it regulates. That is exactly why well prepared evidence is scarce there, and a real lever.

A directorate general drafting a regulation for 27 member states has little capacity for the individual case. Anyone presenting a clean calculation of what a proposed threshold does to a specific industry supplies a working basis, not just a demand. That is the difference between being heard and being received.

Then there is the logic of coalitions. A position carried by several member states and several industries survives trilogue. A single demand from a small member state rarely does. A large part of our work therefore consists of finding allies before a position is fixed.

The points that decide

  • Evidence

    Figures on cost, employment and feasibility beat arguments from principle.

  • Alliances

    Several member states and industries behind one wording is the goal.

  • Timing

    Consultation and committee work are open, trilogue no longer is.

  • Transparency

    Register entry, disclosed meetings, traceable material.

How we work on it

  • High-Level Strategy & Campaigning

    A business strategy becomes a communications programme that reaches its goals faster.

  • Stakeholder & Network

    Simply "knowing" people adds nothing. Robust relationships of trust with decision-makers do.

  • Professional Analysis & Monitoring

    Curated monitoring of initiatives, draft legislation and public debate - assessed against your business goals.

Frequently asked

How do you get a meeting at the Commission?

Through the transparency register and through an issue that is currently on the unit’s desk. Meetings with Commissioners, cabinets and directors general are published. For technical work the units matter more anyway, and there substance counts for more than rank.

What belongs in a European position paper?

A concrete text proposal rather than a general stance. That means which article, which wording, which justification, which impact. Two pages with a precise amendment carry more weight than twenty pages of industry position.

Facing an issue in this sector?

A first conversation usually settles quickly whether and how we can help.