Public affairs at EU level
National room to manoeuvre is created or destroyed in European legislation.
Support on European files from consultation through trilogue to national transposition.
What it is about
A European rule is written twice: once in Brussels and once when a member state transposes it. Anyone who follows only one of those rounds leaves the other to chance.
The European legislative process is slow and correspondingly well documented. Work programme, call for evidence, public consultation, impact assessment, proposal, committee work, general approach, trilogue. Each of those stations is an entry point, and each later one costs more than the one before.
Adoption is followed by the second round: delegated acts, implementing acts, technical standards and national transposition. A large part of the practical burden emerges here, often without a company noticing, because political attention has already moved on.
The points that decide
Early stage
Calls for evidence and consultations are open, public and surprisingly little used.
Trilogue
Here texts are traded, no longer developed. Preparation decides the outcome.
Secondary legislation
Delegated acts and standards often carry the actual burden.
Transposition
The national margin is limited but real. It is negotiated in Vienna.
How we work on it
Professional Analysis & Monitoring
Curated monitoring of initiatives, draft legislation and public debate - assessed against your business goals.
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.
Frequently asked
How do I find out which EU initiatives affect me?
Through curated monitoring that does not just collect titles but assesses them. What matters is the Commission work programme, open consultations, parliamentary committee documents and the agendas of Council working parties. The point is not volume but interpretation against your business goals.
Can a single company achieve anything in Brussels?
With robust data yes, with opinions rarely. Commission and Parliament look for evidence: figures on employment, investment, technical feasibility and cost. Anyone supplying that evidence early and verifiably is heard, even without a large delegation.
Related focus areas
Public affairs Brussels
Advice at the Commission, Parliament and Council from an office on Avenue Louise, coordinated with the national work in Vienna.
Open pageEU lobbying
Interest representation at the European institutions, listed in the transparency register and coordinated with Vienna.
Open pagePolitical monitoring
Curated observation of legislative initiatives, consultations and debate in Vienna and Brussels, assessed against your business goals.
Open page
Facing an issue in this sector?
A first conversation usually settles quickly whether and how we can help.