Public Affairs in a Post-Election EU – Advice for Global Teams
July/August 2024
In what is likely the biggest election year ever, citizens of the European Union went to the polls in June to choose their elected representatives. The vote took place across the 27 EU member states and elected the 720 members of the European Parliament (MEPs, in EU terminology) for the legislative cycle of 2024-29.
European elections are an important moment for the “old continent,” even if they’re not always perceived as such. Sometimes national governments and citizens alike view them as a vote of confidence (or distrust) in the national political parties holding power or dismiss them as an opportunity to send local politicians (as a career reward or out of convenience) to a faraway land.
But what happens in Brussels, the seat of the main EU institutions, does matter. Political decisions and legislation made in EU’s capital have a growing impact on the lives of the more than 450 million EU citizens, in areas as diverse as climate change and sustainability, agriculture, education, digital rights and artificial intelligence, consumer protection, energy and food security, international trade and security. EU regulations and standards are increasingly adopted not just by European firms, but also by global companies, shaping the environment for businesses around the world and extending the reach of the European Union well beyond its geographic borders.
Overall, the results of the June elections were not unexpected. The center-right European People’s Party (EPP) remains the dominant political force in the European Parliament, followed by the center-left Socialists & Democrats (S&D). The novelty in relation to previous years is that parties at the far right of the political spectrum — many of them pursuing EU-skeptical, anti-system, anti-migration and sovereign-minded agendas — substantially increased their number of MEPs, largely at the expense of the greens (The Greens/European Free Alliance), and will therefore have more leverage over EU policies than before.
These parties include Europe of Sovereign Nations and Patriots for Europe, the latter currently the third political force in the European Parliament. This outcome follows a trend also observed at the national level in several EU countries, including in France and Germany, the two most populous EU countries and its largest economies, where the far right has been gaining ground over recent years and decades.
In the weeks since the elections, MEPs have been negotiating to form political groups, elect the chairs of different committees and occupy other key positions within the European Parliament. They will also have an important role in approving (or rejecting) the candidates nominated by national capitals and chosen by the already elected European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, to form the College of Commissioners, which is the team of political appointees that heads the different policy areas of the EU’s executive arm, the European Commission. The so-called grilling of the commissioners-designate by the European Parliament will take place after the summer. In the meantime, the next commission’s Political Guidelines for 2024-29 are out and provide the strategic direction in which the institution will be heading in its next mandate. It will be followed by work plans that will translate those strategic priorities into concrete proposals.
With so many new faces and much uncertainty, what can public affairs teams on the other side of the Atlantic do to find their way in the new “Brussels Bubble”?
Understanding and Navigating a Complex Landscape
When working with EU institutions and stakeholders, understanding and navigating complexity is key. EU policymaking is a complex (and often lengthy) process that involves extensive negotiations among the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. Understanding the timings, the key interlocutors and the “rules of engagement” is critical for any company or organization that wants to influence EU policy. It’s never too early to understand how this process works, identify your key issues and stakeholders, and plan for how you will engage.
The current geopolitical environment represents an additional challenge for the European Union and is therefore a reality that public affairs teams will need to consider. With political uncertainty in many countries around the world (including a key EU ally, the United States), a military conflict in its eastern border (Ukraine), trade tensions between strategic commercial partners (the United States and China), doubts over the future of a critical military alliance (NATO), and a race for global primacy in some key industrial sectors (particularly technology and digital innovation), policymaking in Brussels is increasingly high-stakes with strategic repercussions, both at home and abroad. The world is changing, and the EU’s place in it is changing, too. Public affairs teams who can understand the challenges faced by EU policymakers, provide constructive contributions and expertise to the policymaking debate, and integrate their goals with EU strategic objectives will increase their chances of success.
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Invest in Alliances and Nurture Relationships
Identifying the stakeholders who can influence your key policy portfolios is certainly critical, and the new European Parliament is a good place to start. With almost 60% of MEPs elected for the first time, it’s important to build initial bridges and share information with newcomers about your organization and sector. How exactly the different political forces, especially those at the far right of the political spectrum, will shape EU policy or integrate into the mainstream is a question that will be answered only when the work begins. But alliances in the European Parliament usually follow a different dynamic than that of national parliaments, as MEPs don’t always feel bound to the position of their political groups. Coalitions can be fragmented and sometimes negotiated on an issue-by-issue basis, and the votes of individual MEPs can make the difference. Mapping key MEPs and their positions over time will be an important component of your engagement strategy.
As important as that is, defining your alliances is also crucial. When engaging with different stakeholders, in Brussels or elsewhere, public affairs teams need to understand the power of partnerships and coalitions. The support of industry associations — many of which have a long-standing presence in Brussels, established relationships and a detailed knowledge of how the policymaking process works — can be effective in influencing legislative portfolios. The technical expertise of a consulting firm can be of great help, too, especially to those who are new to Brussels.
Remember Your Core Values and Interests, but Be Flexible
With far-right, sovereign-minded and Euroskeptic MEPs increasing their numbers in the European Parliament, and a growing number of national governments in the European Council facing pressure from the same political forces at home, the EU begins its next political cycle with a new internal dynamic. Public affairs teams will need to understand how this shift will play out in their specific policy portfolios and in everyday conversations. But the puzzle is new and will require embracing a new mindset. While some teams will determine that public affairs professionals must not take sides and should speak to elected representatives on all sides of the aisle, others will be mindful of engaging with interlocutors that defend very different — and sometimes even opposing — sets of values.
Whatever decision you make, it’s important to keep your key values, interests and positions in mind, while staying flexible and understanding that some of your stakeholders will inevitably change. Faced with unprecedented global challenges, the dialogue among businesses, governments and European institutions is more important than ever. Public affairs professionals and teams are uniquely placed to help their organizations understand, mitigate and address these risks. In a world of increased complexity and uncertainty, constructive dialogue and mutual support between companies and governments remains one of the engines of strong democracies.
Learn more on this topic in the upcoming Understanding the Essentials of EU Decision-making workshop.
Contact João Sousa at [email protected].
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Identifying the stakeholders who can influence your key policy portfolios is certainly critical, and the new European Parliament is a good place to start.
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