FOREIGN COUNTRIES' EU LOBBYING

Often foreign countries when communicating with the EU send  wrong messages that only serve to reinforce the unfavourable views already held by people. They should use Western advisors to craft the proper messages. Often words come from foreign countries well after negative Western media coverage or sometimes, there is no communication. Foreign countries need to delegate responsibility for communicating their viewpoints to their national embassies or missions in Brussels. The consequences of poor communication is that it increases misunderstandings and misperceptions, and it facilitates the media making uninformed attacks on a foreign country’s policies and actions. Building an effective lobby presupposes an effective communications policy. Lobbying advisors should be appointed in Brussels, since only European experts can advise on how to lobby and how to communicate in Europe.  A good communications advisor is able to advise on all types of communication – to government, to parliament, to civil society and to traditional and the new media. With the dual framework of both the EU and individual governments, lobbying the EU can be complicated. This implies that the Brussels advisors must have the capability of coordinating lobbying at national level, where this is necessary. Lobbying is mainly in Brussels but, depending on the issue, the largest states must often also be lobbied in their capital cities.