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COMPETENCES, SKILLS AND EDUCATION OF LOBBYISTS

Submitted by christian on Thu, 12/12/2013 - 13:33

At the outset the point should be made that there's no single degree that can prepare you to be a lobbyist, and no educational trajectory that will guarantee a lobbyist career. Instead, you'll need to get to know people in the field and establish a strong reputation as someone who can negotiate with policy makers (civil servants, legislators etc.). Lobbying is a demanding career that requires in-depth knowledge of government as well as issue-specific knowledge. You need to be highly persuasive, have excellent communication skills and know how to negotiate.

HOW TO MAKE GOVERNMENT RELATIONS WORK FOR YOU

Submitted by christian on Wed, 12/11/2013 - 21:10

Hereafter are the 10 things to make Government Relations work for you.

1. Know that there are many ways to run a government relations campaign: Government relations encompasses a large range of activities, from passively monitoring legislation to actively advocating for a piece of legislation or a position. These activities can be done in a variety of ways, from a simple call to a legislator, to a full-blown lobbying campaign. An assessment needs to be made as to what makes sense for the company.

SKILLS, TACTICS AND TOOLS OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS ADVISERS

Submitted by christian on Wed, 12/11/2013 - 20:53

There are many ways Government Relations Advisers can help an organization:

STRATEGIC GOVERNMENT RELATIONS MANAGEMENT

Submitted by christian on Wed, 12/11/2013 - 18:30

Today, many organisations, businesses and not-for-profits are facing challenges relating with multi-level governments. There are new legal requirements that now have to be followed, and ethical challenges in influencing and lobbying governments all over the world. Government relations practitioners require a strategic approach to understanding the environment and techniques for effective proactive management of government relations and communication strategies.

ENCADREMENT DU LOBBYING A L’ASSEMBLEE NATIONALE (FRANCE)

Submitted by christian on Tue, 12/10/2013 - 17:25

Le 1er octobre 2013, est entré en vigueur un nouveau dispositif d’encadrement du lobbying à l’Assemblée nationale en France. Il existe dorénavant de nouveaux formulaires d’inscription sur le registre des représentants d’intérêts. Directement inspirés de ceux en vigueur au sein des institutions européennes (Registre de transparence commun au Parlement et à la Commission), ces formulaires doivent permettre de mieux cerner l’identité et l’activité des différents groupes d’intérêts qui souhaitent rencontrer les députés.

ROMANIA MOVING TOWARDS A LOBBYING LAW ?

Submitted by christian on Tue, 12/10/2013 - 14:00

A Draft law on lobbying is currently awaiting the vote in the Romanian Parliament, after having been greenlighted by the judicial commission in the Chamber of Deputies, but lobbying professionals don’t believe it will yield the planned results. The Chamber’s vote, which is the final vote needed for the law to pass, was scheduled for Tuesday, December 10. UPDATE: The law was sent back to commissions for further debates, and it was no longer included on the Tuesday vote session list.

MAKING LOBBYING ACTIVITIES TRANSPARENT

Submitted by christian on Mon, 12/09/2013 - 10:24

In most European countries the influence of lobbyists is shrouded in secrecy. When undertaken with integrity and transparency lobbying is a legitimate avenue for interest groups to be involved in the deliberative process of law making. It is when lobbying is non-transparent and regulated that problems arise.

The role of regulation of lobbying is to make the public aware of the interests behind proposals and the links between lobbyists and policy makers.

THE VENICE COMMISSION OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Submitted by christian on Sat, 12/07/2013 - 12:29

The European Commission for Democracy through Law - better known as the Venice Commission as it meets in Venice - is the Council of Europe's advisory body on constitutional matters. The role of the Venice Commission is to provide legal advice to its member states and, in particular, to help states wishing to bring their legal and institutional structures into line with European standards and international experience in the fields of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

EXTRA-INSTITUTIONAL ACTORS AND THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE

Submitted by christian on Sat, 12/07/2013 - 12:02

For the Assembly of the Council of Europe extra-institutional actors may include trade unions, constituted advisory bodies, the business community, interest and pressure groups, advocacies, lobbies and networks of influence. Furthermore, the media play also an important part in the political process. The Assembly strongly supports political pluralism as one of the key principles of a genuine democracy. Therefore it notes that, under some conditions, activities of extra-institutional actors may be beneficial for the functioning of a democratic political system insofar as these actors:

L'ENJEU AFRICAIN EST D'ABORD EUROPEEN!

Submitted by christian on Fri, 12/06/2013 - 19:34

Here below is an article written by Jean-Joseph Boillot, Economic Advisor on Emerging Countries at the CEPII Institute, Centre de recherche français dans le domaine de l'économie internationale.