SMEs are the beating heart of Europe’s economy, accounting for over 90% of all businesses in the EU and for more than half of its gross domestic product (GDP) while employing about 100 million EU workers before the pandemic. Prior to the pandemics there were about 23 million SMEs generating a higher added value of 3.9 billion EUR.

The social and economic impact of the Covid-19 health will linger for a long time, bringing with it new priorities and ideas forward. Public Affairs professionals need to be open to changing the way they communicate not just with decision and policy makers but with society as a whole. They need to challenge themselves and go beyond the established practices and methods they have relied on so far. While in-person contact will remain important, remote stakeholder meetings, virtual conferences and events, most likely will become the norm.

1. ADDIS, Renato, Addis Consulting
2. ADJIC, Tina, Senior Adviser and Expert on EU Circular Economy Policies ADS Insight, t.adjic@ads-insight.com
3. ANGER, Robert, Senior Vice President & Partner FleishmanHillard, Robert.anger@fleishmaneurope.com
4. ASSIMAKOPOULOU-SORENSEN, Maria, Senior Adviser Cambre Associates, massimakopoulou@cambre-associates.com

APCO Worldwide S.A. is a global communication consultancy. It is  a wholly owned subsidiary of APCO Worldwide LLC, an independent and majority women-owned business. APCO has more than 30 locations across Europe, the Americas, IMEA and Asia, and long-established relationships with affiliate agencies throughout the world. The firm counts 40 PA Consultants.

Key Clients

Established in Brussels for over 30 years, Schuman Associates is an EU business advisory firm focused on funding, communication and public affairs. Schuman Associates has a network of offices in Athens, Bucharest, Dublin, Hannover, Madrid, Milan, Prague, Rome, Sofia, Warsaw and partners in the USA. The firm counts 26 PA Consultants

Key Clients

Grayling Brussels is an integrated EU Public Affairs and Communications consultancy. Grayling Brussels is the hub for the largest PA-owned network across Europe, with our 28 Europe-based offices.

Grayling Brussels employs 35 PA Consultants.

Key Clients

FleishmanHillard is a wholly owned subsidiary of Omnicom Group Inc. and is one of the world’s leading communication firms, with 2,400 employees working in 83 offices in 21 countries. The PA practice offers a network of over 500 specialized consultants throughout Europe, Canada, the US and Asia-Pacific. The Brussels office counts 70 PA Consultants.

FIPRA International is an independent European and international public affairs consultancy based in Brussels. The FIPRA Network present in over 50 countries is a global network of independent, owner-operated consultancies providing high-level expert advice on public affairs, regulatory consulting & government relations. FIPRA counts 40  PA Consultants in Brussels and London

Key Clients 

Weber Shandwick is a leading global communications network and is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG) with offices in 71 cities and a network extending to 129 cities on 6 continents.

Weber Shandwick counts 21 Public Affairs Consultants

Key Clients

Teneo Brussels is wholly owned by Teneo,  the global CEO advisory firm comprised of nearly 900 professionals located in 20 offices, in key markets around the world. The team in Brussels include 30 PA consultants drawn from politics and government, the corporate world and journalism, NGOs and academia.

Key Clients