2014 va fi un an de referinta in istoria Uniunii Europene, prin faptul ca in cursul lui vor avea loc alegeri in Parlamentul European cu numirea ulterioara a noului Presedinte al Parlamentului European, alegerea Presedintelui Comisiei Europene si numirea ulterioara a noilor comisari, inclusiv a noului Inalt Reprezentant pentru Afaceri Externe si Politici de Securitate si nominalizarea de catre Statele Membre a unui nou Presedinte al Consiliului European.

The EU Transparency Register shows as of 13 March 2013 5,599 Registrants but they are not all based in Brussels. The number of Brussels-based organizations is probably between 4,500 and 5,000. Rather than talking about a total population of 15,000 'lobbyists' it may be more appropriate to talk about 15,000 persons/staff working in the field of public policy advocacy as not all are 'lobbyists' in a professional sense. Actually this figure of 15,000 is probably more in the range of 15,000 to 20,000 taking account activities carried out by non-residents, part-time lobbyists etc.

As of 13/03/2013 there were 5599 registrants in the EU Transparency Register. But according to the evaluation undertaken by Justin Greenwood from the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen Business School, and Joanna Dreger from the College of Europe in Bruge, one-third (about 1800 organisations) did not select ‘European’ among the territorial level of interests they represent. The researchers estimate that around three-quarters of business related organisations active in engaging EU political institutions are in the Register and around 60% of NGOs with European interests are in the Register.

The purpose of Public Policy Advocacy is to influence a governing body, in order to ensure that an individual’s or organization’s point of view is represented in the government. A Public Policy Advocate  is a person who is paid to influence legislation as well as public opinion.  Most major corporations and political interest groups hire professional Public Policy Advocates to promote their interests as intermediaries; others maintain in-house government affairs departments.

2014 sera une année charnière dans la vie des institutions de l’Union européenne. Pour cause, plusieurs évènements majeurs interviendront au cours de ladite année: les élections du Parlement européen et la désignation de son Président, le choix d’un nouveau Président de la Commission Européenne et la nomination de nouveaux commissaires y compris un nouveau Haut Représentant de l’Union pour les affaires étrangères et la politique de sécurité, et la nomination par les Etats membres d’un nouveau Président du Conseil européen.

2014 will be a pivotal year in the European Union’s history with the European Parliament elections along with the subsequent appointment of a new President of the European Parliament, the choice of the new President of the European Commission and the subsequent appointment of new commissioners including a new High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the nomination by the Member States of a new President of the European Council.

Vibrant communication and public debate, close interaction and engagement between any government and citizens are central to a well-functioning democracy. Structured and inclusive consultation, open and honest dialogue and positive and constructive relations with all stakeholders and interests are vital to support informed and evidence-based decision making.

HOTREC is the umbrella association of national trade associations representing the hotels, restaurants, cafés and similar establishments in Europe. HOTREC therefore acts as the representative of the hospitality businesses vis-à-vis the EU institutions.

The main objectives of HOTREC are:

In countries without a Public Policy Advocacy culture, practitioners face major challenges in how to design and implement a Public Policy Advocacy function that enables them to monitor and manage the external environment that affects the business as well as to respond. The mere application of principles learned in one country or region elsewhere does not necessarily produce similar outcomes and sometimes can have disastrous consequences.

There is an increasing number of international assignments that require professionals who are skilled in global operations; yet according to a  recent survey carried out by a U.S. workforce solutions provider among 202 CEOs and senior HR professionals as many as two in five managers fail when they’re sent abroad. Only 58 percent of overseas assignments are judged successful. Given the investments being made in bringing along a new generation of leaders and their growing need to be able to think and operate globally, for 42 percent to fail when they’re sent abroad is hard to comprenhend.