European Centre for Public Affairs

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"The European Centre for Public Affairs Ltd (ECPA), founded in 1986 at Templeton College, Oxford, is a not-for-profit organisation under English law. It is run by an Executive Director, supported by a small staff. The ECPA Management Board brings together its corporate members and academics to advise the Executive Director on programme development and research topics.

The ECPA has particular expertise in public affairs practice in the European Union. It works closely with the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Presidency and national governments of the Union to develop understanding of the evolving process of governing Europe. It teaches introductory and specialist programmes on public affairs practice in the Union's institutions. ECPA Government Training teaches an extended series of seminars for national Presidencies and courses for civil servants from the applicant states. ECPA Civil Society works with NGOs and others in the Third Sector." [1]

Lobbying for lobbying

The ECPA exist to defend the lobbying industryand is attempting to engage in the debate about regulation of lobbyists. In June 2006 PR Week reported that the Centre:

is to solicit proposals from consultancies on how they would improve the image of public affairs... with the winning programme provided pro bono.

The subterranean and deceptive tactics used by lobbyists mean it has a poor public image, as the ECPA recognises:

ECPA deputy chairman Michael Burrell said it was 'important that the industry promotes and defends itself'. Burrell said 'it is a close to insuperable challenge to actually promote positive news stories about what (the PA industry) does'. But, he added, when the media do unearth negative stories about the PA industry, its representative bodies could use them to try and 'seize the opportunity to talk about how we operate'.[2]

... and lobbying for business

The ECPA also performs a function in alerting corporations to the need for training in EU procedures and in the need for lobbying services. This has been so from the beginning. For example in 1988 the Financial Times reported the views of Tom Spencer:

Retailers were unaware of and unprepared for the enormous changes in the business environment that would result from a single European market in 1992, according to Mr Tom Spencer, an executive director of the European Centre for Public Affairs, Templeton College, Oxford... He was addressing retailers at a conference on the internationalisation of retailing held by Coopers & Lybrand, the international accountancy firm.[3]

Management

Chairman - Erik Jonnaert, General Manager External Relations Western Europe, Procter & Gamble.

Deputy Chairmen

Executive Director - Tom Spencer Visiting Professor of Public Affairs, Brunel University

Members

Its members, as listed on its website include:

"Corporate membership is open to any company operating in Europe. There is an annual membership fee of Euro 7750." [4]

Books and publications

Lobbying the European Union (Dartmouth Publishing Company pounds 37.50), the first book on lobbying the EU since the Maastricht Treaty, was published last week. Editors Robin Pedler, director of the European Centre for Public Affairs, and Rinus van Schendelen of Rotterdam University have collated case histories from ten commercial and four non-commercial lobbying campaigns, in a bid to analyse different approaches.[5]

Conferences and events

  • The State of Public Affairs 2005: 4th ECPA Annual Conference: Putting the EU Puzzle Together? Conference organised by the European Centre for Public Affairs, held on February 17 at the Dorint Hotel in Brussels, Boulevard Charlemagne 11-19. To register: www.publicaffairs.ac or for further information: Ron Kingham, tel: 00 44 870 444 2760 or e-mail: conferences@publicaffairs.ac[6]
  • The European Centre for Public Affairs is holding a Seminar on "Public Affairs in the New Union: Players and Rules" on 19 and 20 January 1995 at the Faculty Club at Louvain, Belgium. CONTACT: Adrienne Pratt, Templeton College Tel: +44 856 735422, Fax: +44 865 736374[7]
  • PR Week is to a sponsor a live crisis management event on September 29 1993 in Oxford. Called Managing a corporate crisis in today's instant news society', the event will be a Socratic dialogue' - similar in style to Channel 4's Hypotheticals series. Expert panellists play roles in a crisis, reacting to a hy-pothetical situation developed by a moderator. The moderator will be SmithKline Beecham vice-president of corporate affairs Richard Torrenzano. The event is hosted by the European Centre for Public Affairs and the Global Public Affairs Institute. Guest panellists for the crisis management event, which will take place at Templeton College, include: Sir Geoffrey Pattie MP, CNN's London bureau chief, David Feingold, US attorney Elliot Kaplan, and the editor of Wall Street Journal Europe, Philip Revzin. The panel discussion will be followed by dinner in Templeton College. Tickets for the event, which is part of a four-day Global Public Affairs seminar arranged by the ECPA and GPAI, cost pounds 75 each. For more details about the event contact Adrienne Pratt, European Centre for Public Affairs, Templeton College, Oxford OX1 5NY (Tel: 0865 735422).[8]
  • The Global Public Affairs Institute,... has conducted a series of intensive, highly acclaimed seminars for corporate public affairs and communications executives focusing on key international issues directly affecting the business community and on key communications functions for which public affairs staff is responsible. The member companies include AT&T, Boeing, Citicorp, Exxon Corporation, General Electric, Johnson & Johnson, Warner Lambert, Cigna Corporation, Hill and Knowlton, Burson Marsteller, Rockwell International, Bristol-Myers Squibb, General Motors and Nippon Telephone and Telegraph. A cooperative arrangement with the European Centre for Public Affairs at Oxford University resulted in a jointly sponsored seminar at Oxford in 1991. A second version of this seminar will be presented Sept. 13-17, 1992, also at Oxford, and is open to qualified executives of multinational corporations. The institute is conducting a research project to identify and analyze the methods and structure through which multinational companies are managing their public affairs response to the globalizing trends in the world market.[9]
  • Topic '92: Public Affairs in the European Union. Conference organised by the European Centre for Public Affairs. April 8-11 1992 at Templeton College Oxford. Information from Adrienne Pratt, Templeton College, Oxford. Tel 0865-735422. Fax: 0865-736374.[10]
  • Catching the ear of the European Community, TOPIC seminar organised by European Centre for Public Affairs, Templeton College, Oxford. April 8 - 11 1991 . Venue - Oxford. Details from Adrienne Pratt, ECPA. Tel: 0865 735 422. Fax: 0865 736 374.[11]
  • New Directions after the Uruguay Round. Seminar organised by the European Centre for Public Affairs at Wiston House, West Sussex, 20 - 22 February 1991. Details from Adrienne Pratt, Administrator ECPA, Templeton College, Oxford OX1 5NY. Tel 0865 735 422. Fax 0865 736 374.[12]
  • "Influencing Decisions in Europe" Seminar organised by the European Centre for Public Affairs on 12-14 September. All enquiries to The Administrator (ECPA), Templeton College, Oxford OX1 5NY. Tel: 0865 735422. Fax: 0865 736374.[13]
  • "Why don't Governments do what business wants them to?" A two-day seminar, 27-29 June 1990, at Wiston House, Steyning, West Sussex, organised by the European Centre for Public Affairs. Speakers include Commission Vice-President Sir Leon Brittan. Details from Adrienne Pratt, ECPA, Templeton College, Oxford OX1 5NY. Tel: 0865-735422. Fax: 0865-736374.[14]

Notes

  1. ^ 'ECPA LOOKS TO LIFT INDUSTRY IMAGE', PR Week, June 23, 2006, SECTION: PUBLIC AFFAIRS; Pg. 9
  2. ^ 'Charlie's main aim: Black Dog' Mail on Sunday 15 August 1999
  3. ^ Maggie Urry, Financial Times, July 9, 1988, Saturday, UK News; Pg. 5
  4. ^ ECPA, Corporate membership, accessed February 2007
  5. ^PR Week 'How to lobby the EU' September 23, 1994
  6. ^European Report, 'EUROPEAN CONFERENCES' February 16, 2005, No. 2937
  7. ^M2 PRESSWIRE, 'THE WEEK IN EUROPE WE 120195' January 31, 1994
  8. ^PR Week 'PR Week crisis management event', June 24, 1993.
  9. ^PR Newswire 'GLOBAL PUBLIC AFFAIRS INSTITUTE APPOINTS NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR' DATELINE: NEW YORK, June 17, June 17, 1992, Wednesday - 10:22 Eastern Time
  10. ^PR Newswire Europe 'THE WEEK IN EUROPE: COMMISSION VICE PRESIDENT VISITS CIS' March 5, 1992
  11. ^ PR Newswire Europe 'THE WEEK IN EUROPE: UK TO BE "AT THE VERY HEART OF EUROPE" - MAJOR' March 14, 1991
  12. ^PR Newswire Europe 'THE WEEK IN EUROPE: EC EXPERTS WILL RETURN TO MOSCOW', July 26, 1990
  13. ^ PR Newswire Europe 'THE WEEK IN EUROPE: FRANCE URGED TO RESCIND UK BEEF BAN' May 31, 1990
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