It would be fair to say that the first year of the von der Leyen Commission turned out to be quite different than expected. The focus on building a “fair, climate-neutral, digital Europe,” with priorities such as the European Green Deal or on the digital economy, suddenly shifted as the COVID-19 pandemic set in across Europe and across the world in March 2020. It posed the question of how to ensure that the EU institutions could continue working as much as normal in this new environment. Of course, it was not just the EU institutions that were affected by the pandemic. In a city like Brussels where networking and information sharing almost exclusively relies on in-person interactions, how can public affairs continue effectively?
Quorum asked three public affairs experts their views on what impact the pandemic has had on EU public affairs:
- Alessandro Da Rold, Managing Director at EU40
- Elizabeth Krahulecz, Associate Partner and Head of EMEIA Public Policy Brussels Office at EY
- Géraldine Kutas, Director-General at the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA)
Digital engagement gives you the opportunity to reach a wider audience
Most organisations switched to holding virtual conferences and webinars to ensure that engagement with stakeholders could continue. Before the pandemic, events were limited by seating capacity or whether the speakers could fit the conference into their travel schedule. With digital, more people can watch an event online live – or on replay. It also means that the audience can be more international and diverse. Crucially, it allows greater access to higher-level speakers for such events. Digital also means that events in Brussels can be held any day of the week now – before it was just Tuesday to Thursday as EU officials would often be traveling on Mondays and Fridays.