EU Advocacy and Communications Workshop 2

EU Advocacy and

Communications Workshop

September, 2015

Iskra Kirova, Eleanor Kelly, Antonia Zafeiri

Open Society Foundations

EU Advocacy and media channels for

Ukraine

Session objectives

Good grasp of:

• EU interlocutors/media, how to access them, how to build relationships

• Policy opportunities by interlocutor

• Best tools and tactics by interlocutor/media

European Commission and EEAS

• Power analysis

• What/who will convince them?

• What do they care about?

• Can you develop advocacy assets? At what

level?

• What tools can you use?

Identifying targets in the EC/EEAS

• DGs with external remit: NEAR, DEVCO, ECHO, Trade, Energy

• Other relevant DGs and services: Justice, Home, FPI, OLAF, EPSC

• Advisory groups, taskforces and similar: Ukraine Support Group

• CSDP mission headquarters

• Commissioner Cabinets

• Presence in Ukraine

Level: low/mid-level advocacy (desk officer, head of unit, director, advisor)

Identifying targets in EC/EEAS

• Commissioners, including HR/VP

• EUSRs

Level: high-level advocacy

Channels of influence at the

EC/EEAS • Meetings with officials

• Input to regularly planned consultations: Progress Reports, VLAP reports, policy reviews (ENP), programming cycle reviews (multiannual, mid-term, annual), mission reviews (EUAM)

• Contribute to bilateral meetings with government: human rights dialogues, association councils, committees and subcommittees, summits

• Input to ad hoc consultations: countering Russian propaganda, review of EU external action

Council (of the EU) and European

Council

• Power analysis

• What/who will convince them?

• What do they care about?

• Can you develop advocacy assets? At what

level?

• What tools can you use?

Identifying targets at Council and

EUCO

• Council working groups (COEST and COSCE)

target entry point

• Secretariat of the Council

• Cabinet of EUCO president

Level: low/mid-level advocacy

Identifying targets at Council and

EUCO

• COREPER

• FAC

• EUCO

Level: high-level advocacy

Channels of influence at

Council/EUCO

• Input before sessions (weekly)

• Meetings with individual delegates

• Briefings at session or in informal setting

hosted by a friendly member state

• Permanent chair of working group

Member states (capital level)

Be strategic and selective:

• 1-2 key players around a specific timebound policy opportunity

• Through a network of local partners or within an international campaign/coalition

Have you exhausted the potential of Ukraine/Brussels representation?

• Heads of mission and policy officer meetings

European Parliament

• Power analysis

• What/who will convince them?

• What do they care about?

• Can you develop advocacy assets? At what

level?

• What tools can you use?

Identifying targets at the EP

• MEPs and their advisors

• Committees with foreign policy responsibility: AFET, DROI, SEDE

• Political group policy advisors

• Cabinet of President

• Resolution drafters

• Rapporteurs/shadow rapporteurs

• Inter-parliamentary delegations, EURONEST

• Secretariat (Directorate-General for External Policies)

Level: low/mid-level advocacy

Channels of influence at EP

• Meetings with MEPs – choreography and

preparation

• Parliamentary reports, resolutions,

questions, hearings

• Events, exhibitions, screenings, other

creative tactics/tools

Civil Society Networks

• Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum

• Human Rights and Democracy Network

(HRDN)

• European Peacebuilding Liaison Office

(EPLO)

EU Media

What Do EU Decision Makers Read?

• POLITICO (54,6K)

• EU Observer (31,7K)

• EurActiv (43,9)

• New Europe (24K)

• The Parliament Magazine (18,4K)

• Euronews (134K)

• National Correspondents

What makes a news story

• Something new (but this may not be as important as you think)

• Timeliness e.g. an anniversary or special occasion. A ‘hook’ or a deadline.

• Relevance to the audience

• Something surprising or unexpected (challenging accepted wisdom, changing position)

• Someone interesting saying it (or a combination of interesting people)

• Something controversial

• Numbers / a clear top line fact

You can both create news and respond to it

External Opportunities (Responding)

• Keep an eye on the EU agenda

• Keep an eye on Commission’s midday press briefings

• Political developments

• Developments linked to the conflict and peace process

• Anniversaries – Elections – Summits - High Level visits

Internal Opportunities (Creating)

• Create a media asset (infographics,

multimedia)

• Identify the most newsworthy aspect of your

report

• Give access to new spokespeople and

human stories

• Become a reliable source

Way in:

• Opinion Articles

• Letter to the Editor

• Appear in English-speaking Ukrainian media

• Be ready to respond/comment on developments: think in soundbites

• Invite international correspondents to press briefings

• Organize a press visit in Ukraine

• Try TV and radio interviews – start small