On November 19th and 20th, the Official Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Belgium and Luxembourg organised in Brussels the seventh edition of the training course “Advocacy strategies in the European Union”, aimed at Spanish companies and associations.

More than fifteen representatives of national companies and sectoral associations took part in the training in person or online, interested in learning first-hand about the tools to establish an effective dialogue with the EU authorities, and motivated to anticipate both the opportunities and risks arising from the political and legislative action that takes place in Brussels.

The training, held in a hybrid format, was given by renowned professionals from multinationals, business organisations, leading Spanish organisations and European civil servants.

The first day began with an introduction by Pablo López-Álvarez, President of the Chamber and Senior Managing Director of FTI Consulting, in which he presented an overview of lobbying and the monitoring of European action. Then, European affairs consultant and lawyer Ignasi Guardans Cambó spoke about the institutional structure of the EU and its adjacent ecosystem.

Afterwards, Miguel Ceballos Barón, senior expert at the European Commission, offered his perspective on the dialogue between companies and the European institutions, with practical advice.

Juan Alfonso Herrero Pascual, Director of European Affairs at Mercadona, closed the morning of the first day with a presentation on the transparency register.

In the afternoon, the training continued with a presentation by Ignacio Sánchez-Recarte, secretary-general of the European Committee of Wine Companies (CEEV), who explained the role of business associations and sectoral employers’ associations and their role in the European legislative process.

Next, Sebastián Rodríguez, EU advocacy expert and founder of european campaign playbook, explained the relevance and influence on public decision-making and their role in the European legislative process.

The first day was completed with a presentation by Susana Garayoa, head of Institutional Relations at Zabala Innovation, and Amir Campos Reviriego, senior consultant at Schuman Associates, in which they explained the latest news on recovery funds and funding opportunities through the various European programs.

Day of visits

After the presentations of the day, the Chamber organized a networking cocktail with Spanish professionals and European officials, in which participated the attendees to the training, several members of our Board of Directors, several advisors of the REPER of Spain before the EU and delegates of Autonomous Communities.

On the day of 21st November, the training started with a visit to the Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU, where Oriol Escalas Nolla, Deputy Permanent Representative Ambassador, received the Spanish companies and associations to talk to them about the functioning of the European institutions and the role of PERMREP.

Back at the Chamber’s premises, the training continued with a presentation by Patricia Trejo Zamorano, head Communications of the CEOE in Brussels, who explained the European legislative procedure and the importance of business representation. The last lecture of the programme was given by Jacinto Pico, head of EU Affairs for Naturgy in Brussels, who spoke about the role of the Public Affairs Director.

The day continued with a visit to the European Parliament and lunch with MEPs, attended by Javier Moreno Sánchez, a member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament and member of the Parliament’s Foreign Trade Committee. During the meeting, Moreno explained the work carried out by the Parliament, as well as the importance of bringing the interests of European companies to Brussels. For their part, those attending the lunch were also able to present and resolve their doubts about the dialogue between organisations and MEPs.

The last training activity took place at the Council of the European Union, which the attendees were able to visit together with Isabel Riaño, Director General for Competitiveness and Trade of the institution.