EVENTS
ecpa2.0 regularly organises a variety of events, usually held as a series of discussions on a given topic related to the practice of EU public affairs. Events with external speakers are designed to listen to a broad range of experts in the EU affairs environment, exchange views and generate new ideas. ecpa2.0 provides a framework for discussions and to share knowledge and best practices on topics of interest for public affairs practitioners.
ecpa2.0 also organise trainings and workshops aiming at improving our professional skills and developing our career further.
Besides these content-based sessions, we also organise social events where members have the opportunity to get to know each other in a more informal setting, broaden their professional and personal networks and discuss on broader topics and experiences.
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ecpa2.0 events are for members only. However, young public affairs professionals interested in ecpa2.0 activities are kindly invited to participate free-of-charge in one of our events to get a feel for the organisation and see whether they would like to join us .
Members are welcome to suggest topics for discussion or initiatives! If you have any question on our planned events or ideas for future events, please don't hesitate to get in touch with the ecpa2.0 team.
UPCOMING EVENT
Do European Citizens Initiatives help democracy in the EU?
17 April 2019 - 6.30pm
Register
Over the past few years, the concept of European civil society and the European Citizens Initiatives (ECI) as means to get involved in the EU legislative process has gained popularity. The extent to which this results in a more democratic EU, however, is questionable because simply having opportunities for participation does not equate to participatory democracy. The latest rules on ECI adopted in December 2018 aim at including individuals more in the process than before and give them more opportunities to speak up and raise awareness by using digital innovation.
Confirmed speakers:
Elisa Lironi - Senior Manager European Democracy at European Citizen Action Service
Maarten de Groot - European Programme Officer at Democracy International
Olga Kikou, Head of Compassion in World Farming EU (CIWF-EU)
Pablo Sanchez, Representative of the Right2Water ECI
About the speakers:
Elisa Lironi is Senior Manager European Democracy at European Citizen Action Service (ECAS). Elisa’s main responsibilities are supporting the Secretariat-General of the Commission in the development and implementation of the ECI Forum as well as taking care of the development and implementation of EU projects related to Digital Democracy, Populism and Online Disinformation. Before joining ECAS in September 2015, Elisa worked as a Policy and Advocacy Officer at the Union of European Federalists (UEF) and was previously a researcher for the European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS). She has been an active member of numerous organizations and youth projects, especially in raising awareness on EU issues among citizens. She holds a Master’s Degree in European Studies with a specialization in EU External Relations (Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium).
Maarten de Groot is currently working as European Programme Officer at Democracy International. Previously, Maarten was EU Democracy Campaign Coordinator for The ECI Campaign, a politically independent civil society organisation working towards the successful reform and implementation of the European Citizens’ Initiative. Maarten was also Vice-President and External Relations Director in the international Board 2016-2017 of AEGEE / European Students’ Forum. In that capacity, he was also involved in the organisation of the European citizens’ initiative ‘More than education – shaping active and responsible citizens’.
Olga Kikou is a substitute representative of the Citizens' Committee for the End The Cage Age European Citizens' Initiative. Olga holds a Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts and has worked in international organizations, in the non profit sector, and in research and planning. She has a long time involvement in animal advocacy. Since joining CIWF, she has worked to advance farm animal welfare and sustainable food and farming policies at EU level, by developing and implementing lobbying strategies in order to influence policy on key issues. She has been responsible for promoting many initiatives and campaigns, exploring synergies and developing productive relationships with civil society organizations and other stakeholders with the aim to increase awareness and bring an end to factory farming.
RECENT EVENTS
BEATING THE BEAST - Understanding the bureaucracy behind employment contracts.
Tom Ledermann - Accountant and Partner at Van Der Neste
Jason Descamps - Founder and Managing Partner at European Affairs Recruitment Specialists
THE 2018 ASSEMBLY GENERAL MEETING
“How to improve the practice and perception of lobbying in the context of the upcoming 2019 European elections?”
July - SUMMER DRINKS
at Quartier Léopold
April - BREAKING THE GLASS CEILING IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Laurel Henning, Co-Founder, The EU Panel Watch
Alazne Irigoien, Board member, The Brussels Binder.
Sara Carrer, Senior Director EMEA, Burson-Marsteller
Mónica Vicente Cristina, Co-Managing Director, Weber Shandwick Brussels
March - TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEWS AND CAREERS IN BRUSSELS?
Mark Dober, Headhunter and Managing Director, Ellwood Atfield.
January - WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EU AND NATIONAL LOBBYING
Eric Schell, Founder, Cabinet Schell
Jean-Yves Daxhelet, Associate Director, Interel
Shane Lyster, Senior Executive for European Affairs, Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC)
December - CHRISTMAS DRINKS
at The Beer Factory
November - HOW TO BUILD A NETWORK 101 IN BRUSSELS
Lina Aburous, Managing Director, Euraffex
Andras Baneth, Managing Director, Public Affairs Council (EU office)
October - DIFFERENT TRIBES OF LOBBYING
Gauri Khandekar, Deputy Director and Director Europe, Global Relations Forum
André Paula Santos, Public Affairs Director, European Biodiesel Board
September BACK TO SCHOOL DRINKS
at Grand Central
July - ANNUAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2017
At this year's ecpa2.0 Annual General Assembly we discussed the practice of lobbying in a regulated environment with Isabelle Buscke (German Consumer Federation), Brian Dunphy (JTI) and Fabienne Weibel (Blablacar). The event was held at De Warande Culture House. In a very lively debate with the audience, we discussed questions such as the justification for regulation in certain industries, the link between regulation and reputation, the need for transparency and information to make educated choices or how such choices are affected by emotions. After the panel discussion, we still had time for more specific questions and opinion exchanges over a glass of cava and some fingerfood.






EVENTS 2016-17
June - TIPS AND TRICKS TO LOBBY THE COUNCIL PRESIDENCY
with Kevin Hiney, former Policy Officer in the Irish Presidency (January-June 2013) and current Regulatory Futures Manager at Red Flag Consulting
April - EASTER PUB QUIZZ
at Old Oak
March - THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE NEW TRANSPARENCY RULES FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS
with Richard Corbett, Member of the European Parliament (UK, S&D)
& Martin Ohridski, Policy Officer at the Transparency Unit of the European Commission
January - THE IMPACT OF THE EU OMBUDSMAN ON PUBLIC AFFAIRS
with Aidan O'Sullivan, Head of Cabinet of the European Ombudsman, Ms Emily O'Reilly
December - ECPA2.0 CHRISTMAS PARTY
at Olive's
November - HOW TO STEER YOUR CAREER IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS
with Jason Descamps, Founder and CEO of European Affairs Recruitment Specialists
October - THE IMPACT OF BREXIT ON PUBLIC AFFAIRS
with James Holland, Parliamentary Assistant to one of the champions of the ´Leave Campaign´ Daniel Hannan MEP (UK, ECR); Duncan Robinson, Financial Times Correspondent & Stefan Borst, Partner IDA Group
September - DRINKS DE RENTRÉE
at London Calling