The Foundation for Public Affairs, the Council's research arm, has released "Opening Doors in Brussels: Managing Government Relations in the EU," a primer for public affairs executives on emerging institutions in the European Union.

The brand-new study demonstrates how leading companies are conducting government relations with the EU government in Brussels, as well as national governments across Europe.

In 2009, with the entering into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, the key European institutions including the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the Council of the European Union formalized clear and permanent roles within the EU structure. While U.S.-based public affairs practitioners may be familiar with individual European countries, these newly established institutions based in Brussels (and the government affairs practices involved in creating relationships with them) can be difficult to navigate.

Written by Elizabeth Judd, "Opening Doors in Brussels" offers insights from more than two dozen corporate public affairs practitioners and experts in European affairs who clarify how key European institutions work and how public affairs practitioners successfully manage government relations in Brussels. The study presents case examples from companies such as Kodak, Dow, Motorola and Novozymes.

The report -- a valuable addition to the Foundation's growing set of resources on international public affairs -- follows earlier studies that provide guidance on public affairs practices in India and China.

The Foundation thanks FD, a global business, public affairs and communications consultancy with 31 offices around the world, including six in the European Union, for their sponsorship of this report. Click here for a whitepaper containing insights from a panel discussion held at FD about insights from the report, and from FD's team in Europe.

"Opening Doors in Brussels" is available as a free electronic download and in hard copy.

Click here for the report in electronic format (PDF).

Click here to order a hard copy. (A discount for multiple orders is available.)