Lobby represents a set of influencing actions (direct or indirect, including through mass media) in order to inform, convince, fine, (promote or abrogate) the legislative initiatives and the public policies formulated or implemented by a decision-making power, to support legitimate interests. Lobbying refers to the exercise of pressure on politicians, public authorities and, more broadly, decision-makers. Lobbying is a mode of action, often unobtrusive, as opposed to mass demonstrations that mobilize a large number of people.

Examples of lobbying activities: knowledge of decision-making circuits, informing decision-makers, establishing high-level relationships, setting up networks, providing expertise, participating in study groups, organizing conferences, visits, drafting amendments to a draft law, etc.

Lobby in the European Union versus Lobby in the US

A large number of lobbyists have been operating in Brussels for years, registering about 20,000, a number that is not reflected in the Transparency Register, where we find about 6,000 entries. The justification is somewhat at hand, the first figure reflects the number of natural persons who act as lobbyists. The justification is somewhat at hand, the first figure reflects the number of natural persons who act as lobbyists at / next to the European institutions, while the second refers to the number of lobbying organizations. Lobbying at EU level is based on an agreement between the European Parliament and the European Commission on setting up a transparency register for organizations and individuals engaged in independent activities involved in the process of developing and implementing EU policies. The purpose of this agreement is to allow the registration of all activities carried out in order to directly or indirectly influence the elaboration or implementation of policies or decisions by the EU institutions. There is a Transparency Register, and the registration in this is done on a voluntarily, online and includes identification data and persons involved in the lobbying activity. The Register provides rules governing the conduct of the Lobbyists, the categories of persons/organizations that can register, the mechanism for resolving complaints and measures applicable in the case of non-compliance with the code of conduct. In the EU, relations between lobbyists and decision-makers are built over time and based on a level of trust, while in the US the relationship is based on an „adverse culture”. If in the United States of America the defensive lobby is met as a tactic, the idea of stopping or annihilating a legislative activity is not found in the European Union’s lobby culture.

Self-regulation of lobbying activity in Romania

Lobbying and advocacy is an integral part of Romania’s democratic process and is a right guaranteed by the constitution.

In order to promote good practices in lobbying and advocacy activities and to help maintain and increase public confidence, confidence in democratic institutions and the process of public policy implementation, practitioners in lobbying and advocacy have taken important steps in self-regulation.

The self-regulation system initiated consists of:

• Code of Ethics of Lobby and Advocacy Practitioners;
• The Transparency Register of Lobby and Advocacy Activities;
• Commission for the Supervision of the Transparency Register;

Code of Ethics of Lobby and Advocacy Practitioners

Those who practice lobby and advocacy must act ethically and morally in their relations with all parties involved and have a duty to contribute to the public understanding of this type of activity. The Code of Ethics of Lobby and Advocacy Practitioners provides basic guidelines and standards for the conduct of stakeholder representatives. The code is intended for all organizations that carry out lobbying and advocacy activities and who wish to be registered in the Transparency Register. They are strongly encouraged to respect the code and to always practice high ethical conduct in their efforts to influence public decisions.

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How does the public view your brand? This is an important question to ask as you build your public relations strategy. There is more to consider than just how your business will be portrayed by the media. How you communicate inside and outside of your organization, events you plan, your involvement in the community, and even how you handle a crisis make up your public relations strategy.

To help you create this strategy, we have outlined each piece and why it matters to your brand’s image:

1. Corporate Communications

How your business communicates with other businesses, both internally and externally, creates its voice. A corporate communications strategy is the backbone of your overall public relations strategy. It uses your brand’s voice to express important messages in a way that your audience will understand. For example, internal emails or press releases announcing important company news are part of your corporate communications strategy.

2. Media Relations

Media relations is the relationship an organization has with the press. In order to be successful, you must build a relationship with the correct contact person for each relevant news outlet to ensure that your business is portrayed well in the media. Whenever something newsworthy happens at your organization, you can send press releases to these contacts. Press releases are news sources which make media relations a symbiotic relationship between the press and businesses. To help you build the best possible relationship with the press, we’ve compiled some tips for creating a successful media relations strategy.

3. Community Relations

Your business is a member of your community. Community relations establishes your business’ presence and the perceptions of others. There are many ways your business can get involved in the community. At Pulse we’re involved with a variety of community programs focusing on the economic growth of our area, education, public health, and the environment. We actively sponsor, donate service, and volunteer our time.

4. Crisis Management

How you face a crisis or other unexpected situation can make or break your business. Having a crisis management plan in place allows your business to operate as normally as possible through a crisis and preserve your image. Internal and external communications are especially important during these times to keep the situation under control. Even if your situation can’t be prevented, the very least you can do is be prepared.

5. Events Management

Your business’ events are a valuable marketing tool, especially with young people who place a high value on experiences. That being said, planning an event is an equally exciting and stressful time for your business. You have to consider when and where the event will be, who will attend, and so much more. Having an events management strategy can keep all of the details of your event organized so it runs as smoothly as possible.

Public relations is made up of many working parts that build a positive image of your business in the eyes of your community. Having a strategy in place can keep these efforts organized and create the image you want for your business.

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Source: pulsemarketingagency.com

Public affairs is the communication between a company and its stakeholders. Shareholders are the most obvious examples of stakeholders, but they’re not the only ones. Your customers are stakeholders because they depend on your business to provide products and services. Vendors are stakeholders who depend on you as a customer. The local community, government and media have an interest in your business as well and are also considered stakeholders.

Public Affairs

In a broad sense, public affairs includes any communication with stakeholders. More specifically, it includes public relations with the media, lobbying with the government, or in the case of a small business, attending city and town council meetings and letting your voice be heard. Engaging with customers and participating in business organizations is part of public affairs as well. Public affairs also includes reacting to unfavorable circumstances about the business, such as product recalls or layoffs.

Strategy

A strategy is determining where your business is now, where you want it to be in coming months and years, and what methods you’ll use to get to where you want to be. Think of a strategy as a battle plan or a road map, or as a blueprint. The strategy shows what you’ll do. But it won’t show you how you’ll do it, the tools you’ll use, or the specific actions you’ll take.

A small business might decide to use a public relations strategy to increase its visibility to the business community and potential customers. The goal is to get press coverage and generate a Web and social media presence. Look at your resources, time, personnel and money and decide what’s reasonable. For example, in the next year the objectives could include five pieces of coverage in the local newspapers, magazines, radio and television, and recruiting a base of 5,000 followers for your company’s social media page.

Tactics

Unlike strategies, tactics are time and action oriented. They are the methods you will use to implement the strategy, when to implement it, and by whom. The tactics assign specific actions to specific people that must be accomplished by a certain deadline. For example, a public affairs tactic might involve setting up a press release distribution schedule for the next 12 months, consisting of one release per month. Another tactic is to assemble a contact list of reporters, writers and editors that cover your industry. Setting up Facebook pages, a Twitter account and Google+ pages are tactics for establishing a social media presence.

Tools

The toolbox for a public affairs strategy for improved public relations would include such tools as press releases and a media list. Press releases are short, informative stories about your company written in a news-oriented way. They might cover the release of a new product or the opening of a new store. They are then distributed to a media list is a list of newspapers, magazines, trade journals, radio and TV stations, community and business websites and influential bloggers that report on your type of industry and business.

Source: https://smallbusiness.chron.com

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