The master class was given by René Leegte. From his long experience as a Public Affairs advisor and as a member of the Lower House, he shared his insights. Participants gained sharper insight into the procedures, the relationship between and with Ministries, the Government, Lower House, Upper House, European Parliament. But, just as important are the right skills of the Public Affairs advisor. The European dimension of public affairs was also discussed. Mendeltje van Keulen (registrar European Affairs Committee Second Chamber) explained the possibilities to influence Europe from the Second Chamber.
The master class covered the following components:
1. PA as a process intervention: when to do what!
- understanding the budget cycle
- understanding of legislative processes
2. PA as "Harvard negotiating": how to speak the language of officials and politicians!
- Advocacy is not about dividing the cake, but rather increasing it. PA is about finding the common interest. That is the starting point to show that your organization can make an important contribution to that and you become an ally rather than a nuisance that only makes things more difficult. Politicians don't look for trade offs, they look for win-win
3. PA Netherlands in Europe
- Understanding opportunities to influence EU from NL. An underexposed topic is to influence Brussels regulations through the national parliament.
4. PA and the good examples; what are the daily concerns of a politician?
- Understanding day-to-day work of politicians and how the PA advisor can lend a helping hand
