The Challenge
Your EU affairs effectiveness depends on which department houses the function—with placement creating strategic orientations that may not align with actual organisational needs. Legal department: Focuses on compliance and regulatory risk management Produces defensive engagement responding to threats, not seeking opportunities Policy/communications department: Emphasises thought leadership and advocacy Neglects commercial intelligence and business development support Commercial department: Prioritises market access and competitive positioning Overlooks regulatory developments lacking immediate business impact The dysfunction: Structural placement determines EU affairs priorities through departmental incentives and reporting relationships—producing Brussels engagement serving department objectives rather than comprehensive organizational interests.
Why It Happens
EU affairs lacks a clear natural home, gets assigned to whichever department has budget availability or leadership interest. Placement determines function emphasis rather than strategic design. EU affairs professionals respond to departmental priorities determining their performance evaluation and career progression—creating an inevitable focus on issues their department considers important regardless of whether these represent organisational priorities for Brussels engagement. The blind spots: Legal staff naturally emphasise regulatory compliance. Policy staff focus on advocacy positions. Commercial staff prioritise business development. None take a comprehensive organisational perspective addressing all EU engagement dimensions. This persists because departments resist EU affairs independence reducing their control, while organisational leadership may not recognise placement shapes effectiveness beyond bureaucratic convenience.
Our Solution
EU affairs strategic planning defining Brussels engagement objectives independent of internal politics and identifying appropriate structural positioning: Assessing whether current placement enables effective strategy execution or creates structural constraints limiting engagement scope Developing business cases for EU affairs independence or alternative departmental placement when current structure produces misalignment Providing external capacity complementing internal functions by addressing strategic dimensions departmental placement prevents internal staff from pursuing We ensure EU affairs strategy drives structural design rather than structure determining strategy by default.
The Outcome
Brussels engagement aligned with organisational strategic objectives rather than shaped by internal departmental placement convenience. You either restructure EU affairs positioning enabling comprehensive engagement scope, or supplement internal capacity with external support addressing strategic dimensions departmental placement prevents internal staff covering effectively. Strategic alignment ensures Brussels engagement serves organisational interests rather than merely satisfying whichever department houses EU affairs—producing policy influence, regulatory intelligence, and business development outcomes comprehensive strategy requires rather than limited focus structural placement imposes.
How We Deliver
EU affairs strategic assessment evaluating organizational structure impact on Brussels engagement effectiveness: Analysing whether current departmental placement enables or constrains strategy execution Developing recommendations for structural repositioning when placement creates misalignment Providing supplementary capacity addressing strategic dimensions internal structure prevents covering The result: Brussels engagement organised around strategic objectives rather than structural convenience—ensuring comprehensive organisational interests drive EU affairs focus rather than departmental incentives determining engagement priorities by default.