The Brussels Bubble is Missing a True Knowledge Provider — & What We Can Do About It
Most public affairs professionals think of themselves as well-informed. But does the news count as real information? What if we've been looking at it all wrong?
All of us public affairs professionals are well-informed.
Informed about the news, I mean. We know who is going to be chair of this committee, or the President of that institution — before they are elected. We know the content of legislative files before they are made public.
But is this what matters? Does this knowledge actually help us deliver and change legislation for the better? Is the urgency of “being informed” worth losing so many resources over it?
As you probably guessed by now, I am rather skeptic towards the idea of being constantly “informed”, and “following the news”. I’m convinced that we can use our time, money, and effort to go beyond the raw, unimportant news. To have a decisive impact on lawmaking, and not only accumulating knowledge like nuts for a squirrel.
What is true knowledge?
OK, but what information do we need?
Certainly, the news and the details provided by Politico and the likes are useful. But to a degree.
There is a maximum of raw information one can digest. To read, day after day, who the likely next EU commissioners will be is probably not the best use of one’s time if this information is in any case going to be made public in a matter of weeks.
In the meantime, one could devise ways to engage with said commissioners, their staff and Directorates. That would be time well spent.
True information, therefore, is understanding how to work this plan. What strategy should one put in place? Whom to contact? When and how to contact the stakeholders?.. All the elements that will lead to concrete results.
Brussels is lacking a true knowledge provider
Now that we understand what true knowledge is — and hoping that you agree with me on its importance relative to the raw, unsorted information that is news —, we can turn towards its origin.
The truth is that Brussels is lacking a true knowledge provider.
Despite the growing number of journalists, newsletters, and other “informants”, how many people and organisations in Brussels are committed to teaching public affairs professionals and campaigners?
To my knowledge, we can count them on the fingers of one hand. There is probably Alan Hardacre’s Advocacy Academy, or Alberto Alemanno’s The Good Lobby1. By all means, I invite you to check them out.
But that’s about it.
And both are very specific: Advocacy Academy seems to me to be rather targeted at high-level professionals, and The Good Lobby at civil society (although they mention working for corporate lobbying too).
We definitely need more players in this market.
The Beubble is ready to fill this gap
I created The Beubble in 2022 for a very personal reasons: I wanted to deepen my knowledge and expertise in EU public affairs.
But while this was the main objective, I also thought its mission to be of value to its readers. To offer a guide to those who, like me, learned the profession on the job. To land a hand to junior EU PA pros to advance their carreers, and to offer insightful ideas to make our beautiful job better.
After two years, The Beubble is ready to enter a new phase, more professional, at the service of its community.
In the coming months, I will start rolling up new services and tools to help readers, followers, and fellow public affairs and campaigners do more.
This new stage falls under the mission of becoming a go-to learning and professional development ecosystem for my readers. My goal, more than ever, is to help you do more for the causes you defend.
Hey, if you read thus far, why don’t you jump to the comments section now to tell me what you think of the article? Let me know what you would like to see more of on The Beubble.
Here’s what you can do
Next time you find yourself hunting for new information, pause for a moment, and ask yourself if more intel is really what you need.
Wouldn’t you be better off with an actionable plan? If yes, what prevents you from making this plan? If that’s knowledge, then go look for it — that’s something you can’t find in news articles or newsletters.
If you want to support an organisation or ecosystem that helps you grow and teaches you how to actually do stuff, then consider supporting them and using their services. For The Beubble in particular, you can subscribe for free today or share this piece with a colleague.
Now, enough with reading. Get back to work, get some real work done. Ask yourself:
What knowledge do I lack to make a bigger impact today?
I am not affiliated to any of these organisations, nor have I tried their services. This is not an endorsement.