‘Get to know the EU before organising an event’

For almost nine years, Milos Labovic, 43, worked as a lobbyist in Brussels on behalf of the Province of Zeeland, advising governments, parliaments and international development banks. He has now left Brussels and has written two books about it: EU Superlobby (2017), translated from Dutch into English in 2020, and Lobbyist van Zeeland, published in Dutch in early 2023.

In Lobbyist van Zeeland, Labovic talks about his introduction to Brussels. He opens up about his lobbying dossiers and speaks candidly about his successes and failures. The book provides a unique insight into what it’s like to fight for a small Dutch province in the capital of Europe, where he rose to the top echelons of the EU bubble.

“When I made the move to Brussels in 2007, I was an insecure and inexperienced lobbyist. However, I was eager to learn, and I learned a lot.”

Nevertheless, Labovic decided to leave Brussels in 2017 to become an EU Specialist for the Dutch House of Representatives and Senior Government Accounts & Public Affairs at the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank. He has been working for more than three years as Senior Public Affairs for Vervoerregio Amsterdam, where he lobbies for national attention and associated resources for large infrastructure projects in the Dutch capital. In this position, he draws attention to public transport such as the Amsterdam North/South metro line. “I spend a lot of time in The Hague for work, but a little less in Brussels these days.”

Nerd

Lobbyist van Zeeland extensively addresses the dos and don’ts of lobbying. “When you start working in Brussels, it’s important to realise a number of things. You really need to know the subject matter as well as procedures and dossiers. It’s a clincher, but you have to be a bit of a nerd to function there,” says Labovic.

'I advise organisers to invest in knowledge'

“You can’t get away with just one action or event to achieve your goals. You need to have a well-thought-out plan to amend legislation very specifically. It’s often about kilojoules or grammes in a certain substance or the apportionment formulas of money. You have to be able to do deep dives to understand that. And then you have to mix this with a kind of Franco-Belgian way of doing business, which means investing a lot in people, lunches and coffee moments. On the one hand, you work strategically, since it’s always about the long term, which you have to combine with the content. You also have to have a pleasant personality to do business with and be a communicator.”

Not enough time

According to Labovic, what you absolutely have to avoid is only showing your face once, only organising something once and not planning enough time for the people who matter. “The Dutch often plan very tightly, which is very different from other nationalities. Appointments often run over. You need to invest in your presence. For example, Dutch people build everything around a meeting. The meeting time is the leading factor, but the Flemish take much more time for each other around a meeting.”

Has Labovic ever messed up other people’s habits? “Of course. The biggest mistake you can make is to say that you have to go while your conversation partner is in the middle of a story. That happened to me once at an introductory meeting with a senior official. I had planned my diary too tightly, like a real Dutch person. Bad move. My conversation partner made sure I knew it as well.”

Events and traditions

Events and traditions are important for successful lobbying, explains Labovic. “When I lobbied for Zeeland, I started a Friends of Zeeland drinks event in Brussels. At first, it was very small for a few people from Zeeland who worked in Brussels, but it quickly grew. Also, the people who had something to do with the province or who had been there on holiday came to have a drink because it was very gezellig (fun). We had oysters, bites and a drink.

It became a recurring event that gathered even more interest. This helped me connect with new people. I created an atmosphere in which I could also do business, which resulted in new contacts. I once counted 500 business cards. You need that. Lobbying starts with knowing the right people.

However, there is a difference between lobbying and networking. Lobbying always involves political and policy impacts. That’s not always the case with networking. An example of my lobbying? I lobbied for flax cultivation in Zeeland. Flax farmers would no longer receive money from Brussels, which seemed to doom an entire industry. We fought this for years, successfully. The industry still exists.”

Important people

The importance of European association conferences and events in Brussels is huge. “There are many events in Brussels. In the commission weeks when the European Parliament meets (10 to 20 weeks a year), there are about 200 events a day,” explains Labovic. “However, they are not all equally effective. In Brussels, we sometimes see long, boring PowerPoint presentations where people just keep talking. Do you really want to give them that feeling? No, you don’t. You won’t score or achieve your goals that way. You have to inspire your guests. Did they have a good time? Was there a call to action? All essential. A solid strategy and vision are part of organising events.”

Good timing

“It all starts with good timing, both in the political debate and in a practical sense. The subject must be on the agenda, and people must already be in Brussels during the commission weeks, for example. You should also realise that you won’t immediately lead an entire discussion. It’s a start, and an important one at that. During that moment, you have the political and policy attention of important people in Brussels for a while, including civil servants and politicians such as MEPs."

"With your event, you create attention for your theme in a kind of laboratory, in which you determine the ingredients. You get to choose who speaks and which tone to set for your subject. You also provide a good feeling about your event or conference and your subject. What you do before and after is also important. You have to create a sort of buzz around your event. A good venue, relevant speakers and media collaboration. If you pull that off, you’ll create important conditions.”

European associations

What should European associations do to facilitate their lobbying when organising conferences? “Collaborate with professionals in the event and conference industry as well as within the political and policy framework”, advises Labovic. “By involving lobbyists in the organisation, you’ll make more of an impact.

'At Westminster in London, more and more agencies specialise in events and conferences’

At Westminster in London, more and more agencies specialise in events and conferences. They know how the political arena works. In the Netherlands and Brussels, you barely see that. I advise organisers to invest in knowledge. You have to know how the EU works or collaborate with people who do. Associations of interest groups could collaborate more with event organisers. This way, you’ll be on the same page and can organise an authentic conference that can make a difference.”

Dutch comedian Jochem Myjer

Examples of conferences that turned out to be successful? “For the Randstad conurbation, a conference was once held in Brussels at a beautiful location where Dutch comedian Jochem Myjer performed. It was a huge success. The message was combined with a crowd pleaser.” And one of the worst events? “An event for event planners. I’m not making this up. A lot of people showed up. I wanted to go there and learn from others. It started way too late. The content wasn’t useful. It was chaos.”  

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Thesis led to EU advisor job

Milos Labovic once wrote a thesis about the European lobby from a Serbian perspective for his studies at the RWTH Aachen University. It got him a job. “My parents are from Serbia, but I was born in the Netherlands. I wrote a thesis for my studies and was immediately offered a job. For two years, I was an EU advisor to the Serbian government in Brussels. Life can be strange sometimes.”