What a career in public affairs actually requires
Most people who want to work in Brussels advocacy arrive with the same preparation: a degree that covered European integration in theory, a habit of following the news, and no practical grasp of the procedure behind either. The gap becomes visible at the worst moment. In an interview at a trade association, a consultancy or an NGO, the question is rarely what you have read. It is at what point in the file you would have intervened, and with whom.
The second difficulty is timing. Almost everyone can name the institutions. Far fewer can say when a Commission unit stops taking input, when a rapporteur’s draft becomes hard to move, and why a well-argued paper sent two weeks late is worth nothing at all.
This programme is built around both problems. It teaches the procedure rather than the vocabulary, and it teaches it from someone who spends his working week doing it.
- Say where you would intervene, and why then. The decision-making cycle has entry points, and they close.
- Name the right addressee. Commission unit, rapporteur, shadow rapporteur, attaché in a Permanent Representation: each is reached differently and wants a different document.
- Build a position that survives contact with other interests. Coalitions, trade-offs, and what to concede first.
- Read the Transparency Register and the rules honestly, including what the framework does not cover.
- Write the documents the job asks for: a position paper, a one-page ask, a meeting request that gets a reply.
What the programme covers
Every regulation that affects a sector was shaped by people who knew when the window was open. Brussels employs several thousand of them, and the profession is procedural before it is persuasive.
Five modules take you from the institutional map to the practice: how the ordinary legislative procedure really runs, who the main actors are and what each of them can actually deliver, how to lobby the Commission, the Parliament and the Council differently, how a campaign is sequenced against the legislative timeline, and what the ethics framework requires of you.
The reading is primary throughout: Treaty articles, the Transparency Register, Commission consultation documents, committee reports and real position papers, rather than commentary about them.
9 Lectures
Reading Materials
5 Quizzes
Online
4 Hours
English
Course Content
Instructor
Clemens Rosenmayr
EU Law & Lobbying
Clemens Rosenmayr is a seasoned public relations professional with several years of experience in EU policy. He worked as Head of Energy and Environment Policy of Eurochambres, the European Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry and is now in charge of industrial policy at a national business organisation.
His main areas of work include ecodesign of products, industrial emissions, chemical legislation and raw materials policy and involve the coordination of joint industry positions, event organisation and frequent meetings with representatives of EU institutions and businesses. He is a trained economist and also studied environmental sciences. Originally from Austria, he lived in England, Spain, France and currently in Belgium.
What you will be able to do after the programme
- Understand the processes and interactions that define the EU institutional ecosystem and how policy is shaped at European level
- Grasp the fundamentals of the EU legal order and its underlying principles
- Identify the main actors in EU lobbying and how they interact with institutions and with each other
- Learn the key elements of effective EU lobbying campaigns and advocacy strategies
- Identify the critical entry points in the EU decision-making process to maximise influence on policy outcomes
- Understand the key developments, challenges, and opportunities shaping the future of lobbying at EU level
Who takes this programme
- Students of European studies, law and political science. You have the theory of integration. This is where it becomes a timeline with entry points and named addressees.
- People entering public affairs. Trade associations, consultancies, in-house government relations: the work is the same procedure seen from different sides, and this is the map of it.
- NGO and civil society staff. You already advocate. The programme adds the institutional timing that decides whether an intervention lands or arrives late.
- Officials and diplomats on the receiving end. Knowing how the profession works changes how you read what arrives on your desk.
- Officials and diplomats on the receiving end. Knowing how the profession works changes how you read what arrives on your desk.
No prior expertise in EU law is required. A basic familiarity with the institutions helps, and the programme starts from first principles.
What happens after you enrol
Lectures, examination, certificate. Nothing opens until the step before it is finished. Tap any step to see what it involves.
Where our graduates work
Graduates of this programme work across the Brussels public affairs ecosystem: the institutions themselves, representations and agencies, industry and consultancy, and the organisations that push back.
of graduates moved into a new position or were promoted within five to six months of completing the programme.
From past participants
A few words from people who took the course and now do this for a living.
The Lobbying in the EU course is essential for anyone wanting to understand how policy is made and influenced in Brussels. Highly recommend it for its practical insights and comprehensive approach to EU advocacy.
Michiel van Isacker
Business Development Manager
European Law & Policy Making and Lobbying in the EU programmes are an efficient and genuinely enjoyable way to build a solid grasp of the EU’s structure, institutions, and decision-making processes. Directly relevant and well-organised.
Sara Cardona Rubio
Policy Officer
The EU Law and Policy Making and Lobbying courses gave me a solid foundation in EU law, covering everything from the institutional framework to the real-world impact of EU legislation. I now navigate EU law with confidence and can apply what I learned directly to my work.
Xavier Clausse
Business Development Manager
Format
Online and self-paced. Nothing is scheduled: there are no intake dates, no login times and no deadlines, so you can start the day you enrol and stop whenever you need to.
The programme takes around five to six hours in total, covering nine recorded lectures across five modules, thirteen topics, the reading materials and the quizzes. Most participants finish over a weekend, or across two or three evenings a week for a month.
Access is for life and includes any later updates to the material, so you can come back to a module when a file at work makes it relevant again. The lectures play in the browser on any device, and the reading materials download as files you keep.
Eligibility
English at B1/B2 or above is the only formal requirement. It exists because the terminology is not translated: you will read Commission documents and committee reports in the language they were written in.
No background in EU law, political science or public affairs is expected, since the programme starts from the institutions themselves and builds from there. If you can read a news article about a Commission proposal without looking anything up, you will follow the material from the first lecture.
There is no application, no interview and no waiting list. Enrolment is open continuously, and access opens the moment it is completed.
Enrolment fee
The standard enrolment fee is EUR 75. Enrolments made this month carry the September rate of EUR 49, for the same programme with nothing removed: same lectures, same reading list, same examination, same certificate.
The fee is settled once and covers everything: nine recorded lectures prepared and delivered by a practitioner who lobbies the institutions as part of his working week, the reading materials assembled for each module, lifetime access including future updates, four module quizzes with unlimited attempts, the final examination with retakes allowed, and the certificate issued in your name with a reference number that can be verified afterwards.
Nothing further is charged at any stage, and there is no separate fee for reissuing your certificate later. Full refund within 30 days: write to info@eugovlab.com and no explanation is required.
Start today and become more competitive in the EU bubble
Five to six hours is all it takes to know who decides, when each window closes and what a position paper has to contain to be read. Access opens the moment you enrol, and the certificate is issued in your name with a reference number an employer can check.
- ~5-6 hours in total
- Lifetime access
- Professional certificate
Things people ask before enrolling
Anything not covered here, ask us at info@eugovlab.com.
Is there a deadline, or fixed start dates?
Neither. The course is self-paced, enrolment is open continuously, and access does not expire. You can start the same day you enrol and finish over a weekend or across three months.
How much time does it take?
Around five to six hours in total: nine recorded lectures across five modules, thirteen topics, the reading materials and the quizzes. The final examination adds about half an hour.
Do I need a background in EU law or public affairs?
No. The course starts from the institutions themselves: what each of them is, what it may lawfully decide, and where an outside voice can still change the text. English at B1/B2 or above is the only formal requirement.
If you can read a news article about a Commission proposal without looking anything up, you will follow the material from the first lecture.
Is it useful if I already work in public affairs?
The institutional modules will move quickly for you. What most practitioners take from it is the timing: when each institution stops taking input, and why the same paper lands or fails depending on the week it arrives.
Who teaches it?
Clemens Rosenmayr, who works on industrial policy at a national business organisation and was previously Head of Energy and Environment Policy at Eurochambres. His files are ecodesign, industrial emissions, chemicals and raw materials, which means coordinating joint industry positions and meeting institutional representatives as a matter of routine.
What happens if I fail an assessment?
Module quizzes have unlimited attempts and their scores are not recorded on your certificate. The final examination allows retakes as well: sixty per cent is the pass mark, and nothing is timed.
How is the certification issued and verified?
The Professional Certificate of Completion is issued in your name as soon as the final examination is passed, with an issue date and a unique reference number. It can be checked against that number, so an employer or a selection panel can confirm it is genuine.
How do I add this to LinkedIn?
Add it under Licenses & Certifications. The issuing organisation is European Governance Lab, and the issue date and credential number are printed on the document itself.
How does enrolment work?
You enrol, and the whole course opens straight away: all nine lectures, the reading materials and the quizzes. No waiting list, no approval step and no start date to wait for.
The account you create when enrolling holds your progress and your certificate, and access to it does not expire.
What is the enrolment fee, and what is today’s rate?
The standard enrolment fee is EUR 75. Enrolments made today carry the rate of EUR 49, which applies to the same course with nothing removed.
The fee is settled once and covers the lectures, the reading materials, lifetime access including later updates, the quizzes, the final examination and the certificate.
Can I get a refund?
Yes, in full, within 30 days of enrolment. Write to info@eugovlab.com and no explanation is required.
You do not have to be sure today. Enrol, open the first lecture, read the reading list, and see whether the material is what you expected. If it is not, write to us within thirty days and the fee is returned in full, with no explanation required.
- Nothing is scheduled, so nothing is lost if you start slowly
- Every quiz can be retaken, and so can the examination
- Access does not expire, so the material stays available afterwards
Course Includes
- 5 Lessons
- 14 Topics
- 5 Assessments
- Course Certificate