What We Need to Know About ISO 14000

ful EC lobbying plan is the development of one's own position(s) in an effective format. Finally, the key component of a successful advocacy/lobbying strategy with EC institutions is to approach them early in the development stage. Companies should not wait until proposals have been published in the Official Journal. By this time, the "deal has been cut," and it is too late to have an effective role in drafting legislation. How then can companies ascertain the necessary information to have an impact in the legislative process? First, contacts can be developed with key EC officials through Coordination Offices in Brussels or through outside counsel or consultants. Included here would be officials not only at the Commission (e.g., DCs XI, III, V), but also in the Cabinet of the Environment Commissioner and in the European Parliament. As noted earlier, the Parliament is increasingly significant in the EC legislative process and MEP's in the key political groups and committees should be kept in mind. It is important to note, however, that mere sporadic contacts are not enough to ensure participation in the legislative process. Instead, it is a continuity of relationships and establishing credibility with the EC officials. The focus herein so far has been on EC officials.