British Aerosol Manufacturers’ Association

Upskilling a trade association and its members on EU policy making and lobbying

Background

The British Aerosol Manufacturers’ Association (BAMA) represents the UK aerosol industry for all areas of the supply chain, from suppliers of components and ingredients to fillers and marketers of aerosol products. BAMA reached out to Whitehouse as its members were eager to gain an understanding on how the EU and EU policy-making work – especially in the areas of chemical policy and consumer protection – and how they can continue to meaningfully engage with the EU as a British organisation, following the departure of the UK from the EU.

Our strategy & outcomes

The Whitehouse team, possessing a deep understanding of the complexities of EU politics and policies, public affairs and chemical policies – and experience delivering trainings to a diverse audience, meant that we were aware from the onset of the importance of delivering an engaging and practical session. The training on “Understanding the EU institutions, the policy process and how to influence EU decision-making” was delivered online over two sessions. Attendees gained an understanding of the European Union, its institutions and decision-making procedures, and learnt how to positively engage with relevant debates in Brussels to shape and influence policy. Key to the training was also the presentation of political dynamics and shifting policy priorities at the EU level in light of the COVID-19 recovery plans, including on-going regulatory discussions that may affect the chemical and aerosol industry. As part of the training, Whitehouse also introduced BAMA to some of the implications of the UK being a third country following the UK’s departure from the EU and how to engage with the EU as a third country. Throughout the training, the Whitehouse team used a number of concrete case studies of relevance to the BAMA and to the chemicals sector. Delivering and engaging training online to an audience made of regulatory experts, marketing professional and individuals with a more technical background was no easy task, but the energy, knowledge and professionalism of the team allowed attendees to gain practical knowledge they could apply straight away: from where to find key information about EU legislative files, who to contact within the European Commission or the European Parliament, or what key policy and legislative changes are in the pipeline and how to influence them.

For more information on Whitehouse’s services as regards trainings, please visit: https://whitehousecomms.com/our-services/training/

Whitehouse was tasked with providing an overview on EU policy-making, to enable our corporate members to grasp the basics of effective lobbying. They worked with us to understand the needs of our audience and delivered a two-day course which was relevant in content, well-structured and rich in practical examples. They clearly have an in-depth knowledge of the topic and were able to answer our attendees’ specific and occasionally tricky questions, in an accurate and exhaustive manner. We cannot but praise their professionalism.