BestinBrussels 2025 Award for
“Best EU Public Affairs Campaign”
In previous years in our annual survey of over 500 Brussels public affairs professionals, we included two simple questions; to name one trade association and one company who exemplify best-practice and best-in-class EU lobbying in Brussels. The winners with the most votes have included Microsoft, AmCham EU, Spotify, EFPIA, Mozilla and CEFIC along with close runners-up who received multiple votes as well as honourable mentions. This year we changed the Award to celebrate the best public affairs campaigns in Brussels.
Each application was considered by the BestinBrussels Judging Panel comprised of Emma Brown (President of SEAP), Matti Van Hecke (Head of Secretariat, EPACA) and Christophe Lecureuil (Executive Director of ECPA). Mark Dober (Author of BestinBrussels) acted as Adjudicator for the Award.
The “Best EU Public Affairs Campaign Award” celebrates best practice public affairs among the EU business community based in Brussels. To qualify for the Award, the Campaign had some, if not all of the following five elements: Impact on EU Policy Outcomes; Innovative Strategy and Approach; Stakeholder Engagement; Reputation and Awareness Raising; Scope and Long-Term Impact. By evaluating lobbying campaigns against these criteria, the award recognizes not just success in influencing policy but also ethical, innovative, and impactful advocacy that aligns with the values of the EU policy-making process.
The BestinBrussels Judging Panel confirmed the “Winner” with the highest scores according to our criteria, along with three close runners-up who were “Shortlisted” for their respective awards, as well as ten “Honourable Mentions” who were selected from over twenty submissions.
The Winners and Shortlisted Nominees were presented their Awards at the launch of the new BestinBrussels 2025/26 Guide which took place in Brussels on 26 June.
“Best EU Public Affairs Campaign”
Winner – European Aluminium Campaign to “Ban Russian Aluminium”
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 provoked a great deal of anxiety and reflection within the European aluminium industry. In addition to the natural concern about the suffering of the Ukrainian people, there was inevitable uncertainty about how to handle the fact that a country with a decades-long history as an integrated part of Europe’s aluminium supply chain could no longer be regarded as a reliable or appropriate long-term partner/supplier.
European Aluminium’s Executive Committee decided the association should begin an active advocacy campaign aiming to ‘ban Russian aluminium’ from the EU market. Just over a year later, despite considerable reluctance/active resistance from various stakeholders, the mission was accomplished. Following an initial step to prohibit imports of processed aluminium goods, the EU adopted a phased ban on EU imports of Russian primary aluminium on the third anniversary of the invasion (February 24th, 2025) in its 16th sanctions package. Although this step was the culmination of a nearly 18-month campaign in which European Aluminium engaged with a wide range of stakeholders, (the Commission, national governments, downstream aluminium users, civil society, etc.), the key to success was getting the timing right.
As European Aluminium team notes in its submission: “Just as Russia’s aggression will have long-term consequences for Ukraine, Europe and the wider world, we expect that the successful campaign to ban Russian aluminium will have a lasting impact on EU policy, further reinforcing Europe’s ambition and ability to end its dependence on Russian raw materials. Now that the sanctions are in place, it is difficult to see them being removed unless and until there is peace in Europe and a fundamental change in the nature and behaviour of Russia’s leadership. In any case, it serves as a clear demonstration that a small but determined team can affect real change through advocacy.”
The Shortlisted “Best EU Public Affairs Campaigns” in 2025 are in alphabetical order:
ACEA #FutureDriven campaign.
ACEA transformed a small part of the heart of the EU Quarter, the former ING bank on the well-known Place du Luxembourg for six weeks into a thriving hub for policy events, stakeholder engagement, partner activities, and networking events. Working together with the agency Bump, ACEA organized over thirty events over six weeks, reaching more than one thousand visitors, high-level speakers such as company CEO’s and Ministers, and stakeholders ranging from NGOs to schoolchildren who learned about their industry fostering STEM education.
“European Oceans Pact” campaign by the Oceano Azul Foundation (OAF) and Europe Jacques Delors (EJD)
The European Ocean Pact campaign achieved significant impact on EU policymaking in a record time. A political strategy for the Ocean was originally absent from strategic documents – such as the Letta and Draghi Reports – and, thanks to this campaign, it emerged as a top priority on the European political agenda. The campaign originated with the Manifesto for a European Ocean Pact, launched by the Oceano Azul Foundation (OAF) and Europe Jacques Delors (EJD) with input from high-level EU and ocean policy experts. The manifesto was officially presented at the Our Ocean Conference in Athens – on April 2024 – and delivered to the European Parliament on April 17, 2024. It called on the incoming European Commission to adopt a bold and coherent strategy to address environmental challenges and leverage the economic opportunities of the ocean. It positioned the ocean as central to Europe’s sustainability, prosperity, and resilience. The BestinBrussels consultancy Eupportunity supported the campaign at every stage in Brussels. The European Ocean Pact is set to be presented to the College of Commissioners on June 4, 2025, and officially presented by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at the 3 UN Ocean Conference in Nice. Moreover, representatives from the OAF and EJD have been invited by the Commission to speak at this high-level event .This is clear, demonstrable evidence of major political impact achieved in under 18 months.
IRU – International Road Transport Union “Safe Young Drivers” campaign
The Safe Young Drivers campaign was part of a bold IRU advocacy initiative that tackled an outdated EU regulatory barrier, age limits in the EU Driving Licence Directive, with an objective to eliminate it. IRU called for licensing reform to align with modern, skills-based training closing the gap between school graduation and job entry. Through compelling stories, data, and targeted advocacy, the campaign shifted the narrative from fear to competence, from age to ability. It empowered policymakers to see young drivers as an opportunity, not a risk, a way to strengthen supply chains, reduce unemployment, and future-proof the profession. Safe Young Drivers turned a niche legislative issue into a relatable, urgent political cause. By blending facts, emotion, and strategic timing, the campaign captured attention and support at the highest levels and helped shift EU policy.
Honourable mentions
The judges also highlighted a list of top ten “Honourable mentions” to denote the other best campaigns, amongst more than twenty submissions from the EU public affairs community.
The “Best EU Public Affairs Campaign” 2025 Honourable Mentions (in alphabetical order) are:
- Airlines for Europe (A4E) – Airspace reform campaign
- Bayer – Sustainable Competitiveness Campaign
- Cerame-Unie #InclusiveCleanIndustrialDeal Campaign
- Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI) – Circular Choices Campaign
- EDACS – “Ending Discrimination Against Cancer Survivors” Campaign
- EFPIA – Precision Oncology Campaign
- ePURE – Farms to Future Campaign
- European Textile Services Association (ETSA) – Climate Ambassadorship Campaign
- EUsalt – Iodised Salt Campaign
- Nuclear Medicine Europe – Protecting Patient Care Campaign
