who we are
Passerelle is a boutique public affairs practice of independent specialists in European Union affairs.
Located in Brussels, Belgium with an EU and – through the ampliagroup – a worldwide network of experts, we act as our clients’ ‘Bridge to Europe’, working creatively to develop tailored EU engagement strategies that best serve our clients’ objectives.
Reflecting the new ways of doing business in a digital, fast-changing world, we can quickly and efficiently bring together the ideal team of specialists locally, in Europe and globally to match our clients’ needs.
We have multi-sector experience, with particular strengths in EU advocacy support to the legal and financial sectors.
We are specialists in creating and managing specialist EU public/private sector fora to address emerging policy issues or challenges.
Professionalism and integrity underscore all our activities. We are signed up to the EU Transparency Register and are accredited lobbyists to the European Parliament.
what we do
Every client is unique and we love working with each one, understanding their needs and goals, working with them to develop an EU engagement strategy that not only achieves their specific goals and vision but also creates ‘win win’ outcomes for both client and the decision makers with whom they engage.
Our clients’ goals are as varied and diverse as the clients themselves. Our basic service package typically includes intelligence and positioning on relevant policy issues, identifying key policymakers – in the European Commission, Parliament and Council – and guidance on how and when to engage with them in ways that support both client and policy makers.
We go further, matching our clients’ specific expertise with the needs of policymakers for constructive solutions for both client sector and EU policymaking. This deeper engagement support is wide ranging. Examples include participation of our clients as experts in European Commission working groups or in European Parliament hearings on specific issues, contributing to EU studies, consultation response, and hosting technical workshops with EU officials to help them understand complex issues.
Our proactive approach has led us to create brand new EU platforms and fora where we have identified a policy need on the part of both the private sector – our clients – and policymakers. Examples of these include the creation and management of the European Retail Financial Forum (ERFF) and the European Justice Stakeholder Forum (EJSF).
In the case of ERFF, launched in October 2015 in the European Parliament, the gap is the fragmented character of much of the EU retail financial services market and the need to find customer-focused and business-friendly ways to support the opening up of EU retail markets.
The EJSF, launched in 2016 with the participation of the European Commissioner for Justice, fills a need for a meeting place for high level dialogue among senior stakeholders in the justice sector on new and major challenges to the rule of law and to the legal profession.
We are happy to offer you a free scoping session to help map out the challenges and opportunities which may form the basis of a strategic EU engagement plan or may lead to the creation of a brand new EU platform to support your EU engagement.
founder
Dr. Fiona Murray has more than 25 years’ experience developing and delivering EU advocacy strategies for clients.
Fiona has worked for a wide range of clients, from Fortune 500 companies, SMEs, governments, global and national trade associations to NGOs and charities.
Her sector experience is diverse, including legal, financial services, tax, pharmaceuticals, trade, mining, IT, education and development.
She is the founder of a number of EU public private sector platforms including the European Retail Financial Forum and the European Justice Stakeholder Forum, for both of which she also acts as secretary general. Previously, she created and managed for several years an EU anti-money laundering platform.
Fiona trained as a barrister in London and has a PhD in European Law from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. She is the author of two books and several articles on EU law and policy. She is a specialist in relations between the EU and Member State territories.
She speaks English and French.
clients
as part of the European Retail Financial Forum (ERFF)
