Bucharest, 27 May, 2024 – RBJ – For 2 days, Bucharest has been the European capital of public affairs. On Thursday, May 23, representatives of the Public Affairs Community of Europe (PACE), in partnership with the Romanian Lobby Registry Association, organized the Annual PACE Summit. Furthermore, on Friday, May 24, PACE elected its new leadership. Thus, for the next 3 years, the new president of PACE will be Laura Florea, founder and vice president of the Romanian Lobby Registry Association, vice president of Romanian Business Leaders, and Managing Partner at Point PA&PR.
The PACE Board will be ensured by:
Laura Florea – President (Romania – ARRL)
Maria-Rosa Rotondo – Honorary President (Spain – APRI)
Dominik Meier – Vice President (Germany – De’ge’pol)
Matti van Hecke – Treasurer (Belgium – BePact)
Vaclav Nekvapil – Member (Czechia – APA)
Francesco Macchia – Member (Italy – Il Chiostro)
Aristide Luneau – Member (France – AFCL)
The mandate of the new Board will focus on expanding the organization, supporting members for fair lobbying regulations, contributing to international recommendations in this regard, communicating the benefits of dialogue between governments and stakeholders, as well as education programs for the new generation of professionals.
The Public Affairs Community of Europe (www.paceurope.eu) is an organisation that brings together associations in the field of public affairs from 17 European jurisdictions, based on the principles of diversity, ethics, and transparency. This year, PRCA – UK, EPACA – EU, and PPA – Portugal have joined PACE.
Under the title “What does the future hold in public affairs?”, the discussions at the summit explored current topics such as European elections and the future of governance in the context of artificial intelligence, as well as the evolution of lobbying regulations at the European country level.
In her speech, Maria Rosa Rotondo, the honorary president of PACE, emphasized: “This summit represents an essential opportunity to strengthen cooperation among professionals in the field of public affairs throughout Europe. By sharing our knowledge and experiences, we can build together a more transparent and ethical future.”
Laura Florea, the new president of PACE, highlighted PACE’s continued commitment to promoting transparency and ethics in public affairs, adding: “No lobbying law will be a panacea for combating corruption, just as good governance does not only mean the absence of corruption. It is crucial to ensure that in all European states decision-making processes and actions, whether by government officials, the business environment, or civil society, are carried out fairly, transparently, and beneficially for people. It is essential to debate and understand how we can apply the pillars of good governance in this dialogue – rule of law, transparency, regulation, responsibility, and efficient participation in governance.”
The history of PACE began in May 2011 when the Italian association Il Chiostro and the Spanish association APRI launched a historic and unprecedented initiative in Europe, bringing together representatives from 27 European countries in the field of public affairs. As of May 2024, PACE supports the interests of 17 jurisdictions: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Switzerland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, United Kingdom, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, as well as those at the European institutions level. In 2025 the summit will take place in Rome, and in 2026 in Lisbon.
