Education & Science

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Education and science are the foundation of a healthy, resilient and future-proof economy. Their transformative power in addressing societal challenges, such as climate change, health care and technological advances, is essential. Good and focused education can also combat pressing labor market shortages in these sectors and is nevertheless crucial in shaping a new generation. Knowledge institutions therefore play a crucial, societal and connecting role between governments, organizations and companies, contributing to economic growth and innovations within different regions. This also demands a lot from these organizations.

Public Matters advises knowledge institutions on optimizing their role within triple helix collaborations, focusing on current topics such as sustainability, digitization, knowledge security, lifelong learning, valorization, innovative ecosystems, funding, internationalization and a future-proof economy and labor market. Our advice ranges from positioning organizations for the most impact, to hands-on support in promoting dialogues with policymakers and developing effective lobbying strategies.

Examples of how Public Matters supports clients active in the fields of education and science:

  • Development of public affairs and lobbying strategies aimed at influencing the House of Representatives or other policymakers regarding (new) policies in areas such as internationalization, sustainability, finance, sustainability, knowledge security, innovation and digital transformation.
  • Strengthening relationships with bodies in The Hague and Brussels, such as the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate, as well as with other industry organizations, educational institutions, and influential stakeholders based on force field analyses and/or a reputation study.
  • Our expertise in various sectors and in areas such as monitoring & intelligence and stakeholder management is also applied to bridge the interests of various stakeholders from business, provinces, municipalities and the knowledge institutions.
  • Embedding Public Affairs within organizations, including interim in-house support and facilitating workshops on lobbying and public affairs.
  • Support in shaping effective communication about the impact of organizations in a political-societal perspective, for example through certain science programs, and, if necessary, crisis communication.

Please feel free to contact one of our consultants to discuss the possibilities for your organization. We will gladly provide you with advice to ensure that your organization’s voice is heard in The Hague and/or Brussels.

Retail & Fast-Moving Consumer Goods

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In the retail and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, the consumer is central. Many issues directly affect the products in the (online) store and how consumers experience them. This means that complex topics and policy issues must be translated into what this means for the customer. Topics such as market power, product safety, labor market policies, sustainability and producer responsibility are often the subject of societal debate.

In recent years, companies have faced additional obligations regarding product take-back and recycling, as well as the introduction of deposits. In the coming years, companies in the retail and FMCG sectors will also face reporting and compliance obligations as a result of the coming into force of the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) and CSDDD (Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive), focusing on human and environmental impact. This puts pressure on brands and retail companies to work with stakeholders in the chain to provide insight into how the production process is set up.

Public Matters knows the relationships between industry associations, media, unions, NGOs and governments in the sector. We are also aware of the perception and impact of social issues on consumer brands. We advise on how companies make their voices heard with policymakers in the in public debate.

Examples of how we support our clients in the retail and FMCG sector include:

Please feel free to contact one of our consultants to discuss the possibilities for your organization. We will gladly provide you with advice to ensure that your organization’s voice is heard in The Hague and/or Brussels.

Healthcare

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Healthcare is one of the most intensive policy areas in the Netherlands. Moreover, healthcare is now the largest item in the national budget. The sector faces major challenges – including an aging society, a tight labor market and the incorporation of innovation and technological developments.

Healthcare in the Netherlands is diverse and has many different stakeholders, each with their role and position in the system. Think of health insurers, hospitals, patient organizations, professional groups, industry associations, pharmaceutical companies and knowledge institutions. These organizations are in flux and experience the consequences of developments and decisions in the political center of the Netherlands in “The Hague” and, increasingly, Brussels on a daily basis. Often these organizations find each other and work together. Sometimes mutual interests are diametrically opposed. A focused public affairs approach is therefore crucial.

Public Matters has broad expertise in healthcare. Our colleagues deal with clients’ challenges on a daily basis, guiding them in achieving concrete public affairs results.

Examples of how we support clients in healthcare:

  • Positioning a sector interest in parliament, at departments and in media.
  • Formulating strategy and key messages for the policy/legislative process.
  • Arranging dialogue with relevant stakeholders.
  • Shedding light on the latest state of affairs and policy developments in healthcare.
  • Anticipating future changes and long-term policy developments.
  • Organizing meetings for vision development and support.

Is your organization facing a challenge in healthcare? Please feel free to contact one of our colleagues for an introduction.

Infrastructure & Transport

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Public Matters specializes in providing lobbying & public affairs advice to clients within the comprehensive mobility sector, which includes public transport, transportation and micro-mobility. We provide support in various crucial areas such as investments in road and rail infrastructure, promotion of sustainable mobility, developments in labor market policies, tax issues, guidance on procurement processes and navigation through both national and European legislation. Moreover, we recognize the significant impact of digitalization on these sectors and actively integrate this insight into our support.

In the mobility sector, investments are characterized by their long-term nature, which necessitates a long-term vision, especially when lobbying for, for example, co-financing from the Dutch Multi-Year Program for Infrastructure, Spatial Planning and Transport (MIRT) or the Dutch National Growth Fund. The impact of these investments on the physical environment means that a wide range of stakeholders can exert significant influence on both policy and political decision-making. This underlines the importance of effective stakeholder management, essential for addressing complex issues related to, for example, Schiphol Airport, the port sector and public transport. Well-organized stakeholder management can significantly influence the decision-making process. Public Matters guides clients through the complicated landscape of both Brussels and national regulations, public debate, supervisory bodies and local decision-making.

Examples of how we support clients in the mobility sector:

  • Advising on national, local and EU regulations related to mobility policy, for example in the field of renewable energy carriers and biofuels. This includes using our monitoring services to identify key policy changes and provide proactive advice.
  • Optimize stakeholder management, including conducting force field analyses to understand your organization’s position within the political and social playing field, and reputation research to understand how your organization is perceived.
  • Assist in updating existing regulations to integrate new technologies and advance your agenda through strategic media communications.
  • Support in applying for co-financing for projects such as infrastructure development.
  • Advising on labor market issues for the transportation sector, including recruitment assistance and providing interim solutions. We also provide training and workshops to enhance the skills and knowledge of your team.

Please feel free to contact one of our consultants to discuss the possibilities for your organization. We are happy to provide you with advice to ensure your organization’s voice is heard in The Hague and/or Brussels.

 

Construction & Real Estate

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The Netherlands faces a complex spatial challenge. Finding a balance between housing construction, infrastructure development, circularity, sustainable energy projects and the protection of nature and the environment is an ongoing challenge. The nitrogen crisis has put further pressure on this challenge, resulting in stricter requirements for spatial planning.

Where in recent decades the emphasis was on decentralized implementation of spatial policy, there seems to be a growing need for more direction from the central government. As a result, Public Matters sees a return to a more centralized approach, with renewed government attention to public housing and national programs focused on the environment. As a result, the conversation between government and organizations in the housing and construction sectors is becoming increasingly important, with topics ranging from the designation of building sites to regulations regarding building safety and sustainability.

Nevertheless, local stakeholder management also plays a crucial role in spatial issues. For example, involving local parties and other external stakeholders at an early stage can contribute to support for development projects.

Our consultancy work also focuses on supporting clients in the construction sector in tackling the sustainability challenge. With approximately 40% of CO2 emissions in the Netherlands coming from the built environment, the sector faces significant challenges. These include making building materials more sustainable, dealing with resource shortages and the need to become more circular. The rapid development of new standards and regulations, both national and European, requires constant adaptation of organizations in this sector.

Examples of our work:

Please feel free to contact one of our consultants to discuss the possibilities for your organization. We are happy to provide you with advice to ensure your organization’s voice is heard in The Hague and/or Brussels.

Climate & Energy

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In the coming years, major and important choices will be made for the energy system of the future. Both at the European level, with the elaboration of the Green Deal, and at the national level, with programs for energy (infrastructure), environment and circularity.

Public Matters offers strategic advice to companies and organizations that (want to) be part of this changing climate and energy landscape. Public Matters’ experience is diverse: from renewable energy producers to ETS companies, and from green NGOs to industry associations and (local) governments.

Whether it is about influencing national legislation or European directives, the realization and implications of the many government programs in the field of making industry, circular economy and the energy system more sustainable, or creating (local) support for new initiatives, you have come to the right place. The consultants of Public Matters have experience with and knowledge of (sustainable) energy & mobility, circular economy, supply chain and CSR policies, construction and real estate developments in the field of sustainability, sustainable financing, etc.

We are happy to use our accumulated knowledge and network to assist you further in, among other things:

Please feel free to contact one of our consultants to discuss the possibilities for your organization. We will gladly provide you with advice to ensure that your organization’s voice is heard in The Hague and/or Brussels.

Public sector

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It is a misconception that professional public affairs & lobbying support is only available to businesses. Public Matters shows that this is not the case. Since our founding we have advised a wide range of organizations, including ministries, municipalities, provinces, independent administrative bodies (ZBOs), implementing organizations, (digital) regulators, state participations, educational institutions, development companies and public-private partnerships.

These often involve specific public affairs challenges, in which the political-social force field plays an important role both internally and externally. With our professional outside view, we contribute to the best possible organization of the internal organization and the development and implementation of the most effective strategy. You have also come to the right place for the internal and external strategic communication that often plays an important role in achieving objectives. In all of this support, our consultants draw on their extensive experience to best serve our clients.

Examples of how Public Matters supports clients in the public sector:

  • Training and preparing participants in both private preliminary interviews and public hearings of a parliamentary inquiry.
  • Support in realizing and communicating about various grants and funds.
  • Advise on organizational structure to maximize effectiveness of your public affairs activities.
  • Formulation of strategy and key messages for the policy/legislative process, as well as clarification of our clients’ roles, supported by effective media communication if necessary.
  • Develop stakeholder mapping – including relevant positions and public affairs actions.
  • Advise on media strategy and collaboration with like-minded stakeholders.
  • Provide public affairs training to enhance clients’ knowledge and skills as well as the possibility of interim in-house support.

Please feel free to contact one of our consultants to discuss the possibilities for your organization. We are happy to provide you with advice to ensure that your organization’s voice is heard in The Hague and/or Brussels.

Financial Services

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The Netherlands has, traditionally, had a thriving financial sector. The world’s first stock exchange stood at Beursplein in Amsterdam. Still a European center for capital markets, the Netherlands boasts many innovative financial companies.

The financial sector is also one of the most regulated sectors. Virtually all regulation affecting the financial sector has its origin is Brussels. The transition to the national context, the implementation process into national regulations, can involve the tightening of standards, also known as “gold-plating,” which can affect the level playing field.

For financial institutions, it is crucial that the regulatory framework be consistent with practice and enforceable. The sooner an organization is aware of impending changes, the better it can respond to the new reality and the greater the likelihood of making successful adjustments so that legislators do not saddle the industry with ineffective requirements.

The trust and reputation of financial companies and executives is also receiving more attention than ever. Remuneration policies, financing policies, from the fossil industry to SMEs, the international nature of this sector, innovative and complicated financial products that are not always well understood by the public, cross-border tax structures that are facilitated or taken advantage of: society has an opinion about it. The scrutiny this sector is under necessitates a continuous dialogue with society.

Societal developments and new standards may be perceived as threatening but also offer opportunities. This is precisely where Public Matters can be of service, as our consultants are familiar with both The Hague and Brussels.

Examples of how we support clients in the financial sector:

  • Consulting and support on stakeholder and relationship management, politics and government and society.
  • Public affairs and lobbying advice on influencing (European) regulations based on monitoring and through, for example, strategic media communication.
  • Signaling and interpreting short and long-term policy developments in the financial sector in social context.
  • Developing a strategy and key messages that are distinctive from the competition with an eye for sector interests but also in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR).
  • Managing (un)desirable business acquisitions and mergers.
  • Advising on how to manage the process of (fiscal) state aid (in the Netherlands, Brussels and abroad).
  • Advising on influencing the tax policy agenda and Dutch Tax Plan with respect to specific policy measures.
  • Managing the network of stakeholders in times of crisis where the reputation of leadership and the company are at stake, through among others effective crisis communication.

Please feel free to contact one of our advisors to discuss options for your organization. We are happy to provide you with advice to ensure your organization’s voice is heard in The Hague and/or Brussels.

Technology

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Technology is often the driving force behind major (societal) changes: to the way we work, communicate, recreate and organize our lives. New developments such as artificial intelligence and quantum technology offer innovative opportunities, while protecting our digital infrastructure has never been more important. These developments affect every sector, such as transportation and mobility, healthcare and education, as well as financial services and the (digital) economy.

Developments in the tech sector often move faster than legislation can keep up. This places high demands on the public affairs and lobbying capacity of organizations, as these new technological developments require the development of new policy frameworks or additional regulation. In addition, changing market relationships within (digital) sectors often lead to greater conflicting interests, which is reflected in more intensive lobbying towards policymakers.

In terms of policy development regarding the digital economy, we see several examples of the official and political search for a new balance: between large and smaller players, between traditional and new business models, and between consumer interests and growth potential.

Examples of how Public Matters supports clients in the tech sector:

Feel free to contact one of our consultants to discuss the possibilities for your organization. We will gladly provide you with advice to ensure that your organization’s voice is heard in The Hague and/or Brussels.