European Association of Political Consultants

The European Association of Political Consultants (EAPC) is the professional association of Political Consultants in Europe, with members from more than 20 countries.

The EAPC was founded 1996 in Vienna. It is a platform for exchanging ideas between political consultants and is committed to supporting the development of democratic structures in Europe.

The current president is Igor Mintusov from Russia. Vice-presidents are Ilkka Ahtokivi and Kristina Wilfore from Turkey.

Past presidents include Marko Rakar,[1] Jan Juul Christensen, Gerlinde Manz-Christ of Liechtenstein, Necati Özkan, Christoph Hofinger, Volker Riegger, Mario Ballerini, Andrey Bulychev, Mehmet Ural and Bo Krogvig.

Activities

The EAPC co-organises annual conferences, the EAPC Master Class and the annual Polaris Awards[2][3] for excellence in the field of political consulting under a number of categories. Entries are accepted from across Europe and prizes in the international categories have been awarded to outfits across the world.

Whilst it takes no commercial position, the EAPC seeks to engender best practice amongst political consultants, particularly when it comes to ethical issues.

Concern about the potential for 'video photoshop' to mislead voters was expressed in the EAPC's London conference in March 2018.[4]

In May 2018, the EAPC commented publicly on the activities of Cambridge Analytica following the firm's use of honeytraps to exert influence on candidates and the wider voting public. The association said in a statement, “Campaign consultants SCL/Cambridge Analytica appear to have crossed the line in terms of professional and ethical responsibilities. There are clearly concerns that have been raised about using “honey-traps” and actions that may have exerted inappropriate influence on both candidates and the voting public. We strongly encourage all members to be fully open and transparent, and to challenge client requests for work that may be less than fair and honest or against the interests of democracy.”[5]

Members of the Board of Directors of the EAPC

The European Association of Political Consultants is led by an elected Board of Directors.

The following people are currently representing the EAPC as Board Members.[6]

Board Member Country Position
Prof. Dr. Igor Mintusov Russian Federation President
Ilkka Ahtokivi Finland Vice-President
Kristina Wilfore Turkey Vice-President
Sepp Hartinger Austria Treasurer
Dr. Reza Kazemi Germany Board Member
Sten Olsson Sweden Board Member
Graham Godwin-Pearson UK Board Member
Thomas Borwick UK Board Member

Annual Conference

The EAPC holds its annual conference in a different European City each year.

The 15th annual conference was held in Vienna, Austria in 2010.

The 16th annual conference was held in Madrid, Spain in 2011.

The 17th annual conference was held in Dubrovnik, Croatia from May 10 to 12, 2012.

The 18th annual conference was held in Milano, Italy in 2013.

The 19th annual conference was held in St. Petersburg, Russa in 2014.

The 20th annual conference was held in Istanbul, Turkey between 8 and 9 May 2015, with a keynote speech delivered by video link by former Deputy Chief of Staff at the White House and campaign manager for Barack Obama, Jim Messina.

The 21st annual conference was held in Copenhagen, Denmark on 20 and 21 May 2016.[7]

The 22nd annual conference was held in Brussels, Belgium between 28 and 31 May 2017. Keynote speakers included former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou[8] and former US Presidential candidate and DNC chair Howard Dean.[9]

The 23rd annual conference was held in London, UK on 13 and 14 March 2018.[10] Speakers included George Papandreou, former UK Health Minister Stephen Dorrell, Baroness Jenkin and political scientist John Curtice.

The 24rd annual conference was held in Athens, Greece between 30 and 31 May 2019.[11]

References
  1. "Asylum Podcast with Borna Sor: Marko Rakar, Political Consultant and Exposer of Electoral Fraud". Total Croatia News. Retrieved 16 Aug 2018.
  2. "Erdoğan's campaigner receives 4 awards in Brussels". The Daily Sabah. Retrieved 16 Aug 2018.
  3. "From Sibenik to London: Manjgura wins Polaris Award for Political Communication". Total Croatia News. Retrieved 16 Aug 2018.
  4. "Mellman: The next war". The Hill. Retrieved 16 Aug 2018.
  5. "EU Consultants call out Cambridge Analytica for 'unethical' practices". Campaigns and Elections. Retrieved 16 Aug 2018.
  6. "EAPC – European Association of Political Consultants » Board". www.eapc.eu. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
  7. "Politics Are Not Recession-Proof". USA News. Retrieved 16 Aug 2018.
  8. "Interview: Papandreou wants citizens to elect EU heads". New Europe. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  9. "Howard Dean at the EAPC's 22nd Annual Meeting, Brussels". YouTube. Retrieved 16 Aug 2018.
  10. "Event: European Association of Political Consultants conference and awards 2018". Political Advertising. Retrieved 16 Aug 2018.
  11. "Συνάντηση του Προέδρου της Βουλής με μέλη της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης Πολιτικών Συμβούλων από όλο τον κόσμο". Hellenic Parliament. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.