ACCESS EU provides consulting services to businesses on European public policy matters, helping them align their goals with EU regulations, funding opportunities, and subsidy-acquisition strategies. It also facilitates connections with key stakeholders in Brussels. In the interview, the company’s Executive Director Filip Drnec offers an inside look at what is happening within the EU institutions and explains how companies can prepare for regulatory changes and the new priorities of the next EU budget cycle.
The European Commission presented its draft long-term EU budget for 2028 to 2034 on 16 July 2025. Where do you see the biggest opportunities for Czech companies?
Preparations for the next multiannual financial framework will continue until the end of 2027. Until then, Czech companies have an opportunity to shape the debate and ensure their legitimate needs and interests are reflected in it. They should make the most of that chance. The biggest opportunities will arise mainly within programmes managed directly at EU level, where Czech companies, along with other Central and Eastern European businesses, have so far lagged behind their Western competitors in drawing funds. The need for active involvement by domestic players will become even greater as the volume of resources available in the coming years through so-called cohesion funds at national level, in other words funds distributed by ministries, continues to decline.
In an environment where part of the public still sees lobbying as controversial, how do you structure cooperation with institutions so that it stands up to internal compliance rules, the media and stakeholders?
It is true that in the Czech Republic the word lobbying still tends to carry negative connotations. The fact remains, however, that within the European Union and in other developed countries it is a fully legitimate way for companies and organisations to communicate their interests to institutions and legislative bodies. The EU also has a number of tools in place to ensure that the whole process remains transparent. At ACCESS EU, we are therefore registered in the EU Transparency Register, which is one of the essential conditions for professional communication with stakeholders in Brussels.
At the same time, lawmakers cannot by definition have detailed knowledge of every issue and the specific features of every sector.
Through lobbying, businesses can provide them with the necessary know-how, draw attention to real-world problems and even propose effective solutions. An efficient business environment is one of the basic prerequisites for economic growth. Companies must therefore have the opportunity to communicate their needs and experience in a systematic way.
Where do companies most often make mistakes in trying to secure European funding, and where do they lose time and money?
Companies often come with a project that is already fully prepared and then try to fit it retrospectively into an existing policy or funding call. That usually does not work. If they want to succeed, they need to link the project to European priorities from the very beginning and be able to present it convincingly both politically and substantively. The era of broad-based funding such as React-EU is over. Today, success goes to those who can adapt to the European Union’s strategic direction.
A very good example from practice is one of our clients, who approached us in good time with a plan to build a hot-water pipeline from the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant to Brno, right at the very beginning of the project in 2023. That allowed us to prepare a comprehensive strategic communication plan, align it with the priorities of the European Commission and secure the support from the European Union that the project needed.
The legislative and funding process in the EU is long-term and complex. It begins with preparation, relationship-building and an understanding of political priorities, and only then does it logically lead to financing and to real influence over the direction of things. Through continuous communication, participation in political events at the European Parliament and systematic work with stakeholders, we succeeded in securing broad support for the project from Members of the European Parliament, representatives of the Commission and other key officials.
Defence is also expected to be a major item in the new European budget. According to the European Commission’s plan, related spending should increase tenfold. How fundamentally is the EU changing its approach to this sector?
We can see that, in the context of the current geopolitical situation, the European Union is gradually rethinking its previously rather strict approach to financing the defence industry. The new budget, which allocates EUR 131 billion to defence, is proof of that.
Europe began to act visibly in the field of defence policy as early as two years ago, when the very first European Defence Industrial Strategy was adopted. It provides a key framework for strengthening cooperation among Member States and for the future financing of the European defence industry. Among other things, it calls on the European Investment Bank to review its lending policy towards defence projects.
Although these changes could and should happen faster, Czech companies already have an opportunity to seek financial support for their investments from instruments such as the EDF, historically ASAP, and in the near future EDIP. Being active does not only mean securing funding. Above all, it means keeping pace with competitors from countries such as France and Germany, which are already pursuing these resources now.
Thank you for the interview.
