Like every year, EPACA partnered with BestinBrussels.eu for their 2026 Guide.
EPACA Chairman Matti Van Hecke contributed a foreword to the Guide, which you can read in full below.
Taking on the chairmanship of EPACA is both an honour and a responsibility I do not take lightly. This association exists because we believe, collectively, that public affairs done well makes democracy work better. That conviction has not changed. But the world in which we practice our profession has changed, profoundly and rapidly.
Transparency and integrity remain the bedrock of everything EPACA stands for. They are not compliance obligations we fulfil reluctantly – they are the foundation of our legitimacy, our license to operate. I welcome the increased scrutiny from the Transparency Register we are experiencing, because rigour, applied consistently, raises the quality of information and levels the playing field for everyone. What we ask in return is that the dialogue between EPACA members and the EU institutions remains constructive and grounded in shared purpose. We all work towards the same goal: a transparency framework that is meaningful, trusted, and proportionate, and that is best built through open dialogue and good faith on all sides.
But if I am honest, lobby regulation is no longer the issue that keeps public affairs professionals up at night. Two other forces are reshaping our world far more fundamentally.
The first is geopolitics. The shift in the global order has reshuffled the deck entirely. Organisations that once operated in a broadly predictable policy environment now find themselves navigating deep political sensitivities, fragmented alliances, and questions that go far beyond Brussels. The demand for genuine strategic counsel — advice rooted in political judgment, not just process knowledge — has never been greater.
The second is technology. Artificial intelligence is automating tasks that have long been the bread and butter of EU public affairs work. Monitoring, drafting, summarising: machines can do more of this, faster. That is not a threat to our profession if we respond to it correctly. It is, in fact, an opportunity to focus on what no algorithm can replicate: critical thinking, relationship intelligence, and the human capacity to read a room and navigate uncertainty.
These are not challenges any one of us can meet alone. That is why EPACA matters more now than it ever has. Yes, we compete fiercely with one another in the market, but we are united by something more important than market share: a deep care for the reputation, the integrity, and the future of the profession we all have chosen. A collective vision for public affairs is not a luxury. In a world moving this fast, it is a necessity.
The Best in Brussels guide is one expression of that collective ambition, a chance to recognise excellence, reflect on where we stand, and look ahead together. I hope it prompts not just pride in what we do, but honest conversation about where we are going.
I look forward to those conversations. And I look forward to meeting many of you in the months ahead.
Matti Van Hecke,
Chairman of EPACA
Date: 24 June 2026
