PA MATTERS
Public Affairs Strategy
A public affairs strategy is a written plan that sets out what a company wants to change in its regulatory environment, who decides it, when the decision window opens, and what arguments and evidence will move it. PA Matters builds these strategies for companies operating in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and at EU level in Brussels, primarily in regulated sectors such as healthcare, energy, mobility, retail, technology, financial services and defence.
Most companies come to us at one of three moments: a draft law appears that would change their cost base, they are entering a new CEE market and do not know who governs it, or an issue has escalated and internal ad-hoc responses have stopped working. In each case the first deliverable is the same — an honest map of the decision-making terrain, and a judgement about what is realistically achievable within it.
What a PA Matters strategy contains
Issue definition. What exactly is at stake, expressed in the language of the policy process rather than internal business language. A "cost increase" is not an advocacy position; a specific paragraph of a draft amendment is.
Decision-maker mapping. Who formally decides, who actually drafts, and who influences both. In Slovakia this typically spans the sponsoring ministry's legislative department, the Legislative Council of the Government (Legislatívna rada vlády SR), the relevant parliamentary committee of the National Council, and the coalition parties' internal channels. In Czechia it runs through the ministry, the Legislative Council, the Chamber of Deputies committees and the Senate. In Brussels it means the lead Directorate-General, the European Parliament rapporteur and shadow rapporteurs, and the Council working party where member states negotiate.
Timing. Legislation has windows, and most of them close earlier than companies expect. In Slovakia the genuinely open moment is the pre-legislative stage and the interministerial comment procedure (medzirezortné pripomienkové konanie) on the Slov-Lex portal; by the time a bill reaches its second reading in the National Council, the practical options narrow to a members' amendment, which is harder to place and harder to defend. A strategy that starts when the bill is already in parliament is usually a strategy that starts too late.
Position and evidence. What the company is asking for, in draft legal wording where possible, supported by data on employment, investment, prices, consumers or public revenue. Slovak and Czech legislative processes both require an impact assessment on the sponsoring ministry's side, which creates a specific, well-defined opening for credible external data.
Coalitions. Whether the company argues alone or through an industry association, a coalition of affected firms, or alongside consumer or environmental organisations that happen to share the position.
Measurement. What success looks like — a paragraph removed, a transition period extended, a threshold raised — and how the client will know whether it worked.
Why the strategy has to be country-specific
Slovakia, Czechia and Brussels look similar from a distance and behave very differently up close.
The most consequential difference right now is regulatory. Czechia has regulated lobbying since 1 July 2025 under Act No. 168/2025 Coll., which requires anyone lobbying systematically to register with the Ministry of Justice before making contact, and to publish a declaration of their lobbying activity every six months. Slovakia has no lobbying act in force. A Ministry of the Interior bill introducing a public register of lobbyists and a "lobbying footprint" entered the interministerial comment procedure in spring 2026, but has not been adopted.
This means a company running one campaign across both markets is running it under two different compliance regimes, and increasingly under a third in Brussels, where meetings with Commissioners, cabinet members, Directors-General and Parliament rapporteurs require entry in the EU Transparency Register. Strategy that ignores this produces avoidable legal and reputational exposure.
Who this is for
Companies with something material at stake in a policy file and no in-house public affairs function in the region; multinationals whose global PA team needs local execution in Slovakia and Czechia; and industry associations that need a strategy their members can all sign.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between public affairs strategy and lobbying? Strategy is the plan; lobbying is one of the tools inside it. A strategy also determines whether direct advocacy is even the right instrument, or whether the issue is better addressed through coalition-building, public communication, litigation or simply better compliance.
When should we start? Ideally before a draft exists — at the stage where a ministry publishes preliminary information about its legislative intent. Realistically, the earlier of "when you first hear a rumour" and "when the draft goes to interministerial comment procedure."
Do you work with companies that already have an in-house public affairs team? Yes. A large share of our work is providing local execution and local judgement for global teams that know the file but not the market.
How long does a strategy take to develop? A working strategy for a single defined issue typically takes 1-4 weeks from kick-off. A full mapping of a company's regulatory environment across all three jurisdictions takes longer.