“The art of lobbying”: Top class held by the head of Northern German chambers of commerce an industry

On March 10, Mary Papaschinopoulou, Director of the Association of Northern German Chambers of Commerce and Industry and its representative to the EU, visits Jacobs University to give a lecture on international lobbying. The lecture is part of the course “European Integration” in the undergraduate program “International Politics and History”.

[ Mar 10, 2008]  The course, in which Mary Papaschinopoulou will give her lecture, introduces the students to the institutions and mechanisms regulating the European Union, which is considered to be the most successful international organization to date, even though its political system and its functioning differ greatly from those of its member states. As the representative of 14 Northern German chambers of commerce and industry (= 550.000 companies) to the EU in Brussels Papaschinopoulou can give an exceptional insight into professional lobby services, especially tailored to the specific needs of SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises). On the occasion of her visit Papaschinopoulou will also meet with Jacobs University’s president Joachim Treusch and other members of the university’s leadership.

Dr. Mary Papaschinopoulou is born in Greece and holds both, the Greek and the German citizenship. She speaks Greek, English, German, French and Italian. She obtained two university degrees in law and economics in 1993 and 1998 at the Universities of Athens, Paris, Hanover and Hamburg. Furthermore, Papaschinopoulou holds a PhD in banking and currency law from the University of Hamburg and has published two books and several studies on European banking law and the European Monetary Union. Within this context, Papaschinopoulou undertook a research stay with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (US Central Bank) in Washington D.C. She has held several positions as a lecturer (College of Europe in Hamburg and the International Management School) and as a project manager in Germany.

In 2000 Papaschinopoulou became the director of the representation of the Hamburg chamber to the EU in Brussels. By developing and implementing an explicit growth strategy (professional issues and stakeholder management, acquisition of Hamburg based companies as core clients, expansion to "new markets"), she created a new organisational structure in just three years. The Brussels office reached "the next level" by growing to a representation of all the chambers of commerce and industry in the entire area of Northern Germany. From 2004 onwards Dr Papaschinopoulou has been focusing on the diversification of the services portfolio, with main focal points in maritime affairs, transport and international trade.