But “monitoring” - a firm grip on the facts - is only the starting point for creating a business strategy to take commercial advantage of the new opportunities that are opening up.  So we have constructed layers of services to enable clients to choose what they need at any specific moment. The following observations may be a starting point for detailed discussions – which are likely to evolve over time as practical problems intervene and require solutions. A current example is the role of Graham Bishop in pointing out the profit opportunities that should flow from MiFID when many firms seem to be treating it a “just a compliance exercise”.

·         We provide a mechanism for forward strategic thinking to influence the shape of future policy – at a modest price and time commitment: The Brussels Financial Circle.

·         But clients’ management will expect a focus of effort on immediate matters of current policy. Our European Finance Forum could be that component.

·         However, groups of financial institutions may have many problems in common and may be looking for a mechanism to identify possible solutions to these problems – and then influence the political decision-making system.

·         We all believe that the political decision-making process is open to well-founded arguments about solutions that advance a single financial market in Europe.

·         Having prepared such arguments jointly, each institution could then take the common position to their own Government, MEPs etc.

Monitoring the structure and regulation of “European finance”

GrahamBishop.com has created a web-based service to make it easy to follow developments by splitting them into "Timelines" for each major financial sector, and then sub-dividing those into specific legislative topics.  This monitors the progress in capturing the full benefits of the new financial system. The philosophy is to have readily available all the basic, factual information about the changing legal climate that a financial institution should consider when reviewing its business strategy in the EU. Currently we cover 7 basic sectors and 25 legislative measures, with a wealth of historic material in the Archives.

Our monitoring service is designed to provide top-class research at a fraction of the cost of comparable in-house service. There is a huge volume of developments as the EU moves to construct a genuinely single financial market. So we provide you with three tiers of service to give cost-effective layers of subscription to the various components.    

We offer differing service levels because GrahamBishop.com has developed a comprehensive Premium Monitoring system to meet the need that has become apparent to us during regular briefing sessions and discussions with clients. But not all clients need such a range of information so our Basic Monitoring Service provides the essential facts – via the weekly e-mail and the web-site (with its 7,000 links to events). We also provide a third tier of service – a simple Timeline of future Events in EU Financial Services as a guide to up-coming meetings of legislators, consultation deadlines and expected dates for reports.

I. Premium Monitoring system includes the following components:

1. The Financial Services Month in Brussels. This monthly publication is the core of our premium service, and includes Graham Bishop’s personal overview and analysis of events. The publication is discussed in greater detail below.
2. The Full weekly e-mail (with live links to the events and descriptions)
3. Access to the European Finance Service
4. Continuously up-dated Timeline of future Events in EU Financial Services
5. Edited minutes of key legislative bodies – ECOFIN, ECON, JURI & IMCO
6. Occasional papers by Graham Bishop
7. Notes of the European Financial Forum meetings
8. Listing of the key public sector players in EU financial services policy

II. European Finance Service: This subscription service is a convenient and cost-effective method of monitoring the huge volume of developments as the EU moves over time to construct a genuinely single financial market. 

1. Access to the European Finance website  (see below for details and listing of sectors)
2. The Full weekly e-mail (with live links to the events and descriptions)
3. Notes of the European Financial Forum meetings
4. Access to the occasional papers written by Graham Bishop

III. Timeline of future Events in EU Financial Services

• This is a stand-alone service that gives a guide to the meetings of the legislators (especially ECOFIN and ECON), together with the known deadlines for responding to consultations and the expected dates for the issue of reports and the like.

Enquiring for a single market

The web-based information service is complemented with members meetings and co-operative problem-solving events:

• Regular, open discussion meetings for limited numbers,
• Short, focussed workshops designed for interaction between policymakers and only a few clients,
• One-day events for broader policy consideration but again limiting numbers to ensure real participation and, at the top level, provision of independent research and consultancy to individual clients.

Two types of Members’ Meetings are held:

1.      European Finance Forum: Detailed Scrutiny of Current Issues.  A quarterly review of progress and an in-depth assessment of a current topic – arranged in Brussels. It is organised in Brussels by GrahamBishop.com, with senior representatives of the European Commission, Members of the European Parliament, Member State governments, the European Council and other institutions involved. They comment on a topic of current interest, followed by a roundtable discussion between Forum participants. These discussions are designed to check that the goals set out in financial services legislation are being met in practice – right down to the fine details of all the regulations. Request subscription

Co-operative problem solving can take two basic forms:

1.      Focussed workshops: GrahamBishop.com hosts “focussed workshops” on specific topics where key market experts can debate issues between themselves but in the presence of the key representatives of the European institutions. This process is designed to come to specific conclusions on a particular topic that is of critical business importance to the sponsors. However, it is also a debate between interested parties on what outcome will further the goal of a single market.  This approach enhances the visibility and standing of the participants’ arguments in a very direct way, rather than being a lobbying effort.  GrahamBishop.com has had excellent feedback so far from sponsors and European institutions alike on those workshops.

2.      One-day Events: These last one day and are intended to have a maximum of 40 participants. We look for a breadth of sponsorship to maintain independence. Scenario papers are presented by leading experts on the logical consequences of policy options relating to the topic, followed by discussion on the policy options available. These events are designed for top-level participants – balanced between public sector, politicians, private thinkers, commercial businesses, and by nationality.

• Virtual consultancy network:  Our Associates – as well as a network of ad hoc consultants – are able to offer bespoke consultancy on a particular topic, including EU competition issues in the financial arena. Each member of our group of consultants is seen as a leading authority in their field. This will be pooled with Eurozone Advisors (EZA) to create an unrivalled network of specialists. The work is undertaken personally by the named leading experts in the field.

• Specific support to an institution: We can provide a tailored consultancy service on the implications for a particular institution. This could include prime sponsorship of a Focussed Workshop on a particular business problem.

• Speeches, lectures and articles can be contributed to events organised by an institution.