DO Newsletter: September/October Issue 2009

Paul Reiderman, Director, Council of the EU

Paul Reiderman is a Director (DG Agriculture) at the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU. He has lectured on EU negotiations for the Development Office since 2005.

What is an EU negotiation process?
It is the meeting place between a set of rules and an administrative and political culture. This unique culture breathes life into the rules.

What makes a good negotiator?
Three key components are learning, listening and applying the lessons learnt. Learning can be done through reading and observing. Listening is a key element in identifying your allies and adversaries. And applying means using skills to navigate within the negotiation in order to achieve the best outcome.

Is it the practice or the learning experience that is more important?
Both are essential. Some people can spend a whole career in negotiations without being good negotiators. It is a skill that can be enhanced later in your career and is not necessarily something that you learn through doing. There is an element of self-reflection and coaching in it.

Is it therefore so important for civil servants and businessmen to understand EU negotiation processes?
Training constitutes a very good basis for understanding and doing. Civil servants have to know how European or national decisions are made because it has a direct impact on their work. For businessmen understanding negotiating processes is as critical as map-reading would be for an explorer.

How does a participant of your workshop acquire the negotiating skills?
They learn by doing – or rather by playing. It’s by going beyond the classroom lecture type environment: people are not only an audience but become negotiators. They learn sometimes without being conscious that they are learning – just by plunging themselves into the simulation!