Top Brussels PR & Public Affairs Firms 2026

Edited on Oct 12, 2026.

The leading public affairs firms and PR agencies in Brussels for 2026 are FleishmanHillard, Burson, Kreab, Interel, FTI Consulting, APCO Worldwide, Cambre Associates, Rud Pedersen, Hanover, Acumen Public Affairs, Grayling and Edelman. They work the European Commission, Parliament and Council on AI Act enforcement, platform regulation, defense, energy and trade, in a market of roughly 25,000 registered lobbyists.

Related: PR Firms Directory · Global PR Firms Atlas 2026 · U.S. public affairs firms · Public affairs pillar · Italy · South Korea · Moscow · China · London · Germany

Twelve firms shape the EU rulebook on AI, platforms, defense, and energy. The AI Act enforcement era made public affairs in Brussels the most consequential lobbying market outside Washington.

Brussels has roughly 25,000 registered lobbyists working the European Commission, Parliament, and Council. The EU Transparency Register lists more than 12,000 organizations with active engagement. The work moved from quiet corridor lobbying to full-spectrum public affairs the moment the AI Act, the Digital Services Act, and the Digital Markets Act became enforceable.

Below are the PR firms and public affairs agencies that matter, by AI Act enforcement, platform regulation, defense, energy, and the rest of the Berlaymont agenda.

The top Brussels public affairs firms at a glance

Firm	Background	Focus
FleishmanHillard Brussels	Omnicom Public Relations Group	Tech, health, energy, financial services
Burson	WPP; BCW and Hill & Knowlton merger	Corporate reputation, financial services, energy
Kreab	Stockholm-headquartered, 25 markets	Financial services, tech regulation, sustainability
Interel	Independent, founded 1985	Healthcare, tech, energy, trade; association management
FTI Consulting Brussels	Strategic communications with litigation and M&A	Antitrust, state aid, sanctions
APCO Worldwide	Independent global firm	Tech, defense, US-EU trade
Cambre Associates	Independent, founded 2007	Energy, climate, mobility, digital
Rud Pedersen Public Affairs	Nordic-rooted independent group	Tech, defense, financial services
Hanover	London-headquartered	Health, tech, financial services
Acumen Public Affairs	Independent, founded 2007	Trade policy, agri-food, climate
Grayling Brussels	Huntsworth network, now under Accordience	Tech, transport, consumer
Edelman Brussels	Edelman's EU practice	Tech reputation, ESG, corporate affairs

FleishmanHillard Brussels

The largest PA shop in town. Tech, health, energy, financial services. Deep regulatory benches on AI Act implementation and DSA enforcement. Part of Omnicom Public Relations Group post-IPG.

Burson

Formed from the WPP merger of BCW and Hill & Knowlton. One of the largest combined PA networks in Brussels. Strong on corporate reputation, financial services, and energy transition.

Kreab

Stockholm-headquartered, Brussels-heavy. Financial services, tech regulation, sustainability. Founded by Peje Emilsson; runs across 25 markets.

Interel

Independent, founded 1985. Brussels and Washington. Healthcare, tech, energy, trade. Strong association-management practice that gives it pipeline visibility competitors lack.

FTI Consulting Brussels

Strategic communications muscle attached to litigation, M&A, and crisis. Used for high-stakes Commission investigations: antitrust, state aid, sanctions.

APCO Worldwide

Margery Kraus's independent global firm. Brussels office punches above weight on tech, defense, and US-EU trade. See APCO Worldwide: The Independent Rebuild.

Cambre Associates

Independent, founded 2007 by Tom Parker. Boutique focus on energy, climate, mobility, digital. Bought a reputation for senior-only staffing.

Rud Pedersen Public Affairs

Nordic-rooted, now one of the largest independent PA groups in Europe. Aggressive Brussels growth via acquisition. Tech, defense, financial services.

Hanover

London-headquartered, Brussels presence growing. Health, tech, financial services.

Acumen Public Affairs

Independent, founded 2007. Trade policy, agri-food, climate. Punches hard for size on Commission-level mandates.

Grayling Brussels

Part of the Huntsworth network, now under Accordience. Tech, transport, consumer.

Edelman Brussels

Edelman's EU practice on tech reputation, ESG, and corporate affairs.

The Belgian Independents

Beyond the global networks and major PA firms, Brussels hosts a deep bench of Belgian independents fluent in both EU institutional communications and domestic Belgian media.

Vivaldi PR. Reference boutique for Belgian corporate and consumer communications. Media relations, crisis management, and public affairs. Personalized, senior-led model with strategic insight built into every engagement.

ComPass. Full-service PR, corporate communications, and media relations for Belgian and international clients. Targeted PR strategy execution and disciplined media relations.

The PR Office. Comprehensive PR spanning media relations, crisis management, and strategic communication. Focus on building durable media relationships.

Lighthouse Communications. Independent Brussels firm specializing in media relations, public affairs, and strategic communications. Tailored engagement mandates, bespoke rather than templated programs.

European Public Affairs (EPA). Specialist boutique for EU institutional public affairs and strategic communications. Practice built specifically around navigating the European Commission, Parliament, and Council.

Open Communication. Independent Brussels agency: media relations, corporate communication, and event management. Customized PR-solution model.

B2B Communications. Specialist for business-to-business PR and corporate communications. Strategic advisory and media relations for enterprise clients.

PR Factory. Creative-first approach: strategic communication tailored around media relations, brand management, and digital PR. Competes on campaign creativity.

Eurocom Worldwide. Brussels operation of a global PR network with independent-firm operating model at the local level.

B&B Communication. Independent firm specializing in media relations, public affairs, and strategic communication with strong local and international networks.

How to choose a Brussels public affairs firm

Choose a Brussels public affairs PR agency by the file, the institution and the seniority of the team. Four questions narrow the list.

1. Which file? AI Act implementation, DSA or DMA enforcement, defense procurement, energy transition or trade. Firms specialize by file.
2. Which institution? Commission, Parliament or Council. Ask who on the team has worked in each.
3. Global network or boutique? Networks such as FleishmanHillard, Burson and Edelman bring multi-market reach. Independents such as Cambre, Acumen and Interel often offer senior-only staffing.
4. Is Washington involved? APCO, Interel and others span both capitals. For the U.S. side, see the ranking of U.S. public affairs and political PR firms.

Why Brussels Is the Most Consequential PA Market in the World

Washington lobbying spends more money. Brussels writes the rules that bind every multinational. The AI Act applies to any company training or deploying frontier AI inside the EU. The DSA binds every platform serving European users. The DMA names the gatekeepers and dictates conduct. Energy transition spending runs into the trillions. Defense procurement under ReArm Europe is being redrawn in real time.

The firms above are the operating layer between the Commission's regulatory machinery and the companies it binds. AI Communications inside Brussels means citation share inside the policy briefs, the consultation responses, the AI-mediated press cycle, and the answer engines that journalists and officials now use to draft their first take. For the regulatory playbook, see Tech Regulation Communications: The 2026 Playbook, What Is AI Policy? and AI Regulation for Brands 2026. The discipline is covered in EPR's Public Affairs and Political Communications pillar.