Challenge

Alber & Geiger supported IonQ, a leading U.S.-based quantum computing firm, in securing its position in Italy’s ambitious plans to build a Silicon Valley in the southern region of Campania. IonQ sought to participate in a regional tender process designed to attract global leaders in advanced computing and quantum technologies. With tight political competition, fragmented local governance, and high-level scrutiny of non-EU foreign tech companies in a strategic autonomy sector, political navigation was essential.

Strategy

Our team engaged with regional authorities, key stakeholders in Rome, and the EU institutions to ensure that IonQ’s proposal aligned with both Italian innovation priorities and EU digital sovereignty policies. By highlighting IonQ’s technology leadership, commitment to local partnerships, and compliance with EU data and security standards, we helped clear the political path.

Results

IonQ’s inclusion marks a breakthrough for transatlantic tech cooperation in one of Europe’s most strategically targeted innovation corridors.

Challenge

Under the tobacco advertising directive, the EU Commission’s goal was to hunt down ‘insidious forms’ of tobacco advertising. For this reason, the directive had addressed both direct and indirect advertising to close loopholes. Davidoff and Lancaster had been accused of indirect tobacco advertising through the marketing of perfume products. The challenge was to convince the EU Commission in particular and the EU institutions in general that promoting the Davidoff brand image was not tobacco advertising.

Strategy

The strategy focused on the differentiation between direct and indirect tobacco advertising which the directive had established. The latter being mainly based on a brand diversification strategy of companies. In most cases these brand diversifications were meanwhile brand products of their own, not connected to tobacco products in any way.

But the directive’s wording not only addressed the marketing and advertising of such a diversification product like perfumes or clothes. It actually also addressed the diversification product itself, considering the sheer existence of the perfume as indirect tobacco advertising.

Results

We prevented the EU Commission from getting entangled into a wasteful litigation that would have compromised legitimate economic activity. Insofar as issues for Davidoff remained unresolved by lobbying we successfully executed a CJEU case.

Challenge

The EU imposed onerous penalties on our client, the Republic of Bulgaria. €825 million of pre-accession funds were frozen. It was a response to its alleged failure to combat corruption, organized crime and misuse of EU funds. Funds worth up to €7 billion over the next six years were also at risk. The Bulgarian government turned to Alber & Geiger for help.

Strategy

Alber & Geiger’s multi-faceted approach involved sophisticated legal analysis calibrated through a dynamic, institution sensitive communications strategy. It incorporated practical considerations like staff changes in the Bulgarian government as well as larger semantic and structural reasons for misunderstandings.

Results

Alber & Geiger was able to restore trust and confidence between the European Commission and the Bulgarian government. The result was the unfreezing of the €500 million in EU funds and the de-jeopardizing of the rest of the €7 billion.