Speaking to citizens” “

The new strategy of information and communication of the European Commission to bring citizens closer to the EU institutions is meeting with widespread consent. After its presentation in Brussels, the plan is now entering its operational phase. Of the over fifty measures that will be adopted there are three key points: first, “listening”; second, “communicating” how “EU policies influence daily life”; and third, “acting at the local level”, in other words “adapting the messages to the public in each member state, and transmitting them through the channels preferred by the public in their respective language. A PLAN THAT STARTS FROM AFAR. The problem of the gulf between citizens and EU institutions has always been a weak point of the process of integration. With the enlargement of the frontiers, and hence the geographical extension of the Union and the corresponding growth in population, the “democratic deficit” has become more acute. Among the expressions of this malaise we may cite the low voter turnout for the renewal of the Parliament in Strasbourg in 2004, a series of worrying results of surveys conducted by Eurobarometer and, most recently, the double rejection of the European Constitution administered by French and Dutch electors. That explains why the Commission has, in recent years, sought new ways of “speaking” with citizens, in the attempt to improve the image and perception of the EU, its policies and its various institutions. The issue has been placed on the order of the day of the Executive with a preliminary working document in June 2001; this was followed by various studies and documents in July 2002 and in April 2004. Two interministerial conferences were dedicated to the issue in April 2004 (under Irish Presidency, leading to the initiative “Communicating Europe”) and in October of the same year (Dutch Presidency). Among the objectives: boosting internet communication, rationalising the role and services offered by the over 1000 EU information outlets throughout the continent (Info Points, European Documentation Centres, Rural Animation Centres, information counters in the universities, local authorities, Chambers of Commerce…). THE “KEYWORDS” OF THE Commission. The latest document approved in this field by the Commission, which is considered the most advanced and finally operative, insists on a three-pronged approach: “Listening, communicating, and acting at the local level”. Margot Wallström, Swedish Commissioner responsible for institutional relations and communication within the Barroso Executive, in presenting the strategy, explained: “This plan reflects in a pragmatic way the political priority of launching a dialogue with citizens throughout the European Union. Today we have established a working method that will lead to a modern approach to communication in all sectors, an essential prerequisite if we intend seriously to tackle the need to increase dialogue, consultation and debate on the role of the EU”. The Commissioner added however: “It’s clear that this is a task that goes well beyond the mission of the Commission; its success depends essentially on an effective partnership with all the other fundamental protagonists of European policy within the Union”. A WHITE PAPER AND FIVE TASKS. The plan will be followed up by a White Paper before the end of this year. The White Paper, which is needed “to commit all the parties involved, will enunciate the political vision and the projects to be undertaken in the medium and long term, in cooperation with the other institutions and participants”. An essential task will be that of rationalizing the use of the resources invested by the EU to be able to reach citizens in their homes. In particular, five specific tasks are envisaged: first, “coordinating the activities of communication throughout the Commission”, with a view to optimising efforts and using to the best the means of communication; second, using the media “preferred by people, in the language they understand, especially internet and audiovisual services”; third, “acquiring greater expertise in communication by providing specific training to EU administrators and hiring experts in communication”; fourth, having recourse to such methods as – to quote the examples cited by Wallström – “the incorporation of a non-specialist résumé in the main proposals of the Commission that would describe the practical advantages of EU policies” in a language accessible to ordinary people, families, associations and businesses; and fifth, reinforcing the representation of the Commission in the member states, “in such a way as to reach citizens about those policies and programmes that arouse their interest or their fears”. For further information: www.europa.eu.int.