Multiplying the sources” “

Having collected together his personal belongings in large boxes and finished packing his suitcases, JOSÉ MANUEL NUNES LIBERATO is ready to leave his office on the fourth floor of the European Parliament in Brussels. He is bound for the seat of the President of the Republic of Portugal. After almost twenty years’ service in the headquarters of the EU (common policies, directorate of external relations, media director at the EP), the spokesman of the European Parliament has now been recalled to Lisbon, to take up the post of head of Cabinet in the office of the newly elected President; in substance he will be the top aide of Aníbal Cavaco Silva. So, after so many years in Brussels and Strasbourg, you’re returning to your hometown, at the service of your country… “Yes, for me it’s a great opportunity. In the European institutions I’ve had a wonderful experience and now I would like to turn it to account in Portugal”. You have been a privileged eyewitness of the many transformations of the European Union: the Treaties of the 1990s, the single currency, enlargement, the phase of drafting the Constitution, down to the current crisis. How do you see the future of the EU? “A construction with 25 countries, and open to new accessions, is undoubtedly complex. The Union is a great challenge, but I am convinced that the factors that unite prevail over those that divide”. The Parliament, of which you were the spokesman for the last 20 months, is the only EU institutions to be elected by citizens. Its powers have increased (co-decision, budget…), yet it’s effectiveness is not always felt. “The Parliament is the democratic institution par excellence in the EU. It represents citizens in performing its tasks. Only 45% of the electors of the 25 member states apparently bothered to vote for the renewal of the European Parliament in 2004. But let’s not forget that the voters totalled some 150 million, more than those who elected the American President! Of course, we cannot be satisfied with this result: we need to bring people closer to the Parliament and vice versa. There’s a lot of work to be done: too often the institutions have been remote from people and from daily life. However, I have to say that the last demonstrations held in Strasbourg, in front of the Parliament, the largest of them protesting against the Services Directive, demonstrate there’s a growing perception of the real impact of the decisions taken by EU institutions”. The capacity to “communicate Europe” is becoming of major importance. Especially after the French and Dutch “no” to the Constitution, new action plans have been thought out: Plan D by the Commission, or the Duff-Voggenhuber resolution voted by MEPs in January… “I think this is now a firm conviction. Communication is a constant concern at the European level. It expresses the will to make transparent, and then effective, the decision-making process, to show citizens the reasons why decisions are taken, the objectives of EU policies, and their relevance to ordinary people”. The Duff-Voggenhuber resolution is aimed at reviving the Constitution: might it favour the participation of citizens in the constitutional process? “The Parliament has decided in this way to transform the pause for reflection decreed by the European Council in June 2005 into an opportunity: we should not go to sleep in this phase; on the contrary we should multiply meetings, debates at the national and regional level, involving national parliaments, citizens and the mass media. We need to discuss real problems linked not just to the text of the Constitution, but to the European context, to boost support for the integration process”. What communication strategies is the Parliament privileging? Do the media effectively inform the public on the work of the EP? “We have equipped ourselves with modern aids and efficient technologies. It’s clear that with the Internet, EU communication has taken a huge leap forward. Through the portal of the Union people have easy access to information and documentation. Our aim is to multiply the sources of information; apart from those we produce for the press room (press releases, briefings, seminars), we are developing a web/TV service, whose prototype ought to be up and running by the end of this year. There’s also a will to multiply news, not just media: for example, it seems ever more important to inform on what happens in the parliamentary commissions. As for the media, I have to report close cooperation with everyone, and a growing attention to the EU. Obviously there are also those who are only interesting in highlighting conflicts or seeking minor scandals. But in general the information is of excellent quality”.