Transcript White Paper on a European Communication policy

WHITE PAPER
NGO Eurohouse
Europe Direct Kuressaare inforelay
Tallinna 10A, 93813 Kuressaare
Phone and fax: +372 453 9008
E-mail: [email protected]
What is a ‘White Paper’?
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Commission White Papers are
documents containing proposals for
EU action.
The White Paper launches the
consultation process – as well as
putting forward ideas for joint action by
various key players.
Why does the Commission think the
EU needs a communication policy?
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Surveys show that most European citizens
know very little about the EU, and many feel
they have no say in its decisions. ‘ Brussels ’
seems remote from people’s daily lives.
This gap between the people and the policymakers is bad for democracy and for the
EU’s legitimacy. The gap has to be closed,
and part of the solution is better
communication – not just by ‘ Brussels ’ but
by the national public authorities and other
interested parties.
Doesn’t the EU already put a lot of
effort into communicating? (1)
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Till now, EU communication has consisted
mainly of ‘ Brussels ’ informing the media
about new EU initiatives. This is a very
limited type of communication – essentially a
monologue in which the EU institutions
supply information and hope people will be
interested.
That is why the European Commission is
now proposing a fundamentally new
approach - a move away from monologue
towards genuine dialogue between the
institutions and the citizens.
Doesn’t the EU already put a lot of
effort into communicating? (2)
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The Commission wants the EU as a
whole to pay much more attention to
consulting people from all walks of life
and making sure their views are fed
through into the policy-making
process.
Isn’t ‘communication’ just another
word for EU propaganda?
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The kind of communication the European
Commission is arguing for is a two-way flow
of ideas and information between the people
and the policy-makers, so that both
understand each other as fully as possible.
People need to know what the EU is doing
and why. And they need to have their say in
its decisions.
What is the Commission itself doing
to improve communication with the
public? (1)
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In July 2005, it agreed an “Action Plan”
setting out 50 practical steps the
Commission will take, within its own
organisation, starting immediately.
What is the Commission itself doing
to improve communication with the
public? (2)
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For example:
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Public consultations will be better publicised.
Policy proposals will be drafted in clear language.
There will be a ‘layperson’s summary’ of key
proposals
The Commission will take account of the needs of
specific audiences and communicate more
through regional and local media.
What is the Commission itself doing
to improve communication with the
public? (3)
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The Commission will also take steps to
improve the Europa website and to
produce clear and easy-to-read
publications that have more of a local
focus to make them more useful to the
reader.
Why should regional and local
authorities ‘communicate Europe’?
(1)
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‘Europe’ is not just about decisions taken in
Brussels: it is also about how those
decisions are implemented on the ground,
locally.
The local environment is part of the
European environment. Local businesses
are a part of the wider EU business
community. Local transport projects are part
of the wider European transport network.
Miks peaksid piirkondlikud ja
kohalikud omavalitsused osalema
ELi teabevahetuspoliitikas? (2)
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So EU policies affect local activities and EU
funding may well support them. Local people
need to know about these things – and who
better to inform them than the local authority
responsible?
‘Communicating Europe ’ is not just a matter
of ‘ Brussels ’ putting out information. It is a
two-way flow of information and ideas
between the citizens and public institutions
at all levels.
What’s the connection between this
White Paper, ‘Plan D’ and the ‘Action
Plan’? (1)
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‘Plan D’ for democracy, dialogue and
debate is the Commission’s
contribution to the EU’s current ‘period
of reflection’. Its purpose is to involve
EU citizens in a wide-ranging
discussion on the European Union –
what it is for, where it is going and what
it should be doing.
What’s the connection between this
White Paper, ‘Plan D’ and the ‘Action
Plan’?(2)
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This White Paper has a more limited scope:
it is not asking for people’s views on the
European Union itself but on the question of
how we can set up better communication
between citizens and the EU policy-makers.
The White Paper is also about what can be
done in the long term – not just until the next
EU treaty is drawn up, but for years and even
decades ahead.
What’s the connection between this
White Paper, ‘Plan D’ and the ‘Action
Plan’?(3)
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The White paper also has a much broader
scope than the Commission’s own Action
Plan. The Action Plan concerns only what
the Commission will do: the White Paper, on
the other hand, is about how government (at
all levels) and civil society organisations in
the Member States can join together in a
communication partnership with the EU
institutions.
How can I get the Commission to
answer my questions? (1)
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There is already a very good answering
service called ‘Europe Direct’, which you can
contact by e-mailing
europa.eu.int/europedirect or by phoning
(free of charge) 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 from
anywhere in the EU.
The person answering your call will speak
your language and will give you (or help you
find) the answer to any question you may
have about the EU.
How can I get the Commission to
answer my questions? (2)
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The Commission intends to upgrade and
improve this service over the next year or so.
It also plans to develop new online forums in
which specific issues can be discussed and
your questions answered.
You can also get in touch with any of the
Europe Direct information centres
('information relays') located in almost all EU
countries. To find out their contact details,
go to
http://europa.eu.int/comm/relays/ed_en.htm
Working with the media
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What the Commission would like is a
voluntary commitment by the media to
supply the public with regular, full and
fair coverage of EU affairs.
The Commission, for its part, proposes
to upgrade and improve the Europe by
Satellite service that supplies video,
sound and images to the media.
What does the White Paper mean by
‘upgrading’ the Europe by Satellite
service?
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Europe by Satellite is a service that helps TV
and radio broadcasters to cover EU activities
by transmitting – via satellite and the Internet
– TV pictures of events. The pictures are
accompanied by the original sound plus
translations in up to 21 languages.
Although EbS is greatly appreciated by
journalists, they would like it to provide a
greater variety and quantity of even betterquality material: more stories, better
balanced information and livelier pictures.
Charter and code of conduct for EU
communication
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The Commission is inviting all its potential
partners (EU institutions, national, regional
and local governments, non-governmental
organisations and the media) to voluntarily
commit themselves to respect certain jointlyagreed principles.
The aim is to ensure that EU citizens’ receive
a regular supply of factual information about
European Union affairs, through a wide
variety of channels, and to enable citizens to
make their voices heard in the European
debate – regardless of who they are or what
views they hold.
The White Paper talks about a
‘European public sphere’. What does
that mean? (1)
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Put simply, the ‘public sphere’ is the ‘place’
where people learn about politics and
political issues and where they exercise their
political rights.
Most people learn about these things at
school or college and via the media. They
discuss them mostly with their friends and
colleagues, and they exercise their
democratic rights by voting in elections and
referendums.
The White Paper talks about a
‘European public sphere’. What does
that mean? (2)
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The White Paper points out that most of the
forums in which this happens are local,
regional or national. In other words, there is
a well-developed national ‘public sphere’ in
each country.
What is lacking is a similarly well-developed
European public sphere within which people
can learn about and discuss European
issues.
How can I tell the Commission what I
think about the White Paper?
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Log on to the consultation website:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/communication_white_
paper and post your comments there.
Alternatively, send us a letter. The postal address
is:
EU Communication Policy White Paper Consultation
European Commission
Directorate General Communication
B-1049 Brussels - Belgium