"Communicating Europe in Partnership": EU information priorities

Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy said that citizens want clear information from the EU institutions and that it’s time to end the blame game and work together.

Built on earlier initiatives on communication, the document intents to give to European citizens well organised information about the EU by proposing different actions to consolidate the Commission approach:

 An inter-institutional agreement that provides the EU Commission, Parliament and Council with a shared communication agenda.

 Voluntary management partnerships with governments to engage in a shared communication agenda.

 Creation of European public spaces: a network of meeting places hosting exhibitions, films, meetings, discussions and lecturers and open to a wide range of users.

 Pilot information networks (PINs): internet forums between members of the European Parliament, members of the national parliaments, journalists and other opinion-makers.

 Strengthening the role of European representations to involve civil society organizations in consultations.

 New audiovisual and internet strategies as well as a follow-up communication on Plan D.

Background

The EU Commission published its own Action Plan for Communicating Europe in July 2005. This document set out 50 internal practical measures to improve communication.

In October 2005 the ’Plan D for Dialogue, Debate and Democracy’, was established with the aim of stimulating public debate at national and European level on the future of the European Union.

The latest paper is a follow-up to a White Paper on a European Communication policy published in February 2006. The White Paper called for joint action by all the major players and invited all interested parties to submit comments. Hundreds of replies were received and several conferences were organised to discuss the issues further. The current paper is the result.

For further information:

 Margot Wallström website
 Read the Communication (03.10.2007)
 Inter-institutional agreement (03.10.2007)
 Read the press release (03.10.2007)
 Impact assessment (03.10.2007)
 Summary of the impact assessment (provisional version) (03.10.2007)
 Questions and answers
 More information