eunbil · GT0N1239 · 2006-05-12 00:00:00 — Memorandum 29 2006 Prime Ministers Office EU Coordination Secretariat 32 67 E-mail Answers to questionnaire in doc. 6199/06 Types of projects and target groups All methods listed in the questionnaire are relevant and are useful for promoting EU debate among citizens, and they have, with few exceptions, been used in . on the EU, consisting of representatives from all political parties in the Riksdag, has directed its activities towards several target groups. are some examples of how to reach out to citizens, and figures to show to what extent this has been achieved. Meetings of students are held at a large number of upper secondary schools. This activity aims, among other things, to get students to reflect on how the EU affects them in their daily lives, and also to encourage discussion on the future of the EU. In addition, a number of teachers seminars are being held. Theatre performances and different types of lectures are also arranged. In total, some 9 950 students and 3 100 teachers have taken part in these events since 2002. Also, the Government Offices has a special website devoted to schools: . This website targets both students and teachers and reflects the need for customised information. also arranges seminars for journalism students as well as regional seminars for journalists. This is done in cooperation with other actors. A major seminar will be held for trade unions in 2006. Elected representatives/officials in municipalities and county councils has held a number of seminars focusing on the link between current EU issues and municipalities and county councils. During the month of , the Committees website had in the region of 15 000 visitors. The electronic newsletter, which is sent out on a weekly basis, has about 2 200 subscribers. During 2006, the Committee will be holding a number of events with representatives of the social partners, civil society and youth organisations, who will be invited to discuss current EU issues and to consider a more permanent structure for a debate network that promotes deeper and more long-term involvement of civil society in the EU debate. Activities directed towards the general public A number of major seminars focusing on current EU issues will be held during the year, mainly in the metropolitan cities. In addition, two seminars with foreign correspondents are planned, as is a mini-series with guests from other EU countries. is also planning to hold lectures on current EU issues at a number of different venues around the country. In cooperation with the ministries, the Committee and Sieps, the Government Offices arrange the "EU-days" - seminars and debates on current EU-topics - on the 9-11th of 2006. It is the third time this event takes place. The target groups are organisations, government agencies, organisations, universities, media and the general public. administers project grants. These are available for projects that illuminate current EU issues in various ways and stimulate a broad debate on questions related to the EU and its development. applications for up to 000 have priority, as the Committees aim is to spread these activities among as many organisations as possible in order to reach out to all segments of civil society in all parts of the country. Since 2002, project grants amounting to a total of roughly million have been distributed to more than 450 organisations. , which is entrusted by the Riksdag with the task of providing the public with all-round information about the EU, has a special inquiry service. Citizens, organisations, companies and others can put questions to information officers by telephone or in writing e-mail, fax or letter and receive a reply within 24 hours (on weekdays). Telephone calls are free of charge within . In 2005, the inquiry service received 6 156 phone calls and 2 827 emails about different EU topics. The inquiries can be classified as follows: Ordering of brochures etc. Cohesion policy/structural funds Free movement of people Free movement of goods These groups used the inquiry service: Public agencies/NGOs Riksdag/Government Offices (Sieps), is an independent agency with the objective of linking the academic world and decision-makers at various levels. By publishing reports, arranging seminars, as well as through debates in the media, Sieps aims to stimulate research and debate on various EU matters.who hold seminars for stakeholders. Cooperation with other Member States on the EU has exchanged knowledge and best practices with similar organisations in , , , , , , , and . As regards specific measures to promote cooperation between Member States in this context, the Committee has requested a list of the email addresses etc. of its counterparts in other Member States. Such a list would be of great use in enabling the creation of a network between actors in this field. Another possibility is to set up web links between the different European web sites devoted to the debate on the EU. has also been engaged in joint projects with other actors in the Baltic Sea region. In 2005, a conference was held in and in 2006 a joint conference will be held in . There are also bilateral contacts on a regular basis. As a general rule, the debate should of course be open to all kinds of initiatives from different parties and should not exclude any topic. This is the only way to go if we are to apply a listening approach and improve dialogue and communication with citizens. The seminars held by on the EU which have been very popular have focused on, inter alia, the following topics: EU and the Third World EU and the municipalities The future of the EU EU and youth issues The EU and the welfare state Democracy and distribution of power in the EU EU and the environment - REACH The EU debate in other Member States Given the different situations in different Member States in terms of public opinion on the EU, the economic situation etc., the choice of common topics to be discussed in all Member States may not be entirely self-evident. During the Swedish Presidency of the EU in 2001, the three Es were used as a key message: Enlargement, Employment, Environment. In general, however, the issue of whether or not to use key messages may be open to question. Messages should not be imposed on the public, but rather be part of the Governments contribution to the debate. As such, they will inevitably play an important role in triggering discussion and thus serve as a focal point for the general debate. Targeted public/audience See answer to question 1 above. A combination of methods is needed to get to know citizens expectations and criticisms: opinion polls, seminars, debates and more. Several opinion polls have been carried out on what Swedes think of Union, one of them being the Eurobarometer 63.4 National Report, . The Government Offices main website, , serves as a portal to all the ministries and provides a number of facilities for visitors. The main purpose of the site is to provide an overview of the policy of the Swedish Government in different areas, but also to allow the general public the greatest possible access to information, the principle of public access to official documents being a central theme. The Swedish Governments website makes both political and non-political information available to its audience. The website can be used in combination with other information tools such as study visits, fairs or seminars. The visitors can get information on the website prior to as well as after the physical visit at the Government Offices. Visitors can sign up for an e-mail news subscription service on the website. They can select press releases, fact sheets, publications and speeches and articles. The visitor can choose to subscribe to a certain subject, such as the EU, and will then get all new press releases, publications and so on that are dealing with this subject. A popular feature is the web casts, that is films of press conferences, seminars, important international visits or meetings and the like, that are broadcast via the Internet. Anyone can watch them live or on demand (i.e. as and when it suits them). This is a useful service to media, universities and public agencies not situated in the capital as well as to the general public. The web casts were developed during the Swedish EU-presidency and are now a standing feature at the website. Approximately 150 seminars and press conferences are broadcasted every year. Swedish public television uses many of the web casts of seminars and press conferences to broadcast on national TV. The Permanent Representation of to Union monitors the EU-summits and Councils and provides reports prior to, during and after the meetings. These reports are targeted at media and the general public and are published at the website . The Representation also produces a weekly newsletter that can be found on the website. At , EU issues can be found in a specific sector, simply called the EU. The EU dimension is however present in many of the ministries issues and therefore every subject, regardless of ministry, incorporates the EU to some extent. The Internet is a useful tool in communicating. It is important, however, to have a usable, accessible website and to use a correct language adapted to the target group. The editors work with information structure, summaries of official documents, related material and comprehensible links. The visitors of the website could be invited to take part in interactive activities such as asking questions to a minister or debating a subject prior to a seminar. Since the Swedish Government Offices have a decentralized structure for publishing on the website - every ministry has its own web editor - the information is news oriented and the publishing more flexible. Common guidelines and a central coordination function insure continuity and quality all over the website. It is important to have a marketing strategy for Internet campaigns. Simply publishing information on the website does not mean that one has communicated. According to Swedish legislation, public agencies are under an obligation to make their information accessible to groups with special needs. The Swedish Government Offices website follows the international WCAG guidelines (web content accessibility guideline) when it comes to accessibility. Visually impaired visitors can listen to the website, there is an easy to read section, the text size can be changed and measures have been taken to accommodate visitors with special needs such as physical disabilities. The aim is to also provide information in different languages and in sign language. Co-operation with the EU institutions Parliament and the Commission belong to the so-called group on EU information. Other participants in this group are the Government Offices, the EU Information CentreEU-information department at the Riksdag, (Sieps) and on the EU.-committé The group coordinates activities targetedaimed at both stakeholders and the general public, such as open seminars and journalists and teachers conferences.