ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(79)64
Vol.1979/0023

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(79)64 final .
Brussels ,15february 1979
INFORMATION PROGRAMME FOR1979
(Communication from theCommission totheCouncil )
iS/!>
-J
COM(79 )64final .

INFORMATION PROGRAMME FOR 1979
!. Inthe first half of1979 the information activities ofthe
Commission inmember countries will befocussed onthe first direct
elections totheEuropean Parliament .The .programme which itsinformation
service isundertaking jointly with that oftheParliament will bethe
major priority .This programme will besupported byother activities
designed toreach awide audience :these will continue through thesecond
half oftheyear .
2. Innon-member countries greater emphasis will begiven towork
inthose countries which areseeking tojoin theCommunity ,with theopen -"
ingofoffices inMadrid andLisbon .Special attention will also begiven
tothe information needs oftheACP countries inview ofthe conclusion of
arevised Lome agreement .Newinitiatives arealso planned forsouth east
Asia and southern Mediterranean countries .
INFORMATION INMEMBER COUNTRIES ,
Preparing fordirect elections
3. TheCommission notes with pleasure theexcellent working relations
that have been established atalllevels with theEuropean Parliament and
itsinformation service intheplanning andorganisation ofthejoint infor --
mation programme fordirect elections .This programme ,which will bedistinct
from theelectoral campaigns ofthepolitical parties ,hasthree objectives .
Itaims tointerest thecitizens oftheCommunity intheelection ;toen­
courage them totake part init,and toprovide them with objective and
non-partisan information about theParliament andtheCommunity which will
help them tomake aninformed choice atthepolls .Inresponding tothe
request oftheEuropean Parliament toassist itsowninformation service in
undertaking this programme ,theCommission seeks tomake asignificant contri­
bution tothesuccess oftheelections ,towhich itattaches great importance .
4. Theplanning ofthis programme ,which will take theform ofamulti­
media campaign ineach ofthemember countries ,hasbeen theresponsibility
ofajoint body setupbythetwoinstitutions which will continue togua­
rantee political supervision ofit.Atthetechnical level ,themain burden
ofwork has fallen onthe information offices oftheCommission and the Par­
liament ineach country ,assisted ineach case byaspecialised agency .In
theNetherlands ,however ,theNational Committee forDirect Elections is
undertaking itsowninformation campaign ,with thefinancial support ofthe
twoinstitutions ,andwith thesupport oftheir offices inTheHague .
5. Thenecessary preparations having been completed intime ,thecam­
paigns intheNetherlands ,Belgium ,Denmark ,theFederal Republic andFrance
were .launched inJanuary .Itisplanned tobegin those inItaly andIreland
during thefirst half ofFebruary ,aswell ascertain parts oftheprogramme

intheUnited Kingdom .Inthelatter case ,however ,adecision onthe
timing ofadvertising inthepress hasyettobemade .
InLuxembourg ,following
arequest from thepolitical parties ,theopening ofthecampaign will be
delayed until thebeginning ofMarch .
6. Therange ofmedia used will vary from country tocountry ,but
each campaign hasbeen designed toachieve maximum impact with theavailable
resources ,which total 8.5million UCE ,ofwhich 5millions come from the
Parliament 'sbudget ,and3.5milions from theCommission .
7. Atthesame time both oftheir information services have also been
cooperating closely with thenational broadcasting networks ofthemember
countries which ,within theframework oftheEuropean Broadcasting Union ,
have been making their ownplans forthecovering oftheelections .A
central part ofthese plans istoprovide coverage notonly oftheresults
intheir owncountries ,butalso -onacooperative basis -aservice of
news andcomment covering theCommunity asawhole .TheEBU isalso planning ,
fortheweeks immediately preceeding theelection ,aspecial daily exchange
ofvisual material onthedevelopment oftheelectoral campaign .
8. TheCommission and theParliament have also agreed tomake a
financial contribution toanewcooperative venture between anumber of
national radio networks which areplanning toexchange material intheperiod
leading uptotheelections .
9. Theinformation service oftheCommission ,like that ofthePar"
1iament ,has-inparallel with these joint activities -also produced a
range ofsupporting written andaudio-visual material .OntheCommission
side this includes anew 64-page brochure ;asimple 16page illustrated
pamphlet entitled 'The European Community -Your Future' ;twonewfilms ;
and sets ofslides .
10. Both its central information units and its offices will also be
undertaking other complementary activities .Themonthly magazines produced
bytheoffices will provide extensive background coverage totheelections ;
acompetition foranelection poster hasbeen organised incooperation with
anumber ofwomen 'smagazines ;andsupport isbeing given toawide range
oforganisations which areorganising their owninformation programmes re­
lated tothe elections .
11. This complex ofactivities will bebyfarthelargest single infor­
mation campaign which theCommunity institutions have ever undertaken .The
Commission hopes that itwill notonly make asignificant contribution to
ensuring ahigh level ofparticipation intheelections ,butalso toasubs­
tantial increase ofinterest in,andunderstanding of,theCommunity and
itsactivities among thepublic ingeneral .Italso hopes that this interest
will besustained after theelections .

Continuing activities
12. During 1979 theCommission 'sprogramme will also prpvide informa­
tion about other aspects ofthework oftheCommunity ,aswell asreflect - '
ingandfurther developing thechanges inemphasis following from thenew
guidelines agreed in1977 ,andfirst putinto effect last year .
Themes
13. Oneofthecentral features ofthese guidelines was toinsist on
theneed toconcentrate thecontent ofinformation work oncurrent aspects
ofthework oftheCommunity and toshow their relevance tocurrent problems
andtheconcerns ofthecitizens oftheCommunity .While theinformation
work related todirect elections will range over avery wide area ofthe
Community 'sactivities ,itwill also benecessary tofocus attention ona
range ofissues related tocurrent developments within theCommunity ,to
itsrelations with therest oftheworld ,and toitsfuture enlargement .
14. Theaimwill betoshow that theCommunity isonce again onthe
move ,particularly with regard toitsinternal developments -even ifit
isstill faced with major problems .Atthesame time itwill benecessary
todemonstrate theinterdependence ofinternal andexternal policies in
such areas asworld trade negotiations ,andrelations with theACPcountries .
15. Decisions onspecial information campaigns will betaken bythe
Commission inthelight ofitsownpriorities ,itbeing recognised that
such campaigns require careful anddetailed preparation toensure that they
make animpact onthegeneral public .
16. Inorder tofacilitate this aspect ofinformation work ,theCommi­
ssion intends totake anumber oforganisational steps tofurther improve
cooperation between itsDirectorate General forinformation andother services .
Audiences
17. Another major aimoftheCommission snewinformation guidelines
istoreach farwider audiences than inthepast .Itwill continue to
pursue this objective beyond theelections ,taking into account thelessons
learned from thespecial information campaign .
18. Atthesame time theCommission recognises theimportance ofthat
part ofitswork directed towards opinion leaders because oftheinfluence
they exert inshaping attitudes towards theCommunity within -andoften
beyond -theorganisations inwhich they areactive .
19. Over theyears theCommission hasbuilt uprelations with avery
wide range oforganisations both atCommunity andnational level .Some of
them -thetrade union movement andagricultural organisations ,"womens orga r-
nisations ",forinstance -canprovide access tovery wide audiences .Asfaras
theyounger generation isconcerned ,universities andschools have also
"acrucial role .

Whileseekingtoprovideinformationappropriatetotheinterestsof
theorganisations withwhichitworks,theCommissionwillalsoexamine
howthechannelstheyoffercan"best"beusedtoprovideinformation
onthewidestpossiblescalefortheirmembersaswellasthoseof
otherorganisations whichcouldextenditslinkswiththepublic.
Instruments
20.Inordertobeablemoreeffectivelytoreachawideraudience,
theCommissioninitiatedin1978anumberofchangesbothwithregard
totheoveralldeploymentofitsinformationresources,andalsowith
theaimofimprovingtheuseoftheinstruments ofitsinformation
policy.Furthermeasureswiththesameaimwillbetakenin1979sa
numberofthesearehighlighted below.
Information offices
21.Theinformationofficesareoneofthemostessentialtoolsofthe
Commission'sinformation work.Theyperformawiderangeoffunctions
ineachmembercountry,andareavitalchannelofcommunication -
betweentheCommunityandthepublic.Stepshavebeen
takentoreinforcetheunitwhichmaintainsliaisonwiththeminBrussels,
andin1979itisproposedtoincreasetheproportionoffundsallocated
fortheirwork.
22.Inthelargermembercountries,however,theofficesinthecapitals
haveneitherthestafforotherresourcestoprovideaneffectiveand
regularresponsetotheincreasingdemandsforcloserattentiontobe
paidtotheinformationneedsofthepublicinparticularregions,The
oneexceptiontothisisintheUnitedKingdom,whereofficesexistin
MinburghandCardiff,andwhereafurtherofficeistobeopenedin
Belfast.Experiencehasshownthattheworkofsuchofficesismuoh
appreciated,..Subjecttotheresourcesavailable,theCommissionwill
thereforeconsiderthepossibilityofsettingupnewofficesorcreating
mobileinformation teamsincertainMemberStatesoftheCommunity,

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23. Inthemeantime ,theCommission will continue toprovide aemuch
information aspossible ontheways inwhich Community activities –andin
particular theuseofCommunity funds –impinge onindividual regions .
Such information isregularly used byregional andlocal media ,andhelps
tobring home toawide public theimportance andrelevance ofCommunity
activities . •
Themédia :press ,radio andtélévision
24. Themedia also play avital role ininforming thepublic about the
Community .Theservices offered bytheSpokesman 'sGroup inBrussels to
theaccredited press corps areoffundamental importance inthis context i
they ensure adaily flow ofinformation andcomment about theCommunity
throughout theworld .
25. Thetechnical facilities nowavailable inBrussels fortelevision
andradio networks have anequally vital role .In1979 itisplanned to
complete themajor capital equipment programme forthetelevision facilities
bytheaddition ofanelectronic news gathering unit which will provide a
mobile facility linked into thestudio .Itisalso proposed tocontinue
therecent trend ofincreasing thefunds available forthis part ofthe
Commission 'sinformation work .
Publications
26. Asaresult oftheinternal reorganisation carried outin1978 ,
theresponsibility foranumber ofmore specialised publications hasbeen
transferred from theDirectorate General Information toenable ittoconcen­
trate onarange ofmore popular publications needed forawider public .
Thefirst results ofthis switch inemphasis will beseen in1979 with a
widening oftherange ofissues dealt with inthefortnightly Euroforum ;are­
vised series ofweekly features ;andaseries ofbriefing notes onindivi­
dual topics .
Visits
27. Itisintended tomaintain apolicy ofselectivity inthechoice of
groups andindividuals invited toBrussels ,with theemphasis onquality
rather than quantity .In1978 900groups were received ,totalling 23,600
visitors .Theaimistomaintain thesamerhythm during thecurrent year .
••/••

6-
INFORMATION INNON-MEMBER COUNTRIES
28. In1979 ,gome 25%ofthetotal funds available forinformation
WOrk will beallocated foractivities innon-member countries .
TheCommission isaware ,however ,ofthegrowing demand -supported bymost
Ofthemember states -further toexpand this aspect ofinformation activi­
ties .Itproposes togive careful consideration tothis issue during the
preparation ofitsbudgetary requests for1980 .
29. inthemeantime ,itwill seek -within thelimits ofitsexisting
resources ,both ofstaff andfunds -totake into account aseries ofnew
needs while maintaining current levels ofactivity inthemajor industrial -
ised countries -theUnited States ,Canada andJapan .
30. Theopening ofnewoffices inMadrid andLisbon will ,forinstance ,
provide itwith theinstruments necessary todevelop itswork inthese two
candidate countries .
31. Thecurrent negotiations fortherenewal oftheLome Convention
also point totheneed tobuild upinformation activities forthose countries .
There theresources oftheDirectorate General forInformation canbecomple­
mented insome cases bythose available toother services oftheCommission ,
aswell asbythehelp available through theembassies ofmember states ,
32. Theprojected opening ofaninformation office inBangkok -aspart
ofanewDelegation there -will offer abase from which todevelop informa­
tion work insouth-East Asia ,andinLatin America thetransfer ofthemain
information office ,together with theDelegation ,toCaracas will provide a
newbase forwork inthat continent .Asfar asthesouthern Mediterranean
countries areconcerned ,where thenon-ratification oftheagreements conclud­
edwith theCommunity hasheld back information work inrecent years ,their
coming into effect -andthecreation ofeight Delegations inthose countries -
will al6o offer anew basis forfurther information work , ... .
33. Inmost ofthese countries theprogramme will continue tobefocussed
onopinion leaders .However ,over 60developing countries nowshow ,either
incinemas orontelevision ,aweekly film magazine -Europe Pictorial -to
which both themember states and theCommission contribute .Editorial res*
ponsibility foritscontent lies with theCommission ,butisexercised in
close cooperation with member governments through theworking group oninfor­
mation oftheCouncil ofMinisters .Itisintended tokeep aclose watch onthe
-content and_lh.e effectiveness ofsuch _information *incollaboration with dele­
gates intheACP countries andembassies oftheMember States .
34. Similarly ,inthefield ofexhibitions ,theCommission alsomaintains
aregular dialogue with themember states ,withwhom itdiscusses thepossi-
llities ofjoint orgrouped participations inexhibitions innon-member
countries .In1979 ,there will bejoint participation inexhibitions in
Barcelona ,Zagreb andpossibly NewDelhi .

STAFFANDRESOURCES
35.Theinformation servicesoftheCommission haveatpresent
limitedresources,bothinstaffandfunds.Takingintoaccountthe
newaimsandplansdescribedinthepresentdocument,aswellasthe
development ofinformationactivitiesarisingfromthepolicy
initiatives oftheCommission andtheincreasing rangeofCommunity
action,anincreaseinthestaffandtheinformation budgetshould
beconsideredinthecontextofthepreparation ofthe1980budget.
Thisshouldalsotakeintoaccounttheneedtomaintain afunctional
balancebetweenthecentralservicesandtheinformation offices
inmemberandnon-member countries .