WRITTEN QUESTION E-2483/00

by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 July 2000)

Subject: Euro information campaign

1. How much of the 32 million allocated to the Prince programme in 2000 will be spent on the euro information campaign, and how much will be spent in 2001?

2. In its communication on communications strategy in the last phases of the completion of EMU (COM(2000) 57 final), the Commission states that:

The campaign the euro, one currency for Europe was launched in 1996 as part of the Prince programme (information programme for the European citizen) and more than 117 million has been commited in the last four years. In 1998/1999 around two-thirds was spent through agreements.

Could the Commission please explain how the other one-third of the funding was spent, apart from bilateral agreements? Did the United Kingdom receive any of this funding directly or indirectly? If so, for what purposes? Will this funding continue in 2000 and 2001?

3. In her written answer dated 12 May 2000 to my Written Question E-0922/00(1) Mrs Reding stated that the Commission has signed no bilateral agreements on the euro with the United Kingdom but that the Commission was nevertheless willing to respond to any request for information that it may receive. Has the Commission received any requests for information from the UK Government since this answer was given? If so, could it provide details?

4. The European Central Bank has allocated 80 million to its Euro 2002 Information Campaign and will concentrate on the visual appearance of notes and coins and their main security features, as well as information about denominations and changeover procedures. Since this ECB campaign aims to provide factual information to citizens, how can the Commission justify its own large-scale and expensive campaign?

(1) OJ C 374 E, 28.12.2000, p. 186.

Answer given by Mr Solbes Mira on behalf of the Commission

(16 October 2000)

1. The total budget for the Prince programme (heading B3-306) is 37 million for 2000. Of this, 32 million is earmarked for the euro information campaign. The budget procedure for 2001 has not yet been completed, so no precise figure for appropriations can be given. However, the budget for the euro information campaign next year should be of the same order of magnitude.

2. Those Member States that are interested can conclude partnership agreements (between the competent ministry and the Commission). Parliament is also involved. Thirteen such agreements have been or are on the point of being signed for the year 2000, involving all of the Member States except Denmark and the United Kingdom.

In addition to these agreements with the Member States, which account for roughly two-thirds of the budget, the remaining third is used to fund transnational partnerships with civil society (non-governmental organisations, associations, federations) on the basis of calls for proposals; information in non-member countries; the development of basic reference material for communicating factual information about the euro (internet site, newsletter, CD Rom, videos); coordination meetings between Member States, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the institutions, and opinion polls.

Funding is provided under budget heading B3-306, and appropriations are planned for 2001 and 2002, subject to the budget procedure and subsequent decisions.

3. The Commission has received no request for information from the UK authorities.

4. The ECB will conduct an information campaign with very specific goals: to provide information about security aspects of euro coins and notes; to familiarise the general public with euro coins and notes and prepare people for the changeover. All other aspects of information on monetary union and the single currency are the responsibility of the Member States in partnership with the European institutions.

The Commission would point out to the Honourable Member that the Community has spent 149,6 million on information about the euro since 1996, or less than half a euro per citizen over five years. This is hardly excessive, given the importance of the issue.