WRITTEN QUESTION No. 2533/98 by Graham MATHER to the Commission. Commission information campaign spending
Date: 1998-09-01
Institutions: European Parliament, MATHER
Subjects: EU Member State, EU statistics, costing, dissemination of EU information, distribution of EU funding, mass media, operating cost, water

C 142/22

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

21.5.1999

Details of all projects financed under budget heading B7-6000 are given in the Commission’s annual
report on cooperation with NGOs.

(1999/C 142/026)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2533/98

by Graham Mather (PPE) to the Commission

(1 September 1998)

Subject: Commission information campaign spending

In document COM(98) 39, the Commission states that ECU 21 million is available for the information
strategy on the Euro during 1998.

1. What is the breakdown of this figure by the amount spent in each Member State and, in particular,
what proportion of it will be spent in the UK?

2. What is the breakdown of this figure by the amount spent in different media?

Regarding television advertising, what is the estimated number of viewers that the commercials

3.
funded by the Commission will reach, and what is the nature of these commercials?

4. What was the total amount spent by the Commission promoting the EU and its policies in each of the
last three years, and what is the breakdown for this amount by Member States and by media?

Answer given by Mr Oreja on behalf of the Commission

(4 December 1998)

1.
The provisional figures for the 1998 budget total ECU 17,3 million, broken down between
Luxembourg, ECU 0,1 million, Ireland, ECU 0,7 million, Austria, Finland, Netherlands, Portugal,
ECU 1,0 million, Spain ECU 2,0 million, France, Italy, ECU 3,0 million and Germany, ECU 4,5 million.
To this figure can be added the 1997/98 complement of ECU 2,9 million (Belgium, ECU 0,4 million,
Netherlands ECU 1,5 million, Spain ECU 1,0 million), making the grand total of ECU 20,2 million to
which the Honourable Member refers. These figures represent sums allocated to co-financed joint
communication programmes based on conventions signed by the Parliament, the Commission, and the
Member States concerned. All Member States were invited to avail themselves of this opportunity. The
United Kingdom chose not to, and therefore no proportion of the overall figure will be spent in the United
Kingdom.

2.
The ECU 20,2 million is combined with national exchequer contributions together amounting to
ECU 46,0 million for the joint programmes operated in the eleven Member States. The breakdown of this
expenditure is as follows: television and radio, ECU 19,8 million, other actions (brochures, internet sites,
exhibitions, etc.), ECU 12,1 million, written press, ECU 7,1 million, information programmes through non
governmental organisations, ECU 6,5 million, contribution to national call centres, ECU 5,0 million.

3.
No exact figures can yet be given. A full record of estimated viewing figures will be compiled as part
of the final activity report to be presented by each participating Member State upon completion of the
annual programmes (as foreseen by the conventions). The nature of television activities funded varies
considerably, from short ‘spots’ to participation in existing information programmes, to magazine shows,
quizzes, infortainment, and so on.

Given the decentralised nature of its information activities, the Commission is unable to provide

4.
overall statistics of this sort.