WRITTEN QUESTION E-2357/02 by Marie Isler Béguin (Verts/ALE), Catherine Guy-Quint (PSE),Elmar Brok (PPE-DE), Pedro Marset Campos (GUE/NGL), Lennart Sacrédeus (PPE-DE),Monica Frassoni (Verts/ALE), Hans Modrow (GUE/NGL)and David Martin (PSE) to the Commission. EU information policy in the republics of eastern Europe.
Date: 2002-08-02
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Belarus, Central and Eastern Europe, Moldova, Ukraine, dissemination of EU information, enlargement of the Union, information network, information policy

C 92 E/158

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

17.4.2003

The Commission agrees with the view that particular big cities face segregated and diverse labour markets.
Therefore, the Commission supports, notably through Community Initiatives, strategies to tackle the local
differences at the appropriate level where the needs and problems are best known and solutions can be
found,
in agreement between the levels concerned. The partnership and the territorial approaches in
developing local employment strategies have proved to be among the most efficient means of tackling
urban deprivation, maximising the impact of intervention and reinforcing the mutual benefits of the
various employment schemes.

(2003/C 92 E/211)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2357/02

by Marie Isler Béguin (Verts/ALE), Catherine Guy-Quint (PSE),
Elmar Brok (PPE-DE), Pedro Marset Campos (GUE/NGL), Lennart Sacrédeus (PPE-DE),
Monica Frassoni (Verts/ALE), Hans Modrow (GUE/NGL)
and David Martin (PSE) to the Commission

Subject: EU information policy in the republics of eastern Europe

(2 August 2002)

Knowledge and, therefore, an understanding of the projects and policies pursued by the European Union is
gaining ground on a daily basis and in the field through the Union’s information and documentation
networks in the Member States, the applicant countries and third countries. These information networks
comprise Info-Points Europe (1), European documentation centres (2), the rural information carrefours (3),
the Euro Info Centres (4) and the Team Europe conference speakers (5) situated in towns and cities.

These Union showcases and databases are efficient and effective sources of information for the general
public and other players in European societies, drawing their attention to and facilitating their participation
in programmes, projects and debates launched by the Union

In the short term, the enlargement of the Union to include the central European countries will mean a shift
in its eastern borders. This enlargement will produce a new EU perceived in a different light by countries
such as Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, which have common links with European history and civilisation,
even though they are not at present officially recognised as candidates for participation in the process of
European integration. Although the Ukrainian Government has confirmed its willingness to forge closer
links with and take its place in the European Community, sentiments also previously expressed by the
leaders of Belarus and Moldova, Community information sources are at present confined to two European
documentation centres in Ukraine (population 50 million), one in Belarus (population 10 million) and
none in Moldova (population 4,5 million), whereas neighbouring Poland has some forty EU information
centres for its population of 40 million.

Is it not appropriate,
in the Commission’s view, to continue with its information campaign on our
institutions, our values and our policies, targeting the citizens of Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova (cid:1) in their
official national languages (cid:1) who will, in the short term, also be our immediate neighbours in an enlarged
EU?

Within what time-frame is the Commission prepared to increase the number of information offices and
networks in these three European countries and to how many?

(1) http://europa.eu.int/comm/relays/ipe/index_en.htm.
(2) http://europa.eu.int/comm/relays/edc/index_en.htm.
(3) http://europa.eu.int/comm/relays/carrefours/index_en.htm.
(4) http://bre.cec.eu.int.
(5) http://europa.eu.int/comm/relays/teameurope/index_en.htm.

Answer given by Mr Prodi on behalf of the Commission

(27 September 2002)

The Commission welcomes the positive view expressed by the Honourable Members that knowledge and
understanding of the policies pursued and projects implemented by the Union are gaining ground thanks
to the information and dissemination networks in the Member States, the applicant countries and third
countries.

17.4.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 92 E/159

Clearly the task of informing citizens about the Union’s institutions, values and policies should also be
undertaken in Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova and the Commission has already started work in this area.

throughout central and Eastern Europe, but

At the moment the European Information Centres (EICs) and European Documentation Centres (EDCs) are
present
information
Carrefours and Team Europe are only formally established in the 15 Member States. However, as stated in
the European Union’ (1)
the Communication on ‘An information and communication strategy for
preparations are being made to extend them to future Member States. There are no plans to extend them
to Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova in the foreseeable future.

the Info-Points Europe,

the rural

‘Explaining Enlargement’ (2)

The extension of the full range of Commission information tools to the new Member States should not
the Commission’s
pose problems, given the work that has already taken place in the context of
communication strategy for enlargement. The Honourable Members will note that, as is described in the
information centres
document
throughout the candidate countries, managed by the Commission Delegations in the framework of their
communication strategies. This network includes large, public information centres in all capitals of the
region, which (cid:1) often in co-ordination with the Government,
local authorities non-governmental
organisations (NGOs), and the EICs and EDCs (cid:1) are responsible for the increase in knowledge and
understanding highlighted by the Honourable Members. In addition, a number of delegations (cid:1) such as
the one in the Czech Republic (cid:1) have already established a functioning Team Europe, which provides
members to speak at schools, conferences, and so on.

there is now an extensive network of

With respect to Euro Info Centres, the possibility of opening a Euro Info Correspondence Centre (EICC) in
Moldova is currently being evaluated by the Commission.

As far as the EDCs are concerned, the Honourable Members rightly point out that there are currently two
EDCs in Ukraine, and one in Belarus. The Commission has recently opened a new Documentation Centre
in Moldova at
the Academy of Economic Studies of Chisnau. The Convention was signed by the
Commission on May 2002 and copies were sent both to the University and to the Delegation in Ukraine.
There is, of course, no reason, why additional EDCs cannot be established in universities that are able to
provide resources and meet the necessary criteria. Indeed, there may well be a new Centre in Lugansk, East
in the near future since the Commission has already received a Convention signed by this
Ukraine,
University.

The Commission is currently reassessing the situation of the whole EDC network throughout the world, in
order to be able to better define future priorities, and this will be completed before giving a positive reply
to new applications. For the Honourable Member’s information, in the evaluation of individual EDCs the
opinion of
the Delegation concerned is extremely important especially in terms of relevance and
geographical balance. All EDCs are located in universities and depend upon the university for physical and
human resources. The Commission provides information (cid:1) the majority of which is electronic (cid:1),
a support network and some assistance with the provision of hardware. The information provided by
EDCs is only available, however, in the official languages of the Union.

An important source of information for the citizens of Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova is the Commission’s
Delegation in Ukraine. This Delegation was given the responsibility of providing information to Belarus
and Moldova in 2001. The Delegation has an annual global budget of EUR 547 000 for information
activities of which EUR 26 000 is dedicated to information work in Moldova and EUR 20 000 to
information work in Belarus. This work includes the dissemination of publications, relations with the
written and broadcast media and the organisation of seminars for decision-makers. At present
the
information policy in relation to third countries is under review but it is clear that, as a result of increased
decentralisation in the External Service of the Commission, the responsibility of Delegations for the
provision of information will be increased.

(1) COM(2002) 350 final.
(2) DG Enlargement web site http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/communication/index.htm.