Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the "Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on An information and communication strategy for the European Union"
Date: 2002-11-21
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: European Union, action programme, communications policy, information policy, information processing, interinstitutional cooperation (EU), public awareness campaign

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Communication from the Commission to the
Council, the European Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the
Regions on “An information and communication strategy for the European Union”’

(2003/C 73/13)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the
European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on an information and
communication strategy for the European Union — COM(2002) 350 final;

having regard to the decision of the European Commission of 2 July 2002, under the first paragraph of
Article 265 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, to consult the Committee on the subject;

having regard to the decision of its bureau of 14 May 2002, under the fifth paragraph of Article 265 of
the Treaty establishing the European Community, to instruct its Commission for Constitutional Affairs
and European Governance to draw up an opinion on the subject;

having regard to the Protocol governing arrangements for cooperation between the European Commission
and the Committee of the Regions, signed by their respective presidents on 20 September 2001
(DI CdR 81/2001 rev.);

having regard to the Communication from the Commission on A new framework for cooperation on
activities
the European Union
(COM(2001) 354 final);

information and communication policy of

concerning the

having regard to the resolution of the European Parliament of 13 March 2002 on the Communication
from the Commission on a new framework for cooperation on activities concerning the information and
communication policy of the European Union (C5-0465);

having regard to its opinion of 13 March 2002 on the White Paper on European governance and the
Communication on a new framework for cooperation on activities concerning the information and
communication policy of the European Union (CdR 103/2001 fin) (1);

having regard to its draft opinion (CdR 124/2002 rev.) adopted on 4 October 2002 by the Commission
for Constitutional Affairs and European Governance (rapporteur: Mrs du Granrut (F-EPP), member of the
Picardy Regional Council);

whereas surveys and studies reveal the alarming lack of public knowledge about the European Union;

whereas this lack of awareness cannot be allowed to continue at a time when EU enlargement is imminent
and the Convention on the future of the Union is likely to make proposals for institutional reform;

whereas the European Union’s legitimacy will only be consolidated when its citizens support its policies;

whereas the information measures thus far implemented by the European institutions have failed to
achieve the expected results;

whereas an active EU information policy, conveying a shared message and creating a specific image for
the Union, must be set in motion as a matter of urgency;

whereas such a policy requires a innovative strategy in terms of coordination, issues to be broached,
techniques to be used and media to be harnessed;

whereas the primary task of this information and communication policy is to serve citizens, and must
make them aware of the European dimension of their citizenship,

(1) OJ C 192, 12.8.2002, p. 24.

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adopted the following opinion unanimously at its 47th plenary session of 20 and 21 November 2002
(meeting of 21 November).

1. The Committee of the Regions’ views

1.1. General comments on communication and information in the

European Union

The Committee of the Regions

1.1.1.
welcomes the work undertaken by the European
Commission in proposing a coherent and comprehensive EU
information and communication strategy, intended to provide
complete, objective and reliable information about the EU, in
order to enable citizens to have a well-considered opinion;

1.1.2.
supports the principles underpinning the communi-
cation (henceforth referred to as ‘the report’), to the effect that
implementing this strategy is a prerequisite for successful EU
policies, and that a new culture of communication, based on
citizens’ and not only the institutions’ needs, must be fostered;

1.1.3.
also embraces the objectives set out in the report: to
create an enhanced image of a democratic, responsible Union
which enjoys legitimacy in the eyes of its 500 million citizens
and is conscious of its obligations in the world;

is aware of the scale of the task facing it, and wishes
1.1.4.
to contribute to its successful accomplishment by means of a
number of comments and suggestions. In order to give a solid
basis to its contribution to the European Commission’s work
towards an information and communication strategy for the
European Union, the CoR has examined the nature and role of
communication in relation to information;

— communication must seek to forge a positive relationship
with the citizen: he or she must feel that the message
concerns them personally and want to extract the infor-
mation it contains. He or she must want to know more,
or to talk about it. Communication seeks a response from
its targets;

— communication must provide reference points to under-
stand message: in this way, it makes sense of information.
In this particular case, it must make the existence and
workings of the European Union intelligible and credible;

— lastly, communication requires straightforward, relevant
messages: it is therefore a key measure of the validity of
the decision giving rise to the message. A decision which
cannot be communicated is not a good one. For this
reason, communication cannot take a back seat, it is part
and parcel of the institutional decision-making process.

The Committee of the Regions has sought to bring these basic
considerations to bear on the issue of EU information and
communication, and they have guided its comments and
proposals.

1.2. Comments on the Commission’s proposals for an information
and communication strategy for the European Union

The Committee of the Regions

believes that communication is not the same thing
1.1.5.
as information, but cannot be separated from it, providing
both its end result and underlying rationale. Information offers
knowledge, while communication establishes a human link
with the person to whom the message is addressed.A definition
of ‘communication’ should include ‘dialogue’, as this implies
listening to the citizen as well;

1.1.6.
always follow a number of working rules:

considers that to be effective, communication must

— communication must take account of the socio-cultural
context of the message, and the way the citizen perceives
things, which applies equally whether the message is
commercial or political;

recognises the complexity of the Union’s present
1.2.1.
situation ahead of enlargement and against a backdrop of
economic globalisation, while the public is aware of its lack of
knowledge of the Union’s missions and workings. It notes,
however, that Eurobarometer polls point to potentially positive
public expectations of the Union, in very practical areas of
daily life, economic development, solidarity, environmental
protection and the Union’s action around the world. A real
aspiration exists to see Europe play a major role in world
affairs. These expectations represent a definite asset in bringing
forward a Union information and communication policy based
on dialogue with citizens and their capacity to join the public
debate. These expectations must be met urgently for three
reasons: falling voter turn-out in European elections, imminent
enlargement, and the institutional reform currently in progress,
the next stage in which will be the forthcoming publication of
the outcome of the Convention’s work;

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1.2.2.
trusts that the Union can devise and disseminate
appropriate, targeted messages and introduce a partnership
between the EU institutions and its Member States, but warns
the Commission that in order to retain credibility, any message
must be clear and reflect
the straightforwardness of the
decision-making processes which have produced it. In other
words, the sharing of responsibilities between Union insti-
the current and future Member States, and their
tutions,
regional and local authorities must be accompanied by a
determined effort to simplify Community decision-making
processes and make them more understandable, in order to
make information and communication activity more effective
and implemented more consistently across all the institutions.
The urgent specific need to address the issue of EU communi-
cation is therefore combined with the urgent structural need
to streamline the way the institutions operate;

1.2.3.
believes that the report is right to argue that genuine
communication by the European Union cannot be reduced to
the mere provision of information; rather, it must convey a
meaning, facilitate comprehension, set both action and policy
in a real context, and prompt constructive dialogue with public
opinion in the Member States, as set out in the reference
framework described in point 1. The report does, however, lay
the main emphasis on the necessary familiarity with of its
institutional structures and how they work. The report thus
moves on from how to convey an idea/project, such as the
need for European unification as a new force for each of its
citizens, to the difficult and thankless task of explaining its
institutions and their missions. If better communication is to
be achieved, this explanation should, in future, coincide with a
simplification of these institutions. If the European Union
wants to present itself as a form of added value able to meet
the challenges of enlargement, economic and monetary policy
and Europe’s crucial place in the process of globalisation, then
it must
first of all win over its citizens by offering an
encouraging view of its work to help them realise their
individual potential, gaining their support and mobilising their
energies to take part in the public debate;

1.2.4.
regrets that the report, which underlines the need
for a fresh approach to information and communication,
seemingly fails to draw all the appropriate conclusions. It
mentions the need to formulate and disseminate messages
geared to and focused on its priority issues, and to develop a
genuine teaching function in relation to its role and tasks. This
information- rather than communication-oriented view might

be judged as reductive when viewed against the desire for
dialogue and a response to practical public concerns, and the
calls for more consensus-driven Union governance which
takes greater account of citizens’ identity. A further aspect of
this fresh approach relates to the role of the Member States,
who would be actively involved in shaping and implementing
the communication strategy;

1.2.5.
is convinced that upholding the principle of subsidi-
arity does not mean that the Union must rely exclusively on
national networks to convey its message. In order to enjoy a
legitimate presence in the eyes of its citizens, the Union must
have a specific line of communication, channelled through its
own networks, in coordination with national and regional
networks. To implement the communication strategy success-
fully, therefore, it is considered vital to step up cooperation
between the European institutions and European regional
and local authorities along the lines of a closer, equal
partnership. Thus, the aim must be to coordinate the schemes
and initiatives with national, regional and local-level agencies
in the Member States. This means in particular working
together to develop appropriate measures, and more straight-
forward funding arrangements by the Commission represen-
tations;

considers that if, as the report says, it is essential for
1.2.6.
the Union to build up a fund of messages using a common
reference framework and with a common thread, then those
put
forward are too closely bound up with institutional
concerns to meet public expectations and establish the dialogue
called for by the report;

1.2.7.
notes that opinion polls on individual Europeans’
dominant values reveal an increasingly personalised approach,
in the sense of the ability of each individual to exercise choices
regarding their personal fulfilment in the family, at work and
in leisure activities, and a receptive attitude towards the values
of solidarity and security: in other words, a desire to live in an
area of freedom, justice and tolerance. In order to respond to
this personalisation, political institutions have to initiate public
debate and provide the tools for individuals to make their
choices. They must demonstrate their attachment to serving
citizens and their constant concern to represent their interests
and diversity of identities, at both national and regional level.
In order to satisfy the values of solidarity and security, the
Union must take the Charter of fundamental rights as its
starting-point, and emphasise its strength as a force for balance
on the world scene. This offers an opportunity for the
European Union to show itself as the only political structure
able to achieve such objectives. This area for action, and for
communication, needs to be developed further;

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1.2.8.
draws the attention of the Commission to three
crucial questions which must be given due consideration in
the report:

— while enlargement is frequently referred to in terms of
the need for it and its legitimacy, it does not figure
adequately in the issues surrounding the future of Europe
and the political and institutional measures that will be
necessary. This is also one of the missions of the
Convention on the future of the European Union;

— more generally, although the Convention on the future
of
from the
the European Union is a major event
communication point of view, in terms of its member-
ship, working methods and expected proposals, it does
not figure prominently enough in the declared strategy;

— lastly, on an internal level, the direct and indirect added
value provided by the Structural Funds for European
citizens as a whole has not been harnessed as it might be,
even if the criteria for using these funds, together with
those of the Common Agricultural Policy, should result
in radical reforms in the near future;

considers that once the priority issues and strategy
1.2.9.
have been defined by the Interinstitutional Group on Infor-
mation (IGI), the question then arises of which instruments to
use in implementing the information and communication
programme, so as ensure it has the greatest possible impact on
an ‘informed’ audience and widest possible influence on public
opinion in general. The Commission has not overlooked this
matter, but its reply or, rather, replies, which take account of
earlier programmes and political and institutional constraints,
would benefit from being bolder. The Prince programme, for
example, together with the ‘Citizens First’ project and ‘Building
Europe Together’, should be seen as test beds for a more
ambitious strategy and projects. Under the proposed arrange-
ments, political responsibility would lie with the IGI and
operational responsibility with the Commission. However, it
seems that the Council’s information group, together with the
relevant committees of the European Parliament, are also to be
involved in defining the communication strategy for each
topic, which may make putting the IGI-defined strategy into
practice a complicated matter;

1.2.12.
regrets that regional and local authorities, as well as
EICs (Euro Info Centres), EDCs (European Documentation
Centres), the ‘Europe Houses’ and the representations and
delegations are not mentioned as being among these channels,
as they have an incomparable grassroots capacity for infor-
mation and communication, and enjoy public trust which is
extended to the messages they transmit, and could facilitate
the desired dialogue with citizens;

also regrets that there is very little mention of
1.2.13.
secondary schools, vocational
training and universities as
fundamental ways of reaching young people. The Committee
agrees with the Commission that if the new strategy is to be
implemented effectively, it is crucial that the work be carried
out as close to the target groups as possible: since young
people are a key target group for communication,
is
particularly important to establish direct contact with edu-
cational establishments at every stage of the new strategy
(design, decision and implementation), and not only as links
at the final phase;

it

considers,

lastly, that the role of the media —
1.2.14.
whether conventional: press, radio and TV, or new: Internet,
websites, etc. — is not sufficiently mapped out. The way they
are to be used should be specified by the relevant technical
bodies. The Committee recalls that the opportunities for direct
dialogue between the Union and its citizens, particularly young
people, provided by the new communication technologies
should be fully exploited.

2. Recommendations of the Committee of the Regions

The Committee of the Regions

is aware of the constraints on the European Union’s
2.1.
information and communication strategy. Without over-
looking them, its proposals are intended to meet the demands
of dynamism and synergy identified in the report and to put the
strategy on a more solid footing, giving it greater operational
efficiency. The Committee is convinced this is an urgent,
important need for the political future of the European Union.

1.2.10.
recalls, furthermore, that it is ready and willing to
bring its more refined and precise knowledge of public needs
and expectations to bear in order to help the IGI define topics
and strategy;

2.2. Taking stock

1.2.11.
judges that, as the report says, the efficacy of the
channels and networks to be used remains to be shown.
Thought should be given to improving them, and to finding
new ways of forging fresh links with the Union’s citizens;

2.2.1.
notes that opinion polls and studies reveal present
and future EU citizens’ disillusion with politics and lack of
awareness of the reality of the Union, together with their
positive expectations of it. These expectations can be met
through the Union’s political actions: the successful introduc-
tion of the euro is an encouraging example of a political
initiative in response to an economic problem;

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2.2.2.
considers that the Union should explain to its citizens
that its political initiatives serve their economic, social and
interests, as well as those relating to their internal
cultural
security and global ambitions;

suggests that the Commission request Eurobarometer
2.2.3.
to provide a concise document, based on all available studies
and their own research, on how citizens see the Union and
what they expect of its work. This document could provide a
platform for further discussion and options for the IGI;

2.3.4.
proposes a list of topics which it believes to match
more closely public expectations. It recalls that EU communi-
cation on these topics will provide numerous opportunities
for putting the above-mentioned values into real practice, and
that it should shun abstract, unproductive declarations of
principle, instead providing practical examples boosting the
credibility and legitimacy of the Union’s work in the eyes of its
citizens. Their support for Union projects is at stake.

a)

Topics to demonstrate that the Union’s existing work is
already at the service of its citizens:

2.2.4.
asks, in any case, to take part, as a full member, in
the IGI’s discussions on defining a strategy, and to be
associated with the implementation of the information and
communication programme, so that the regional and local
authorities it represents can be actively involved. The Com-
mittee considers that regional and local communication is the
only level at which a rapid response to information can be
secured and individual energies mobilised to ensure the
programme’s democratic effect.

2.3.
The Committee of the Regions has focused on two
essential aspects of the strategy: topics for communication,
and targets.

2.3.1.
with regard to the topics for communication, fully
supports the principle of devising a central thread to transmit
coherent messages;

— the present and future role of the Structural Funds

and the CAP;

— the benefits flowing from the introduction of the

euro in the relevant countries;

— the effects of competition policy on consumer

protection;

— free movement of people;

— environmental protection and sustainable develop-

ment.

b)

Topics charting future paths and goals:

— enlargement, emphasising both the efforts made by
the applicant countries and the internal security
measures which the Union will need to take;

2.3.2.
is convinced that the European Union represents
added value. This is the central thread around which the
following fundamental ideas, identified on the basis of Euro-
pean citizens’ dominant values, should be woven:

— how the Union’s future ties in with the work of the
European Convention, possibly leading to a Union
constitution;

— the search for a balance between economic activity and

personal security;

— the Union’s political evolution through institutional

reform and application of its powers.

— respect for cultural, ethnic and religious diversity;

— the aspiration to play a political role on a global scale;

— preservation of peace both within and beyond the Union’s

borders.

considers that these four dimensions to the Union’s
2.3.3.
added value should serve as a basis for developing for the
priority topics of Union communication;

2.3.5.
recalls that the information and communication
strategy will fail to achieve its aims if regional and local elected
representatives and their partners are not seen as vital links,
not least on the basis of the excellent results achieved in cases
where this partnership is already operative (as for instance in
the case of the IPE and Carrefour networks, the Euro Info
Centres, European Document Centres, ‘Europe Houses’, etc.),
and if they are not granted the necessary margin of freedom to
adjust messages for a public with which they are in daily
touch, and which has confidence in them, having elected them.
Local elected representatives are the ‘all-rounders’ of civil
society. They are familiar with all its sectors and all its needs.
As pointed out above, they also possess the ability to gather
citizens’ responses to messages and to launch direct dialogue
with them.

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2.4. Operating methods

2.4.1.
approves the Union’s willingness to take on a
leadership role in guiding the entire process, thereby showing
its dynamic, practical ‘face’ to all European citizens. It under-
stands the Commission’s concern to share the responsibility
for this with the other Union institutions and to comply with
the subsidiarity principle by calling upon the Member State to
cooperate in this project of great importance to its future;

2.4.2.
feels it must, however, make a number of suggestions
arising from the exceptional nature of the future strategy, and
from the impact which the topics and messages to be
communicated may have in the current situation:

— the approach and operation of the Union’s existing
channels in the Member States and applicant countries
should be overhauled;

— involvement of the Parliament and Council information
services in shaping strategy, topics and messages should
be matched by their acceptance of coordinated implemen-
tation in full synergy with the Union;

— cooperation with national information services, together
with those of the Union institutions, as communication
links must be clearly specified in a memorandum of
understanding, as urged by the report. There must be no
risk of blurring Union messages, although they must be
tailored to fit the sensibilities of national populations;

2.4.3.
is prepared to subscribe to such a memorandum,
believing that it is essential to mobilise the local and regional
elected representatives of the Member States and applicant
countries, both to channel more personalised and hence more
effective information downwards, and to channel communi-
cation from the grassroots upwards to the Union. It proposes,
for example, that under the Protocol of Cooperation with the
Commission, a list be made of events which could be organised
jointly on topics having a direct impact on citizens’ daily lives
and falling fully or partly within the remit of regional and local
authorities;

2.4.5.
suggests that the traditional media be brought in at
an early stage of the strategy design process. A panel of press
and broadcast journalists could, for example, be formed and
asked to evaluate the clarity, relevance and newsworthiness of
communication projects. The media would, of course, also be
a communication target within the overall scheme. In this
respect, the Committee argues that the Union should aim at a
broader audience than specialist European affairs journalists.
Special efforts will have to be made vis-à-vis national and
regional broadcast media, since they now represent the main
source of knowledge for a large sector (covering all age groups)
of the general public in Europe. Partnership agreements should
be sought. Publications should also be re-designed, particularly
with regard to language and distribution aspects;

2.4.6.
turning to the new technologies, considers that the
Union should promote existing sites and create, or check, links
with other important European, national and regional sites.

2.5. Overall direction

acknowledges the need for messages to be tailored
2.5.1.
to the relevant audiences, and consequently for the ‘channels’
to enjoy a degree of freedom to adjust them, but emphasises
that once the strategy has been decided, the overall direction
of information and communication operations should be left
to the European Commission, which should also undertake
regular evaluations and brief the IGI, the Union institutions,
the Member States and the applicant countries on the results;

2.5.2.
considers that European citizens must be able to
identify the Union as the source of, and responsible for, the
information provided, and as a partner if they wish to enter
into dialogue.

2.6. Means

2.4.4.
believes that in addition to the individuals or groups
to be mobilised as channels in the Member States, all members
of
the European institutions, such as the Member States
themselves, regions, cities and local authorities, and including
the members of the European Convention, the Committee of
the Regions and the European Economic and Social Com-
mittee, should be mobilised and equipped with a ‘roadmap’ for
their support for/participation in information and communi-
cation campaigns;

2.6.1.
draws attention to the financial contribution the
local and regional authorities and their partners already
make towards the European Union’s information policy, by
earmarking their own considerable resources for the running
of the Union’s official information networks;

considers that given its priority nature, the infor-
2.6.2.
mation and communication strategy must be provided with
an adequate budget;

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2.6.3.
emphasises that its proposals are made under the
terms of the protocol governing arrangements for cooperation
with the European Commission, and more specifically the
section on information and communication policy at
grassroots level, and that the sole purpose of these proposals
is to contribute to a successful Union information and
communication strategy. They are guided by the fundamental
changes presently occurring in the Union, at a time when it
must unavoidably and definitively make good its deficit of
transparency and democracy in relation to its citizens. For this
reason, the Committee has striven to analyse and recall the
nature and rules of an information and communication
strategy, the better to put it at the service of citizens and the
relationship that must be built up with the European Union.
This is the common thread and ambition of its proposals;

2.7.

in conclusion, highlights the following points:

a strategic approach: this must follow the rules
2.7.1.
governing any communication work and take careful account
of the way citizen-consumers normally perceive things, create
a positive relationship with them, provide them with reference
points to help them understand messages and put forward
their own views and, lastly, accept that this approach be built
into the decision-making process;

2.7.2.
communication topics: the unifying link must be the
added value brought by the Union, underpinned by the
dominant values of European citizens and with practical
examples likely to gain public support. The Committee of the
Regions suggests a number of suitable topics for demonstrating
that the Union’s present work is already serving the interests
of its citizens, and stresses enlargement and the role of the
European Convention and the impact of its results on future
paths and goals;

Brussels, 21 November 2002.

2.7.3.
synergy with the European institutions’ adminis-
trations and the Member States and applicant countries, as
well as with regional and local authorities and their partners:
the present and future EU countries are certainly vital links in
transmitting and adapting messages. They must however
conform to the objective of the strategy: to legitimise the
reality of the Union and establish a direct dialogue with
citizens;

2.7.4.
involvement of regional and local authorities and
their partners: the confidence placed in them by the Union
will be reflected in a better knowledge of public expectations,
better targeted choice of subject matter, effective transmission
of its messages and, in return, feedback from citizens which
may well initiate the desired dialogue;

reorganisation of

the Union’s existing channels,
2.7.5.
including publications,
in both their approach and their
operation. Raising the awareness of the traditional media and
mobilising a wider sector than specialist
journalists will
produce real media coverage for the proposed information
and communication strategy, as well as more rational and
open use of the new communication technologies;

2.7.6.
greater focus on developments now and in the
immediate future, especially the institutional proposals of the
Convention on the future of the European Union;

2.7.7.
The issues at stake in recasting the European Union’s
information and communication policy, as proposed by the
Commission, to reflect the Laeken Declaration. The Committee
urges that its comments and proposals be taken into consider-
ation, as it is convinced that the regional and local authorities
that it represents are an essential factor in both devising a
dynamic information and communication strategy which
meets people’s expectations, and establishing a democratic
dialogue between the Union and its citizens and winning their
support for the political work of the Union’s institutions.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Albert BORE