Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee 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" (COM(2002) 350 final)
Date: 2003-01-23
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: European Union, action programme, communications policy, information policy, information processing, interinstitutional cooperation (EU), public awareness campaign

8.4.2003

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee 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’

(COM(2002) 350 final)

(2003/C 85/27)

On 2 July 2002 the Commission decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee, under
Article 262 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned communication.

The European Economic and Social Committee decided to appoint Mr Ehnmark as rapporteur-general to
draw up this opinion.

At its 396th plenary session of 22 and 23 January 2003 (meeting of 23 January) the European Economic
and Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 32 votes to one vote against and one abstention.

1. Summary of the opinion

Finally, the EESC emphasises that every-day issues
1.3.
should be paid attention to, as they concretise on individual
level what the EU is doing. The EESC will itself further develop
its information and communication work.

1.1.
The European Union enters a crucial period of change.
Its citizens do not feel well informed about the activities of the
EU and about the changes taking place or being debated. In
order to ameliorate the situation, the European Commission
has presented a proposal for a new and reinvigorated infor-
mation and communication policy, identifying four priority
information topics, and aiming for better coordination in the
information work between the EU level and the national level.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
1.2.
welcomes the proposal. It is a good platform for further
development of the information and communication work. It
is important that the information activities will cover EU
activities as well as highlighting the values and visions behind
the development of the Union. However, the EESC has three
main points of consideration:

— The strategy does not give attention to the role that the
social partners and organized civil society can play in the
total
information and communication work on EU
activities.

— The proposed four information topics are well chosen,
but environment and sustainable development is missing
from the list — although EU citizens obviously regard
environment issues as an area where the EU should have
a special responsibility.

2. Overcoming barriers of ignorance

2.1.
For the future of the European Union, it is of para-
mount importance that its citizens have a good knowledge
and understanding of the visions that has been shaping the
development of the Union, and of the objectives and work of
the EU institutions. Particularly in the present period of
enlargement and debate on the future of the Union, it is
essential to overcome the barriers of ignorance that exist in
broad parts of the populations. Only by way of strong support
from well informed citizens will the Union be able to meet the
challenges ahead.

2.2.
Repeated surveys have indicated that the barriers of
ignorance are still considerable. To take but one example:
according to the Eurobarometer, 83 % of the public of the EU
felt poorly or not at all informed about enlargement as late as
during Spring, 2002. Other studies give a similar picture.
Although there are considerable differences between Member
States, the overall impression is that the Union enters a vital
transition period with inadequately informed citizens.

— The strategy should more clearly also target the education

sector and the youth groups.

2.3.
Building knowledge about the Union is a long-term
work. Shaping understanding probably even more so. The
Union and the visions behind it will need time to settle in the
minds.

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2.4.
The European Commission has presented an ambitious
information and communication strategy, with implemen-
tation step by step during 2003. In essence, it is a platform
for a rolling effort for promoting public knowledge and
understanding concerning the Union and its institutions and
their work.

and visions behind the development of the Union. It is essential
that the information and communication activities are placed
in a wider perspective, in order to avoid fragmentation. To
inform about the structures, and to structure the information
— that has been a communication lesson learnt in many
circumstances.

2.5.
The European Economic and Social Committee wel-
comes the proposal. It constitutes an important step forward
as to information to the citizens on EU activities. It targets the
key issues in Union debate and development, and it aims for
reaching out to major groups in society.

The strategy is based on a close cooperation developed
3.2.
between the EU level and the national
level. The strategy
foresees a degree of joint planning of information efforts
between the EU and the national level.

2.6.
The EESC emphasises that information for the public
on EU and EU activities should be objective and targeted to
specific situations and specific audiences. The strategy pro-
posal, however, does not reflect on possible distinctions
between general information on EU activities, information on
legislation decided at EU level and implemented at national
level, or information on issues where EU institutions invite to
debate and dialogue as part of the preparations for future
legislation. Information on citizens’ rights and duties is differ-
ent from more general information on activities. The com-
munication approaches must be flexible and related to the
specific situations In the further development of the strategy,
these issues should be more taken into account.

The agreement recently on public participation in the
2.7.
further development of EU work in the environmental field is
an very good example of how dialogue and consultation can
be integrated in the work of EU institutions. This should
be further developed as a particular aspect of how public
participation in EU work can add to knowledge, understanding
and support.

2.8.
Ultimately, overcoming barriers of ignorance is very
much a matter of opening channels for participation and
dialogue. Involving citizens in the debates and consultations is
an efficient method to create readiness and interest
for
receiving information. The recent debates on governance have
emphasised the need for more openness and participation. An
active information and communication strategy is an essential
tool in that effort.

3. A platform for rolling development

The EESC can agree with the general outline of the
3.1.
information and communication strategy. It is important that
the strategy underlines the need for information on the values

A successful information and communication strategy
3.3.
necessitates a multi-dimensional approach. In particular, it is
vital to achieve support from other institutions and organ-
izations with capacity to reach out to citizens. Multiple actors
and the adaption of two- or three-step strategies increase the
chances for reaching out with messages.

The strategy focuses on cooperation between EU
3.4.
institutions and governments in Member States, and more in
passing notes the need for cooperation also with other
institutions than governments in Member States. The EESC
would have appreciated if this aspect had been given more
attention in the proposed strategy. As the objective is to
increase knowledge and understanding among citizens in
general (and not only opinion-makers), it will be fundamentally
important to reach out via multiple actors (organisations,
networks, institutions at both local and regional and national
level). In fact, the success of the total information effort will
probably very much depend on the involvement of multiple
actors at national and local level.

Particularly,

3.5.
the EESC would have appreciated an
analysis of how the social partners and organized civil society
can take on an active role in promoting knowledge and
understanding for EU activities. Opinion multipliers have a
capacity of reaching out to the grass-root levels that few other
actors can. In the implementation of the information and
communication strategy, organized civil society should be
invited to take active part.

The EESC welcomes the strong commitment made as
3.6.
to the importance of the European Parliament, acting in
cooperation with the national parliaments.

3.7.
Among the key topics for the information strategy one
or two years ahead, enlargement is put as number one. It is,
however, worth noticing that the information and communi-
cation strategy does not mention the need for specific and
targeted efforts in the new Member States, and in the three
candidate countries.

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3.8.
A systematic evaluation and follow-up will be necess-
ary. A special effort should be made in order to involve
university departments and researchers in the evaluation.

Commission, or by other EU institutions, they should also be
integrated in the total information and communication effort.
individual
Every-day issues provide the concretisation at
level of EU activities. The value of them should not be
underestimated.

4. Priority information topics

4.1.
The main information topics the Commission proposes
to develop focus on the EU’s policy priorities for the years
ahead. In total the Commission proposes four priority infor-
mation topics:

— enlargement;

— the future of the European Union;

— the area of freedom, security and justice;

— the role of the European Union in the world.

The EESC gives its strong support to the choice of
4.2.
these four priority information topics. They are all
in the
forefront of present EU debate in the Member States, and they
closely interrelate. They also reflect the experience that too
many topics create obscurity rather than clarity. The last of the
four should, among other aspects, also take into account the
global impact of the shaping of the European Union, and of
its priorities and actions. Sustainable development can be
mentioned as just one example.

However, with that in mind, the EESC must express
4.3.
some surprise that the important environment sector is not
distinctly included in the priority list. A number of polls have
indicated that EU citizens regard environment issues as an area
where EU should take a particular responsibility. This grass-
roots support is a strong argument for adding environment to
the priority topics.

Environment issues are also part of the wider policy of
4.4.
sustainable development. Repeated European Councils have
emphasised the importance of shaping policies, and public
support, for sustainable development. The EESC would find it
logic that issues concerning sustainable development are
included in the implementation of the strategy. In view of the
rolling development of priority topics for the information and
communication work, sustainable development should be
considered as an overall priority topic for 2004 onwards.

4.5.
Environment and sustainable development are issues
that are closely related to every-day life of the EU citizens.
Food safety, consumer protection and citizens’ rights are other
everyday issues. Even if such issues are tackled in more specific
information efforts by various Directorates-General of the

5. Targeting the information

5.1.
The strategy proposal emphasises quite correctly that
the information must be targeted to specific audiences and
specific situations. The EESC can only agree. However, to what
extent it is actually possible to target the information is a
matter of both resources and organization.

One key aspect is that the information will have to be
5.2.
profiled not only according to audiences but also to audiences
in individual Member States. There is, to take but one example,
some obvious differences when addressing social partner
audiences in various Member States. The frames of reference
vary, the way of expressing yourselves varies, the channels and
actors vary: hence the need for adaptation to audiences in
individual Member States.

5.3.
One solution to the need for more targeted information
is a build-up of cooperation between the EU institutions,
institutions at national
level, and organized civil society,
including the social partners. Organized civil society has not
only a capacity to reach out, but also to identify specific
approaches to their audiences. Organized civil society, by way
of its structures, reaches out to both opinion-makers and the
public at large.

5.4.
The strategy points out that youth groups, and the
education sector, should be targeted. The EESC agrees. How-
ever, it would have been valuable with some more elaboration
on these issues. The EESC proposes that a specific part of the
information and communication strategy be outlined with the
objective of providing schools with relevant and inspiring
information on European Union activities. The school sector
in its entirety must be regarded as one of the core audiences
for the whole strategy. If this part of the strategy fails, there
will indeed be problems ahead (cf. the EESC opinion on The
European Dimension of Education (1)).

5.5.
The EESC would also like to see a more elaborated
plan for cooperation with youth organizations in Member
States. This would give possibilities for reaching out to wider
youth groups than is possible via mass media or other more
general communication activities.

(1) OJ C 139, 11.5.2001, p. 85.

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5.6.
One further important audience that merits special
attention are the retired citizens, of which many are active in
various organizations. The retired citizens represent a valuable
information and communication potential, as lecturers and
writers, and can with their experiences add a longer perspective
to the information efforts.

6. Organization aspects

The EESC strongly supports the establishment of a
6.1.
coordinating forum between the EU institutions for the
implementation of the information and communication strat-
egy. This is essential in order to achieve synergy effects, and to
make good use of the resources available.

6.2.
Each EU institution develops its own information and
communication strategy, within the overall framework that is
established by the Commission strategy and the coordinating
forum. The existence of new efforts for joint planning between
the EU institutions does of course not mean that each
institution would not continue with the development of its
own planning.

6.3.
The strategy proposal suggests various forms for
coordination between the EU level and the national (mainly
government) level. The Commission is considering the possi-
bility of drawing up a memorandum of understanding with
each Member State. The aim of the memorandum would be
‘to put a political seal on the mutual contractual undertaking
between the European Union and the Member States to work
together to improve the dissemination of general information
on European matters’.

6.4.
It is possible that there will be a future need for such
formalization of the cooperation concerning the dissemination
of general
information on EU activities. The EESC would,
however, expect that the institutions involved would find it
relevant to cooperate without a formalization, which in itself
could be interpreted as a step too far in the coordination of
information and communication activities.

Brussels, 23 January 2003.

6.5.
The EESC would moreover like to emphasise the
importance of closely cooperating networks between infor-
in EU institutions and
mation and communication staff
relevant institutions at national level. It should be observed
that some Member States are already reviewing there own
organizational solutions at national
in the field of
information on EU activities. The further development of the
overall information and communication strategy should take
account of the approaches and solutions chosen at national
levels.

level

7. The role of the EESC

7.1.
By way of its members and the organizations they
represent, the EESC has a unique network of contacts reaching
out to all parts of society. Over the years, the EESC has
developed its capacity to function as a bridge between the EU
institutions and the public at large in the Member States.
Particularly, the EESC has sought to develop its capacity for
organizing and conducting wide-ranging forum and hearings
in topical issues of specific importance.

7.2.
Recently, the EESC has organized major events, in the
form of hearings and debates, in issues such as human rights
at the workplace, sustainable development strategies for the
EU, and agricultural policies in the EU.

7.3.
The EESC has developed its own information and
communication strategy, outlined by the Communication
group established within the EESC a few years ago.

7.4.
The EESC has an observer place in the inter-insti-
information and communication group. The EESC
tutional
finds it natural that the EESC be involved in the work of the
group as full member.

The EESC intends to develop further its capacity for
7.5.
being an active bridge-builder and information actor in all
parts of EU work where the EESC itself is involved. The stakes
ahead are high. The citizens of the Union have a right to be
informed, and to be consulted, on the issues of importance for
the future.

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Roger BRIESCH