Commission Working Document - Proposal for an inter-institutional agreement on Communicating Europe in Partnership {COM(2007) 568 final} {SEC(2007) 1265} {SEC(2007) 1267}
Date: 2007-10-03
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Council of the European Union, European Commission, European Parliament, cooperation policy, interinstitutional agreement

COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 3.10.2007 
COM(2007) 569 final 

COMMISSION WORKING DOCUMENT 

Proposal for an 

INTER-INSTITUTIONAL AGREEMENT 

on Communicating Europe in Partnership 

{COM(2007) 568 final} 
{SEC(2007) 1265} 
{SEC(2007) 1267} 

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COMMISSION WORKING DOCUMENT 

Proposal for an 

INTER-INSTITUTIONAL AGREEMENT 

on Communicating Europe in Partnership 

The  European  Parliament,  the  Council  and  the  Commission  of  the  European  Communities 
(hereinafter referred to as "the three Institutions"), 

Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  on  European  Union,  the  Treaty  establishing  the  European 
Community and the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (hereinafter 
referred to as "the Treaties"), 

Having regard to the Commission's Communication "Communicating Europe in Partnership" 
adopted on 3 October 2007 - COM(2007) 568. 

Whereas: 

Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union states that everyone 
has the right to freedom of expression and this right shall include freedom to hold opinions 
and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and 
regardless of frontiers. 

Citizens expect to receive objective information concerning European issues and reflecting all 
views,  to  be  provided  as  a  public  service  in  particular  by  the  EU  institutions  and  Member 
States. 

Decisions  should  be  taken  as  openly  as  possible  and  as  closely  as  possible  to  the  citizen, 
pursuant to Article 1 of the Treaty on European Union. 

The three Institutions attach the utmost importance to improving communication on EU issues 
in order to help European citizens exercise their right to participate in the democratic life of 
the Union.  

The  three  Institutions  attach  the  utmost  importance  to  the  principle  of  loyal  cooperation 
between  the  Community  and  the  Member  States  in  order  to  achieve  the  objectives  of  the 
Union. 

The three Institutions consider that an Inter-institutional Agreement would be a useful tool to 
facilitate cooperation among the institutions and bodies of the Community and also with the 
Member States. 

The aim of such an Inter-institutional Agreement is to achieve a convergence of views on the 
main communication priorities of the European Union as a whole, to identify the added value 
of  an  EU  approach  to  communication  on  specific  issues,  to  develop  synergies  between  the 
institutions when carrying out activities relating to these priorities and to encourage Member 
States to cooperate,  

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Have agreed as follows: 

I. 

COMMON OBJECTIVES 

1.  Information  and  communication  on  European  issues  should  pursue  the  following 
objectives: 

– 

– 

To give everyone access to fair and diverse information about the European Union;  

To  enable  everyone  to  exercise  their  right  to  express  their  views  and  to  participate 
actively in the public debate on European issues. 

All  public  actors  in  the  European  Union  have  a  responsibility  to  pursue  these  objectives, 
observing  the  principles  of  inclusiveness  and  pluralism,  participation  and  empowerment, 
openness and transparency. 

2.  While  recognising  the  different  responsibilities  of  each  EU  institution,  this  Inter-
institutional Agreement highlights the need for and the added value of better coordination in 
the way EU institutions and bodies communicate on EU issues. It provides a framework for 
coordinated action to this end.  

3. Together with the EU institutions and bodies, Member States have an essential role to play 
in  disseminating  information  on  EU  issues  at  national,  regional  and  local  level  in  order  to 
reach out to as many citizens as possible. 

II. 

SIGNATORIES 

4. The European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission agree to cooperate in 
implementing the above common objectives through this Inter-institutional Agreement. They 
invite the other EU institutions and bodies to support their efforts and to actively contribute to 
a coordinated approach to communication on EU issues.  

5.  While  recognising  that  participation  in  this  process  is  entirely  voluntary,  the  three 
Institutions encourage all Member States to participate actively in this common endeavour to 
communicate on EU issues.  

III. 

INTER-INSTITUTIONAL GROUP ON INFORMATION 

6.  The  three  Institutions  recognise  the  leading  role  of  the  Inter-Institutional  Group  on 
Information (IGI) in coordinating communication on EU issues.  

7.  The  three  Institutions  shall  be  represented  in  the  IGI  by  the  Vice-Presidents  of  the 
European Parliament and of the European Commission responsible for communication and by 
the competent representative of the Council, usually the Presidency. 

8.  The  Committee  of  the  Regions  and  the  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee  shall 
participate in the work of the IGI as observers. 

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9. The IGI shall have the following tasks: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Defining broad guidelines for coordinated communication on EU issues; 

Selecting  the  annual  EU  communication  priorities  based  on  a  proposal  from  the 
Commission reflecting the Annual Policy Strategy (APS); 

Adopting  the  annual  common  work  plan  of  communication  activities,  based  on 
actions proposed by each institution; 

Monitoring the implementation and follow-up of the annual common work plan. 

10. The IGI shall be assisted by an inter-institutional technical group whose task shall be to 
prepare, implement and follow up the decisions taken.  

IV. 

PLANNING 

(i) 

Selection of EU Communication Priorities 

11.  When  presenting  its  Annual  Policy  Strategy,  the  Commission  shall  establish  its  own 
communication  priorities.  On  this  basis,  the  Commission,  at  IGI  level,  shall  suggest  to  the 
other Institutions and the Member States a limited number of EU communication priorities for 
the year to come. 

12. In addition to these EU communication priorities, each institution shall be free to develop 
its own separate communication activities geared to its specific stakeholders and public. 

(ii) 

Common work plan 

13.  Once  the  EU  communication  priorities  have  been  agreed  upon  by  the  IGI,  each  EU 
institution  and  body  shall  inform  the  IGI  of  their  communication  actions  and  the  financial 
resources they intend to devote to implementing the agreed EU communication priorities. The 
Council  shall  present  the  corresponding  actions  and  financial  resources  planned  by  the 
Member States.  

14. On this basis, the Commission shall prepare a common annual work plan and submit it to 
the other EU institutions. The common annual work plan shall be sent for information to the 
Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee. 

15.  After  validation  by  the  IGI,  the  common  annual  work  plan  shall  be  duly  taken  into 
consideration by each institution when preparing the Budget. 

16. Each EU institution and body shall implement the common annual work plan and related 
initiatives in accordance with its own competences and means. 

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V. 

(i) 

GOING LOCAL 

Member States 

17. The three Institutions recognise the role of each Member State in communicating Europe 
on a national, regional and local level, in its respective official language(s). 

18. They encourage each Member State to nominate a high-level contact person as "national 
communication director" in matters relating to communication on EU issues and to submit an 
annual report on its own EU-related communication activities. 

19.  The  three  Institutions  agree  to  organise,  at  least  twice  per  year,  meetings  of  all  national 
communication directors in order to share information and disseminate best practices, thereby 
encouraging and supporting the involvement of the Member States in communicating on EU 
issues. 

20. They also agree to develop the electronic EU Information Network (EU-Infonet) in order 
to facilitate the permanent monitoring of communication on EU issues. 

(ii) 

European Institutions 

21. The three Institutions  recognise  the need to organise the relationship and reinforce joint 
communication activities between Parliament's offices and the Commission's Representations 
in the Member States, in close partnership with national authorities. 

22.  They  shall  encourage  in  each  Member  State  regular  meetings  between  the  Heads  of  the 
Commission's  Representation,  the  European  Parliament's  Information  Office  and  the 
to  EU 
corresponding  national  communication  director 
communication issues. 

to  discuss  matters  relating 

23. The three Institutions agree to develop new and extend existing partnerships with Member 
States  in  order  to  translate  the  EU  communication  priorities  into  specific  action  at  national, 
regional and local level. 

24. They agree to make best use of all existing communication tools and networks which act 
as an interface between the EU and its citizens. 

VI. 

MONITORING, ASSESSMENT AND ANNUAL DEBATE 

25.  Without  prejudice  to  their  own  autonomy,  the  three  Institutions  recognise  the  need  to 
monitor efficiently the implementation of the jointly agreed work plan. 

26.  The  IGI  shall  annually  assess  the  results  of  the  work  plan  on  the  basis  of  the  reports 
presented by each EU institution. 

27. The three Institutions agree to hold an annual debate on communication in order to assess 
the implementation of the work plan and to provide guidance for the coming year.  

28.  This  annual  debate  will  be  held  in  the  European  Parliament.  It  will  be  attended  by  the 
three  Institutions  and  will  take  place  in  the  presence  of  the  Council  Presidency.  The 
consultative bodies will be invited to participate. 

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VII. 

REVIEW CLAUSE 

29. The functioning of this Inter-institutional Agreement shall be reviewed at the beginning of 
the term of office of the incoming Commission and Parliament.  

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