Download The Communication Policy of the EU Commission

The Communication Policy
of the EU Commission
The Communication
Policy
of the EU Commission
••• 1
0. Communication about EU/EU-integration:
LEGAL SITUATION:
- Communication is not exclusive task of EU
- Not "subsidiarity", but "complementarity"
REAL SITUATION:
Multitude of communication policies!
* Actors are f.i. MS, NGO, EU-institutions
••• 2
1. Communication policies
of EU-institutions:
REAL SITUATION:
- Also here: several actors, need for coordination
- Main actors: EC, EP, ECJ, EESC, CoR, Council,
EU-Council, EU Agencies
- But in each institution several actors, like
* Parties in EP; Commissioners in EC;
Members of EESC; MS representatives
in Council...
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1. Communication policies of EUinstitutions – continuation:
- Longterm cooperation agreements exist,
f.i. between
* EP-EC, EC-CoR, EC-EESC,...
* Operational coordination between EP and EC in
"Interinstitutional group for information"
PROBLEM: Different interests of institutions,
parties, persons, MS...
••• 4
1. Communication policies of EUinstitutions – continuation:
Examples for differences in interests:
* EP has 8 political groups PLUS administration
* Council has different configurations
* Council has 27 MS, mostly coalition governments
* CoR represents more than 300 regions (344 members)
* EESC represents employers, employees, liberal
professions...(344 members)
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2. Communication policy of EU Commission :
Actors :
- 27 Commissioners, no one has prerogative
- 27 spokespersons of Commissioners
- 1 Commissioner responsible for DG COMM
- DG COMM : Directorate General «Communication»
- Communication units in +/- 40 Directorates General
- 27 EC-representations in MS
- More than 125 EC-delegations in third countries
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2. Communication policy of EU Commission :
Conclusion : many actors, high need for coordination
Coordination :
- Level Chefs de Cabinet of Commissioners
- Level spokespersons by DG COMM
- Level 27 representations by DG COMM
- Directorates General by « External Communication Network »
- 125 delegations by DG RELEX
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2.1. Coordination issues :
• Commissioner for communication has no
«right of command» over other Commissioners,
other DG than DG COMM!
• DG COMM has no right of command over
spokespersons and other DG!
• Communication actors coordinate cooperatively,
not hierarchically!
• Difference to multinational company having ONE
CEO, ONE spokesman!
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3. Tasks of actors:
3.1. Commissioners : MAY speak for whole Commission…
3.2. Spokespersons :
- Communication for respective Commissioner
- Political communication for respective DG
3.3. DG Communication :
- Coordination of 27 Representatives
- Coordination of spokespersons
- Coordination of information networks…and ./.>>
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3.3. Tasks of DG COMM, continued :
- Coordination «Team Europe» (speakers team)
- Cooperation with other institutions, MS
- Horizontal communication campaigns (several DG involved)
- Horizontal communication policy (several/all DG concerned)
- Services for all DG :
°Internet (external, internal)
°Publications
°Audiovisual services
°Europa Direct
°Press services (internal, external)
°Opinion poll, press reviews
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3.4. Tasks of EC-Representations in MS :
- Realisation of horizontal campaigns (Lisbon Treaty,
Debate Europe,…)
- Realisation of special campaigns (enlargement, EURO, …)
- Press-/media relations
- Speaking events
- Expositions, trade fair presentations
- Publications tailormade to MS
- Internet page tailormade to host country
••• 11
3.5. Tasks of EC-delegations in third countries :
- Realisation of individual campaigns for respective
country (e.g. preparation of accession... Croatia,
Macedonia!)
- Press-/Media relations
- Tailormade Internet page
- Political reporting
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3.6. Tasks of Communication Units in DG :
- Realisation of special campaigns («Milk, vegetables
in schools», DG AGRI)
- Contributions to europa.eu - webpage
- Contributions to Audiovisual services
- Speaking events
- Expositions, presentations
- Special print publications
- Press-/Media relations focussed on special interest
media
••• 13
3.7.Division of tasks between DG Comm
and Communication Units in DG :
•
DG COMM
- Public at large
Communication Units of DG
x
- General interest media x
Stakeholder relations
Special interest media
- Political information
x «Non political» information
- Whole EU, EC
x
Success, activities of own DG
••• 14
3.8. Problems of this complex division
of tasks :
- Overlappings, empty spots
- Congestion of information channels/overload
- Planning of events, press releases
- Accumulation of/competition between important
events, press releases
- Speaking rules
- Need of coordination potentially decelerates
communication activities....
••• 15
4. Goals of the EU-communication policy :
General goals :
- To inform about institutions, their functionning, activities,
intentions
- Explanation of above mentioned informations
- Dialogue with citizens and stakeholders
- Transparancy
- Participation (f.e. elections; interactive policy making;
consultations; procurement;…)
Special goals :
- Annual communication priorities
••• 16
4.1. Communication priorities
- Annually fixed
- Interinstitutional priorities plus special ones for
EU-communication
Problems :
- «Moving target»
- Political limitations
- Previously too many priorities
- «Management buy in», What means a
«negative priority »?
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4.1. Communication priorities 2010
1. Driving the economic recovery and
mobilising new sources of growth
(unemployment in EU :11.5 %)
2. Climate action and energy
(climate change, energy security)
3. Making the Lisbon Treaty work for citizens
(democratic innovations : popular right of
initiative;bigger role for individual parliaments)
••• 18
5. Communication tools :
- Press-/media relations
- Print publications
- Internet
- Audiovisual media
- Information networks
- Publicity/promotion campaigns
- Visitors service
- Events (conferences, discussions, expositions,
trade fair presentations…)
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5.1. Exernal press-/media relations of EC :
- Daily press briefing, participation of (several)
Commissioners
- Reply to enquiries, organisation/preparation of
interviews
- Press releases, press conferences of DG
- „Rebuttal service“ against „EU-myths“
- Fact sheets; press packs,…
- Training seminars for journalists (in Brussels or in
representations)
••• 20
5.2. External Press relations of
EU Commission : continuation
Still in discussion is (wider) use of :
„You Tube“  but we have since short „EU-Tube“
Social networks (Facebook, Linkedln)
 Only internal use, or also externally?
 Problem : speaking rules !!
Blogs
 But some Commissioners did it
••• 21
5.2. External Press relations of
EU Commission : continuation
- «Topnews» : Event calender for journalists
- Audiovisual studio facilities in Brussels
- Speeches, blogs (of Commissioners)
- Data base of press releases
- «Citizens summaries» added to legislation
- «Success stories» (mainly R&D support policies,
regional policy projects)
••• 22
5.3. Internal tools for press/media relations
of EC :
- « Press of the world » online
- Last news online
- Press agencies online
- «Flash» and «trend» reports of Representations in MS
- Europa Media Monitor
- «Sources say»
- Eurobarometer
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5.4. Problems of press-/media relations :
- Press releases in several languages – loss of time
- Special „link“ to concerned MS necessary,
but frequently difficult to find
- Over 1000 accredited Journalists for „Pressroom“
- Personal contacts with journalists?
- EC „sells“ mainly „good news“, but only „bad news
is good news“
- Complexity of problems, procedures, actions,
plans, policies, institutions, decision process
- „Explanations“ necessary, but frequently too lengthy
••• 24
5.4. Problems of press-/media relations –
continuation :
- Terminology, abbreviations, EU-Jargon
- Capacity of media, capacity of readers/listeners is limited
- Focus on „important“ media; deficits with regional, local media?
- Focus on TV, but radio rather neglected
- Direct „usefulness“ of EU-actions, policies, plans, … for individual
citizen necessary, but difficult to explain in brief
./..
••• 25
5.4. Problems of press-/media relations –
continuation :
- Embargo? Exclusive story? Or "equal treatment“?
- Obstacles for “storytelling”, “personalising”
- Reluctance with forecasts, scenarios, speculations
- Focus on „output“, „action“, „results“, deficits with
„impact“, „individual usefullness“
••• 26
5.5. Print publications :
- Centrally produced of specials by DG
- Reduction because of progress of Internet, but …
Problems:
- 23 official languages; lenghty production process
- How long up-to-date at all ??
- Link to MS, regions ?
- "Digital divide„ exists, different reading/using habits
- Common corporate design for all DG‘s still lacking
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5.6. Promotion/publicity campaigns:
- Generally little use of classical publicity
- If so, only for «large» topics like EURO, enlargement …
- Frequently together with EP, MS, NGO … EC has coordination
- Mostly adapted to conditions in MS by respective
Representation
- Rarely for special topics, like «passenger rights»,
«roaming tariffs»
- Costs, budgetary limits – EC is « small » as publicity actor !
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5.7. Visitors service :
- «Give Europe a human face», dialogue instead of pure
information
- Target audience : Multipliers (e.g. journalists, teachers,
diplomats, students, …)
- Lecturers : mostly EC-officials, but also external experts
- 45 000 visitors with 15000 visits p.a.
- Separate visitors services in EP, Council,
Comité des Regions…
- Largest interest in D, F (each 22 %), DK (8 %)....
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5.8. Events (conferences, discussions,
expositions,…)
- Largely organised by DG and Representations
- Focus on stakeholders, in MS also on general audiences
- EC organises platforms for different interest groups
- EC enters into dialogue, informs and explains
- EC open for «participation» of citizens
- Importance for consultation process, even if internet exists
- Publicity element contained in events, e.g. IST-event
(«success stories»)
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5.9. « Staff as Ambassadors »
:
- Launched in context of «Internal Communication
Strategy 2007»
- Main motives are motivation of staff, increasing
number of usable communicators
- Motive «Giving Europe a face», personalising,
«EC is tangible»
- Further motives : improvement of reputation of EC,
increasing sympathy for EC
- Internal obstacles because of “speaking rules”,
“monopolies on information”, training
••• 31
5.9. « Staff as Ambassadors » continuation :
- Staff members should act mainly in their home
countries/regions, enter into dialogue with citizens
there
- Informing not only about personal remit,
but also about more general EU-subjects
- Problem «presence of media»
- Special action «Officials back to their schools»
••• 32
6. Development of the EC Communication
policy 2005-2010 :
- No single document called «Communication policy
of the EC» exists, but series of « building » elements :
* «Action Plan to improve communicating Europe by the
Commission» (2005)
* «Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue and Debate» (2005)
* «White Paper on a European Communication Policy»
(2006)
* «Internal Communication and Staff Engagement Strategy»
(2007)
••• 33
6. Development of the EC Communication
policy 2005-2010 – Continuation :
* «Communicating Europe in Partnership» (2007)
* «Communicating about Europe via the Internet» (2007)
* «Debate Europe–Building on experience of Plan D» (2008)
* «Communicating Europe through Audiovisual Media» (2008)
* «Corporate Communication Statement of the EU
Commission» (2009)
* «Guidelines on Cooperation in the Area of External
Communication» (2009)
••• 34
6.1. Action plan to improve communicating
Europe by the Commission (2005) :
Main issues which have occurred :
- Fragmentation of activities, lack of coordination
- Messages too much oriented at political priorities,
not at interests of citizens
- Too many campaigns, lack of dialogue
New approach :
*Listening, dialogue, explaining
*Impact of EC-activities on average citizens
*Local/regional aspects
••• 35
6.1.1 Action Plan – some « Highlights »:
° Stronger involvement of Commissioners – in MS,
daily press briefings
° Communication activities should be integral part of
legislative process right from beginning
° Merging of all information networks into one
(Europe Direct; EDC; Euro Info Center; Eurojus; Citizens Signpost;
EURES; Euroguichet; Business and Innovation Center;…..)
° PR for participation at public consultations – IPM
° Reader-/citizens friendly summaries of political initiatives
(« layman's summary »)
° Communication training for staff
••• 36
6.1.1 Action Plan "Highlights" – continuation:
° «Rebuttal service»
° Less and better press releases
° Adaptation of messages to interests/conditions in MS
° Plans for «normal» and «crisis communication»
° «Staff as Ambassadors»
° Set up of «Focus groups»
° More discussion events with both citizens and experts/Commission
staff
° Reinforced visitors service, specially for media representatives
••• 37
6.1.1 Action Plan "Highlights" – Continuation :
° Representations implement communication policy decentrally
° Representations are steering information networks in MS
° Cofinancing of TV-initiatives, cooperation with TV-channel
associations
° Internet: Editor for «Europe», more audience oriented;
thematic approach; local aspects;
multilingualism; most advanced technology
° Marketing campaign for "Europe Direct«
(also hotline:0080067891011)
° Training seminars for journalists
° Impact assessment of PR activities
••• 38
6.2. Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue and
Debate (2005) - Highlights:
Origin : negative results of referenda on EU-constitution
in F, NL
° more and more detailed opinion polls
° Web debate about «Future of Europe»
° Cofinancing of transborder citizens discussion
platforms/events
° Cooperation with Civil Society/NGO organising such
discussion platforms
° Integration of local and regional media into discussion
platforms
••• 39
6.3. White Paper on a European Communication
Policy (2006) –Highlights:
- Example for «Interactive Policy Making»
- Not only stakeholders were invited to contribute,
but also general public
- Over 600 qualified contributions, largely received
via Internet
Goal of White Book :
- Thought-provoking impulse; indication of directions we
want to go; explanations of our view of problems/
priorities
- To obtain valuable input
••• 40
6.3.White Book – continuation:
Main problems identified by contributors :
* Alienation from EU
* Disenchantment with politics
* Lack of a «European public sphere»
Examples of impulses/ideas given :
- Improvement of EU-information in school-education
- Making use of receivers of EU-funds as communicators
••• 41
6.3. White Book – Impulses/Ideas –
continuation:
- Training of teachers for «EU-courses» at schools
- Personalising of EU-information content/messages
(«What does it mean for me ?»)
- TV-discussions between Commissioners, MP in MS,
politicians
••• 42
6.4. Corporate Communication Statement of the
EU-Commission (2009) :
Sums up purpose, goals, actors of communication
policy;
New aspects :
° For first time «Corporate Image» (narrative and visual identity) of
EU mentioned as communication goal
° Enhancement of «Public Diplomacy» and communication activities
in third countries in order to support EU policies there
° Delegations in third countries revalued as key communication
actors
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