Bibliography

Bibliography: communicating the EU

Amongst the most significant texts are:

In terms of information and communication, the European Commission is by far the most significant EU institution, although it is only relatively recently that the Commission's policy has been made public. The European Court of Auditors stated in 1998 that "The general objectives of the information policy have been set out by the Commission in several communications (six between 1993 and 1997, and one in 1998)". However, all appear to have taken the form of internal working papers or 'SEC documents' (see conclusions, Special Report 23/98 concerning the Information and Communication measures managed by the Commission accompanied by the replies of the Commission, OJ C393, 16.12.98).

1963: the first major information initiative was the creation of European Documentation Centres to promote the study of European integration. Initially located in the Member States, they were later set up in other countries, to promote greater understanding of the European Communities.

1987: a network of Euro Info Centres was created to help businesses appreciate the likely impact of the approaching Single Market. Expanded in 1989, the EICs were initially a very high profile network, heavily promoted in order to attract attention to their existence and to the services they offered.

1992: the need to communicate with the general population - rather than specific groups - was emphasised by the ratification process of the 1992 Treaty on European Union. The French people barely approved the Treaty and the Danes rejected it. What had been perceived as a mere formality proved to be a stumbling block, for which the incomprehensible nature of the Treaty and of the Union itself was blamed. A new approach to information and communication policy therefore started to evolve, based in part on transparency and openness.

'Subsidiarity', an idea revived by the 1992-93 ratification debate, was used to justify the introduction of a more decentralised system of information provision, based on networks of national, regional and local information providers.

The advent of the internet also played a part, with the Commission's Europa server being launched in February 1995 to demonstrate (for a meeting of the G7) the potential of the internet for information provision; Europa was launched as a public service in 1996.

The 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam inserted the phrase as openly as possible into Article 1 of the 1992 Treaty on European Union (TEU) so that it reads: This Treaty marks a new stage in the process of creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe , in which decisions are taken as openly as possible and as closely as possible to the citizen.

1998: 14.05.98 European Parliament Resolution of 14.5.98 on Information and Communication Policy in the EU. The subject of this Resolution - the Pex Report - called for the national offices of the Commission and Parliament to be housed together, for general communication activities to be carried out jointly, and for greater decentralisation of EU information activities.

2000: 11.05.00 the Commission launched a comprehensive Communication Strategy for Enlargement - "aiming to meet the need for information, generate dialogue with citizens and dispel misapprehensions about the enlargement process - in the Member States as well as the candidate countries." In March 2002 Explaining Enlargement - A progress report on the communication strategy for enlargement identified objectives in both Member States and the Candidate Countries. A shorter Report from the Commission to the Council - Explaining Europe's Enlargement (COM(2002)281) was presented in June 2002.

2001: an Inter-Institutional Group on Information (IGI) was established, initially to manage the joint Parliament-Commission Priority Information Campaigns (PRINCE - intended to promote issues as the Single European Currency and the Single European Market), but remit later extended to consider all information and communication matters.

2001: 14.03.01 European Parliament Resolution of 14.3.01 on the Information and Communication Strategy of the EU.

2001: 03.04.01 the European Commission issued 'Interactive policy making', an initiative intended to make greater use of the internet for involving citizens in the Union 's policy-making process. Subsequently, a new web portal, Your Voice in Europe, was launched, giving access to "a wide variety of consultations, discussions and other tools".

2001: 27.06.01 Commission Communication … on a new framework for co-operation on activities concerning the information and communication policy of the European Union (COM(2001)354; summarised in press release IP/01/910). 05.12.01 European Parliament resolution (OJ C343, 05.12.01). 21.02.02 Economic and Social Committee Opinion (OJ C48, 21.02.02). 25.02.02: European Parliament Report (A5-0051/2002).

29.01.03: European Parliament Opinion of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy for the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport on the Information and Communication Strategy for the European Union (2002/2205(INI)). 27.02.03: European Parliament Resolution (OJ C47E, 27.02.03).

2001: 06.07.01 Communication: Towards the e-Commission. EUROPA 2nd Generation. Advanced web services to citizens, business and other professional users. Provides a 'roadmap' based on three main elements: information services providing easy access for all; interactive communication services; transaction services, allowing citizens electronic access to all basic forms of transactions with the EU.

2002: 02.07.02 the Commission adopted a Communication ... on an Information and Communication Strategy for the European Union (an amended version of the Communication was issued on 02.10.02 as COM(2002)350/2; the original was summarised in press release IP/02/984). The strategy called for greater cooperation between the EU institutions and between them and the Member States to inform citizens about European issues: "For the first time decision-makers at European, national and regional level will be working together to close the European information gap." 21.02.03: European Parliament Report (A5-0053/2003; the subsequent Resolution emphasised that citizens have a right to full and objective information on the EU, stressed the importance of information policy in the run-up to enlargement and the European Constitution, called for an information campaign for the June 2004 European elections; press release 10.04.03). Committee of the Regions Opinion (OJ C73, 26.03.03). 08.04.03 Economic and Social Committee Opinion (OJ C85, 08.04.03).

Other useful sources include:

EU websites and documents

Press offices

- Commission press room
- European Parliament press service
- Council press office

The Directorate General Press and Communication works under the authority of the President, and is responsible for: informing the media and citizens of the activities of the Commission and communicating the objectives and goals of its policies and actions; informing the Commission of the evolution of opinion in the Member States; seeking to ensure a coherent approach to communication and information issues within the Commission.

The Secretariat General is responsible for issues concerning Openness and access to documents.

Eurobarometer public opinion polls have been carried out for the Commission since 1973.

2000: 25.05.00 A new information service to give citizens fast, easy access to information about Europe (press release IP/00/525). 'Europe Direct' launched by Viviane Reding, European Commissioner responsible for Citizenship.

2001: 19.01.01 launch of the Commission's Virtual Press Room (press release IP/01/76).

2003: 03.04.03: Speech: Antonio Vitorino, European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs: How to find a balance between information overload and the communications deficit?

Details of information-related developments can be found in the General Report on the activities of the European Union. Developments noted over the past few years include:
1997: CELEX, the database of Community law, became available on Europa. The Treaty of Amsterdam was put online "immediately after it was signed" (Chapter XII: Information and communication).
1998: development of Europa continued, and a pilot 'Europe Direct' was set up. The Commission "continued to develop a transparent and open approach towards the media", with daily press conferences televised on ' Europe by satellite' (Chapter XI: Information and communication).
1999: the resignation of the Santer Commission saw "a marked increase in the coverage of Community affairs on radio and television." The free internet database EUR-Lex was extended to include preparatory texts (Chapter XII - Information and communication).
2000: The Press and Communication Service was modernised, with greater emphasis given to the internet, television and Commission Representations in the Member States. A refined version of Europe Direct became available, providing "information and advice on Community policies and activities, or on specific matters such as the rights of European citizens and the opportunities for living, working and studying in other Member States." (Chapter XI - Information and communication).
2001 Chapter X - Information and communication.
2002 Chapter X - Information and communication.
Running alongside the 'information and communication' debate has been one on 'openness and transparency'. The Treaty of Amsterdam introduced Article 255 into the Treaty Establishing the European Community, giving citizens a right of access to documents from the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and the European Parliament. The Article was implemented by Regulation 1049/2001 (OJ L145, 31.05.01).

Organisations, groups, networks

To help educate the media about European affairs, the Commission supports the European Journalism Centre, the European Journalists' Association, and the European Union Publishers Forum.

House of Lords: European Union Select Committee: List of sub-committees (Sub-Committee E is responsible for Law and Institutions); List of Reports.

2000: 01.08.00: Public Access to EU Documents (16^th Report).

2001: 13.02.01: Access to Documents: The Council Decision of 14 August 2000 (8^th Report).

2001: 29.05.01 Friends of Europe’s 10-point plan for improving the EU’s public profile.

2002: 22.02.02 Speech: Peter Hain: UK Government perspective on Europe and EU information policy.

2002: Centre for European Policy Studies, CEPS Commentary, July 2002 "Let's all talk" - bringing Brussels' outsiders into the EU fold (originally published in European Voice).

2002: Collegium, 24, Summer 2002 The role of the media in a developing European Union.

2002: Public Service Review, Autumn 2002: Closing the information gap (by head of Europa, Lindsay Armstrong).

[no date]: Bruges Group: Propaganda: How the EU uses education and academia to sell integration and Paper 45: Federalist Thought Control: The Brussels Propaganda Machine.