Strasbourg, 14/03/2001 (Agence Europe) - The chairman of the Committee on Culture, Giuseppe Gargani (Forza Italia), questioned the European Commission on its information and communication strategy. Mr Gargani stressed that the general public is hardly aware of the activities of the European Union and that there is still no real public debate on the major challenges facing the EU. He also expressed regret that the Council does not seem very aware of the adverse consequences of the lack of efficiency in activities carried out in the filed of information and communications. He mainly asked the Commission: - when it plans to present its communication on information policy; - how it will take the evolution of technologies into account; - whether it plans to involve experts and professionals; - whether it will take into account the principles of decentralisation, joint responsibility of institutions and subsidiarity. During a brief debate, and after the fashion of German Christian Democrat Doris Pack, several MEPs criticised the apathy shown by the European Commission. EUROPE recalls that, during the budgetary procedure, the Parliament placed in reserve part of the funds intended for information and communication policy pending reorganisation of the services concerned and the adoption of a real strategy.
Answering MEPs, Commissioner Mario Monti pointed out that the Commission will present its communication on information policy early this summer. He said it takes into account the development of information technologies as is proved by the fact that all the instruments are grouped within a single directorate-general, the volume of paper publications have been reduced and Internet sites have been modernised. The Commission has also been party to involving professionals as well as citizens in the actions of thematic communications such as those launched on enlargement or on the euro. The regional, inter-institutional and cooperation dimensions with the institutions of Member States will be borne in mind. Citizens have been consulted in the context of "dialogues on Europe" organised during the Intergovernmental Conference. These dialogues will be intensified during the debate on the future of Europe. Mr Monti recalled that the Commission currently has EUR 90 million available for this policy, that is, the equivalent of one newspaper per inhabitant per year. This effort must be completed by the Member States, said Mr Monti, who noted that "Europe is not Brussels" and that "decentralisation is an essential element". At the internal level, the formal adoption of a new flow chart for the press service is linked to the appointment of a Commissioner charged by the President to follow the dossier and this appointment, "which is not easy for a Commission mid-term, should come as soon as possible". The operation of transfer from DG Education and Culture to the DG Press is accompanied by the transfer of 104 persons, recalled Mr Monti, who recognised that it "obviously poses some logistical problems, which will be resolved before the summer". "Concerning the financial aspects, the Commission considers that cooperation with Parliament, which certainly needed to be developed in the early nineties, has reached maturity that is on the whole satisfactory", said the Commissioner before going on to add: "Allow me to note that the Parliament should perhaps reflect upon the fact that, through its political reservation on budgetary lines, it is citizen information that is being taken hostage, and not the Commission as such".
With the adoption of a resolution by Giuseppe Gargani, the EP called on the European Commission to adopt as soon as possible the communication relating to information strategy. It calls on all the EU institutions to coordinate their information and communication activities and to place emphasis on target groups, and the young in particular. It invites the Member States to improve information and communication on European issues that affect the citizens in their daily lives and to strengthen synergy with the EU institutions. The EP also calls for the organisation of information campaigns on the stakes of enlargement.