Brussels, 23/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - After the consultation phase and the conferences that followed the publication of the White Paper in February 2006 (see EUROPE 9121 and 9122), Claus Sorensen, Director General for Communication at the European Commission, set out the main guidelines contained in his strategy for European communication to the members of the parliamentary committee on culture and education. Mr Sorensen called on citizens, the civil society and the European institutions to work together to form a truly European public domain. “We do not need to agree on everything but we must open up contradictory debate with citizens”, he added. For this, it is necessary to overcome the demarcation lines of discussion at national, or even regional, level and bring the different levels of discussion together so that the “the stance taken by one country can be taken into account by another”. Mr Sorensen put forward the idea of co-funding projects of national governments. He also acknowledged that there were failings when it came to the Commission keeping to its agenda. “Citizens do not know whom to ask and where to ask about what is happening in the European Union over the next 12 months”, he said with regret. Mr Sorensen calls on the institutions to work more together. To this effect, he welcomes the constructive interinsitutional collaboration with regard to the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. His enthusiasm was not entirely shared by Luis Herrero-Tejedor (EPP, Spain), who reproached him for setting up a large number of initiatives without result, and who spoke out against the creation of a code of conduct. “Forget this charter that serves no purpose. We do not need a code of conduct. Find a legal base, and then we shall work together”, he stressed. A legal base could combine Articles 151 and 308 and would thus authorise recourse to a joint decision-making procedure. Such a solution, rather than a charter, would allow a Community programme on communication to be initiated. In response to this, Mr Sorensen conceded that there was “a great deal of sympathy for the idea of a legal base”. He concluded by saying: “We shall come back to you with something concrete. But for this, we first of all need a decision by the College”. (gc)