Brussels, 29 September 2020
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WORKING PAPER
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WORKING DOCUMENT
From:
General Secretariat of the Council
To:
Working Party on Information
Working Party on Information (Communication - Information Policy)
Working Party on Information (Communication - Titulaires)
Subject:
Cooperation between EP Liaison Offices and national authorities to communicate
EU action related to COVID-19 - European Parliament discussion paper
Delegations will find attached a discussion paper from the European Parliament on the Cooperation
between EC Representations and national authorities to communicate EU action related to COVID-19
to be discussed under item 2c) of the agenda at the meeting of the Working Party on Information on 1
October 2020.
WK 9908/2020 INIT
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Cooperation between EP Liaison Offices and national authorities
to communicate EU action related to COVID-19
European Parliament discussion paper
In general, the European Parliament and its Liaison Offices (EPLOs) welcome stronger
cooperation with national authorities to communicate at a local level. In particular, when it is
a matter of showcasing the added value of EU action and explaining how European
parliamentary democracy works and its values.
Outside the Brussels “bubble”, the differentiation between the various EU institutions is not
that clear and knowledge of the EU can be very limited. Therefore, coordinated
communication providing citizens with clear and consistent information could help citizens
better understand how the EU works and the impact it has on their daily life.
While the general narrative is set in the headquarters, the communication activities should
be adapted to the local situation, including the target groups and channels used to reach
them. Cooperation with the Commission and national authorities enable synergies,
complementarities and economies of scale, avoid duplications, ensure a coherent
messaging to citizens and increase outreach.
During the pandemic crisis and given the quick spread of inaccurate information about the
EU and its action, this cooperation made even more sense, and we have good examples of
successful cooperation already in place.
How to intensify cooperation at local level?
From the European Parliament’s perspective, there is not a one size fits all formula. In each
Member State, or even at regional and local level, national authorities, EC Representations
and EPLOs should find solutions adapted to the actual situation on the ground.
There are various levels of cooperation possible, more or less structured, ranging from a
strategic partnership to ad hoc cooperation on single projects, that can be implemented at
local level.
In any case, a prior exchange of information on respective communication plans and
initiatives, including about the material to be produced, would benefit all parties involved.
The mutual invitation of representatives to respective events would also ensure a European
approach.
Examples of successful cooperation
Slovenia, Estonia and Portugal: participation in events
EPLO Ljubljana, so far, has organised 12 webinars with the participation of government
representatives from relevant ministries (state secretary level) on a variety of topics from
crisis-management, public health policies, to economic recovery, food supply, regional
policy, climate change, etc. The webinars always include two MEPs from different political
groups, various stakeholders, academics and experts in order to present different
perspectives and alternative visions. The webinars provided insights into different levels of
decision-making: EU level, national level, local communities and sectorial interests. Such a
format is useful for debunking myths about the EU.
Other EPLOs also invited national authorities’ representatives to their events. In Estonia, for
example, Estonian Youth Work Centre participated in an online youth event linked to the
SOTEU. In Portugal, representatives of national authorities, e.g. the Agency for
Development and Cohesion, participated in an event on the Recovery Fund with the
rapporteur.
Austria, Latvia and Czechia: share of material
For the campaign #EuropeansAgainstCovid19, EPLO Vienna presented "local heroes" in the
fight against the Coronavirus-crisis, e.g. researchers and social workers. Many of the
testimonials were found in cooperation with the bodies in charge of European funds (ESF,
Horizon 2020, etc.).
In Latvia, the most visible cooperation platforms are the EU info forum (2 per year) and
Europe day. As the crisis happened around the same time they jointly fine-tuned these
activities. As a practical outcome, all institutions together localised and distributed “10 things
the EU has done in the crisis”.
EPLO Prague re-launched as soon as it was possible cooperation with the network of
Eurocentres built up by the Government. The EPLO provided the Eurocentres with fresh
information material and summaries and was available for information related inquiries.
Finland, Ireland, Slovenia: regular coordination meetings
EPLO Helsinki attends regular meetings (every other month) of EU communication partners
with the EC Rep, EU communication units of the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and the National Parliament, as well as the Finnish Institute for International Affairs.
The PM's Office's also organised a special meeting on COVID.
EPLO Dublin has quarterly tripartite meetings with the Irish government and EC Rep.
From the start of the pandemic, EPLO Ljubljana established regular weekly cooperation with
the Slovene government and intends to continue this good practice this autumn.
Spain: formal agreement for Europe Day
Europe Day events, on 9 May, are always carried out on the basis of a formal agreement
("convenio") with the Spanish Foreign Ministry, the Region of Madrid, the City Council of
Madrid, the European Movement and the EC Representation. This even led to the umbrella
brand "Semana de Europa" ("Europe's week").
Ireland: grant programme on communication
The Irish Government launched a 'Communicating Europe' grant programme. The EPLO
and EC Rep were invited to be part of the evaluation commit ee, thus helping to ensure that
joint communication priorities (such as the recovery plan) were duly reflected in the decision-
making process for the awards.
Sweden: partnership
The Swedish Government, the EC REP and the EPLO together run a partnership which
execution is ensured by the National Council for higher Education. Activities are organised
on a yearly cycle whereby 50 teachers are enrolled in the programme. The cooperation is
already very advanced. Recently, the Swedish Government has complemented the means in
order to double the number of teachers trained every year from 25 to 50. There is also an
alumni part.
These are just a few examples but they clearly il ustrate that there is both a wil ingness to
cooperate and scope for stronger cooperation with national authorities to communicate at a
local level.
Document Outline
