Context

Current situation of the process of the construction of Europe

This year’s commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome (1957-2007) makes evident the consolidation and the success of the European project; however, diverse circumstances like, among others, the phenomena of globalization in the world, the advances tied to the information society, the process of enlargement of the European Union or the crisis in the definitive entry into force of the European Constitutional Treaty, derived from the negative result of the referendums held in France and The Netherlands, mean that the future of Europe finds itself clearly conditioned by the important process of current open reflection and which the Community authorities have driven themselves: Communication on Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue and Debate (COM(2005) 494), White paper on a European Communication policy (COM(2006) 35), …

Contribution from the Basque Country to 'Plan D'

In 2006 the General Secretariat for External Affairs of the Basque Government,  through the Office of European Affairs and the Delegation of the Basque Country in Brussels, organised the "EUROPE IN THE 21st CENTURY: VALUES, BORDERS and EUROPEAN CITIZENS: A contribution from the Basque Country to the ‘Plan D (Democracy, Dialogue and Debate)’ " Seminar (Guggenheim museum – Bilbao, 11-12 April 2006).

The subject of these seminar centred on the construction of the political, economic and social framework of the European Union, considering the point of view of the regions as motives of this process of the construction of Europe and of the participation of the citizens in the same.

As a result of the seminar, some Conclusions were made: "The Basque Country’s Contribution to 'Plan D (Democracy, Dialogue and Debate)': 10 Key Factors for a New Phase in the European Construction Process" (April 2006) (pdf. 120 KB), which were notified to the European institutions as a contribution from the Basque Country to the ‘Plan D’ of the European Commission.

The Mass Media and the European Union

There are more than 1,000 accredited journalists in Brussels, and all the institutions of the EU have been making a significant effort so that the press is punctually informed of the Community decisions: ‘Europe by Satellite’ facilitates sound and image to the mass media; all the institutions have specific funds to finance the costs of correspondents that inform about the activities of Europe;… The EU, in short, is aware that the participation of the mass media is indispensable in the European construction.

In spite of this, the lack of knowledge of the citizens is a fact: a great majority claim to have a minimum or almost no knowledge about Europe (76%, according to Eurobarometer no. 64 -December 2005-). A lack of knowledge in which society points the finger at, among others, the mass media: 4 out of 5 people asked expressed the opinion that these should inform more about Europe (source: Eurobarometer Flash ‘Quelle Europe?’).

For its part, the media look kindly upon initiatives like the "White paper on a European Communication policy" (COM (2006) 35), but do not fail to show apprehension towards the facilities that the different institutions offer to the correspondents and the way in which they offer the information.

Then the questions arise: What role should the European media play in the construction of the EU? Do the community institutions risk turning into mere institutional propaganda because of trying to make the informative tasks easier? Up to which point do the European institutions offer information that is of interest to the mass media and their audiences? How can the EU reach society through the mass media? In short, is it possible to go from the institutional monologue to a dialogue with the citizens of Europe?

(Source:   Basque Government - European Affairs)