91997E3845

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3845/97 by Kirsi Piha (PPE) to the Commission (5 December 1997)

Subject: Information concerning EU enlargement

The enlargement of the EU is the greatest challenge facing Europe in the near future. The negotiations with the first applicant states are ready to start and after the Luxembourg summit the negotiations with the first candidates will probably be launched at the beginning of 1998. At the same time the interest in enlargement among the EU Member States' citizens is minuscule and getting smaller. Indeed, it is to be feared that the negative views expressed by politicians on the growing cost of membership and the loss of subsidies are spreading to the general public. Conversely, EMU is a good example of how no thought is given to forming public opinion until a late stage, and we now see the results of this, with the majority of EU Member States' citizens opposed to a single currency. What plans does the Commission have for the funding of an information campaign on enlargement, and what would be the substance of such a campaign?

Answer given by Mr Van den Broek on behalf of the Commission (6 February 1998)

The Commission is well aware of the importance of the issue raised by the Honourable Member. There is a need for the governments in the candidate countries to raise awareness of the subject among their own populations and for the Community also to contribute to this process in the candidate countries and in the Member States.

The first is covered by allocations, usually under the heading 'European integration' which are granted to candidate countries under the normal Phare procedures following a request.

The Community's activities in the candidate countries in this field are primarily channelled through the Commission's delegations. They were only able to begin in 1997 after a measure of stability and predictability could be assured by the Parliament concerning funding under the Phare multi-country information programme. Under the 1997 allocation 5 MECU have been set aside to fund delegations' information activities, while central funding is being used to provide expertise.

With the support from the Phare multi-country information and communication programme, the Commission provides the services of its visitors' programme, Eurobarometer surveys and the flagship periodical 'European Dialogue' which appears every 2 months in all 10 central European languages.

The Commission's Website 'Europaplus' has proved very successful as an information tool for the general public, both in and outside the Community. As an example, the DG 1A website, which covers Central and Eastern Europe, receives over 500 000 visits per month. Information about enlargement and related issues is also available from the Commission's offices in the Member States.