Sergio Cantone of Euronews talks briefly about how Euronews reports about Europe.
“We have seven different journalists, not seven different translators, working on the news, interviews, and reports. Every journalist gives their personal and national identity to the news they are dealing with.“
Miroslav Mikolásik, EPP-ED, shares his thoughts during the opening panel of the Euractiv Conference.
“People have the right to know what EU leaders are proposing, and to have the possibility to influence them. There is a need to reinforce the dialogue; communication should become an EU policy in its own right, at the service of the citizens.”
Despite the fact that the 200+ journalists covered by EurActiv’s media survey are only a small sample of the EU press corps, the survey is the biggest of its kind.
Ogilvy’s Natalie Todd (right) comments on some of the report’s findings:
“There are two points that I would really want to pick out from the survey that resonate with us in the work that we are doing.
Firstly, the increasing use of online communication is certainly something that is reflected in the work that we do in communicating across Eruope and sometimes globally. The internet is a tremendous enabler, it does allow us now to communicate more widely, it does allow us to connect amongst ourselves. (…) The challenge is really to engage with citizens and stakeholders.
The other finding is the focus on energy and the environment. Again, it’s not a surprise. But I think it’s an opportunity for communication across the European Union. It’s one of those issues that transcend political divides, it goes across cultures. Environment has become mainstream as an issue, and that is where you will find conversations happening, consumers using their own content and showing their own content about the environment online.”
Listen to Natalie Todd’s full speech (4min50sec): Download
Sophie In’t Veld of the ALDE, speaks about public opinion in the European Union.
“It’s often said that there is no such thing as a European public opinion … to a large extent that is true. At the same time, we have seen embryonic forms of cross-border consensus and international public opinion … “
These embyronic examples include protests against the war on Iraq, the ‘freedom of speech’ debate sparked by the Danish cartoons, and anti-globalisation protesters.
She also notes the lack of engagement by stakeholders during the Dutch referendum on the EU Constitution:
“In the whole campaign, with the notable exception of the employers’ organisation, everyone else were completely absent. I was expecting all of these organisations [civil society, social partners, environmental movements ] to come out with a public recommendation to their audience. … None of that happened.“
While the blogosphere is an important new channel for the EU to reach citizens, be warned: this channel bites back!
“Citizen journalists and other bloggers are experts in their field and can help improve understanding of these technical EU issues … [but if you] treat this as a traditional channel, with PR and spin, this channel will bite you back! It’s not about PR, it’s about engagement.“
Mr. James speaks about how the BBC covers European Union affairs.
“Editors … are now interested in the role EU plays on the world stage … or isn’t playing and should play.”
Mr Dickinson, of RFI, speaking as a panelist (in French) during the EurActiv conference
Leonard Orban, EU Commissioner for Multilingualism, speaking at the Euractiv conference on next year’s Multilingualism policy.
“I take advantage of this conference to launch an appeal to you to add your ideas and suggestions to the almost 2200 contributions to the online consultation on multilingualism … I want to address the needs of citizens, stakeholders and Member States.“
Note: The first few seconds of Mrs. Kuneva’s audio will sound strange, don’t be discouraged from listening on.
“A continued dialogue with the capitals is a crucial elements … [and] a core activity for this college of Commissioners.”
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