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Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
Analytical Report, page 1
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This survey was requested and coordinated by Directorate-General Communication
This document does not represent the point of view of the European Commission.
The interpretations and opinions contained in it are solely those of the authors.
Flash Eurobarometer
EU Communication
and the citizens Decision Makers
Analytical Report
Fieldwork: October 2006
Report: January 2007
European
Commission
-
Flash Eurobarometer Series #189b
EU Communication
and the citizens
Decision Makers
by
The Gallup Organization Hungary
Survey organised and managed by Directorate-General Communication
This document does not reflect the views
of the European Commission. The interpretations and opinions contained in it
are solely those of the authors.
THE GALLUP ORGANIZATION HUNGARY
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Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
Analytical Report, page 3
Table of Contents
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................. 3
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 4
Main findings ......................................................................................................................................... 6
1. European decision makers and the EU ........................................................................................... 9
1.1. The EU in the life of European decision makers .......................................................................... 9
1.2. Motivations for being informed about the EU ............................................................................. 9
1.2.1 Personal reasons for obtaining information.......................................................................... 10
1.2.2 Professional reasons for obtaining information.................................................................... 18
2. Delivering the EUs message .......................................................................................................... 22
2.1. A communication policy EU initiatives .................................................................................. 23
2.1.1 Training of communication staff .......................................................................................... 24
2.1.2 Upgrading Europe by Satellite (EbS) ................................................................................... 25
2.1.3 Public Opinion Observatory ................................................................................................. 25
2.1.4 Role of Commissioners ........................................................................................................ 26
2.1.5 Cooperation in conveying information ................................................................................ 27
2.2. The role of national governments ............................................................................................... 28
2.3. The EU in domestic policy ......................................................................................................... 32
3. The EU and the media..................................................................................................................... 34
3.1. Quantity of EU information provided by the national media ..................................................... 34
3.2. Cross-border public spheres in Europe ...................................................................................... 35
3.3. EU TV ........................................................................................................................................ 37
3.4. Web-based information channels ............................................................................................... 38
4. Assessment of information received about the EU ....................................................................... 40
4.1. Information received about the EU a general assessment ....................................................... 40
4.2. Information received about the EU personal experience ........................................................ 42
4.2.1 Experience of the quality of information received ............................................................... 43
4.2.2 Media sources used for obtaining information ..................................................................... 45
I. Annex tables ..................................................................................................................................... 47
II. Survey details ................................................................................................................................ 103
III. Survey questionnaire .................................................................................................................. 108
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Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
page 4
Introduction
On February 1, 2006, the European Commission adopted the White Paper on a European
Communication Policy1 with the aim of strengthening the EUs emphasis on communication work and
proposing a new, more citizen-centred and decentralised approach to communication. According to the
White Paper, communication should become a policy in its own right; it should be based on a dialogue
between citizens and policy-makers as well as among citizens themselves. These debates should
eventually result in development of a European Public Sphere, where Europeans could address issues
of common interest in parallel to ongoing discussions in the Member States. Thus citizens would gain
stronger influence on the decision-making process at the EU level.
The particular role of partnerships with key players permeates all the chapters of the White Paper. EU
institutions, national- regional- and local authorities in the Member States as well as civil society and
other entities have been asked to support these efforts and to contribute their ideas on how best to
work together to enhance public debate in Europe.
A six-month long public consultation, during which individuals and institutions were able to comment
on the main ideas put forward in the White Paper, was concluded on September 30, 2006:
To ensure the right to information and freedom of expression for all EU citizens, the White Paper proposes developing a European Charter or Code of Conduct on Communication to be subscribed to on a voluntary basis by the EU and by national institutions.
It proposes to "empower citizens", by providing tools and instruments that will: a) improve civic education (e.g. a network of teachers, digitally connected European libraries), b) connect
people with each other (e.g. physical and virtual meeting places) and c) strengthen the relationship between citizens and institutions (e.g., minimum standards for consultation);
The White Paper aims to involve the media more effectively in communicating Europe and focuses on exploiting the information potential of new technologies such as the Internet. In
addition, the White Paper envisages upgrading Europe by Satellite to provide the media
with more and better material as well as developing training programmes in public communication for officials from EU- and national institutions.
To better anticipate and understand trends in public opinion by pooling resources and exchanging best practices, the White Paper proposes, as a possibility, to set-up a network of
national experts in public opinion research and an independent Observatory for European Public Opinion;
Lastly, the White Paper once again underlines the need to "do the job together" via a partnership involving all the key actors: EU institutions, Member States, regional- and local- level authorities, political parties and civil society organisations.
The current wave of Flash Eurobarometer tested perceptions regarding some of the major initiatives
and underlying concepts of the White Paper. What are the chances of dialogue between European
Institutions and the citizens of the Union? How could the Commission facilitate the development of
this dialogue? The survey had two components: Eurobarometer asked a sample of European citizens
(Flash 189a) as well as European decision-makers (Flash 189b) for their opinion on the EUs
communication policy. The current report covers the results of the decision makers survey.
The surveys fieldwork was carried out between the 11th and 20
th October, 2006. Over 2,500 randomly
selected decision makers were interviewed in the 25 Member States of the EU.
1 http://ec.europa.eu/communication_white_paper/doc/white_paper_en.pdf
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Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
Analytical Report, page 5
The survey focussed on five important groups of decision makers in EU countries:
CEOs of large enterprises (N=20)
Chief editors in national media (N=20)
Members of national assemblies / national parliaments (N=20)
High ranking officials in state administrations (N=20)
Leaders of trade unions and professional associations (N=20)
National samples include respondents from each segment in equal numbers (approximately 20 from
each, overall 100 in every country surveyed). Interviews were predominantly carried out by telephone.
On request, we offered alternative interviewing methods, typically face to face interviews.
To correct sampling disparities, weighting of the results was applied to accurately reflect the actual
size of each Member State of the EU. Additional details on survey methodology are included in the
Annex to this report.
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Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
page 6
Main findings
European decision makers and the EU
More than half (54%) of top-level European decision makers report that the EU is ubiquitous in their professional life. However, about one in seven decision makers in
the EU say that their work is not impacted by EU issues at all (14%).
National elite groups in the EU show a high level of personal and professional interest in EU issues. Overall, a mere 2% of European decision makers say that being
informed on EU matters is not important to them.
Most decision makers are interested in pursuing information about the EU privately, because of the benefits associated with the EU. The desire to contribute (to the
Union) is a somewhat less important reason for seeking information. A personal
desire to keep up with EU developments is the most important motive for obtaining
information.
The prime professional reasons for obtaining EU information are universally strong across Europe: for 77% of top decision makers, being informed about the EU is
important professionally because of the need to adapt to European regulations,
decisions, and policies. 72% also agree that remaining up-to-date on European
matters is important for being prepared to work with partners form other EU
countries.
Success in business competition (a motive for 54%) is relatively the most prominent motivation for seeking out EU information for decision makers in France,
Denmark, and Lithuania. Compared to other countries, it is the least important in
Hungary, Latvia, Slovakia and Germany. On the other hand, opportunities to
cooperate (selected by 60% of EU decision makers) motivate an unusually high
number of decision makers in Slovakia, Cyprus, Germany and the UK, while this
reason is least often mentioned in France, Denmark and Finland.
Delivering the EUs message
The most essential elements of a democratic institutions communication principles including the right to fair information, wide-ranging accessibility, transparent
decision-making, and the possibility to voice opinions are beyond debate.
Decision makers are most supportive of the initiative that aims to train a more professional staff to provide communication services, from the central institutions
down to the regions. 70% of those interviewed in the EU think that this would help
enhance the EUs ability to communicate.
Upgrading Europe by Satellite (EbS) to better provide broadcasters with content is an initiative supported by over half (56%) of top-level decision makers across the
EU, and opposed by 22%. The idea of setting up a public observatory for European
public opinion gained somewhat lower approval, but it is still supported by a majority
of decision makers (53%).
Commissioners have a prominent role to help giving Europe a human face especially in their home countries thereby bringing the EU closer to its citizens.
Decision makers in the various Member States have very different opinions on this
question. On average, 35% would like to see their Commissioners remain primarily
in Brussels, while 53% would prefer to have them available domestically on a more
regular basis.
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Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
Analytical Report, page 7
While all decision makers agree that a shared responsibility involving national actors in disseminating information and facilitating dialogue can enhance the EUs
ability to communicate, (only 6% at the EU-25 level say it would not be useful),
many decision makers believe that such cooperation is only useful on a limited
variety of topics (42%). The more directly the respondents are involved in EU
problems in their work, the more likely they are to believe that cooperation with
national actors is useful under all circumstances; this opinion is shared by 48% of all
decision makers interviewed.
In 23 Member States, the plurality of top-level decision makers hold the national government responsible for informing citizens on what the EU is doing and how this
affects their daily life.
Respondents in the EU-15 are more likely to believe that the Commission and the European Parliament are responsible for informing citizens on all things EU-related
than are decision makers in the EU-10, who hold their national government more
responsible.
The plurality of European decision makers and the majority of those from the EU-10 believe that governments are also primarily responsible for taking into account
the citizens opinions on EU issues. Decision makers are twice as likely to believe
that such wishes should be directed towards their national government (40%) rather
than to the European Parliament (21%) or even their national parliament (19%). Only
10% express the view that such opinions should be primarily taken into account by
the Commission.
Decision makers in the Member States dominantly perceive that their governments do not provide enough information to citizens. They are clearly unhappy with the
performance of their governments regarding EU communication (only 29% believe
that their government provides sufficient information, while 65% feel that it does not)
and this is the dominant opinion even within the ranks of the governments: 39% of
high officials regard their governments performance as satisfactory, while 51% do
not.
Exactly two-thirds of the EUs decision makers consider that EU institutions are not more open, accessible and responsive than their national institutions while only 17%
hold the opposite opinion.
Elite groups interviewed by this survey mostly believe that EU affairs belong to their countrys domestic policy (63%) rather than to the Member States foreign office
(24%). In line with this feeling, high-ranking decision makers are convinced that
their national parliaments should regularly discuss matters related to the EUs future
(81% agree against 14% insisting that their parliament should focus on national
issues only).
The EU and the media
European decision makers are frustrated that citizens are not provided with sufficient information about the EU. 72% agree that the national media provides too little
EU-related information. Less than a quarter of European decision makers think that
people in their country are sufficiently well-informed. Hardly any EU decision
makers (2%) feel that their citizens are over-supplied with such information.
European decision makers who watch foreign television can broaden their vision by obtaining information and commentary from different cultural and political
perspectives. In the EU-25 zone, 37% of top decision makers say they watch TV
channels from other European countries.
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Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
page 8
A very significant majority (77%) of European decision makers say that they would watch an EU-operated public TV channel in their national language, if it existed.
The Internet is quickly becoming a primary source of information, especially for those in high-level jobs and for the well-educated. Accordingly, only 19% of EU
decision makers do not use the Internet to obtain information about EU matters.
Without talking about actual usage or its intensity, 34% of decision makers in the EU
(but only 23% in the EU-10) claimed that their main web-based source for EU
information was the Europa website.
Assessment of information received about the EU
Almost three-quarters of high-ranking decision makers in the Member States consider the information they receive on the EU to be useful (73%), considerably
less, about two-thirds, find it interesting (64%), and only about half of them regard it
as understandable (49%).
Overall, Cypriot decision makers are the most satisfied with the EU-related information received; they scored especially high on how interesting and useful they
found this information to be, but were less enthusiastic about its clarity. This opinion
is also shared by Maltese respondents, ranking second in their level of satisfaction.
Irish decision makers rank third; they are mostly happy about the usefulness of the
information. On the other hand, Italian decision makers are the least happy with
what they receive (they find it to be neither useful nor understandable), along with
Danish decision makers (who lament the limited usefulness of the information), and
those from the UK (who are only moderately satisfied with all aspects of the data
they receive).
General assessments are, of course, indicative of the beliefs held by elite groups in the various Member States, but equally important are the decision makers direct
experiences regarding the provision of information impacting EU decisions or
policies. Close to two-thirds (61%) can recall a specific decision taken at the EU
level that directly affected their professional activity. Most respondents reported
they were sufficiently informed about this decision, this was particularly true in the
EU-10 Member States (76%), but also at the EU-25 level (65%).
Decision makers primarily rely on informal or internal channels to obtain information about EU decisions that directly affect them. In this respect, 48% (in the EU-25)
chose other sources when asked which media outlet provided them with the
information related to decisions that had an impact on their professional activity. Of
the various public media, the written press is said to be the most relevant (22%),
closely followed by Internet-based information (19%). Electronic (audio-visual)
media is only chosen by 10% as the primary source of information regarding specific
EU decisions that impact their job.
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Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
Analytical Report, page 9
1. European decision makers and the EU
The report analyses respondents opinions and attitudes regarding the EUs communication
performance and possible ideas for improving it. The first chapter reports on the opinions of
influential European decision makers2 regarding how deeply the European Union is embedded in their
lives.
1.1. The EU in the life of European decision makers
We find greater variations in opinion in how much respondents feel that the EU is a part of their daily
professional life.
75 72 69 6761 60 60 59 59 59 58 58 55 54 54 52 51 48 48 47 47 45 45 42
38 35 35
2226 27
30 3339 40 40 41 40 41 42
43 45 44 4548 48
52 52 53 5356 55 56
62 6065
79
DE
DK
AT
PT
SK
EL
EE
CY
LT
LU
MT
PL FI
EU
10
EU
25
EU
15 IT CZ
ES
NL IE HU
LV
UK
BE SI
FR
SE
% regularly + on a daily basis
% sometimes + almost never
The EU in the daily activity of European leaders
D3. Does your job require you dealing with European Union issues ...?% by country
More than half (54%) of top-level European decision makers report that the EU is ubiquitous in their
professional lives. 19% deal with EU issues on a daily basis, and another 35% say that their job
requires them to deal with EU matters regularly. 30% report that they have to deal with EU issues
only sometimes, and about 1 in 7 decision makers say that their work does not concern European
Union issues at all (14%). Overall, for 44% of respondents, the EU does not seem to be a regular,
direct presence in their professional life.
Only a minority of corporate decision-makers say that they have to deal with EU matters daily or
regularly (36%), and a quarter of them (23%) say that their work does not involve EU-related issues
at all. Overall, two thirds of executives in industry report that the EU has very little effect on their
professional activity. In the other sample groups, the majority acknowledge the importance of EU
issues for their professional life. This is most markedly so for members of parliament (71% say that
EU issues play a great role in their work, while 28% say that they do not) and high-ranking state
officials (60% report that their jobs regularly require them to deal with EU issues, while 40% say the
opposite). In national media, 58% of high-ranking decision makers believe that EU matters have a
regular impact on their work. A very slim majority of trade association and professional association
decision makers state that EU issues are important in their daily work.
1.2. Motivations for being informed about the EU
National elites in the EU show a high level of personal and professional interest in EU issues, as the
graph below demonstrates. Overall, a mere 2% of European decision makers say that being informed
on EU matters is not important to them.
2 See the five decision makers categories surveyed in Introduction.
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Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
page 10
9 81 0
7 5 5 5 4 2 39
28 4
133
8 9 9 918
29
145
28
23
13 13
27
13
2832
19 23
15
2125
2121
24
1919
9
40
2723 37
108
18
5568
7886 87
65
81
67 61
76 7480
68 72 69 7161
7570
76
48
5955 55
76 72 69 62
0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 34 4 4 4 5 7
916
1814
11720 1
0%
2 0%
4 0%
6 0%
8 0%
1 00%
ES
EL FI
MT
PT IT AT IE LT SI
DE
HU
EU
15 SK
EU
25
EU
10 UK
PL
DK
FR
LV
CZ
NL
EE
LU
BE
CY
SE
Yes, mostly for personal reasons Yes, mostly for professional reasons Yes, for both reasons No DK/NA
Important to be informed about European politics and affairs
Q2. Is it important for you to be informed about European politics and affairs?% by country
Most of those interviewed are universally interested in EU matters. 69% say that they are motivated,
personally as well as professionally, to be informed about EU affairs. 20% of top-level decision
makers say that they are interested in EU matters only professionally, while 8% say that they are
interested only personally. But barely anyone reports to be not interested at all. The ratio of those who
are uninterested in EU matters is the highest in Sweden, (11%), followed by Cyprus and Belgium (7%-
7%). We found the highest number of those who are interested for mostly personal reasons in the
Netherlands (18%). On the other end, Latvian decision makers were the most likely to claim that they
are interested in EU affairs only professionally (40%), closely followed by Estonians (37%).
In each group of decision makers, regardless of age, gender and field of activity, the dominant
response to this question was that they are interested in EU affairs both personally and professionally.
The group that was least likely to be interested in EU affairs for both personal and professional
reasons was the business elite: 29% of them report that they are professionally interested, and 11% say
they are interested only personally. However, even in this group, the majority cite both personal and
professional reasons (55%).
In subsequent questions, Flash Eurobarometer clarifies respondents personal and professional
motivations for obtaining information about the EU.
1.2.1 Personal reasons for obtaining information
Being well informed is important for decision makers. Most respondents are interested in pursuing
information about the EU privately because of what they can get from the EU. The desire to
contribute is a somewhat less important reason for seeking information3.
3 Please note that the graphs presented on individual personal and professional motivations for being informed
reflect the results among all decision makers, while those in the Annex present those who responded that they
have a personal interest in EU-related information.
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Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
Analytical Report, page 11
Personal motives for being informed about the EU
69
69
69
67
65
61
60
54
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
To be able to check what actual EU policies are in certain
areas
To better know what EU Institutions do for citizens
To know about Europes role in the world
To better know my rights or possibilities as a European
citizen
To feel concerned by what is going on in the other
countries of Europe
To feel involved in the building of Europe / feel European
Have all the information to take part in European
debates, elections, etc
To be able to have some influence over the development
of European co-operation
Q3a. You mentioned personal reasons for being informed about European politics. Please tell for each of them if you think it is an important reason for you or not?
% important, EU25
Most respondents agreed that being informed about the European politics is personally important to
them in order to remain up-to-date (check what actual EU policies are), to better know what EU
institutions do for citizens, and to know about Europes role in the world. Each of these concerns
motivates 69% of respondents to obtain information. Exactly two thirds (67%) seek information about
the EU to better know [their] rights and possibilities as European citizen[s]. Almost as many top-
level decision makers say that being informed about the EU is important because they feel concerned
by what is going on in other countries of Europe (65%). 6 out of 10 decision makers seek out
information because they want to feel involved in the building of Europe and to feel European
(61%) as well as to be properly informed to take part in European debates, elections (60%). A little
over half of decision makers agree that their personal search for information is driven by a wish to be
able to have some influence on the development of European cooperation (54%).
Looking at each of the possible motivations, we find that when comparing countries, the same
countries are often at the top and at the bottom for all of the motivations. If we rank the Member States
according to how important their national elites regard each motivation for obtaining information on
EU matters, France, Luxembourg or Cyprus often appear on the top, while Latvia, Estonia are often
found at the bottom.
Looking at the rankings separately for each motive, we see some important patterns in how top-level
decision makers in each country personally relate to EU information. The need for factual information
is an important reason for obtaining information, especially in Portugal (84% of respondents
mentioned this as a motive), Malta (82%), Luxembourg (81%) and France (80%). In Latvia and
Estonia, respondents who considered it important to be up-to-date on EU policy affairs were in a slight
minority (49% and 46%, respectively) and only a slim majority in the Czech Republic and Sweden felt
that being current on EU policies was important (both 55%).
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Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
page 12
82 81 80 77 77 75 73 73 71 70 70 70 69 68 67 67 65 64 63 63 62 60 59 55 5549 46
84
PT
MT
LU
FR
AT
HU
BE
DE
FI
SI
DK
EU
15 PL
EU
25
IT
EL
EU
10 IE
SK
NL
UK
LT
ES
CY
SE
CZ
LV
EE
Motivated to receive information in order tobe able to check what actual EU policies are in certain areas
Q3a. You mentioned personal reasons for being informed about European politics. Please tell for each of them if you think it is an important reason for you or not?
e. To be able to check what actual EU policies are in certain areas. % by country, projected to the whole population
Respondents in France, (84%), Malta, Austria, (both 83%) and Belgium (82%) were the most likely to
regard it important personally to know what EU institutions do for them as citizens. Most Latvian
decision makers (who are more likely to be professionally interested in EU affairs) do not regard this
motive to be important (39%), and only about half of Danish and Estonian decision makers do.
83 83 82 79 78 77 77 75 72 72 72 70 69 69 69 69 67 65 65 64 62 6258 56
51 50
39
84
FR
MT
AT
BE
LU
PT
SI
HU
FI
CY
EL
SK
IT
EU
15
EU
25
PL
IE
EU
10 ES
DE
UK
LT
NL
CZ
SE
EE
DK
LV
Motivated to receive information in order tobetter know what EU Institutions do for citizens
Q3a. You mentioned personal reasons for being informed about European politics. Please tell for each of them if you think it is an important reason for you or not?
d. To better know what EU Institutions do for citizens.% by country, projected to the whole population
When it comes to acquiring information about the EUs global role, we find a similar pattern as in the
previous question. Decision makers in Malta (84%) and France (83%) are most interested- and
Latvians and Estonians are the least interested in acquiring information for this purpose.
83 81 79 78 77 77 7672 71 70 70 69 69 69 69 68 67 66 65 63 63 60 59 57 55
4640
84
MT
FR
PT
HU
FI
BE
LU
AT
CY
SK
SI
EU
15
EU
25
UK
IE
DE
EL
PL
EU
10 ES
DK
IT
LT
SE
NL
CZ
EE
LV
Motivated to receive information in order toknow about Europes role in the world
Q3a. You mentioned personal reasons for being informed about European politics. Please tell for each of them if you think it is an important reason for you or not?
h. To know about Europes role in the world % by country, projected to the whole population
Decision makers in Denmark (37%), Estonia, Sweden (both 50%), and Latvia (51%) are the least
likely to seek out information about the rights and possibilities they enjoy as EU citizens. At the other
end, their colleagues in Malta (85%) France and Austria (83%) are the keenest on receiving
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Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
Analytical Report, page 13
information on this topic. Austria stands out on this question with an unusually high number of
respondents mentioning this as an important motivating factor (compared to other possible
motivations).
83 8379 79 79 77
73 72 72 71 69 68 68 67 67 67 67 66 63 6258 57 57
51 50 50
37
85
MT
FR
AT
HU
PT
BE
LU
EL
CY
PL
SI
EU
10 IT
SK
FI
EU
25
ES
EU
15 IE
UK
LT
DE
NL
CZ
LV
EE
SE
DK
Motivated to receive information in order tobetter know my rights or possibilities as a European citizen
Q3a. You mentioned personal reasons for being informed about European politics. Please tell for each of them if you think it is an important reason for you or not?
c. To better know my rights or possibilities as a European citizen.% by country, projected to the whole population
The next personal motivation for obtaining information about European politics was the desire to
remain up-to-date on developments in other countries. Respondents in Finland (82%), Luxembourg,
and France (both 81%) found this to be an especially important reason for seeking out information.
On the other hand, a relatively lower percentage of the elites in Germany (50%), Slovakia (49%),
Estonia (48%) and Latvia (45%) are motivated by an interest in developments in other countries.
81 8175 75 73 71 70 70 68 67 67 66 65 65 65 65 65 64 63 60 60 60 57
50 49 48 45
82
FI
LU
FR
MT
BE
PT
PL
SI
UK
CY
EL
IT
DK
LT
EU
10
EU
25
EU
15 IE
HU
ES
AT
SE
CZ
NL
DE
SK
EE
LV
Motivated to receive information because theyfeel concerned by what is going on in the other countries of Europe
Q3a. You mentioned personal reasons for being informed about European politics. Please tell for each of them if you think it is an important reason for you or not?
f. To feel concerned by what is going on in the other countries of Europe% by country, projected to the whole population
The next question asked respondents if involvement in the building of Europe and the desire to feel
European were reasons they want to be informed about European politics. In seven Member States,
only about half or less than half of the top-level decision makers saw this as an important motivating
factor.
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Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
page 14
Personal reason:to feel involved in the building of Europe / feel European
Q3a. You mentioned personal reasons for being informed about European politics. Please
tell for each of them if you think it is an important reason for you or not?
a. To feel involved in the building of Europe / feel European
Important,by country
81 7875 73 72
69 67 6764 62 61 61 60 60 59 59 58 57
55 53 51 4945 44 43 43
33
82
0
25
50
7 5
1 00
PT
FR
LU
MT
HU
BE
AT IT PL
SK
EU
10
SI
EU
25 FI
EU
15
ES IE EL
CY
DK
UK
LT
DE
EE
CZ
SE
NL
LV
Important
OK
On average, 61% of decision makers interviewed state that it is important for them to be informed
about EU politics in order to feel European. Portugal (82%), France (81%), and Luxembourg (78%)
had the highest number of respondents who felt that in order to feel European or involved in building
Europe, it is important to be informed about EU politics. At the low end of the scale was Latvia, where
33% of decision makers share this attitude.
A majority of European elites felt that being informed was crucial for being able to participate in
European debates and political events. Overall, 60% of decision makers in EU Member States felt that
this was an important personal reason for remaining up-to-date on European politics.
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Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
Analytical Report, page 15
7974 71
65 63 62 61 60 59 59 59 58 57 54 54 53 52 51 51 50 4940 39
34 32 32 31
80
FR
LU
PT
AT
EL
IT
EU
15
DE
EU
25
FI
BE
IE
ES
UK
SI
MT
PL
DK
HU
SK
CY
EU
10 CZ
NL
SE
LV
EE
LT
Motivated to receive information in order tohave all the information to take part in European debates, elections, etc.
Q3a. You mentioned personal reasons for being informed about European politics. Please tell for each of them if you think it is an important reason for you or not?
b. Have all the information to take part in European debates, elections, etc.% by country, projected to the whole population
Looking at the last question, we find that in the EU overall, 54% of decision makers want to be
informed on EU politics because it affords them a better chance to influence the development of
European co-operation. Poland stands out here, with an unusually high number of respondents stating
that obtaining information is important because it enables them to shape the development of European
co-operation (66% of the Polish elite agreed with this).
66 6662 62 61 60 60 60 58 58 57 55 54 54 53 53 53 52 51
45 4438 38 35 32 31 31
73
FR
LU
PL
PT
BE
MT
FI
AT
IE
DK
SK
IT
EU
10
EU
25
EU
15 ES
HU
EL
UK
NL
CY
SI
CZ
DE
SE
LT
EE
LV
Motivated to receive information in order tobe able to have some influence over the development of European co-operation
Q3a. You mentioned personal reasons for being informed about European politics. Please tell for each of them if you think it is an important reason for you or not?
g. To be able to have some influence over the development of European co-operation% by country, projected to the whole population
Comparing the eight different possible motivations, it is clear that most often the same countries are at
the top and at the bottom of the lists on all of them. This means that often the same countries have the
highest ratios of respondents mentioning the given motive as an important reason for seeking out
information. This of course is largely determined by the overall level of personal interest expressed by
decision makers.
-
Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
page 16
The following radar charts illustrate the relative importance of each of the personal reasons in the
different Member States.
-40
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20
BE CZ
DK DE
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CYLVLTLUHU
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UK
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PT
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UK
To feel involved in the building of Europe/ feel European
Have all the information to take part in European
debates, elections, etc
To better know my rights or possibilities as a European citizen
To better know what EU Institutions do
for citizens
Relative importance of various personal motives
To be able to check what actual EU policies are in certain areas
To feel concerned by what is going on in the other
countries of Europe
To be able to have some influence over the development of European co-operation
To know about Europes role in the world
Q3a. You mentioned personal reasons for being informed about European politics. Please tell for each of them if you think it is an important reason for you or not?
% deviation from the importance ranking on EU-25 level, a value greater than 0 indicates that the actual reason was relatively higher ranked in the actual Member State, while a value lower than 0 means that the
motive is ranked lower compared to the EU25 ranking.
The graphs are based on two values: the relative importance of the individual motive as compared to
all of the other reasons (on EU average), and the individual country divergences from this EU average.
The red dots show how much responses from individual countries (in this case the ratio of respondents
-
Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
Analytical Report, page 17
who mentioned the motive as important) diverge from the EU average for the given motive. A score
below zero (represented by the red dot) indicates that the relative relevance of the motive for the given
country is lower than the EU average, a score above zero means that the motive was relatively more
important.
The personal motive of feeling involved in the building of Europe / feeling European is the most
important (compared to other countries) for decision makers in Portugal, Estonia and Hungary.
Compared to other countries, it is the least often mentioned motivation by respondents in the
Netherlands, Germany, and Latvia.
Being able to participate in EU elections or debates is mentioned relatively most often by decision
makers in Luxembourg, Germany and France. In Lithuania, Sweden, and Estonia, decision makers
were relatively the least likely to emphasize this motive.
Respondents in Latvia, Lithuania, and Cyprus emphasized knowing their rights and possibilities as
European citizens more than elites in other countries did. Danish top decision makers were the
furthest from the average here: they were much less likely to accentuate this motive for searching out
information than elites in other countries.
Decision makers in Lithuania, Slovenia, and Cyprus emphasized the motive of better knowledge of
what EU institutions do for citizens, while respondents in Denmark mentioned this motive by far the
least often.
Danish, German and Latvian decision makers stand out in mentioning the importance of obtaining
factual knowledge about the policies of the EU in certain areas. Elites in France, Spain, and Cyprus
selected this motive the least often compared to other EU elites.
Seeking out information about the EU because they feel concerned by what is going on in the other
countries of Europe is mentioned relatively the most often in Sweden, Finland, Denmark and the
Czech Republic. Elites in Germany, Austria and Slovakia are much less interested in this aspect than
are elites on average.
Danish, Polish and Dutch decision makers are relatively the most likely to look for information in
order to be able to have some influence over the development of European co-operation. Top
decision makers were relatively the least inclined to select this reason in Lithuania, Germany, Slovenia
and Sweden.
Finally, knowing about Europes global role was a relatively more important motivation in Germany,
Sweden, and Cyprus than in other countries. Elites mentioned this motive the least often in Italy,
Luxembourg, Latvia and Poland.
-
Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
page 18
1.2.2 Professional reasons for obtaining information
For 77% of top decision-makers across the Member States, being informed about the EU is important
professionally because of the need to adapt to European regulations, decisions, and policies. 72% also
agree that remaining up-to-date on European matters is important for being prepared to work with
partners form other EU countries. 60% of respondents state that they seek out EU information in order
to take advantage of European Union grants, financing, and other financial opportunities. For a bit
more than half of respondents, the need to be better prepared for competition within the EU is also a
prime professional motivation for obtaining information about European politics.
Professional motives for being informed about the EU
77
72
60
54
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
to be able to adapt toEuropean Union
regulations, decisions,policies
to be prepared to work withcompanies or colleagues
from European Unioncountries
to take advantage ofEuropean Union grants,
financing, etc.
to be better prepared forbusiness competition within
the European Union
Q3b. You mentioned professional reasons for being informed about European politics. Please tell for each of them if you think it is an important reason for you or not?
% important, EU25
As the table below illustrates, compared to the representatives of the other groups, managers of the top
companies across Europe are much more interested in European affairs from the perspective of
business competition (71%). This figure is the lowest for high ranking civil servants: 40%. Leaders
of professional association and trade unions are the most inclined to use EU information for
cooperation with others across the Union (78%). Adapting to EU policies, regulations and decisions is
a prime reason for members of parliaments (80%), and high level civil servants (82%), as well as for
CEOs of large companies (80%). High level government officials are the most motivated to seek out
EU information in order to apply for grants or other European funds (67%).
Professional reasons to obtain information about the EU, by professional affiliation, % EU-25
to be better
prepared for
business
competition
within the EU
to be able to
adapt to EU
regulations,
decisions,
policies
to take
advantage of
EU grants,
financing, etc.
to be prepared
to work with
companies or
colleagues
from EU
countries
CEOs of large companies 71 80 61 69
Chief editors in the national media 53 67 48 68
Members of the national parliament 54 80 64 75
High ranking officials of the state
administration 40 82 67 70
Leaders of trade unions, professional
associations 53 77 61 78
-
Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
Analytical Report, page 19
Looking more closely at each of the professional motivations for obtaining information on the EU, we
find that elites in the different countries give different weight to these motivations.
Better preparation for business competition is the prime reason why decision makers wish to be
informed in Ireland (79%), Slovenia (76%) and Greece (72%). This reason is mentioned much less
often by respondents in Sweden (35%), France (40%) and the Netherlands (42%).
Professionally motivated to receive information in order toto be better prepared for business competition within the European Union
Q3b. You mentioned professional reasons. To be informed about the European Union is important in order toa. to be better prepared for business competition within the European Union
% by country
7672 69 67 64 63 63 62 62 60 59 58 58 56 54 54 53 53 53 51 48 47 47 46
42 4035
79
IE SI
EL
CY FI
ES
PT
EE
AT
PL
MT
LV
EU
10 SK
DE
EU
25
IT LU
HU
EU
15 UK
DK
LT
CZ
BE
NL
FR
SE
Being up-to-date on EU-level regulatory measures and policies is especially important professionally
for decision makers in Malta: almost all decision makers interviewed in Malta stated that this was an
important motive for obtaining information about the EU (95%). This was also the case in Portugal
(93%), Hungary (93%) and Slovenia (92%). Danish and Swedish top decision makers were the least
likely to be professionally motivated by the desire to remain up-to-date on regulatory measures and
policies (62% and 61%, respectively).
93 93 9288 87 86 86 85 85 83 83 82 81
77 77 77 76 76 75 74 73 71 71 69 6862 61
95
MT
PT
HU SI
SK IE PL FI
EE
EU
10 EL
LT IT AT
UK
EU
25
CY
EU
15 ES
DE
LU
CZ
LV
BE
NL
FR
DK
SE
Professionally motivated to receive information in order toto be able to adapt to European Union regulations, decisions, policies
Q3b. You mentioned professional reasons. To be informed about the European Union is important in order tob. to be able to adapt to European Union regulations, decisions, policies
% by country
EU money matters most to decision makers in some of the EU-10 Member States (see graph on the
next page). Top level decision makers in Malta (88%), Poland (81%), Slovakia (80%), Hungary and
Slovenia (both 79%) mentioned most often that they seek EU information in order to take advantage
of EU grants and other financing. This motive is much less relevant in Sweden (40%), Luxembourg
(41%) and France (44%).
-
Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
page 20
81 80 79 79 7671 69 69 67 64 64 64 63 63 60 60 59 57 57 57 56
51 50 4844 41 40
88
MT
PL
SK
HU SI
EU
10 IT AT IE PT
ES
EE
CY FI
CZ
EU
25
LV
LT
DE
EU
15 BE
NL
EL
UK
DK
FR
LU SE
Professionally motivated to receive information in order toto take advantage of European Union grants, financing, etc.
Q3b. You mentioned professional reasons. To be informed about the European Union is important in order toc. to take advantage of European Union grants, financing, etc.
% by country
Working with companies or colleagues from other EU countries was a particularly important reason
for obtaining information in Portugal (91%), Slovakia (89%) and Ireland (87%). On the other hand,
only 48% of Greek decision makers say that this is an important motivation for finding EU
information. Danish (57%) and Dutch (60%) decision makers are also less likely to mention
cooperation with other EU companies or colleagues as an important reason for seeking out EU
information.
89 87 84 82 81 79 79 78 78 77 77 77 76 75 74 72 71 71 70 69 68 66 64 62 60 57
48
91
PT
SK IE
MT SI
AT
EE
CZ
LV
EU
10 FI
LT IT PL
UK
HU
EU
25
ES
EU
15 FR
LU
DE
CY
BE
SE
NL
DK
EL
Professionally motivated to receive information in order toto be prepared to work with companies or colleagues from European Union countries
Q3b. You mentioned professional reasons. To be informed about the European Union is important in order tod. to be prepared to work with companies or colleagues from European Union countries
% by country
An analysis of relative importance (like the one that we carried out in the previous subchapter)
provides interesting insights regarding professional motivations as well. Again, for each motivation,
we are comparing data from individual countries to the EU average.
Success in business competition is the most prominent driving force for seeking out information in
Greece, Cyprus, and Ireland. Compared to other countries, it is the least important in Hungary,
France, Sweden and the Czech Republic (see graph on the next page). A methodological note: each
national sample included the same number of respondents from each professional group, therefore an
unusually high proportion of businessmen in a specific national elite sample cannot explain the
differences we found.
Adapting to European Union regulations, decisions, and policies stands out as an important motive in
Greece (compared to the EU average); but it is also relatively more important in France, Sweden,,
Hungary, Luxembourg and Lithuania. The desire to follow regulations, decisions and policies is
relatively the least important motivation for seeking out information in Latvia, Ireland and Spain. This
graph shows a narrow range of variation around the EU average, indicating that more or less the same
number of respondents across the EU Member States mention this as an important motivation.
-
Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
Analytical Report, page 21
-40
-30
-20
-10
0
10
20
30
ATBE
CYCZ
DE
DK
EE
EL
ES
FI
FRHUIEITLT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
SE
SISK
UK
-40
-30
-20
-10
0
10
20
30
ATBE
CYCZ
DE
DK
EE
EL
ES
FI
FRHUIEITLT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
SE
SISK
UK
-40
-30
-20
-10
0
10
20
30
ATBE
CYCZ
DE
DK
EE
EL
ES
FI
FRHUIEITLT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
SE
SISK
UK
-40
-30
-20
-10
0
10
20
30
ATBE
CYCZ
DE
DK
EE
EL
ES
FI
FRHUIEITLT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
SE
SISK
UK
Relative importance of various professional motives
To be better prepared for business competition within the EU
To be able to adapt to EU regulations, decisions,
policies
To take advantage of EU grants, financing, etc.
To be prepared to work with companies or
colleagues from EU countries
Q3a. You mentioned personal reasons for being informed about European politics. Please tell for each of them if you think it is an important reason for you or not?
% deviation from the importance ranking on EU-25 level, a value greater than 0 indicates that the actual reason was relatively higher ranked in the actual Member State, while a value lower than 0 means that the
motive is ranked lower compared to the EU25 ranking.
We have seen that in absolute terms, EU-10 Member States are the most interested in information
about EU grants and other financing opportunities. However, if we compare it to other motivations,
and to the EU average, we find that besides it is a particularly important motive in Poland, Malta,
Hungary, and Slovakia, it is also in the focus of interest more than other aspects in Italy and the
Netherlands. The countries where the desire to get information about EU grants and funds was a
relatively less important motivating factor were Luxembourg, Greece, Sweden, the UK and France.
Finally, comparing national rankings to the EU-25 average, cooperation opportunities motivate an
unusually high number of decision makers in Sweden and France, while the attributed importance in
unusually low in Greece, Cyprus, Hungary, Slovenia and Poland.
-
Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
page 22
2. Delivering the EUs message
The fundamental need for transparency and for an effective communication policy within the EU is
beyond question. The survey tested a few statements addressing the most essential elements of a
democratic institutions communication policy. Decision makers throughout Europe and across the
spectrum agree that the fundamental principles are beyond discussion. The statements: All
European citizens should have the right of access to full and fair information, Information should be
widely available, in the citizens own language and readily understandable and Policy-making,
decision-making and administration should be as transparent, open and visible as possible met with
the fullest agreement of the Unions elite groups (98%), but the other principles were thought to be
almost as important as well. There is an extremely broad agreement (97%) that: Citizens should be
able to hear and compare different opinions and points of views on European issues. Finally, 93% of
the Member States elite group agree that Citizens and representative associations shall have the right
and the means to express their views and to be heard.
Agreement with statements about information on EU issues, % of yes
98
98
98
97
93
0 20 40 60 80 100
Information should be widely available, accessible in thecitizens own language and readily understandable
All European citizens should have the right to fair and fullinformation
Policy-making, decision-making and administrationshould be as transparent, open and visible as possible
Citizens should be able to hear and compare differentopinions and points of views on European issues
Citizens and representative associations shall have theright and the means to express their views and to be
heard
Q6. Would you agree / disagree with the following statements about information on European Union issues?
% by EU25
-
Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
Analytical Report, page 23
2.1. A communication policy EU initiatives
The Commission is looking for ways to connect more effectively with the EUs citizens. This survey
tested several issues underlined in the Commission White Paper on Communication Policy a policy
paper developed to lay down the foundations of citizen-centred communication and to establish
communication as a policy in its own right.
Assessment of selected communication initiatives of the White Paper
56
70
53
22
13
26
16
15
17
6
3
4
0% 25% 50% 7 5% 1 00%
Upgrading a central EU
audio-visual service, called
Europe by Satellite to better
provide broadcasters with
video, sound
Providing training for public
communication for
professionals dealing with EU
issues at regional, national, or
EU level
Setting up an Observatory of
European public opinion,
where national polls about EU
and general policy matters
are contin
Would help Would not help It depends how it will be implemented DK/NA
Q9. Please tell me if the following initiatives would help in building a more efficient communication on European Union matters?
% by EU25
Decision makers are most supportive of the initiative that aims to train a more professional staff to
provide communication services related to the European Union at all levels, from the central
institutions down to the regions. 70% of those interviewed in the EU think that this would help
enhance the EUs ability to communicate, only 13% disagree and 15% are somewhat sceptical if such
a training effort could indeed be useful. Leaders of the national media and professional associations
are the most enthusiastic about such an initiative; 73% of both groups think that improving the
communication skills of civil servants and other relevant professionals could improve the situation.
Those who deal with the EU frequently (on a daily basis, or at least regularly) are especially in
favour of such an initiative (73%-74% say training would help), versus those who are less involved in
EU matters in their jobs (with about 67% agreeing).
Upgrading the European Unions TV information service Europe by Satellite (EbS) to better provide
broadcasters with content is an initiative supported by close to six in ten (56%) top-level decision
makers across the EU and opposed only by 22%. 16% of those interviewed warned that the usefulness
of this initiative would depend on how it was actually implemented. Media managers are not more
likely than others to consider this as a helpful improvement: just the opposite is true. 54% of them
agree (somewhat below the EU-25 average) and 28% (well above the EU average) say it would not
help.
The idea of setting up a public observatory for European public opinion gained the least approval, but
it is still supported by a majority of decision makers in the EU (53%). About a quarter of the national
elite groups in the Union disapprove of this idea, while 17% give it only conditional support,
indicating that the usefulness of such an initiative will depend on how it is implemented. High-
ranking officials are most sceptical in this respect: only 44% of them support it unconditionally, in
contrast to 63% of the leaders of professional organisations and trade unions, or 59% among the media
elite groups. A third of MPs (32%) and those who deal with EU matters in their jobs on a regular basis
(33%) dismiss this idea, reasoning that it would not be helpful in building a more efficient EU
communication policy.
-
Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
page 24
2.1.1 Training of communication staff
Results, of course, vary significantly across Member States. However, we often find the same elite
groups supporting and rejecting each of the initiatives. Starting with the most popular one, the training
of professionals (in other words, responsible public officials) in their public communication skills is
most supported by Greek top-level decision makers (89% thinking it would help to enhance EU
communication), followed by the Irish (85%) and Portuguese (84%) decision makers. The least
convinced are the Dutch (with only 40% thinking that training could help), Swedish (50%), Danish
(55%) and Estonian (56%) decision makers. Outright opposition is highest in Denmark, where 35% of
those interviewed said they do not think such training could help improve EU communication.
85 84 82 80 80 79 76 74 73 72 72 71 70 70 70 70 70 69 68 6762 61 61
56 5550
40
4 7 153 10 10
83 7 7 7 7 8
13 14 96
198 14
5 10 19
35
1529
4 611 18
5
16 10 12 1621 17 17
23 18 1615 14 18 23
13
17 17 33 27 20
5
2829
3 2 2 1 2 2 2 4 5 4 6 3 3 3 21
8 71
6 5 7 3
89
3
34
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
1 00%
EL IE PT
MT
DE
CY
LT
AT IT LV
EE
PL SI
EU
10 LU
EU
25
EU
15 ES
HU
UK
CZ
FR FI
SK
BE
DK
SE
NL
Would help Would not help It depends how it will be implemented DK/NA
Assessment of selected communication initiatives of the White Paper Training for public communication for professionals
Q9. Please tell me if the following initiatives would help in building a more efficient communication on European Union matters?
b) Providing training for public communication for professionals dealing with EU issues at regional, national, or EU level
% by country
-
Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
Analytical Report, page 25
2.1.2 Upgrading Europe by Satellite (EbS)
The upgrading of the EUs TV information service is again most supported by Greek decision makers
(91%), followed by the Irish (76%). The plurality of the German elite oppose investing more in EbS
(47%), and the majority are either against the initiative, or sceptical about it, in 7 out of the 25
Member States (Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands).
Nevertheless, in the majority of the Member States, the elite groups support strengthening the
European Union audio-visual news service in order to enhance the EUs ability to communicate.
76 73 73 72 71 71 69 66 65 64 62 58 58 56 56 55 55 54 5346 45 44 41 40 40
3323
6
1410
6 5 7 10 13 11 11 13
415 22
2824
15
32
826 28
40 47
1814
22
22
29
21 12 21 22 23 13 15 18 18 1735
2216
1215
21
13
30
2127
11 7
27 33 3346
1 2 1 5 2 2 9 7 7 83 5 6 5 6 9
19 7
16
14 13 13 10
91
5
68
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
1 00%
EL IE SI
IT HU
CY
MT
LT
PL
EU
10 CZ
LU
PT
ES
EU
25
UK
EU
15 FR
AT
SK
BE
NL
DK
DE
LV
EE
SE FI
Would help Would not help It depends how it will be implemented DK/NA
Assessment of selected communication initiatives of the White PaperUpgrading Europe by Satellite
Q9. Please tell me if the following initiatives would help in building a more efficient communication on EU matters?a) Upgrading a central EU audio-visual service, called Europe by Satellite
to better provide broadcasters with video, soundand images on behalf of the three main EU institutions% by country
2.1.3 Public Opinion Observatory
80 78 7866 64 64 64 63 61 59 56 55 53 53 52 51 50 49 48 46 42 42 41 40 39 38
27
3 9 14
20
8 10 83
19 1829
11
3226
2227
20 2215
3251
2819 23 25 28
55
12 8 185
925 25
21 3314
15
13
25
1417
1918
27 2229
21
7
29
29 2130 28
15
3 3 1 4 6 3 2 81
6 2 81 4 8 4
2 6 82 1 2
166 6 3
82
3
118
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
1 00%
PT
EL
CY IE PL
ES SI
HU
MT
LT
EU
10 UK
LV
AT
EU
25
LU
EU
15 BE
IT FR
NL
DE
FI
SK
CZ
EE
SE
DK
Would help Would not help It depends how it will be implemented DK/NA
Assessment of selected communication initiatives of the White PaperObservatory of European public opinion
Q9. Please tell me if the following initiatives would help in building a more efficient communication on EU matters?c) Setting up an Observatory of European public opinion, where national polls about EU and general policy matters
are continuously collected and analysed% by country
This initiative is favoured by 82% of Portuguese decision makers, 80% of Greek and 78% of their
Cypriot and Irish counterparts. In 18 out of the 25 Member States, the plurality of respondents approve
this initiative. The greatest numbers of opponents can be found among the Danish (55%) and German
(51%) top decision makers.
-
Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
page 26
2.1.4 Role of Commissioners
Commissioners have a prominent role to help giving Europe a human face especially in their home
countries , thereby bringing the EU closer to its citizens. As the Action Plan4 puts it: They are [the
Commissions] main and most effective communicators. Commissioners will individually or as a
team enhance their role as key communicators, not only on their own portfolios but also on other
priority issues when travelling to Member States. We asked top level decision makers throughout the
Member States about their view in this respect, and most of them were more inclined to agree that
Commissioners should spend considerable time in their home country to embody policies and the
agenda of the EU for their home audience.
55 54 52 50 48 47 46 45 43 42 42 42 42 41 40 4037 35 35 34 33
30 28 25 25 2519
26
4237
41 4045
50 50 5046
56
50 5053
56 55 55
4753
5753
50
65
52
6965
69
58
68
FI
PT
DK
CY
LV
MT
EL SI
PL
SE
HU
DE
LU
NL
EE
EU
10 LT IT
EU
25
AT
EU
15 ES
IE BE
CZ
SK
UK
FR
Commissioners should continuously work and live in Brussels in order to carry out theirtasks within the Commission properly
Commissioners should partly work and live in their home country in order to remaincloser to citizens, and to provide better information about the EU in their country
The preferred role of the Commissioner in bringing the EU closer to citizens
Q18. Which of the two statements comes closer to your mind? % by country
Decision makers in the various Member States have very different opinions on this question. On
average, 35% would like to see their Commissioners remain primarily in Brussels, while 53% would
prefer to have them available domestically on a more regular basis. The Finnish respondents have a
distinct preference for their Commissioner to be Brussels-centric (68% say Commissioners should live
and work in Brussels full-time), and this is the dominant opinion in Portugal (55%), Denmark (52%)
and in Latvia (50%) too. Still, in most countries top decision makers are more inclined even if only
marginally to think that their Commissioners also have a job to do at home. They should therefore
spend part of their time in their home country. Decision makers in the UK (69%), the Czech Republic
(69%), Slovakia (65%) and Ireland (65%) are especially keen for their Commissioner to spend a
significant amount of time on the domestic front in order to promote EU policies through being easily
reachable by national media.
Decision makers in the older generations (aged 50 or over) are more likely to prefer the
Commissioners to focus on the Brussels scene. Among the professional groups, the MPs prefer the
Commissioner to remain in Brussels the most (52%), while 62% of company managers and top level
decision makers in professional associations and trade unions would like the Commissioners to visit
and work in their home countries on a more regular basis. It is interesting to note that the more
intensively a leader deals with the EU professionally, the more likely he, or she, is to think that it
would be better if Commissioners stayed in Brussels: 50% of those working with European Union
matters on a daily basis share this opinion. For more details please refer to the relevant table in the
Annex.
4 Action Plan to Improve Communicating Europe by the Commission,
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/communication/pdf/communication_com_en.pdf
-
Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
Analytical Report, page 27
2.1.5 Cooperation in conveying information
According to the White Paper A working European public sphere cannot be shaped in Brussels. It
can only emerge if the objective is backed by all key actors and taken forward at every level. The
national level remains the primary entry point for any political debate, and Member States
governments and other national actors have a responsibility to use national channels to ensure a robust
European debate. Doing the job together is a central platform in the plans to improve
communication. However, it is not necessarily seen as useful under all circumstances.
67 65 64 61 60 60 57 56 52 52 50 48 48 46 45 4544 43 43 41 40 37 34 34 32 31 31
25 26 3231 33 37 37 40
3640 33
42 42 47 51
4535 51
47 5148 51 44 54
5659 55
2 1
3 2 6 3 14 0 10
4 5 6 65 4
8
15 6 66
9 814 8
107 9
7 92 3 4 5 4 2 4 3 2 4 5 2 4
122 4 3 1 4 4 2 6 2 4
73
28
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
1 00%
PT
EE
EL
IT CY
PL
MT
LT
SK
ES
EU
10 FR
EU
25
EU
15 SE SI
BE
DK
AT
DE
IE FI
HU
LU
CZ
NL
UK
LV
useful under all circumstances useful on a limited number of topics not useful DK/NA
Shared responsibility in disseminating information
Q5. Providing information on European Union issues could be done in closer partnership between the EU and other actors such as national authorities including regional and local authorities, political parties and civil
society organisations. Do you think that such a partnership and shared responsibilities would be... % by country
While all decision makers agree that such a shared responsibility can enhance the ability to
communicate, (only 6% at the EU-25 level say it would not be useful), many in most countries believe
that such cooperation is only useful on a limited variety of topics. The countries where the largest
majority supports cooperation unconditionally are: Portugal (where 73% claim that doing the job
together would be useful under all circumstances), Estonia (67%), Greece (65%) and Italy (64%). In
11 of the 25 Member States, the plurality of decision makers thinks that such cooperation is useful
only in certain areas. This is especially true for the elite groups in the UK (59%), the Netherlands
(56%), Latvia (55%) and the Czech Republic (54%).
The more directly respondents are involved in EU problems in their work, the more likely they are to
believe that cooperation with national actors is useful under all circumstances (52% of those who work
on EU-related problems on a daily basis say so, versus only 40% of those whose work does not
directly involve the EU at all.) Also, members of national parliaments are much more likely than
others to believe in the benefits of unconditional shared responsibilities in communication efforts
(57%).
-
Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
page 28
2.2. The role of national governments
In 23 Member States, the plurality of top-level decision makers hold the national government
responsible for informing citizens on what the European Union is doing and how this affects their
daily life.
The Danish decision makers hold the Commission more responsible than their government (and much
more than their national media) for informing them about the EU, while the French choose the other
option most frequently, rather than any of the categories listed (see respective table for the details in
the Annex). Otherwise, the picture below is universally applicable to all the countries of the EU. It
shows that decision makers expect their national government to be the primary channel for conveying
relevant information about the European Union, according to 37% of the decision makers in the EU.
The Commission are only a distant second (18%). Among the Member States, decision makers expect
the European Parliament (12%), almost as much as the national media (13%), to keep citizens
informed about how the EU works and how it affects their daily life.
88
712 14
518 19
143 2
413 13
117 8
2
54
37 33
33 4
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
EU25 EU15 EU10
DK/NA
other
media
NGOs
the European Commission
the European Parliament
the national parliament and political parties
the national government
Primary responsibility to inform citizens on what EU does, how this affects the daily life
Q7. According to you, who should be primarily responsible for informing citizens about what the European Union does and how this affects their daily life ?
Respondents in the EU-15 are more likely to believe that the Commission and the European
Parliament are responsible for informing citizens on all things EU-related than are decision makers in
the EU-10, who hold their national government more responsible. National parliaments and political
parties are only preferred by a small minority (8%), even among those working in those institutions
(10%). NGOs are not considered to be a prime source of information for the EUs citizens (3%).
Even those working in the media sector consider governments to be equally responsible along with
the media itself - for providing information (both are chosen by 29% in this group). Corporate
managers (43%) and high officials (42%) are among the groups most likely to prefer the government
to disseminate relevant information about the EU. 22% of those who work directly with EU issues
every day would like the Commission to disseminate information to EU citizens, but even they prefer
the government the most (38%).
The plurality of European decision makers and the majority of those from the EU-10 believes that
governments are also primarily responsible for taking into account the citizens opinions on EU issues.
Decision makers are twice as likely to believe that such wishes should be directed towards their
national government (40%) rather than to the European Parliament (21%) or even their national
parliament (19%). Only 10% express the view that such opinions should be primarily taken into
account by the Commission.
-
Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
Analytical Report, page 29
1920
1721 23
1010 11 81 1 25 6 1
57
40 36
54 3
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
7 0%
80%
90%
100%
EU25 EU15 EU10
DK/NA
other
NGOs
the European Commission
the European Parliament
the national parliament and political parties
the national government
Primary responsibility to take into account the citizens wishes on European issues
Q8. In your opinion, whose primary responsibility is to take into account citizens wishes on European issues?
National governments are held primarily responsible for taking the peoples opinions into account in
every country except for Denmark and Germany. In the latter two countries, decision makers most
often stated that the European Parliament should be primarily responsible for taking citizens opinions
into account. The Danish attribute this responsibility to their national parliament in greatest numbers.
The opinions do not differ fundamentally according to key segments in the sample; however, we find a
somewhat stronger preference towards both European and national parliaments among those working
in them (MPs) and among chief editors within national media. Invariably, among all segments of
European decision makers, national governments are held primarily responsible for accommodating
and representing citizens views on European issues.
Decision makers in the Member States dominantly perceive that their governments do not provide
enough information to citizens.
In the EU-25 zone, top level decision makers are clearly unhappy with the performance of their
government regarding EU communication (only 29% believe that their government provides sufficient
information, while 65% feel the contrary) and this is the dominant opinion even within the ranks of
the governments: 39% of high officials regard their governments performance as satisfactory while
51% do not. The map on the next page shows those Member States in the EU where decision makers
are content with their governments performance in providing information about the Union.
General discontent is found more or less across the whole of the EU, although there are five Member
States where the elite groups are reasonably happy with their governments performance: in Finland
(57%), Hungary (57%), Slovenia (55%), Denmark (55%) and Ireland (52%). In Malta, Luxembourg
and Estonia, decision makers are about equally split in their assessment, while in all other EU
countries, the local decision makers are unhappy with their governments performance.
-
Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
page 30
GALLUP
Source:
FLASH EB 189b October 2006
57 55 55 5249
45 4540
35 35 33 33 30 29 29 29 29 29 27 26 26 2523 21 20 20
15
57
0
25
50
7 5
1 00
FI
HU SI
DK IE
MT EE
LU
ES
CY
AT
LV
NL
UK
EL
EU
10
DE
EU
25
EU
15
BE
SK
SE IT PL
LT
PT
CZ
FR
Provides the necessary information
The performance of national governments, as conveyors of sufficient information on the EU
Q4. According to your opinion, does the [COUNTRY] government do a good enough job
providing the necessary information about the European institutions and
their activities to the citizens?
Provides the
necessary
information
Opinions on this question are solid; there are no remarkable variations in the views of the various
sample segments. Relatively speaking, those happiest with the communication provided by their
government (but still fundamentally unhappy) are government officials (39%), along with those who
deal with EU issues in their jobs on a daily basis (34%).
-
Flash Eurobarometer No 189b EU communication and the citizens, Decision Makers
Analytical Report, page 31
Exactly two-thirds of the EUs decision makers do not consider that EU institutions more open,
accessible and responsive than their national counterparts, with only 17% confirming it. Respondents
from the EU-10 Member States are slightly more favourable towards EU institutions. Even so, they
dominantly think that EU institutions are not more accessible compared with national-level institutions
(50% vs. 23% claiming the opposite).
44 42 40 37
25 24 23 23 23 22 21 21 19 19 17 16 14 14 13 11 11 10 8 8 7 6 5
33
47
35
49 48
63
47 5052
48
6961
43
64
44
67 7175 78
63
81 7883
7784
88
6472
50
CY
EL
PT
MT SI
IT CZ
EU
10 PL
SK IE ES
LV
LT
HU
EU
25
EU
15 LU
UK
FR
AT
NL
DK
BE
DE
FI
EE
SE
Yes No
Are European institutions more accessible than national institutions?
Q20. Do you think that European Union institutions are more open, accessible and responsive than your national institutions?
% by country
The only countries where high-level decision makers consider EU institutions to be more accessible
than national institutions are Cyprus and P
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