EU
to spend €30 million to sell itself
The
Commission defended the campaign to provide people with a ‘better
understanding’ of the EU.
By RYAN HEATH
4/14/16, 6:09 AM CET
Buried in the
procurement pages of the European Commission’s website, the EU’s
largest-ever communications campaign is about to take flight.
The European
Commission opened bidding Thursday on a €30 million contract for
“corporate communication events” which include “citizens’
dialogues, major conferences, participation in international events,
fairs and exhibitions, or virtual events.” The contract would be
for two years, and renewable for another two years if the Commission
is satisfied with the contractor’s performance.
The effort is the
centerpiece of Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s attempt
to “achieve a better understanding by European citizens of the EU,
its priorities and activities.”
When POLITICO first
reported the proposed project in September, it was initially expected
to be a €25.75 million campaign to “inform and engage different
target groups of European citizens about the EU’s political
priorities.” But the budget has since grown to €30 million.
Commission
spokesperson Alexander Winterstein defended the expense Wednesday.
‘When
the event is driven by (Commission) headquarters it’s much more
difficult to fill the room. Usually no one has heard of the
Commissioner and there’s no specific topic,”
“Not a single euro
is committed at the signature of the contract,” because buying
occurs only when “participating institutions decide to actually
organize an event,” Winterstein said. “Usually, we spend
considerably less that the maximum amount under these contracts. No
more than two-thirds on average.”
The Commission is
usually coy about its spending on communications to avoid provoking
critics, particularly Euroskeptics less than two months before the
U.K. referendum on EU membership.
The winning bidder
would be expected to support EU organizations as diverse as the
European Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT
Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA) to
far-flung embassies.
Case studies
provided to prospective bidders offer clues on what the Commission
wants. One example is a “citizen’s dialogue” on migration
featuring one or more EU Commissioners and 500 others in an ancient
Greek theater. The contractor would be expected to provide an
internet and video link to the tiny island of Lampedusa in the
Mediterranean, the entry point to Europe for thousands of refugees a
year, to allow people in Lampedusa to ask questions of the
commissioner.
Even though the EU
already has the world’s largest interpretation services, comprising
641 full-time interpreters and more than 3,000 freelance
interpreters, the contractor would be expected to provide those
services too.
One commission
communications staffer with experience organizing “citizen’s
dialogues” in the lead up to 2014 European elections said the
investment can be hit and miss. “They can work well — total
fireworks — if they are topic-driven, and organized locally with a
lot of local people with different opinions brought into the room.”
However, the source
warned that instead of improving Commission events, the top-down
approach can reduce effectiveness. “When the event is driven by
(Commission) headquarters it’s much more difficult to fill the
room. Usually no one has heard of the Commissioner and there’s no
specific topic,” the source said.
Authors:
Ryan Heath
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