How we communicate about EU funds

IVANA ĐURIĆ, Assistant Director,

Department for Communication and Training, European Integration Office

Government of the Republic of Serbia

- 2nd South Eastern European GovernmentCommunication Conference (SEECOM)-

Budva, 27-29 September 2013

You never would have guessed…

And the story about EU visibility started...

Enigma is solved!Zezelj bridge – project worth 45 million euro, out of which 26

million is co-financed from IPA

• Basic guidelines for visibility of EU (co)financed projects are given in COMMUNICATION AND VISIBILITY MANUAL FOR EUROPEAN UNION EXTERNAL ACTIONS

• What does every “EU” project need to communicate?

Basic visual elements: • Flag of the European Union • Name of the project and logo of the project if there is

one• co-financing statement• content disclaimer

EU visibility criteria

Promotional meetings, press conferences

Websites, blogs, newsletters

Brochures, leaflets, catalogues

Studies, publications, newspaper articles

Advertisements, audio and visual materials

Promotional material/props (business cards, pens, folders, calendars, badges, bags, caps, shirts, etc.)

EU recommendations for communication, desired activities

Still – communication YES, but for a purpose...

• How do the media report about ”European topics and EU funds“?

• What does the voice of the people say? • What is our strategy?• What are our tools?• What is the result?

…”the European story”…

‘HOW DOES IT RELATE TO US?’

Media reports on European integration

BBC Worlds Service Trust research financed by the EU, September 2010

• There is a large number of reports, but readers and viewers of Serbian media marked them as bad – too short, too formal and difficult to understand

• 1/3 of the stories are placed well- On TV and radio in the first three news stories- In printed media on the first three pages

• National media report much more than local - 40 : 14 on average, per month

• Main topics are politics, economy and the process itself and they are often based on covering official events

• Agriculture, environment, consumer protection, health and education have been neglected as topics in reporting- Less than three percent of all reports are from the field of agriculture

• Reports do not have “depth” – they are descriptive and without analysis- 42% of TV reports, 56% of printed reports and 58% of online reports are just descriptive

KEY RESULTS

• Reports are not balanced- 61% of EU stories on TV present only one speaker or only one opinion

• Reports are mainly positive towards the EU, which makes the audience doubt their credibility

• Respondents mostly want to see stories about lives of ordinary people

• Main obstacles – lack of specialisation of reporters and media’s fear that the stories would not “sell”

KEY RESULTS

July 2013

• If there was a referendum tomorrow asking, “Do you support Serbia’s accession to the European Union,” 50% of the citizens would vote for, and 24% against.

• A large number of citizens, 68 percent, still believes that reforms essential for EU accession should be implemented even if they are not set as conditions for EU accession, because it would create a better Serbia for us.

• 47% of citizens consider TV shows showing experiences of ordinary people in the EU accession process the most interesting type of topic.

What does the voice of the people say?

Interest in the European Union

13

• Around one third of citizens have heard about projects financed from EU funds

31

69

Yes

No

Have you heard about any project financed from EU funds?

% Justice and home affairs

Protection of the environment

Public administration reform

Development of private sector

Energy

Agriculture

Social development

Cross-border cooperation

Transport

27

24

23

21

21

16

16

13

12

THOSE WHO HAVE HEARD What area does this project or these projects cover? % Multiple answers

14

European Union is considered the biggest donor for Serbia since 2000

%

European Union

Russia

Japan

China

USA

Norway

Do not know / No answer

41

38

23

20

13

12

1

What countries from this list would you consider the biggest donors to Serbia from 2000 until now? % Two answers

Up to 150 million EUR

Over 150 million EUR

A lot of money

Do not know / No answer

1

1

1

97

Do you know what is the approx-imate amount of money that

Serbia gets from EU funds yearly? %

About specific projects in Serbia financed from EU funds

The amount of aid depending on Serbia's status (how much it is right now, how much it will be when Serbia becomes candidate, who much when it becomes member of the EU)

What are the rules for submitting proposals

Other

Not interested in any of the topics

46

31

12

1

34

What topics related to EU funds would you like to learn more about? % Multiple answers

NEW APPROACH

“Human dimension” in EU stories

Introducing national, regional and local dimensions

Use of new media technologies and social networks...

COMMUNICATION STRATEGY 2011Activities

Electronic and printed media (national, regional and local) are the main partners in implementation of communication activities and in providing information about EU accession negotiations and EU funds.

1. Regular communication with the media 2. Organising quarterly consultations of SEIO with the press, editors in chief and media directors (just

before publishing the report on the implementation of NPAA of RS). The goal of these consultations is primarily timely sharing of information, in accordance with established goals and new communication approach.

3. Training and press study visits

- Shifting focus from information about the process of accession of Serbia to the EU to the effect this process has on everyday life (e.g. How to recognize the Law on Consumer Protection or the Law on Waste Management in a real life situation).

4. Giving the press information about examples from everyday life that the press would be interested in, in the context of the accession process of Serbia to the EU.

5. New specialized media formats and contents relating to dialogue groups –

SEIO website + Isdacon database

Communicating about EU funds

• Specialised TRAINING for the press

• Organising PRESS TOURS for the press (“Požarevac – reconstruction of the water supply system” and “Požarevac at the end of Decade of Roma Inclusion”, at the end: Radovanović Winery), direct result – large number of publications on specific projects (focusing on stories of the people)

• Coordinating the IPA VISIBLITY OFFICER network and specialized training for them (regular communication, common activities)

Communicating about EU funds

• Development of specialized audio and visual content (content selection – examples of good practice, cooperation with partners on cross-border cooperation programmes and EUD, editing and placement into different media formats – recorded stories about 6 towns in Serbia where more than 15 projects have been implemented. Distribution through the network of local TV stations and TV stations with national frequency).

• Award for a media report on a project realized in Serbia financed by the EU

• Organizing different events and happenings

Flash mob, Knez Mihailova street, 21 September 2013

WE DID THIS LAST SATURDAY...

European Cooperation Day

21 September

It was celebrated by more than 40 countries throughout Europe

for the first time last yearFlash mob

Report

Thank you!

IVANA ĐURIĆ

idjuric@seio.gov.rs

European Integration Office Government of the Republic of Serbia