The communication regarding a common understanding about Europe was the focus of the KAS/SEECOM conference on 12th October 2018. The biggest event for government spokespersons from South East Europe took place for the first time in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo. The hosts of the event were the KAS Media Program South East Europe and the Association of Government Spokespersons SEECOM which was co-founded by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.
About 60 PR experts and representatives of governments, parliaments and international organisations as well as journalists from 13 European countries participated in the conference. The event was opened by SEECOM Secretary General Vuk Vujnović, SEECOM Chairman Ognian Zlatev and Hendrik Sittig, Head of the KAS Media Program South East Europe.
Hendrik Sittig underlined the importance of Europe as a common project which is increasingly questioned. While each country has its own cultural identity and must preserve it, global challenges such as climate change, terrorism or migration can only be tackled, when the European states work together. Besides that, he pleaded to report more about why Europe is important and what are the concrete benefits of the European Union. “Do good work and talk about it,” said Sittig in his opening speech.
Ognian Zlatev emphasised the role of the Western Balkan states, which belong to Europe and partly already to the EU, and through the EU’s help have already made steps forward. “I am proud to attend this conference to exchange experiences with the best communications professionals in the region,” Zlatev said.
Vuk Vujnović spoke about the mission of the SEECOM Association to further develop professional government communication in South East Europe. Only clear messages from the EU and the countries of the region will help developing a common understanding of Europe and the EU integration. In his opinion, the recent speech by Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, on the situation of the EU is a good impetus for the necessary reforms in the accession countries and at the same time a good sign for a fixed timeframe for the EU enlargement.
The conference participants were debating lively about the public relations of the European Union at the local level in the context of EU enlargement. They agreed that the EU should engage in dialogue with civil society and governments, using simpler and clearer messages about the benefits of EU membership. These were also the central discussion points of the entire conference
The Bulgarian Minister for EU Presidency was a speaker in the first panel discussion
The Minister for the Bulgarian EU Presidency Lilyana Pavlova explained in the first panel how the Western Balkans were brought to the political agenda during the Bulgarian presidency and what measures are necessary to ensure that this topic does not lose relevance in the future. She talked about the declining trust in the EU and said that the benefits had to be explained to the citizens not just from a political point of view but also from a practical perspective. In her opinion, it is also necessary to develop a positive narrative about the region.
Lars-Gunner Wigemark, Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, criticised during the discussion the lack of ambition and motivation among the political elite of the EU countries to keep the debate about EU enlargement of the Western Balkans alive. He also emphasised that only pure communication is not enough, communicators should know which goals they want to achieve with their communication activities.
SEECOM Chairman Ognian Zlatev, in his role as Head of the European Commission Representation in Bulgaria, also participated in the panel discussion and talked about the future of the EU. He said that in the future the EU’s success depends on the support of the citizens. Thus, it is important to ensure trust in the European Union and civil dialogue through professional political communication.
Citizen dialogue and commitment as building elements for a united Europe
The second panel discussion focused on the role of the national and EU institutions in developing a strong common European identity.
Ivana Đurić, Head of Communications at the Serbian Ministry for European Integration, underlined that the communication about the EU integration in the EU states should be strengthened and the communication in the accession countries about the European Union must be anchored in the overall strategy. In her opinion, on the local level, the governments should ensure that the media situation is improved, in order for EU messages to be spread in a better media environment.
The EU correspondent of the Serbian national broadcaster RTS Dušan Gajić added that journalists have to tell exciting stories about the EU in order to make this project interesting for the citizens, or at least understandable. “Only in this case the EU can regain its credibility,“ said Gajić.
Vincenzo Le Voci, Secretary General of the EU communication forum “Club of Venice”, emphasised that in order to become credible again, a better understanding of citizens’ needs and expectations is needed. In his opinion this could be achieved through more interaction with the citizens. Croatian data expert Tamara Puhovski warned that the public wants more and more information. However, people do not want to deal with pure data and read it. Therefore, it is important to find the right ways and means of communication, e.g. visual presentation of data with the help of infographics. She also talked about the dialogue with young people and how they need role models in their countries – people, who they would like to follow and copy. The discussion was moderated by Vuk Vujnović.
Strategies of government communication to attract citizens’ interest
The third panel focused on how people’s interest in politics and the EU can be regained through strategic government communication. The President of the Ukrainian Eastern Europe Foundation (EEF) Victor Liakh spoke about public participation in the political decision-making process in Ukraine and presented an e-participation platform developed by his organisation in cooperation with the government. It should allow citizens to introduce changes in legislative proposals. Referring to the conference theme of a common European identity, he made clear that Ukrainians feel as part of Europe.
Jasna Jelisić, Head of Western Balkans StratCom Task Force at the European External Action Service, underlined that the main condition for EU communication is a positive narrative about Europe. She also stated that part of her mandate covers the communication of the Western Balkan countries in the EU countries, and the positive message is of central importance there, too. Michel Rademaker, Deputy Director of Hague Center for Strategic Studies, saw a good opportunity to create synergies effects in the communication and the coordination between EU institutions and governments at local level by using positive narratives.
SEEMO Secretary General Oliver Vujović spoke from the perspective of journalists and about the access to information in the Balkans. In his opinion, this is an area that should be further developed to allow professional reporting about Europe. “Only when the media situation gets better, the EU image can be improved,” advised Vujović. He also stressed that it is important for the EU to speak in the language of the people which journalists are also able to understand. The discussion was moderated by SEECOM board member Christian Spahr.
Collaboration: Darija Fabijanić
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