Oreja gears up for battle with MEPs over campaign money

Date: 21/03/1996

The European Commission and Parliament are shaping up for a battle of wills over the running of three pan-European information campaigns aimed at increasing public interest in the Union.

Senior MEPs are insisting the Commission meets several strict conditions before they will give the 50-million-ecu package the final go-ahead. Information Policy Commissioner Marcelino Oreja and his colleagues are expected to announce later this month whether they are prepared to accept the criteria.

The move reflects the determination of the Parliament, which specifically allocated the budget credits last year, to ensure its views on the programmes are taken into account. These aim to inform the public about their rights in the EU and explain the consequences of the planned move to a single currency and the relevance of the negotiations to reform the Maastricht Treaty.

The Commission approves of the cooperative venture, but there is a feeling within the institution that MEPs should not be allowed to dictate how it manages the different exercises.

If Oreja and his colleagues do not agree to the changes being sought by MEPs, they run the risk of finding the bulk of the money - 35 million ecu - remaining blocked well beyond next month.

The Parliament has already agreed to release 15 million ecu, 10 million of which will be used for the Citizens First campaign and 5 million for the 'Euro', allowing two out of three programmes to get under way. But MEPs will have to approve the rest of the package by April to avoid any disruption to the campaigns.

The conditions attached to the release of funds by senior MEPs stress the need for proper coordination of the campaigns within the Commission, between the two institutions themselves and with a network of organisations on the ground.

MEPs also question the Commission's timetable, arguing that efforts to explain the significance of the IGC on Maastricht should be moved forward to take account of its launch on 29 March.

The Parliament accepts, in general terms, the division of funds between the three programmes: Citizens First (24 million ecu), the Euro (19 million ecu) and the IGC (7 million ecu). But it is putting down an early marker for next year by suggesting priorities should then be reversed, with greater emphasis placed on the IGC programme.

MEPs are also demanding more details of the specific activities being planned and reject the Commission's view that it is member states which have primary responsibility for organising information on the Union.

The Parliament is urging other EU institutions to go on the offensive in stressing positive aspects of Union membership, while taking specific national and regional sensibilities into account.