Poland: National Strategy for Integration – Information activities

Poland: National Strategy for Integration - Information activities:
As Poland negotiates to join the European Union, the country must prepare itself thoroughly for membership. The Polish Government has produced a 'National Strategy for Integration' (NSI), to ensure that both Polish administration and society is aware of the implications of the development. The strategy recognises that EU membership will have a significant impact on the lives of all Polish citizens, necessitating a developed information campaign. Part VII of the NSI is called 'Information activities' and is reproduced below:

The specific nature of the Polish integration process is characterised by the fact that this process is closely related to its systemic transformation. Therefore, the adaptation procedures carried out within the framework of the said process are distinguished by:

- the scale of changes, which concern almost all walks of political, economic and social life

- the effects of these changes which, by virtue of a strongly diversified society, will have a different impact upon its different segments

- the speed and sequence of changes which depend on the adjustment capacity of the State administration and economic structures as well as on the varied adjustment capacities of individuals and social groups participating in this process.

The fundamental objective of the information strategy is to retain and deepen permanent support in Polish society for our membership aspirations. Activities in this field will be directed towards:

- familiarising society with the issues of the EU

- making society aware of the impact of Polish membership in the EU upon State sovereignty, security, international status and the economy

- explaining the changes in the area of citizens' rights and duties which will be brought about by Poland joining the EU

- introducing issues concerning European integration into national education system at all levels.

Extensive education-information-promotion activities will be initiated. They will consist of three blocks of operational activities:

- monitoring of the state of awareness and the resulting level of social acceptance of the successive integration phases

- drawing up of concrete education-information-promotion action programmes

- implementation of the programmes thus drawn up, while taking into account the characteristics of different social groups as well as the requirements of a given integration phase.

The overall positive attitude of Poles towards integration, nonetheless, rests on many myths and stereotypes, anxieties and hopes as well as ideas concerning the benefits and costs of membership in the Union. This is a result of insufficient information on integration with the EU and its consequences for Poland.

Information on society's opinion on the adaptation process being implemented in Poland has been compiled and constantly reviewed since 1990, thanks to the annual research carried out by the Government's Public Opinion Research Centre, CBOS, and non-governmental institutions. At the same time specialised research teams carry out studies in this field. On this basis it is possible to identify the following data:

- the level of social acceptance of Poland's integration with the European Union has stabilised at approximately 75-80%. This tendency is accompanied by a whole range of positive developments which point to its permanent nature:

• increased knowledge of the Institutions of the EU
• increasing understanding of the benefits and costs associated with the implementation of the adaptation process
• increased social awareness concerning the time of Poland's accession to the EU
• correcting and reducing the public's expectations of increasing social benefits from accession to the EU.

- the tendencies creating a positive climate for the implementation of the integration process are, however, accompanied by certain negative phenomena:

• acceptance of the integration of Poland with the EU is still based on a limited knowledge of the functioning of the EU
• opinions concerning European integration are diverse, depending on the social and professional status, affluence, area of residence and age of the respondents
• strong variation in public opinion exists in the evaluation of the benefits and costs associated with the accession of Poland to the Union
• acceptance of the integration process is based on a shallow consensus which may waver under political conditions less stable than the current ones
• despite improved understanding, social expectations concerning Poland's membership in the structures of the EU are still idealised.

The information strategy is defined by its main objective, i.e. animating the activity of various social groups in support of Poland's membership of the EU. The source of this activity should be the desire to translate the prospects of membership in the Union into the interests of groups and individuals.

The full identification of factors shaping the conditions under which the information strategy of NSI is being created requires the widening of the scope of research, the utilisation of information in secondary analyses and an increase in research. This necessitates the appointment of a working group dealing with information strategy and co-ordinating and inspiring research projects in this field. Such work should be carried out with the participation of both public opinion research agencies and academic centres.

The working group set up at the Committee for European Integration will consist of specialists from those State administrative organs which are particularly involved in the information activities as well as specialists appointed by the interested non-governmental organisations.

The task of the working group or the chosen research agency will be the monitoring of factors influencing the NSI information strategy. Apart from the programmes currently under way the research teams should pay particular attention to the groups that are of key importance from the point of view of the social perception of integration, such as the young-especially in small towns and rural areas - and the opinion-forming circles, in particular, the political elite, agricultural and business circles.

The working group will draw up an action plan including, in particular:

- preparation of plans in the area of education, information and promotion

- constant updating, based on the monitoring of public opinion

- preparation of procedures to be used for translating these plans into concrete programmes

- supporting the establishment of these programmes and their co-ordination

- selecting agents to carry out these programmes

- provision of financial resources needed for their implementation

- programme implementation supervision

- assessment of their implementation.

The working group will disseminate information among government institutions, mass media, political parties and non-governmental organisations. This information will concern the activities carried out and their effects. The group will also publish texts of pronouncements made by politicians reflecting the official position of Poland in various stages of the integration process. The group will make use of all modern information techniques.

The work of the group will inspire concrete programmes and create favourable conditions for their implementation while at the same time limiting the interference in their form and contents. This work should fit the framework defined by the information strategy which at present can be summarised as follows:

- Poland's integration with the European structures is not an objective in itself, but one of the means of increasing the speed of systemic transformation and attaining conditions favourable from the point of view of the long-term development of our country. The information campaign should emphasise the benefits derived by Poland from the integration seen as a process supporting these changes. The obvious costs of systemic transformation cannot be allocated to the costs of the integration process.

- The campaign on behalf of Poland's integration with the EU structures should be devoid of the emotional aspect contained in the 'return to Europe' slogan. In terms of social perception, this catch-phrase turns the integration process into a backward-looking exercise whilst the current strategy requires a forward-looking attitude.

- Popular support for Poland's integration with the EU is a huge capital asset which must not be squandered. It has to be remembered that this approval is based on a shallow consensus which is not supported by sufficient recognition of the social costs which will have to be borne in the course of this process.

- The signing of the accession treaty which will fundamentally alter Poland's geo-political situation must be whole-heartedly accepted and supported by Polish society.

- The integration campaign will be addressed to the entire Polish society, but at the same time it must take into account social stratification which is more pronounced than in other countries of the region. This applies both to the economic and civilisational, and cultural dimensions. Target integration strategies preceded by the identification and analysis of the integration process and related anxieties and hopes will be drawn up for all basic social groups.

The half-century-long division of Europe operated on the consciousness of both sides and led to a deformed concept of societies living under different systems. These misconceptions stemmed from the inability to verify the reality through mutual contacts. Therefore, the information activities will simultaneously be directed towards the shaping in the minds of Poles of a positive image of a united Europe and the creation of a positive picture of Poland amongst our European neighbours.

The full text of Poland's 'National Strategy for Integration' is reproduced in English inYearbook of Polish European Studies, Vol.1, 1997 published by the Warsaw University Centre for Europe.