Pre-election bid to raise Parliament profile

Date: 02/04/1998

By Simon Coss

TERRIFIED at the prospect of another disappointing turnout in next year's Euro-elections, MEPs are putting pressure on the European Commission to 'sell' their institution to a sceptical public.

Commission insiders claim that the European Parliament culture committee's decision to freeze about one-third of the budget of the Directorate-General for information, communication and culture (DGX) is aimed at forcing it to provide more information on parliamentary activities.

In a radical report approved by the culture committee late last month, Dutch Christian Democrat Peter Pex also called for the information policies of the Commission and the Parliament to be merged.

This would mean bringing the two institutions' existing separate offices in EU member states under one roof and setting up a joint Parliament/Commission press centre in Brussels.

Since direct elections to the Parliament were first held in 1979, fewer and fewer people have turned out to vote for their MEPs.

While 63% of the population went to the polls in the 1979 parliamentary election, the figure fell to 61% in 1984, 58.5% in 1989 and only 56% at the last Euro-elections four years ago.

Many Commission officials say that MEPs are unfairly pointing the finger of blame at DGX for their failure to capture the hearts and minds of Europeans.

They acknowledge the reasons for the Parliament's concern, but accuse Euro MPs of shooting the messenger. "If turnout is down again in 1999, then the other institutions will start asking questions about the ability of the European Parliament to continue to exist in terms of democratic legitimacy," said one.

Not surprisingly, the Parliament argues that this is a misinterpretation of the facts and insists MEPs simply want to ensure the Union has a more efficient information policy.

"I think this is a crazy conclusion to draw. There is no mention of messengers in my report. We simply want to provide an even better service for the same amount of money," explained Pex, the culture committee's rapporteur on information policy.

Pex complains that while the Parliament's brand new multi-billion-ecu headquarters boasts state-of-the-art facilities, journalists who flock to the daily briefing at the Commission's Breydel building rarely attend press conferences or briefings in the Parliament.

"In Brussels, you journalists are always in the Breydel and not in my building," he said, adding: "If I want to give a press conference in the Breydel, I am not allowed to."

Pex brushed aside the argument that journalists tend to concentrate their efforts on the institutions which have the most impact on EU legislation. He argued that, in most cases, it would be perfectly possible for the Commission and Parliament to join forces.

"The two institutions have to follow their own autonomies in limited areas, but the majority of information concerns general items," he said.

However, experts within the Commission reject this analysis, arguing that it is important for the EU's legislative and executive arms to remain clearly separated.

"The European Parliament is going down constitutional avenues it should not be going down," said one senior official.

DGX produces thousands of pro-EU brochures, magazines, booklets and films every year. It also provides services such as 'stock-shot' library footage, camera operators and studios for the Union's television journalists.