Prodi accused of breaking PR strategy promises

Date: 15/03/01

By John Shelley

MEPS have launched a fierce attack on European Commission President Romano Prodi for breaking his promises on reform of the institution's press and communication strategy.

They say that 18 months after Prodi pledged to overhaul the way the Commission keeps in touch with citizens, they have seen virtually no results.

A promised paper on the revised communication strategy has never emerged, they say.

"A new information and communications strategy has been promised to the Parlia-ment on at least three occasions by the Prodi Commission," said David Harley, head of the assembly's press service. "We have reached the stage now where we no longer even know the member of the Commission who is personally responsible for this area."

When he took office in 1999 Prodi stripped the Directorate-General for culture of most of its power in the area and set up

a Press and Communication Service, currently headed by chief spokesman Jonathan Faull.

The service was supposed to come up with an action plan covering the way the administration deals with the press, the public and other institutions. MEPs say they have seen little sign of this so far.

"Since the change they have been trying to put the emphasis on what they call political intelligence, relations with the media and relations with national and regional authorities," said Parliament Vice-President Alejo Vidal-Quadras Roca. "The actions addressed to the general public are considered as only secondary."

Faull said the responsibility for the strategy had moved from Reding to Prodi at the beginning of this year.

"It's very clear where the responsibility lies at the moment, it lies with me at the administrative level and with the president politically,"he said. He added that a Commissioner - yet to be identified - will be given the task of answering MEPs' concerns in the next few weeks.

MEPs have launched a fierce attack on European Commission President Romano Prodi for breaking his promises on reform of the institution's press and communication strategy.