Transparency – Openness and co-operation in the field of information activities about the European Union-Council Conclusions, December 1998

Transparency - Openness and co-operation in the field of information activities about the European Union - Council Conclusions, December 1998:

The Council of the European Union adopted the following conclusion on openness and co-operation in the field of information activities about the European Union:

1. The Council emphasises the need to bring Europe closer to its citizens, inter alia by stepping up information activities on European Union issues. As for its own activities, it wants to play an active part in this effort and intends, among other things, to boost the facilities provided by its General Secretariat for journalists and the public at large in the area of electronic means (audiovisual facilities and Internet).
2. The Council reiterates the importance of the June 1999 elections to the European Parliament for the democratic legitimacy of the European Union. With a view to raising awareness about the elections among European citizens, the Council recommends close co-operation among the information services of the Member States and of the Institutions of the European Union.
3. The Council notes with satisfaction the entry into force on 1 January 1999 of the Council's public register of documents, accessible on the Internet (http://ue.eu.int), and will make public the calendar of all its meetings.
4. The Council notes the Member States' responsibility for information about the European Union.
5. The Council recognises the Commission's role in promoting the interinstitutional co-operation in the field of information about the European Union.
6. The Council notes the Commission's intention to establish mechanisms to allow those in charge of information in the Member States and the EU institutions to exchange their experiences, communicate with each other and hold consultations concerning information about the European Union, and to report regularly on progress achieved.
7. The Council notes the Commission's intention to make suggestions for interinstitutional co-operation in this field, in particular with the European Parliament and the Council.

The text of the Conclusions adopted at the General Affairs Council on 6.12.98 can be accessed on RAPID or on the homepage of the Council at http://ue.eu.int/newsroom
in Press Release
(Council of Ministers), PRES/98/431 (6.12.98). Note that Council Press Releases are often available more quickly in English on the Council homepage than on RAPID.

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