18 - 24 May 2000

Enlargement funds not for "Yes" campaign

by Anthony Manduca and David Kelleher

The Lm600,000 allocated to Malta as part of an European Union information campaign on EU enlargement will not fund any pro-EU membership campaigns, EU ambassador Giorgio Boggio told The Malta Business Weekly. The money is to be directly allocated to the EU delegation in Malta and will not be passed on to any public or private organisation.

"We are still working on a formula for the implementation of a comprehensive communication strategy on enlargement but these funds will be used by the EU delegation to explain the reasons for the enlargement of the EU. We want to dispel certain misapprehensions about the enlargement process," Mr Boggio said.

He denied that the funds will be used as propaganda to back the pro-membership lobby in Malta, an accusation which was made recently by Labour Party leader Alfred Sant.

The EU has allocated a total of 150 million euros for the period 2000-2006 to fund its communication strategy on enlargement in both EU member States as well as in the applicant countries. "It is just as important to explain the enlargement process to the member States as it is to the applicant countries," Mr Boggio said.

Contacted by The Malta Business Weekly, the head of the Malta-EU Information Centre (MIC), Dr Simon Busuttil said that the funds in question will be used to inform the people about EU membership and to allay any fears they may have.

"There are two perspectives to the campaign. On the one hand providing information about enlargement to citizens in member States and, on the other, providing citizens in candidate countries precise details about membership," Dr Busuttil said.

Asked what role the MIC will have in the EU campaign and whether funds will be passed on to the centre, Dr Busuttil said that MIC formed part of the pre-accession infrastructure and therefore it would have some kind of role during the campaign. As to funds, he was still not in a position to say.

The comprehensive communication strategy on enlargement is the initiative of Enlargement Commissioner Gunter Verheugen and Education and Culture Commissioner Viviane Reding and is aimed at meeting the need for information, generate dialogue with citizens and dispel misapprehensions about the enlargement process - in the member States as well as the candidate countries.

The communication strategy which was adopted by the Commission must allow citizens from both our member States and the candidate countries to understand the reasons for enlargement, its benefits as well as its challenges, Mr Verheugen said in a statement.

"Reunifying our continent is for the European Union a core strategic priority, which cannot be limited to a closed circle of negotiators, but must be widely explained to the people and supported by them.

"The communication strategy which was adopted by the Commission must allow citizens from both our member States and the candidate countries to understand the reasons for enlargement, its benefits as well as its challenges," Mr Verheugen said.