Europe is listening

Communication, in general, is not easy. There are problems communicating in families of four people let alone a family of 450 million. Communicating Europe is not easy because Europe's very nature changes according to our perceptions. To different people Europe means different things. To try and get a grip of the different meanings of Europe we should stop talking and start listening. Listening is the basic requirement we need to understand each other.

With this thought in mind, I am really pleased with the initiative taken by the Representation in Malta to undergo an exercise in which they invite all the constituted bodies, NGOs and other organisations for a week of discussion, consultation and a general bouncing of ideas will serve to foster a greater understanding of Europe in Malta and of the needs, thoughts and views of the Maltese in Brussels. It is a massive undertaking to meet all the representative bodies in Malta in one week and I take the opportunity to auger the head and staff at the Representation and all the participants a very intense but fruitful week.

It is these initiatives that will make the Commission's communication strategy work. Plan D cannot work unless we go local and understand what the citizens of each member state of the European Union are telling us. We have to understand the misgivings on Europe so that we can strive to make Europe do more of what we want, so that we make Europe more accessible to all.

L-Ewropa Taghti Widen, the theme of the week being organised, was translated to me as "Europe is listening" and this could not be truer than it is today. This Commission, even before the events of 2005 emphasised the urgent need for it, wanted to have an active communication policy and for the first time has a commissioner directly responsible for communicating Europe to the citizens.

The Commission identified three actions that have to be taken to keep the citizens of Europe at the heart of all European policies. An improvement in the Commission's efforts to listen to citizens and to take their views and concerns into account was placed as our number one priority. This was followed closely by how the policies of the European Union affect the everyday lives of its citizens, and, thirdly, with the need to go local and adapt the European Union's communication to the different citizens' sensitivities not only according to their country, region, and language, but also to their age, sex, and profession among others.

But these initiatives by the European Commission will only succeed if everybody plays a part. There must be a partnership between us, the Commission, and all the key players. Success will depend on it.

This is the main purpose of a White Paper launched recently by the Commission. It is intended to propose a way forward and to invite all these players to contribute their ideas on how best we can work together to close the communication gap. The result will be a forward-looking agenda for better communication to enhance the public debate in Europe.

I would like to take the opportunity to invite you to respond to this White Paper by logging on to the website http://europa. eu.int/comm/communication_white_paper or by sending your views to White Paper Consultation, European Commission, Directorate General Communication, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium. It is important that everyone makes one's views known.

This is the big challenge and the exercise being carried out by the Representation in Malta should go a long way in establishing a permanent rapport between the Commission and the citizens of Malta.

I wish you all il-hidma t-tajba (fruitful work).

Ms Wallström is EU Commissioner for Institutional Relations and Communication Strategy.