In an excellent book “The hard sell: EU communication policy and the campaign for hearts and minds” (155 pages, .pdf, 778,9 KiB) by Open Europe, dr. Lee Rotherham and Lorraine Mullally have collected an enormous pile of documented proof that EU is waging a massive PR offensive over the continent of Europe.

In a blog accompanying the book dr. Rotherham outlines one vivid example of such propaganda with the case of Slovenia which is treated within the EU circles as a “good pupil” of EU. Here are listed just few of the examples of EU’s self promotion, paid by the taxpayers of 27 EU member-states:

• The Commission is understood to have funded a conference for young people, organised by Slovenian NGOs, to debate whether the EU constitution needed ratifying by referenda, followed by nibbles. Janez Lenarčič, State Secretary for European affairs and head of the local Commission Representation Mihela Zupančič (previously an NGO veteran, particularly in women’s rights) provided the introductions. The event had to be crashed by local Eurosceptic campaigners in order to be able to distribute their literature.
• A group of Team Europe experts has been set up nationally(# - read below!)
• Standard distribution procedures apply to centrally produced Commission material in Slovenian.
• CNVOS – the state-founded and sponsored Slovenian NGO Centre – organised a conference for NGOs on mechanisms for getting involved in dialogue with the European institutions. It anticipates Slovenian involvement in cross-border NGO groups that already receive EU subsidy and support, named in the main Open Europe publication.
• EU symbols, especially the flag, are now omnipresent.
• Europe Day has taken over the role formerly played by Victory Day.
• EVROFON has been run by the state as its EU support project. One recent action amongst many has been to organise a workshop for NGOs on sustainable energy and the development of EU policy. One commentator very harshly critiques it so: “Some NGOs (and with that some quisling individuals) get the money, fake debates are made public and people are served an illusion of a functioning EU democracy.”
• An Erasmus van has also reportedly visited Slovenia as part of a much bigger tour.
• The Commission Representation itself costs €10,000 a year to service. €40,000 was reportedly spent on buying equipment for a conference hall and for an EP information point. A further €55,000 was earmarked for “physical protection and reception”.
• In addition to the Commission’s building and the EP’s building (Slovenia has just 7 MEPs), there are Europe Houses in both the capital and in Maribor. A key player is the Center Evropa, which is registered as an NGO – a detail that suggests a decentralised information campaign will be the one adopted in the long run.
• External collaboration projects are on record for 2006. €22,000 went to a PR company whose key figure is reportedly a former state broadcast journalist with good contacts in government. €29,000 is listed as going to the same agency to distribute a booklet on the Euro. €15,000 went to a privatised press agency. €18,000 went on the Representation’s website.
• A small sum (€1,670, likely to be state funding) in 2005 funded a meeting for teenagers. It was important for the feedback it provided the planners: “Participants were satisfied with the project but at least in summer activities they have openly admitted that they already have enough of this EU knowledge and they don’t want to listen about other countries anymore”. Media coverage on the EU was seen as perfunctory and dull. Receiving EU information activity felt like school work. This clearly was not good news! Consequently, “the methods to work with children and their ways to learn about EU should be upgraded”.
• Other listed activities that have been known to have been run over the past few years include Evropa v šoli (classroom competitions on Europe); Enake možnosti za vse - enakost spolov (Equal opportunities for all - equality of sexes), Sodelovanje v evropi različnosti (Cooperation within European diversity), Sem državljanka - sem državljan v spreminjajoči se Evropi (I am a citizen in a changing Europe), Evropa skozi kulturo in šport (Europe through culture and sport), Različni in enaki živimo skupaj v Evropi, in na planetu zemlja (Different and equal we live together in Europe and on planet earth [sic]), Naša zgodovina - naša prihodnost (Our history - our future), and Lepše okolje - lepša Evropa (Nicer environment - nicer Europe).
• Further events that have been identified as carrying propaganda value include the following: Spring Day in Europe 2007 - Together since 1957: Schools celebrate Europe; “Goodbye to Tolar, hello to Euro!” competition; a Contest for a logo at the 50th anniversary of signing of Treaty of Rome; Contest by the weekly magazine Mag for the best column article of youngsters; Spring Day in Europe - We discuss our future; involvement in a Euroquiz with Austrian television; Web chat with Commissioner Michel; “I have become an European citizen” contest; EU essay; best postcard competition; Europe contest in school; the essay competition “I live in the EU” (views on the future of Slovenia in EU, from the viewpoint of youngsters); debate on the future of the EU; Spring day in Europe and debate on enlargement; material on the participation of youth delegates on the Convention on the Future of Europe; Young European contest; programme of research grants funded by a Commission-linked NGO; secondary school participation in a model EP; and a contest for the best paper written on Slovenian accession to the EU.
• A recent appeal to the Government’s Communication Office for €6,000 to arrange a trans-European but Eurosceptic summer camp, on the other hand, was turned down. The sum total of grants to Eurosceptic organisations in Slovenia since independence is believed to amount to one award of €5,000.
• €35,000 went to material distributed through the Students Union at Ljubljana, which we understand to be the funding behind the booklet Zgrabi Evropo (Grab Europe). This is an upbeat presentation on European evolution, with plenty of quotes from Commissioners and Team Europe(#) supporters selling their wares, concluding with a crossword puzzle with prizes. It was a local Commission initiative, its third publication in the year. 75,000 copies were printed for students in Higher Education across the country.

(#) Isn’t “Team Europe” a nice PR twist also used to confuse it with (original) TEAM ? They describe themselves as the European Commission’s panel of independent conference speakers. The members are lawyers, consultants, academics, etc. covering all fields of activity of the Union’s policies and working languages. They are chosen by the Commission’s Representations in the Member States.