Interview news: EU communication needs radical decentralisation, not "streamlining"

Mr Leclercq's analysis of the current direction of the Commission's proposals starts off from his conviction that Europe can only be made interesting if European policies become part of politics at national level. The EU also needs to accept "controversial debate". "The EU seems to be an inevitability being imposed by establishments," Leclercq adds.

The EurActiv publisher is convinced that the upcoming action plan should be implemented faster than previous communication plans and that it requires leadership, "not only from the communication vice-president" but from the top of all institutions. He questions, on the other hand, the plan's idea to "centralise or 'streamline'" communication (single face, one message, one DG Press editor). "There are different target audiences," says Leclercq. "What sounds terribly bureaucratic for one person in a small city may be essential for her very neighbour, following just one or two EU policy issues."

Based on EurActiv's own experiences with its network of decentralised policy portals, the EurActiv founder proposes more radical decentralisation. "There is no European public opinion, so it is really at national level that things should happen. Thinking for 25 countries from Brussels cannot work, and the Brussels journalists are rarely the most influential in their own media."

Leclercq approves of the action plan's proposal to prioritise the Commission representations in national member states in terms of role and resources. He has different suggestions, however, on the people who should run and operate these representations. Next to ideas on making EU officials more mobile, he also would like to see these EU 'embassies' be led by more well-known and "trusted" communication "stars" à la Christine Ockrent or Bernard Kouchner.

Read the longer version of this interview