The Commission presented its report on the implementation of information measures relating to the common agricultural policy (CAP) for 2017 and 2018, under Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the financing, management and monitoring of the common agricultural policy.
Intensification of communication actions
In the period 2017-2018, the Commission continued to base corporate communication actions on its ten political priorities, focusing on the EU’s contribution to jobs and growth, and the tangible benefits delivered by the EU to its citizens.
The institutional communication campaigns launched in 2017 and 2018 are designed to show how the Union protects, empowers and works in the interests of its citizens. They also aimed to raise public awareness of current and future challenges and the need to build a more united, stronger and more democratic Union.
The budget made available for information measures on the CAP, initially foreseen in the financing decision, was EUR 8 million in 2017 and EUR 8 million in 2018. In addition, in the framework of the Commission's institutional communication actions during this period, an amount of EUR 8.4 million in 2017 and EUR 8.7 million in 2018 was co-delegated by DG AGRI to DG Communication, which is responsible for the management of the institutional campaigns.
Breakdown of shares
The direct and indirect communication actions undertaken in 2017 and 2018 focused on issues related to the preparation of the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy and on the proposals for sectoral legislation accompanying the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
The period under review was marked in particular by a major effort to involve citizens and stakeholders across the Union in the Commission's reflections and search for solutions, in the context of the sectoral proposals of the MFF, to the challenges and opportunities facing EU agriculture and rural areas. In a broad public consultation held in the first half of 2017, stakeholders inside and outside the agricultural sector were invited to give their views on the future of the CAP. This public consultation attracted a large public response: more than 322 000 contributions were received.
Grants (co-financed information measures, initiated by third party organisations)
Information measures carried out in relation to the common agricultural policy and rural development sought to raise awareness on the policy’s contribution to economic growth and vibrant rural areas, resource efficiency and climate change mitigation, as well as the provision of food security in the Union.
In 2017, sixteen measures were co-financed. In 2018, twenty measures were cofinanced, making a total of 36 co-financed actions (all at a rate of 60%) for the period 2017-2018. These communication actions have led to increased cooperation between the Commission services, other EU institutions and national and regional authorities.
In 2017 and 2018, the following actions were supported:
- 16 grants were awarded to media and communications agencies for measures promoting awareness at national level of the importance of agriculture and the rural areas for society as a whole;
- support to two environmental organisations at national level for awareness-raising actions on issues related to sustainability and biodiversity, as well as for actions with a transnational dimension proposed by media companies to inform EU citizens about the contribution of the CAP to their daily lives;
- support at national level, an organisation promoting education related to European citizenship, a county council promoting local traditional agricultural products, and a national association active in water/irrigation issues.
Invariably measures included a mix of communication tools (social media, online, print and audiovisual) directed at the farming community, the general public and young people, and often including an educational dimension.
Direct actions/public procurement (information measures carried out at the initiative of the Commission)
During the period 2017-2018, a significant number of information measures were carried out at the initiative of the Commission, such as:
- providing the media with user-friendly information and documents on developments in the CAP and rural development and networking the media through the maintenance of the platform of journalists and communication professionals, www.Ag-Press.eu;
- intensifying dialogue with stakeholders in the context of the preparation of the sectoral MFF proposals and on issues such as the fight against unfair commercial practices in the food chain;
- the educational pack for school children aged between eleven and fifteen years ("edutainment pack") was finalised. It explains in an attractive pedagogical format the role of the farmer and farm families, their contribution to society and the challenges they face.