EUROPEAN COMMISSION: WALLSTROM SEEKS TO CALM NEWS AGENCY FEARS.

PositionMargot Wallstrom - Brief Article

Earlier drafts of the paper had called for an "exploration of the desirability" of setting up an agency. But in response to opposition within the Commission, including from President Jose Manuel Barroso himself, Mrs Wallstrom was forced to remove the reference to an agency. It now says that one idea to improve the communication tools available to the EU institutions would be to "explore the desirability of having an inter-institutional service operating on the basis of professional standards", referring to EBS.

Mrs Wallstrom was also forced to remove a reference to a European teachers' college where educational professionals would learn techniques and exchange best practices in communicating about the EU. The final version of the text simply talks about "bringing European teachers together through a network, a special programme within existing structures such as the College of Europe or a new structure".

The Commissioner also had to make concessions on plans for a charter of common principles on communicating on the EU which the institutions and different levels of government would be asked to sign...

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