EC WORK PROGRAM FOR 2020 IN THE FIELD OF COMMUNICATION

1.Information for the media and audiovisual productions: EUR 6,418,000.

In 2020, these activities will focus on the European Commission's priorities as set out in the Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2019-2024 and the Commission Work Programme 2020. In 2020 the main activities are:

1.Video news

• Production of European Commission-centred video news (live and recorded coverage, edited news), mainly intended for use by the media.

2. Photographs

• Production of European Commission-centred photo news and thematic photos illustrating the political priorities;

o photos about the diplomatic/ceremonial activities of the European Commission;

o decoration of Commissioners’ office and public spaces with photos.

(3) Audiovisual and multimedia

• Intensifying and diversifying audiovisual and multimedia production for the general public.
• Improving its dissemination through:

o Satellite TV channels EbS and EbS+;

o the Audiovisual Portal;

o various technological platforms, including social media.

(4) Journalists

• Organising information events, visits to the Commission studios and providing audiovisual content and technical support for journalists.

 (5) Making audiovisual resources accessible to the public

• consolidating the central repository of the European Commission's audiovisual production as part of the Commission’s 'synergies and efficiencies' approach;
• organising the Audiovisual Portal as the single point of distribution;
• continuing the work on preserving, digitising and documenting the media library.

The expected result is to give – via the media or directly to the public – access to the entire audiovisual collection, including photos, videos, films and audio recordings.

2. Information Outlets: EUR 3,500,000

In 2020, these activities will focus on the European Commission's priorities as set out in the Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2019-2024 and the Commission Work Programme 2020. These procurement activities cover the training and support for the three networks under the umbrella of the Europe Direct Network

• Europe Direct Information Centres (EDICs);
• European Documentation Centres (EDCs);
• Team Europe (TE).

To increase the network members' knowledge of European Union policies and to keep the networks up to date, in particular on the European Commission's political priorities, the Directorate-General for Communication provides training seminars, promotional activities, information services and information material.

3. Communication of the Commission's Representations, Citizens' Dialogues and Partnership Actions: EUR 20,905,000

In 2020, these activities will focus on the European Commission's priorities as set out in the Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2019-2024 and the Commission Work Programme 2020. The procurement activities are intended to implement decentralised communication actions via the Representations of the European Commission in the Member States. Within this framework, each Representation of the European Commission will develop a country strategy for 2020 defining a wide range of activities and communication tools tailored to national and local audiences. The 2020 country strategies will be based on the Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2019 – 2024 and the recommendations on communication at the service of citizens and democracy that the Commission laid down to the Union’s new strategic agenda. In line with these recommendations, the various communication actions are organised in partnership with the European Parliament and/or with the Member States as well as with the Committee of the Regions and with the European Economic and Social Committee. This creates or reinforces synergies and helps coordinating information and communication activities on the European Union. In addition to the communication activities, the European Commission Representations will continue their liaison activities with stakeholders to discuss the European Commission agenda and priorities and gather political and economic intelligence. These activities contribute to strengthening country specific knowledge provided by the European Commission Representations to the Headquarters, where feedback is then complemented with further analysis before being fed upstream to the political decision-making process. Citizens' Dialogues and other formats of citizens’ engagement are proven tools of central importance for reaching out to citizens and strengthen their feeling of being heard. They will remain so throughout 2020. The Dialogues are closely synchronised with the Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2019-2024, the European Commission's political priorities and its political calendar. Citizens' Dialogues, apart from informing citizens and offering a platform for debate about major European initiatives, they also allow Members of the European Commission or senior officials, including the European Commission Heads of Representation, to (1) listen to citizens and (2) harvest their feedback notably by providing input to the Conference on the Future of Europe.

4. European Public Space: EUR 1,246,000

In 2020, these activities will focus on the European Commission's priorities as set out in the Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2019-2024 and the Commission Work Programme 2020. In 2020, the procurement activities under this budget line are intended to cover specifically the management of "European Public Spaces" in the Houses of the European Union in the Member States, in order to host public events. The European Commission will manage the logistical arrangements for the “European Public Spaces” for the benefit of both institutions, European Parliament and European Commission. This includes operational costs and the organisation of contracted services in the 17 European capitals concerned: Athens, Berlin, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Dublin, Helsinki, Lisbon, Madrid, Nicosia, Prague, Riga, Rome, Stockholm, Tallinn, The Hague and Vienna

5. Visits to the Commission: EUR 4,200,000

In 2020, these activities will focus on the European Commission's priorities as set out in the Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2019-2024 and the Commission Work Programme 2020. In 2020, the procurement activities are intended to cover the cost of organising visits to the European Commission, including administrative expenditure related to the visits and general information activities. The Visitors’ Centre is a key communication tool, giving its visitors an insight into the work and functioning of the European Commission as the political executive of the European Union, as well as explaining European Union policies and European Commission priorities. Visits are organised around the new political agenda and priorities of the European Commission, as announced in the Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2019-2024. The Visitors’ Centre receives an important number of high-profile groups and key multipliers and offers them three types of visits (general information visits; specific information visits; tailored information visits). Since the Visitors’ Centre currently receives visitors only in groups and upon prior registration, the Directorate-General for Communication will open a new centre called Experience Europe, which will be open to the general public. The new Experience Europe will open in 2020 and this budget line will cover its set up costs, including fit-out works, and its technological and running costs, for example, equipment for the communication content, technological and content creation and upgrades, content adaptation and support services amongst others.

6. Operation of Radio and Television studios and Audiovisual Equipment: EUR 5,600,000

In 2020, these activities will focus on the European Commission's priorities as set out in the Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2019-2024 and the Commission Work Programme 2020. The procurement activities under this budget line aim to:

• ensure the operation of the European Commission’s audiovisual installations;
• lease the satellite which provides television stations with images and information on the activities of the European Union (Europe by Satellite) in order to ensure the dissemination of information concerning the European Union to the media and to the general public.

The activities carried out in this area are the following:

• operating of the audiovisual installations in the Berlaymont building in Brussels to provide audiovisual services, for example, production of news, videos, statements and assistance to television and radio teams when filming/recording at the European Commission premises;
• ensuring maintenance, repair works and upgrades of the technical infrastructure of the audiovisual services;
• ad-hoc purchasing of audiovisual equipment and supplies for the radio and television studios;
• transmitting services of Europe by Satellite including leasing of bandwidth;
• production of audiovisual programmes and video clips for the social media and live streaming to corporate social media accounts (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter/Periscope, Instagram, and LinkedIn).

7. Online and Written Information and Communication Tools: EUR 22,100,000

In 2020, these activities will focus on the European Commission's priorities as set out in the Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2019-2024 and the Commission Work Programme 2020. The procurement activities under this budget line cover online multimedia and written information and communication tools concerning the European Union. The aim of these activities is to provide all citizens with the possibility to have access, to general, relevant and specific information, on the work of the European Union institutions and on European Union decisions.

Activities carried out under this heading include:

• operation and development of the Europe Direct Contact Centre, which provides free of charge, general multilingual information services about European Union matters;
• operation, structure, design, functions and editorial tasks of the political content of the European Commission websites (e.g. College, priorities, news) and of the interinstitutional European Union website, as well as support for development and maintenance of the websites of the Representations of the European Commission;
• operation, further development and servicing of the corporate web publication system, including the Europa Web Content Management System, web tools, web analytics and search engine functionalities;
• further optimisation of the European Commission's web presence to increase its coherence, relevance and cost effectiveness. Work in 2020 will concentrate on the further improvement and enforcement of the web governance and on cooperation with all Directorates-General of the European Commission and Executive Agencies to align their websites with the corporate web publishing rules, as well as on standardisation of the related IT solutions;
• development of social media strategies and the management of central and local corporate social media platforms of the European Commission:

o publishing and analytical tools used by the European Commission;

o monitoring and data analysis of communication on social media platforms;

o support to the European Commission's Social Media Network and the Representations of the European Commission;

o implementation of innovative projects to match the social media platforms’ evolution.

· online press releases, speeches, memos, etc. (Press Releases Database and other online communication information systems);

• publications of the Representation of the European Commission (online and paper);
• support to the exchange of best practices and knowledge transfer by financing visits of digital communication experts and practitioners and other professionalisation measures;
• cover information campaigns for facilitating access to sources of information, especially for the operation of the Europe Direct Contact Centre.

8. General Report and other Publications: EUR 2,160,000

In 2020, the activities financed through this budget line will focus on presenting the European Commission's priorities, as set out in the Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2019- 2024 and the Commission Work Programme 2020. The procurement activities under this budget line will cover expenditure for the production, dissemination and promotion of publications and online materials for citizens that explain what the European Union is, what it does, what its current priorities are, and how they positively affects people’s lives. The publications financed through this budget line include publications envisaged in the Treaties and other institutional or reference publications, such as the General Report on the activities of the European Union. The budget line also finances the regular updating of European Union maps, which are made available for use by all Directorates-General of the European Commission. All publications and online materials produced are relevant for reaching out to a wide variety of target audiences, across all age groups, in all Member States and beyond. This budget line also covers feedback and testing activities to further improving the quality of the publications and online materials produced, as well as possible studies.

9. Public Opinion Analysis: EUR 7,000,000

In 2020, these activities will focus on the European Commission's priorities as set out in the Political Guidelines for the next European Commission 2019-2024 and the Commission Work Programme 2020. The procurement activities under this budget line are intended to cover the analysis of trends in public opinion via Eurobarometer surveys carried out in the Member States and, when relevant, in candidate countries and/or in other countries. They cover generic or ad hoc studies addressing specific themes, and/or specific target groups, as well as qualitative surveys. Synergies are systematically sought through an annual programming with other Directorates-General as well as through coordination with the European Parliament. Quantitative and qualitative media analysis on the media impact of the European Commission priority policies in Member States, covering all media types (print press, online media, audio visual media and social media), will also be carried out under this budget line. The results of this media analysis work are provided to the College and to senior management in different types of reports and summaries.