Brochure:

In just over 6 months, 500 million European citizens will go to the polls to vote for their representative in the European Parliament. This makes the question “why is Europe important for my region’, more relevant than ever. With its 8th University for local media, the EPP group in the Committee of the Regions sought to anticipate these upcoming elections and help local and regional journalists cover the EU. From 5-7 November, the 65 participants were involved in brainstorms, debates and networking opportunities. Topics for discussion included the 2014 European Elections, regional policy as a potential for local stories and the rise of social media. European affairs are rarely treated at the level of local and regional media despite citizens asking for more concrete examples and relevant information. However, despite hearing about 1000s of EU funded projects and agreeing on their potential for stories, bloggers, editors and regional journalists still appear to have frustrations when it comes to reporting on the EU. Simpler news and condensed highlights seem to be the biggest request, which echoes the demands from last year. Giving their views on how to communicate the EU effectively on the ground, the local and regional media representatives made the following requests:

1. Local information with stories and projects to illustrate the news
2. Hot topics that have a real impact on the daily life of people
3. Free and easy to access images
4. Experts in my language – particularly for radio
5. Information sources – who to contact for manifestos/interviews
6. Better use of social media
7. Online chats in local languages
8. Regional meetings with journalists/briefings
9. Media trips to Brussels and outside of Brussels
10. EU media training
11. Buy advertising space/financial support
12. Simple timelines, which indicate where in the policy process the proposal is

It was this two-way exchange of information that made this edition of the EPP Winter University a valuable experience for both EU Communication experts and participants alike.