Strasbourg, 11 February 2010                                              CDLR(2010)6

Item 8 of the agenda

                                                                                                      

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON LOCAL AND REGIONAL DEMOCRACY

(CDLR)

COMMUNICATION RELATING TO THE CDLR

AND LOCAL AND REGIONAL DEMOCRACY

Secretariat Memorandum

prepared by the

Directorate General of Democracy and Political Affairs

Directorate of Democratic Institutions

This document is public. It will not be distributed at the meeting. Please bring this copy.

Ce document est public. Il ne sera pas distribué en réunion. Prière de vous munir de cet exemplaire.

Introduction

Communication has become an important part of the work of the CDLR.  The impetus for its importance derives from Minister Kiviniemi’s report on “How to enhance the work of the Council of Europe in the field of local and regional democracy?” and the declaration by European Ministers responsible for Local and Regional Government, meeting in Utrecht on 16 and 17 November 2009 for the 16^th Session of their Conference, that “the work of the Council of Europe in the field of local and regional democracy deserves to be better known and an active communication policy should be developed in order to maximize its impact on member States and civil society” (Utrecht Declaration, II.A, 5.).

At its meeting in September 2009 the CDLR was presented the “Communication strategy for local and regional democracy work in the Council of Europe” (CDLR(2009)49 Addendum) which includes a “to do” list. The salient points of the Communication Strategy are summarized in Appendix II of the present document.  Similarly, a summary version of the “To do” list, which includes additional “To do” list items taken from the regular CDLR Communication agenda, has been prepared for ease of reference, enabling CDLR and Secretariat members to identify at a glance action to be carried out during the year.  Once adopted by the CDLR in its new format (see “Action required” below), it will become an integral part of the “Action required” section in the twice yearly CDLR working document on communication.

Highlights of communication activities since the 44^th CDLR meeting

1.        Follow-up to the Kiviniemi report

Work continued on follow-up to the Kiviniemi Report in the field of communication.  With the input of the Norwegian and Finnish members to the CDLR, a draft communication checklist was prepared and presented to members of the LR-FS Committee in
December 2009. This document is to be used by the CDLR and its subcommittees as an aid to establish communication plans of action for its activities. The CDLR is to review and approve it (see action required).

An informal brainstorming meeting on communication in January 2010, open to all CDLR members, took place on 26 January 2010 (see point 2. below).

Following contacts with the Directorate of Communication, it is now envisaged to publish more news on local and regional democracy activities in member States within the framework of CDLR’s work.

2.        Informal brainstorming on Communication

At the informal brainstorming on 26 January, the discussions focused mainly on

-        drafting a core message for the work of the CDLR. Three possible core messages were chosen for which approval will be sought (see action required);

-        target groups;

-        communication goals;

-        communication means. Under this point the possibility of setting up a Communication Network was debated, along with possible alternatives;

-        methods for evaluating communication.

Please see “Action required” and the new “To Do” list in Appendix I for the CDLR follow-up on these items.

3.        Website

The Local and Regional Democracy website remains the main communication tool for the CDLR.  In 2010, modifications will be made in line with proposals in document CDLR(2009)49 Addendum.  

4.        Publications of the CDLR

Two Structure and Operation Reports (Czeck Republic and Ukraine) will undergo revision in 2010.  There are currently no other local and democracy reports or studies in progress. This situation will most likely change following the CDLR spring 2010 meeting.

In line with the new communication strategy to enhance the impact of our activities, work will be carried out on the format of the Structure and Operation reports to reduce the amount of Secretariat and member State time spent on this activity, and to strengthen the relevance of its content (see also in this connection point 5. below)

5.        TIMS (Trafficking Information Management System)

With regard to preparation and publication of the country reports, the Secretariat continued examining the possibility of setting up an electronic collaborative work system, which could enable (almost) real-time updating and horizontal comparison of reports. In particular, it has taken further steps to consider the possibility of “cloning” the TIMS database created for the Directorate General of Human Rights and Legal Affairs at the Council of Europe, to facilitate monitoring work under the Convention on Against Trafficking in Human Beings.

Work is currently underway to draw up an estimate for the cost of “cloning” the database. The Secretariat will keep the CDLR informed of progress on this project throughout the course of 2010.

6.        Strategy for Innovation and Good Governance for the Ministerial Conference in Utrecht

-          Communication campaign for the Ministerial Conference in Utrecht

Following the positive reception of the crystal dodecahedron (to be awarded to local authorities that earn the label of good democratic governance within the framework of the Strategy), the CDLR asked the Secretariat to organise a campaign on the Strategy for the Ministerial Conference, Utrecht, 16-17 November 2009.  In view of the short time to prepare the campaign, it was decided to keep it simple, with emphasis on maximum visibility.  Posters were ordered for each of the 12 principles in French and in English, the new Strategy brochure (see below) was published, pens and notepads with the Strategy title and logo were produced, and the dodecahedron was displayed in a cabinet near to the conference hall’s entrance.  Feedback during the conference would suggest that the campaign was generally well received and achieved the desired effects.

-The brochure on the Strategy for Innovation and Good Governance

The revised brochure on the Strategy became available for distribution shortly before the Utrecht Ministerial Conference in November.  Copies were distributed at the Conference as part of the Communication campaign (see above).  Should member states require copies, they should contact Siobhan Montgomery, email: [email protected].

 Action required

CDLR members are invited

1.       to take note of the information provided in the section on “highlights” above;

2.       to approve the new quick reference format of the “To do” list[1] (see Appendix I of the current document); 

3.       to go through the new “To do” list in Appendix I and take the required action;

4.       to continue actively contributing to the new communication policy in order to enhance the visibility of the Council of Europe’s work on local and regional democracy at national level.

APPENDIX I

For adoption and action

“To do” list (non-exhaustive) – new format

(modified version of the “To do” list in CDLR(2009)49 addendum)

In reformatting the list, “to do” list items have been categorised as follows:

i)        “To do” list items for immediate action

ii)       Specific “to do” list items for 2010

iii)      Ongoing / long-term “to do” list items for regular review

iv)      “To do” list items for other bodies (CoE and other)

v)       “To do” list items where no further action is required

APPENDIX II

Overview of the salient points of the “Communication strategy for local and regional democracy work in the Council of Europe”
(CDLR(2009)49 Addendum)

1.        Objectives of the communication strategy

The principle objectives are as follows:

-        greater visibility for

-        the work of the Council of Europe in the field of promoting local and regional democracy

-        the results of the work need to be made available in a more efficient way to the widest relevant audience.

-        constructive dialogue with the target groups to ensure that the desired message comes across and that we receive inspiring reactions for improving our outputs.

-        communication activities are an essential tool in supporting the overarching objectives of the CoE in the field of local and regional democracy, namely:

Delivering good local and regional governance in order to respond to the challenges facing our societies and meet the legitimate expectations of our citizens.

2.        Priorities of the communication strategy

Priority #1:

Make the local and regional democracy work of the Council of Europe more visible.

Priority #2:

Make the results of the work known to the target groups.

Priority #3:

Enhance the efficiency of promotion of local and regional democracy within the CoE by improving the flow of information and increasing the level of co-operation between the institutional players.

3.        Goals

The essence of communication:

i) projecting an image,

ii) spreading a message and

iii) targeting well-defined audiences.

Messages should be

-        well-focused images and clear,

-        concise

-        appropriate to rigorously-defined target groups.

Challenges to Communication

-        current human resources for communication for the CDLR-secretariat are limited and additional resources are needed.

-        cooperation between the CDLR-secretariat and the Directorate of Communication (DC) now established must be maintained[2].

Implementation of the communication strategy in the field of local and regional democracy

The Directorate of Communication of the Council of Europe and the Congress need to be involved in the preparation and implementation.

1.       Formulating the core message in line with the Utrecht declaration

2.       Identifying possible target groups for the CDLR and its sub-committees

3.       Define the tools to be used in the communication work

4.       Set up co-operation with the relevant entities in the CoE, identifying proper cooperation channels, products etc.

In an ideal world:   

·                the results of the work (be it legally binding or non-binding, studies, reports, etc) reach their target groups through suitable dissemination/communication techniques;

·                all news opportunities are seized and issues of political relevance are frequently communicated to the media;

·                these activities are carried out together with the Directorate of Communication of the Council of Europe through a variety of means and tools;

·                the Congress, the Parliamentary Assembly and the CDLR work together under the solid brand name of the Council of Europe;

·                the emphasis of communication is on the results and the substance of the work and supporting the image of the Council of Europe. The co-operation between the Congress and the CDLR is based on their own valuable and specific characters and these separate identities are not accentuated in communication, so as to avoid confusing the target groups;

·                internally, within the Council of Europe, the Ministerial conference and the CDLR are well-known and respected actors, whose resources are secured and whose outcomes receive the attention they deserve. Their importance and the quality of work are recognised in the Committee of Ministers;

·                throughout the work to promote local and regional democracy, the communications aspects are taken into account seriously by everyone that is involved;

·                the Council of Europe is a sought after co-operation partner for other international actors and participates actively in projects where its expertise in local and regional democracy can be utilised;

·                funding of the Centre of Expertise for Local Government Reform is supported by communication actions. A different set of tools is used for developing demand for its services.

·                the Conferences of Ministers responsible for Local and Regional Government, which are held every two or three years, provide ministers with the opportunity to discuss the burning topics and set the agenda for a future European direction, and are fully utilised in communication terms, both externally and internally, by the host government and the Directorate of Communication. The conferences offer an arena for ministers themselves to improve their knowledge about the Council of Europe and take home relevant messages for their national agenda.

APPENDIX III

(for adoption)

Communication on Council of Europe work

in the field of Local and Regional Democracy

Part 1 - Draft check list for Communication

This appendix is meant to assist the CDLR and its sub-committees in reaching the overarching goals listed in the Utrecht agenda (see next page). The different committees have different agendas and the aim of this document is to help identify issues at an early stage that need to be communicated so that the proper measures can be taken.

All committees should discuss the questions below when a new issue or product like a report or evaluation is being discussed. These questions are intended to help identify especially important issues:

Product/issue

-          What are the outputs? What do want to get from this?

-          How important is this product/ issue, cf. the Utrecht agenda, the identified challenges and in support of our common objective of delivering good local and regional governance to all citizens?

Target groups

-          Who are the target groups for this product/ issue?

o    Possible partners?

o    Possible opponents?

-          Who will this affect?

-          Are there any partners in this matter that we need to communicate with?

-          Where does this matter go from here? To the CDLR, CM?

Communication goals

-          What do we want to achieve?

-          What do we want to communicate?

Central message

-          What is the central message we want to give out about this product/issue?

Implementation

-          What is the form of the product?

o    If there is a written product:

§  Is there a summary that could be easily translated?

§  Could it be published online?

-          How should we visualize the results of this product/ issue (what tools?)?

-          Where should we visualize the results of the work? 

-          Who should visualize the results of the work (CoE, member states?)?

The following challenges of the Utrecht agenda are of particular common interest:

1.    Managing the impact of the current financial/economic crisis

2.    Addressing the low level of democratic participation in public life at local and regional level

3.    Reducing the complexity and cost of the current system of local and regional government and enhancing its efficiency

4.    Enhancing the capacity for and quality of governance in local and regional communities or authorities

5.    Addressing the impact of demographic/migration trends

6.    Improving access to public services delivered at local and regional level

7.    Making it easier for local and regional authorities to co-operate across frontiers

Part 2 – Check list elements expounded in terms of local and regional democracy

This part of the document follows the different steps and questions which have been put forward in the “Draft check list for Communication” (Part 1). 

1. Target groups

In order to communicate effectively about the developments in the local and regional government field, ensure the visibility of the results and assess the impact of the activities, it is important to have a clear overview of the different target groups. Senders to the target groups are not only the CDLR, but also different parts of the Secretariat namely the Centre of Expertise on Local Government, the Strategy of Innovation and Local Governance and the legal assistance programmes.

The target groups have been divided into three categories:

1. Direct beneficiaries: politicians and civil servant who need to be aware of the work on local and regional democracy and more specifically whose support we need.
2. Local and regional authorities and their associations.
3. Less direct beneficiaries: all other target groups whom we deal with but in a different way then the other two.

On page 6 of this document is an overview of the different target groups, the different ways of communicating with them and suggested communication tools to use.

Category 1

1. Ministries responsible for Local and Regional Government, within which the following can be distinguished

·         CDLR members

·         National policy divisions

·         International division

·         Management of the Ministry

·         Ministers

·         External advisory bodies (Quango’s)

2. Ministries of Foreign Affairs
   • Permanent Representations
   • MFA desk officers for CoE
   • Ministers of Foreign Affairs
3. Internal Council of Europe

·         Secretary General

·         Reform decision makers

·         Committee of Ministers

·         Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

·         Parliamentary Assembly

·         Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs

·         Conference of INGO’s

·         All Steering Committees of the Council of Europe

·         Directorate General of Administration and Logistics

·         Directorate of Political Affairs

·         Directorate of Communication

·         Directorate of Political Advice and Co-operation

·         Venice Commission

·         North-South Centre

Category 2

4. Local and regional government

·         Local authorities- Mayors and members of the executive (aldermen)

·         Local authorities- civil servants

·         Local authorities – members of the council/assembly

·         Regional authorities- governors and delegates

·         Regional authorities- civil servants

·         Regional authorities – members of the council/assembly

·         National associations of local government- members of the Board

·         National associations of local government- Director and staff

·         National associations of regional government- members of the Board

·         National associations of regional government- Director and staff

Category 3 (in random order)

5. 800 million Europeans
6. Donors & assistance partners

·         GTZ

·         VNG international

·         Dexia

·         World Bank

·         UNDP

·         SIDA

7. Media

·         High profile journalists

·         Specialised press

8. Civil Society

·         Trade unions

·         NGOs

9. Academics in the field of

·         Law

·         Public administration

·         Political Science

·         Philosophy

·         Sociology

·         and  Advisory Bodies to Government

10. Brussels

·         European commission

·         Committee of the Regions

11. Other international organisations

·         OECD

·         OSCE

·         UNhabitat,

·         World Bank

·         UNESCO

·         CEMR

·         United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)

2. Ways of Communication

In order for communication to be effective, it is important to establish for each of the (clusters of) target groups what it is we want to communicate to them and what we want to achieve. There are four different ways to communicate with the different target groups[3]:

Informing

The term “informing” is used when the need is to inform target groups rather than to influence them in the way they form their opinion. An example is information offices of the national government whose task it is to inform the general public.

Persuading

The emphasis of communication is to influence the target group, for example by mass communication. A lot of commercials fall into this category.

Dialoguing

 Sometimes dialogue with your target groups is needed in order to exchange ideas. Examples are governments who organise participation meetings or a head of division during a team meeting.

 

Forming

The emphasis of forming is to try and influence your target group, but there is room for debate and dialogue. You will try to convince the other party of your opinion. An example of this is lobbying.

It is also important to make a difference between corporate communication and product communication. Corporate communication, both internal and external, aims at creating a favourable sphere among certain target groups while product communication deals with the “selling” of the product which has been created.

Category 1 in the above list would need to be the first to be targeted with corporate information. This target group comprises politicians, whose support is needed for all aspects of our work on local and regional democracy. Where required, products could be used to support the corporate communication. Of course this is also applicable the other way around. 

3.                                                Communication goals

Once the target groups and the type of communication (influencing, persuading, dialoguing and forming) have been defined, communication goals need to be established. It is important to make sure that these goals are measurable, because this will improve the quality of the evaluation. The goals are normally divided into:

1.        knowledge (knowing);

2.        attitude (opinion);

3.        behaviour (acting).

An example of measurable communication goals would be:

1.            In 2010 30% of local authorities in Europe will be aware of the work of the Council of Europe on Local Democracy (knowledge).

2.            In 2010 20% of local authorities in Europe will have read at least two reports of the Council on Europe on the work in the field of Local Democracy and find these useful (attitude);

3.            In 2010 10% of local authorities in Europe have been directly and actively involved in the work of the Council of Europe in the field of Local Democracy.

4. Core message

The core message is a very brief statement of what it is we want to bring and we want everybody to know. In order to get this message across it is essential that all communication activities are in line with the core message. Short and clear, the core message should leave no scope or need for further explanations.

The CDLR is invited to consider the following three suggestions for a core message 1.    Better local governance and greater participation of people across Europe. 2.    European local democracy for and with all. 3.    Across Europe: Local Democracy. Good governance. Empowerment

5. Means of communication

When the core message has been established, it has to be decided on how one can reach the target groups. What means are effective and what are not? If one needs to reach civil servants, a mass media campaign will not be necessary; a monthly newsletter might be much more effective. An overview of the different tools which could be used is set out below as are examples of the means which can be used for different target groups.

6. Evaluation

In order to know whether the communication efforts are worthwhile and in order to keep on improving them, evaluation tools will need to be introduced, without them becoming too heavy a burden on the overall operation.

Evaluation can be conducted at the end of the process, but in some circumstances it is also wise to conduct evaluations in between. This way the communication strategy can be adjusted if needs be. It is also important to evaluate not only externally with the target groups, but also internally.

There are different ways of evaluation, this being dependant on the different communication means which are used in the process. Examples are:

-                (written or oral) survey among target groups;

-                in-depth interviews among target groups;

-                number of visitors to a specific part of a website (thus not only homepage);

-                internal evaluation

One could also for example measure the number of publications target audiences are adding to their own websites, the number of translations they are organising of the different documents into local languages or the number of press releases they are producing. These indicators however, do not measure any effect communication has had on the target group and should therefore not be used alone, since any communication trends derived from this type of information can only be indicative.

Below is a short overview of the different target groups, the different ways of communication and the different tools we could use. Key elements to succeed with this work: A good corporate story based on the core message is necessary; Communication with delegations and colleagues is important and needs more attention. This will enhance the knowledge of and within the CDLR. Internet and newsletters seem good tools which can be used for many of our target groups; However, it will also be very important to organise and/or participate in meetings, ranging from conferences to face to face meetings and telephone calls.

Category 2
Target group	First way to communicate	Corporate/ Product communication	Possible tools
Local and regional government
Local authorities- Mayors and members of the executive (aldermen)	Forming and Informing	Corporate	Meetings, Videos, Brochures, Website
Local authorities- civil servants	Persuading, Informing	Product	Website, Newsletter, Meetings, Videos, e-forum
Local authorities – members of the council/assembly	Forming, Informing	Corporate	Meetings, Videos, Brochures, Website
Regional authorities- governors and delegates	Forming, Informing	Corporate	Meetings, Videos, Brochures, Website
Regional authorities- civil servants	Persuading, Informing	Product	Website, Newsletter, Meetings, Videos, e-forum.
Regional authorities – members of the council/assembly	Forming, Informing	Corporate	Meetings, Videos, Brochures, Website
National associations of local government- members of the Board	Forming, Informing	Corporate	Meetings, Videos, Brochures, Website
National associations of local government- Director and staff	Persuading, Informing	Product	Website, Newsletter, Meetings, Videos, e-forum
National associations of regional government- members of the Board	Forming, Informing	Corporate	Meetings, Videos, Brochures, Website
National associations of regional government- Director and staff	Persuading, Informing	Product	Website, Newsletter, Meetings, Videos, e-forum

Communication tools

When choosing what communication tools to use it is important to have focus on the main goal of the operation. What kind of attention are you aiming for (raise a debate, increase participation, improve knowledge, change attitudes, change behaviour) and what are the target groups you want to reach. When deciding on communication tools it is important to bear in mind that there are also target groups that will not be reached with the chosen communication tool. The table below lists different communication tools, gives a short description of their use and suggests possible target groups they might reach. The table is in no way exhaustive.

Appendix IV

 (for discussion and adoption)

Options for a decision on a Communication network or alternative arrangement

Following discussions at the Informal Brainstorming (26 January 2010) on the Communication Network, the options submitted to the CDLR are as follows

i)          A separate communication network with member state representative who works in the communication field, or

ii)          A subcommittee dedicated to communication

iii)      More time spent on communication issues by the CDLR at its bi-annual meeting.

Below is the profile of the communication correspondent for the network or a subcommittee (if one or the other is established), or communication advisor to the CDLR delegation.

Profile for the proposed Communication correspondents and network/subcommittee or Communication advisor to the CDLR Delegation

Governments would be encouraged to appoint representatives that have good knowledge of the COE and who are in possession of wide knowledge of their own organization.

The representative should be one with knowledge of, and experience with, different communication instruments.

The representative should be informed of the agenda for relevant meetings and also examine relevant meeting reports in cooperation with the national representative to the relevant committee with a view to identify relevant issues at an early stage.

Timeframe

The communication network should meet once a year in Strasbourg. The meeting should be held after the CDLR have decided their agenda for the coming year.

 

Appendix V

(for discussion and adoption)

Sample Core messages

1.         Better local governance and greater participation of people across Europe.

2.         European local democracy for and with all.

3.         Across Europe: Local Democracy. Good governance. Empowerment