1. 1 8 th INFORM conference Workshop « A »: Communication strategy/annual activity plan Introductory statement Bertrand Millet (France) – 08/12/2011 avec les Fonds européens Co-financé par lUnion européenne. LEurope sengage en France avec les Fonds européens www.europe-en-france.gouv.fr

2. 2 Communication strategy / Annual action plan guidance documents: state of the art The beginning: proposed structure by Belgium Exchanges about the following topics by e-mail: The project for new EC rules on communication: general agreement on both a pluriannual strategy and annual actions plans but variations on their scopes, contents and validation processes The number of guidance documents: 1 or 2 ? Table of contents: What are the subjects that has to be included in the pluriannual strategy vs. those in the annual action plan Scope and goal of each document Evaluation The scope of the strategy / action plan: Clarification about the EC expectations and the EC rules possibilities Pluriannual Communication Strategy for the member state from which every OP may implement its own strategy ?

3. 3 Communication strategy / Annual action plan guidance documents: proposed subjects to discussion Lets discuss in small groups some specific subjects: Possibilities regarding the scope of the Pluriannual strategy / annual actions plans: The level of the pluriannual strategy: MS – national contract OP – whether they are local / thematic Mono / plurifunds The level of the annual action plan: MS – national contract OP – whether they are local / thematic Mono / plurifunds The question of validation of the strategy / action plan At the beginning, once and for all for the strategy? Every year during the monitoring committee Links with the OP ?

4. 4 Communication strategy / Annual action plan guidance documents: proposed subjects to discussion Lets discuss in small groups some specific subjects: Contents of each document: the evaluation subject More an impact evaluation on the strategy and results evaluation in the action plans ? Common indicator about communication Contents of each document: the monitoring subject What partnership ? Who / What / When / For what ? Relations with civil society: more transparency and new relays ? EU / National /Thematic or Local objectives regarding EU funds communication What kind of links between the various strategies and action plans and their objectives? EU main objectives : transparency / notoriety – How to implement them into national / specific objectives? Links between those transparency and notoriety objectives and the political objectives of the EU / MS

5. 5 Communication strategy / Annual action plan guidance documents: proposed subjects to discussion Can we conclude on a common position ? Regarding the scope of those documents? Regarding the table of contents of those documents? Regarding the main objectives and follow-up issues ?

6. 6 THEMES The scope of pluriannual strategy vs annual action plans MS (national contract) / OP (local or thematic) / mono – plurifunds Validation process : At the beginning and once and for all for the strategy? Every year during the monitoring committee Links with OP validation process and national contract validation process ? Evaluation : Impact evaluation to the strategy vs. result evaluation for the action plans ? Common indicators ? Monitoring: Objectives : EU objectives vs local / specific objectives (by target groups, for thematic or territorial approaches…)