OPEN Neighbourhood – Communicating for a stronger partnership: connecting with citizens across the southern Neighbourhood

Description

The overall objective of this action was  outreach to opinion leaders and segments of the general public; it required what could be called “internal advocacy”. While the production process as such only involved a small group of people, all others had been taken on board by explaining the rationale and direction of specific communication measures and allowing for comments.

This was  achieved by way of vertical internal communication during the process by the most appropriate means – from email newsletters over teleconferences to face-to-face meetings and direct consultations. In such internal communications, the objectives of individual campaigns and the selection of means to achieve their goals were outlined.

Objective

The objective was to support a communication for a stronger partnership between the EU and the  Southern Neighborhood countries through the development and implementation a  regional communication program based on the following components:

• Awareness-raising and information campaigns on impact of EU support in the region;
• Real-time information dissemination on the same subject;
• Support to function for EU Delegations and European Commission to complement their communication activities;

Use of opinion polls and media monitoring to improve communication; and Lead proactive coordination of these activities with those implemented by the media hub and CSP East projects, which were both also part of the OPEN regional programme.