Experiences

Communication

'Scores of IRMA projects were carried out in the direct vicinity of people's homes. These projects have brought Brussels and its policies closer to the citizens.'

Publicity
The ultimate goal of IRMA is to reduce the risk of flooding in order to ensure the safety of hundreds of thousands of people living in the catchment areas of the Meuse and Rhine. It is vital that these people cooperate, so that as many of them as possible accept the measures to be undertaken in their area and the contribution they are expected to make to those measures -ultimately, that is what determines how effective the IRMA projects are. Communication is needed to raise public awareness of the opportunities and dilemmas involved in living with water. In this way, communication can create a common basis for ensuring safety. Projects that had reached completion were spotlighted by journalists eager to report on their results, with plenty of publicity being generated in free local papers, regional and national dailies, and on radio and television. Much of what the general public knows about the various projects and their contexts it has learned through the important communication channel of the media.

Information from the Joint Secretariat
Working under the banner of the IRMA house style, the Joint Secretariat developed a range of communication tools and disseminated these among more than a thousand parties involved in the programme. Various meetings were organised to promote transnational cooperation between the project managers. Both the Joint Secretariat and the national secretariats held presentations during project opening and closing ceremonies. IRMA was also presented during such international events as the World Water Forum 2000.The official closing date of the programme was 11 April 2003, when the results were presented at a conference in Düsseldorf.

Agreements as to scope
Project managers made sure that communication took place at regional level; the Joint Secretariat took care of general announcements and reports. There were differences in the way the Member States utilised the scope allowed them in this regard, with some devoting more and others less effort to communication. It would be advisable in future programmes to make solid agreements about this beforehand and to document these agreements properly.

Participation
Communication can serve to involve people in a project or programme. They will generally feel much more involved if they are also allowed to participate. The tight schedules of the IRMA projects meant that interaction on practical matters was not always possible. In particular, where the threat of objection procedures loomed, the project management organised information meetings and involved local residents directly in the project.

Communication an explicit part of the project plan
Initially, the project managers were not adequately aware of the need to communicate properly. The projects plans did not include a separate communication plan. As the results of the projects started to become clear, however, the project managers became more interested in communicating them. As soon as evidence presented itself in the field, local residents were immediately informed, public information bill- boards were put up and walking trails were even developed. The cost involved in taking these measures was covered entirely by the initiators, as there was no mention of communication in the project proposals. It would be advisable in future programmes to include communication as one of the project assessment criteria.

Guidelines for new programmes

  • Make sure the project plan includes a communication plan.
  • See that project managers can call on the support of professional communication experts.
  • Build up a relationship with a number of external journalists who work for the appropriate media channels.
  • Ensure that the communication plan clarifies the purpose, target groups and resources.
  • Make firm agreements about who is to communicate what and in which way.
  • Respect the EU's publication rules.
  • Give the general public opportunities to participate.

Experiences