The Commission, as you know, is well aware that the gap between Brussels and the voter has grown too wide in recent years. All too often, people still have little idea what the EU does, let alone how it does it. In one of the largest polls of UK public opinion we've ever conducted, a Eurobarometer survey in spring 2006 found that just one in six Britons said they knew "a great deal" (1.9%) or "quite a lot" (13.2%) about the EU, its policies and institutions, while more than a quarter (28.8%) said they knew "nothing at all". At the same time, though, almost 70% of them said they would like to learn more about the impact that EU has on their lives. And this thirst for knowledge is particularly acute on topics such as climate change, energy savings and job creation.
So it doesn't take a particle physicist to see why Margot Wallström, Commissioner for communication policy, is keen to re-invigorate public discussion on Europe locally. And this is what we in the London Representation (and our offices in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh) have started doing with the help of our information networks - as part of the famous Plan-D. The aim of the plan is to make the relationship between Brussels and the general public a bit more of a two-way affair, one in which the EU bodies listen a bit better so they can get a clearer steer on what people want from the EU which they pay and vote for. In a country like the UK, where political debate can appear to be overly concentrated on London and the South East, sounding out, and talking to, the other constituent nations and English regions becomes doubly important.
It's this regional approach which we hope to emphasize in the months and years ahead. And that's partly why, I'm glad to say, more resources have been allocated to the Representation's outreach activities. I'm also delighted that Europe Direct is up and running. 30 centres spread right across the UK are there not just to provide the general public and EU-info bodies with a new local source of information, literature and help. Europe Direct will also act a regional focus for events and awareness-raising in your locality and it's vital that all local players in the EU-info game team up to provide the critical mass needed to ensure these events get a high public profile.
We're all aware that EU information provision in the UK can sometimes be a sensitive business, though the difficulties compared with other countries are often exaggerated. But without our decentralized networks, we couldn't engage in much serious debate with civil society at all, especially outside the big cities. So if you're a member of the public wanting to know about, say, exercising your single market rights or how the EU delivers policies that affect your daily life then get in touch with your nearest network. And if you're involved in EU-related outreach work, then l'm very glad to have you on board and I do hope that you'll make use of this site to network, arrange discussions and send us feedback from yourselves and the audiences you serve.