New IP format

INFORMATION NOTE ON NEW FORMAT OF IPs - DEVCO PRESS TEAM

It is increasingly important in the current economic climate for audiences, both in Brussels and in the Member States, to understand how our money is being spent and what results are being achieved in the area of external cooperation & development.

A key way of doing this is through our work with the media. In order to make the Commission's media work more effective, DG DEVCO has been selected as one of a few pilot DGs to test a new format of IP (press release).

Andris Piebalgs backed up this request at the DEVCO Staff Seminar:

"I was proud to hear that DG DEVCO is one of five DGs selected to work

as a "pilot DG" for communication activities. This is proof that our work is considered a

big asset to the Commission's overall image.

"I would ask you from now on, for future programmes and projects, to take a

moment to ask yourselves: "How will it change people's lives" and "What precisely do

we want from these funds to achieve?" and "Will this provide children with a better

future 10 years from now?

"Please do your best to provide your communications unit with as many concrete facts and figures as you can to promote the fine work that you do."

The note below details the new concept and what it will mean for your communication work in the future:

Objectives

After consultation, DG COMM and the Spokesperson's Service decided that the Commission's existing IPs were too technical and bureaucratic and focused too much on what the European Commission was doing, rather than on the people it was helping with its work.

The new IP format is designed to be less procedural and technical and more tailored to what journalists want to know (and are more likely to use as a result.)

It is also designed to be read online and on smartphones and aims at better serving the needs not only of Brussels-based journalists, but also of new audience groups such as:

1) "Metro" type publications – free newspapers widely read by a large circulation;

2) Web-based media;

3) Broader audience of NGOs and stakeholders.

General guidance on format

The previously-used rigid structure will disappear – a chapeau is no longer needed and there will be no requirements to have a headline of a certain length.

A quote is no longer obligatory. If there is a good one to illustrate the text then it can still be used, but it should no longer be a priority and does not need to appear so high up in the IP.

Sentences should be short, punchy and easy to read. "Plays on words" can be used in headlines where appropriate (though bear in mind they have to be translated).

One or two key statistics should be used where possible to illustrate the point. Not all statistics need to be added – just one or two choice ones.

Language should be easy to understand by non-experts – not technical language that uses terms specific to the Commission or technical jargon - and try to avoid acronyms where unnecessary.

Results should focus on outputs – how many people have been helped, how people's lives have been improved by a project etc. They should not focus on how much money has been spent - costs should only be added in the background where necessary.

Structure

You can find a template for the new IP in the attached file.

The headline and body of the text should go on the first page (which cannot be longer than one page).

Contact details should go at the bottom of the first page.

The following two pages will be used for background (as the separate background document "MEMO" is now), and should include:

Context - more detailed information, facts & background info;

Procedure – what will happen next procedure-wise?

Content

As with all of our communication products, the release should include tangible examples of our work and answer the following questions:

• What is being done? Why?
• What do we want to achieve and by when?
• What will change with this new policy / strategy?
• What concrete impact do we expect? Why should people matter?
• Who will benefit from this project – how many people?
• How are they benefiting?
• Where is this taking place?
• What results have been achieved by now? Describe success so far using facts and figures.

This approach can be used when communicating on all of our work (not just for a project), for example with policy initiatives or country strategies.

EXAMPLES OF HOW THIS WOULD WORK:

1. YES –The new European Commission funding will help to improve education for at least 200,000 children by providing new books and training teachers.

NO – European Commission announces €10m for education.

The main focus should be on what difference the money will make, rather than the fact that the European Commission is providing more money.

2. YES - 69,000 households in Zambia will be helped out of extreme poverty by 2019 thanks to a new social protection programme from the European Commission.

NO - European Commission's new social protection programme for Zambia unveiled today.

The first example lets us know how many people will be helped, by when, why and where. The second merely tells us what the Commission is doing.

Next steps and working with us

When you send the press team a draft IP please use the new template (attached) and follow the format. This is actually much easier to use and should help to reduce the amount of time it currently takes to provide a draft.

You should continue to provide the press team with a draft IP when you are advised by them or the Spokespersons' Service that media work is being done around a visit, announcement or project that you are working on, or a financing decision is taking place.

However, don't just wait for requests - if you think that there is a good opportunity to communicate on an issue you are working on, then do approach the press team in advance of the event to discuss it with them. They welcome your ideas and proactive suggestions.

Please make sure that colleagues respond to any media requests in time to meet the Spokesperson's deadline. Due to the nature of media requests, these can sometimes be very short, but communication deadlines should be given the same priority as a request from the Cabinet.

Training will be offered to Information Correspondents by DGT on how to produce IPs in the new format.

The press team are also available to help with your enquiries on this.

Please contact:

Stacey Vickers (94153) (Team leader and DEVCO B, C, D and A3)

Sven Ruesch (58759) (DEVCO A, E, R and 01)

or Elgars Ozolins (94406) (DEVCO F, G, H and 02)