ANALYSIS AND ASSESSMENT OF ACCREDITED JOURNALISTS' SATISFACTION WITH WORKING CONDITIONS AT THE BRDO PRI KRANJU MEDIA CENTRE DURING SLOVENIA'S EU PRESIDENCY

After three years of intensive preparations, on 1 January 2008 Slovenia faced one of its greatest challenges to date. As the first new member state of the European Union (EU), it had the honour of presiding over the Council of the EU and the member states of the Union. Judging by the UKOM survey, the initial assumptions in the diploma thesis and the analysis carried out, journalists were predominantly satisfied with what was offered. Personal interviews with journalists also showed a similar response. Journalists' predominantly positive assessment of the presidency is certainly a good reference, especially considering the fact that so-called 'Euroscepticism' is typically present in journalistic reporting.

Problem

After three years of intensive preparations, on 1 January 2008 Slovenia faced one of its greatest challenges to date. As the first new member state of the European Union (EU), it had the honour of presiding over the Council of the EU and the member states of the Union. According to Prime Minister Janez Janša, the common thread of the presidency was a single word – synergy.

Si.nergy for Europe. Synergy of all areas of activity, objectives and strategies. Slovenia for six months in the spotlight, under the scrutiny of European and global public opinion, in the media crossfire of world events.

The main issues of the presidency: the Lisbon Strategy, energy and environmental matters, the Western Balkans, the ratification process of the new treaty and intercultural dialogue. In its short history, Slovenia has already performed demanding functions. From chairing the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe) to membership of the United Nations Security Council, none of these functions was as demanding as presiding over the European Union.

The media have an increasing influence on the preservation of national identity. It is also a fact that creating credible media image of Slovenia in the world and especially in the EU required certain conditions to be established. To shape and co-create important information and one's own media space, it is first necessary to acquire some power.

And Slovenia created this opportunity by presiding over the Council of the EU and the member states of the Union. The mass media undoubtedly helped it considerably along this path. Press, radio, television, the web, information and journalists.

Equipped with the most modern audiovisual and multimedia technology. The six-month Slovenian EU presidency, which occupied the media, concluded on 31 June 2008. During this time, Slovenians heard as much about the EU and its functioning as probably never before.

The presidency primarily meant great political responsibility, but at the same time an excellent opportunity to increase Slovenia's visibility in the EU and the wider international arena. Organising meetings at such a high level was also an invaluable experience for our country. During the presidency, according to data from the Government Office for European Affairs, 158 official events took place in Slovenia, 25 of them at ministerial or highest level, with more than 15,000 participants.

Most of the presidency meetings took place at the centre at Brdo pri Kranju. The centre has 9,000 square metres of space for large meetings on three floors, and its construction cost more than 15 million euros. Despite the mandatory and expected neutral and impartial orientation, Slovenia should have conducted the presidency at international level less opportunistically, according to more critical journalists.

From a political perspective, they perceived it as too weak, without profile. Even in 'domestic' debates, the prevailing opinion is that such a stance is the result of a lack of national ambitions, but on the other hand is necessary for the coherent development of the community. It is also certain that the 'black mark' of the presidency remains the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland.

Its timely implementation was one of the main tasks of the Slovenian presidency. The Slovenian EU presidency, among other things, according to the largest European federation of environmental civil society organisations, the European Environmental Bureau, deserves a positive assessment for its handling of the energy-climate package and progress on biodiversity issues, but criticism for the waste directive, which reduced mandatory recycling targets. In recent years, all European institutions have made considerable efforts to improve the way they work with the media.

The most telling evidence that Europeans largely do not care about what happens in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg is the worrying 'electoral apathy'. Only 30 per cent of voters on average participated in the last European Parliament elections. Did the EU presidency change Slovenians, perhaps connect them more closely with the European community?

Did it bring the European idea closer to Slovenian citizens? Although presiding over the Council of the EU was a regular obligation for Slovenia as a member state, I fear that many people saw it more as a financial burden. The total cost of the Slovenian presidency: 62.3 million euros.

All those engaged and involved in staffing will probably remember it as a great organisational challenge, and politicians as the fulfilment of promises to strengthen Slovenia's visibility and reputation in the world. Nevertheless, the key participants in any European communication policy are the media. What was done well and what was not are questions to which their country should already have answers.

Solution and Method

Judging by the UKOM survey, the initial assumptions in the diploma thesis and the analysis carried out, journalists were predominantly satisfied with what was offered. There is little criticism, or it is in small percentage values.

Results

Personal interviews with journalists also showed a similar response. Journalists' predominantly positive assessment of the presidency is certainly a good reference, especially considering the fact that so-called 'Euroscepticism' is typically present in journalistic reporting. In my own opinion, criticisms include the paid nature of the 'Mobile Portal' service by Mobitel, which as a partner of the EU presidency offered free services only to users of its own network.

Such services should be (especially if they are listed on the official EU presidency website) available to all users under equal conditions, regardless of operator. This is followed by an excessive number of news items promoting Slovenian politicians and too few current or European news items. European communication policy itself should also encourage cooperation with the media through closer collaboration with their managers – at European, national and regional level.

It should also encourage the use of new technologies with an emphasis on producing high-quality audiovisual content. In this form, the media could easily use it or convey it to the public. It is also important that such material for information be adapted to the needs of citizens of different countries and thus to different segments of the population.

If Slovenia ever hosts such events again, the presidency was more than an excellent foundation for them. That the technical execution of the events was perfected is evidenced by responses from Brussels – the seat of the EU, and the UKOM survey has certainly only confirmed this. Of course, resting on one's laurels is not enough.

Personally, I believe that Slovenia will usefully apply the knowledge and experience gained in the presidency project in implementing future challenges. For six months, Slovenia led a community that unites 27 countries and nearly half a billion people. It will probably not be possible to evaluate the precise 'outcome' of the presidency in the future.

However, based on what was established during the preparation of this thesis, I can confirm that Slovenia raised the level of its visibility, increased its reputation and opened up opportunities for new possibilities.