ISTANBUL - The European Union (EU) is having a crisis of confidence, Beate Gminder, a member of the Cabinet of the vice-president of the European Commission, said on Monday.
Speaking in a plenary session on ''Political trust: can communication change image?'' in the IPRA (International Public Relations Association) 50th World Congress held in (Turkish metropolis of) Istanbul, Gminder pointed to the outcome of the referenda held in France and the Netherlands on the EU Constitution, and said, ''now, we should establish bridges among peoples, and listen to people. We should re-gain confidence.''
Noting that the EU had decided to attach more importance to communication, Gminder said that they would listen to people and NGOs more, from now on.
On the other hand, Belgian Minister of State Francois-Xavier De Donnea underlined vital importance of confidence and dialogue among different civilizations, and stressed that mass media would play an important role in the establishment of the confidence & dialogue.
''The international community should prevent hatred and racist propaganda through the web-pages. But, it is technically very difficulty to control the web-pages all the time. We should also respect to freedom of press and media. We should set the principles of how and when a program causes hatred and racism. The Council of Europe, OSCE (Organization for Security & Cooperation in Europe), and Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) should cooperate regarding this matter. It is for everybody's interest to fight against hatred propaganda,'' added De Donnea.