The European Commission plans to double its annual self-promotion budget and allocate €60 million annually. President Ursula von der hires German propaganda companies without bidding.
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The war in Ukraine is good for everything. The European Commission intends to use it, among other things, as an excuse to double its own propaganda budget. From January 2024, instead of EUR 30 million per year, EUR 60 million will be spent on this EU officials explain this by the need to combat disinformation associated with the Russian invasion
Especially in times of crisis, it is more important than ever for democratic institutions to clearly inform all citizens about their actions to address our most pressing challenges
Commission spokesperson Chrisian Wigand explained
The €60 million for the European Commission should form part of a larger, now €200 million a year, communication budget available to EU institutions such as the European Parliament, the European Investment Bank, etc. The expenditure is planned for at least 4 years, so during this period the European Commission will spend at least €240 million on self-promotion and a total of at least €800 million on its institutions. In addition, there are funds that go directly to the media and that are paid in full by Brussels. The EU is starting to run into financial problems, so the extra money for the propaganda boost should come from cuts to agriculture, research, the immigration program and Erasmus student exchanges.
Ursula von der Leyen herself does not wait for the approval of new propaganda budgets and single-handedly hires German companies for corporate communication and PR, bypassing tender procedures. Last year, 5 million euros was spent on a contract for two Berlin-based companies – 365 Sherpas and Zum Goldenen Hirschen for the campaign “You are the European Union”which was to make EU citizens aware of the need to switch to renewable energy sources.
Dirk von Holleben, long a close associate of President von der Leyen, has supported the much-criticized orders even from the time she headed the German Defense Ministry. In May, the German was promoted to the highest official position in the EU – adviser, in this case “for corporate affairs or communication campaigns”, which means that according to the Brussels salary tables he received a salary between 14 and 16 thousand euros per month According to “Politico”, his position irritates Brussels officials. According to internal regulations, they are only allowed to work remotely for 10 days a year, and the rest of the time they must be available in offices in Brussels, Luxembourg, etc. – where the EU institutions have settled in. Meanwhile, Von Holleben lives with his family in Paris and commutes to Brussels only two days a week.
Hiring them bypasses the procedures of several companies and that seems to be President von der Leyen’s specialty. Even when she was in charge of the German Defense Ministry, hundreds of millions of euros were spent on consultancy services by the consulting firm McKinsey, where her good friend worked, later working in the ministry itself. In the Bundestag, a special commission of inquiry was even appointed in this matter, but everything was swept under the carpet, because the correspondence about the orders miraculously accidentally disappeared from the official devices of Minister von der Leyen. Already in Brussels, the Germans generously rewarded German political marketing and communication companies, such as Storymachine, run by a former journalist from the Bild tabloid. The chairman has a whole company of German collaborators who are committed to promoting her in the media.
As it turned out, Commission officials turned to the German company 365 Sherpas to offer their services for the “You are the European Union” campaign. In practice, this campaign turned out to be the “You are Germany” campaign. After great controversy, less than 2 million of the planned 5 million has been spent so far.
The question of the propaganda budget for the coming years has not yet been settled. Everything indicates that Europe is entering a recession and that the EU itself is starting to run into serious financial problems. This does not seem to bother the Eurocrats, but it is about competition and the fear that, as von der Leyen’s current practices and actions indicate, all EU propaganda would be “made in Germany”.
Eurocrats have given no thought to reining in their spending in times of crisis, seeking savings in the home. Any crisis, such as the war in Ukraine, is a pretext for expanding its power. This must be justified by propaganda. When von der Leyen’s close associates hired German companies to promote her in the media, they were officially convinced, as a Commission spokesperson said, by “the urgent need to inform Europeans about the consequences of the war in Ukraine and the EU’s response to these impacts”. .”
So, European citizens, since you are already “the European Union”, prepare for savings and sacrifices, because Mrs. von der Leyen with Mrs. Jourova and Mr. Reynders must appear respectable in the media. Somehow you also need to be persuaded to raise new taxes, stop traveling, change the menu, and obediently submit to all the wonderful progressive benefits the Union wants to give you.
Source: wPolityce