Campaign to Boost EU Awareness

European Union Expansion Commissioner Günther Verheugen announced the launch of an EU awareness campaign on Friday. Speaking on a program of the ZDF public broadcast television network, Verheugen said the nationwide campaign was a means of informing the German people about future changes to the European constitution and the meaning of the European parliament, which he described as “an exceptionally influential and powerful instrument.” The campaign should go some way to quashing fears among the population of the former east Germany that EU expansion might stem economic growth. In the west, the campaign will aim to allay concerns over cross-border crime, job losses and the cost of expansion.