Sail for Europe

On the EU’s 50^th anniversary, these institutions decided in turn to be patrons of the Treaty of Rome yacht as part of the Sail for Europe event. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) chose to charter it for six months so as to mark its anniversary in an original way. The yacht stopped off in twelves places in the European Union to go and meet Europeans in their home countries. In addition to this ‘on the ground’ approach, the EESC wanted to communicate the specific values of the European Union to the general public and media, such as its dynamism and solidarity.

EU-turn organised public relations activities as well as the coordination and implementation of events related to Sail for Europe for four places: Rotterdam, The Hague, Ostend and Thessaloniki. To attract the attention of journalists, each stage was tied in with a media event: the International Day of the Sea, the 60 year anniversary of the European Movement, the celebration of 50 years of the EESC and the biennial of the European Economic and Social Committee. The national and local press as well as representatives of sectors linked to the sea were approached to invited them to meet EESC members on the yacht. EU-turn also drafted and disseminated invitations and press releases highlighting a selection of EESC opinions. The actions undertaken took on board the opportunities and constraints at each stage: organising cocktails with an alternative in case the weather was bad, setting up a shuttle service by bus, inviting along sailing schools and school groups etc.

The EESC has therefore been able to take advantage of the visibility of its patronage for prestigious international and European events. The members and President of the EESC met the press on several occasions in an original setting. Professionals and representatives from different economic sectors that the EESC habitually represents in Brussels were also present to take advantage of these somewhat different discussions, which were unanimously considered to be fruitful.