Communication Strategy DELTER Bih

EuropeAid/133051/C/SER/multi Contract number : 2012/308-311

TRACECA Maritime Safety and Security II

Beneficiary Countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

COMMUNICATION STRATEGY Autumn 2013 – Winter 2015/16

A project implemented by This project is funded by

The NTU Consortium The European Union

Waltraud Gehrig [Pick the date] REPORT COVER PAGE

Project Title: TRACECA Maritime Safety and Security II

Contract number Contract 2012 / 308-311

Countries: Direct: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan Indirect: Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey

Contractor NTU, Egis International, Egis Ukraina

Project Office 119-A, Saksaganskogo Street, office 30, Address: Kiev 01032, Ukraine

Tel/Fax: +38044 235 53 44

Head Office Address: NTU Ved Stranden 22, P.O. Box 1111 DK – 9100 Aalborg, Denmark

Tel: +45 9930 0000

Fax: +45 9930 0001

E-mail: [email protected]

Contact Person: Mrs Emina Kapetanovic Communication Strategy - TRACECA Maritime Safety & Security II Contract: 2012/308-311

Table of Contents

Executive Summary...... 4 1. Introduction...... 6 2. Target Groups...... 8 2.1. Official authorities...... 10 2.2. Educational Maritime Institutions...... 12 2.3. Media / Journalists...... 13 2.3.1. Table of media / communication- and information channels...... 16 2.4. Business Sector...... 19 2.5. General public...... 20 3. Communication tools and channels...... 21 4. Practical Communication Guidelines...... 25

TRACECA Maritime Safety & Security II Page 3/29 Communication Strategy Communication Strategy - TRACECA Maritime Safety & Security II Contract: 2012/308-311

Executive Summary The current report presents the Communication Strategy for the period of October 2013 - January 2016 for the EU financed Project – TRACECA Maritime Safety & Security II (further also: Project). A separate document includes the action plan as an instrument for implementation of the activities in the TRACECA beneficiary countries. This given Communication Strategy (further also: Strategy) focuses on defined target groups and assigns specific communication objectives, messages and key performance indicators to measure the success and impact of the communication process during the lifetime of the Project. Those are linked to communication tools which are diversified and used throughout the duration of the Project. The overall objective according to the Terms of Reference of the Project is ‘ To support the further ratification and implementation of international maritime safety and security conventions as well as improving the level of quality and coordination of maritime administrations in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea partner countries with the overall objective of making shipping safer, more secure and environment friendly.’ Strong emphasis lays on the cooperation of the Maritime Safety & Security Project II with the other on-going TRACECA Projects such as the Transport Dialogue and Network Interoperability Project (IDEA II) Project and the LOGMOS Project. As information dissemination today is mainly ruled by the internet the central focus point of the Strategy will be the website and this is supposed to be set-up and managed by the IDEA II project. The messages established for raising awareness of the maritime safety and security subject are also aligned with the overall general objectives of the TRACECA programme: - To contribute to the overall economic and social development of TRACECA countries through increased and more sustainable transport flows, more competitive trade and better balanced exchanges; - To improve the quality and efficiency of goods and passenger transport systems in the region, thus improving the functioning of the transport sector as a whole; - To support the development of integrated multimodal transport networks and infrastructure, leading to improved transport flows, better connections and reductions in bottlenecks; The last part of the Strategy contains communication guidelines who determine the interaction between different stakeholders and major partners of the Project. It will be completed by an action plan, which is aligned with the Projects’ event planning (workshops, trainings, working groups etc.). Eventually the action plan should be flexible and activities should correspond with the main activities and events planned by IDEA II and the LOGMOS Project. Table A below contains a complete summary of the proposed objectives, messages and communication means used in this given Strategy.

TRACECA Maritime Safety & Security II Page 4/29 Communication Strategy Communication Strategy - TRACECA Maritime Safety & Security II Contract: 2012/308-311 Table A: Summary of the Communication Strategy

Communication means Target groups General Objectives Specific Objectives Messages Autumn 2013 – Winter 2015/16

 Disseminating information regarding maritime safety and  A well-organized and safe maritime infrastructure brings you one step security amongst national A. Promoting alignment of national closer to Europe Official authorities authorities maritime legislation with EU of TRACECA Website, twitter, articles, formal and  Providing all available information legislative framework  You will earn respect and credits by A countries related to informal meetings, press releases, produced by the Project to the improving standards and lift your maritime issues B. Promotion of international networking events, Project news; stakeholders and beneficiaries country on an international level (stakeholders) standards in maritime safety & security with introduction of international  Enhancing active cooperation standards in maritime safety and between Project stakeholders security (nationally and regionally

 Informing about latest developments in TRACECA A. Provide up-to-date information on  You educate the future generation Educational programme latest developments in maritime Website, facebook/twitter, articles, B in maritime safety and will set Maritime Institutions safety from EU and other presentations, lecturers;  Sharing information and possible milestones for future generations organisation of joint activities with international organizations the Project

 Strengthen your image as a A. Encouraging media to become credible, trustworthy and well  Raising awareness on maritime interested in the subject of informed journalist on maritime Website, facebook, twitter, articles, safety & security issues maritime safety and security formal and informal meetings, press C Media safety & security issues  Informing about the Projects’ B. Providing information of the releases, Project news, journalist  A well-organized and safe maritime progress and involvement Project to the media on a regular roundtable; basis infrastructure brings us one step closer to Europe

 Raise awareness through  Regulation and standards in all outcomes of Project Providing information on maritime Website, twitter, facebook, articles, A. aspects of the transport sector helps D Business Sector informal meetings, regional and local  Provide information on the impact safety and its impact on the to create a stable business internet platforms, Project news; maritime safety and security has business sector in particular environment and level-playing field. on the business sector

 Raising general awareness about  Maritime safety concerns everybody TRACECA Maritime Safety & A. Provide information on ecological – directly or indirectly Website, facebook, twitter, regional E General Public Security II issues on national and risks and societal impact of  Following international standards in and local internet platforms, electronic regional level with focus on the Maritime Safety & Security all spheres of life helps to create a and traditional media impact it has on the general public secure and value oriented society

1. Introduction The exchange and processing of information is essential to support the technical assistance to the transport sector provided by the EU through the TRACECA Programme. Thus, the main aim of the Communication Strategy is therefore to disseminate produced material within the maritime safety and security project to the beneficiaries, stakeholders and the defined target groups on a regular basis. Information and transparency is essential, and subsequently a strong boost of this subject in the TRACECA societies may also have positive effects on developing civil society and enhance the process of local governance. Five Projects are currently running under the roof of the TRACECA Programme: 1. Maritime Safety and Security II 2. IDEA II – Transport Dialogue and Network Interoperability II 3. LOGMOS Project 4. Civil Aviation II, and 5. Civil Aviation Safety/EASA Information on maritime safety and security to the defined target groups in the TRACECA countries should be delivered by this Project. This is a complex activity although the number of recipients is rather limited. Although, the general public is defined as a target group in the Inception Report it will only be tackled by the Strategy partly, predominantly via the media. Challenging is to cover the cross- regional activities and the provision of information to the recipients on time such as the cooperation with the other projects. This Strategy supports meeting the identified objectives of the Project and the information needs of the different target groups, in relation to the Maritime Safety and Security Issues. It is based on the requirements stated in the ToR and the Inception Report of the Project. The ToR state that the most important purpose of the communication activities is that  Project results should be properly disseminated by the Project  Regional coordination between EU and beneficiary countries in the framework of maritime safety and security should be strengthened To reach these objectives this given Strategy contains further  appropriate means and activities for passing on messages and information to target groups;  options and tools via which the communication strategy can be implemented, together with an assessment (pros and cons, feasibility etc) of these tools;  practical hints about the development of various communication tools fitting the Project’s needs;  a number of other key elements for the communication strategy, such as its budget, its time frame and relevant activities to support the communication strategy (see Annex Action Plan).  practical guidelines for planning and taking into consideration the necessary approval procedures and times The purpose of this Strategy is to define strategic goals with actions as well as methods and tools necessary for implementing them. Additionally, it aims to guide

TRACECA Maritime Safety & Security II Page 6/29 Communication Strategy Communication Strategy - TRACECA Maritime Safety & Security II Contract: 2012/308-311 the Project experts in designing, preparing, executing and refining communication activities now and in the future. The Strategy will be accompanied by an Action Plan. The plan concentrates on the concrete implementation of the Strategy and contains event planning, preliminary budgets for promotion material and a detailed distribution of communication instruments used. The given Communication Strategy is designed to achieve in particular communication objectives related to dissemination of information. It is therefore endowed by a  specific time frame  general and specific objectives  messages to pass to the target groups  communication channels and communication tools to carry these messages  multipliers of information who are supporting the communicator to maximize the impact of its messages  a preliminary budget

Anticipated Results The assumption is that after the completion of the Project  stakeholders and beneficiaries will have received all information produced by and within the Project  TRACECA National Secretaries have information on hand to improve visibility on their activities in their own country. This leads to strengthening the ownership of the countries  EU and Project visibility activities such as joint efforts with the other TRACECA Projects is increased  all target groups will have an increased awareness on the topic of maritime safety and security and will have understood the opportunities the subject bears for them. Generally, there should be a basic understanding amongst the target groups identified how important it is to strive for implementation of international regulations on a national and regional level. The target group of officials, stakeholders and beneficiaries should be well informed about the necessity of actions from official side in order to support the awareness of the subject and demonstrate ownership of the topic, which is very important for the TRACECA region at this stage and might be one big step for some countries towards EU accession. Also media should be better informed and become interested in the given subjects. The expectation is that a certain number of journalists will continuously investigate the topics beyond the Project’s duration.

2. Target Groups The target groups of TRACECA Maritime Safety & Security Communication Strategy have been pre-identified in the ToRs and by the Inception Report of the Project. They are summarised in the table below.

Table 2.1.: Target groups for TRACECA c i

l Business related directly or indirectly to transport and

b Business u is affected by maritime safety P

l General population affected by the topic of maritime a

r General population

e safety & security, protection of the marine n (with particular focus e environment, working and living conditions of G on NGOs) seafarers At this point it is necessary to make a special note regarding one important group, namely the media. This target group is the final recipient of information but most importantly journalists have also been identified as “carriers” of information, as “intermediaries” and “multipliers” in the communication process. For this reason the group is described below more in detail.

Objectives, messages, tools and KPIs per target group The next section provides a short overview of what the Communication Strategy is intended to achieve for each target group and how it will be measured. All target groups are presented by using the following structure:

1. Definition of each target group 2. General objectives which apply to them 3. Specific objectives with explanation 4. Specific messages 5. Delivery Strategy (mix of communication tools) 6. Key Performance Indicators can be found in the action plan (Annex Action Plan); By analysing the information tools and channels summarised in the previous section, and taking into account the general communication objectives of the Project, the specific objectives of TRACECA Maritime Safety & Security Communication Strategy have been expanded. They serve as the basis for finding the appropriate messages to reach the objectives. After the definition of the messages, the appropriate communication tools have been listed as part of the Delivery Strategy. These will be used to deliver the specific messages which have been designed to achieve the objectives of the target group.

Objectives and messages are listed in accordance to their importance. Key Performance Indicators (KPI) necessary to measure the impact of the outcome of the Strategy are listed in the Action plan and linked to the communication instruments.

Overall messages of the Maritime Safety & Security Project II

It is important to differentiate between the overall messages we are aiming to communicate and which we want target groups to comprehend and actual messages that will be carried by the communication tools. Derivations are slogans, which will be used by specific communication means and created on an ad hoc basis and according to their needs.

The overall messages for the Maritime Safety & Security Project II Communication Strategy are aligned with the general objectives of the TRACECA programme (see Executive Summary):

 European Union – a reliable partner in the process of approximation to EU legislation regarding Maritime Safety and Security;  By ratification and implementation of international maritime safety and security conventions we help you improving the quality and coordination of the maritime administrations in the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea; In the next sections all messages are aligned with those and are part of the actions planned within the frame of the Strategy.

2.1. Official authorities Definition of target group:  Ministries of Transport, maritime administrations and authorities, port authorities  TRACECA National Secretaries of the beneficiary countries and TRACECA Secretariat  Regional organisations: Black Sea Commission, Black Sea Memorandum of Understanding on port state control and others  International Maritime Organisation (IMO)

General objectives:  Providing all available information produced by the Project  Disseminating information regarding maritime safety and security amongst national authorities  Enhancing active cooperation between Project stakeholders (nationally and regionally

Specific objectives: A. Convincing officials to align national maritime legislation with EU legislative framework Officials in different types of administrations and organisations should have information on maritime safety and security available. One of the projects’ objectives is therefore to provide as much information as possible to this target group especially when it comes to international standards and accession topics. This is needed to take the best possible policy decisions and bring their country closer to EU standards. This is most important for countries, which already obtained or are in the process of achieving the EU accession status.

B. Promotion of international standards in maritime safety & security Especially TRACECA countries need to fulfil obligations regarding international standards in maritime safety and security. Most of the countries are on the black list of the Paris MoU and need to exit the black list to demonstrate performance improvement. It is indispensable to raise awareness for performance improvement not only on a decision-making management level to be effective in the implementation of their objectives. A wider audience, such as parts of the civil society, might put some pressure on the responsible people to change their attitudes and introduce international standards.

Messages:

 A well-organized and safe maritime infrastructure brings you one step closer to Europe

 You will earn respect and credits by improving standards and lift your country on an international level with introduction of international standards in maritime safety and security

Delivery Strategy: Website, twitter, articles, formal and informal meetings, press releases, networking events, Project news;

2.2. Educational Maritime Institution

Definition of target group: Educational maritime institution

General objectives:  Informing about latest developments in TRACECA programme  Sharing information and possible organisation of joint activities with the Project

Specific objectives: A. Provide up-to-date information on latest developments in maritime safety from EU and other donors It is essential for the new generation in the maritime sector to receive more information on the subject from different sources. Maritime educational institutions provide training for the new generation and should help them bringing their countries on an internationally respected level. The new generation has often different views and are brought up in a new spirit, not necessarily linked to the ‘old way of doing things’. Teaching personnel from maritime educational institutions therefore plays a significant role in preparing the new generation maritime safety and security.

Specific messages:  You educate the future generation in maritime safety and set milestones for future generations

Delivery Strategy: Website, facebook/twitter, articles, presentations, lectures;

2.3. Media / Journalists Definition of target group: Journalists from different media (TV, radio, print and electronic media) covering transport issues in general, the maritime sector, politics, economy, health, social issues and environmental topics. Journalists, who are potentially interested in widening their knowledge and expertise.

General objectives:  Raising awareness on maritime safety & security issues  Informing about the Projects’ progress and involvement

Specific objectives: A. Encouraging media to become interested in the subject of maritime safety and security The subjects of maritime safety and security, protection of the marine environment, improvement of living and working conditions for seafarers, is mainly interesting for those directly affected by the topic or living in coastal areas. There are a number of topics, which affect the population and the development of a civil society. So far only a small number of journalists are interested in the subject as they might have not sufficient information about the situation on hand. B. Providing information of the Project to the media regularly It is very important for journalists to receive information quickly, on time and if possible, exclusively. Therefore journalists must be convinced that they could get information from the Project at any time, approach them whenever it is necessary to receive background info or statements in case some interesting topics come up and they would need to undertake research on them.

Media as multipliers Media and journalists are important communication channels. Predominantly, people search for information via the media. Therefore it is important to get journalists on board and distribute information via various types of media. Although, as a rule, people tend not to trust all information disseminated by the media (especially in the TRACECA region) they still will be one of the information channels used by the Project. The media list enclosed in this document is extendable. Depending on different, mainly individual factors, people choose different media. Traditional media are still amongst the most popular communication channels through which messages and information can be transported to any target groups but its usage is declining. They need to receive comprehensive information to understand the substantial topics to a maximum extent.

However, not all media or journalists are considered by the target groups as trustworthy and it is crucial to choose the right media channels for the appropriate target groups. In general, the public is principally more interested in negative news and scandals while only a smaller part is interested in more serious topics which are well researched. Often people, mainly experts and younger generation, search in the internet for trustworthy information, ask experts or any other people they trust and they see as opinion leaders.

Information needs Journalists have interest in receiving exclusive access to data and information to demonstrate their proficiency in their profession. Often, journalists work free-lance and depend on the payment they receive by deliverables. The better an article is researched and the more interesting it is the more likely it is to receive follow-up orders from editors. Journalists working as freelancers can more often be found in the area of printed media. Working with free-lancers has both positive and negative aspects. Those presumably will be more interested and eager to find good stories. They might approach the Project more actively and on a regular basis. Freelance journalists are not always restricted by the policy line of a particular TV-, radio channel or newspaper. Because they are free-lancers they have an unlimited working-day in general and are used to receiving information on a 24/7 hour basis. This would not be possible to reach with the sources available in this Project, but a reaction close to real-time would increase the interest in the Project. However, it must also be noted that free-lance journalists might be more inflexible in their work. It is not clear, whether they will be able to publish all articles they produce. TV-journalists might participate in a press-conference when invited or there is the opportunity to have interviews with senior experts. Television is mainly interested in “hot news” rather than information about small stories affecting only a minor part of their audience or a small part of the population. They are mostly interested to appear if they can address a wider audience with their programme. It is very helpful to have the access to TV-programmes through the EU-delegations, like in Kiev. Due to the process of targeted EU-accession of Ukraine there are some national information channels available, which are provided by the EU-delegation on the spot to the Projects active in the countries. Radio journalists often conduct interviews either on the spot or in the studio. Other formats can be talk-shows on radio and discussions. Journalists are usually interested in interviewing senior experts helping to give their stations a high profile.

Communication with journalists It is advantageous if there would be a limited number of journalists with special background knowledge of the topic in contact with the Project on a regular basis. It will enable the Project experts to develop personal relationships with the journalists which will support having a positive attitude towards the Project.

Events: Invitations of the journalists to different events organised by the Project will help to create a good relationship with journalists. Individually selected media should be invited to seminars, workshops and conferences. One should pay attention that those journalists are familiar with the subject and are willing to write about the event. In particular, high-profile events (e.g. with foreign speakers, high-level experts or politicians) are interesting for journalists, giving them the chance to write about interesting stories from different perspectives. Seminar on research methods: Very often journalists do not know how to conduct proper research and how to write about different subjects. The Project can support especially those journalists and give them research approaches and sources for information on hand in the area of transport, maritime safety and security. This strengthens the Project as a credible and reliable source of information.

What makes journalists interested in the subject? When journalists are not very literate in a subject and therefore often pretend to know more than they actually do may lead to a more aggressive behaviour from their side and even conveyance of false information. Therefore the above mentioned events might lead to less hostile approach, because they will understand the subject better and are more interested. Journalists in the TRACECA region suffer often lack of information and do not know where to find information especially news related. Lack of professional expertise is most obvious in the rural areas. Mostly these journalists lack knowledge of international practise and are usually eager to participate in workshops regardless of the topic. Any type of training would be welcomed and might inspire them to specialise in the area of the transport sector.

Specific messages:

 A well-organized and safe maritime infrastructure brings us one step closer to Europe

 Strengthen your image as a credible, trustworthy and well informed journalist on maritime safety & security issues

Delivery Strategy: Website, twitter, facebook, articles, formal and informal meetings, press releases, Project news;

2.3.1. Table of media / communication- and information channels The table below summarizes the information and communication channels, which are directly or indirectly related to the maritime topic in the TRACECA region, internationally or most frequently used by the target groups. This given list is the result of a desk-top research and subject of extension. The list should be shared with

IDEA II – Transport Dialogue and other TRACECA projects. Exchange of information with the other projects and the TRACECA Permanent Secretariat related to all communication and information channels used is very important to gain synergies and have an increased effect in passing the messages to the target groups.

Media Country Name Ownership Type of media Structure

http://www.yerkir.a Online-edition AM m/en/home.htm http://adda.edu.az/a ze/# (Maritime State Academy in No English translation Online-Edition AZ Maritime Azerbaijan) – there available Agency is no EN/RU versions ‘Trend’ – Business, Online-Edition AZ http://en.trend.az/ politics, society State Maritime http://ardda.gov.az/ Administratio Online-edition AZ SMARA news section eng/ n of the Republic of Azerbaijan http://www.eubusin ‘EU-business’, Online Online-Edition EU ess.com/ bulletin http://mta.gov.ge/en Maritime Transport Online-Edition GE State-owned g/home Agency of Georgia http://worldmaritime news.us2.list- manage.com/subsc World Maritime Online-edition INT ribe? newsletter u=ffbc629c0152185 23623083aa&id=0a 0f6f84d2 ‚The Commission on the http://www.blackse EU, UNDP, Protection of the Black S Online-Edition INT a-commission.org/ GEF,funded ea Against Pollution‘ (Online Info Bulletin) http://www.imo.org/ MediaCentre/News Online-Edition INT IMO IMO News Magazine Magazine/Pages/H ome.aspx http://www.marsecr eview.com/category Maritime Security Online-edition INT /areas_of_risk/asia- Review pacific/ http://www.emsa.eu ropa.eu/news-a- Online-Edition INT press- EMSA EMSA Newsletter centre/newsletters. html EU http://www.enpi- Neighbourho EU Neighbourhood Info Online-Edition INT info.eu/list_type_ea od Info Centre news st.php?&id_type=1 Centre Online-edition MD http://moldovashipr Moldova MMA News section

Media Country Name Ownership Type of media Structure

Maritime egistration.com/? Administratio cat=4 n http://www.news.od Private Online-Edition RU in.tc/index.php? (Voytenko Online Maritime bulletin page= Mikhail) EU http://euukraineco EU-Ukraine cooperation Online-Edition UA Delegation in news website op.com/ Ukraine Odesa http://www.onma.ed National Online-Edition UA u.ua/index.php? ONMA Newsletter Maritime news_uk Academy Maritime http://www.epsilono Training Online-Edition UA dessatc.com.ua/ne News section Center in ws.php Odesa http://www.mau.co Maritime No news or information Online-Edition UA m.ua/rus/contact- Agency section us.php ‘America’s Navy’ - http://www.navy.mil Online-Edition US State-owned Online bulletin from US /index.asp navy General, economic news http://www.news.az Online-edition AZ / http://newscentrala Online-edition CA sia.net/ http://centralasiaonl CA ine.com/en_GB http://www.civil.ge/e Online-edition GE ng/ Online-edition KG http://kabar.kg/eng/ http://www.kazakhs Online-edition KZ tannews.net/ Online-edition MD http://en.interlic.md/ http://news.tj/en/ab Online-edition TJ ASIA-PLUS outus_en http://www.turkmeni Online-edition TK stan.ru/en/ News related to UZ-Report http://economics.uz business, finance, Online-edition UZ Information report.uz/?lan=e investments and Agency economics http://www.cer.uz/e Center for Online-edition UZ n/news_and_event Economic CER news section s/news/ Research

Additionally, to the above listed media, the ENPI-Information center should receive press releases or project news for publication via their newsletter.

List of EU delegation contacts of the TRACECA countries

A list of useful and already sensitised public media of the TRACECA countries will be only available through the EU delegations. It is also recommendable to use the EU- delegation as much as possible, when approaching the media as this will give the project higher visibility and more importance. As a rule they have long-lasting relationships and it will be easier to get information published.

The names of the relevant Press and Information Officers can be found in the table below. The contact details are provided usually through EUD switchboards.

Delegation P & I Officer Head of Head of Delegation Administration

Armenia Dr. Dirk LORENZ (HoS) Christian NYHUIS Traian HRISTEA Azerbaijan Toralf Pilz (HoS) Kamiel JANSSEN Toralf Pilz Tobias Thyberg (HoS) / Renata Gabrielle Georgia Philip Dimitrov Wrobel (DHoS) Hutcheson Moldova Wicher Slagter (HoS) Noel Hendrickx Noel Hendrickx Birgit THIEL- Russia Søren LIBORIUS (HoS) Vygaudas UŠACKAS JACKSON Rima SOINDAITE Ukraine Zoltan Szalai (HoS) Jan Tombinski VAN SOEST Kazakhstan Kamen VELICHKOV (HoS) Ronald HORDIJK Aurélia BOUCHEZ Kyrgysztan Ognyan CHAMPOEV (HoS) Christoph SORG Cesare DE MONTIS Tajikistan István NYITRAI (HoS) Daniel Boelen Eduard Auer Uzbekistan Ondrej Simek (HoS) Anton Atayee Yuri Sterk

MILLER, Michael (HoS) / Stefanie Francisco Andrada Turkey von Brochowski / Sümbül Eren / Jean-Maurice Ripert Sanz Selda Paydak / Ebru Taşkın

2.4. Business Sector

Definition of target group: Owners and managers of companies related to topics regarding maritime transport and transport issues in general.

General objectives:  Raise awareness through outcomes of the Project  Provide information on the impact maritime safety and security has on the business sector

Specific objectives:sector A. Providing information on maritime safety and its impact on the business in particular TRACECA countries with direct access to the Sea have business activities related to transport in general and with focus on maritime transport. Not all information regarding the maritime transport sector is available to everybody. The more information is available and accessible the better a business owner can assess the opportunities and risks maritime safety and security has for his business. In this respect the project can become a reliable partner in providing official documentation, which is not always easy to access via official national sources.

Specific messages:  Regulation and standards in all aspect of the transport sector helps to create a stable business environment

Delivery Strategy: Website, twitter, facebook, articles, informal meetings, regional and local internet platforms, Project news;

2.5. General public

Definition of target group: General public will be only addressed to a minor extent in the frame of this Project. Focus will be laid on organisations or groups of people interested in some of the topics tackled by the Maritime Safety & Security II Project and with a strong impact on their lives and living conditions. NGOs are usually interested in those topics and play usually a very pro-active role in a society. Their main aim is to improve certain living standards and special areas of the society they live in. Therefore they have a dual function. On the one side they belong to one of the Projects’ target groups and are receiving information and on the other side they should serve as a multiplier being able to deliver information to the citizens they represent.

General objectives:  Raising general awareness about TRACECA Maritime Safety & Security II issues on national and regional level with focus on the impact it has on the general public

Specific objectives:

A. Provide information on ecological risks and societal impact of the Project Maritime Safety & Security II People living close to the maritime area or in the coastal zone are not always aware of the risks in which the lack of maritime safety and security, and deficiencies in the protection of the marine environment, might result in. Especially in TRACECA countries access to information is still rather limited and in particular to high quality information. A well informed society supports the local economic development.

Specific messages:  Maritime safety concerns everybody – directly or indirectly  Following international standards in all spheres of life helps to create a secure and value oriented society

Delivery Strategy: Website, facebook, twitter, regional and local internet platforms, media (electronic and traditional);

3. Communication tools and channels Setting up the design of the Communication Strategy and to combine tools and channels which are needed to achieve the objectives and deliver the messages set for each target group is a challenging task. A wide range of communication tools and techniques are available. Available and proposed communication tools and channels for TRACECA Maritime Safety & Security requirements are described below to provide a better understanding: Electronic, traditional and social media: - Website; - Facebook / and or other social (local) networks - Journalists: press releases, Project news, press events - Press (articles in newspapers, in specialised (web) magazines/portals) Publications: - Reports and power point presentations Events: - Seminars, workshops and trainings organised by the Project on a smaller scale - National and Regional Working Groups - Events organised by similar Projects and/or other donors - Organised and accompanied visits to demonstration Projects The following table contains communication tools, which are recommended to be used within the frame of this Project to reach its overall objectives and fulfil the Project purposes. It provides a short description of advantages and disadvantages of each communication tool for the Project, efficiency indicators, and a feasibility index for the Project.

Table 4.1: Assessment of communication tools related to TRACECA Maritime Safety & Security Project II

CHANNEL / REACH POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGE EFFICIENCY INDICATORS FEASIBILITY TOOL - Allows interaction and presentation of complex - For internet literates only  Nr of visitors information - Requires regular updates and  Nr of downloads VERY GOOD All target groups - Inexpensive compared to Web page maintenance  Nr of feedbacks or (strongest and most traditional media - Challenging in areas with limited requests sent via website efficient tool) - High level of reachability internet access.  Web statistics - Low costs and supports sustainability - Supports promotion of website and its content - Information in real-time All target groups but - For internet literates and people - Allows interaction and with emphasis on with access to the web presentation of complex  Nr of visitors/friends stakeholders, - Requires regular usage Twitter information  Nr of downloads VERY GOOD business people, - Language needs to be - Inexpensive compared to  Nr of comments posted partly media determined (if only in English, traditional media reach potential is limited - People can exchange comments and opinions - Modern communication tool Events: - Focused dissemination of National and information to decision-makers Authorities / - Limitation to participants Regional and opinion-leaders  Nr of participants GOOD Stakeholders - Working - The information will be further Groups passed on by the target groups - Direct contact with target  Nr of participants Events: Other Authorities, audience  Nr. of articles / news seminars, educational - Interactivity generated in relation to - Limitation to participants workshops, institutions, media, - Supports networking the events AVERAGE/GOOD - High costs for large scale events round tables, experts, business - Focused, content and output can  Participant evaluation conferences. sector be controlled based on feedback - Low costs for small-scale events questions.

CHANNEL / REACH POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGE EFFICIENCY INDICATORS FEASIBILITY TOOL

- Message customisation - Low fit for technical issues  Nr of programmes - High reach level (depending on - Limited control of outcomes All target groups  Nr of audience TV and radio stations) Might be expensive GOOD (through media) -  Geographical reach of Pays attention to the local - - Only interesting if related to station aspects of the subject scandals or a ‘hot’ issue

- Provision of detailed information - Short lifespan Print media possible; - Reproduction quality is  Nr of ads / articles (national/ All target groups - Pass-along readership sometimes poor published VERY GOOD regional) - Decrease in readership of print - May imply costs  Print run of media media - Geographically restricted Electronic - Short life-span - High reach (beyond boarders) media - Reproduction quality is All target groups - Pass-along readership  Nr of articles published VERY GOOD (national/ sometimes poor - regional) - Depending on - Supports awareness raising and Specialized - Long lead time specialisation: positive image magazines - Difficult to get articles published  Nr of articles published Authorities, business - Prestigious GOOD (national/ - Low frequency, for experts only  Print run sector, different - Focused dissemination of international) - Might imply additional costs experts information Local internet - For internet literates only - Allows interaction: people can  Nr. of visitors posting platforms; - Limited to the municipalities or Target groups of a exchange comments and comments dedicated cities LOW / GOOD certain community opinions  Articles/information communication - Low control on output / content - Inexpensive published interfaces; - Geographically restricted Publications produced in - All information available and report All target groups (via distributed via website  Nr. of downloads (via web form/power - None VERY GOOD website) - Possibility of higher reach than statistixs) point presentations only expert target groups by the Project

CHANNEL / REACH POTENTIAL ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGE EFFICIENCY INDICATORS FEASIBILITY TOOL - Difficult to be up-to-date with produced brochures, leaflets - Leaflets: Flexibility in addressing Publications - Impersonal, one-way target groups (leaflets, communication  Nr. of copies brochures, - Brochure: High degree of  Nr. of publications - Medium costs flyers, acceptance, credibility and distributed Individual approach - Irregular production newsletters, prestige  Downloads from website per target group - Literates only GOOD other printed or - Editor has the entire control of  Nr. of requests for possible Require logistic support and electronic the information - brochure approval processes materials of - Offers complete information  Nr. of feedbacks/ - May be over-produced various sizes - Promoting image of the EU and comments Brochures/Newsletter: Requires and quality) guarantees visibility - appealing design approach to be effective – often costly - Support visibility of the Project, Promotional Direct recipients of promoting EU-TA items (USB- the Project: working - Might be costly - Practical usage  Nr. of feedbacks/ sticks, Pens, group members, - Only for a limited number of GOOD - Usually high level of acceptance comments; paper, writing expert groups, people pads etc. participants of events - Best way of disseminating a large number of material

4. Practical Communication Guidelines A well set-up and clearly defined flow of information is important to guarantee the success of a Communication Strategy. The Project related information flow is targeting mainly the stakeholders and beneficiaries of the project and the public (business sector as well) such as the media as multipliers of information. A continuous exchange of information is supposed to be taking place with the Project and the TRACECA programme such as with the IDEA II project, which is located in Kiev as well.

TRACECA / IDEA II

In order to maximize the impact of the communication process without increasing the costs, the communicators are aiming at any possible “multiplier” effect, by working together with decision-makers. These information multipliers are intermediaries in the communication process, receiving information from the Project, and after elaboration transferring it to the final recipient through pre-defined communication channels.

Visibility Very often EU-funded projects decide to create their own visibility and link it with the EU-visibility. In the case of the Maritime Safety & Security Project II this is not recommendable. The project is taking place under the TRACECA programme, which has developed a solid visibility in alignment with the official EU guidelines over the past 20 years. Additionally, EU visibility guidelines are easy to handle and very clear in their usage. EU visibility gives the project already a strong visual support and recognition.

Most useful communication tools for the Project Website: The website is the best possible and cheapest communication tool for projects like Maritime Safety and Security II. Information available, like international resolutions, agreements, MoUs and the information produced by the project is planned to be disseminated via the IDEA II website.

But, until the end of November 2013, the final solution regarding a concrete web- portal was pending. Currently the situation is solved, following the initial plan as stated in the ToRs of the Maritime Safety Project II, through the access to the TRACECA website, which was originally set up and financed by IDEA I project. Content approval procedure with EU-Task Manager: max. 2 weeks

Social media usage Social media are becoming increasingly popular. Many people of different levels of society, especially decision-makers in politics in the TRACECA region use social media for receiving or distributing information. The EU-delegation in Kiev is very active in communicating via facebook but to a lesser extent via twitter. Twitter could be also a tool for the Project to pass information. It must be double-checked with the EU Task Manager, whether he would allow releasing this type of information without his prior approval, if it only contains clearly defined information. A tweet could simply carry the link of a site, where new information on the subject could be found. It can also provide information on events, new regulations etc. Together with the EU-Task-Manager the Team-Leader should agree on the type of tweet-content (non-political, just informative) and on the approval procedure in general. Twitter would be only useful for the Project if the Team-Leader can act independently and posts tweets without prior approval. In case Twitter is accepted to be used the Team-Leader of the Project should be responsible for the tweets as he has the best control of all information available and knows when to release which type of information. But in any case there should be close cooperation and alignment between the Team-Leader and the local Communication Expert. Both should be always informed about the activities of the other. A facebook account is not fitting the Project well. Information released by the project should also be submitted to the EU-delegation, which has its own facebook account and will post any news from the project via their account.

Promotional Material Promotional Material is always a good tool to support the EU-visibility in general and is at the same time strongly linked with the Project. It can be distributed during all events and highlighting the web-address of the Project. The major type of promotional material should be USB-sticks (distributed during working-groups, seminars, trainings etc.), pens and note-pads. A Project roll-up should be also produced in order to use it for all events. Whenever possible the material should have the Projects’ website address included. Tender (at least 3 offers should be received): 2 weeks Approval procedure with EU-Task Manager (content and visibility): 3 weeks

Press Release A press release within the frame of an EU-project has a rather official character, especially when distributed via EU-delegations. It should be used, when important events on high level will take place or important findings are published. As a rule the EU-delegation on the spot is going to support the projects with the distribution of a press-release. The Press Release should be written by the Communication Expert and approved by the Team-Leader, who will seek subsequently approval from the EU-Task Manager. Usually, the EU-delegation Press Department is very supportive and one can ask them voluntarily to comment on the press release. Press Release (bi-lingual): 2-3 weeks (including approval procedure with the EU- Task Manager) Invitations to the media: 4-5 days before the conference takes place. Repeated invitations should be sent out 1 day before.

Project News Project News is news, which should be posted on the website and have a less official character. They should serve as information but composed in an interesting, appealing and less formal way. Project News should be written by the Communication Expert and approved first by the Team-Leader and then by the EU-Task Manager. Approval process with EU-Task Manager: max. 2 weeks

Press Relations Time needed in advance for preparation: 3-4 weeks Press Release (bi-lingual): 2-3 weeks (including approval procedure with the EU- Task Manager)

Invitations to the media to different events: 4-5 days before an event takes place. Repeated invitation should be sent out 1 day before.

Event management To guarantee smooth event conduction it is recommended to prepare a script for each event. A ‘to do’ list and a kind of inventory list will help to speed up the event preparation. The event should always be accompanied with somebody taking photos. Events can be working groups and trainings. All of them should be accompanied with some smaller news, photos and depending on the size of the event with more or less media coverage. A story can be built around each event and the communication expert should interview participants to receive feedback on the event and use it after the event as project news or for an article of a newsletter.

Communication Budget Autumn 2013 – Winter 2015/2016 According to the objectives of the given Strategy, and depending on the communication tools selected, we consider that a reasonable communication budget for the Project until 2016 will be app. 50,000 €. Being in the lower range implies that all communication activities will be conducted internally (with limited help of experts: design, IT, promotional material production etc.) and without using more expensive media channels. An approximate budget breakdown and the allocation to the proposed communication channels and means is part of the Action Plan.

Indicative allocation of budget per target group

The table below is proposing an allocation of the Project’s communication resources per target group.

Table 8.1: Relative importance of target groups and allocation of communication resources.

Communication target groups Allocation of Comm. Resources Stakeholders, beneficiaries, experts 50% Business sector 15% Media 15% Educational sector 10% NGOs 5% General population 5%

The percentages in the right column reflect the assumed information needs of each target group. They take into account the weight of each target-group as stakeholder in the Project.

TRACECA Maritime Safety & Security II Page 29/29 Communication Strategy