Curriculum Vitae
Martha Theodorou
Dr. MARTHA THEODOROU CURRICULUM VITAE Dr. Martha Theodorou is Chargée de Mission on Communication of the International Association of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions (AICESIS).She was National Chair and a Council Member of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA).She is Regional Coordinator of the Euro-pean Association of Commu-nication Directors (EACD).She is Vice-Pre-sident of the Hellenic Public Relations Association.She is a Member of the Institution of Communication.She is Head of the Communication Working Group of the “CES Link” Project, a significant shared project among the European Economic and Social Committee and the participating national Economic and Social Councils.Dr. Theodorou’s first doctoral dissertation was based on the topic of national interests and the means for their promotion, while her second doctoral dissertation treats the topic of the European Communication Policy. She also holds two Master’s De-grees.She has published articles on Communication and International Relations.She has attended more than fifty relevant programmes in Greece and abroad.She has hosted her own programme in the Greek state TV.Currently she works as Head of the International and Public Relations of the ESC and teaches at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens as an expert in the fields of Communication and International Relations.
Communicating the financial crisis in the EU
The European Union (EU) is a unique economic and political partnership between 27 European countries with over 500.000.000 citizens and 23 official and working languages.In Eurobarometer opinion polls many of the people interviewed admitted that they knew very little about the EU and felt they had little say in its decision-making processes(1). In order to bridge the communication gap between the EU and its citizens, the EU Institutions undertook various initiatives in preparation of a long-term plan to help the emergence of a European public sphere, where the citizens are given the necessary information and the tools to actively participate in the decision making processes(2). The EU Institutions attached the utmost importance to improving communication on EU issues in order to enable citizens to exercise their right to participate in the democratic life of the EU(3).Since its worldwide eruption in 2008, the financial crisis has wiped out years of economic and social progress and exposed structural weaknesses in Europe's economy(4). The EU's Institutions and the EUís national governments are fighting against the crisis, but its toll on the day-to-day life of the average European citizen is high, as he faces the future with feelings of worry and apprehension.It is a significant fact that in the spring of 2012 trust in the EU had fallen since the autumn of 2011 and now it stands at its lowest level ever (31%)(5). And although the Europeans had regarded the EU as better equipped than their respective states for an effective response to the financial and economic crisis, their support for this view during the afore-mentioned period has slipped significantly (21%), as the EU stands now at the first place jointly with their national governments(6).The paper on Communicating the financial crisis in the EU treats this theme and other relevant questions, especially the following:How did the EU communicate the financial crisis to its citizens? Which were the main initiatives of the EU institutions in this regard? How did the European citizens respond to the financial crisis? How did the mass media evaluate the financial crisis and the actions of the EU? What measures did the EU take in order to communicate with its citizens and what are the future prospects for a more effective EU communication policy? What are the respective roles of the EU Institutions, the Member States, the local and regional authorities, the political parties and the civil society organisations? Does the financial crisis offer perhaps a new opportunity for the EU to communicate Europe?REFERENCES1 Commission of the European Communities. 'White Paper on a European Communication Policy (presented by the Commission)'. COM(2006) 35 final. Brussels, 1 February 2006, p. 2.2 Commission of the European Communities. ′Communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. The Commissionís contribution to the period of reflection and beyond: Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue and Debatea. COM(2005) 494 final. Brussels, 13 October 2005, pp. 2-3.3 'Communicating Europe in Partnership'. Official Journal of the European Union, C 13 of 20 January 2009, p. 3.4 European Commission. 'Communication from the Commission. Europe 2020. A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth'. COM(2010) 2020 final. Brussels, 3 March 2010, p. 5.5 European Commission. 'Public Opinion in the European Union. First results'. Standard Eurobarometer 77 - Spring 2012. Brussels, July 2012, p. 13.6 Ibid, p. 20.