INFORM EU network

INFORM EU is an EU-wide network of communication officers responsible for communicating EU and Member State investments under shared management covering the following EU funds:

• Regional Policy: European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Just Transition Fund (JTF) and Cohesion Fund (CF);
• Social Policy: European Social Fund (ESF+);
• Home Affairs: Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI) and Internal Security Fund (ISF);
• Maritime Affairs: European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).

In addition, the INFORM EU Network covers the Recovery and Resilience Facility, a temporary instrument to help Member States deal with the social and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and build a more sustainable and resilient Europe.

The network’s ultimate goal is to foster the expertise of Member States and regions in the field of EU communication, visibility and transparency whilst establishing a cooperation platform between the Commission and EU programmes under shared management.
It aims to enhance the visibility of EU action at the national, regional and local level through the

• exchange of experiences and good practices in implementing information and communication measures;
• coordination of communication activities between the Member States and the Commission;
• assessment and discussion of strategies to increase the outreach and impact of communication activities.

INFORM EU is the umbrella for all stakeholders involved in the communication of EU programmes under shared management. A large part of the cooperation and exchanges is happening on our digital cooperation platform. The work of the INFORM EU network is supported by an official expert group of the European Commission based on the new Common Provisions Regulation.

The European Commission's Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) co-ordinates the INFORM EU network in collaboration with the Directorates-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL), Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), and Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME). Led by DG REGIO, the European Commission participates in, and contributes to, communication meetings organised at the national level, and helps the INFORM network members interpret the European information and communication legislation.

Membership to the INFORM network is open to communication officers working on information and publicity issues in a Managing Authority or Joint Technical Secretariat (European Territorial Co-operation programmes). If you fulfil the criteria and would like to become a member of the INFORM EU network and/or the INFORM EU digital collaboration platform, please contact informeu@ec.europa.eu, stating which funds and Operational Programmes you are responsible for (We admit 2 communication officers per Operational Programme to our digital platform on Microsoft Teams).

The INFORM EU plenary meetings

The INFORM EU network meets twice per year. Please find the agendas and presentations of recent meetings below:

• 1st Plenary meeting (Virtual): 8-9 June 2021 - Inaugural meeting
• 2nd Plenary meeting (Valetta, Malta): 23-25 May 2022 – Communicating to youth (2022: European Year of Youth)
• 3rd Plenary meeting (Evora, Portugal): 16-18 Nov 2022 – Strategic communication
• 4th Plenary meeting (Zagreb, Croatia): 5-7 June 2023 – Social media
• 5th Plenary meeting (Ostrava, Czechia): 14-16 Nov 2023 – Data and transparency and communication

Expert Group

Acting as a central steering and consultation body for all communication matters linked to the legislation, DGs have set up a dedicated Commission expert group (“INFORM EU”). The group’s tasks are:

• to establish coordination between the Commission and Member States or stakeholders on questions relating to the implementation of Union legislation, programmes and policies, and
• to bring about an exchange of experience and good practice, in the field of communication, visibility and transparency of EU funds under shared management.

The expert group consists of the 27 designated communication coordinators. Schengen-associated countries and the Interact programme (representing the Interreg programmes) are invited as observers. For the Commission, all involved DGs will participate. DG REGIO acts as joint secretariat for the expert group and handles related  requests. The specific rules and work arrangements are laid down in the terms of reference and the rules of procedures for the expert group. The expert group which is chaired by DG REGIO replaces the previously existing, relevant Commission expert groups in DG REGIO (“INFORM”) and DG EMPL (“INIO”).  

Meetings of the expert group take place usually once per year, either in Brussels or at a location in a Member State (back-to-back with a plenary session). Agendas and minutes of the expert group meetings are published on the Register of Commission Expert Groups (https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/expert-groups-register/screen/expert-groups/consult?lang=en&groupID=3376

Data Protection

For the personal data provided for the INFORM EU network, please see the privacy statement below, which provides information about the processing and the protection of your personal data.