COHERENCE OF ISSUES AND COORDINATION OF INSTRUMENTS IN EUROPEAN INFORMATION POLICY

This paper seeks to demonstrate the lack of any integrated European in formation policy. This lack of integration is shown to be due to intri nsic properties of information itself, as well as due to the political characteristics of the European Union (EU). The paper shows how any E U information policy has to take account of multiple strands of releva nce and significance, together with many objectives, some of which con flict. It also evaluates the means by which policy is formulated, with particular reference to internal administrative and political divisio ns within the European Commission's policy-making bodies, and to the o ther factors which cause policy uncertainty.