INRA (EUROPE) and GfK Win Major Contract 10/08/00 The European Commission has awarded the contract for the Euro-Barometer surveys for the next five years to INRA (EUROPE) and the GfK Group. The surveys, which cover 15 countries in the EU, represent business worth Euro 25 million. For almost three decades, the European Commission has carried out regular Euro-Barometer surveys on the social, economic and political attitudes of member state populations. There are generally four survey waves per year, when an average representative group of 1,000 selected subjects in 15 countries is surveyed. Until 1989 these surveys were carried out by Faits & Opinions and subsequent to that by INRA (EUROPE). For a number of years, GfK has been assisting INRA in a number of countries. The two companies, who joined forces to pitch for the tender, have established a European economic interest group for the contract, European Opinion Research Group. This will co-ordinate the pan-European survey, support the research teams in the individual countries, analyse the results and report to the European Commission and other international organisations. According to Dominique Vancraeynest, INRA (EUROPE) Managing Director, "A joint bid for this contract was always the best solution given our co-operation in opinion and media research over the last few years. What we find most encouraging about our successful joint submission is that it is possible, and sometimes preferable, for competing agencies with complementary expertise to collaborate in a positive manner to achieve a common and mutually beneficial goal. Together we have succeeded in forging a solid alliance and I am sure that the Commission appreciates such collaboration between top European players." Christine Kotakoros, who is managing the new Euro-Barometer contract, commented, "Although competition from the other major players was huge, the experience and know-how of both INRA (EUROPE) and GfK convinced the European Commission to award the contract to our new venture. Recruitment of new staff members is ongoing, as it is expected that the volume of research demanded by the Commission will increase in the second part of this year. We also hope to include the new candidate countries in central Europe as soon as they join the European Union."