1. Issue # 8 - 2014
Coping with midlife crisis … EU communications smarten up
European Parliamentary elections will take place in May 2014 amid something of a mid-life crisis for
the European Union. Caught between disinterested or uninformed electorates, a crisis of faith in the
euro and general ‘EU malaise’, questions are being asked about the future of the European Project.
European institutions have responded with a bevy of awareness-raising campaigns and
communications products. Some of them have hit the mark – too many have not. But those of us in
the communications industry have noticed positive signs that the EU’s press and communications
teams are turning a (digital) page, as they further embrace new, sometimes daring, media options to
get their messages out.
The EU has fought long and hard to win the hearts and minds of its 500+ million citizens. Too often,
however, EU institutions are labelled as cold and distant entities filled with bureaucrats who won’t or
can’t explain what is going on in ways that the average person understands.
Citizens want better information – not dumbed down necessarily, just prepared, presented and
distributed in smarter ways, such as through films, social media and apps. And there are signs the EU
is getting this.
ESN has noticed a distinct trend, especially since the 2008 economic crisis. The European
Commission, Parliament and other institutions know, more than ever, that they have to reach out to
people, and they are increasingly prepared to experiment with fast, efficient media channels such as
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Turning the tide
Nearly half of those surveyed in a recent Eurostat study said they are pessimistic about the future of
the EU, with 11% saying they are ‘very pessimistic’.
What’s more, some 20 years after the birth of EU citizenship, many Europeans are still not fully clear
what this really means. And this is despite a whole year – spanning 2013 and 2014 –dedicated to
‘European Citizenship’. The vast majority know that they are EU citizens on top of their own
nationality, but only 36% feel well informed about the significance of this. Less than a quarter
consider themselves knowledgeable about what to do if their European rights are not respected. They
know about their rights to free movement (88%), to petition EU institutions (89%), and about non-
discrimination on the basis of nationality (82%), but very little else.
There are other apparent communication gaps as well. For example, more than 70% of Europeans
think EU-funded research will become more important in the future, and 57% think scientists should
put more effort into communicating their work more widely, but many also express fears over risks
from new technologies and the power that knowledge gives to scientists.
“These results show a very high awareness of the importance of science,” commented Research,
Innovation and Science Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn when these results were published.
European Service Network
Galerie Ravenstein 4
B-1000 Brussels – Belgium
Phone: +32 (0)2 646 40 20
INSIGHTS

2. “But they also show that both politicians – like me – and scientists themselves need to explain better
what we are doing and why.”
Asking the right questions
With the advent of social media and video as a relatively cheap and accessible format to get its
message out, the Commission has increasingly used ESN and other contractors to produce and
manage social media content, short video news releases, animated films and a host of digital
interactive games, apps and websites in the formats that people now want – adapted for tablet,
smartphone, etc.
We’ve developed a number of clever clips to explain sensitive – and even, well, potentially boring
subjects – to a wider audience. Imagine a film aimed at the general European population on the EU’s
‘trade defence’ actions (i.e. how it responds when countries try to dump low-priced goods on
European markets to the detriment of local business).
We also made a live drawing film to show what the EU does internationally to keep trade between
nations open and fair. And indeed, our client was very open to new ideas and adamant that the clip
must be as jargon-free as possible.
A quarter of a century ago, when ESN started in this business, this would have been unthinkable.
Time and again, our editors would write texts that they knew people could relate to, but the ideas
would get drowned in the Euro-speak of the clients’ corrections. The results of that perhaps speak for
themselves in the level of disenfranchisement felt by EU citizens.

3. Today, we are working on things like whiteboard animations, serious games and multimedia
flipbooks. This brave new approach is a sign that the EU is starting to understand that it needs to
touch base with Europeans in simple, modern, ‘real’ communication.
Interested in these insights? If you would like to discuss how to improve your communications efforts,
ESN’s Consultancy Department would be glad to help. Drop us a line! www.esn.eu/contact