Promoting the European Union

Especially in the last ten years, the European Union hasincreased its power and influence on the decision-making processesof its member states and also outside in the international arena.The process of integration is only beginning and it promises toinclude many more features and countries. In this process,communicating to EU publics and citizens, is very important.Support for and trust in EU institutions legitimatize EU functionsand allow the implementation of more policies. Support and trustalso depends on citizens knowledge of the EU and on theirinvolvement. Thus communication and informing citizens about whatEU does has become an important issue for EU institutions. Thisbook examines EU information and communication policies developedfrom 2001 to 2006 and their possible impacts on the communicationstrategies of two member states, namely Finland and Italy. Besidespresenting some practical implications for public communicationofficers, it provides a collection of insights into how Europeaninstitutions communicate with their different publics and howcultural differences affect the receptions of EU messages amongdifferent groups.