Public Diplomacy
Tackling global challenges such as climate change, global health, the eradication of poverty or achieving the SDGs, requires collective action. The EU’s Public diplomacy initiatives aim at engaging over the long term with citizens and potential partners around the world in order to build trust and mutual understanding and, by doing so, facilitate future cooperation to tackle our common challenges.
In Focus
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CAMPAIGN
European Diplomatic Academy
EU Public Diplomacy
Creating spaces for global conversations
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As international cooperation is essential to give a concrete answer to today's global challenges, the EU’s Public Diplomacy helps creating the spaces to hold global conversations addressing issues of common concern, fostering common understanding and laying the ground for global collaboration. Developing resilient channels of communication between citizens and public authorities at the national, European and global level is essential to maintain a high degree of trust in public institutions. However, doing so is increasingly challenging in today’s contested information environment marked by disinformation.
For the above reasons the EU Global Strategy pointed out the need to
- "invest in and joining-up public diplomacy across different fields" and the need to "improve the consistency and speed of our messaging on our principles and actions",
- "offer rapid, factual rebuttals of disinformation" and
- "continue fostering an open and inquiring media environment within and beyond the EU".
In October 2016 EU Foreign ministers decided that Public Diplomacy should be one of the strategic priorities for implementing the EU Global Strategy and flagged "the need of joining up efforts in the field of public diplomacy including strategic communication, inside and outside the EU” (Council Conclusions, October 2016). The founding stones of an EU Public diplomacy approach were established.
In line with the above, EU Public Diplomacy initiatives contribute to the broader set of communication and outreach activities including Strategic Communication, Press & Information and the fight against disinformation. The conjunction of these tools allow the EU to listen carefully to the opinions and voices of our audiences, as well as to speak with a consistent but friendly voice about our values, such as multilateralism, rule based global order, human rights and gender equality, key elements for a responsible global leadership.
Public Diplomacy initiatives are also essential in order grow understanding and engagement around the key EU priorities outlined in the EU Global Gateway that will deliver sustainable and high-quality projects for local communities in line with the EU’s interests and principles (e.g. rule of law, human rights, international norms and standards). In fact, the European model of trusted connectivity in partner countries is about connecting people, goods and services around the world in a sustainable way through smart, clean and secure investments in quality infrastructure.
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Public Diplomacy in action
People-to-people exchanges and networking opportunities
The European Union has developed a broad range of initiatives in the form of people-to-people exchanges and networking opportunities involving students, academics, youth groups, think tanks, media, business communities, civil society or cultural professionals. The objective of these initiatives is to enhance the mutual understanding between EU citizens and citizens around the world and reinforcing the ties and cooperation between the European Union and the rest of the world for the years to come. For these reasons, the EU’s Public Diplomacy initiatives relies and foster the development of local partnerships. The EU is proud of the partnerships put in place around the world and thanks the efforts and continuous support of professors, students, journalists, teachers, artists, civil society organizations members, local authorities, businessmen and women groups who foster the people-to-people contacts between the EU and the rest of the world.
Some of the EU’s flagship global initiatives and regional initiatives, as well as local initiatives organised by the Delegations of the European Union around the world, are presented below.
Global initiatives
- The EU Visitors Programme (EUVP) provides tailor-made study visits to meet Members of the European Parliament, officials from the EU Institutions, and other EU stakeholders. The EUVP’s distinguished Alumni include many former and current national political leaders, high-ranking government officials, academics and business people. Established in 1974 and has since then been jointly managed by the European Parliament and the European Commission. In close cooperation with EU Delegations throughout the world, the EUVP invites young political leaders and opinion-formers. They come from countries and international organisations outside the EU.
- The Cultural Relations Platform: supports international cultural relations and cooperation between European and global cultural and creative sectors. The platform organises an annual Global Cultural Relations Programme, gathering 40 young cultural leaders and professionals from around the world every year.
- The EU Alumni Engagement Initiative allows engaging with Alumni of a variety of EU programmes and to facilitate online and offline networking.
- The Youth Sounding Board is a space for young people to have an influence on the EU’s external action through its international partnerships. Playing an advisory role to both Commissioner Urpilainen and the Directorate-General for International Partnerships, the Board will help make EU action more participatory, relevant and effective for young people in EU partner countries, across all political priorities.
- The EU Film Festival support project supports the organisation of EU Film Festivals around the world by providing a list of new movies that may be used for local film festivals and facilitates the organisation of side events and trainings to foster dialogue and mutual understanding with local audiences and partners.
- The Jean Monnet Activities are designed to promote excellence in teaching and research in the field of European Union studies worldwide as part of the Erasmus+ programme. Many universities and researchers in Europe and around the word countries benefit of a Jean Monnet Grant. The activities also foster the dialogue between the academic world and policy-makers, in particular with the aim of enhancing governance of EU policies. Key activities include: Teaching and Research (Jean Monnet Modules, Chairs and Centres of Excellence) and Policy debate with the Academic World (Jean Monnet Networks and Jean Monnet Projects).
- The Erasmus+ programme provides opportunities also for organisations outside the EU, which can take part in selected actions of the Erasmus+ programme.
- The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions under the Horizon Europe research programme provides opportunities to develop Doctoral Networks, Postdoctoral Fellowships, Staff Exchanges, international programmes and to bring researchers closer to the public at large.
- Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation with a budget of €95.5 billion. It tackles climate change, helps to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and boosts the EU’s competitiveness and growth. The programme facilitates collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting and implementing EU policies while tackling global challenges. It supports creating and better dispersing of excellent knowledge and technologies.
- The European Youth Portal offers young people information on engagement opportunities in Europe and beyond.
- The European Union also participates in major global Public Diplomacy initiatives such as World Expositions as it was the case at World EXPO2020.
Regional initiatives
- The AU-EU Youth Hub is a multi-stakeholder platform, with Youth at its core, seeking to test new approaches in the African Union-European Union partnership.
- The Young Mediterranean Voices is the flagship EU-funded programme for intercultural dialogue, aimed to amplify youth voice in policy-making as global actors of change across Europe and the Southern Mediterranean region.
- The Young European Ambassadors (Eastern Neighbourhood) is a non-political, voluntary, vibrant communication network connecting and building bridges of friendship among young people from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and the EU Member States and the United Kingdom. The aim of the network is to raise awareness about the EU’s cooperation with its Eastern partner countries, showcase the tangible results of this cooperation, contribute to policy dialogue on various topics, help increase civic activism and work together for a better future.
- The Young European Ambassador (Western Balkans) is a team of 180 young leaders from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. They come from different backgrounds, but all are interested in learning about the European Union’s values, connecting and engaging with their peers both online and offline, pursuing their talents and passions and being the voices of their generation.
Local Initiatives
European Union Delegations around the world regularly organise Public Diplomacy activities involving youth, students, academics, think tanks, business organisations, these include:
- Study visits and training for young journalists and diplomats;
- Exhibitions, Education Fairs, Roadshows;
- Think Tanks Twinning;
- Civil society exchanges;
- Business exchanges;
- Cultural festival and exchanges;
- Competitions;
- Networking events;
- Lectures, Conferences, Round-table discussions on key global challenges.
A good conversation starts by listening
Dialogue, co-creation and trust
European Union’s Public Diplomacy initiatives around the world are based on dialogue, co-creation and trust. For this reason, we regularly carry out opinion polls in order to better understand the perception of the EU and of EU’s policies abroad and develop initiatives that are more interesting for our local audiences, partners and stakeholders.
One of the latest studies is the “Update of the study: Analysis of the Perception of the EU and EU Policies abroad” (2022) covering Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, Republic of Korea and the US. The key themes and sub-themes analysed in the study include: economy and trade; politics; normative aspects; climate and the environment; energy; research, science and technology; development and assistance; social; culture; and health.
The results of the study, which was carried out by independent organisations, are publicly available and show broad support for European Union engagement in foreign affairs.
The consortium that carried out the study was led by B&S Europe, the assignment implemented by the team of PPMI (Public Policy Management Institute) in close cooperation with experts from Public Diplomacy and Political Communication Forum (PD-PCF), University of Canterbury (UC).
- Executive Summary Main report;
- Country Reports;
- Annexes (literature review, comparative public opinion survey report, comparative traditional media report, comparative social media report, comparative focus group report, list of webinars and trainings and list of partner organizations).
- One pager on the preparation of the update of the study "Analysis of the Perception of the EU and EU policies abroad" - 2021.
Zusätzliche Informationen
Do you have questions or suggestions about the Public Diplomacy initiatives in a specific country? Reach out to the EU Delegation’s team in the country here.
Do you have questions or suggestions related to the content of this page? Contact the Public Diplomacy team.
Culture – Implementing EU international cultural relations
In most Member States, Cultural Diplomacy is since long established as a valuable component of the diplomatic toolbox. By contrast, it is a fairly recent addition to the EU’s set of instruments.
Find all about it here.
Tackling disinformation: Work of the EEAS Strategic Communication division and its task forces
Since 2015, the EEAS has been working on tackling foreign disinformation, information manipulation and interference and on strengthening its strategic communications in the Eastern Partnership, the Southern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans.
Find all about it here.
EU External Action Campaigns
Several campaigns are launched throughout the year to raise awareness to different topics and encouraging visitors to further explore EU’s actions on the ground.
Explore all EEAS campaigns here.