It’s very interesting from a communication point of view, to analyses the books written by Dan Brown. The impact of ‘The Da Vinci Code’ was huge, and the controversies born from it exceed the scope of the traditional literature circles and critics. Brown managed to create a discussion about Da Vinci’s oeuvre that could not have [...]

Guest Post by Dan Luca When it comes to involve and engage citizens in the decision-making process on a European level, there is confusion about terminology. Some see “asking the interested citizens what they prefer” as active public participation. It is not: “asking the interested citizen” falls under consultation. Consultation is a top-down professional or [...]

Guest post by Dan Luca The communication strategy of the EU institutions needs to be constructed and adapted in order to really connect with the citizens. People want to know what is going on, but they will focus on issues that are most important to them personally. It is therefore imperative to not annoy anyone [...]

This article has been sent to Blogactiv by Dr Dan Luca, expert in EU Communication Techniques. Successful European integration requires more than the implementation of efficient institutions and the harmonization of national and European policy making. It also involves processes of communication and the appearance of public sphere that allows citizens to get involved in [...]

The heat is on in the debate on Europe. Across different member states, the intensity and type of manifestations varies substantially. In the UK, MEPs even decided to dress up as chickens. This to protest against the European Parliament ‘disallowing a popular vote’ on the Lisbon Treaty. But could the chickens not be ostriches in [...]

The Plan D final conference was for me an interesting experience, as I could witness an enthusiastic debate by ordinary citizens who had debated European issues already before they came to Brussels. Thus they were already a little bit better informed as the average citizen. It was interesting to see that these citizens not only [...]

A few days before the signature of the Lisbon Treaty, participants of the Plan D Citizen’s Project have called for a more social Europe that takes a more consistent approach to migration issues, teaches democracy and citizenship in schools and fosters diversity while it recognises common European values. In an Open letter to the EU [...]

According to Joël de Rosnay, interviewed about his new book, The Pronetarian Revolution: “Internet and especially the Web 2.0 allow the reinvention of participative methods founded on new relational technologies that could be of interest to the big institutions – notably European … [You can] Trust the “Long Tail” of pronetarians to find innovative ways [...]

A recent article on the BBC got me thinking: Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price has won the British Computer Society’s best MP website award. His site, which can be used by both English and Welsh speakers, was considered “an outstanding example” of design, engagement and accessibility. He has a blog, too, and like most people/organisations has [...]