Public Affairs 2.0

Not content with leaving YouTube to iJules, the weirdos and Euronews, the European Commission has decided to get in on the act. The EU’s Communicator in Chief Margot Wallstrom issued a press release trumpeting the arrival of EU tube on Friday 29 June. Dedicated to “sharing the sites and sounds of Europe”, the channel “aims to present new and innovative ways of informing people on the activities of the European Union through video clips that illustrate the main issues facing citizens from across the 27 member states” according to the Commission’s succinct and somewhat tardy press release (the videos were all added three weeks ago according to YouTube).

One video reminds at least some of us of why we came to Brussels in the first place by replaying the history of the construction of the European edifice. Not so, a Polish YouTube contributor Zbigniew, who asks pensively “Is this vid a joke?”.

More interestingly, the Irish lilt on the video seems familiar from the EPP Web TV, could it be that the Irish (and EPP presenter Eimear O’Mahoney) have a monopoly on all voice overs for institutional videos? It seems that Sarkozy’s attack on free and undistorted competition in the internal market has already reached the institutions.

More interactive fun can be expected from the Commission over the coming months according to their work programme, which highlights a decision on a pilot project that will see national and regional parliamentarians link up over cyberspace to discover more about the EU. October will also see a Communication (policy document) that will set out how the EU’s mammoth website Europa will be developed in the future.