Communication has been a significant issue for the Commission and other EU institutions since the Danes voted ‘nej’ to the Treaty on European Union in 1992.

Public criticism of the incomprehensible nature, not only of the Treaty text, but also of the structure, processes and policies of the Union, provided the impetus for a new information and communication policy, based on transparency and openness. Information was suddenly seen not only as something of interest to businesses and students, but to citizens generally.

Following Denmark's rejection, President Mitterand had said "we forgot to talk to the people". Desperate to fill the gap, the Union eagerly grasped the opportunities provided by the internet or, more precisely, by the world wide web. In February 1995 the Commission's Europa server was launched at a G7 meeting to demonstrate the potential of the internet for information provision. It was launched as a public service in 1996 and is now one of the busiest websites in the world.

Further information on the development of EU information and communication policy can be found in EU information: past, present and future.

You might also find these articles of interest: Co-operation between EDCs on the national level - examples from the United Kingdom and From little acorns … the origins of the European Information Association