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WORTH J. - Online Communications in EU Policy-Making (8h)

On Wednesday 29 September (14:30 to 18:30) and Thursday 30 September (8:30 to 12:30), the workshop "Online Communications in EU Policy-Making” will be delivered by Prof Jon WORTH. The workshop is organised by the European Political and Governance Studies Department.

Rationale

Policy making in the European Union is opening up online, and policy makers are using social media as a means to communicate with their peers, with journalists and with a wider interested public. This poses a fascinating challenge to the traditional institutional structure of the European Union, redefining insiders and outsiders, breaking down the geographic aspect of the 'Brussels bubble' and prioritising new actors who can navigate the complex system of online debate about the European Union. Examples such as ACTA, Right 2 Water, the neonicotinoids pesticides ban, and controversies about TTIP, already show the importance of online communications in EU policy making, while the considerable online presence of politicians such as Neelie Kroes (the pioneer in the Commission), Margrethe Vestager or Tiemo Wölken demonstrates how a major online network can be a useful base of power in EU decision making. Graduates from the College of Europe are going to encounter this environment the moment they start in the labour market in Brussels, either within an institution or in an interest representation or campaign organisation. This course is designed with this in mind – to equip the students with the necessary practical skills, rooted in a wider intellectual framework, to be able to be confident and able participants in online policy making and advocacy within the EU environment. It will also be a useful foundation for the blogging and platform used in the Simulation Game in the politics department.

Format

The Seminar would be split into 4 sections. The first will set the intellectual context of online policy making within the EU. This would draw on the intellectual work of Manuel Castells on communications and networks, Clay Shirky on citizen mobilisation online (credible commitment), and the tensions between privacy and openness. Sections 2 and 3 will be dedicated to an online practical exercise that would be worked on by teams of students representing different players in the online environment in Brussels (Commission, Parliament, campaigners, industry associations, journalists). This exercise would be a case study based on a recent example of legislation that has passed through the EU institutions. Section 4 will comprise feedback from the exercise, and practical tips for online engagement from the students themselves.