Ian Thomson has been working as an information professional, editor, trainer and consultant in the area of the EU and information and communication for forty years.
For the last twenty five years the EU Institutions, national governments and other stakeholders have been pursuing an intermittent debate on the degree of disconnect between EU citizens and the EU. EP Election results, various referendums and public opinion surveys, plus the rising evidence of Euroscepticism in some Member States indicate the challenge.
In response the EU Institutions have launched many initiatives attempting to bridge the disconnect and increase transparency in EU policy making. The new European Commission under Jean-Claude Juncker has seen a number of new initiatives suggesting a renewed focus on these issues. Also worthy of note is the activism of the new European Ombudsman.

The seminar will discuss these initiatives and their impact under the themes:

•EU information and communication policy
•Connecting with citizens – Participatory democracy initiatives
•Making the EU more transparent – European Transparency Initiative –
Access to documents – Lobbying
•New forms of communication – social media – European Public Sphere
•Better regulation – Better, simpler and more accessible legislation
Co-sponsored with the Center for International Legal Education and the University Library System