New Book on European Public Diplomacy

The EU devotes too little attention to outreach with citizens in other parts of the world. The contributors to this Palgrave-Macmillan book edited by Mai’a Davis Cross and Jan Melissen believe that communicating Europe outside the EU will become increasingly important to Europeans and to business interests.  

European Public Diplomacy shows how the European region encompasses multiple levels of public diplomacy: subnational, national, transnational and supranational. This new book enhances our understanding through a multifaceted exploration of the European case. In doing so, it fills an important gap in the international relations literature on the mechanisms behind soft power.

Praise for European Public Diplomacy

"This edited volume provides a highly contextualized and granular analysis of European Union public diplomacy. Amid the overly-pessimistic literature about the future of the European project, Cross and Melissen have mobilized a wide range of contributions that highlight the advances made in the building of practical expressions of EU soft power. Embedded in the expanding body of comparative literature, with a focus on identity, narratives and norms, this first-rate volume provides rich detail about the external face of European regionalism, with all its attractive, albeit uneven, features." - Andrew F. Cooper, Professor, the Balsillie School of International Affairs and the Department of Political Science, and Director, Centre for Studies on Rapid Global Change, University ofWaterloo, Canada.

"The European Union is an actor of growing importance in international politics, yet its role and impact is poorly understood by scholars and publics alike. This fine volume brings together a diverse group of thoughtful analysts to explore the various ways in which the EU has projected its unique brand of soft power across a range of domestic, regional and international settings. The EU's public diplomacy as outlined here will surprise readers in its extent and consequences." - Kathleen R. McNamara, Associate Professor, Georgetown University, USA.

"This is a first-rate collection of essays that adds greatly to our understanding of the EU's record in the field of public diplomacy. It will draw much-deserved new attention to this overlooked field of study, and give new clarity to the much-maligned role of the EU as a global actor." - John McCormick, Professor, Indiana University, Indianapolis, USA.

“This is a timely book on a subject of critical importance. Anyone interested in public diplomacy will find much useful material and interesting views here. This is an important attempt to discuss almost all aspects of European public diplomacy.” – Haibing Zhang, Executive Director, Institute for World Economy Studies, Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS), China.