Information Flow and Communication Deficit: Perceptions of Brussels-Based Correspondents and EU Officials

This study contributes to the debate on the European Union (EU) ‘communication deficit’ by assessing EU-media relations.

Previous literature has examined the way EU institutions interface with journalists, but tells us little about potential differences between these institutions’ communication performance. Moreover, research tends to address the main actors of this process, Brussels-based correspondents and EU officials, separately. Drawing on interviews with both groups, we established a direct comparison of their perceptions on (1) the press work of each EU institution; (2) the interaction between EU institutions; and (3) their own informal contacts. Results show that specific communicative patterns are aroused from the various institutions, the EU inter-institutional cooperation is negatively evaluated, and non-official information channels are a key asset for communicating in Brussels. Adopting a broader standpoint, our findings reveal that long-standing EU structural and organisational deficiencies might be enduring the ‘communication deficit’.