The Washington Delegation is central to the European Union's Public Diplomacy in the United States. As the European Union's permanent representation, it communicates the EU's policies, goals and values to policymakers, media representatives and the American public.

The Delegation's Public Diplomacy mission is a key priority within the context of the wider strategic importance of the EU-US partnership. The United States and Europe have the largest bilateral trade and investment relationship in the world, but the relationship goes well beyond economic ties. Both partners share the opportunities and responsibilities of an increasingly more interdependent world. In order to deepen and expand these fundamental relations continuously and make the partnership even more productive, it is important that we engage with each other on all levels of our societies. It is important that we continue to learn about one another: how our political, economic and social systems function and how we make decisions that advance our common goals.

The Delegation has been involved in Public Diplomacy in the US for almost 50 years, but the breadth of transatlantic policy issues today makes public diplomacy even more important. The Delegation created the Press & Public Diplomacy (PPD) Section in January 2006 as it seeks to coordinate all activities aimed at increasing the knowledge of the EU in the United States and enhancing EU/US relations.

The Press and Public Diplomacy team's communication activities reach out to officials, the media and the public.

The PPD section maintains close contact with all US media (see Press Team), and it coordinates a wide range of activities and products designed to enhance awareness and understanding of the European Union among the American public.

EU Insight: Engaging the World: The EU’s Public Diplomacy (July 2010)

The Delegation's Public Diplomacy activities include:

• Washington Delegation Press Room

• Press Team

• Regional Outreach

• Public Information Services

• Information Products

• European Union Visitors Program (EUVP)

• EU Centers of Excellence

• Internship Program

• Alumni Relations

Information Products

EU Focus and EU Insight

EU Focus is a newsletter and EU Insight is an issue brief that the Washington European Union Delegation has launched in an effort to inform Americans better on EU actions and positions in key policy areas.

To be included on the mailing list for future issues, please submit your contact information to: EU Focus/EU Insight.

EU NewsBriefs

EU NewsBriefs constitute the Washington European Union Delegation's electronic alert service. EU NewsBriefs are issued as news breaks on the following topic areas:

Agriculture
Consumer Protection
Counterterrorism/Homeland Security
Energy
Environment
Finance/Economics
Foreign Policy
Health
International Development
R&D/Technology
Trade
Transportation.

To subscribe to receive EU NewsBriefs, please click here.

Photos, Video, Audio Clips & More

Video footage (with natural sound) of EU events and activities is available to broadcast producers from our Audiovisual Office. 

Photos, Videos, Audio Clips, etc. may be downloaded directly without charge from the European Commission Audiovisual Library website (http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/home/index_en.cfm).

Publishers may also contact our Audiovisual Office for slides, CDs, prints and a camera-ready EU logo. 

Special requests and inquiries should be directed to: COMM-AUDIOVISUAL@ec.europa.eu . 

Audiovisual Service
Communication Directorate General
European Commission
Tel.: 011-322-295-7577
Fax: 011-322-299-9012

Regional Outreach

The Delegation provides speakers for specific events (including, occasionally, at the Delegation premises) on a wide range of topics covering European Union political integration, economic and monetary integration, enlargement and EU-US political and trade relations. It also organizes comprehensive speaking tours in the United States for EU officials. Such tours include presentations before political, business, civic and academic audiences as well as press and media interviews.

Summer International Career Orientation Program Members, Universidad Pontificia Comillas de Madrid, Visit the Washington Delegation

Speakers include Delegation staff members, officials of the EU institutions and European politicians. Requests for speakers should be made directly to the Outreach Services Office, preferably two months in advance. Payment of travel and lodging expenses is requested. Honoraria are not accepted.

For more information, please contact:

Outreach Office
European Union Delegation
2175 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
Phone (202) 862-9532 or (202) 862-9538
FAX (202) 429-1766
E-mail: laurence.moreaux@ec.europa.eu .

Public Information Services

Public Inquiries/Library Services

Public Inquiries answers online, mail, fax and e-mail inquiries about the EU, its legislation, policies, statistics and publications.

Limited supplies of free EU publications are available for distribution at conferences, seminars or other EU related events. At least three weeks' notice is required. Teachers may request multiple copies of these publications for classroom use.

EU Depository Libraries in the United States

The European Union has established a network of libraries across the US to give Americans access to many of its official publications. All depositories automatically receive, free of charge, one copy of most EU periodical and monograph publications. The collections are available to the public during each library's regular hours of operation, free of charge and without any conditions. Many of the libraries also offer interlibrary loan services.

The official publications contain information ranging from policy developments in all sectors of EU activity to statistics on trade, demographics, agriculture, transport, energy and economic indicators.

Of particular importance is the Official Journal of the European Union, the approximate equivalent of the US Federal Register. The "C" section of the Official Journal includes important notices and other information; the "C E" electronic (only) section contains proposed legislation; the "C A" section contains special annexes to legislation and notices of competitions for EU employment; the "L" section has the final texts of legislation. Annual indices and the Directory of Community Legislation in Force provide subject and numeric reference access to legislation. Depository collections routinely receive the "C" and "L" sections and indices and may receive the "C A" section by request. The "C E" section is available on EUR-Lex--the portal to EU law--as are all versions of the Official Journal from 1998 to present free of charge. Depositories also hold the legislative proposals and communications of the Commission in their original "COM" document form, as well as reports and debates of the European Parliament (also available on EUROPARL), opinions of the European Economic and Social Committee and decisions of the Court of Justice (also available on Curia). European Documentation Centres elsewhere in the world may be found here.

Publications Sales

The European Union has official sales agents who handle sales of and subscriptions to publications and documents.

European Union Visitors Program

The European Union Visitors Program (EUVP) invites young leaders from countries outside the European Union to visit Europe to gain a first-hand appreciation of the EU's goals, policies and peoples and to increase mutual understanding among professionals from non-EU countries and their EU counterparts.

Internship Program

The Delegation of the European Union offers internship positions at its office in Washington, DC.