VDL 2.1: Single Voice, Fragmented Audience, Weak Reception

In an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape, the European Commission faces the challenge of turning diversity into a strength, building an inclusive narrative that brings Europeans together around the values that make collective action possible.

The purpose of this report is to analyse the public conversation surrounding the European Union’s strategic priorities and how the European Commission communicates them over the first year of the new mandate, in an increasingly complex environment.

Drawing on artificial intelligence and big-data techniques applied to institutional, media and social sources, we explore this question from three complementary angles:

• Institutional communication: what is the Commission saying to the European society at such a critical juncture and how is it saying it?
• Media coverage: do the media in the Member States contribute to consolidating, amplifying, o fragmenting the social conversation around the EU’s strategic priorities?
• Social conversation: what are the main concerns that emerge in citizens’ conversation?

Our preliminary findings suggest that the significant fragmentation of Europe’s public conversation—a result both of the Union’s inherent diversity and the uncertainty of the current context—places clear limits on the substantial effort the Commission has made since 2024 to convey a cohesive narrative centred on competitiveness.