Promoting a presidency

The multi-faceted communication strategy of last year’s Cyprus presidency of the EU

Part of an event celebrating the presidency

 

The communications function of the Cyprus presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second semester of 2012 was a massive communication challenge, not least because Cyprus was burdened with stereotypes (some fair, some unfair) which were thrown into relief by the Eurozone crisis and the related crisis of confidence in the EU. Our communication strategy was to keep it simple and to whatever necessary really well. To this end we made it a priority to listen to our partners in the communication sphere (mainly the media and our colleagues in the EU institutions and member states) and to make their job as easy as possible. We aimed at all times to show alacrity and flexibility and to solve problems as they arose.

Eleonora Gavrielides

Dr Eleonora Gavrielides has been director of the press and information office for the Republic of Cyprus since 2009, and served on the Board of Directors of the Cyprus News Agency from 2002 to 2012. She is the Chairwoman of the Cyprus Film Board. She is an active member of the Club of Venice, an informal EU group of Government communication directors, and represents the Republic of Cyprus in numerous meetings in the EU and the Council of Europe as communications expert. She is the author of several publications on Turkish affairs and a collection of poems in Greek and English.