EU Accession and the Opportunities for PR

Marking the occasion in the Czech Republic

On May 1, ten distinctive countries and 75 million citizens joined the EU zone, a move that presents great communications challenges.

To assess the state of public relations in each market, and the opportunities for communications professionals, Weber Shandwick surveyed its network of offices in the accession countries. The report, Eastern Promise: The post-enlargement European communications climate, looks at the economic, industrial, political and media contexts of each of the ten ascendants to the EU.

According to the report, the new EU countries are likely to see a higher rate of economic growth than other EU members, creating opportunities for consumer marketing. In addition, companies are expected to increasingly require professional corporate reputation management and strategic services as they operate on a pan regional basis. Expanding businesses in the region will have to communicate with local and international investors, employees and unions, as well as local, national and regional governments and organisations.

They will also have to deal with the complex media environment that emerged from the post-communist era and is changing rapidly as it opens to foreign ownership and competition.

The new members of the European Union saw their public relations industries sprout in the aftermath of communism and grow rapidly in the 1990s, nourished by privatisation and exposure to international markets and ownership. The report finds that PR is generally respected in the region, particularly as it has contributed to important aspects of public affairs in the development of the new nations.

It’s clear that EU enlargement will bring a plethora of opportunities and challenges that will require the support of a plugged-in, professional communications network operating across the whole region.

To view a copy of the report, please click here.

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