ENEST regional communication programme (2027-2031)

The European Union's engagement with partner countries has gained renewed strategic importance in response to the evolving geopolitical environment and the renewed momentum of the enlargement process. The programme covers partner countries at different stages of their relationship with the European Union, requiring communication approaches that reflect their respective political contexts, policy priorities and communication needs. Communication challenges differ by the fact that public awareness of the European Union's support remains uneven across the region. While the European Union is the largest donor, investor and trading partner for most partner countries, public understanding of the scale and impact of EU support, as well as of the accession process itself, remains limited. Recent perception surveys carried out under the regional communication programmes show that many citizens are insufficiently informed about the European Union's policies, financial assistance and priorities. Against this background, strategic communication has become an integral part of the European Union's engagement with partner countries. Previous regional communication programmes have successfully increased the visibility of the European Union, developed valuable communication tools and established networks of partners and multipliers across the region. The future programme will continue this effort and adopt a more strategic and service-oriented approach in supporting DG ENEST and EU Delegations communicating the European Union's priorities across partner countries. The programme will provide communication campaigns and products, strengthen engagement with key multipliers, improve the visibility of EU support, generate communication intelligence and audience insights, and offer flexible communication services that can be mobilised in response to operational needs. This approach will ensure greater coherence across partner countries while allowing communication activities to be adapted to national contexts and emerging geopolitical developments.