Risk and Crisis Communication in the EU

2026-07-22

The purpose of this project is to raise awareness of the crisis management capacities at the EU level with emphasis on the role of risk and crisis communication by various EU actors in responding to crises and disasters. Risk and crisis communication has been an ignored issue in Jean Monnet research and teaching activities. Hence, the objectives of this project are to shed light on the critical role of crisis and risk communication of various EU actors such as state authorities, public leaders, citizens, victims, and NGOs and to encourage interdisciplinary debate on the ways member states can communicate in times of crises to increase coordination between authorities, to alert, to enhance citizens’ self-efficacy, to reduce risk, to avoid reputational damage, and finally build community resilience. Towards this end, three new undergraduate courses (EU Crisis Management Capabilities and Mechanisms; Crisis Frames: Towards A European Perspective; Emerging Technologies in Crisis Communication) will be developed and the content of one existing undergraduate course titled “Crisis Communication and Conflict Management'' will be enriched. These courses will be directed primarily to higher education students in Greece who are pursuing a degree in Communication and Digital Media possessing limited knowledge in EU studies. Moreover, the courses will also be open to students of other Schools of the University of Western Macedonia, as well as civil servants, professionals, members of NGOs organizations, journalists, and citizens. In addition, one academic conference (with conference proceedings) will be organized to spread knowledge and expertise about crisis communication practices of various actors in Europe and four dissemination events will be conducted to reach out to a wider public. A website and social media channels will also be developed to disseminate scientific information about crisis communication to various audiences.

Greece

2025-12-15