FCO launches interactive guide to the EU

New Media Age - 03 July 2006

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is launching an interactive guide to the European Union for the 85% of British citizens who claim they need it.

The official body is releasing a 60-second animated video clip at europe.gov.uk, created by brand and digital media shop Rufus Leonard, to explain the EU in simple terms. The guide represents the first time animation has been used on the government site and is the result of a recent Eurobarometer survey that claimed 85% of the UK's population has poor, if any, knowledge of the EU, its institution and functions.

The guide features a camper van travelling across the continent taking in key sites, accompanied by a voiceover explaining facts about EU countries, how the EU works and its impact on our lives in the UK. Visitors are then invited to express their views on issues regarding the future of Europe.

The site has been developed to make information and services easily available to non-specialist audiences as part of its public engagement and diplomacy programme.