Cristina Vanberghen  

Tweeting mostly on EU Policies Areas 

Based on my academic, legal, and diplomatic background, I tweet mainly on EU and international politics and legal affairs – covering a wide range of topics – from agriculture to migration, foreign policy to defence, security to artificial intelligence. I am trying to explain the positive side of the EU policies and make these more relevant to the citizens. I also tweet to disrupt populist attitudes towards Europe by providing practical, evidence-based information and in general connecting with citizens all over the world. 

Connecting  

For me, tweeting is an opportunity to connect with extraordinary people from different age groups, cultures, countries, backgrounds, and social classes by 

• providing essential insights on the latest EU policies and initiating challenging discussions,  
• listening to their views and concerns and follow back, 
• sharing my practical knowledge and experience on European affairs while showing what I really am, in my action or when dealing with my local community, my region, my city, my family as well as at international level. 

Strengthening a civic engagement in the EU 

By tweeting, my purpose is to communicate and finally to encourage a civic engagement towards EU, connect people to ongoing events, actions, policies as a reaction to their daily challenges and insecurities relating to the recovery, EU security, migration, regional cohesion, mobility in EU etc. 

Tweeting is a kind of active listening …listening carefully to the voice of global citizens, and the focus is to communicate “user-friendly” so that they can derive full knowledge about the advantages and opportunities that Europa offers.    

My preference for tweeting on EU policies? 

Europe needs a history but even more, needs to be loved and in order to be loved, it should be understood and in order to be understood, it should be explained… every day.  

I was professionally born in Brussels, and I think that it is my responsibility as a professor, senior advisor to communicate and explain Europe. I am not paid to think European I just love Europe. This is the reason for which I take responsibility to explain Europe, and how its policies affect citizens everyday lives. 

I believe that if more academics and politicians will teach Europe with the heart, Europe will be even more loved and consequently profoundly improved, generating more active citizen participation, and more projects of life… 

My approach of tweeting: tweeting with humour. 

Regardless of if I am tweeting for personal or professional issues, I use humour. I want every tweet to be an enjoyable experience reflecting my humour, my willingness to self-disclose, to give honest feedback, and to take responsibility for my thoughts and feelings.  

Tweeting during the pandemic 

I think that the pandemic had a big impact on our way of communication – it was like thawing permafrost or melting glaciers and rising our communication like the sea levels. I, myself, was surprised of my willingness, not only to provide more information, but to give honest and direct feedback. In addition, I took responsibility for my owns thoughts and tweets while voicing questions and suggestions, while having the opportunity to cement my relationship with my followers! I shall say I am lucky to be followed by extraordinary people, and proud to know many of them. 

My 5 trends/approaches I use when tweeting: 

I am trying to stimulate a civic engagement towards Europe and its policies by using the following 5 trends:

1. Discussing social issues and explaining how I discuss them at home with my children. 

2. Discussions regarding politics in order to inspire future civic engagements for youth. 

3. Conveying a challenging vision. 

4. Get involved in my local community to stimulate a new approach to the protection of environment.  

5. Deconstruct beliefs by providing arguments