Evaluating city public diplomacy
effectiveness in the EU Cities is becoming more and more significant as
political players on the international stage. Globalization, and the decentralization
it entails, allows them to intervene in debate on issues that formerly were
reserved for states. Europe participates in this global trend and furthers it
thanks to the community government multilevel system. Particularly, European
Institutions have become more aware of the benefits of working directly with
the local level and are open to dialogue and interaction with municipalities,
making the prominence and influence of the cities in Europe noteworthy at the
present time.
There are more than thirty different city
networks working in a wide range of policy areas: environment, development,
employment, and social inclusion, to name a few. One sign of appreciation of
the work overtaken by these networks is the Covenant of Mayors: a platform
launched by the European Commission to endorse and support the ongoing efforts
deployed by local authorities in the implementation of sustainable energy
policies. This initiative is coordinated and managed by city networks that
provide signatories with administrative support and technical guidance
facilitate networking between stakeholders and ensures the promotion of their
activities. Cities engage in these networks and activities voluntarily, which
highlights the importance of the networks' advocacy and persuasion strategies.
This sort of communication activities in
the international arena is clearly framed within the New Public Diplomacy
paradigm. In addition, there is growing proof of the conceptual and practical
connections between Public Relations (PR) and Public Diplomacy. N accordance
with this trend, the present study would like to show how the PR Relational
Theory offers valid conceptual tools that can help evaluate city network public
diplomacy. That is, to identify the most effective procedures for city networks
to influence other cities and EU decision-making at the European level.