It hopes that the proposals for simpler legislation and greater openness will counter what is seen as growing alienation and distrust among the union's citizens.

European Commission President Romano Prodi wants to "reconnect" with the public by cutting red tape, speeding up EU legislation and demonstrating the Commission does a valuable job.

A series of opinion polls has shown that ordinary people know little and care less about the EU, a disregard highlighted by Ireland's recent rejection of the Nice Treaty on EU enlargement.

How can the EU become closer to the people? Does it need to?

This debate is now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

Your reaction

How much democracy went into setting up those institutions

Nick, London, UK

There seems to be some assumption when people in the UK complain that Brussels is "taking away our powers" that we have much to lose in the first place. The Tube, Foot-and-Mouth, The Dome, Railtrack, British Telecom, The House of Lords , The Monarchy... how much democracy went into setting up those institutions, and how much power do we exercise in their running now? Britain and every other country is run by an elected dictatorship comprised of a two-party system, and nothing really changes whoever gets in. We just applaud or boo loudly after five years.
Nick, London, UK

Can I dispel a myth here? I work for the European Commission. I pay income tax and all other taxes like every other EU citizen. Income tax is levied at rates from 8% to 45% and rises quickly. I pay far more in tax than I would in the UK. I also pay health insurance and pension contributions to my employer. I pay VAT at 21% on everything I buy and all local taxes due on my property. I live in Belgium because I like it here and at the end of the day it is more relaxed and cheaper than in the UK. Anyone in the UK can get a job wherever they want in the EU. This is one of the EU's achievements. To get my job, I sat a very stiff public examination with a pass rate of 3% of all candidates who sit the exam (I am a translator from 7 languages). I would get paid more in a large international organisation or if I were a British diplomat posted abroad or a member of NATO staff. I do not consider myself a burden on "ordinary" taxpayers, indeed I have never worked so hard in life as I have at the Commission.

Before that I worked in the UK and then Germany. Stop complaining and do something constructive to improve your lot if you are unhappy with your life! And if you want information about the EU, it is available online. For years, British politicians of all hues have used the EU as a punch bag to divert attention from their own failures and now we see the result in the so-called gap between the public and the EU. It is hardly surprising, but information about all the work being done is available at the click of a mouse if you are interested in finding out.
John, UK, writing from Belgium

Why do all pro-EU people assume that those of us who dislike it as an institution are ill-informed, xenophobic and right wing? Such assumptions are just a substitute for rational argument. In my view a "more democratic" EU would make it even worse. Do we really want to be ruled by a Euro Parliament in which we have 10% of the members? The EU was born out of fear of another European conflict and some would even claim that it (rather than NATO) achieved this during the past 50 years. Now it will be the cause of the next conflict because it is too large and disparate to be democratic and is destructive of individual countries' democracies by excessive regulation, driven largely by Germany and France and acquiesced in by our own Governments who are afraid to "miss the train", "not be at the heart of Europe", "lack influence" and all the other garbage we are fed.
Chris Gutch, UK

1. Return powers to elected national governments. 2. Abolish the wasteful talking shop known as the European Parliament. 3. Allow all states to have opt-outs from any future treaties. 4. All nations must have referendums before entering the euro and before any treaty is agreed. 5. Announce that the limits of political and economic integration have been reached as to go further would be undemocratic.
James Wild, UK

Maybe it should improve rather than just improve its image? Stop mucking about with political union and get back to a free trade club! By all means the European leaders should meet and arrange policy for things such as the ESA and to present effective opposition to the US's sillier ideas but it doesn't need a parliament (especially not one with no powers) and it doesn't need a common currency!
Daniel Wright, UK

Either the EU wants to survive or it doesn't. If it doesn't then the current muddle will achieve that end soon enough. If the EU does want to survive it needs to become more politically neutral (less social engineering, scrap the CAP and so on) and more accountable. If an EU regulation costs a business money, the business should be able to sue the EU for compensation. And directly elected commissioners, not appointed "jobsworths", would make a huge difference.
Guy Chapman, UK

Lack of information is not the fault of EU

Tridiv Borah, Germany/India

I am compelled to voice my dissent here lest the readers take the anti-EU views of the Brits and the Americans as the legitimate views of the EU population. Firstly, the EU is popular among its citizens. I live in Germany where EU is thought of as their own. I can say the same for the Netherlands, France and few other countries. Secondly, the reason for this popularity is the serious efforts made by the respective governments to inform their citizens. So lack of information is not the fault of EU, its the ambiguous position of the British government on EU. Thirdly, there is something un-sincere about people/governments who do not contribute to creating, but criticise from sidelines what others are trying to create. It is even sinister since they keep their options open to benefit from the efforts of the people they criticise.

Fourthly, to the ill-informed US commentator who thinks that EU threatens national identity: the European national identities are much deeper that just territory, governance and trade. That national identity which is threatened by EU, must be already in deep crisis. Finally, if you just step outside Europe, anyone will realise what a historic, momentous efforts are being made to overcome the narrow boundaries of the nation-state and toward creating real "world citizens". I say, please bring in more EUs in Asia, in Africa, and in Latin America to create a more tolerant world and as answers to narrow nationalist sentiments
Tridiv Borah, Germany/India

Why assume there is anything wrong with the image? The image of EU institutions is perfectly consistent with their reality - undemocratic, corrupt, wasteful and unaccountable. The whole EU experiment should be scrapped.
Bilal Patel, London, UK

The EU will continue to be supported by European politicians as long as it remains a "club" for these politicians in their own retirement. The reward for loyal service of politicians of all parties throughout Europe is to be given a middle/senior executive position within one of the EU departments. No wonder it has lost all credibility as an organisation.
John Gant, UK

Yes the EU needs to overhauls its image - the problem is how to make things understandable for a general population who would rather sit back and watch Big Brother and want little more than something to blame for all their problems. I'm afraid (and embarrassed) in Britain there is just to much of a culture of me, me, me, blame the EU/USA/Third World/big corporations etc..
Chris, UK

Why do we need a European Union? To promote free trade? We have the WTO to do this globally. To bind people closer, an awful lot of people in the UK have friends and family in Australia, India, Canada, RSA etc, the EU and it's parochial concerns are of little interest to them. No dismantle it, or row back and model it in on the Commonwealth. As for acting as a bulwark against the USA the world would be a more stable place with just the one superpower.
Edwin Partridge, United Kingdom

The readiness of European states - and peoples - for further integration may actually rise, if political parties and politicians (especially at the European Parliament) find ways to agree on some common denominators. And support for the European Union would probably already be rising, if there weren't so many Europeans who apparently still overestimate their own nations' global influence.
Franz Bleeker, Germany

I think most people here have missed the point; the EU exists for the people that work for it, like Neil Kinnock, et al. It is not there to do anything constructive for us - the masses. If I could earn £150,000/year and pay £7500 tax, I'd go for it-wouldn't you? Come to think about it, I like to pay only £7500 tax on what I earn now! Get rid of the whole bunch of freeloading incompetents now.
Bob Taylor, England

We still have a huge barrier in the European Union, and that is language. For Europe to succeed we need to speak the same language, otherwise everyone in Europe will always feel foreign to one another. (English will probably be the most realistic choice.)
James Pittman, England

Mat Allen hits the nail squarely on the head...we would be much better off outside the EU, and would have the freedom to improve our own public services rather those of other countries. I suppose we should applaud the EU for at least trying to address its terrible image problem. I think it should start by listening to people, and especially the legitimate concern that the EU is trying to achieve too much, too soon, without a mandate from the European populace. I wonder if anyone in Brussels actually thinks that people vote no in referenda because they want self-determination, rather than blindly assuming that we don't know what's good for us...
Richard, London

EU commissioners should be democratically elected by the people they are supposed to represent

Peter, UK

The first thing the EU should do to clean up its image is to get rid of all the "failed" politicians who turn up as EU commissioners. Both Neil Kinnock and Chris Patten failed to make it as politicians in there home country, so off they went (with Chris Patten making a nice detour via Hong Kong) to Brussels to join the gravy train that is the EU. Neither of these men were elected, but they both, as EU commissioners hold great sway over the lives of millions of EU citizens.

Even Mr Prodi himself is not elected but appointed and that after a lot of "horse trading" between the member states who all had a favourite candidate, because they thought that one candidate or another was best for them. If the EU is to be seen as a relevant body instead of an exclusive club for politicians only, then EU commissioners should be democratically elected by the people they are supposed to represent.
Peter, UK

To improve the image of the EU, you have to give the people more information. For example, how many times have you heard the EU described as "too bureaucratic". If the truth be told, Brussels employs fewer civil servants that Birmingham City Council. Do away with the spin, distortion and disinformation and give people the facts. And hopefully they'll become more open to forging deeper relationships with our European cousins. The problem is, however, how do you do this in a country dominated by a Eurosceptic press?
Andrew, UK

Sovereignty and culture should be protected and preserved. States should not feel they are ceding either for the purpose of free trade. Some or both will erode necessarily as the Union matures and trade blurs traditional lines. However, the American experience has been that information, accountability and participation by citizens breeds a more fertile field for dialogue and trust.
Robert Fafatas, USA

I think its a bit late for a image change, I mean, would you go out and buy Des O'Connor records just because he got a new image like David Beckham? I think not! Lets face it, the EU is a prime example of trying to centralise government, economy and legislation. By doing this it is impossible not to alienate the public. The fact is that the public aren't stupid and the EU should be doing things that will benefit member countries not hinder them with mass bureaucracy. Anyway, I'm off to make a million by manufacturing reels of red tape!
Tel, UK

The European Commission has been the butt end of many jokes over the years about straight bananas, prawn crisps and other such irrelevances. Why has it not responded to the allegations? Because it never had the authority or the budget to do so. That has changed slightly now, thank goodness, and the Commission occasionally responds to lies and false accusations, witness the odd letter or two from various commissioners in British newspapers.

The British, more particularly the English, press will do anything to sell a good story, whether there is any real truth in it or not. There is excellent information available on the net about the EU institutions where people can find out most things they want to know. If they can use a computer, they have access to the institutions online. If not, why not write a letter and ask what you want to know? Ignorance is no excuse. As for the Commission being overblown, it employs about 20 thousand staff who deal with everything the Commission is responsible for under EU Treaties on behalf of 350 million EU citizens.
John, UK/Belgium

The first thing I see is that the EU could quit being hypocrites. Kyoto for example. It was the EU who got the thing signed, but when you are talking about pollution you only take into account individual nations. When something is good for all it is the EU, but when it is bad it is a particular nations fault. If Texas was to bomb Mexico it would be an American invasion whether or not the other 49 States helped. Just as in the EU needs to be more connected. You want to be one for all then act like it good or bad. I see the EU failing like everything else Europe has done. i.e. Kyoto.
Eric D Hall, USA

Nothing the EU does makes me support the ever-increasing undemocratic drift of the European nations

Richard King, England

Since I can remember (I'm almost 50) the UK has had an 'elected dictatorship' - Parliament doesn't give a damn about the opinions of ordinary folk. Now these same people are trying to get us to be happy with an 'unelected dictatorship' (that is anti-American to boot). Nothing the EU does makes me support the ever-increasing undemocratic drift of the European nations. I suspect that nothing they plan to do will change my mind. By the way I am anti-EU not anti-European.
Richard King, England

As a free-trade organisation, the EU shows great promise. As a political body it is doomed to failure.
Steve, USA

The question betrays the problem it is facing. The EU does not need to "improve its image". It needs to improve. Improving the image is nothing more than spin, which certainly a lot of Britons are utterly sick of, having endured four years of it.
Karl Peters, UK

If the European Commission was a business, it would have negative share-value. It produces nothing except red-tape which it then uses to tie the real wealth-producers in knots. If people were given the option to fund it voluntarily instead of via compulsory taxation and levies, what do you think its income would be? 50p? 25p? Dump it!
Pete Morgan-Lucas, Wiltshire, UK

The issue is not the face of Europe (EU). The real problem is that, apart from the economical unification, in almost any other issue there is no unification and there is no feeling of solidarity between the members. This is the most difficult and will take time, but also specific policies have to be applied in this direction. At the moment these policies do not exist as far as I can see.
Dimitris, Greece

The Commission should be abolished

Shaun Kilcoin, UK

It is ironic that following the collapse of a corrupt, inefficient, bureaucratic system in Eastern Europe, we in the West have been continuing to set one up. The Commission should be abolished and all its powers transferred to the European Parliament.
Shaun Kilcoin, UK

To improve the EU's image the eurocrats should: a) make up their mind where they are based; b) take a 90% pay cut; c) remove corrupt, nepotistic staff; d) stop interfering in member states' internal affairs; e) give back democracy to the EU and let the people of Europe have regular referendums on membership f) or better, sack themselves, pack their bags, go back to their member states and save us all a fortune.
Andy, UK

The EU needs to change its undemocratic and tyrannical function

Simon Ashall, UK

The EU does not need to change its image - it needs to change its undemocratic and tyrannical function. Fatuous European portrayals of the EU as something to protect us from the US are utterly nonsensical. The US will dominate the present world with or without the EU. The EU simply makes for a Franco-German dominated Europe. I'm sure that's something that the French and Germans find attractive, but poll after poll shows that people in the UK feel differently. By all means let the French and Germans continue; but I for one do not want any part in it.
Simon Ashall, UK

CNS in Durham - how is allowing the European Parliament to elect Commissioners an increase in democracy? It is merely an extension of the current undemocratic policy in the UK, where the Lords is largely chosen by the Commons.
Christine, UK

People cannot identify with EU. They fear the loss of their country's identity. Beinging a part of a mass you become smaller and less important.
Earl Salminen, USA

The EU was created by politicians for politicians. They have built themselves luxury buildings; paid themselves and their associates top salaries and expenses. The EU is all about power, power to compete with the USA in the world. It cannot be changed by a little window-dressing and it will not dismantle itself, so I think we are lumbered!
De Burgh, Spain

The European Commission is to be congratulated on analysing the issues and attempting to start a debate

Ian, United Kingdom

The White Paper on European Governance is a serious attempt by the European Commission to address a challenge faced by local, regional, national governments all over Europe, as well as the EU: how to involve all (and this includes businesses, the young, NGOs, consumers etc, as well as citizens) in making decisions on the important issues which affect us all. There are no easy answers, but at least the European Commission is to be congratulated on analysing the issues and attempting to start a debate. The lack of civic responsibility amongst an increasing number of pampered and selfish European citizens is the real problem.
Ian, United Kingdom

Disband it. Get rid of it. It doesn't work. Too many cooks spoil the broth.
Danny Best, England

Public perceptions of the EU will always remain bad while the Commission in particular exhibits all the worst aspects of the national civil services and remains largely unaccountable for its actions. Only direct accountability for all its actions to the European Parliament and the replacement of the appointed commissioners by a cabinet of elected MEPs will afford any respect. Corruption, inefficiency and self service is endemic and leads to a cycle of demoralisation in the institutions itself which in turn allows the power grabbers to turn the institutions to their own agendas. Address this issue and a large percentage of the perception problems will disappear.
Mark Turner, Belgium

Leaving the European Union is NOT the answer

Jon Worth, France (from UK)

We need one thing in the European Union to make people appreciate it: democracy. Only when the jobs of Commissioners are on the line in a popular vote and the people of Europe can see how decisions are being made and have the power to change the direction the EU is moving, will the EU be fully appreciated. A Commission publicity drive is not enough - these problems run far deeper. But contrary to what many in the UK say, leaving the European Union is NOT the answer.
Jon Worth, France (from UK)

The EU cannot possibly represent the views of its member state populations if they have no accountability to them. Why in the world should anyone in a member state believe that the EU will be concerned with their interests? Why would anyone believe the EU can reform its imperial way? From the pro EU posts here it seems those that support the EU are just enamoured with world socialism. Truly a highway to hell.
C.T. Binder, U.S.A.

Does anyone in Britain ever remember being asked by any government whether they wanted someone in Europe making decisions about their day-to-day life? The EEC was never publicised as the start to a Federal Europe but this is what Europe has woken up and found itself with. Good on the Irish for rejecting enlargement in their referendum - now watch how much regard the European Commission has for its individual member nations' rights and opinions, as it tries to push ahead regardless of the wishes of the Irish. The EU is an absolute disaster waiting to happen.
Clive, Australia (ex UK)

The EU tends to get a little too involved in people's daily lives

Giuseppe Romani, USA

Whether it is dictating to Italy that it must grow more sunflower oil and less olive oil, forcing British shopkeepers to use the metric-only system when selling their products, or banning some cooking practice in another country, the EU tends to get a little too involved in people's daily lives. The EU Commission seems to rely mostly on anti-US sentiments to hold its member states together. Being anti-US is a great thing these days, but what else does it offer?
Giuseppe Romani, USA

I have little or no idea how the system in Europe works, I know how the US system works, even understood the USSR system of government. However, I am at a loss to work out who does what, what power they have if any, or where the stupid ideas the media seem to keep hawking on about come from. The only piece of paper ever put through my door was crass, condescending and assumed you were a prat and didn't know where Belgium was. No explanation of government or why I should vote for someone to represent my ideas, just vote for your usual party. Why? I thought the EEC was independent of political interference from home governments, if not what's the purpose of the euro parliament, it just sounds like a gravy train to me.

As for should we go the whole hog, we joined the EEC for trade reasons, not to be governed by a load of hasbeens from political parties in EEC countries. Trade yes, the rest no point. We are different. The French realise this as do the Dutch. We don't need to be federalised to survive.
Graham, UK

Change its image - what's wrong with an undemocratic, self serving, out of touch with the public, out of touch with reality, unaccountable institution that would integrate well with all of the totalitarian regimes that have existed in history?
Phil Davies, UK

The EU politicians get paid a lot more than in their own home countries

Alex, Germany

For the "valuable" work that they do that nobody ever hears about, the EU politicians get paid a lot more than in their own home countries. That's one of the reasons why politicians who fail in their home country don't mind starting afresh in Brussels. And every few years, they decide to give themselves a very generous salary raise. How about stopping or reducing this ridiculous act of allowing them to raise their own pay without asking the EU citizens? They are overpaid for their services as it is, and they already have a very generous retirement scheme. And while we're on this topic, how about asking them to pay their taxes - normal taxes that a regular EU citizen has to pay?
Alex, Germany

The EU can be closer to the people and more popular if it rolls back its power and control over the internal affairs of its member-states. It is too powerful and is trying to be like the Federal Government in the U.S. That will not work for a group of countries whose histories, languages, cultures, customs are very disparate and go back centuries. I'm not surprised that the EU is losing popularity, given how big and powerful it has become.
Jeff, USA

The amount of misinformation here is scary. Surely it's time to rein in the British press? Naturally I have no objection to reporting the news, but half of the opinions here, taken straight from the press, are downright lies. I'm not happy with the unelected status of the members of the commission, but compared to what we have to vote for in the UK, I don't think I can really complain.
Matt, Netherlands (ex UK)

The best way the EU can improve its image, so far as I am concerned, is to stop meddling in American domestic affairs, and end the knee-jerk criticism against our foreign policy. The US is not nearly critical of the EU, even though the body is undemocratic and virtually unaccountable, and for our consideration we receive nothing but rancour. The EU needs to realise that it cannot strong-arm other nations, nor can it shame its neighbours to achieve its objectives. I would have hoped the Irish rejection of the Treaty of Nice would have opened some eyes, but sadly, all it has resulted in is criticism of Ireland. It is long past time the EU grew up.
Owen Courrèges, Texas, USA

Only when people have the facts in front of them can they make a rational decision

Chris, UK

Some of the rants on this issue are phenomenal. The EU does not need to improve its image, but rather, it needs to launch a campaign of information about itself, what it does, how much it costs etc. Only when people have the facts in front of them can they make a rational decision, and at least then we would have fewer misinformed tirades from people who insist on thinking of the EU as the enemy.
Chris, UK

What the EU needs most of all is credibility and faith from the population of Europe. It lacks this at the moment and the individual governments seem to still be fighting for their space and influence. Ultimately a democratic federalist system will have to be implemented to give Europe what it needs the most - a European Union it can trust.
Adam Ruddermann, Connecticut, USA

Joining the EU will help wean the UK from its reliance towards the US. The sooner people see this the better. I find it quite embarrassing watching Tony Blair pandering to a dubiously elected, far-right, US president! Other European countries are not so dissimilar to the UK, so why shouldn't a centralised governing body work? Besides, you can hardly call the UK the best country in Europe, as we see it plummeting down to 14th place in terms of standard of living. We don't have that much to lose by joining the EU.
Junghan, UK

The EU has rightly been described as yesterday's answer to the day before's problem. It doesn't need a makeover, it needs to phase itself out. History shows that empires meet their end either through warfare or apathy. Let us hope apathy wins the day in Europe.
Jon Rogers, UK

The EU's main problem appears to be that hardly anyone in Europe understands how it works

Paul, Boston, USA

The EU's main problem appears to be that hardly anyone in Europe understands how it works. There seems to be very little effort on the part of the media or the schools to educate the public about EU institutions, and even the EU's own web site offers no clear explanation about what the EU actually does, instead relying on platitudes and legalise. If Europe wants to unify and become a world player, it needs a foundation similar to the US constitution: flexible, easy to understand, and it fits on two sheets of paper.
Paul, Boston, USA

Thank God for the EU as without it there would be no-one to stop the US from dominating the world even more than it does now. As for the matter of transparency the individual citizen should also make an effort to find the information he needs to be able to make a judgement. Why does it need to be continually handed to us on a plate?
I. Turzanski, Netherlands

When the EU identifies a constructive use for itself then it will improve its image. At the moment I see it as a device for over-centralisation, taking away the power of decision making away from those who are quite capable of looking after themselves. For example the fact that we can't use pounds and ounces anymore hasn't changed the quantities of food that people buy for themselves and just what is wrong with a bendy cucumber? The EU is an institution that creates work for itself as it sees fit whether useful or not.
Daren, UK

By becoming democratic and accountable.
JG, UK

If the EU was to concentrate more on matters that people want changed, such as the overpricing of cars, or global issues, and forget about imposing unnecessary regulations and laws on people, the EU might be seen as a benign entity, but when it is always seen as forcing unpopular or unnecessary regulation on people, it is doomed to be unpopular.
David Pye, UK

Jason from Ireland... of course you're going to think the EU is a great idea because your country is a massive net beneficiary of European money. Whereas the UK is a net provider to the system. I'm sure we could improve our transport and health systems a lot quicker if we didn't have to put in the amount of money we do to support most of the other countries! Expanding the EU to more than how it currently stands is only going to make the problem worse. Though it would seem your voice is in a minority due to the recent vote on the ratification of the Nice Treaty.

As for making the EU better... I echo the sentiments of not trying to make all countries into the same thing. They aren't. Leave them to make their own interest rates etc, because one single figure isn't going to work.
Mat Allen, UK

This is all just more window-dressing

Austin Spreadbury, UK

This is all just more window-dressing. The EU will always be remote, and will be increasingly illegitimate, as it seeks to transfer more and more power from elected and accountable national governments to central institutions with little regard for the people they govern. Being "consulted" or being able to "scrutinize' things is no substitute for being ab"e to run one's own affairs. The best thing the EU could do would be to abolish itself.
Austin Spreadbury, UK

I'm more concerned about the lack of reasoned debate on the subject. There really is a lot of ignorance and a whole saga of myth spread about the EU. While there are serious problems, carping on about trivialities (e.g. bananas) won't address them. Too many people don't think for themselves or examine what is actually happening.
Mark Stevens, Denmark (UK citizen)

Assure the citizens of Europe that belonging to a union of equal partners does not detail a diminishing of national identity or a loss of independence - but don't use the United Nations as a model!
Robert del Valle, USA

Aside from an image change, the EU needs to educate its citizens about its institutions and the way they function. Maybe then people would see the point in voting for their MEPs.
James, Reading, UK

The EU can only be as good or bad as its member states allow it to be

Eli Oshorov, UK

The EU can only be as good or bad as its member states allow it to be. Ultimately the current EU organisation appears to be seriously flawed, whether it is or not, and it is up to the voting public in the constituent states to demand that their nationally elected governments reform the entire organisation. It does not help when national governments simply blame the EU for things that are unpopular with the electorate as a way of deflecting responsibility. Rather than constantly attacking the EU, for which they are in part responsible as members, they should be working to improve the functioning and the image of the organisation.
Eli Oshorov, UK

It's so disappointing to see so many negative comments from the UK regarding the EU. If that's the way you feel, why not leave? Regarding the usefulness of the EU, what about the recent Kyoto Treaty, the investigation into overpriced cars, just as a starting point? The Commission and the rest of the EU do a brilliant job, it's a disgrace that the national governments use the EU as an scapegoat for their own failings. At least the EU recognises the problems and is trying to change. The same can't be said for the UK, just look at your abysmal health and transport systems. Or maybe you're jealous that the other EU countries are better than yours.
Jason, Ireland

The problem here is lack of information. As an average worker in the UK I know virtually nothing about how the EU works, what its structure is, who my representative is or how we can have an input - and not for want of trying either. There is just no down-to-earth information available. The only information we hear is about the latest corruption scandal. Is it any wonder nobody cares about the EU?
Andy, UK

It should tackle the real issues

Keith, CH

It should tackle the real issues. Stop worrying about how curved bananas should be and whether we can really call prawn cocktail crisps by that name when they contain no prawns. At least this way people would take them seriously.
Keith, CH

How about doing something useful?
James Roberts, UK

The only way the EU can improve its image with the people is to dismantle itself - permanently.
Ian, UK

The EU's image may be weak internally, but it's international weight is growing. With the US becoming more inactive on the world stage; Kyoto, missile defence and now germ warfare issues - Europe is in a position to debunk them as the world superpower.
Ed Vista, Bristol, UK

The recent example of US policies under George Bush is exactly why the European Union needs to be more united. Without a strong voice, the United States will simply do as she wishes.
Ben Gallagher, USA (UK citizen)

European Commission will need to undertake a massive education process before it is ever fully accepted

Michael, UK

Before the European Commission obtains the support of the people, it needs to convey its objectives and values to the people it represents. The Commission needs to educate people of the benefits of a united Europe and what it will mean in social and economic terms to the community. Education of people is the key to success, and as such the European Commission will need to undertake a massive education process before it is ever fully accepted.
Michael, UK

Stop trying to force all countries to be the same - we aren't the same and should respect cultural differences. Stop imposing pointless and bureaucratic laws and expecting us to obey them to the letter. Stop protecting the rights of drug dealers, burglars and muggers and focus on the rights of the law-abiding majority. Finally stop pretending to be something great when the majority (even in Germany) think the whole idea is a waste of time.
John B, UK

It's an excellent opportunity to break the tradition of over-bureaucracy. A slimmed down and DYNAMIC EU would do the world a good turn. Increasing accountability to real Europeans would also help. Right now, it isn't clear who actually appoints the representatives in the EU.
Christopher Laird, Japan

This is a nice sentiment, but the EU actions do not demonstrate this. It is an additional layer of bureaucracy piled on another, very dictatorial and arbitrary, and unelected. I would like to see a series of referenda offered to the peoples in the various member states (a few years on) to see if this is what they really want.
George Milton, USA and Italy

Changing the name means nothing

Marc, England

Changing the name means nothing - it will still be the same corrupt organisation. Who will be paying for this change in name or image? The average person in each country through taxes.
Marc, England

I don't believe the EC has ever attempted to connect with its people before. In the past it has been too afraid to impose on local governments. Scare stories were not responded to; openness did not seem to be part of this institution. If it now wants to connect, then it needs to advertise itself through the media, and also use local governments to highlight its causes. It's never too late to start, even after nearly 50 odd years. After all how many people know about the 9th May (Europe Day)?
Dylan, UK

Currently the EU is pedantic, bureaucratic, inefficient, unaccountable and opaque

Mark, Wales

The EU needs to reconnect to the public but the only way that this can be achieved is by fundamental changes to the way it operates. Currently the EU is pedantic, bureaucratic, inefficient, unaccountable and opaque. The fact that the Commission, which is the driving force behind the EU, appears to be regularly embroiled in corruption allegations and that the democratically elected European Parliament only has about the same amount of power as our House of Lords, leads me to believe that the EU needs more than just an 'image change'.
Mark, Wales

"Demonstrating the Commission does a valuable job"? This sounds a bit like "The public's wrong so we should show them how wrong they are." Most people are too sceptical to take at face value the publicity produced by the party in Government saying what a good job they're doing, so why do they expect this to be treated differently? If the European Commission really wants to connect itself with EU citizens, it is going to have to become totally democratically accountable to them. Let the European Parliament elect the European Commission and give them the ability to strike off individual commissioners, and that might make a real difference.
CNS, Durham, England