The European Union has long sought to analyse the expectations
of the public opinions which express a distrust that has
increased in recent years. It is on the basis
of this apparent paradox that Salvatore
Signorelli has developed his study on tools that the EU uses to analyse
the public opinion, and presents
their origins, characteristics and use.

The most interesting aspect of this
study is exactly the fact that highlights the attention paid by the EU to the expectations of its citizens, symbolized by “Eurobarometer”
surveys, contrary to the widespread impression that “Brussels”
acts and decides in a bubble of experts
disconnected from the real world.

Another interesting part of the study is
the number of references and data
provided which allows to become familiar with the
various tools of analysis of
public opinion, and specifying how
and to what extent the different
European institutions use them.

Last but not least, Salvatore Signorelli
puts into perspective the use of surveys commissioned by the European authorities, pointing out that
they are not intended to replace
the positions and messages relayed by the representatives of the citizens, but that they
provide useful contributions in determining the orientations of the European construction.