Academic Edi o : Gianpie o
Mazzoleni
Recei ed: 4 Decembe 2024
Re ised: 7 Janua y 2025
Accep ed: 16 Janua y 2025
Published: 18 Janua y 2025
Ci a ion: Ri as-de-Roca, R.,
Domínguez-Ga cía, R., & Pé ez-Cu iel,
C. (2025). C oss-Bo de
Communica ion S a egies: An
App oach o Spanish Eu o egions on
Twi e (X). Jou nalism and Media,6(1),
12. h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/
jou nalmedia6010012
Copy igh : © 2025 by he au ho s.
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Swi ze land.
This a icle is an open access a icle
dis ibu ed unde he e ms and
condi ions o he C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion (CC BY) license
(h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/
licenses/by/4.0/).
A icle
C oss-Bo de Communica ion S a egies: An App oach o
Spanish Eu o egions on Twi e (X)
Rubén Ri as-de-Roca 1,* , Rica do Domínguez-Ga cía 2and Concha Pé ez-Cu iel 2
1Depa men o Communica ion Sciences, Facul y o Communica ion Sciences, Uni e si y o San iago de
Compos ela, 15782 San iago de Compos ela, Spain
2Depa men o Jou nalism II, Facul y o Communica ion, Uni e si y o Se ille, 41092 Se ille, Spain;
[email p o ec ed] (R.D.-G.); cpe [email p o ec ed] (C.P.-C.)
*Co espondence: [email p o ec ed]
Abs ac : In a poli ical clima e o social pola iza ion and dis us in public ins i u ions,
which in u n os e s misin o ma ion, he Eu opean Union (EU) aces he challenge o
becoming close o i s ci izens. A he same ime, he EU has well-es ablished collabo a ion
mechanisms a he local and egional le els. In his con ex , his s udy aims o analyze he
Eu o egions p ojec , one o he s a egies used by he EU o manage he di e en egions
o Eu ope h ough c oss-bo de collabo a ion. Thus, he main objec i e o his s udy is
o ind ou , using he social ne wo k X ( o me ly Twi e ), he communica ion s a egies
deployed by he egional go e nmen s ha make up each o he i e Spanish Eu o egions
on ins i u ions o c oss-bo de coope a ion. The esul s show ha egional go e nmen s
do no p omo e e ec i e communica ion s a egies o publicize hese Eu o egions. Ra he ,
hese go e nmen s y o communica e hei managemen success, ocusing hei discou se
on he issue o Eu opean unds and hus gene a ing a si ua ion o misin o ma ion a ound
he bene i s o belonging o he Eu opean Union. Ou indings con ibu e o he budding
li e a u e on egional Eu opean a eas, a guing ha ce ain poli ical ac ions could amelio a e
he eeling o disa ec ion o he popula ion owa ds Eu opean ins i u ions.
Keywo ds: poli ical communica ion; ins i u ional communica ion; misin o ma ion; Eu opean
Union; Eu o egions
1. In oduc ion
Following he all o dic a o ships and he bi h o democ acies in Spain and Po ugal
a he end o he 20 h cen u y, a p ocess o he “deac i a ion o bo de s” began (Má quez
Domínguez e al.,2017). This mo emen was consolida ed wi h he accession o bo h
coun ies in o he Eu opean Union (EU) in 1986, as well as wi h he app o al o he
Schengen Ag eemen in 1985. Speci ically, he Schengen Con en ion supplemen s he
Schengen Ag eemen o es ablish an a ea wi hou in e nal bo de con ols. I was signed
on 19 June 1990 and en e ed in o o ce in 1995. Bo h he ag eemen and he con en ion,
oge he wi h ela ed ag eemen s and ools, become EU legisla ion in 1999.
Despi e he emo al o physical ba ie s, he EU is o en ep esen ed as dis an om
he in e es s o i s ci izens (Yo dano a e al.,2024). Suppo o Eu opean in eg a ion
is de e mined by ac o s such as poli ical o ien a ion o media consump ion ( an den
Hoogen e al.,2022), which explains he need o employ a pe spec i e o ins i u ional
communica ion. In addi ion, he e is a p oli e a ion o disin o ma ion a ge ing Eu opean
ins i u ions, which, in u n, ha e de eloped mechanisms o coping wi h his challenge
(Case o-Ripollés e al.,2023).
Jou nal. Media 2025,6, 12 h ps://doi.o g/10.3390/jou nalmedia6010012
Jou nal. Media 2025,6, 12 2 o 13
In he amewo k o a consolida ed EU, he e i o ies a ec ed by he EU’s in e nal
bo de s ha e bene i ed om he a i al o signi ican Eu opean esou ces wi hin he ame-
wo k o di e en c oss-bo de coope a ion p og ams. Among hem, esou ces inanced by
he Eu opean Regional De elopmen Fund (ERDF) o mo e speci ic ones ha ha e been
pe iodically app o ed, such as INTERREG I (1990–1993), INTERREG II (1994–1999), IN-
TERREG III (2000–2006), POCTEP (2007–2013), INTERREG VA (2014–2020), and POCTEP
(2021–2027), s and ou .
Howe e , he long-las ing dis ance be ween Eu opean ci izens and he EU is ela ed o
he no -ye -exis ing Eu opean public sphe e (Bijsmans & Al ides,2007;Wal e ,2017). The
media alone is no able o sol e his p oblem (Lechele e al.,2024), which is also shaped by
he exis ence o di e en poli ical cul u es be ween coun ies.
Beyond he p oblem o no sha ing a uni ied discou se and poli ical expe ience, c oss-
bo de coope a ion p ojec s also ace di icul ies because hey comp ise egions wi h di-
e gen popula ions o di e en le els o g oss domes ic p oduc (GDP). Despi e he
p oblems a ising om di e ences be ween egions o om he changes in go e nmen in
Spain, F ance, and Po ugal o e mo e han 40 yea s o c oss-bo de coope a ion, hese
coun ies ha e es ablished se e al s uc u es, en i ies, and coope a ion p ojec s (e.g., he
co-go e nance o sha ed p ojec s in neighbo ing e i o ies).
Howe e , app oaches o he communica i e dimension o his c oss-bo de coope -
a ion a e lacking. We assume ha comp ehensi e in o ma ion abou he communica i e
dimension o his coope a ion would allow o he co ec a ibu ion o esponsibili ies
among he poli ical ac o s in ol ed (Goldbe g e al.,2022). The e o e, ou wo k aims o
analyze communica ion aspec s o one o he mechanisms wi h which he EU has managed
he sha ed p ojec s o Eu opean egions h ough c oss-bo de collabo a ion. In his sense,
he so-called Eu o egions a e coope a ion p ojec s be ween egions o neighbo ing coun-
ies ha seek o p omo e he economic de elopmen o an a ea and gene a e a eeling o
belonging o he sup ana ional Eu opean p ojec (Wol e al.,2006).
These ini ia i es a e de ined by he exis ence o “a c oss-bo de s a egy; a common
s uc u e a local and egional le el, and he pa icipa ion o p i a e ac o s and ci il socie y”
(Le amendía,2010). Al hough he i s Eu o egion was c ea ed in 1958 on he Ge man–
Du ch bo de , mos ha e been es ablished since he 1990s. The economic in es men in hese
en i ies by Eu opean ins i u ions a ec s ci izens’ opinion o he EU, al hough, as s a ed be-
o e, he e a e o he aspec s ha de e mine suppo o Eu opean in eg a ion. In Spain, i e
Eu o egions ha e been ins i u ionalized o e he las 20 yea s: he Py enees–Medi e anean
Eu o egion (EPM), made up o he Spanish egions o Ca alonia and he Balea ic Islands
and he F ench egion o Occi ania; he Galicia–No he n Po ugal Eu o egion; he EU-
ROACE Eu o egion, made up o he Po uguese egions o Alen ejo and Cen o and he
Au onomous Communi y o Ex emadu a; he Alen ejo–Alga e–Andalusia Eu o egion
(Eu oAAA); and he Spanish–F ench Eu o egion o New Aqui aine–Euskadi–Na a e.
The s eng h o c oss-bo de economic de elopmen in all Eu opean policies has
been e iden since he ea ly es ablishmen o he EU (Ga cía Fe nández e al.,2017), bu
he c ucial ole ha social cohesion and a eeling o belonging o a sha ed ansna ional
p ojec play in he cons uc ion o he so-called Eu ope o he Regions canno be igno ed
(Medei os,2011).
The p e ious li e a u e has unde lined he ole o poli iciza ion, unde s ood as he
enhancemen o he poli ical signi icance o ac ions de eloped wi hin he amewo k o he
EU (Yo dano a e al.,2024), which applies o he Eu o egions p ojec . The media has a ole
in gene a ing c oss-bo de connec ions and coope a ion, bu some schola s ha e poin ed
ou how he dis an cha ac e is ic o he EU is linked o s uc u al dimensions (Seoane
Pé ez,2013). Acco ding o his au ho , he public disengagemen wi h he Eu opean p ojec
Jou nal. Media 2025,6, 12 3 o 13
is de i ed om he way in which he EU was buil and go e ned (i.e., eli e-d i en) and he
kind o cul u al communi y ha Eu ope is, as i is no a na ion.
Al hough he communica ion p oblems o he EU a e no solely due o media ion,
Eu o egions ep esen a qui e unique ini ia i e as hey mix sup ana ional Eu opean and
egional app oaches. Hence, ou esea ch aims o del e in o he possibili y o implemen ing
communica ion s a egies by hese public ins i u ions (Jiménez Alca ia & Tuñón Na a o,
2023;Rod ich Po ugal,2012) on X o p omo e knowledge sha ing be ween he di e en
e i o ies o a Eu o egion and s eng hen social solida i y. The main objec i e o his s udy
is o explo e he ins i u ional communica ion s a egies deployed by he go e nmen s o
he egions ha a e pa o he i e Eu o egions loca ed on he Ibe ian Peninsula.
2. Ins i u ional Communica ion and he Building o Eu opean Ci izenship
In a poli ical clima e o social pola iza ion and dis us in ins i u ions, which in u n
inc eases he sp ead o disin o ma ion, he EU aces majo challenges. Eu opean ins i u ions
a e awa e o he need o communica e wi h ci izens and gain hei suppo . A e he impac
o he inancial c isis and B exi (de V ies,2018) and conside ing he ise o some Eu oscep ic
go e nmen s such as hose o Hunga y o Slo akia, he Eu opean Commission has se
goals o igh agains disin o ma ion and p omo e e ec i e communica ion wi h ci izens
(Tuñón Na a o & Sánchez del Vas,2022).
Simila ly, in ecen yea s, populism has become an in e nal p oblem in he EU. Pop-
ulis mo emen s om he a igh (Mudde,2007) ypically ind enemies in dominan
eli es, which, in he Eu opean case, usually comp ise EU leade s and ins i u ions (Caiani
& Gue a,2017). Acco ding o many au ho s, he wide and apid impac o hese mo e-
men s canno be unde s ood wi hou conside ing he magni ying po en ial o social media
and i s abili y o sp ead an ies ablishmen ideas ypical o populism (Ge baudo,2018;
Pé ez-Cu iel e al.,2021).
P io esea ch has con i med ha he nega i e messages o hese poli ical o ces
end o ocus on c i icizing poli icians, especially hose in ol ed in EU ins i u ions
(
Alonso-Muñoz & Case o-Ripollés,2023
). This ype o discou se ends o po ay he
EU as an eli is bu eauc a ic en i y ha go e ns he li es o ci izens om B ussels and
makes decisions on he alloca ion o huge egional unds om he EU budge . In ac , a
la ge p opo ion o hese Eu opean unds a e managed a he local and egional le els
(
Ri as-de-Roca & Ga cía-Go dillo,2022
). These c i icisms, gene ally suppo ed by disin-
o ma ion, ha e boos ed Eu oscep icism. This is a mo emen ha c i icizes Eu opean
in eg a ion p ojec s (Ál a ez,2012) and has also esul ed in a g owing o ce o poli iciza-
ion, which can ha e ambi alen e ec s (Hu e e al.,2016). Eu oscep ics, in addi ion o
ques ioning he e ec i eness o EU ins i u ions and hei endency owa ds bu eauc acy,
a e usually opposed o he p imacy o he Eu opean law, as i is seen as an e osion o
na ional so e eign y.
In con as o his end, Eu opeanism de ends g ea e poli ical in eg a ion, a guing
ha i gua an ees democ a ic p inciples and he igh s and eedoms o EU ci izens (Ma ín
de la Gua dia,2016). Eu opeanism unde s ands ha ansna ional collabo a ion can enable
Eu opean na ions o e ec i ely ace global challenges and imp o e he economic and social
p ospe i y o he con inen . Since he es ablishmen o he Eu opean p ojec , one o he
main challenges has been he c ea ion o a sense o Eu opean iden i y and ci izenship, bu
his is a di icul ask, as he EU comp ises di e en Membe S a es wi h di e en languages,
adi ions, and pa icula i ies. Thus, EU ins i u ions need o encou age Eu opean ci izens
o iden i y wi h a sup ana ional o ganiza ion made up o 27 coun ies, cul i a ing a eeling
o belonging o each Membe S a e.
Jou nal. Media 2025,6, 12 4 o 13
Faced wi h his conce n abou ci izen disa ec ion, which became especially la en a
he beginning o he i s decade o he 2000s, he EU has ca ied ou a whole ange o
ini ia i es and c ea ed ools ha seek o in ol e ci izens in i s daily unc ioning h ough
g ea e anspa ency. Howe e , in he Eu o c isis (2008–2012) (Alphandé y,2012), he
di icul ies in a ibu ing esponsibili ies o speci ic poli ics a he Eu opean le el became
pe cei able again (Niens ed e al.,2015). Communica ion is necessa y o he su i al o
public ins i u ions and an essen ial way o b ing hei wo k close o people, demons a e
how hei managemen a ec s hem on a daily basis, gene a e us , and c ea e links
wi h ci izens. Fo his eason, he EU has become awa e o he impo ance o de eloping
communica ion s a egies “so ha ci izens can mo e easily access in o ma ion on Union
policies and be e unde s and hei impac a Eu opean, na ional and local le el” (Eu opean
Commission,2007).
EU ins i u ions ha e de eloped an ambi ious communica ion policy (Ma ín González,
2005) by expanding hei Di ec o a e-Gene al o Communica ion, inc easing hei bud-
ge s, and adap ing hei p io i ies o imp o e he in o ma ion hey dissemina e h ough
he media (Eu opean Commission,2006;Colomina Saló & Pé ez-Sole ,2022). Wi h he
consolida ion o new pla o ms, he EU has eso ed o social ne wo ks o be p esen in
he daily li es o hei ci izens and o expand he impac o communica ion (Gál ez Caja,
2020;Tuñón & Ca al,2019), using hese ools o sha e news and e en s o os e g ea e
unde s anding among Eu opean ci izens.
Howe e , since 2015, a new challenge ela ed o public opinion has been iden i ied:
disin o ma ion campaigns (Domínguez-Ga cía & Pé ez-Cu iel,2023), especially om Rus-
sia, which in e e e wi h he public opinion o he ci izens o Membe S a es by p omo ing
he pola iza ion o poli ical deba es and elec o al con es s (Ri as-de-Roca,2020). This
phenomenon in ol es disin o ma ion and misin o ma ion (Gebel,2021), as well as malin-
o ma ion, which is unde s ood as in o ma ion based on ue ac s ha is sp ead o cause
ha m (Wa dle & De akhshan,2017). The main di e ence be ween he i s wo concep s
lies in he concep o in en ionali y, as he i s implies he exis ence o an ex e nal ac o
ha ies o in en ionally des abilize public opinion, while he la e e e s o inco ec o
incomple e in o ma ion (Je i & Zhao,2020) due o unin en ional e o s.
The EU is a ge ed by disin o ma ion campaigns, bu he li e a u e has p o en o e
ime ha knowing mo e abou he EU does no necessa ily mean aligning wi h i mo e
(Ka p e al.,2003;Ma qua e al.,2019). S udies on he egional aming o he EU a e scan ,
wi h one s udy showing a pa e n in Spain o p esen ing he EU as jus being a a highe
le el o he poli ical sys em and seeing i as a dis an poli ical, economic, o bu eauc a ic
en i y (Seoane Pé ez,2013). This aming has p e en ed ci izens om assessing EU issues
as signi ican .
Fu he mo e, he e is a lack o academic con ibu ions on Eu o egions, including hose
in Spain and i s neighbo ing coun ies. Only some e idence exis s on he li le public
knowledge abou he Eu o egions be ween Spain and Po ugal, e en in highe educa ion
con ex s (Vázquez Ges al & Fe nández Sou o,2017). Meanwhile, while he social ne wo k
X is used by EU ins i u ions in a coo dina ed way o each he public (Ruiz-Ince is &
Tuñón-Na a o,2024), da a a e no a ailable a he egional le el.
Conside ing ha we also aim o analyze whe he he communica ion s a egies used o
publicize c oss-bo de coope a ion policies may be linked o misin o ma ion, he objec i e
o his s udy is o examine egional go e nmen s’ discou se on Eu o egions. In his ega d,
he ollowing esea ch ques ions a e posed:
RQ1. Wha ins i u ional and poli ical communica ion s a egies a e used by he
go e nmen s o he Spanish Eu o egions on X, o me ly Twi e ?
Jou nal. Media 2025,6, 12 5 o 13
RQ2. Wha ole does he EU play in he poli ical na a i e buil by he egional
go e nmen s on X, o me ly Twi e ?
RQ3. Wha is he esponse o he public o his discou se on X, o me ly Twi e ?
3. Me hod
To answe hese esea ch ques ions, we conduc ed an analysis o he communica ion
s a egies deployed by he egional go e nmen s ha make up each o he i e Span-
ish Eu o egions. A quan i a i e–quali a i e compa a i e con en analysis was applied
(
K ippendo ,2004
;Sil e man,2016), which allowed us o examine messages pos ed on
he social ne wo k X, o me ly Twi e . This pla o m has had he mos ele ance in poli -
ical communica ion o se e al coun ies (Campos-Domínguez,2017). In addi ion o i s
impo ance in s udying he communica ion s a egies o poli ical ins i u ions, he selec ion
o his social ne wo k was because i was he only one used by all he ins i u ions ha made
up he Spanish Eu o egions du ing he pe iod o ime s udied.
All coded da a we e subsequen ly analyzed using IBM SPSS S a is ics s a is ical so -
wa e, e sion 29, o ob ain c oss abs and equency ables. Ou esea ch design del es in o
he accoun s o he egional go e nmen s ha a e pa o he i e Eu o egions in which
Spain is in ol ed: he Py enees–Medi e anean Eu o egion, made up o he Spanish egions
o Ca alonia (@Genca ) and he Balea ic Islands (@Goib) and he F ench egion o Occi ania
(@Occi anie); he Galicia–No he n Po ugal Eu o egion (@Xun a and @CCDRN); he EU-
ROACE Eu o egion, made up o he Po uguese egions o Alen ejo (@CCDRAlen ejo) and
Cen o (@CCDRN) and he Au onomous Communi y o Ex emadu a (@Jun a_Ex); he
Eu oAAA, made up o Alen ejo (@CCDRAlen ejo), Alga e (@CCDR_Alga e), and An-
dalusia (@AndaluciaJun a); and he New Aqui aine–Euskadi–Na a e Eu o egion (@N el-
leAqui aine, @Gob_eus, and @Gob_na). The sample includes all wee s published du ing
he en yea s be o e he end o he su ey pe iod (be ween 1 Janua y 2014 and 1 Janua y
2024) and con aining he keywo d Eu o egion in all o icial languages (eu o egión, eu o -
egião, eu o égion, eu o egió, eu o exión, o eu oeskualde), as well as men ions o he
o he egions ha collabo a e in hese coope a i e bodies.
Following hese c i e ia, a o al o 672 wee s we e selec ed and analyzed using a coding
manual on 16 a iables, which we e g ouped in o h ee la ge blocks in o de o answe
each o he esea ch ques ions. In addi ion, ou esea ch also s udied he digi al discou se
o hese ins i u ions om an issue/game pe spec i e. Acco ding o he heo y o Aalbe g
e al. (2011), he es ablishmen o a hema ic agenda (issue ame) and he implemen a ion
o communica ion s a egies (game ame) a e key elemen s o unde s anding cu en
public communica ion. The issues o he hema ic agenda and he game ames a e de ined
deduc i ely h ough exclusi e and exhaus i e ca ego ies based on he mos ele an issues
and s a egies du ing he ime ame s udied. The one (posi i e, neu al, o nega i e),
he o igin o he message, and he audio isual con en a e also conside ed. Likewise,
he ele ance o he Eu o egion is coded in o he messages o each egional go e nmen ,
oge he wi h any men ion o ha poli ical body, o he egions, and Eu ope, as well as he
main cha ac e is ics o he message.
The audience esponse o hese communica ions is ele an as a way o obse ing public
in e es in he communica ions o he Eu o egions. This esponse is measu ed h ough he
le el o i ali y ha he messages each on X (i.e., numbe o e wee s, likes, and esponses).
To analyze i ali y, a o mula applied in p e ious s udies was used (Pé ez-Cu iel e al.,2021),
which assigns a double alue o e wee s compa ed o likes and esponses. This o mula is
based on he sum o likes, eplies, and e wee s mul iplied by 2, di ided by he numbe o
wee s ( i al capaci y = (SUM e wee s*2 + SUM likes)/SUM wee s published).
Jou nal. Media 2025,6, 12 6 o 13
4. Resul s
4.1. The Discou se o he Go e nmen s o he Spanish Eu o egions
The messages pos ed on X by he egional go e nmen s abou he Eu o egions illus-
a e ha i is a opic o li le impo ance in he poli ical na a i e o hese ins i u ions,
since hey only published a o al o 672 wee s o e en yea s. This numbe is small, wi h
an a e age o jus o e i e wee s pe yea o each ins i u ion, bu clea di e gences a e
ound be ween he di e en Eu o egions. The Eu o egions o New Aqui aine–Euskadi–
Na a e (29.9% o he o al), Galicia–No he n Po ugal (27.1%), and EUROAAA (24.3%)
ha e a much g ea e p esence han EUROACE (11.8%) o he Py enees–Medi e anean
(7%) Eu o egions.
I we look a hese da a om egional go e nmen s (Figu e 1), he accoun s o he
CCDR do No e (19.3%), he CCDR do Alga e (13.7%), he Region o Occi ania (13%), he
Go e nmen o Na a e (12.8%), and he Basque Coun y (11%) a e he ones ha publish
he mos abou he Eu o egions. On he o he hand, i is s iking ha he Gene ali a o
Ca alonia (0.7%) and he CCDR do Cen o (0.3%) p oduce ha dly any messages abou
c oss-bo de coope a ion.
Jou nal. Media 2025, 6, x FOR PEER REVIEW 6 o 14
4.1. The Discou se o he Go e nmen s o he Spanish Eu o egions
The messages pos ed on X by he egional go e nmen s abou he Eu o egions illus-
a e ha i is a opic o li le impo ance in he poli ical na a i e o hese ins i u ions,
since hey only published a o al o 672 wee s o e en yea s. This numbe is small, wi h
an a e age o jus o e i e wee s pe yea o each ins i u ion, bu clea di e gences a e
ound be ween he di e en Eu o egions. The Eu o egions o New Aqui aine–Euskadi–
Na a e (29.9% o he o al), Galicia–No he n Po ugal (27.1%), and EUROAAA (24.3%)
ha e a much g ea e p esence han EUROACE (11.8%) o he Py enees–Medi e anean
(7%) Eu o egions.
I we look a hese da a om egional go e nmen s (Figu e 1), he accoun s o he
CCDR do No e (19.3%), he CCDR do Alga e (13.7%), he Region o Occi ania (13%), he
Go e nmen o Na a e (12.8%), and he Basque Coun y (11%) a e he ones ha publish
he mos abou he Eu o egions. On he o he hand, i is s iking ha he Gene ali a o
Ca alonia (0.7%) and he CCDR do Cen o (0.3%) p oduce ha dly any messages abou
c oss-bo de coope a ion.
Figu e 1. Dis ibu ion o wee s by egional go e nmen .
Mo eo e , he da a show ha he yea o highes in e es in Eu o egions was 2020,
con i ming he impac o he COVID-19 pandemic and he need o di e en egions o
s eng hen ies be ween hem o deal wi h i s heal h- ela ed, economic, and social conse-
quences.
Rega ding he cha ac e is ics o he messages published by egional go e nmen s,
he me ics show a clea majo i y o wee s being accompanied by images (44%), gene ally
pho og aphs o e en s o in og aphics, o links (33.5%), usually o he ins i u ional web-
si e. On he con a y, messages ha a e suppo ed by o he wee s (13.1%), ideos (7.3%),
o jus ex (2.1%) a e scan . The absence o edi ed ideos abou he Eu o egions may be
ela ed o he e y low impo ance ha he egional go e nmen s gi e o his issue. In ac ,
mos o he wee s ha a e suppo ed by audio isual ma e ial we e om he au onomous
communi ies o Andalusia and he Basque Coun y.
Figu e 1. Dis ibu ion o wee s by egional go e nmen .
Mo eo e , he da a show ha he yea o highes in e es in Eu o egions was 2020, con-
i ming he impac o he COVID-19 pandemic and he need o di e en egions o s eng hen
ies be ween hem o deal wi h i s heal h- ela ed, economic, and social consequences.
Rega ding he cha ac e is ics o he messages published by egional go e nmen s, he
me ics show a clea majo i y o wee s being accompanied by images (44%), gene ally
pho og aphs o e en s o in og aphics, o links (33.5%), usually o he ins i u ional websi e.
On he con a y, messages ha a e suppo ed by o he wee s (13.1%), ideos (7.3%), o
jus ex (2.1%) a e scan . The absence o edi ed ideos abou he Eu o egions may be
ela ed o he e y low impo ance ha he egional go e nmen s gi e o his issue. In ac ,
Jou nal. Media 2025,6, 12 7 o 13
mos o he wee s ha a e suppo ed by audio isual ma e ial we e om he au onomous
communi ies o Andalusia and he Basque Coun y.
In e ms o opics, he da a ob ained om ou s udy poin o he idea ha egional
go e nmen s end o ocus hei discou se on c oss-bo de coope a ion in he ields o
economy and employmen (23.1%), as well as educa ion, cul u e, and spo (18.6%). O he
ele an issues a e he en i onmen and he ag i- ood sec o (7.3%), in as uc u e (5.7%)
and ou ism (5.2%). This con as s wi h messages ha ocus on heal h (2.1%) o secu i y
(2.8%), which a e ew. In addi ion, mos wee s (35.3%) do no co espond o a speci ic
hema ic axis since hey deal wi h he Eu o egion in a gene al way o add ess opics o
lesse impo ance.
In he de ailed igu es o he egional go e nmen s (Figu e 2), i is wo h highligh ing
he p e e ence o he Gene ali a o Ca alonia (80% o i s messages) and he Go e nmen
o he Balea ic Islands (42.4%) o cul u e. This is due o he s ong coope a ion be ween
bo h ins i u ions o s eng hen ies in linguis ic ma e s. Ano he pa icula i y lies in he
in e es o he CCDR do Cen o (50%) and he CCDR do Alen ejo (22.9%), bo h Po uguese,
in ou ism.
Jou nal. Media 2025, 6, x FOR PEER REVIEW 7 o 14
In e ms o opics, he da a ob ained om ou s udy poin o he idea ha egional
go e nmen s end o ocus hei discou se on c oss-bo de coope a ion in he ields o
economy and employmen (23.1%), as well as educa ion, cul u e, and spo (18.6%). O he
ele an issues a e he en i onmen and he ag i- ood sec o (7.3%), in as uc u e (5.7%)
and ou ism (5.2%). This con as s wi h messages ha ocus on heal h (2.1%) o secu i y
(2.8%), which a e ew. In addi ion, mos wee s (35.3%) do no co espond o a speci ic
hema ic axis since hey deal wi h he Eu o egion in a gene al way o add ess opics o
lesse impo ance.
In he de ailed igu es o he egional go e nmen s (Figu e 2), i is wo h highligh -
ing he p e e ence o he Gene ali a o Ca alonia (80% o i s messages) and he Go e n-
men o he Balea ic Islands (42.4%) o cul u e. This is due o he s ong coope a ion be-
ween bo h ins i u ions o s eng hen ies in linguis ic ma e s. Ano he pa icula i y lies
in he in e es o he CCDR do Cen o (50%) and he CCDR do Alen ejo (22.9%), bo h
Po uguese, in ou ism.
Figu e 2. Thema ic dis ibu ion o each egional go e nmen .
Rega ding game ames, he esul s con i m a s ong in e es o he egional go e n-
men s in dissemina ing in o ma ion on he managemen (77.2%) o c oss-bo de coope a-
ion, al hough he e a e ew messages ha seek o p omo e e en s ela ed o he Eu o-
egions (12.2%) o ha seek o encou age con on a ion (6.1%). In his sense, coope a ion
be ween c oss-bo de egions is an issue ha a ely leads o con lic s be ween adminis a-
ions. When a con lic ual s a egy appea s, i e e s o demands om cen al go e nmen s
o g ea e in es men s, especially in he a ea o in as uc u e.
In line wi h his commi men o sp eading egional managemen , he da a also show
ha egional go e nmen s use a mos ly neu al (67%) o posi i e (31.8%) one, so nega i e
messages a e minimal (1.2%). Conside ing he pa icula i ies o each egion s udied, i is
no ewo hy ha he egions o Occi ania (77.8%), Andalusia (58.1%), and Alga e (55.4%)
a e mo e likely o pos posi i e messages, gene ally ela ed o hei managemen .
Figu e 2. Thema ic dis ibu ion o each egional go e nmen .
Rega ding game ames, he esul s con i m a s ong in e es o he egional go e n-
men s in dissemina ing in o ma ion on he managemen (77.2%) o c oss-bo de coope a-
ion, al hough he e a e ew messages ha seek o p omo e e en s ela ed o he Eu o egions
(12.2%) o ha seek o encou age con on a ion (6.1%). In his sense, coope a ion be ween
c oss-bo de egions is an issue ha a ely leads o con lic s be ween adminis a ions. When
a con lic ual s a egy appea s, i e e s o demands om cen al go e nmen s o g ea e
in es men s, especially in he a ea o in as uc u e.
In line wi h his commi men o sp eading egional managemen , he da a also show
ha egional go e nmen s use a mos ly neu al (67%) o posi i e (31.8%) one, so nega i e
messages a e minimal (1.2%). Conside ing he pa icula i ies o each egion s udied, i is
Jou nal. Media 2025,6, 12 8 o 13
no ewo hy ha he egions o Occi ania (77.8%), Andalusia (58.1%), and Alga e (55.4%)
a e mo e likely o pos posi i e messages, gene ally ela ed o hei managemen .
4.2. The Communica i e Role o Eu ope and he Eu o egions
Rega ding he impo ance ha he EU and i s ins i u ions ha e in he messages
s udied, mos o he messages deal wi h he Eu o egion p ojec in a seconda y way (41.4%),
since hey ocus on epo ing on p ojec s and p og ams de i ed om his c oss-bo de
coope a ion. Howe e , he e a e a signi ican numbe o wee s (30.7%) ha ocus on he
unc ioning o he Eu o egions hemsel es o on bila e al coope a ion ou side o hese
o ganiza ions (28%).
The da a om each egional go e nmen (Figu e 3) allow us o iden i y di e en
pa e ns. Beyond he endency o egional go e nmen s o add ess Eu o egions in a
seconda y way, he e a e also go e nmen s ha choose o ocus on he unc ioning o hese
o ganiza ions hemsel es, such as he Jun a de Andalucía (59.7%), he CCDR do Cen o
(50%), o he Region o New Aqui aine (46.3%).
Jou nal. Media 2025, 6, x FOR PEER REVIEW 8 o 14
4.2. The Communica i e Role o Eu ope and he Eu o egions
Rega ding he impo ance ha he EU and i s ins i u ions ha e in he messages s ud-
ied, mos o he messages deal wi h he Eu o egion p ojec in a seconda y way (41.4%),
since hey ocus on epo ing on p ojec s and p og ams de i ed om his c oss-bo de
coope a ion. Howe e , he e a e a signi ican numbe o wee s (30.7%) ha ocus on he
unc ioning o he Eu o egions hemsel es o on bila e al coope a ion ou side o hese o -
ganiza ions (28%).
The da a om each egional go e nmen (Figu e 3) allow us o iden i y di e en pa -
e ns. Beyond he endency o egional go e nmen s o add ess Eu o egions in a second-
a y way, he e a e also go e nmen s ha choose o ocus on he unc ioning o hese o -
ganiza ions hemsel es, such as he Jun a de Andalucía (59.7%), he CCDR do Cen o
(50%), o he Region o New Aqui aine (46.3%).
Figu e 3. Rele ance o Eu o egions in he communica ions o each egional go e nmen .
Fu he mo e, o he egional go e nmen s p e e o add ess bila e al coope a ion,
limi ing he ocus on Eu o egions in hei discou se. This is he case o he go e nmen s
o he Balea ic Islands (63.6%) and he Gene ali a o Ca alonia (60%), as well as he go -
e nmen s o he Basque Coun y (56.8%) and Na a e (39.5%). These a e egions wi h
s ong ies be ween hem and which mainly ad oca e o di ec coope a ion, wi hou con-
side ing Eu o egions. Following his, he esul s show ha he majo i y o messages in-
clude a di ec men ion o Eu o egions (63.4%), wi h he excep ion o he ou go e nmen s
men ioned abo e.
Howe e , one o he mos s iking pa e ns eme ging om his s udy is ha wee s
ha men ion EU ins i u ions a e ou lined as a clea mino i y. In ac , hey make up only
57 o he 672 messages analyzed, which ep esen s 8.5% o he o al. The only signi ican
cases a e he go e nmen s o Occi ania (33.3%), Alga e (25%), and Andalusia (19.4%),
which occasionally men ion Eu ope and i s ins i u ions. These da a illus a e ha egional
go e nmen s end o app op ia e he managemen o he Eu o egions wi hou ecogniz-
ing he o igin o he Eu opean economic unds ha suppo hem o he commi men o
EU ins i u ions o c oss-bo de coope a ion.
Figu e 3. Rele ance o Eu o egions in he communica ions o each egional go e nmen .
Fu he mo e, o he egional go e nmen s p e e o add ess bila e al coope a ion,
limi ing he ocus on Eu o egions in hei discou se. This is he case o he go e nmen s
o he Balea ic Islands (63.6%) and he Gene ali a o Ca alonia (60%), as well as he
go e nmen s o he Basque Coun y (56.8%) and Na a e (39.5%). These a e egions wi h
s ong ies be ween hem and which mainly ad oca e o di ec coope a ion, wi hou
conside ing Eu o egions. Following his, he esul s show ha he majo i y o messages
include a di ec men ion o Eu o egions (63.4%), wi h he excep ion o he ou go e nmen s
men ioned abo e.
Howe e , one o he mos s iking pa e ns eme ging om his s udy is ha wee s
ha men ion EU ins i u ions a e ou lined as a clea mino i y. In ac , hey make up only
57 o he 672 messages analyzed, which ep esen s 8.5% o he o al. The only signi ican
cases a e he go e nmen s o Occi ania (33.3%), Alga e (25%), and Andalusia (19.4%),
which occasionally men ion Eu ope and i s ins i u ions. These da a illus a e ha egional
Jou nal. Media 2025,6, 12 9 o 13
go e nmen s end o app op ia e he managemen o he Eu o egions wi hou ecognizing
he o igin o he Eu opean economic unds ha suppo hem o he commi men o EU
ins i u ions o c oss-bo de coope a ion.
This heo y is ein o ced by he ac ha mos messages come om speeches o public
e en s un by poli icians om egional go e nmen s (69.3%). Howe e , he e a e a mino i y
o wee s speci ically p epa ed o social ne wo ks (23.4%) o om he media (5.7%).
The p e ious da a we e expanded on by analyzing he p o agonis o he messages,
i.e., he subjec o he communica ion, showing ha mos wee s ocus on membe s o
he egional go e nmen s (56.4%). Mo eo e , mos o he wee s we e pos ed by egional
p esiden s (31.8%), councilo s (17.7%), o o he lowe - anking membe s (6.8%). In addi ion
o his, he e is a e y signi ican numbe o pos s ha do no show any p o agonis (43%),
bu he mos su p ising inding is ha only 0.6% o all he pos s ocus on he pa icipa ion
o membe s o EU ins i u ions.
4.3. Ci izen Response
Th ough he me ics o e wee s, likes, and esponses, di e en nuances ela ed o
he in e es o he digi al public we e iden i ied. Acco ding o he da a, use s o he social
ne wo k X show e y low in e es in his ma e . In ac , each pos eaches an a e age o
only 3.2 e wee s, 5 likes, and 0.4 esponses, which means a i ali y igu e o 11.8 based on
he chosen o mula.
I hese me ics a e explo ed o each accoun s udied (Figu e 4), no able di e ences
a e obse ed. The egions o Occi ania (55.6), Galicia (35.1), Andalusia (33.5), and Ca alonia
(22.8) ha e mo e i ali y. This con as s o he accoun s o he CCDRs o Alga e (2.5),
No h (3), o Alen ejo (3.1), which ob ain minimal pe cen ages o i ali y. This inding
could be ela ed o he limi ed ole hese Po uguese ini ia i es play a an ins i u ional le el.
Jou nal. Media 2025, 6, x FOR PEER REVIEW 9 o 14
This heo y is ein o ced by he ac ha mos messages come om speeches o public
e en s un by poli icians om egional go e nmen s (69.3%). Howe e , he e a e a mino -
i y o wee s speci ically p epa ed o social ne wo ks (23.4%) o om he media (5.7%).
The p e ious da a we e expanded on by analyzing he p o agonis o he messages,
i.e., he subjec o he communica ion, showing ha mos wee s ocus on membe s o he
egional go e nmen s (56.4%). Mo eo e , mos o he wee s we e pos ed by egional p es-
iden s (31.8%), councilo s (17.7%), o o he lowe - anking membe s (6.8%). In addi ion o
his, he e is a e y signi ican numbe o pos s ha do no show any p o agonis (43%),
bu he mos su p ising inding is ha only 0.6% o all he pos s ocus on he pa icipa ion
o membe s o EU ins i u ions.
4.3. Ci izen Response
Th ough he me ics o e wee s, likes, and esponses, di e en nuances ela ed o
he in e es o he digi al public we e iden i ied. Acco ding o he da a, use s o he social
ne wo k X show e y low in e es in his ma e . In ac , each pos eaches an a e age o
only 3.2 e wee s, 5 likes, and 0.4 esponses, which means a i ali y igu e o 11.8 based
on he chosen o mula.
I hese me ics a e explo ed o each accoun s udied (Figu e 4), no able di e ences
a e obse ed. The egions o Occi ania (55.6), Galicia (35.1), Andalusia (33.5), and Ca alo-
nia (22.8) ha e mo e i ali y. This con as s o he accoun s o he CCDRs o Alga e (2.5),
No h (3), o Alen ejo (3.1), which ob ain minimal pe cen ages o i ali y. This inding
could be ela ed o he limi ed ole hese Po uguese ini ia i es play a an ins i u ional
le el.
Figu e 4. Vi ali y o communica ions by egional go e nmen .
A he hema ic le el, he s udy o i ali y shows ha some o he issues ha a ac
he leas a en ion om egional go e nmen s a e hose ha a ouse he g ea es in e es
om ci izens. Heal h (18.1), ou ism (14.1), and in as uc u e (16.2) eached he highes
me ics, while secu i y (5.6) caugh he leas in e es . Rega ding s a egies, i was con-
i med ha messages based on con lic achie ed he highes i ali y (17.8), ahead o hose
Figu e 4. Vi ali y o communica ions by egional go e nmen .
A he hema ic le el, he s udy o i ali y shows ha some o he issues ha a ac he
leas a en ion om egional go e nmen s a e hose ha a ouse he g ea es in e es om
