El "sex appeal" de la UE

Després de tants fracassos, els polítics europeus s'espremen el magí per trobar alguna gràcia al projecte comunitari i fer revifar la passió per la bella Europa, que fa temps que ja no rapta ningú. Després de donar-hi moltes voltes, el govern austríac s'ha tirat de la manta i ha omplert els carrers del país amb les imatges més sexis de la fins ara casta i avorrida Europa.

"European citizens do not like the European Union. In an effort to make the EU more sexy the Austrian authorities decided to subsidize a publicity campaign with a series of 150 posters. 75 artists from various places in Europe were asked to each make two posters, but some of them apparently took the request to present the EU in a sexy fashion too literally. In addition to the one depicted here there is a poster which shows two naked women and one naked man in a sexual pose. The man is wearing a mask with the features of the French President Chirac and the women are masked as Queen Elizabeth of Britain and… the American President W. Bush (one may wonder what he has to do with the EU and why Europeans are meant to see him as a woman). Readers will find a selection of the posters here. The posters are currently displayed on 400 billboards in Vienna and will be hung in other Austrian towns in the following weeks.

On January 1 Austria takes over the presidency of the EU for a half year period. The poster campaign costs the government 500,000 euros, which is 10% of the total cost. 90% is paid for by private sponsors. The campaign is intended to celebrate Austria’s EU presidency, as well as the 60th anniversary of the Austrian constitution and the 10th anniversary of Austria’s EU membership". (The Brussels Journal)