Fabio Mauri, the man behind DG MEME, a popular Twitter account with 100,000 followers poking fun at EU politics and policy-making, told EURACTIV that he is regarded as a “troublemaker” by European Commission’s top management but that this does not put him off.
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Who is Fabio Mauri? And how did you become the leading European humorist on Twitter?
I am a software engineer and have always worked with IT and graphics, mainly website development. I was always curious to see how the institutions work from the inside, and after Brexit, I was really angry, wondering: “How did they let this happen? Why can’t they manage to explain, in a simple way, why it is good to be in the European Union?” I was very frustrated, and I quit my job at Swarovski in Austria and moved to Brussels to become a trainee at the Commission.
While there, I quickly understood there were many problems. I decided to start this personal project to help with communication and show them it is possible to talk about Europe and be funny. It took off pretty fast, I must say.
I have a quote for you: “The EU is just a bunch of old, boring bureaucrats.” So what makes memes about EU bureaucrats so funny?
Besides the fun, I hope people notice that DG MEME aims to discuss Europe. Sure, it uses humour but that does not mean it is only for fun. Why is it working? First of all, somebody is talking about the EU, and this is something that only happened a little before. No offence to Euractiv and Politico, these are very nice media, but very specific. If you’re not in the EU bubble, you hardly know them. By using memes, you bring the EU to a more common audience. Because sometimes the picture is so funny that even if you do not follow EU politics, you laugh, and maybe you want to find out more – who is that guy in the picture? Or why are people laughing about this meme that I do not understand? This is called infotaining.
There are three pillars of democracy – the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. Some say that there is a fourth, the media. Does that mean memes and humour are the fifth pillar of democracy?
I do not think it is a fifth pillar, I still see it as part of the media. It does what maybe some serious press are not able to do, which is breaking down the news in a way that the people can understand at an emotional level. If you work eight hours and come home to your children, you probably do not have time to read about EU politics. Reaching these people should be the priority of DG Communication. If you can make the issue funny, it is better and more interesting because people do not have time to read long articles anymore, unfortunately. Still, we cannot lose them; we must find a way to engage with them.
While many people laugh at your memes, I am sure some find it offensive. Have you ever considered deleting your page and or regretted creating it?
No, deleting no. I consider DG MEME my alternative to going to therapy. When you see or read stuff that makes you angry – you can either keep your anger inside or find a way to twist it into something you can laugh about.
Have any politicians ever contacted you to delete content?
No, fortunately not.
Would you do it if they asked?
Well, they have money to pay lawyers. I do not, so I would eventually have to surrender. Of course, my main target is not to offend people. If the problem arises, I will try to deal with it. But please do not give them any ideas.
European institutions and their PR teams are trying to be more human in their approach. Has DG Communication approached you about collaboration?
There is always some enthusiasm from the low to middle management of the Commission. But unfortunately, they have to go up the hierarchy for permissions and eventually, towards the top, somebody is always saying: “Are you crazy? Why do you want to invite this guy? He is a troublemaker”.
The EU top management tolerates my page, but they are not necessarily happy about it. For me, it is unimportant because, in the end, I still reach those I want to go to, even if the Commission does not invite me to talk at their events or workshops.
On the other hand, institutions like the Parliament, or the Committee of the Regions, invited me to give presentations and speeches about communication and satire. And I was also granted an interview with Margrethe Vestager, one of the most powerful EU commissioners, who said she appreciates my work.
You had talks with Margrethe Vestager, and the top management still considers you a troublemaker.
She is not top management; she is a leading politician and still enjoys freedom of expression. The top management I am referring to are the real “Eurocrats”, the grey eminences that have the duty of implementing the ideas of politicians. We do not even know their names, but they hold real power and are afraid of what they cannot control. It is not surprising that these people consider me a troublemaker.
Do you think there is hope for change?
Yes, there is always hope. I would gladly help them with my communication skills, but I doubt they will ever find the proper way to use them, as they have to be super careful not to offend anybody, including other institutions. The Commission is some sort of government, but it does not have the right to defend its work, which is ridiculous. I think the Commission should be able to start a fight with the Parliament if the politicians there invent fake news against the proposed legislation.
Same story with Brexit: they chose deliberately not to communicate against it because “that is an internal business of the United Kingdom”. This is like saying that if my girlfriend wants to break up with me, it is her own problem; I do not have to try to explain how great it is when we are together. It will take a lot of time before their submissive approach to communication changes.
[Edited by Alice Taylor/Zoran Radosavljevic]
