This paper reviews three quite different ways in which people acquire and make use of European political through the Commission, the Permanent Representatives Office and the European Parliament. Because it was commissioned by a Lisbon non-governmental institute, the Fundação Franciso Manuel dos Santos, the focus is on the experience of Portuguese. In the context of the 28 EU member states, Portugal is both medium size in population and among the older members of the European Union. Moreover, it is typical of the situation of citizens of the great majority of small and medium size EU member states: in order to fit into European institutions Portuguese must concentrate on what is of common interest and concern in many European countries.

This paper is a slightly revised version of a report prepared for the Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos, Lisbon, as part of a project on Small States in the European Union that it funded with a grant to the Robert Schuman Centre of the European University Institute.