How do EU member states communicate risks to their citizens? In this study we define risk communication as the information provided by different levels of government to citizens regarding possible future crises to which the general public might be subjected. The departure points for this study are as follows: How is the administrative system for risk communication set up in the countries studied? How are the different risk communication campaigns (provided that they exist) embedded in the larger administrative context? How is risk communication strategy formulated in each country and what kind of threats are emphasized? In order to tackle these questions, we examine the risk communication strategy of eight countries: Sweden, Finland, Germany, England, France, Estonia, Greece and Cyprus. The choice of cases is based on “most different system” in terms of administrative model and geography. Our data comprises governmental web sites, publications, campaigns, as well as other modes of communication, such as videos posted on youtube, with questions centering on institutional actors, methods of delivery, content, and effectiveness. Our aim is that our findings will be of theoretical salience and practical importance for governmental bodies handling risk communication issues in the EU at large.