The  advent  of  online  social  networks  and  their  influence on  Internet  users  has  recently  generated  an  interest  in governments worldwide, as to their capabilities for enhancing social  capital,  triggering  debate  and  deliberation,  as  well as   keeping   governance   transparent   and   open.   European Institutions  have  embraced  these  networks  to  disseminate  a wide array of political information regarding Common Market policies  and  to  stimulate  awareness  on  the  activities  of  the institutions. It therefore appears that the European Institutions are starting to connect with horizontal networks. Based on this development the paper discusses the result of a related survey that  seeks  to  elucidate  the  use  of  online  social  networks  by European Institutions in the context of eParticipation.