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The legitimation of the European Union in the news media: three treaty reform debates.

Authors :
Hurrelmann, Achim
Gora, Anna
Wagner, Andrea
Source :
Journal of European Public Policy; Apr2013, Vol. 20 Issue 4, p515-534, 20p
Publication Year :
2013

Abstract

The news media is a major forum for the discursive legitimation of the EU. This article analyses media debates in the context of three attempts at reforming EU primary law in the past decade: the Nice Treaty; the Constitutional Treaty; and the Lisbon Treaty. Focusing on four member states – the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and Austria – our study shows that the EU's legitimacy is discursively constructed according to distinct patterns, most of which are remarkably similar across countries and stable over time. In the context of the EU Constitution, legitimation debates became more intensive and more critical; however, these developments were largely reversed when the Lisbon Treaty was debated. This suggests that, in the media arena, the much-discussed politicization of European integration is an episodic occurrence, rather than a unidirectional trend. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
13501763
Volume :
20
Issue :
4
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Journal of European Public Policy
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
86688736
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2012.726478