The European Union is often attacked for its ‘democratic deficit’, namely its deficiencies in representation, transparency and accountability, as well as its lack of popular support. Can these shortcomings be counteracted by the development of a viable European public sphere? This book assesses the possible formation of a communicative space that might enable and engender the creation of a transnational or a supranational public. The contributors consider the EU’s democratic credentials and how well it communicates, and they also evaluate the major institutions and their links to general publics. The European Union and the Public Sphere emphasizes a ‘deliberative democratic’ perspective on the public sphere, addressing some key questions: • What are the prospects for a European public sphere?• Should we think in terms of the EU having a single public sphere, or are overlapping public spheres a more viable option?• What do this book’s findings on the question of the public sphere tell us about the EU as a political entity? Students and scholars of European democracy, political communication, and the politics of institutions will all be greatly interested by this book.
Author(s): Fossum Schlesin
Edition: 1
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 336
Book Cover......Page 1
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Illustrations......Page 9
Contributors......Page 10
Acknowledgements......Page 14
1 The European Union and the public sphere: A communicative space in the making?......Page 16
Part I: Communicative practices and a European public sphere......Page 36
2 Conceptualising European public spheres: General, segmented and strong publics......Page 38
3 The public sphere and European democracy: Mechanisms of democratisation in the transnational situation......Page 59
4 A fragile cosmopolitanism: On the unresolved ambiguities of the European public sphere......Page 80
Part II: Assessing Europe’s general public(s)......Page 100
5 ‘Quo vadis Europe?’: Quality newspapers struggling for European unity......Page 104
6 Political communication, European integration and the transformation of national public spheres: A comparison of Britain and France......Page 125
7 The European void: The democratic deficit as a cultural deficiency......Page 150
8 Political integration in Europe and the need for a common political language......Page 169
9 EU enlargement, identity and the public sphere......Page 184
10 Religion and the European public sphere......Page 202
11 The public sphere in European constitution-making......Page 221
Part III: Institutional conditions and the European context......Page 238
12 European Commissioners and the prospects of a European public sphere: Information, representation and legitimacy......Page 242
13 Transparency, audiences and the evolving role of the EU Council of Ministers......Page 261
14 Transnationalising the public sphere?: The European Parliament, promises and anticipations......Page 274
15 Conclusion......Page 294
Bibliography......Page 301
Index......Page 322
