The EU as a public sphere

Abstract

This Living Review takes stock of our current theoretical and empirical knowledge with respect to a European public sphere. It first outlines the notion of a public sphere and the incompatibilities between the notion of a public sphere in the nation state and the current state of European integration. It is then argued why a notion of a (Europeanized national) public space for debate between citizens and with power-holders is eminent for the legitimacy and accountability of the EU.A three-fold typology is proposed that organizes previous research on the European public sphere: the Utopian, the Elitist and the Realist perspective. The diverging conclusions stemming from extant research are reviewed in the light of the methodological pluralism in the studies. It is demonstrated that most signs of Europeanization of national public spheres stem from studies focusing on the quality broadsheet press, whereas studies focusing on the popular press, television and new media provide some, albeit limited evidence (yet) of a Europeanization trend. The review looks ahead in both theoretical and methodological terms and also assesses the consequences of the (absence of) a European public sphere and current policy initiatives in this area.Keywords: European identity, European public space, Europeanization, legitimacy, media, multilevel governance, public opinion Because a Living Reviews article can evolve over time, we recommend to cite the article as follows: Claes H. de Vreese, "The EU as a public sphere", Living Reviews in European Governance, Vol. 2, (2007) Article RevisionsLiving Reviews in European Governance supports two methods of keeping its articles up-to-date:Revisions consist of minor editorial changes and allow the author the opportunity to update the article according to current research findings, new publications or significant developments. These include, for example, the addition of new references or URLs. The revised article is reviewed by the Section Editor and an overview of changes will be listed through a 'change log' at the beginning of the article.Major Updates involve extensive changes that require a substantial revision of the article's content, or the addition of new ideas that were not in the original text. Major updates are subject to full external reviewing and are published with a new publication number. Access to the original text is available only through the updated version of the article. Page 8: Expanded paragraph below.Page 9: Added concluding statement.Page 9: Added reference to Stepinska (2011).Page 11: Removed statement: "In addition to Greece, the elections were most visible in Denmark, Slovakia, Austria, and Ireland, taking up more than 15% of the news in these countries. In addition to Germany, the elections were least visible in Belgium and the Czech Republic, where less than 5% of the news was devoted to the elections.Page 11: Note on Schuck et al. (2011) replaces statement: "Also the results for the new member states give a rather positive outlook. Visibility was relative...

Civil society participation in EU governance

“…19 See Living Review on the emergence of a European public sphere (de Vreese 2007). 20 See Dunkerley and Fudge (2004) suggesting "a more discursive engagement with the citizens of Europe" to increase the democratic legitimacy of the EU.…”

La movilización cognitiva y la dinámica de la participación política entre los migrantes intraeuropeos

“…The "Europeanisation from below", can contribute to the formation of a European public sphere (della Porta and Caiani, 2010) and a European demos, socially and politically committed to the construction of European society, not only as passive subjects, but as leading actors. These theories turned out to be optimistic, as empirical studies converge in stating that a truly European public sphere does not yet exist (De Vreese, 2007) and the population of transnational activists still represents a small segment of the European population, in a context still characterised by disinterest and low commitment. They nevertheless identify actual dynamics of change, the analysis of which can encourage thinking on the possible path of self-constitution of European democratic policies (Trenz and Eder, 2009).…”

Transnational Communication as Deliberation, Ritual, and Strategy

“…Transnational public spheres are more likely to evolve in settings with either a common language or strong political, economic, and cultural ties or common political institutions. This is why so much research and theorizing has been devoted to the quest for a European public sphere resulting in different interpretations about whether it actually exists or not (for an overview see de Vreese, 2007;Risse, 2010;, and the contributions in Koopmans & Statham, 2010). The disagreement about the European public sphere arises from different standards applied in evaluating when to speak of a public sphere (Trenz, 2008).…”