Citizens in ‘an ever-closer union’? The long path to a public sphere in the EU

Abstract

Citizens in 'an ever-closer union'? the long path to a public sphere in the eu 1 abstraCt As Europe is facing a continuous financial and, for many, political and social crisis, long-standing issues of European identity, solidarity and democracy reappear more pronounced than before. In these times, often, the historical developments that have given rise to questioning the European project, its legitimacy and potential future, as well as the treatment of these questions by its political and executive helm are not adequately understood. The role of a European 'common space' in terms of debate but also in political action and direction is inextricably connected to the question of legitimacy of the EU and, often, conflicting visions about its raison d' etre. Historically, the creation of an EU public sphere has been confused with distinct goals of political mobilization for electoral purposes. The strategies developed to advance a broaderand ultimately deeper -sense of belonging have been idealistic, insufficient and muddled owing to lack of political vision and resources. Contextualizing this historical 'baggage' with reference to the legacy of invisibility and transparency, the article reviews the politics behind strategic communication of the EU towards its citizens in the shape of Plan D, the Lisbon Treaty's citizen initiative and the development of EU media policy constrained by ambiguous and volatile relations between the EU and the media.

Transnationalisation, Public Communication and Active Citizenship. The Emergence of a Fragmented and Fluid European Public Sphere

“…This debate has also become particularly prominent in light of the euro‐crisis. The emergence of different social and political tensions that have been undermining, rather than favouring, social solidarity is quite significant in light of the discussion addressed in this paper, with a clash, for example going on between different parts of Europe as a result of the austerity measures (Degryse et al ; Lodge & Sarikaris ; Meijers ). This provides evidence of the ambiguous nature of the European social model and the fragmented nature of the European public sphere.…”

Digitalization of Political Participation of Citizens of the European Union as an Tool to Overcome the Democratic Deficit

“…Основним засобом формування публічного простору ЄС були визначені комунікаційні стратегій Об'єднання, що тривалий час працювали через застосування технологій мобілізації електоральної підтримки інститутів представництва в ЄС та позиціонування їх цілей та політик у національних ЗМІ держав-членів 19 . Після прийняття «Плану Д для демократії, діалогу та дебатів», метою стратегічних комунікацій було визначено безпосереднє включення до політичного дискурсу громадянина ЄС як суб'єкта європейської політики 20 .…”

E-Democracy and the European Public Sphere

“…In a tour d'horizon of the history of the European Commission's communication strategies, Lodge and Sarikakis (2013) regard this as a long and winding road of attempts to establish a European public sphere, which have often been confused with goals such as mobilising electoral support, or strategies of positioning the EU in national media. Later, with the "Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue and Debate" (see Lindner et al 2016), the strategies for mediating a European public sphere adopted the goal of including the European citizen directly in political discourse by means of (online) public consultation, and more recently, by establishing the European Citizen Initiative, by means of which citizens can invite the EC to put forward proposals on EU policy issues supported by a sufficient quorum of citizens from all over Europe.…”