We Need to Talk:
What or Who Blocks the EU to Communicate With the Public?
"Let our eyes not look away, but meet. Let us not look east and west for materials of conversation, but rest in presence and unity."
Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Later Lectures,
Volume 1, p.450
Introduction
Since its inception, the European Union has struggled to effectively communicate with the public, resulting in a number of embarrassing setbacks and delays in regards to meeting certain goals and convincing the European public at large to support the Union. These failures were rightly viewed with some alarm in Brussels, and the European Commission set about attempting to outline and implement an effective communication policy that would foster the development of a robust, transnational public sphere. This possibility has become less and less likely “with the rise of particular interests at the expense of concern for the general good, as well as the deterioration of rational public discourse about public affairs” (Calhoun, 2002, 393).
However, these problems have only been exacerbated and magnified by the recent financial turmoil threatening to disrupt or even sever the weak bonds holding the European Union together.
Only by examining the main challenges for those attempting to formulate the European Union's information and communication policy, the origin of these challenges and some possible solutions for overcoming them, one able to see any possible path for the establishment of a robust public sphere in which residents of Europe can productively discuss transnational public policy.
The Main Challenges:
Public Apathy or Official Ignorance?
The main challenges, which must be overpowered by European information and ...
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... EurActiv. Retrieved 23.09.2011
http://www.euractiv.com/priorities/eu-communication-policy/article-117502
Fossum, J., & Schlesinger, P. (2007). The European Union and the Public Sphere: A Communicative Space in the Making? New York: Routledge. PDF
Koopmans, R., & Statham, P. (2010). The Making of a European Public Sphere: Media Discourse and Political Contention. New York: Cambridge University Press. EBook. Retrieved 25.09.2011
Steeg Van, M. (2002). Rethinking the Conditions for a Public Sphere in the European Union. European Journal of Social Theory, 5(4): 499– 519.
Trenz, H., & Eder, K. (2004). The Democratizing Dynamics of a European Public Sphere towards a Theory of Democratic Functionalism. European Journal of Social Theory, 7(1), 5-25. VUB Library
“Remain true to yourself, but move ever upward toward greater consciousness and greater love! At the summit you will find yourselves united with all those who, from every direction, have made the same ascent. For everything that rises must converge.”
When analysts criticise the lack of democratic legitimacy in the EU they generally point to the mode of political representation and the nature of policy outputs. Only one branch of the EU is directly elected is the European Parliament. Though stronger than it once was, the EP remains is actually only one of four major actors in the EU policy-making process. The EP is a body without power or accountability, and easily dismissed just as a ‘talking shop’ (Colin Pilkington.) Only 75% of its amendments are accepted by the Commission and the Council of Ministers.
Schmitter, P. C. 2001. What is there to legitimize in the European Union… and how might this be accomplished? IHS Political Science Series: 2001, No. 75. Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna.
“Listen as your day unfolds. Challenge what the future holds. Try and keep your head up to the sky. Lovers may cause you tears. Go ahead, release your fears. Stand up and be counted. Don't be ashamed to try.”
“For this alliance may so happy prove, To turn your households' rancour to pure love.”
The Public Sphere has become the center of thought and the forum in which people can freely communicate their views, though it is important to realize that not always have the two been intertwined. Though today the Public Sphere is thought to have originated during the French Revolution, but it is much older than that, it held an important aspect in the Hellenistic Greek era. Because free speech and Public Sphere were not combined back then many philosophers found themselves in a tough spot when they spoke out against the norm in favor of change.
The public sphere has been falsely represented as a virtual place where one can share and debate opinions; ...
Historically, financial crises have been followed by a wave of governments defaulting on their debt obligations. The global economic history has experienced sovereign debt crisis such as in Latin America during the 80s, in Russia at the end of the 90s and in Argentina in the beginning of the 00s. The European debt crisis is the most significant of its kind that the economic world was seen started from 2010. Financial crises tend to lead to, or exacerbate, sharp economic downturns, low government revenues, widening government deficits, and high levels of debt, pushing many governments into default. Greece is currently facing such a sovereign debt crisis and Europe’s most indebted country despite its surplus in the early 2000s. Greece accumulated high levels of debt during the decade before the crisis, when the capital markets were highly liquid. As the crisis has unfolded, and capital markets have become more illiquid, Greece may no longer be able to roll over its maturing debt obligations. Investment by both the private and the public sectors has ground to a halt. Public sector debt has increased substantially as the state had to rely on official assistance to payroll expenses, fiscal deficit and fund social payments.
The Greek economy has seen a large collapse following the recent worldwide recession. The European Union has expressed concerns for the impact that Greece’s economic collapse will negatively affect other member nations. Greece and the European Union are working to reduce the Greek deficit and to contain the economic crisis to Greece.
The European Union stands on the threshold of unparalleled change over the coming years. The next waves of enlargement will be unprecedented in nature and continental in scale. This process has gained so much political momentum that it is now irreversible.
First, the structure of the framework strongly supports an extensive analysis of the directive and of the context in which it was formulated and implemented. Second, each element is important when trying to clarify how a policy is created in the European Union and the impact of the policy on businesses. The 'issue' element provides an opportunity to explain the content of the directive. The 'actors', 'interests','arenas' and 'assets' elements describe and illustrate the power play involved in European Union policy formulation and implementation and the place occupied by businesses. The 'information' element demonstrates the ever increasing importance that knowledge has within the European Union and how it can be used by businesses. Finally, the design of a non-market strategy supported by the (IA)3 framework enables a firm to become active and not only adapt to a certain policy but also gain an opportunity to influence the environment within which it is
Walgrave, Peter Van Aelst & Stefaan. 2002. New Media New Movements? The Role of the Internet in Shaping the "Anti-globalization" movement. Belgium : Routledge, 2002.
In today’s world, the media almost dominates society. No matter a station’s political affiliation or the conglomerates’ beliefs, a vast variety of topics are covered almost daily. Whether it’s breaking news, feature stories, or heart-warming cartoons, the audience is almost certain to tune into any news station and learn about what is going on in the world, and e-democracy falls under that category. When it comes to anything that concerns the government, there is going to be media coverage, especially if it involves scandal or court cases. Stories vary in importance and depth, but overall they give us insight into certain topics. CNN’s Dan Caterinicchia offered the people a look at what E-Democracy is and how a man from Minnesota lobbied to make e-democracy easier by using an e-mailing list as well as an online public forum. According to Caterinicchia (1999), Minnesota e-democracy Chairman, Steven Clift, believes that such a practice would make E-Democracy an...
...e that the citizens of the nations within the EU have trouble understanding themselves. However when the history it is broken apart, we can begin to understand where the EU origins are, and have some insight into the future of the organization, and the challenges that they face as the worlds largest Supranational Organization
Since the rise of mass media set in motion a rollercoaster of technological changes to form what we today define as the information society, media and information have increasingly become an integral part of the daily lives of EU citizens. This has led to a wide array of sources that EU citizens can access and nearly limitless exposure to a diverse pallet of thoughts, opinions and ideas. But having access to media means little if EU citizens do not have the skills to use the technologies needed to gain this same access. And, even if access is taken out the equation and ceases to be a problem, there is still no guarantee that EU citizens can decipher and criticize the messages presented by the media. In light of this, there is