Making EU Politics Public

Dr. Christina Altides

doi:10.5771/9783845220123

Summary

„Europäische Institutionen kommunizieren zu wenig“ – so lautet eine der jüngsten Diagnosen zur steigenden EU-Verdrossenheit und niedrigen Wahlbeteiligung bei Europawahlen. Gleichzeitig versichern Europäisches Parlament und Kommission, wie nie zu vor alles daran zu setzen EU-Politik Bürgern zu vermitteln. Wie lässt sich dieser Widerspruch erklären? Dieser Band geht dieser Frage nach und untersucht – aus einem handlungs- und organisationstheoretischen Blickwinkel, mit Hilfe von qualitativen Interviews – die Intentionen, Organisationsprozesse und Machtstrukturen, auf denen die institutionelle Kommunikation des EU-Parlaments und der Kommission basiert. Anhand der gewonnenen inner-institutionellen Einblicke lässt sich erklären, warum beide Institutionen nicht nur öffentlichen, sondern auch eigenen idealtypischen Vorstellungen von demokratischer Kommunikation nicht entsprechen - und nicht entsprechen können. Damit bietet die Arbeit nicht nur einen alternativen theoretischen Blickwinkel auf die akademische Debatte um das Kommunikationsdefizit der EU. Die aufgezeigten Zusammenhänge sind auch für die Praktiker institutioneller EU-Kommunikation von großer Relevanz.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2009
ISBN-Print: 978-3-8329-4966-2
ISBN-Online: 978-3-8452-2012-3
Publisher: Nomos, Baden-Baden
Series: Regieren in Europa | Governance in Europe
Volume: 16
Language: English
Pages: 227
Product type: Book Titles

Titelei/Inhaltsverzeichnis No access Pages 2 - 11
Figures and tables No access Pages 12 - 12
Abbreviations No access Pages 13 - 14
Introduction No access Pages 15 - 18
1. 1. Enhancing EU legitimacy through public communication? No access Pages 19 - 23
  2. Why should the EP and the Commission communicate? No access Pages 23 - 26
  3. The changing role of institutional communication throughout the integration process No access Pages 26 - 30
2. 1. 1. Normative expectations No access
    2. Professional demands No access
  2. How EU institutions do not communicate what they are expected to No access Pages 35 - 38
  3. Researching the EU institutional communication deficit No access Pages 38 - 39
3. 1. External boundaries to EU institutional communication No access Pages 39 - 45
  2. Formal institutional obstacles No access Pages 45 - 47
  3. 1. Lack of determination No access
    2. Problems with coordinating institutional communication No access
    3. Internal rivalries No access
  4. Explaining the EU institutions’ communication deficit No access Pages 52 - 53
1. 1. Corporate institutional actors – beyond unitary conceptions No access Pages 54 - 57
  2. The many communicators in the EP and the Commission No access Pages 57 - 61
  3. Implications for EU institutional communication No access Pages 61 - 62
2. 1. Norm-oriented motives for public communication No access Pages 62 - 65
  2. Interest-based communication aims No access Pages 65 - 68
  3. Conflicting public communication intentions No access Pages 68 - 70
3. 1. Situational and individual constraints No access Pages 70 - 73
  2. Organisational constraints: procedures and structures No access Pages 73 - 76
  3. Social constraints: political power and social profile No access Pages 76 - 78
4. Explaining EU institutional communication efforts No access Pages 78 - 80
1. Analysing EU institutional communication activities No access Pages 81 - 85
2. 1. Document analysis No access Pages 85 - 88
  2. Interviews No access Pages 88 - 90
3. Analysing EU institutional internal capability structures No access Pages 90 - 91
4. Critical evaluation No access Pages 91 - 93
1. The timing of and occasions for institutional press communication No access Pages 94 - 98
2. 1. Communication of political responsibility? No access Pages 98 - 103
  2. Communication of diversity of opinions? No access Pages 103 - 107
  3. Communication of responsiveness? No access Pages 107 - 112
3. EU institutional communication: between expectations and performance No access Pages 112 - 114
1. What the documents say: The official line to take No access Pages 115 - 122
2. 1. On communicating political responsibility No access Pages 122 - 125
  2. On communicating conflict No access Pages 125 - 129
  3. On communicating responsiveness No access Pages 129 - 136
  4. On the absence of any communication intentions No access Pages 136 - 139
3. Actor patterns of intentional differences No access Pages 139 - 144
4. Communication intentions: the Services Directive and REACH No access Pages 144 - 149
1. 1. Planning structures No access Pages 150 - 153
  2. Monitoring structures No access Pages 153 - 155
  3. Coordination structures No access Pages 155 - 161
2. 1. Limits of planning structures and procedures No access Pages 161 - 169
  2. Limits to monitoring structures and procedures No access Pages 169 - 172
  3. Limits of coordination structures and procedures No access Pages 172 - 178
3. Organisational constraints: the Services Directive and REACH No access Pages 178 - 182
1. 1. The European Parliament No access Pages 183 - 185
  2. The European Commission No access Pages 185 - 188
2. 1. The European Parliament No access Pages 188 - 193
  2. The European Commission No access Pages 193 - 197
3. Social restrictions – the Services Directive and REACH No access Pages 197 - 200
1. The characteristics of EU institutional press communication No access Pages 201 - 203
2. The institutional communication development process No access Pages 203 - 206
3. Relating the development process to the institutional press release features No access Pages 206 - 207
4. Beyond the empirics: Theorising on EU institutional communication No access Pages 207 - 210
5. Conclusion No access Pages 210 - 212
References No access Pages 213 - 227