EU institutions, the media and civil society: Lost in communication ?

Asimina MichailidouInternational Research Network in European Political

Communications (EurPolCom),University of Bristol, UK

Introduction• Project: ‘The impact of EU

'Constitutionalisation' on public claims-making over Europe’ (ESRC Award Ref. RES-000-23-0886, 2005-2008)

• Main aim: to map the ‘political demands and expectations which citizens and their representatives mobilise on the European Union, across countries, across time, and within Britain’ (‘public claims-making’).

EU public communication strategy: Data Sources

• Official EU documents 1993-2008

• Interviews with EU officials 2004-2007• European-level civil society representations:

European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions (Michailidou 2007 and 2008)

• EU institutions: European Commission, European Parliament and EP Secretariat-General, European Council and Council of the EU (Michailidou 2007 and 2008)

All working papers available on http://www.eurpolcom.eu

The transformation of EU public communication

Key commitments:• Emphasis on quality information about the EU• Strengthening ties with civil society at

national/local level• Investing in two-way (Internet-mediated)

communication

EUpublic communication

2000-2004:An Information strategy

for the EU

2004-2007:Going local

2007-to date:Communicatingin partnership

Local/Regional publics

Government

National publics

EU communicative channels in the EU public sphere

National media

EU institutions

Civil society

Electronic media

Two-way direct communication

One-way indirect communication

Priority/ vulnerable

publics: Women, young

people

Specialised publics:

Academics, officials

Michailidou, A., 2007, http://www.eurpolcom.eu/exhibits/paper_14.pdf.

EU official rhetoric

The insiders’ view

Table adapted from Statham and Firmstone 2006: 15, based on aspects of legitimacy using definitions by Lord (2003) and as discussed by Neuhold and Versluis (2004) with regard to the Constitution.

http://www.eurpolcom.eu/exhibits/paper_16.pdf

Factors for improving EU’s legitimacy RankAverage

value

Quality coverage of the EU in national media 1 3.4

Improving communications between EU organisations and the media 2 2.8

Promoting the benefits of the EU to its citizens 3 2.8

Promote specific EU policies to citizens 4 2.8

Reform the EU budget 5 2.6

Strengthening European level civil society 7 2.5

Improving access to information and documents about the EU on the internet 8 2.5

Strengthening nationally based civil society over Europe 9 2.2

Improving access to decision making for civil society groups 13 2.2

Establishing an EU Constitution 18 1.6

Promoting a European identity among citizens 19 1.5

Establishing an EU wide media 20 1.3

Holding national referenda to ratify treaties/a Constitution 21 0.9

Holding EU wide referenda to ratify treaties/a Constitution 22 0.8

Rethinking democracy in the EU

•Official rhetoric v. Officials’ views

•Communication or democracy deficit?

•Participation or representation for increased legitimacy?

EU and the public sphere: A conundrum for academics only?

•‘Democratisation of information and opinion’: Shared ground between political and corporate communications

•EU public communication strategy:–Good concept, poor execution;

–Lacks political support;

–Lacks clarity of aim (democratisation or PR?)

Questions and comments welcome!

Thank you!