Jan-Henrik Meyer The European Public Sphere

Jan-Henrik Meyer The European Public Sphere

Studien zur Geschichte der Europäischen Integration (SGEI) Études sur l Histoire de l Intégration Européenne (EHIE) Studies on the History of European Integration (SHEI) Nr. 10 Herausgegeben von / Edited by / Dirigé par Jürgen Elvert In Verbindung mit / In cooperation with / En coopération avec Charles Barthel / Jan-Willem Brouwer / Eric Bussière / Antonio Costa Pinto / Desmond Dinan / Michel Dumoulin / Michael Gehler / Brian Girvin / Wolf D. Gruner / Wolfram Kaiser / Laura Kolbe / Johnny Laursen / Wilfried Loth / Piers Ludlow / Maria Grazia Melchionni / Enrique Moradiellos Garcia / Sylvain Schirmann / Antonio Varsori / Tatiana Zonova

Jan-Henrik Meyer The European Public Sphere Media and Transnational Communication in European Integration 1969 1991 Franz Steiner Verlag Stuttgart 2010

Der Druck dieser Dissertation wurde im Rahmen der Bund-Länder Exzellenzinitiative durch die Berlin Graduate School of Social Sciences gefördert. Zugleich: Dissertation der Freien Universtität Berlin, Friedrich-Meinecke-Institut 2008. Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek: Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über <http://dnb.d-nb.de> abrufbar. ISBN 978-3-515-09649-2 Jede Verwertung des Werkes außerhalb der Grenzen des Urheberrechtsgesetzes ist unzulässig und strafbar. Dies gilt insbesondere für Übersetzung, Nachdruck, Mikroverfilmung oder vergleichbare Verfahren sowie für die Speicherung in Datenverarbeitungsanlagen. 2010 Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart Gedruckt auf säurefreiem, alterungsbeständigem Papier. Redaktion: Sebastian Funk, Köln Druck: Laupp & Göbel GmbH, Nehren Printed in Germany

Contents List of tables and figures... 11 Abbreviations... 15 Acknowledgements... 17 1 Introduction... 19 1.1 An historical inquiry into the European public sphere... 19 1.2 What is the European public sphere?... 24 1.2.1 Democratic quality... 25 1.2.2 European scope... 26 1.3 What do we empirically know about the European public sphere to date?... 28 1.3.1 European polity as a point of reference... 34 1.3.2 Synchronicity... 35 1.3.3 Mediators transnational involvement... 37 1.3.4 Transnational communication... 38 1.3.5 European self-understanding... 41 1.4 Cases in time and space... 43 1.4.1 Time... 43 1.4.2 Space... 45 1.5 Sources... 47 1.6 Organisation of my study... 49 2 An historical analysis of the European public sphere theoretical considerations and methodological challenges... 51 2.1 Theories of the European public sphere... 51 2.1.1 The notion of the public sphere ( Öffentlichkeit )... 51 Levels of the public sphere: encounters, assemblies, media... 54 The discursive and the liberal model of the public sphere... 55 Functions of the public sphere... 56 Implications for empirical research... 58 2.1.2 What is a European public sphere?... 59 Does the European public sphere require a common language and common media?... 59 Does the European public sphere require a European identity?... 61 Defining the European scope: what makes the public sphere European?... 64 Terminology: European public sphere(s), Europeanisation, Transnationalisation... 66 2.1.3 Historians conceptualising of the European public sphere... 70 Lingering structural traditions of European public communication... 71 A rhetorically invoked court of appeal... 73 The utopian traditions of the concept of Europe and the battle about meaning... 74

6 Contents 2.1.4 Conceptualising a historical approach to the European public sphere... 76 2.2 Methods of European public sphere research... 78 2.2.1 Historical comparison and the analysis of transfers... 78 Historical comparison... 80 The analysis of transfers... 82 2.2.2 Content analysis and the analysis of discourses... 83 Content analysis... 83 Discourse analysis... 84 2.3 Operationalisation... 85 2.3.1 European polity as a point of reference... 85 2.3.2 Synchronicity... 87 2.3.3 Mediators transnational involvement... 88 2.3.4 Transnational communication... 89 2.3.5 The construction of European self-understanding... 90 3 The European public sphere in context... 92 3.1 European integration 1969 1991... 93 3.1.2 Periodisations of European integration (1969 1991)... 95 3.1.3 A systematic periodisation of European integration 1969 1991... 98 The horizontal dimension of integration... 98 The sectoral dimension of integration... 99 The vertical dimension of integration... 101 Conclusions: a systematic periodisation of European integration 1969 1991... 102 3.2 European summits and the European Council... 105 3.2.1 Origins and functions... 105 3.2.2 Preparation, participation and procedure... 107 3.2.3 The summits of The Hague, Paris, Brussels, Luxembourg and Maastricht... 109 The summit of The Hague 1969... 109 The summit of Paris 1974... 111 The Brussels European Council of 1978... 114 The Luxembourg European Council 1985... 117 The Maastricht European Council of 1991... 119 3.3 The Meaning of Europe. Perceptions of European integration... 123 3.3.1 British perceptions of European integration... 124 3.3.2 German perceptions of European integration... 128 3.3.3 French perceptions of European integration... 131 3.3.4 Comparative summary... 133 3.4 Media structures and the production of European news... 134 3.4.1 Quality newspapers in Britain, Germany and France compared.. 135 Quality newspapers in the British, German and French newspaper markets... 135 The traditions, the ownership and the politics of the individual newspapers... 140 3.4.2 Reporting European integration and European summits... 149 The Brussels newsbeat reporting on European integration... 149

Contents 7 Commenting on European integration... 151 Reporting and commenting on the summits... 152 4 the development of European public communication: comparing the coverage of European summits 1969 1991... 155 4.1 European polity as a point of reference... 155 4.1.1 The uneven growth of EC coverage... 157 4.1.2 The similarity of EC coverage... 159 4.1.3 The convergence of EC coverage... 161 4.1.4 Growing transparency about European affairs?... 162 4.2 Synchronicity: The same issues at the same time at the same level of relevance... 163 4.2.1 Europe as the most relevant issue: front page headlines and editorials... 163 The fall and rise of the relevance of EC issues... 163 Similar relevance of EC issues... 165 Convergence over time... 167 4.2.2 Synchronicity of issues in European public discourse... 170 Commonality of issues: the same policies discussed at the same time... 170 Similarity of relevance: the same issues discussed similarly frequently... 172 Bilateral similarity: the same issues discussed at the same time at the same level of relevance... 173 4.2.3 Summary... 175 4.3 The mediators of European public communication: structural preconditions for transnational communication and societal participation.. 176 4.3.1 The mediators of European public communication: an overview.. 177 4.3.2 European correspondents, foreign correspondents and commentators... 181 EC correspondents: continuity and share of EC reporting and commentary... 182 Foreign correspondents: geographical scope, continuity and share of EC news and commentary... 187 Commentators: continuity and share of EC commentary... 192 4.3.3 External authors and interviewees... 195 Transnational communication... 195 Professions... 196 Representation... 199 Experience and attitudes... 201 4.3.4 Conclusions... 205 4.4 Transnational communication... 206 4.4.1 Horizontal references to the EC member states... 207 4.4.2 Vertical references to the European institutions... 212 4.4.3 Societal references... 215 4.4.4 Conclusions... 219 4.5 European self-understanding: the construction of a transnational sense of community?... 220

8 Contents 4.5.1 The Summit of The Hague 1969. Europe as a vision... 224 Interest: a community of interest... 225 Trust: suspicions but commitment to solidarity... 228 Identification: the heyday of progressive Europeanism... 230 Summary: a European sense of community shaped by idealism.. 232 4.5.2 The Summit of Paris 1974. Europe as an instrument in the face of the oil crisis... 233 Interest: the need for cooperation... 233 Trust: the limits of trust and solidarity... 235 Identification: Europe vs. the US? Britain in Europe?... 238 Summary: separate debates, but community of interest... 242 4.5.3 The European Council of Brussels 1978. Europe as an instrument: money... 243 Interest: economic ideas and the calculation of interest... 243 Trust: the limits of trust and (monetary) solidarity... 248 Identification: European unity or confederation?... 251 Summary: political and national cleavages... 255 4.5.4 The European Council of Luxembourg 1985. Europe as an instrument: the market... 256 Interest: an economic community... 256 Trust: scepticism vis-à-vis governments and solidarity via the market... 260 Identification: a vision revitalised?... 261 Summary: permissive consensus?... 265 4.5.5 The European Council of Maastricht 1991. Europe: the threat of the super-state... 265 Interest: politicised conflict of interests... 265 Trust: cultural clichés and solidarity beyond the EC... 272 Identification: national self-assertion in the face of the super-state... 277 Summary: the politicisation of Europe... 285 4.5.6 Conclusions... 286 4.6 Summary of the results... 288 5 Conclusions: Tracing the European public sphere... 292 5.1 Changes in European public communication 1969 1991... 292 5.1.1 European polity as a point of reference... 292 5.1.2 Synchronicity... 293 5.1.3 Mediators transnational involvement... 294 5.1.4 Transnational communication... 295 5.1.5 European self-understanding: a European sense of community?.. 296 5.2 Europe s second generation? European public communication at the summits between 1969 and 1991... 298 5.3 Explanations: the impact of context... 300 5.4 Conclusions: What do these results imply for the debate about the European public sphere and democracy?... 303

Contents 9 Sources... 307 1. Newspaper commentary (analysed in chapter 4.5.)... 307 2. News articles on the summits quoted (in chapter 4.3.)... 314 3. Further Newspaper Sources... 316 4. Interviews... 316 5. Audiovisual Sources... 317 6. Official Documents... 317 References... 319 Annex... 345 Deutschsprachige Zusammenfassung... 355 Résumé en français... 358