The Eurosceptic debate and its influence on the EU and its member states

Asimina Michailidou and Hans-Jörg Trenz have published chapters in the volume on Euroscepticism edited by Benjamin Leruth, Nicholas Startin, Simon Usherwood.

About the book

Since the advent of the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, a key turning point in terms of the crystallisation of opposition towards the European Union (EU), Euroscepticism has become a transnational phenomenon. The term ‘Euroscepticism’ has become common political language in all EU member states and, with the advent of the Eurozone, refugee and security crises have become increasingly ‘embedded’ within European nation states.

Bringing together a collection of essays by established and up-and-coming authors in the field, this handbook paints a fuller, more holistic picture of the extent to which the Eurosceptic debate has influenced the EU and its member states. Crucially, it also focuses on what the consequences of this development are likely to be for the future direction of the European project. By adopting a broad-based, thematic approach, the volume centres on theory and conceptualisation, political parties, public opinion, non-party groups, the role of referendums – and the media – and of scepticism within the EU institutions. It also reflects on the future of Euroscepticism studies following the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the EU.

Containing a full range of thematic contributions from eminent scholars in the field, The Routledge Handbook of Euroscepticism is a definitive frame of reference for academics, practitionersand those with an interest in the debate about the EU, and more broadly for students of European Studies, EU and European Politics.

The role of the media in the Eurosceptic debate

From the opinion-swinging British tabloids which have become synonymous with anti-EU sentiment, especially during the ‘Brexit year’ of 2016, to the Commission’s Euromyths-busting service, dedicated to counteract Eurosceptic inaccuracies in media reporting, the message is clear: Euroscepticism in the media is a force to be reckoned with. But does this also mean that EU politics is hostage to media reporting? Are media responsible for the rise of Euroscepticism? Placing the rich empirical literature on Euroscepticism and the media in the context of mediatization and democratic public sphere norms, this chapter argues that media-driven EU contestation can be an indicator of a healthy European public sphere.

Full info

Chapter 23: Euroscepticism as EU polity contestation
Hans-Jörg Trenz

Chapter 27: Mirroring or setting the political agenda? The role of the media in the Eurosceptic debate
Asimina Michailidou

In: The Routledge Handbook of Euroscepticism
Benjamin Leruth, Nicholas Startin, Simon Usherwood (eds)

Routledge, 2017
ISBN: 9781138784741

Published Aug. 9, 2017 1:14 PM - Last modified Jan. 31, 2022 11:27 PM