Taru Haapala and Álvaro Oleart – Tracing the Politicisation of the EU: The Future of Europe Debates Before and After the 2019 Elections

Description

Departing from the idea that political controversies are embedded in the very framework of European integration, this volume focuses on the relationship between politicisation and European democracy. The contributors to this edited volume trace the various ways of understanding ‘politicisation’ before and beyond the 2019 European elections. The aim is to offer constructive reinterpretations of the concept for further research in the field. Encompassing different approaches, the book shows a plurality of perspectives and provides innovative analytical tools to make sense of the phenomenon of politicisation in the EU context.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Towards a Multi-Faceted Approach to Politicisation in the EU Context

Part 1: Politicisation of the EU as a Polity

• Between Optimism and Pessimism: Rethinking EU Politicisation in Theory, Conceptualisation, and Research
• Citizens’ ‘Permissive Consensus’ in European Integration Scholarship: Theoretical Reflections on EU Politicisation and the Democratic Deficit Discourse
• Politicisation as a Speech Act: A Repertoire for Analysing Politicisation in Parliamentary Plenary Debates
• The European Rescue of the Front National: From the Fringes Towards the Centre of National Politics Through EU Politicisation

Part 2: Social Media in the Politicisation of the EU

• Parliamentary Rhetoric Meets the Twittersphere: Rethinking the Politicisation of European Public Debates with the Rise of Social Media
• The Politicisation of the EU and the Making of a European Twittersphere: The Case of the Spitzenkandidaten Process
• Framing the Future of Europe Debates on Twitter: The Personalisation of EU Politicisation in the 2019 EU Election Campaigns

Part 3: EU Politicisation Narratives and Patterns

• Patterns of Politicisation in the 2019 European Elections: Salience, Polarisation, and Conflict Over EU Integration in (Eastern/Western) Media Coverage
• The Commission Takes the Lead? ‘Supranational Politicisation’ and Clashes of Narratives on Sovereignty in the ‘Future of Europe’ Debates
• The European Commission’s Communication Strategy as a Response to Politicisation in Times of EU Contestation
• Make Europe Great Again: The Politicising Pro-European Narrative of Emmanuel Macron in France
• Epilogue: Tracing the Politicisation of the EU—A Research Agenda for Exploring the Politicising Strategies in the Future of Europe Debates