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The role of European political parties in closing the communication gap within the European Union. A critical view
(University of Wrocław, Poland)
ABSTRACT: European institutions failed to involve and engage public opinion over a number of years. EU communication was seen by the citizens as a ‘Brussels affair’. There are no big EU-wide media. National media look at EU policies only within the context of their national political system. The field of political information is clearly dominated by national media. European Commission in 2006 pointed at all ‘key players’, which may help to overcome the so called communication (information) gap. Among them there are: the EU institutions, all levels of government (central, regional, local) in each country, all European political parties, non-governmental organizations, and civil society. European Union lacks not only a common public sphere and a common society, but also mediating institutions, such as the mass media and developed European parties.
The article looks for an answer, whether the state of absence of European media, European political parties and genuinely European processes of public opinion formation (Scharpf, 1994) remains for long?