Representational Discourse of Public Administration in Romania

Based on the theoretical and empirical knowledge about the European public sphere, we discuss the theoretical problems by reviewing different theoretical models, their normative implications and the consequences for empirical studies, who are characterized by an empirical heterogeneity. In the second part we focus on the problems of theory, especially on the question of avoiding to simply extend our notions of national democracy to the European level and the alienability of theories to the European Union. We discuss the three categories of actors of the public sphere and draw conclusions for further research. We give reasons for a re-definition of the relevant fields of discourse and a re-definition of media functions in a European context.

This article contributes to the theoretical and methodological discussion on textual-contextual analysis in political communication and media research. It argues that taking into consideration both text and context throughout an analysis of the process of production enables the observation of the relation between the social and the linguistic. It opens up a non-deterministic perspective for the analysis of the above relation. The article rests upon an empirical study on the production of discourses for the campaign of European Parliament elections. The use of such a multilevel approach adds important elements to the research findings, particularly in terms of showing on the one hand how power relations within ‘Europarties’ results in the construction of common European identities in different European Union (EU) states, and on the other hand how professionalization of political communication reinforces discursive dissimilarities between parties of the same ideological family in different EU states.

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 149, 2014

After Romania`s adhesion to the European Union, in 2007, the discursive actor Europe acquires new dimensions in Romanian political debates. This paper analysis the way Romanian political discourse uses the previous metaphors on Europe, in order to place European Union in the national political context. The methodological framework of this paper focuses on political discourse analysis, having as starting point an exhaustive corpus of Parliamentary debates between 2007 and 2013. The transversal aim of our study is to identify different hypostasis of Europe in Romanian political discourse and to classify associated European terms and concepts that define the way contemporary Romanian political discourse relates to Europe.

Etikk i Praksis. Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics, 2017

This inquiry analyses the concept of a 'European public sphere' within the European public discourse. In particular, it explores the European Communication Strategy for creating an active European citizenship and European public sphere. The European Commission's Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue and Debate failed, because it employed homogeneous and static concepts of public sphere and European values. In this way it reduced deliberation to a mere debate. The European Year of Citizens was not sufficiently successful for the same reason. It involved citizens who debated about EU rights, but it did not produce deliberation. The purpose of this inquiry is to show the dialectical relation between the ideas of European values, European identity and European public sphere. This paper emphasizes the performative nature of a European public sphere, European identity and European values. These concepts may be perceived as grand narratives, which aim to generate universal truths.

The patent disconnection between the institutions of the European Union and the citizens of Europe has been widely attributed by political leaders and scholars to a 'communications gap', that is, to the way EU affairs are mediated by the media, and to the apparent lack of interest by national elites in conveying the importance of Europe. This book challenges this 'mediation theory' and suggests instead a cultural and systemic explanation for the distant and bureaucratic character of the European Union. Apportioning the blame for the communication gap to the media and national politicians neglects two real deficits which prevent Europe from enjoying a vibrant public sphere: a deficit of domesticisation, a popular disconnection with the idea of the EU, and a deficit of politicisation with European politics, it being difficult to categorise as through traditional methods of 'left vs. right'. This book suggests that popular disengagement with the EU is a consequence of the fact that Europe as a cultural community is an interdependent continent rather than a nation and that, as an political institution, the EU is a pseudo-confederation full of anti-publicity bias, elite-driven integration, corporatism and diplomacy. The result is a book that is an essential read for students and scholars of political communication and of the European Union.

This paper examines EU public diplomacy and its implications for the wider EU diplomatic efforts. Drawing on discourse theory, public diplomacy is conceptualised as a modality of diplomacy that seeks to influence specific elements within foreign political discourses. The influence sought by the EU through its messages relates to the projection of its identity as an actor and to the diffusion of its own normative foundation, and it is argued that these are potentially conflicting objectives. EU public diplomacy is characterized by its decentralized nature, where the delegations of the Commission in third states are the most important actors in the network 'doing' EU public diplomacy, since they plan and execute specific initiatives. This paper argues that the traditional and public diplomacy of the EU are complementary sets of practices that are closely linked and influence each other. They are also both fundamentally restrained by political disagreement among member states about the nature and roles of the EU. Finally, this paper argues that the network organization of EU public diplomacy, although giving rise to important problems of coherence, is better adapted to current patterns of diplomatic interaction and more effective in the pursuit of EU strategic objectives than a more hierarchical organization able to speak with one voice and act in a more concerted manner.

Discourse & Society, 2017

This article contributes to the theoretical and methodological discussion on textual-contextual analysis in political communication and media research. It argues that taking into consideration both text and context throughout an analysis of the process of production enables the observation of the relation between the social and the linguistic. It opens up a non-deterministic perspective for the analysis of the above relation. The article rests upon an empirical study on the production of discourses for the campaign of European Parliament elections. The use of such a multilevel approach adds important elements to the research findings, particularly in terms of showing on the one hand how power relations within 'Europarties' results in the construction of common European identities in different European Union (EU) states, and on the other hand how professionalization of political communication reinforces discursive dissimilarities between parties of the same ideological family in different EU states.

This book is an exposé of information and communication activities developed both by the EU institutions at the European, national and local levels and by public organizations and civil society actors. Specifically this volume is a collection of papers that analyses and discusses EU information and communication policies and activities from different theoretical perspectives. It examines the EU and its different communication actions towards, with, by different publics from political and intercultural communication, journalism, public relations and public diplomacy, political science, international relations, anthropology, sociology, information technology and cultural studies. The core theme of the book is “Communicating the EU”. Throughout six thematic parts, the authors examine from different angles and reflect on what it means for the European Union to communicate in multi-national and multi-cultural settings. This volume seeks to provide relevant theoretical frameworks and the latest empirical research findings in the areas of Communication and the European Union. Our aim is, therefore, to adopt a fresh approach to analyse EU information and communication policies and actions. The special focus on empirical studies that assess tools and modes employed by the European institutions to interact with citizens, civil society, populations, and professionals is considerably significant for practitioners and students in the field to understand better EU communication framework.

"This paper takes a critical perspective on the current debate on EU communication problems, and looks at past EU information and communication activities and their results in respect to citizens’ support for the EU, its institutions and its policies as well as the general attitude of Europeans towards the EU project. It aims at demonstrating that international communications of supranational organizations like the European Union are extremely challenging and traditional public diplomacy and political communication practices may not necessarily produce the desired outcomes. It concludes by suggesting a more culture-centered type of communication that takes into consideration norms, beliefs and cultural experiences of people from different countries. "