Det danske EU-formandskabs politiske kommunikation til den europæiske presse

Abstract

This thesis examines the political communication of the Danish Presidency of the European Union (EU) to the European news media in the last half-year of 2002. The thesis concludes by ascribing to the Presidency of the EU an important function as a communicator of the official policy towards the European news media. As a result of this, the EU-presidency contributes to a transnationalisation of the political communication about the EU. The main reason for this is the task delegated to the presidency, which is to pursue results and promote agreement among the members of the European Council, while in itself maintaining a two-sided function as chairman and ordinary member of the council. Thereby the country chairing the presidency is not only demanded to work on behalf of a national mandate (e.g. as an independent nation state in an international forum), as well as on a supranational mandate (e.g. as a chairman of an international organization, dependent of the mandate delegated to it by the members of the organization). In an attempt to fulfil its obligations, the country holding the presidency must also become a transnational actor, setting aside both national interests and the limitations of an international mandate. A transnational actor is characterized exactly as such; an actor not committed to any governmental or intergovernmental mandate.