Debating Europe

Do not miss the opportunity to read about how #Europe and the #EU are debated, politicized, and contested. Editors: Claudia Wiesner (Hochschule Fulda) and Meta Novak (University of Ljubljana) Issue: https://lnkd.in/dEa2HJyF

Building on the work of the Jean Monnet Network Debating Europe (DebatEU), Politics and Governance's newest issue highlights how #debate strengthens EU legitimacy, not only as a polity but also as a policy-making process, by regaining #citizens’ trust in their role in shaping decisions. Do not miss the opportunity to read about how #Europe and the #EU are debated, politicized, and contested. Editors: Claudia Wiesner (Hochschule Fulda) and Meta Novak (University of Ljubljana) Issue: https://lnkd.in/dEa2HJyF

I’m pleased to announce that my article, "Reporting EU Politics in News Venues: An Issue of Democratic Deficit?", has been published in the journal Politics and Governance of Cogitatio Press. You can read and download it for free here: https://lnkd.in/eG3mFhQb #OpenAccess #EUreporting #Europeanisation #Politicisation The article is part of the special issue "Debating Europe: Politicization, Contestation, and Democratization" (In Progress) edited by Claudia Wiesner and Meta Novak which originates from the project Debating Europe

Why do citizens in the EU's newest member state so rarely use the European Citizens' Initiative, the Union's only transnational direct democracy tool? Our exploratory study on Croatia, which examines this question, has just been published in the journal Politics and Governance of Cogitatio Press (open access), and is co-authored with Mario Munta, PhD and Ana Matan. The paper highlights the lack of awareness, perceived ineffectiveness, and procedural complexity as major obstacles, while strong CSOs’ involvement and targeted communication strategies emerge as critical factors for improving participation. Emotional distance from Brussels is as real as legal distance. Even informed young people described EU institutions as “distant” and doubted that signatures would lead to policy change. This low external political efficacy is a major psychological barrier, arguably as damaging as procedural hurdles. On the other hand, when causes touch hearts, participation spikes. Animal welfare and minority rights ECIs gathered far more support in Croatia - proof that when issues are framed around strong moral/emotional narratives and backed by committed NGOs, mobilisation is possible despite structural weaknesses. In the context of civil society’s capacity being increasingly squeezed, it is hard to expect any changes in the citizens' use of ECIs. Shrinking civic space, financial precarity, and project-based funding undermine CSOs’ ability to engage long-term in ECI advocacy. Many thanks to the editors of our special issue Claudia Wiesner and Meta Novak. The research has been funded under the European Commission Jean Monnet Network project Debating Europe, with participation of the Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, alongside six other European universities. #Democracy #EU #CitizenEngagement #CivilSociety #ECI #ActiveCitizenship