From Brussels to the Citizens? Public Communication of the European Commission
The politicisation of European integration indicates a growing demand for public justification of supranational authority. This talk highlights that the messages the European Commission sends to its citizens do not meet this demand. A text analysis of almost 45,000 press releases the Commission has issued during the last 35 years rather indicates an extremely technocratic style of communication. Benchmarked against national executive communication, public political media, and scientific discourse, the Commission used and continues to use very complex language, specialized jargon, and a nominal style that obfuscates political action. This appears risky if not dangerous in a politicized context and feeds into the narrative of a detached Brussels technocracy.
Christian Rauh is Research Fellow of the WZB Research Unit Global Governance.
Please note that this event takes place in English only with no translation.
The event is part of the WZB Talks series.
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