The
European Union through
the
Eyes of Asia :
A
Comparative Study of Media Perceptions |
 |
Professor
Martin Holland (UK) University of Canterbury |
Paris
I Preston I Ulster I Bristol I Pamplona I Brussels
|
|
|
Abstract
According to Vice-President of the EU Commission
Margot Wallström, an obstacle to creating a better connection
between the EU and Europe 's citizens is a lack of any "common
narrative" about the actual nature of European integration:
"
the real problem in Europe is that there is no agreement or
understanding about what Europe is for and where it is going".
This
absence of an EU roadmap or consensus on whether a federal
"United States of Europe" is the end goal-or
something else altogether-has created a confused and perplexing
image for those outside the borders of the EU25. But how the
EU is understood and seen from the outside is important as
reflections from countries external to the EU, or "third countries",
may help to more clearly identify and define Europe for itself.
As a think-tank has argued regarding the EU's public diplomacy,
for the Union to prosper it must project a positive image
of itself to opinion-formers and to the 'man in the street'
both within and beyond its borders. Yet, research on the external
perceptions (both public and elite) of the EU is rare, as
are analyses of how the international media represent and
present the EU image abroad.
This
lecture goes someway to address this issue by presenting the
findings from a series of third country
studies in Asia undertaken from 2004-6 focused on the media
and public opinion. Leading newspapers and TV channels
in each selected country - Japan , South Korea , Singapore
, Thailand and China - were analysed on a daily basis to ascertain
the relative levels of EU news coverage, the topics chosen
and the news sources used. This information was the analysed
in terms of the images, metaphors and neutrality of the news
stories used to represent the EU to citizens across the Asian
region. Opinion surveys were then conducted to determine the
attitudes and perceptions held both by the general public
and by each country's elite.
This
research has provided a unique insight into how the EU is
perceived in Asia, hinting at serious ramifications for Europe
's influence in the region. Any public misperception or ill-informed
media representation concerning the EU's global role is potentially
detrimental, particularly if it results in an overly simplified
Asian view of the EU's capabilities (it is more than "just"
an economic player, for example).
This
lecture will deal with the media's coverage of the EU as well
as examine both public and elite opinion towards the EU across
five Asian countries. The questions that are raised include:
is there a communication gap between the EU and Asia ? If
so, what is the nature of this gap and how might this be addressed
if left unaddressed, what are the potential implications for
the EU and for the EU-Asian dialogue? What policy recommendations
for both the media and for the EU can be suggested? And, what
might be the wider implications of a concerted EU public diplomacy
strategy to raise EU "visibility" abroad?
Lecture
Schedule and Organisations
PARIS,
FRANCE
12th
September (Tuesday)
|
Le
Centre d'etudes Europeennes
Sciences
Po
|
The
three lectures below in the UK are co-organised with
the University Association for Contemporary European
Studies
www.uaces.org
|
PRESTON,
UK
14th
September
(Thursday)
|
University
of Central Lancashire |
| ULSTER,
N.IRELAND, UK
15th
September
(Friday) |
Academy
of Irish Cultural Heritages
|
BRISTOL,
UK
18th
September
(Monday) |
|
| |
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PAMPLONA,
SPAIN
20th
September
(Wednesday) |
University
of Navarra
|
BRUSSELS,
BELGIUM
21st
September
(Thursday)
|
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