The Europeanization of media discourse: A study of quality press coverage of economic policy co-ordination since Amsterdam

The article seeks to contribute to the debate about the Europeanization of publicized discourse as a key factor in the underpinning of legitimate and effective governance in Europe. It explores the degree to which two sets of European Union legal provisions for the co-ordination of national employment and fiscal policies have led to an adaptation of media discourses in selected Member States over time. Overall, the study finds only a modest degree of Europeanization with regard to media attention, representation of foreign voices and thematic convergence, but notes important differences between the two selected governing modes and to a lesser degree between the selected countries. It puts forward a number of hypotheses to explain why fiscal policy co-ordination led to more Europeanization of media discourse as compared to the softer governing mode in the area of employment policy.