Europaische Offentlichkeit als Fata Morgana

In: Forschungsjournal Soziale Bewegungen: Analysen zu Demokratie und Zivilgesellschaft, Band 26, Heft 3, S. 23-33

Abstract

Mainz-based political science Gerd Mielke presents counter-positions to the argument that a so-called transnational coding of social conflict can make the transfer of a national model of the public sphere feasible for the European level, as brought forward by Ulrich K. Preuss in this issue. Mielke does not believe that the competent national and European actors have enough political will to engage in transnational discourse. The author also argues that the fall of the Iron Curtain and the multitude of EU member states have made the creation of transnational public spheres much more difficult. Lastly, proponents of a market liberal ideology among the many EU states are not interested in national political-normative public spheres. For these and further reasons, it can be sceptically concluded that ideas concerning a European public are indeed a mirage. Adapted from the source document