! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank Anna Korteweg, Edith Klein, Kate Korycki and Robert Austin for their tremendous support and guidance. In addition, we are sincerely grateful to the Arts & Science Student Union and the Centre for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs for the financial as- sistance, which made this project possible. Further- more, we express our gratitude to Georgina Steinsky- Schwartz for her invaluable contributions to this initi- ative. We also acknowledge and applaud the efforts and determination of the analysts, without whom this journal would not be a reality. 2 Advisory Board Anna Korteweg, PhD Edith Klein, PhD Kate Korycki, PhD Candidate Robert Austin, PhD Editorial Board Anjela Deyanska – editor Gareth Story – editor Alessandro Gemmiti – editor Christopher Kelly – editor Alison Wood – assistant editor Farbod Saatsaz van Driel – assistant editor Cover Design by Dmitry Novoselov © The University of Toronto European Studies Students’ Association 3 CONTENTS GLOSSARY 6 INTRODUCTION 7 AUSTRIA 9 BY AGLAIA LOWO BELGIUM 17 BY ALLISON GIBBONS BULGARIA 26 BY ANJELA DEYANSKA DENMARK 43 BY NIKKI VUKASOVIC FRANCE 54 BY EMILY BARRETTE GERMANY 63 BY STEVEN MANTIFEL GREECE 77 BY MARIA VARELAS HUNGARY 83 BY SHIJA ZHANG IRELAND 94 BY CHRIS GRANICOLO ITALY 101 BY ALESSANDRO GEMMITI 4 MALTA 111 BY ADRIAN ZITA-BENNETT THE NETHERLANDS 121 BY FARBOD SAATSAZ VAN DRIEL POLAND 128 BY STANISLAW PELC PORTUGAL 136 BY CAMILLA GUIGUER ROMANIA 144 BY ALEXANDRA SAVILO THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION 156 BY AMINA ABDULLAYEVA SERBIA 167 BY PETAR DODIC SPAIN 177 BY ARIADNA PAULIUC SWITZERLAND 184 BY RABIYA ASAD TURKEY 191 BY ISA TOPBAS UKRAINE 198 BY TANYA BRANITSKA THE UNITED KINGDOM 206 BY DEBBIE BUTTS 206 5 GLOSSARY CEPS Centre for European Policy Studies CIS Commonwealth of Independent States EaP Eastern Partnership EC European Commission ECSC European Coal and Steel Community EEC European Economic Community EFSF European Financial Stability Facility EFTA European Free Trade Area EMU European Monetary Fund ESM European Stability Mechanism EU European Union IMF International Monetary Fund OECD Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development SGP Stability and Growth Pact WTO World Trade Organization NOTE Maps and country-specific data on title pages were re- trieved from the CIA World Factbook on April 1, 2012. 6 INTRODUCTION In October of last year, when we first discussed the idea of producing a European Studies Students' Association Journal, we were unsure of what it would look like when complete. After many meetings and conversations, we de- cided to compile a comprehensive media analysis of how European Union Member States' popular media depicted the European Union and what issues and trends emerged in their relations over the course of 2011. While our origi- nal vision was to have reports on all twenty-seven Member States, due to the difficulty of finding participants who were both willing and had the necessary language skills, we were only able to cover eighteen Member States. In addi- tion to these, we have included four reports on nations who have a profound effect on both the current state and future of the European Union. Although the final product is more limited in scope than originally anticipated, the diverse community of the University of Toronto made the realiza- tion of this journal much easier; outside of this environ- ment it would have been an insurmountable obstacle to locate so many people with multilingual proficiency. We are all incredibly pleased with the result of our analysts' efforts, and hope that next year we will be able to build upon the success of this year and realize our original vision of providing reports on all European Union Member States. The massive undertaking that this journal proved to be, not only due to its limited timeline, but also because of it being the first of its kind, was greatly lightened through the assistance, support, and encouragement we received from both faculty, members of the community, and our peers. 7 We sincerely hope that you find our journal inter- esting, informative and educational, and that you will look forward to reading next year's edition. The ESSA Editorial Board, March 30, 2012 8 AUSTRIA By Aglaia Lowo Ethnic composition: Austrians 91.1%, former Yugoslavs 4% (includes Croa- tians, Slovenes, Serbs, and Bosniaks), Turks 1.6%, German 0.9%, other or unspecified 2.4% (2001 census) Population: 8,219,743 (July 2012 est.) GDP per capita: $41,700 (2011 est.) Member since: 1995 EU funding in 2010: net contributor 9 BACKGROUND: Austria joined the EU in 1995, along with Sweden and Finland, marking the EU’s fourth enlargement. Aus- tria’s decision was finalized by a national referendum, in which a majority voted in favor of membership.1 Previous- ly, Austria struggled with the idea of joining the EEC, as it was apprehensive of compromising its neutrality.2 Despite years of deliberation concerning the EEC, Austria did not hesitate to partake in other European initiatives, such as the EFTA, of which it was a founding member. In 2002 Aus- tria successfully implemented the euro as its official cur- rency. MEDIA SOURCES: Der Standard www.derstandard.at Der Standard is a self-proclaimed liberal, national, daily newspaper, with no public affiliations to any political party. It is a widely read daily with over 100,000 copies in circu- lation daily. The online edition boasts a section explicitly concerning the EU, with updates made multiple times a day.3 Der Österreichische Rundfunk (ORF) www.orf.at Der Österreichische Rundfunk is the largest state-owned, national public service broadcaster in Austria, and pro- vides the country with a combination of regional and na- tionwide television and radio channels.4 Die Presse www.diepresse.com Die Presse is a conservative liberal, national newspaper, issued daily, and closely linked to the Austrian Peoples’ Party. The paper is considered elitist, with a daily circula- 10 tion of approximately 98,000 copies. Its online version is updated throughout the day.5 FINDINGS: There were three prominent, inter-related topics that stood out in the Austrian media in 2011: the Eurozone cri- sis, EU enlargement, and Schengen reform with the poten- tial for a unified EU-asylum policy. Eurozone crisis The topic with the most media coverage throughout 2011 was the Eurozone crisis and its implications for the EU and for Austria. - In the New Year’s speech delivered by the Austrian Presi- dent, Heinz Fischer, the topic of the Eurozone crisis and Austria’s role in it were addressed extensively.6 - Nevertheless, there was a general consensus among the press that Austria remained one of the most optimistic countries in the EU, concerning its future in the institution.7 This optimism is reflected in multiple articles concerning Austria scoring as one of the ‘Top Four’ most optimistic countries in the Eurozone, despite the economic hardship confronted by the EU throughout 2011.8 Most articles con- cerning this topic displayed a rather objective view of the discussion concerning the EU’s “Rettungsschirm” (emer- gency parachute), presenting a balanced account of the opinions held on this topic.9 - However, some articles portray more radical views, which are usually denoted by the opinion of the prominent right- wing political party in Austria, die Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (FPÖ). Customarily, the FPÖ take a stance against Austria’s greater involvement in the EU, especially when it comes to funding countries like Greece during the Eurozone crisis.10 Conversely, many articles were seen to condone the EU’s aid to Greece and the EU’s actions throughout the Eurozone crisis as a whole.11 11 EU Enlargement Another prominent issue in the Austrian media in 2011 was the further enlargement of the EU to Southeastern Eu- ropean states, such as Croatia and Serbia, and more con- troversially, Turkey. On this topic the articles gave an array of opinions and stances, especially in light of the economic crisis Europe faced. - Der Standard reported that the President of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, Christoph leitl, publicly an- nounced that he believed Turkey is not ready for the EU, and the EU is not ready for Turkey; eight days later, the same newspaper reported a different opinion, which held that Turkey and the EU needed each other.12 13 Schengen Reform and Asylum Policy Another topic that was raised with some frequency was the reemergence of border control issues, specifically those pertaining to the Schengen Agreement.14 - Many of the articles on this topic addressed the uncertain- ty of the potential for future changes to the Schengen Agreement in relation to the growing question of the EU’s stance on asylum. 15 - Thus, the question of a unified EU-asylum policy was also discussed with some frequency.16 2011 IN REVIEW: In 2011, discourse in the Austrian media under- went a significant transition from focusing predominantly on domestic issues to those concerning Austria in the EU. This shift became increasingly prevalent with the EU’s re- sponse to the collapse of the Greek economy and the Euro- zone crisis. During his New Year’s address on 1 January 2012, Austrian President, Heinz Fischer placed great em- phasis on the EU, and Austria’s role in it.17 This was con- flicting with the speech he had delivered on the 1 January 2011, which did not place the same emphasis on the EU or the economic plight of Europe.18 12 Overall, Austria’s attitude to the Eurozone crisis was considered hopeful, as both Die Presse and Der Stan- dard reported that Austria scored as the fourth most opti- mistic country in the EU.19 20 Thus, despite fiscal hardship, and some more radical views that called for Austria’s with- drawal from Eurozone crisis funding, the population at large, as represented by the Austrian media, appeared to be content with the EU.