ABSTRACT

A Reporter’s Guide to the EU addresses a pressing need for an effective, in-depth guide to reporting on this major governing body, offering practical advice on writing and reporting on the EU and a clear, concise breakdown of its complex inner-workings.

Sigrid Melchior, an experienced Brussels-based journalist, gives a detailed overview of the main EU institutions and explains the procedures for passing EU law. Interviews with professionals working for the EU, from areas including lobbying, public relations, diplomacy and journalism, are featured throughout the book.

Building on this, the second half of the book provides useful journalistic tools and tips on how to approach EU reporting. It identifies common mistakes in reporting on the EU and how to avoid them, as well as offering guidance on investigative reporting. Melchior also details how to work with information gathered and maintained by EU institutions, including their audiovisual archives, the Eurostat and Eurobarometer, which are invaluable resources for journalists and journalism students.

With few aspects of political life that remain untouched by EU decision-making the book demystifies the EU system and its sources, enabling professional journalists and students of journalism to approach EU reporting with clarity and confidence.

For additional resources related to A Reporter’s Guide to the EU, please visit www.areportersguidetotheeu.com

part I|26 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|5 pages

Introduction to EU reporting

chapter 2|7 pages

A few tips and tricks to get started

chapter 3|12 pages

What, really, is the EU?

part II|98 pages

The three main EU institutions

chapter 4|27 pages

The European Commission

chapter 5|39 pages

The European Parliament

part III|38 pages

Decision-making in the EU

chapter 7|10 pages

The legislative process part I

The European Commission proposes a new law

chapter 8|15 pages

The legislative process part II

The European Parliament and the Council of Ministers amend and adopt the law

chapter 10|6 pages

Delegated decision-making

part IV|48 pages

Other EU sources

chapter 11|15 pages

Other EU institutions

chapter 13|12 pages

Lobbying

chapter 14|5 pages

Think tanks and research

chapter 15|9 pages

Media

part V|62 pages

Practical EU Reporting

chapter 16|12 pages

Bringing the EU home

chapter 18|26 pages

Investigative EU reporting

chapter 19|5 pages

Practical help in Brussels

chapter 20|5 pages

Writing about the EU