ABSTRACT
Introduction The eruption of the Eurozone crisis in 2009 marked a new period in the process of European integration, as it called into question the viability of the European Monetary Union (Glencross 2013; Vasilopoulou 2013). In this context of growing uncertainty regarding the future of Europe, Euroscepticism has now become more relevant than ever. While we do know that Euroscepticism is a persistent and embedded phenomenon in the European Union (EU) (Usherwood and Startin 2013), few studies explore whether Euroscepticism is a transnational phenomenon, i.e. whether it goes beyond national boundaries and interests. This chapter addresses this gap from a political communication perspective. We choose to do so because the media is able to provide a forum for Eurosceptic actors to influence European public opinion, electoral outcomes and the EU policy process. European publics also depend on national media in order to gain knowledge on the possible alternatives from the current EU project (Koopmans 2007; Trenz 2008). Our main aim is to contribute to the discussion on transnational Euroscepticism by exploring whether we may observe the development of Eurosceptic opposition in the national quality press. Can we talk about transnational Euroscepticism from a newspaper perspective? Are European publics exposed to Eurosceptic arguments from non-domestic Eurosceptic politicians? And, if so, what affects variation? Finally, has the crisis contributed to the development of this type of public sphere?
