ABSTRACT
During the last ten years, the European Union has witnessed a plethora of important developments. These include the introduction of the single currency and the removal of border controls by most member states, the eastward expansion to twelve new countries, the first deployment of EU troops to overseas crisis regions, as well as the unsuccessful attempt to bestow on Europe its own constitution. Because of these far-reaching transformations, Europe has become ever more integrated, not just in political or economic but, more importantly, in human terms. Indeed, the number of people who are today affected by the EU’s actions is far from insignificant – most Europeans, however, remain oblivious to this fact. Just as the European flagship has continued to steer towards the selfproclaimed destination of an ‘ever closer union’, the general public has so far remained politically unengaged, uninformed and uninterested in this journey. Despite fifty years of European integration, what has apparently been lacking until now is the existence of an extensive social realm for political action and public discourse on European issues: a European public sphere.
