This article aims to contribute to the discussion on the Europeanization of
public spheres. It is the starting point for an investigation into the role of
the media in transnational debate in Germany. The study aims to determine
whether the media function as either a motor of or an obstacle to
Europeanization of national public debate, compared to other actors. Drawing
on empirical data from the project ‘The transformation of political
mobilisation and communication in European public spheres’ (Europub.com), we
analyze the communications through which political actors, civil society
actors, and the media in Germany make public demands on European issues.
Sources on which this investigation was built were the news and editorial
section of two national quality newspapers (center-left, center-right), one
tabloid and one regional newspaper in the period between 2000 and 2002. The
findings show that the demands made by the media are generally more European
in scope than those made by other political actors. Regarding the evaluation
of EU integration and the frames that are advocated, the German press and the
political elite are rather convergent
