Future EU Members or Europe's Internal Other? The Reciprocal News Coverage between Western Balkan Countries and the EU Member States
Future EU Members or Europe's Internal Other? The Reciprocal News Coverage between Western Balkan Countries and the EU Member States

Summary/Abstract: Abstract. On July 1, 2013, Croatia became the 28 th member of the European Union (EU) . At the same time, the increasing fatigue evinced among EU member states at the prospect of further enlargement presents an unpredictable factor relating to whether or not as well as when the other Western Balkan countries will join the EU . To trace some of the underlying obstacles and motivations, this paper examines the reciprocal perceptions in the media news coverage of three EU member states (Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom) and two Western Balkan countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia) . The exploratory newspaper study shows that the reciprocal views on the accession process do not necessarily show boundaries and obstacles between EU member states and non-EU countries . However, the study sug- gests that the analytical spectrum should include thematic areas beyond political discourse and should identify reciprocal scepticism beyond purely political concerns, in order to fully comprehend additional facets of EU enlargement fatigue as well as non-political obstacles for the accession process .

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