MARKET 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Political Psychology, Maastricht Treaty, Budget Of The European Union
Document Summary
Chapter 25: public opinion and the european union. The eu began primarily as an elite-driven process. As agreements and negotiations were seen as too complicated for the ordinary citizen, decisions were taken outside of the public limelight. It was a period of permissive consensus where the public generally held neutral opinion regarding what their governments were doing in brussels. Eurosceptic members (uk and denmark) arrived with the first enlargement in 1973. This is when consultation to the mass public on issues relating to eu integration began to appear. Even though consultation was limited around and focuses around referenda campaigns. Eu member states preferred limited public involvement in the intergration process. Eurobarometer polls were used since the early 1970s to monitor public support for various aspects of the european project. Asking their opinions about the membership of a candidate country or about the internal market.
