Rediscovering Europe in the Netherlands - St Antony's College ...

news media
hand they have a clearly defined responsibility to provide the public with
impartial information on European issues, and their relationship with
professional politicians is even of a somewhat ‘symbiotic’ nature. On the
other hand, however, they also have their own specific interests and
considerations which are increasingly market-oriented (Pels 2007: 19-20;
De Vreese 2007). In the face of this ambiguous position, it would be both
unproductive and undesirable to make the news media directly responsible
for the improvement of both the quantitative and qualitative media coverage
of eu issues. The requisite incentives should indeed come from Dutch
politicians themselves. As Kleinnijenhuis states: ‘The political logic
requires politicians to anticipate the media logic’ (Kleinnijenhuis 2003:
177). If politicians provide the right incentives by responding more actively
to the logic of action, opportunities and possibilities of the media, European
issues will become a part of everyday journalistic practice. However,
this will require considerable changes in the way in which politicians and
administrators have dealt with European issues up until now.
6.4 perspectives for politicians and policy makers
In chapters 3 and 4, the wrr proposed several measures which might
encourage politicians and policy makers to increase the visibility and
substantive profile of European issues in the national political system. Two
of these proposals, namely the shifting of the overall political responsibility
for eu policy to the Prime Minister and the preferendum instrument,
could, in the view of the wrr, significantly increase the newsworthiness
of eu issues.
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6.4.1 strategic role for the prime minister
A more visible strategic role for the Prime Minister on general government
policy concerning European issues may offer interesting opportunities for
increased and improved media coverage on Dutch eu policy. Firstly, it is a
way to personalise and to ‘nationalise’ European issues, by literally providing
Dutch eu policy with a ‘face’. Secondly, it offers an opportunity to link
‘Brussels’ directly with ‘The Hague’ via the Prime Minister, making it easier
for the media to provide insight into the specific Dutch input at the European
level and into the impact of eu policy on Dutch politics and society.
In short, it would make it easier to cover European issues as newsworthy, in
turn making them more interesting and appealing to the public. Thirdly, the
proposed role for the Prime Minister offers a way to open up the European
decision-making process to the media and the public. Journalists would
thus have a single point of access via the Prime Minister, to reduce the risk of
them becoming entangled in what is often perceived as an impenetrable