Messages in the Media - University of Toronto

that many articles discussed whether recognizing Kosovo
would be a condition for receiving candidate status or for
joining the EU. The large amount of articles written on this
debate point to the fears of the public that they may have to
eventually choose between one or the other and that the
current policy of pursuing both may not be viable in the
long run.
Apart from the domestic issues, the major international
topic relevant to Serbia's relationship with the EU
that has received coverage has been the Eurozone crisis. As
with the media of many countries, the reports covering this
topic have been generally negative. This has led to some
articles analyzing the implications of the crisis for Serbia's
economy, but also, the implications it may have on EU enlargement.
One interesting trend is that many articles have
dealt specifically with the role of Germany in the Eurozone
crisis and its attempts to solve it. This trend is not just isolated
to the issue of the crisis but is also noticeable in the
other two categories. For example, when Serbia did not receive
candidate status on 9 December, many articles
pointed to the fact that the main countries that opposed the
action were Germany and Austria. This trend reveals the
recognition in the media that Germany is largely responsible
for Serbia's future within the EU. As such, there have
been hints of slight suspicion in the media towards Germany,
such as an article discussing how the German economy
has continued to grow despite the crisis, even suggesting
that they have profited from a weak euro. 38 It must be mentioned
however, that evidence of such suspicion is minimal.
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