Public Opinion and Europe Les Opinions Publiques Face A L'Europe Communautaire: National Identities and the European Integration Process Entre Cultures Nationales Et Horizon Europeen

The importance of public opinion in the process of European integration was brought into sharp focus at the start of the 1990s. Discussion about the future of Europe comes in a variety of forms, however, depending on the circumstances of the country concerned. This book brings together important and insightful articles about public opinion in countries at the centre of this European debate. These concern Germany, Belgium, France and Italy, from the founding members; the UK and Denmark from the first enlargement, with Norway; Portugal, from the 1986 enlargement and Austria, from the 1995 one; Hungary and the Czech Republic, two candidate-countries due to accede to the EU in 2004. This volume re-evaluates the importance of particular strands of public opinion which are often overlooked in the academic literature. Seen in this fresh light, interesting comparisons and contrasts emerge. The aim of this book is also to bring together both history and political theory.