Among many conceptualizations, Europeanization can be understood as a mediatized discourse on the triumph and failures of European integration. Supporting this perspective, we turn to H.-J.Trenz’ distinction (2014) between the four competing narratives of Europeanization to make a comprehensive analysis of the Romanian media coverage of the refugee crisis. We choose to focus on this particular context due to its practical consequences and its potential to refuel Eurosceptic and populist arguments among the members states.
In a nutshell, narratives of Europeanization are about the manner in which social bonds that gave birth to the EU are either maintained or corrupted. The accounts of Europeanization include: 1. Triumphant Europeanism: affirmation of the extraordinary (sacralisation). 2. Banal Europeanism: affirmations of everyday life (banalisation) 3. Euroscepticism: disruptions of the extraordinary (de-sacralisation) 4. Political crisis: disruptions of everyday life (crisis) (Trenz, 2014, 1). Furthermore, in this paper we also identify ”blaming Europe” patterns (Hobolt & Tilley, 2014) in the media discourse on the migrants crisis.
Our paper aims to identify the specific manner in which the issue of the refugee crisis is framed in high-impact media outlets in Romania, in order to decide which narrative of Europeanization is prevalent in this particular context of crisis. More specifically, we question whether triumphant accounts of European integration, which were until recently the most common narratives in the Romanian public sphere (see Bârgăoanu, 2011) have been replaced by narratives of disruption or crisis. And, if yes, whether the EU blaming game might account for this presumed twist from triumphant Europe to disrupted Europe.
