EU has faced major challenges: 1. A European centre-periphery cleavage in the political arena is being observed, with the northern Member States as the central actors (e.g. Laatsit; Kaeding, 2011). 2. Financial problems of some peripheral countries that obligate to a dependence on the IMF. 3. Years 2008-2010 constitute a turning point in the Europeans’ perception about EU. In fact, to the eyes of large sectors of population, this vision gains a negative character (Eric Toussaint, 2011). Governments of PIGS have to adopt sensible austerity measures to anchorage their countries’ financial solvency. These measures require sacrifices of high level and provoke discontent and even anger among citizens, materialized, for example, in demonstrations. The “vincolo esterno” to UE and IMF played a crucial paper: sustains the legitimation of sacrifices asked by economic elites and was many times evoked by Portuguese prime minister. However, the UK’s prime minister, seconding this importance, considers submitting to a referendum the continuity of the country in the UE. Is the beginning of the end of “vincolo esterno”?
Toussaint explains that the refusal of the EU to develop genuine common policies, in order to help new members in reducing their economic disadvantages relative to centre, largely contributed to create structural disparities prejudicial to the process of European integration. This provokes doubts about the UE’s efficiency. Does have the European integration an announced death?
Media is the most-used information source – dependency theory –, and studies reveal a linkage between issues highlighted by media and matters discussed by citizens – agenda setting hypothesis. What does national press reveal about European and national politics, policy-making, and the use of “vincolo esterno”'s argumentation? It is our intention to identify and analyse the media agenda on political matters in the front pages of newspapers with more runs in Portugal and UK.
