Communicating Europe in Times of Crisis - External Perceptions of the European Union

The European Union considers it is influential in shaping global politics and has secured a reserved seat at every significant international table. However, this self-asserted confidence raises a number of questions. What is the nature of the EU's roles in the world? How is the EU seen in third countries and to what extent is it influential in setting global agendas? Has the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis made others outside Europe question the EU's capacity to deliver on its aspirations and promises? This cutting edge collection addresses these questions by drawing on a number of substantive research projects concerning EU external perceptions. It presents theoretically grounded empirical analyses from which evidence-based public diplomacy recommendations can be drawn and focuses on the evolution of the EU's external image before and after the Lisbon Treaty, as well as before and after the outbreak of the Eurozone crisis. Exploring how it is viewed externally and the impact of events such as the Eurozone debt crisis, this book offers a true reflection of the EU as an international actor.

Introduction: The Evolution of EU Perceptions: From Single Studies to Systematic Research; Natalia Chaban and Martin Holland, PART I: GLOBAL VIEWS ON THE EU 1. Leader, Bridge-Builder or 'Hobbled Giant'? Perceptions of the EU in Climate Change Negotiations; Ole Elgström 2. The EU's Leadership in the Global Governance: Perceptions from the Others; Sonia Lucarelli 3. Internal and External Perceptions of Europe/EU in the World through Mental Maps; Clarisse Didelon-Loiseau and Claude Grasland PART II: EU EXTERNAL PERCEPTIONS IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC 4. Asian Views on Venus: Perceptions of the EU in Security Policy Fields; May-Britt U. Stumbaum 5. Framing the EU in a Time of Crisis: Media Reflections from EU 'Strategic' Partners in Asia-Pacific; Natalia Chaban and Jessica Bain 6. Rasch Analysis of the General Public Perceptions of the EU: A Case-Study of 10 Asia-Pacific Countries; Natalia Chaban and Svetlana Beltyukova PART III: IMAGES OF THE EU IN THE UNION'S NEIGHBOURHOOD 7. Views from the Neighbourhood: Israel; Sharon Pardo, 8. 'I am Georgian and therefore I am European': Comparing Elite and Public Perceptions of EUrope in Georgia 2003 – 2013; Ketevan Bolkvadze, Martin Müller, Veit Bachmann, 9. Imagining Europe from the Outside: The Role of Perceptions on Human rights in Europe in Migration Aspirations in Turkey, Morocco, Senegal and Ukraine; Christiane Timmerman, Helene Marie-Lou De Clerck, Kenneth Hemmerechts and Roos Willems, Conclusions: Perceptions, Prisms, Prospects; Martin Holland and Natalia Chaban