Abstract
Public opinion generally defines the acceptable boundaries of politics, and stakes out the space within which political elites can resolve controversies.2 In the context of this chapter, the crucial issue is in what ways public opinion constrains or shapes the possibilities to develop the global agency of the EU. The questions posed are thus: What are people’s general attitudes towards the EU as a global political actor? Do they believe that it is the responsibility of the EU to get involved in world affairs? And if they do, of what kind should this involvement be? Ultimately, do today’s Europeans somehow envisage a normatively conscious — and therefore responsible — global agency for the Union?
Some of the formulations, tables, and figures presented in this chapter are also used in The Making of the European Union: Foundations, Institutions and Future Trends, co-authored by Sten Berglund, Joakim Ekman, Henri Vogt and Frank H. Aarebrot (Edward Elgar, 2006).
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Ekman, J. (2006). Citizens’ Perceptions of the EU as a Global Actor. In: Mayer, H., Vogt, H. (eds) A Responsible Europe?. Palgrave Studies in European Union Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230625617_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230625617_11
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