Publication

Before the backdrop of the perceived democratic deficit of the EU, this paper examines the contribution of the German EU presidency of 2007 to the European value debate and reviews the related Berlin Declaration. It asks for the reactions of the European citizenry to this strategy of communicating values, discusses the implications on the respective public debate and weighs its impact on the citizens' support for the EU. The paper argues that in the long run, mere communication efforts will not be enough.