Samenvatting

Euroscepticism is present in almost all European countries, from Austria to France in several different forms that vary from scepticism regarding particular EU policies to opposition towards the delegation of powers to a supranational institution like the EU However, the combination of the sensationalist British press and traditional sceptic opinions in British politics on European cooperation have made the UK the “home of euroscepticism. Euro sceptics can be classified as people that are in general supportive of the European Union and European integration. Nevertheless, they are sceptic towards the European Union as an institution which reflects the ideas of European integration, or the direction that the European Union is heading towards in embodying the ideas of European integration.
The term euroscepticism is fairly recent. During the first few decades of European integration, this term has not made an appearance. The first appearance of the actual term “euroscepticism” was in the United Kingdom. In the mid 1980’s there was a lot of public debate regarding the European Commission. At the time the EC was busy completing the Common Market, which was a touchy subject in the UK. Within the Labour party, there was a large group of members of cabinet that opposed joining the European Economic Community (EEC) and later continued to campaign for the UK to withdraw from participation in the EEC. These were called the “anti-marketeers”. On September 11, 1985 the term “euroscepticism” was first used in the British newspaper, The Times, to refer to the feelings of opposition towards the Common Market.
The decline in newspaper readership has intensified the need for thrilling journalism, which has led to a climate of news reporting that is based more on sensationalism rather than providing information. Right wing papers such as The Daily Mail, The Sun and The Daily Telegraph are the source of most of the eurosceptic discourse in the British written press. The written press does influence the eurosceptic attitudes in the UK, but is not solely to blame for the British reluctance towards European integration. The lack of education on the European Union and its institutions as well as historically and culturally rooted motives also play a great part in the sceptic opinions of both the general public and British politics towards the European Union.