Contested Integration in the Borderlands: Narrating the EU in German Regional Newspapers

Abstract

European integration is not only a political and economic process but also one of communication and contestation. This is especially visible in border regions, where the effects of European integration on borders are experienced most directly. This article examines how regional German newspapers on the border with Poland and Czechia construct narratives of Europe and bordering. Using qualitative media analysis, it shows that re-bordering is framed differently depending on the target of these measures, while regularly invoking the European Union (EU) as a key frame of reference. The EU is narrated both positively as benefactor and protector, and critically through four ‘soft’ Eurosceptic narratives: two generic ones of EU distance and bureaucracy, and two highly localised ones centred on disappointment when the EU is seen not to live up to its own ideals, and on perceptions of European integration working less well in a Central European border region than in Western Europe. Rooted in controversies such as the Turów coal mine dispute or the disruptions of cross-border commuting during Covid-19, these narratives show that regional media not only replicate common criticisms but also produce place-specific ones. Taken together, the findings theorise border regions as sites where bordering events become narrative touchstones for evaluating EU performance and legitimacy.