The EU Expansion analyzes the communication strategies of candidates and parties in the 2004 European Parliamentary elections. These elections marked the first opportunity for the selection of representatives to the enlarged European Parliament. They also provided an important opportunity to study how candidates and parties strike a balance between communicating the need to preserve the sovereignty and culture of their countries with the increasing realization that Europe can only preserve its significance in the world by forging a unified economic and political federation. Research and analysis from both longstanding EU nations and those entering for the first time are provided. Chapters focus on the background and significance of the elections; the content of the party and candidate communications in representative countries; news media coverage of the elections; the effects of these communications on voters; and the unique perspectives of how the elections were covered and perceived around the world.

The Editor: Lynda Lee Kaid is Professor of Telecommunication at the University of Florida. A Fulbright Scholar, she is the author/editor of more than twenty-five books including The Encyclopedia of Political Communication (forthcoming), The Handbook of Political Communication Research (2004), and Videostyle in Presidential Campaigns (2001).