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Abstract
Among many conceptualizations, Europeanization can be understood as a mediatized discourse on the triumph and failures of European integration. Supporting this perspective, we turn to framing theory and research to make a comprehensive analysis of the Romanian media coverage of the refugee crisis. We choose to focus on this particular context due to its practical consequences and its potential to refuel Eurosceptic and populist arguments among the member states. Our paper aims to identify the prevalent themes associated with the issue, and the specific manner in which the refugee crisis is framed in high-impact media outlets in Romania. The refugee crisis is the symptom of a broader restructuring of international relations. It is expected that the way this crisis is framed and perceived will shape major political decisions in the EU.
Key words: immigrant crisis, Euroscepticism, European integration, framing
Introduction
What the media conventionally calls "the European refugee crisis" or "the immigrant crisis" began in 2015, when a rising number of refugees (and among them, economic migrants also) made the journey to the European Union to seek asylum, traveling across the Mediterranean Sea or through Southeast Europe. Due to extreme conditions in Syria and Iraq, 1.5 million migrants left their home countries to make a perilous journey across the Mediterranean. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimated that more than 1,011,700 migrants arrived by sea in 2015, and almost 34,900 by land1. War-torn Syria was the migrants' main country of origin.
While the amplitude of the migratory wave itself suffices to make the headlines, what drew the attention of the international media at first was the human tragedy. In April 2015, a boat with approximately 550 migrants on board sank off the coast of Libya. Officials believe that 400 victims drowned, while other 150 were rescued by the Italian coastguard. During the year 2015, the EU struggled to find humane solutions to cope with the constantly growing number of refugees. The official position of EU leaders was that Europeans must show solidarity, since the latter is core EU value. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was very explicit in this regard: "If ever European solidarity needed to manifest itself, it is on the question of the refugee crisis"2.
At first, Member States agreed on...