The concept of Europe in Le Monde’s editorials: Tensions in the construction of a European identity

The enlargement of the European Union places it at an important threshold in its development. Fundamental questions on its nature and functions have to be discussed and agreed upon by its members. France, as one of these members, has repeatedly shown concern about the reform of the Union’s institutions. The French elite daily, Le Monde, reflects this important debate in its news coverage, and ties in its own position, particularly through its editorials. This paper examines the concept of Europe as it is presented in Le Monde’s editorial discourse from 1999 to 2001. The study is conducted in the constructivist approach and within the methodological framework of Critical Discourse Analysis. This perspective adds to other studies on European identity by strengthening the background of their argumentation, integrating their sometimes apparently contradictory conclusions, and describing the construction of identity from a national perspective in a more detailed and nuanced manner.