The book presents a model of interaction effects between policymakers and the media which can shed light on the former's ability to enhance democratic legitimacy in foreign policy decision-making. Three types of interaction effects between the media and policymakers are identified within the European public sphere: indexing, bounding, and agenda setting. Empirically, two distinct areas of EU foreign policy are explored: the EU's approach to global climate change and its policy towards Russia. Nitoiu demonstrates in his central case study on the EU's approach to climate change the media's ability to endow EU foreign policy with democratic legitimacy, and how the EU has acted accordingly.

本书提出了一个政策制定者和媒体之间的互动效应模型，可以阐明前者在外交政策决策中加强民主合法性的能力。在欧洲公共领域中，媒体和决策者之间的三种互动效应被确认为：索引、约束和议程设置。在经验上，探讨了欧盟外交政策的两个不同领域：欧盟对全球气候变化的态度和对俄罗斯的政策。Nitoiu在他关于欧盟处理气候变化的中心案例研究中，展示了媒体赋予欧盟外交政策以民主合法性的能力，以及欧盟是如何采取相应行动的。