The question of creating a European public sphere has become increasingly important in recent years as the EU has expanded and gained more powers. The media play a central role in creating public awareness and are therefore also central to democracy. In an increasingly complex world, the media should provide guidance by putting issues into context. The theoretical approach of 'glocalisation' suggests that the increased complexity of the age of globalisation is increasingly being countered by a return to the local (localisation). Can this phenomenon also be observed in media reporting on Europe? Is the return to the local/national accompanied by a rejection of the EU? And what does this mean for the idea of a European public sphere? This paper attempts to answer these questions by analysing the coverage of the 'European Stability Mechanism' in one regional newspaper each from Germany and Austria.