more targeted stakeholder management possible. It should thus enjoy greater attention in 
future as a valuable aid. 
6.6 Functions 
The two most essential functions that Eichhorn mentions in his book are: 
> the definition of issues, and 
> the synthesis of issue structures 
The definition process, which always only concerns individual issues, separates central from 
peripheral aspects and at the same time establishes a framework for a problem area. The 
synthesis process, in contrast, concerns the entire issue structure. Individual issues are 
consolidated into larger structures with which social groups can identify. Within the 
structures, priorities are established depending on significance. The significance of an issue in 
turn results from how much detail the various publics invest in its consideration. Specifically, 
this is shown in the attention shown to an issue by the mass media, the linking of issues with 
powerful and well-known actors from politics and business, the scale of mobilization of the 
active population, and lastly the resonance among the broad public (see Eichhorn 2005, 154f). 
However, there is no generally applicable concept for the influencing of issues. 
Issues have an expiration date — international issues even more than national issues — 
especially when there are no new events surrounding the issues. Conversely, one can 
conclude: with the help of continuous new events — either "random" events or events one has 
staged oneself — an issue can be maintained. This was seen during the hot phase of the tax 
affair: the visit by Prime Minister Otmar Hasler to Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel on 20 
February, the visit by Prince Albert of Monaco in Berlin a week later, and the signing of the 
Schengen-Dublin agreement by the Prime Minister in Brussels on 28 February certainly 
contributed to more intense coverage than would have been the case without these events. 
In light of the complexity of the issue and the many facets that surfaced in the media reports, 
the key questions are: "What is the actual issue? What was really at stake? What is the larger 
issue structure into which the individual issues can be consolidated? Can everything be 
consolidated into a single large issue?" This question is considered in Chapter 6.6.2. But first, 
individual issues should be filtered out. 
6.6.1 Definition of issues 
Based on the analysis of the media coverage in Chapters 6.2 and 6.4, the following eight most 
essential issues can be filtered out. Of course, other issues relating to the tax affair also exist 
that were taken up and discussed by the media, such as the data theft at a second Liechtenstein 
bank, the Liechtensteinische Landesbank (LLB); the investigations against the BND 
informant, Heinrich K.; the visit by Prince Albert of Monaco to Berlin a week after the visit 
by Prime Minister Hasler to Berlin; but also the Europe-wide investigations against tax 
evasion that began the end of February, since the United Kingdom was also in possession of 
the LGT data and the BND was considering giving the data to other European countries that 
had expressed interest as well. But this paper will restrict itself to the most essential 1ssues. 
Every issue 1s substantiated with paradigmatic quotes or article headlines. 
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