The Politics of the European Union

This chapter takes a closer look at the process in which issues are identified as requiring attention and the problems associated with them are defined (that is, agenda-setting) in the EU. It shows that agenda-setting is a highly political process because it has important consequences for the issues on which decisions are taken and the policy options that are considered. As a result, political actors actively try to bring issues on to the EU agenda or keep them off that agenda. The process through which issues come on to the EU agenda is complex and largely informal. Nevertheless, it is not purely random or idiosyncratic. Common elements and drivers can be discerned in many agenda-setting processes. The chapter identifies certain (combinations of) motives that explain why actors try to place an issue on the EU agenda. It also shows the ‘typical’ sequence of steps that are taken in EU agenda-setting processes, albeit with variations in specific cases. Finally, it discusses the factors that determine whether or not an issue will actually make it onto the EU agenda.