Agenda-setting in the European Union: a theoretical exploration and agenda for research

Although agenda-setting processes are important for understanding policy-making in the European Union, the literature on EU governance has devoted little explicit attention to them. Drawing on studies in international relations, EU governance and agenda-setting in domestic politics, this article identifies some key elements of agenda-setting processes in the EU and formulates an agenda for future research. It argues that agenda-setting in the EU can best be seen as the outcome of strategic decisions by political actors to shift issues to the venue that is most favourable to them. While building on models of agenda-setting that were developed in a domestic context, it identifies a number of institutional and political characteristics that are specific to EU agenda-setting processes.