(De-)politicization Strategies in the EU

The post-functionalist era of the European project is one that is defined not only by the multiplicity of crises (or ‘polycrisis’) which have repeatedly put its rationale and capabilities to the test. It is also defined by the roles different kinds of key players assume, in managing, responding to or staking out interests and concerns, in the context of these challenges. The seemingly unending state of polycrisis appears to be one that entails the constant (re-)negotiation of the aims and nature of the EU, which to a significant extent occurs through the (de-)politicization of such crises and related policy responses. This project considers (de-)politicization, which combines polarization, salience and mobilization, or a lack thereof, surrounding challenges faced by the EU and its policy responses, in the context of the ongoing processes of delegitimation and relegitimation of the European Union. In particular, this study asks why different kinds of actors engage in politicizing and depoliticizing strategies; it examines how these distinct strategies fit into the unfinished process of legitimation of the EU and considers whether they could play a role shaping the ever shifting confines and trajectory of the European project; finally, it questions the ways different kinds of ‘crises’ and policy areas inform the strategic choices of EU actors vis-à-vis domestic ones, thereby uncovering possible underlying mechanisms to these dynamics. For instance, bottom-up expectations towards the EU can shift from the rejection of the role it plays in a certain policy area to outrage at the inaction or lack of competence it displays on other issues. At the same time, EU actors like the European Commission, may seek to highlight the role it should play on certain matters, while underplaying its contested competences over other domains. The project tackles these questions by examining the (de-)politicizing discourse strategies enacted by different types of actors, on trade policy, migration policy, counterterrorism and economic and monetary policy, offering a broad perspective on the different kinds of actors involved and their strategies. Within a polity where formal channels of accountability are somewhat indirect and often perceived as insufficient, (de-)politicization strategies, especially in the form of political communication, become crucial in challenging or bolstering the EU’s legitimacy. This study, therefore, conceptualizes what an act of (de-)politicization in the public sphere looks like, shows how this can be detected empirically through a claim-level (de-)politicization index – the first of its kind in the field – , finally reflecting on how it may be linked to (de-)legitimizing processes. This approach is applied to a database of policy evaluations (claims), in the media of six Member States (Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Denmark). The overarching aim is to spark debate and further research into avenues which theoretically and empirically embed the long observed politicization and depoliticization of EU policies into our understanding of the EU as a polity in constant flux.