Framing the Sea: The Role of Discursive Networks in EU Fisheries Policymaking

Recent years have witnessed the emergence of ocean politics as a crucial focus across multiple political arenas. This heightened attention stems from two parallel developments: mounting concerns over marine ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss on the one hand; and intensifying economic interests in maritime resources and spaces on the other (Arbo et al., 2018). Social scientists have already explored this tension by looking at the competing discourses in ocean governance at the international level, with a focus on concepts such as blue economy and blue growth (Silver et al., 2015; Voyer et al., 2018). However, such research seems to be lacking in the context of EU marine policymaking, and more particularly in EU fisheries policy. To address this gap, this paper examines the dynamics of discursive coalitions within the Fisheries Committee (PECH) of the European Parliament during the 9th legislature. Specifically, it explores the evolution of two dimensions of policy debates within the PECH committee. First, it identifies the main discursive coalitions, focusing on their dominant framings and how they relate to specific Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). It does so by looking at frame objects, that are understood as ‘the expression of policy preferences and standpoints’ of policy actors (Bækgaard et al., 2024). Second, it analyzes how members of the committee give legitimacy to their preferences in their policy discourses and how these legitimation strategies vary across coalitions. Drawing on an original data set of PECH committee debates during the 9th legislature (2019-2024), this paper use discourse network analysis (DNA) to explore these questions. By doing so, it also contributes to the growing but still limited literature on the role of European Parliament committees in shaping the legislative process.