The EU as a `Framing Actor’: Reflections on Media Debates about EU Foreign Policy

Abstract: This article explores the EU's ability to frame the public debates about its external policies. The article begins by broadening the current discussions about the three aspects of actorness - legitimacy, attractiveness and recognition - by introducing the EU's framing power as a fourth aspect of actorness. Then it proceeds to an empirical analysis of framing, which is based on a discourse analysis of the news coverage of Ukraine (2002-07) in print media in the three biggest EU Member States (United Kingdom, Germany and France).

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