Research Papers

The European Council, the top political venue in the European Union, has always had the liberty to discuss a variety of topics over the course of its existence. While a range of studies have shown that the institution is subject to influences from member states, the Council Presidency and the Commission President, none of these factors is able to permanently determine the allocation of attention to particular topics by the European Council. Moreover, behavioural and institutional norms, outstanding points from previous meetings, attempts for longer-term planning and unexpected focusing events condition agenda access of issues only to the extent that the European Council is willing to allow this. Considering the relative agenda-setting freedom and the highly political character of the institution, the limited scope of research on the political spectrum within which the European Council operates is rather surprising. Few studies have touched upon the subject by looking at the party allegiance of the institution’s members or identifying the types of issues which systematically receive more attention by the EU leaders. Yet, the positioning of the European Council within a political spectrum and the dimensionality of its agenda are not sufficiently studied. This paper attempts to address the gap in the literature and contribute to the understanding of the political identity of the institution. It also aims to provide a preliminary framework for classifying European Councils in terms of political positioning by disentangling Presidency-term agendas in a 36-year period (1975-2010).