ABSTRACT
This chapter describes agenda-setting as having several components, rather than as being the rather simple decision as to whether to consider the issue or not. A single issue can be conceptualised in different ways that will make it more or less attractive to policy-makers. The conventional discussion of agenda-setting is based on the idea that the pressure for policy change tends to be external, that is, it emanates from societal interests seeking to utilise the state for their own benefit. The chapter argues that agenda-setting in the EU is significantly different from that process as it is practised in most national political systems. It also argues that the existence of a number of points of access, of a large number of influential policy advocates, and of a wide range of policy options that have been legitimised in one or more of the constituent political systems makes agenda-setting substantially easier than in most other environments.
