Strategic Framing of The European Union

Since the Treaty of Maastricht issues regarding the European Union have become politicised within the Netherlands. With the rise of Eurosceptic parties both on the extreme left and radical right, EU membership no longer seems self-evident. Whereas challenger parties try to put new issues regarding the EU on the political agenda, mainstream parties feel constrained to share their opinions due to their governmental responsibility. Since the rise of social media, political parties no longer have to fight over available space in newspapers and can communicate directly to the public. Even though the electorate is internally divided on EU issues, mainstream parties are now also forced to share their opinions on the European Union on social media. Within this thesis I will therefore explore how Dutch political actors frame the European Union on Facebook and how party position influences party strategy. Almost all parties seize the opportunity to share their opinions on the EU and employ multiple frames with the hope to receive the most votes.