Precarious Politicisation: Media Frames of Legitimacy and the Hungarian Council Presidency’s Strategic Agenda-Setting

This paper examines how politicisation affects the agenda-setting capabilities of the Council Presidency, particularly through the use of framing and the media’s perception of legitimacy. The Presidency must formally follow the idea of being an ‘honest broker’ and follow the neutrality norm. However, the actions of Hungary during its Presidency were condemned by several stakeholders and the media. Through conducting a document and media analysis, the study demonstrates that successful agenda-framing is not only dependent on how the country has strategically balanced EU-wide priorities with their interests but also on the perceived legitimacy of the actor deploying these frames. However, the Presidency has remained a politicised tool to enhance domestic political expression even for countries that have been perceived negatively in the sphere of EU politics. Thus, the findings have important implications for EU policy reform aimed at strengthening institutional neutrality. Lastly, this study offers a qualitative perspective on using framing in agenda-setting and on the role of the media as a legitimiser of agenda-setting power.