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The Safe Guardian of Europe : A Critical Discourse Analysis of the European Commission's Geopolitical Actorness and Enlargement Agenda

Parkkisenniemi, Sonja LU (2026) STVM23 20261
Department of Political Science
Abstract
This research analyses how the European Commission uses 13 press releases
and political guidelines as institutional instruments to advocate its own agenda,
presenting itself as a rational actor that uses different powers to achieve its
political goals and enhance its own actorness. The transition from technocratic
rhetoric demonstrates that enlargement is no longer seen merely as a technical
process, but as a ‘geopolitical imperative’ that requires urgent action. The
Commission clearly demands that the candidate states follow strict ‘merit-based
criteria’, which illustrates its strong actorness. Furthermore, existential discourses
such as ‘History is calling once again’ create an image of urgency, suggesting that
the EU must make... (More)
This research analyses how the European Commission uses 13 press releases
and political guidelines as institutional instruments to advocate its own agenda,
presenting itself as a rational actor that uses different powers to achieve its
political goals and enhance its own actorness. The transition from technocratic
rhetoric demonstrates that enlargement is no longer seen merely as a technical
process, but as a ‘geopolitical imperative’ that requires urgent action. The
Commission clearly demands that the candidate states follow strict ‘merit-based
criteria’, which illustrates its strong actorness. Furthermore, existential discourses
such as ‘History is calling once again’ create an image of urgency, suggesting that
the EU must make radical changes to enlarge the Union and strengthen its
actorness. This research introduces the author’s own conceptualization that the
Commission acts as a ‘safe guardian’ of Europe, which advocates the enlargement
agenda as a necessity to maintain the EU's position in global politics. By applying
a realist-constructivist framework and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)—where
the Commission is not merely seen as a normative and altruistic humanitarian
actor, nor solely focused on candidate countries—this research reveals how the
European Commission is actively evolving its own actorness in times of crisis. (Less)
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author
Parkkisenniemi, Sonja LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVM23 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
European Commission, European Actorness, EU Enlargement, Critical Discourse Analysis, Realist Constructivism
language
English
id
9227400
date added to LUP
2026-09-09 10:11:48
date last changed
2026-09-09 10:11:48
@misc{9227400,
  abstract     = {{This research analyses how the European Commission uses 13 press releases
and political guidelines as institutional instruments to advocate its own agenda,
presenting itself as a rational actor that uses different powers to achieve its
political goals and enhance its own actorness. The transition from technocratic
rhetoric demonstrates that enlargement is no longer seen merely as a technical
process, but as a ‘geopolitical imperative’ that requires urgent action. The
Commission clearly demands that the candidate states follow strict ‘merit-based
criteria’, which illustrates its strong actorness. Furthermore, existential discourses
such as ‘History is calling once again’ create an image of urgency, suggesting that
the EU must make radical changes to enlarge the Union and strengthen its
actorness. This research introduces the author’s own conceptualization that the
Commission acts as a ‘safe guardian’ of Europe, which advocates the enlargement
agenda as a necessity to maintain the EU's position in global politics. By applying
a realist-constructivist framework and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA)—where
the Commission is not merely seen as a normative and altruistic humanitarian
actor, nor solely focused on candidate countries—this research reveals how the
European Commission is actively evolving its own actorness in times of crisis.}},
  author       = {{Parkkisenniemi, Sonja}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Safe Guardian of Europe : A Critical Discourse Analysis of the European Commission's Geopolitical Actorness and Enlargement Agenda}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}