BUSINESSEUROPE - AN OPPORTUNISTIC AND STRATEGIC POLICY ACTOR. A study of the policy objectives of BusinessEurope vis-à-vis the EU Institutions following the Implementation of the New Economic Governance Agenda in the European Union.

Abstract: This Master Thesis aims to study European employer organization BusinessEurope’s policy objectives vis-à-vis the Commission and European Council in the context of the European Semester in the time period of 2015 and 2018. The overall objective of this study is to assess if BusinessEurope and the two EU institutions are mutually interdependent, given their mutual goals of increasing international competitiveness and growth in the EU. By making a comparison between the time periods 2015 and 2018, the aim is to provide a better understanding of how BusinessEurope participates in and attempts to shape EU socioeconomic policies at the EU level. The empirical material is comprised of policy documents representative of the actors in this study published within the European Semester context. To fulfill the aim of the study, a mixed methods approach comprised of quantitative and qualitative content analysis is employed as a research method in order to summarize, compare arguments and evidence of the empirical material. The results show that BusinessEurope, the Commission and European Council share several similar policy objectives that point towards a neoliberal economic perspective. BusinessEurope is shown to be a strategic actor that seizes instruments provided by the EU institutional context, such as the Social Dialogue, to promote its policy objectives. Moreover, BusinessEurope uses the image of ‘Europe’ to frame its decisions and policy objectives as legitimate, as well as strengthen its position as social partner in the European political sphere.