You don’t have to put on that red light – A frame analysis of the European Parliament’s position on prostitution 2014–2021.

Abstract: Prostitution, a policy issue outside of European Union (EU) competence, has in recent years made its way onto the agenda of the European Parliament (EP). In 2014, the resolution on sexual exploitation and prostitution and its impact on gender equality was published in which the EP stated that prostitution is incompatible with human rights. However, the other EU institutions remain reluctant to mention the topic, regarding it as a matter for the member states. This thesis examined how the EP has come to position itself against the legal status of prostitution despite it being outside of EU competence, examining the timespan of 2014–2021. Aiming to understand how non-competence issues are raised onto the supranational agenda of the EU, this thesis adopted both a structural and actor-focused theoretical framework, utilizing agenda setting theory and Europeanization together with theories on norm entrepreneurship and velvet triangles. The empirical material, consisting of EP documents, was decoded into frames that were thereafter categorized into six larger groupings. The analysis found that the position expressed in the 2014 resolution has since been consistently reaffirmed and strengthened in the EP, creating a hegemonic “European stance” on the topic. While the other EU institutions remain silent on the issue, the EP constantly attempts to raise the issue of prostitution higher on the agenda through issue-linking between prostitution and areas of existing EU competence, to influence the EU decision-making process as well as the member states to revise their regulatory stance.