Crisis All Around? Crisification of the EU Institutional Discourse: A Longitudinal Perspective (2012–2024)

Abstract

The increasing frequency and complexity of crises have contributed to the crisification of EU policy‐making and governance. Despite its far‐reaching implications, the discursive dimension of this process remains seriously under‐researched. This article addresses that gap by developing a novel conceptual framework for analysing discursive crisification across five dimensions and applying it to a unique longitudinal study of EU institutional discourse. Using a multi‐method approach combining discourse network analysis and content analysis, the study examines a large dataset of tweets from six key EU institutions over an extensive 2012–2024 period. The findings reveal that whilst the breadth of crisified issues has remained stable, the emergence of new crises, the pre‐emptive framing of potential crises and the articulation of interconnected crises have intensified in recent years. This shift towards a permanently crisis‐aware EU reflects an evolving governance mode that reinforces crisis‐driven policy‐making, with significant implications for EU legitimacy and public perceptions.