The European Commission as guardian angel: the challenges of agenda-setting for children’s rights

In 2006 the European Commission, under the leadership of Directorate General (DG) Justice, adopted a policy of promoting children's rights, a project that inevitably relied on the support of children's rights organizations. This article examines why the relationship between the Commission and the children's rights networks shifted from consensus to disenssus and how this has impacted on the children's rights agenda. We argue that the relationship with children's rights networks did not follow the normal pattern of Commission–interest group relations. Clientelistic, symbiotic relations were difficult to establish. The disengagement of the key children's rights advocacy organizations from the Commission's agenda intensified the impact of the conflict between DG Justice and DG External Relations over the issue and prevented the Commission from accomplishing its goal to become an agenda-setter in this area.