Implications of the Intergovernmental Conference and the Treaty of Amsterdam for Small EU Member States

Abstract Initially, before the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty, differences in integration between members of the European Communities (EC; later the European Union) were relatively few and usually temporary in nature. The Schengen Agreement, the Maastricht Treaty and the Treaty of Amsterdam, and the possibility of establishing enhanced cooperation meant that the problem was becoming more and more important in the functioning of the EU—both in theory and in practice. The objective of the paper is to show that for several years, along with the stagnation in the deepening of integration between all the EU Member States, differentiation of integration in the EU is progressing very rapidly. The progressing differentiation in the EU is a consequence of mainly two processes: the development of enhanced cooperation and reforms in the eurozone, which are strengthened by the widening of the EU. The article covers the issue of the categorization of differentiation of European Union integration, which constitutes the theoretical framework for further considerations. Specified processes which contribute to increasing the differentiation of the EU are discussed, showing the development of enhanced cooperation in the EU and presenting the reforms of the eurozone. The article concludes with the identification and the consequences of differentiated integration, both those that have already occurred and those that may occur in the future.

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Equality bodies

International Journal of Discrimination and the Law ◽

10.1177/1358229118799231 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 18 (2-3) ◽

pp. 144-162 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Tamás Kádár

Keyword(s):

Case Law ◽

Ethnic Origin ◽

Equal Treatment ◽

Member States ◽

Eu Member States ◽

Substantive Equality ◽

Agents Of Change ◽

Set Up ◽

Treaty Of Amsterdam ◽

Further Development

The Treaty of Amsterdam and the subsequent adoption in 2000 of the so-called Race Directive was a genuine paradigm shift in European equal treatment legislation and practice. One of the major developments resulting from this Treaty change and new Directive was the introduction of a requirement for all European Union (EU) Member States to set up bodies for the promotion of equal treatment, first on the ground of race and ethnic origin, later extended to the ground of gender. This article analyses the emergence of these bodies – equality bodies – in EU Member States and candidate countries and the role they play in promoting equality and the implementation and monitoring of EU equal treatment legislation. It argues that equality bodies have a significant potential to contribute to more equal societies and they have proved to be effective agents of change. They do so, among others, by contributing to relevant case law in front of the Court of Justice of the EU leading to the further development and clarification of EU and national equal treatment legislation. The article also looks at the challenges experienced by equality bodies in different European countries as factors that influence and might limit their potential and contribution. To conclude, the article examines the necessary conditions for equality bodies to effectively contribute to the implementation of EU legislation and the achievement of substantive equality and it assesses whether current standards for equality bodies can guarantee these conditions.

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Współpraca państw członkowskich UE w sprawach cywilnych w obszarze poszukiwania prawa właściwego zobowiązaniom pozaumownym w latach 1957–1997

Prawo ◽

10.19195/0524-4544.330.8 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 330 ◽

pp. 127-147

Author(s):

Magdalena Wasylkowska-Michór

Keyword(s):

Maastricht Treaty ◽

Evolution Of Cooperation ◽

Historical Overview ◽

The European Union ◽

Member States ◽

Applicable Law ◽

Eu Member States ◽

International Private Law ◽

Contractual Obligations ◽

Treaty Of Amsterdam

Cooperation of EU member states in civil cases relating to the search for the applicable law for non-contractual obligations in 1957–1997 The article focuses on a historical overview of the evolution of cooperation on civil matters in the European Union. Given the fact that this cooperation has developed the best in international private law, the author presents its development, using as her example legislative work on the harmonisation of confl ict-of-law rules regarding tort, which in the end led to the adoption of the Rome II Regulation on the law applicable to non-contractual obligations. The article is divided into three parts corresponding to the stages in the development of cooperation between member states in civil matters — after the entry into force of the EEC Treaty, then after the entry into force of the Maastricht Treaty and fi nally the entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam. Die Zusammenarbeit der EU-Mitgliedstaaten betreff end Zivilsachen im Bereich der Feststellung des einschlägigen Rechtes für die außervertraglichen Verbindlichkeiten in den Jahren 1957–1997 In dem Beitrag wird vor dem historischen Hintergrund dargestellt, wie sich die Zusammenarbeit betreff end Zivilsachen in der Europäischen Union ausgestaltet hat. Angesichts der Tatsache, dass sich diese Zusammenarbeit am besten im Bereich des internationalen Privatrechtes entwickelte, wurde ihre Entwicklung am Bespiel der gesetzgeberischen Arbeiten präsentiert, die schließlich zur Annahme der Verordnung Rom II über das für die außervertraglichen Verbindlichkeiten einschlägige Recht geführt haben. Der Beitrag besteht aus drei Teilen, die den Entwicklungstappen der Zusammenarbeit der Mitgliedstaaten im Bereich der Zivilsachen entsprechen — nach dem Inkrafttreten des EWG-Vertrages, dann des Vertrages von Maastricht und schließlich nach dem Inkrafttreten des Vertrages von Amsterdam.

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Constitutional Amendment Index: the procedural requirements of an EMU-induced constitutional change in EU member states

Zeitschrift für öffentliches Recht ◽

10.33196/zoer201903044301 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 74 (3) ◽

pp. 443

Author(s):

Zdenek Kudrna ◽

Elisabeth Lentsch

Keyword(s):

Constitutional Amendment ◽

Constitutional Change ◽

Member States ◽

Eu Member States

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Doing Everything You Can, but Not (yet) Getting it Right: Challenges to Brussels' Great Expectations for Water Quality1

Case Studies in the Environment ◽

10.1525/cse.2017.sc.452733 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Franca Angela Buelow

Keyword(s):

Water Status ◽

Organizational Structures ◽

Eu Water Framework Directive ◽

The European Union ◽

Member States ◽

Great Expectations ◽

Eu Member States ◽

European Water ◽

Improve Water Quality ◽

Governance Architecture

To arrive at a good status of all European water bodies is the main objective of the European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive (WFD). Since its adoption in 2000, the policy has fundamentally changed the institutional, procedural and organizational structures of Member States' water management, leading to an Europeanization of national legislation and decision-making structures. The case of WFD implementation in Schleswig-Holstein is an example of the policy's highly innovative governance architecture that unfortunately is not (yet) able to take that one last hurdle: to improve water quality and establish a good water status across EU Member States by 2015 or 2027.

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BIOECONOMY DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL BASED ON MORE EFFICIENT LAND USE IN THE EU

Proceedings of the 7th International Scientific Conference Rural Development 2015 ◽

10.15544/rd.2015.101 ◽

2015 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Irina PILVERE ◽

Aleksejs NIPERS ◽

Bartosz MICKIEWICZ

Keyword(s):

Green Growth ◽

Member States ◽

Eu Member States ◽

Growing Stock ◽

Europe 2020 ◽

Europe 2020 Strategy ◽

Analysis And Synthesis ◽

Key Industries ◽

The Eu ◽

Production Resource

Europe 2020 Strategy highlights bioeconomy as a key element for smart and green growth in Europe. Bioeconomy in this case includes agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food and pulp and paper production, parts of chemical, biotechnological and energy industries and plays an important role in the EU’s economy. The growth of key industries of bioeconomy – agriculture and forestry – highly depends on an efficient and productive use of land as a production resource. The overall aim of this paper is to evaluate opportunities for development of the main sectors of bioeconomy (agriculture and forestry) in the EU based on the available resources of land. To achieve this aim, several methods were used – monographic, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, statistical analysis methods. The findings show that it is possible to improve the use of land in the EU Member States. If all the Member States reached the average EU level, agricultural products worth EUR 77 bln would be annually additionally produced, which is 19 % more than in 2014, and an extra 5 billion m3 volume of forest growing stock would be gained, which is 20 % more than in 2010.

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