Intergovernmental Conference: Three Case Studies of EC/EU Institution Building

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Běla Plechanovová
Keyword(s):  
Political Process ◽  
The Political ◽  
Institution Building ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Revision Procedure ◽  
Amsterdam Treaty ◽  
Single European Act ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Eu

Intergovernmental conference (IGC) within the European integration context is a vehicle for institutional change. Based on the majority decision in the Council, the representatives of member states’ governments convene to debate proposals for amendments to the founding treaties of the European Union (EU) and make decisions on the agreed changes, which are then subject to the ratification process in the member countries according to their constitutional requirements. This procedure was used for almost all treaty revisions until the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007 changed the rules. An ordinary revision procedure was introduced that assumes a role for the Convention to draft changes to the treaties, while keeping the IGC as a next step in the process. A simplified revision procedure was introduced for making adjustments to the internal policies and actions of the EU according to the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, thus replacing the IGC by a unanimous decision of the European Council. The Merger Treaty of 1965, the Single European Act in 1986, and the Amsterdam Treaty in 1997 represent distinct steps in shaping the perception of the role of the IGC as an institution in the political process within the European Communities and the EU.

scholarly journals Crisis?: What (Type) of Crisis? The overlapping problems of the European Union

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (50) ◽  
pp. 33-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Lehmann
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Future Development ◽  
Political Process ◽  
European Population ◽  
The Political ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Eu

It is common today, even in the European media, to treat the current crisis of the European Union almost exclusively as an economic crisis. The present article pretends to show that such a focus is not only wrong but is indeed dangerous for the future development of the European Union as a whole. The article will argue that the present economic crisis simply aggravated – and a lot – a crisis of legitimacy through which the European Union has been passing for some time. Showing that the anti-European tendencies which are spreading throughout the countries of the continent threaten the very future of the European project, the article will make suggestion on reforms for the future development of the EU, alerting to the necessity to finally elaborate once again a coherent argument for the continuation of the European integration process which puts the European population at the heart of the political process instead of just austerity.

scholarly journals Media support and its influence on the results of the referendum in Britain’s exit from the EU

2020 ◽  
pp. 102-114
Author(s):  
Yana Kybich
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Political Process ◽  
British Society ◽  
The Political ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Binary Oppositions ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Eu

June 2016 was marked by a landmark event - the so-called Brexit (literally from Britain’s exit ) – a referendum in which 52% of the population voted for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union and only 48% - against. The significant changes that took place in the UK in the summer of 2016, finally split British society into those who are for and against leaving the European Union. The British media acted as a platform for political debates and discussions on the key issue of Britain’s stay in the EU. The most powerful media conglomerate, of course, had a decisive influence on the mood of those who voted, intensifying social polarization, which was reflected in the results of the fateful referendum. Elements of the British media played a key role in the debate over the referendum on the country’s membership in the European Union. The exit vote was influenced by a long campaign against the EU and against migration from EU countries. Throughout the campaign, virtually all media are in flagrant violation of journalistic standards of objectivity, fairness, and accuracy, becoming essentially propaganda bodies. The relevance of the study is due to the fundamental changes in British society related to the Brexit process, as well as the importance for politicians and the public of understanding public opinion and the media about Brexit. In addition, it is important to see how the view of Brexit has changed. It is necessary to find out the benefits, priorities and understanding of different scenarios, the driving forces behind these attitudes, and whether they change in response to statements and remarks by politicians and public figures. Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union is important for the whole world, as it affects the changing geopolitics of the whole of Europe. This topic is important for understanding the study of the political preferences of British society and the British media during the Brexit process. It can be stated unequivocally that both Brexit and the subsequent US election campaign in 2016 showed another example of skillful speculation in facts and figures, the successful creation and dissemination of unverified “viral information” through the media, which in the era of telecommunications has become a particularly effective tool for manipulation of public sentiment. The example of Brexit has demonstrated how to take the success of such campaigns to a new level, using all types of media (from traditional to electronic, including social networks), through which you can introduce into society binary oppositions that divide it, to introduce into the information space certain political figures, to popularize the necessary moods and slogans, to simplify the political process to the level of a show.

Subsidiarity as a Subject of Battle in European Union Politics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kees van Kersbergen ◽  
Bertjan Verbeek
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Power Relations ◽  
Political Process ◽  
Maastricht Treaty ◽  
Lisbon Treaty ◽  
The Political ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Over Time ◽  
The Eu

Since the Maastricht Treaty (1993), subsidiarity has guided the political process surrounding the distribution of competences between administrative layers in the European Union (EU). The EU’s subsidiarity regime affects the politics and governance of the EU, because the notion of subsidiarity allows for continuous negotiation over its practical use. The constant battle over subsidiarity implies that the notion changes its meaning over time and alters the power relations between different actors within the EU. Since the Lisbon Treaty (2009), subsidiarity has mainly strengthened the position of member states at the expense of the Commission.

2. The European Union: Establishment and Development

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Phinnemore
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
European Integration ◽  
Single Market ◽  
First Century ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Amsterdam Treaty ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
Single European Act ◽  
The 1950S ◽  
The Eu

This chapter focuses on the emergence of the European Communities in the 1950s that gave rise to the European Union in the 1990s. It begins with a discussion of key developments in the first four decades of European integration and some of the tensions that have shaped them. It then considers how the idea of ‘European union’ lost momentum in the 1970s but was revived in the 1980s with the Single European Act (1986) and the Single Market project. It also shows how the EU was established through ‘Maastricht’ and the adoption and implementation of the Treaty on European Union (1992). The chapter concludes by analysing how the new ‘union’ was affected by reforms introduced by the Amsterdam Treaty (1997) and the Nice Treaty (2000) as the EU sought to prepare itself for the further enlargement and the challenges of the initial years of the twenty-first century.

Principle of Subsidiarity and the EU Environmental Policy

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas de Sadeleer
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Environmental Policy ◽  
Fundamental Principle ◽  
Maastricht Treaty ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Environmental Legislation ◽  
Member States ◽  
Single European Act ◽  
The Eu

The principle of subsidiarity is a fundamental principle of the European Union. It has first been introduced in the field of environmental policy by the Single European Act in 1987 and extended to all fields of shared competencies by the Maastricht treaty in 1992. Since then much has been done to operationalize the principle, and subsidiarity has received increasing attention by the Union’s institutions and Member States. The following contribution provides a brief appraisal of the role of the principle and of how it has influenced environmental legislation, so far.

Funding the eu–Morocco ‘Mobility Partnership’: Of Implementation and Competences

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-301
Author(s):  
Leonhard den Hertog
Keyword(s):  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Policy Discourse ◽  
The Political ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Legal Literature ◽  
Political Struggles ◽  
And Migration ◽  
The Eu

This article explores the role of funding under the ‘Mobility Partnership’ (mp) concluded between the European Union (eu), various Member States and Morocco. As most academic literature and policy discourse assumes a link between funding and policy implementation, this article enquires into how funding can help us understand implementation and the priorities set therein, and what alternative understandings of funding we could develop. By presenting evidence from the eu-Morocco mp, it is argued that looking at eu funding obscures rather than clarifies the priorities pursued in the cooperation on borders, asylum and migration. Drawing from the political sociology of public finances and from legal literature, this article understands funding as embedded in institutional, legal and political struggles over competences, and highlights the symbolic nature of funding.

scholarly journals The Role of Political Leadership in Macedonia in Function of EU Integration

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 98
Author(s):  
Mirvan Xhemaili
Keyword(s):  
Transition Period ◽  
Political Leadership ◽  
The Political ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
The Road ◽  
Eu Integration ◽  
On The Road ◽  
The Eu

The dissolution of the former Yugoslavia was associated by destructive interethnic conflicts, by local and regional wars. Macedonia is also closely related to Europe politically and economically. The paper analyzes the role of political leadership on the road to EU integration. The research is one of many efforts that have been undertaken lately on the European Union development, its enlargement policy and the integration of Macedonia in EU. Specifically, this type of research is very important for the Macedonia, having in mind that the country has experienced the worst and the longest transition after the Cold War. The aim of the paper is to identify the main difficulties and challenges that make this process less successful. Macedonia started this journey in 2001 by signing the PSA/MSA. Right after its independence the country has faced many internal and external challenges. The country id undergoing a 25 years’ transition period of democratization and consolidation. The road to EU Integration has made the country undergo many reforms in many fields. The country views the process of integration as a strategic objective. The EU union has shown its interest to include the aspiring countries from the Western Balkans in its family. There is a high percentage of citizens for this process. The political leadership has not been responsible for the reforms in the country that have been addressed by EU. The political leadership uses the EU membership as a rhetoric in political campaign rather than doing more for the process, the paper analyzes the rhetoric and the reality by different methodologies. Political leaders should do more for the EU Integration and consider themselves as the only responsible party.

Demographic and economic concentration in the European Union countries and Russia and the role of Global Cities

2019 ◽  
pp. 26-41
Author(s):  
E. V. Antonov
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Theil Index ◽  
Global Cities ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Index Decomposition ◽  
Economic Divergence ◽  
Economic Concentration ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Eu

The aim of the study is to identify general trends in the process of spatial concentration / deconcentration of the population and economy (according to GDP) in the countries of the European Union and in Russia in 2007–2015. An attempt was made to identify the role of the Global Cities in this process. The study was performed at two spatial levels – the statistical division grids NUTS2 and NUTS3 (for the EU) and the level of the subjects of the Russian Federation. The degree of concentration and its dynamics were estimated based on the analysis of the Theil Index. The contribution of Global Cities was determined through Theil index decomposition. It is shown that the demographic concentration at the NUTS3 level was more intense than at the NUTS2 level and in almost all countries. The decrease in territorial economic inequality at the NUTS2 level in the period did not lead to convergence at the NUTS3 level. There was economic divergence in the period 2009–2015. These results confirm trends previously identified by other researchers. It has been established that the contribution of Global Cities to the processes of economic and demographic concentration turns out to be positive in both cases. It is stronger than the contribution of the others territories to the concentration of the population, and is almost equal, but opposite to the deconcentration in the economy, observed in others territories. It is concluded that global cities in Russia make a multidirectional contribution to the process of population concentration and economical deconcentration, which is atypical for the EU countries and similar to those states that also have economic difficulties (for example, Greece and Portugal).

Paths into Irregularity: The Legal and Political Construction of Irregular Migration

2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franck Düvell
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
The Political ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Irregular Migration ◽  
Member States ◽  
Policy Failure ◽  
Politics And Law ◽  
The Eu

AbstractThis article empirically analyses the political and legal construction of irregular migration across selected member states of the European Union. First, it considers how policies lay the preconditions for irregular migration. Second, it explores the role of politics and law in generating irregular migration. Thus, it carves out diverse and divergent practices across the EU and argues that these are related to divergent legal and political cultures among the member states. This reveals that regulations that are meant to prevent unwanted migration often have unintended side-effects and instead encourage irregular migration which is conceptualised as a policy gap and policy failure. The conclusion drawn from this is that some irregular migration can be avoided and that there is scope for accordingly reforming national laws.

scholarly journals The Role and Importance of Economic Cooperation of the Visegrad Group Countries in the European Union Since 2015

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-205
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Jasiecki
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Economic Cooperation ◽  
The Political ◽  
Economic Potential ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Communist Countries ◽  
Visegrad Group ◽  
Distinguishing Features ◽  
The Eu

The aim of the article is to describe the genesis, role, significance, conditions and effects of economic cooperation of the Visegrad Group countries in the European Union, with particular emphasis on their development after 2015. It presents the distinguishing features and specifi city of the Group’s cooperation before accession to NATO and the EU in the context of the situation of Central Europe and other European post-communist countries, as well as the most important aspects of the political and economic potential of the V4 countries against the background of the EU and selected member states. Various aspects of their economic cooperation in the region are discussed, as well as the structural limitations of the role of the Visegrad Group countries in the EU and related controversy. The final part contains conclusions relating to the Group’s activities with regard to the main axes of political and economic divisions in the EU, with particular emphasis placed on economic dimensions.

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