Where is the justice in EU anti-trafficking policy? Feminist reflections on European Union policy-making processes

2021 ◽  
pp. 135050682110293
Author(s):  
Sharron FitzGerald ◽  
Jane Freedman
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Sex Trafficking ◽  
Personal Experience ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
Organised Crime ◽  
Law And Order ◽  
European Union Policy ◽  
Union Policy ◽  
Policy Forum ◽  
The Eu

In this article, we reflect on our personal experience of acting as ‘independent academic experts’ in an European Union (EU) policy forum, to reflect on how the EU utilises gender to legitimise certain policy discourses in combating sex trafficking. Starting from our personal experience, we draw on wider feminist research on gender expertise and on Fraser’s new reflexive theory of political injustice, to consider how the EU structures debates in this area to determine ‘who’ is entitled to speak and be heard on this issue. In a context in which sex trafficking policy intersects with a variety of competing agendas on – among other things – law and order, organised crime, immigration, asylum and border security policy, our argument will suggest that the exclusion of critical feminist voices and lack of alternative perspectives permits much scope for continuing inequality and injustice.

The Balkan Migration Route

2022 ◽  
pp. 111-134
Author(s):  
Anatoliy Khudoliy
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Migration Route ◽  
The European Union ◽  
European Union Policy ◽  
European Union Enlargement ◽  
Balkan Countries ◽  
Accession Process ◽  
Union Policy ◽  
Migration Flows ◽  
The Eu

The purpose of the chapter is to assess and link the issues of migration flows with the accession process of the Balkan countries and the European Union enlargement policy. The chapter argues that despite the recent changes in the EU commission's policy towards the candidate countries there is more to be done to foster the process and encourage domestic reforms in the countries. The chapter examines the process of migration along the Balkan migration route from 2001 till 2021 and its influence on the European Union policy and the policy of Balkan countries. The author links the issue of migration flows with the accession process of the Balkan countries, traces the connection between the issue of migration flows with the European Union enlargement, and analyzes the legal steps taken by the EU and the countries of the region in order to control the process of migration.

scholarly journals Countering Radicalisation of Muslim Community Opinions on the EU Level

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Zięba ◽  
Damian Szlachter
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Political Violence ◽  
The European Union ◽  
European Union Policy ◽  
Member States ◽  
Union Policy ◽  
Muslim Minorities ◽  
European Union Member States ◽  
The Eu

The paper explores selected factors influencing the process of radicalisation leading to the use of political violence and terror by the Muslim minorities living in the European Union member states. Internal and external catalysts conditioning this process and methods of their analysis have been presented. The second section examines various counter-radicalisation and de-radicalisation efforts of the EU. The authors analysed the multidimensional European Union policy in the area of counteracting radicalisation for empowering the population and member states in preventing the radicalisation and recruitment to terrorism and emphasising the role of social partners and local authorities. Also, the promotion of good practices for combating radicalisation, developed under the auspices of the multidisciplinary Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN) is presented.

20. The Stability of EU Policy-Making in a Turbulent World

2020 ◽  
pp. 471-494
Author(s):  
Mark A. Pollack ◽  
Christilla Roederer-Rynning ◽  
Alasdair R. Young
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Global Governance ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Domestic Institutions ◽  
European Union Policy ◽  
Eu Policy ◽  
Union Policy ◽  
The Stability ◽  
The Eu

This chapter examines trends in European Union policy-making during times of multiple, overlapping challenges. It first considers the main trends in EU policy-making that emerge from policy case studies, including experimentation with new modes of policy-making, often in conjunction with more established modes, leading to hybridization; renegotiation of the role of the member states (and their domestic institutions) in the EU policy process; and erosion of traditional boundaries between internal and external policies. The chapter proceeds by discussing the issue of national governance as well as the interaction between European and global governance. Finally, it explores how the EU has responded to the challenges of Brexit, the politicization of the Union, geopolitical upheaval, and the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Legal Basis of European Union Policy: The Case of Environmental Policy

2002 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 535-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eivind Hovden
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Policy Process ◽  
Majority Voting ◽  
Legal Basis ◽  
Environmental Legislation ◽  
European Union Policy ◽  
Qualified Majority ◽  
Systematic Feature ◽  
Union Policy ◽  
The Eu

The choice of the legal basis for a given measure can influence the procedure by which legislation is adopted, and thereby the scope and content of EU policy. The ambiguity surrounding the choice of legal basis for environmental acts based in Articles 130s and 100a opened the way for a ‘legal-basis game’, where EU institutions chose the legal basis partly on the basis of political considerations. In the period 1987–93, the two most important legal bases for environmental acts (Articles 130s and 100a) were subject to very different procedures for adoption (unanimity and qualified majority voting, respectively). From 1993 onwards, both articles were subject to qualified majority voting. After a general discussion of the choice of legal basis and its significance for policy, this paper examines the choice of legal basis for environmental legislation during the period 1987–99. I conclude that, although the legal-basis game is played out with respect to certain acts, there is little evidence that it is a regular and systematic feature of the policy process in the EU.

scholarly journals Socio-religious relations in Ukrainian realities and European Union policy

2009 ◽  
pp. 21-27
Author(s):  
Serhiy I. Zdioruk
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Transport Network ◽  
Common Market ◽  
Educational Systems ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Constitutional Treaty ◽  
European Union Policy ◽  
Single Currency ◽  
Union Policy ◽  
The Eu

The problems of the functioning of religion in the countries of the European Union (EU) are extremely complex and ambiguous. The EU is primarily political and economic. It is in these areas that active intra-integration processes are observed: introduction of a single currency, single payment system, actual “blurring” of borders between member states, development of the Constitutional Treaty, orientation towards the creation of a common market, a common transport network, harmonization of educational systems, etc.

scholarly journals LEGAL REGULATION DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED EUROPEAN UNION POLICY FOR THE ARCTIC IN COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION CONCLUSIONS OF 2016 AND 2019

2021 ◽  
pp. 233-248
Author(s):  
E. N. MONOKIN ◽  
N. N. MAZAEVA
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The European Union ◽  
European Union Policy ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Union Policy ◽  
Regulation Development ◽  
Arctic Policy ◽  
The Eu

The article is dedicated to the study of legal regulation development of the EU Arctic policy, on the example of its current basic document (Joint Communication by the European Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on An integrated European Union policy for the Arctic 2016) provisions evolution in the latest documents — four conclusions issued by the Council of the European Union in 2016 and 2019. Place and role of the aforementioned acts in legal regulation of the EU Arctic policy, as well as their interconnection, is examined. View of the Council of the European Union, as one of the Policy addressee, on its further development is demonstrated. By means of in-depth analysis of thematically different conclusions of the Council of the European Union, their contribution to the development of the ideas of Joint Communication within such directions as environment, sustainable development and international cooperation in Arctic is considered; new proposals and approaches are underlined. Special attention is paid to the definition of the legal nature of Joint Communication and conclusions as atypical acts of the EU institutions. During the study of documents accompanying the conclusions (especially on space issue), an integrated nature of the EU Arctic policy is demonstrated, i.e. its relationship with other EU policies and areas of competence (maritime, environmental, space). Based on the results of the study, several findings are made: Council conclusions of 2016 and 2019 compose together a single entity as integrated documents package, serve as the basis for further actions by the EU and Member States in the Arctic region; implementation of 2016 Policy in 2019-2020 and 2021 is carried along the same lines laid down by it, according to the same priorities, which are more adapted and supplemented by documents following it, with tendency to greater integration of Arctic policy into neighboring areas of competence.

Austrian Veto against European Union Membership Negotiations with Turkey

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-122
Author(s):  
Ewa Kaczan-Winiarska
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
Negotiation Process ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Strategic Partner ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
European Standards ◽  
The Eu

The Austrian government is extremely sceptical about the accession negotiations which are conducted by the European Commission on behalf of the European Union with Turkey and calls for the negotiation process to end. Serious reservations of Vienna have been raised by the current political situation in Turkey under the rule of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as well as by the standards of democracy in Turkey, which differ greatly from European standards. Serious deficiencies in rule of law, freedom of speech and independence of the judiciary, confirmed in the latest European Commission report on Turkey, do not justify, from Vienna’s point of view, the continuation of talks with Ankara on EU membership. In fact, Austria’s scepticism about the European perspective for Turkey has a longer tradition. This was marked previously in 2005 when the accession negotiations began. Until now, Austria’s position has not had enough clout within the European arena. Pragmatic cooperation with Turkey as a strategic partner of the EU, both in the context of the migration crisis and security policy, proved to be a key factor. The question is whether Austria, which took over the EU presidency from 1.7.2018, will be able to more strongly accentuate its reservations about Turkey and even build an alliance of Member States strong enough to block Turkey’s accession process.

scholarly journals Soft Spaces as a Traveling Planning Idea: Uncovering the Origin and Development of an Academic Concept on the Rise

2021 ◽  
pp. 088541222199228
Author(s):  
Eva Purkarthofer ◽  
Kaisa Granqvist
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Nordic Countries ◽  
Contextual Influences ◽  
Planning Systems ◽  
European Union Policy ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Union Policy ◽  
Conceptual Evolution

This article analyses the academic concept of “soft spaces” from the perspective of traveling planning ideas. The concept has its origin in the United Kingdom but has also been used in other contexts. Within European Union policy-making, the term soft planning has emerged to describe the processes of cooperation and learning with an unclear relation to planning. In the Nordic countries, soft spaces are viewed as entangled with the logics of statutory planning, posing challenges for policy delivery and regulatory planning systems. This article highlights the conceptual evolution of soft spaces, specifically acknowledging contextual influences and the changing relation with statutory planning.

scholarly journals Expenditure-Based Indicators of Energy Poverty—An Analysis of Income and Expenditure Elasticities

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Johannes Thema ◽  
Florin Vondung
Keyword(s):  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Micro Data ◽  
European Union Policy ◽  
Energy Poverty ◽  
Union Policy ◽  
Depth Sensitivity ◽  
Policy Agendas ◽  
Poverty Indicators ◽  
Specific Country ◽  
The Eu

Energy poverty is high up on national and European Union policy agendas. A number of possible indicators to measure the issue have been identified in the literature, but comparable data with European coverage is scarce. The EU Commission thus proposes four independent indicators on the “EU Energy Poverty Observatory” based on self-reported items from the pan-European surveys on income and living conditions (SILC) and household budgets (HBS). It is of increasing public interest to analyse social impacts of energy policies, and quantify energy poverty indicators also from modelling. This paper first shortly outlines how the expenditure-based indicators using HBS micro data may be directly linked to existing macroeconomic models through their defining variables (energy expenditure and income). As endogenous modelling based on micro data is difficult, the link may be country-specific elasticities. The main contribution of the paper is a systematic in-depth sensitivity analysis of the two indicators to changes in income and energy expenditure following varying patterns in the underlying distributions of the micro data. The results may be used by future soft links to models. The results display sometimes counterintuitive effects. We find that whether these indicators increase/decrease after a change of income or energy expenditure largely depends on the specific country-wise income and energy expenditure distribution between households on a micro-level. Due to their definition, the examined indicators are especially sensitive, when income changes alter the indicator threshold values, which in these cases are the median values in underlying distributions. We discuss these findings and relate them to several indicator shortcomings and potential remedies through changes in indicator definition.

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