Authoritarian consolidation in Belarus: What role for the EU?

European View ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 178168582110618
Author(s):  
Giselle Bosse
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Presidential Elections ◽  
Authoritarian Regime ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Political Opposition ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Eu Policy ◽  
The Eu

The aim of this article is to review the EU’s relations with Belarus over recent decades; to examine the patterns, opportunities and limitations of the EU’s policies vis-à-vis the authoritarian regime; and to evaluate the effectiveness of the EU’s responses to the brutal crackdown on civil society and political opposition following the flawed presidential elections in August 2020. It is argued that, despite its careful balancing act between principled approach and pragmatic engagement, the EU’s perception of the Belarusian regime has been overly optimistic and often influenced by the appeal of short-term geopolitical and economic gains. How should the EU deal with a consolidating and increasingly ruthless dictatorship at the heart of Europe? By way of conclusion, the article maps a number of ‘lessons learned’ and suggestions for future EU policy towards Belarus.

Die Strategie der Vernetzung

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Walli
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Policy Cycle ◽  
Strategic Networks ◽  
European Economic ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Eu Policy ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
The Eu

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) represents workers' and employers' organisations and other actors of organised civil society in the EU. Its profile of actors and functions in the European multi-level and multi-actor system has not yet been examined. This monograph fills this gap by contrasting the contractual integration of the EESC with its effective participation in the EU policy cycle. The study analyses the EESC's interaction with other political actors at various levels within and outside the EU. The author shows that the EESC has formed strategic networks in order to be perceived and used as an interface between civil society and EU institutions.

EurAfrica: Strengthening the Special Relationship

European View ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-64
Author(s):  
Asteris Huliaras
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
External Action ◽  
Special Relationship ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Eu Policy ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Eu

The increasing number of agreements between the EU and African states reveals a trend toward a ‘One Europe, One Africa’ policy. The EU has gained from the Lisbon Treaty new competencies for independent external action, and coordination on Africa policy has increased in the Council, mainly due to convergence between France, Germany and the United Kingdom. However, EU policy towards Africa still lacks coherence and direction and many EU Member States still privilege bilateral links with African countries. There is still an opportunity for the EU to increase its ‘actorness’ in Africa. First, the EU should take advantage of the economic crisis to create new institutional links between the EU and Africa. Second, the EU should focus on its visibility and act to strengthen private and civil society ties. Despite weaknesses, there are clear indications that the coherence of the EU's Africa policy is improving.

Guinea’s presidential polls will be next battleground

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Presidential Elections ◽  
Strategic Choices ◽  
State Of Emergency ◽  
Electoral Fraud ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Civil Unrest ◽  
Opposition Movement ◽  
The Eu

Significance The twin votes were marred by an opposition boycott, allegations of electoral fraud and apparent state-backed violence. With a COVID-19-related state of emergency now in operation, the Front for the Defence of the Constitution (FNDC), an umbrella civil society and opposition movement which opposed the new constitution, faces difficult strategic choices as it seeks to prevent President Alpha Conde seeking a third term in December’s scheduled presidential elections. Impacts Conde’s likely candidacy will further polarise the country and heighten the risk of civil unrest. In the event of an opposition candidate winning the presidency, the new constitution will almost certainly be repealed. A Conde candidacy and poll-related violence could see the EU issue targeted sanctions against Conde and his allies, including travel bans.

scholarly journals The EU Policy of the Civil Society Support in Russia

2016 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 57-67
Author(s):  
Anatoly Kanunnikov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Eu Policy ◽  
The Eu

Challenges of Developing Open Policymaking in the Western Balkans

2022 ◽  
pp. 297-313
Author(s):  
Igor Vidačak
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Eu Membership ◽  
Public Administration Reform ◽  
Main Factors ◽  
The Eu

The level of openness of policymaking has gradually become an important indicator of the progress of public administration reform in countries aspiring for EU membership. Based on lessons learned from previous enlargement rounds, the EU has gradually reformed its pre-accession assistance strategy by putting more emphasis on building capacities of government bodies for implementing more open and inclusive styles of democratic governance. Nevertheless, the countries of the region are still facing substantial challenges in this area. This chapter seeks to identify main factors that affect the quality of openness of Western Balkans' governments with particular emphasis on their ability to ensure adequate access to information, transparent and predictable decision-making, and timely public participation as key components of a wider concept of government openness. It is claimed that the specific design of the EU accession negotiations favours and often legitimizes the dominance of executive while at the same time weakening the position of legislative bodies and civil society actors.

Europejski Komitet Ekonomiczno-Społeczny Unii Europejskiej – organ reprezentacji funkcjonalnej czy instytucja fasadowa?

2016 ◽  
pp. 66-81
Author(s):  
Leszek Graniszewski
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Social Conscience ◽  
The Eu

In the article the author draws his attention to the differences between the position of the Committee as a social conscience of the EU (that has been declared in the treaties and declarations) and the practical possibilities to fulfil this role and its results. The analysis featured covers the structure and the manner of operation of the Committee, and, in particular, the functions actually fulfilled by the Committee in its role of the bridge between the EU and the organised civil society.

scholarly journals 22.F. Workshop: What makes for resilient health systems? Evidence from the State of Health in the EU country profiles

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
The State ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Health System Strengthening ◽  
New Work ◽  
State Of Health ◽  
The Eu

Abstract The European Commission's State of Health in the EU (SoHEU) initiative aims to provide factual, comparative data and insights into health and health systems in EU countries. The resulting Country Health Profiles, published every two years (current editions: November 2019) are the joint work of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the OECD, in cooperation with the European Commission. They are designed to support the efforts of Member States in their evidence-based policy making and to contribute to health care systems' strengthening. In addition to short syntheses of population health status, determinants of health and the organisation of the health system, the Country Profiles provide an assessment of the health system, looking at its effectiveness, accessibility and resilience. The idea of resilient health systems has been gaining traction among policy makers. The framework developed for the Country Profiles template sets out three dimensions and associated policy strategies and indicators as building blocks for assessing resilience. The framework adopts a broader definition of resilience, covering the ability to respond to extreme shocks as well as measures to address more predictable and chronic health system strains, such as population ageing or multimorbidity. However, the current framework predates the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic as well as new work on resilience being done by the SoHEU project partners. This workshop aims to present resilience-enhancing strategies and challenges to a wide audience and to explore how using the evidence from the Country Profiles can contribute to strengthening health systems and improving their performance. A brief introduction on the SoHEU initiative will be followed by the main presentation on the analytical framework on resilience used for the Country Profiles. Along with country examples, we will present the wider results of an audit of the most common health system resilience strategies and challenges emerging from the 30 Country Profiles in 2019. A roundtable discussion will follow, incorporating audience contributions online. The Panel will discuss the results on resilience actions from the 2019 Country Profiles evidence, including: Why is resilience important as a practical objective and how is it related to health system strengthening and performance? How can countries use their resilience-related findings to steer national reform efforts? In addition, panellists will outline how lessons learned from country responses to the Covid-19 pandemic and new work on resilience by the Observatory (resilience policy briefs), OECD (2020 Health at a Glance) and the EC (Expert Group on Health Systems Performance Assessment (HSPA) Report on Resilience) can feed in and improve the resilience framework that will be used in the 2021 Country Profiles. Key messages Knowing what makes health systems resilient can improve their performance and ability to meet the current and future needs of their populations. The State of Health in the EU country profiles generate EU-wide evidence on the common resilience challenges facing countries’ health systems and the strategies being employed to address them.

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