scholarly journals The EU Integration Process and its Role in the Albanian Sociopolitical Transformation

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-50
Author(s):  
Juliana Gjinko

Nearly thirty years after the fall of communism in Albania, European integration has been the main driving force for change and the real catalyst for reform. Today, a vast majority of Albanians continue to be convinced that the only way to develop, modernize and guarantee security is a full integration into the European family. The problem is not simply the duration of such an intermediate phase between obtaining candidate status and a full membership of the European Union. In fact, Albanians themselves are increasingly aware that the road to full membership of the European Union will be long, and that it will require a series of major and profound changes in the country, especially in the areas of the rule of law and functioning of institutions, along with implementing various standards that a society must meet in order to achieve this goal. The aim of this paper is to analyze Albanian use and abuse of the EU integration process in internal political discourse, reforms and transformation. A number of documents, publications and public speeches are examined in order to evaluate the impact of integration in this small, developing, post-communist country.

2009 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irena Ristic

After four years of ambivalence, the relationship between the European Union and Serbia is again gaining a new opportunity to flourish. The new Serbian government is formed by parties which are strongly committed to Serbia?s EU integration and hence ready to carry out reforms and fully cooperate with the International Crime Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. This paper presents the current relationship between Brussels and Belgrade and its main obstacles. It emphasizes both internal and external problems of this relationship and their interdependency. In this regard the author argues that only by a mutual commitment of both Serbia and the EU lasting peace will be achieved in the Western Balkans and the region stabilized.


2016 ◽  
pp. 10-23
Author(s):  
Anna Sroka

This article concerns the impact of the crisis on the manner in which the European Union functions, with particular attention paid to the issue of accountability. The analysis of particular legal solutions adopted since the eruption of the economic crisis enables capturing of the changes that have occurred with respect to the functioning of democracy in the EU. This facilitates the search for an answer to the following research questions: during times of crisis, do transformations lead to improvements in the quality of democracy, or do they rather deepen the existing democratic deficit, particularly in respect of accountability? Are modifications to mechanisms governing the functioning of democracy in the EU helping to overcome both shortand long-term crises in the integration process? In order to find answers to these questions, an analysis has been performed of the changes made to regulations addressing governance in the European Union in the macroeconomic and fiscal sphere implemented between 2008 and 2013.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 626-627
Author(s):  
Mariachiara Alberton

This book, coordinated and supervised by Prof. Vincenzo Salvatore, is part of the output of the workshop organized by the Università dell’Insubria in Varese in November 2010 which gathered legal and economic scholars and experts of EU Institutions with the aim of presenting and discussing present problems and future challenges of the EU agencies. The diverse set of perspectives contained in the book contributes significantly to rethink the role and nature of the EU agency institutional model, by pointing out some of the most relevant legal issues such as the delegation of powers and the lack of homogeneity of the model, which reflect features and peculiarities of the EU integration process.


1997 ◽  
Vol 22 (03) ◽  
pp. 581-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustav Peebles

In this paper I approach the European Union Treaties (Rome and Maastricht) and the European Court of Justice's jurisprudence from a Marxist standpoint. I argue that the treaties and case law of the European Union (EU) revolve around the rights of things (commodities), rather than of people. People primarily gain rights within the EU by demonstrating that they embody exchange value and are therefore personified commodities; people are not accorded rights merely for being human. In essence, the treaties and case law have enshrined Marx's notion of commodity fetishism, which Marx asserted to be a social mystification, into transparent law. Focusing on the grand scheme of the treaties' jurisdiction in this manner also illuminates the role of the court as it struggles to balance the demands of capital's self-valorization with fundamental human rights. I then consider the consequences of this balancing act for the EU integration process. I argue that this phenomenon as a whole also carries implications for EU civil society and for notions of legal equality among persons.


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 306-324
Author(s):  
Iryna Kushnir ◽  
Majella Kilkey ◽  
Francesca Strumia

This article explores the integration of the European Union (EU) as an institution after the 2015–2016 migrant crisis. Qualitative data from elite interviews in Brussels and policy analysis, in the framework of a bigger project about the impact of the migrant crisis on European integration, highlight EU learning about new integration modes as a key theme following the crisis. The article focuses on this theme and argues that EU integration has been happening through intensive learning after the migrant crisis, whereby the EU has been exploring a combination of certain integration modes: shaping the relationships with candidate countries by restraining from enlargement; shaping the relationships with (prospectively) exiting Member States by considering fuzziness at the borders; and exploring differentiation among the existing Member States, possibly through promoting a two-tier EU, instead of universal deepening. A key contribution lies in applying the notion ‘learning’ to understanding EU integration modes specifically after the migrant crisis.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanel Jakupović ◽  
Milanka Aleksić ◽  
Vesna Novaković

Implementation of the “CEFTA 2006” agreement lasts for ten years, and in order to make explicit the importance of the agreement it should be presented base contribute to the economy of the Member States. Through this work it will be shown the contribution agreement for economic activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The main contribution is increasing in trade among the member countries of the agreement and preparing for full membership in the EU, also adapting to the standards and conditions in the EU market. This statement is characteristic also and for Bosnia and Herzegovina. With the application of other trade agreements the basic goal of Bosnia and Herzegovina trough implementation of CEFTA 2006 is to extent adequate preparation for accession to full membership of the European Union. This agreement is an agreement on free trade in industrial goods and most agricultural goods between member states, the agreement defines the equal treatment of domestic and foreign investors, as well as the openness of public procurement markets. Certain studies prove positive direct and indirect effects of CEFTA Agreement on economic growth, the objective of the study is to confirm the link between the services and the productivity of the manufacturing companies that rely on the services sector as an input product. This paper will indicate the impact of the agreement on the economic development in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in terms of trade relations with member states of the European Union and member countries of the CEFTA agreement. Since CEFTA acting as a preparation for membership of the European Union, countries that have signed the agreement on the EU full membership withdrawn from the CEFTA, which is also the main goal of Bosnia and Herzegovina.


2007 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irena Ristic

Serbia is considered as "an unfinished state" with a rather "undefined Nation" and as such approaching the European Union. This raises the question to what extent these circumstances will influence the success of Serbia?s EU-integration process, since nation identity and statehood are in this article seen as constitutional parts of the concept of Europeanness. Thus this paper focuses on Europeanness and the identity behind it. It further gives an overview of the Serbian identity, first by presenting its dichotomy and then by highlighting the main factors, which have primarily shaped the identity of Serbia. Finally this paper shows why a clearly defined national identity would facilitate Serbia?s access to the EU.


Author(s):  
Dimitris Papadimitriou ◽  
David Phinnemore

This chapter examines the Europeanization effects associated with Romania’s effort to begin and, later, complete its accession negotiations with the European Union. The road to EU membership in 2007 was a long and hard one for Romania. While public and political opinion remained solidly in favour of integration, and ultimately membership, institutional fluidity, poor administrative capacity, political factionalism, and corruption posed significant challenges to processes of domestic adaptation. The chapter first provides an overview of the changing pattern of Romania’s relationship with the EU before discussing some of the early evidence of the impact of EU membership on Romanian public opinion, party politics, and public policy. It also looks at important factors that have affected both the ‘production’ and ‘reception’ of the Europeanization pressures associated with the EU’s most recent enlargement. Finally, it compares Romania’s EU membership experience with those of other member states, particularly Poland and Bulgaria.


2017 ◽  
pp. 114-127
Author(s):  
M. Klinova ◽  
E. Sidorova

The article deals with economic sanctions and their impact on the state and prospects of the neighboring partner economies - the European Union (EU) and Russia. It provides comparisons of current data with that of the year 2013 (before sanctions) to demonstrate the impact of sanctions on both sides. Despite the fact that Russia remains the EU’s key partner, it came out of the first three partners of the EU. The current economic recession is caused by different reasons, not only by sanctions. Both the EU and Russia have internal problems, which the sanctions confrontation only exacerbates. The article emphasizes the need for a speedy restoration of cooperation.


Oikos ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (29) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
Olga María Cerqueira Torres

RESUMENEn el presente artículo el análisis se ha centrado en determinar cuáles de las funciones del interregionalismo, sistematizadas en los trabajos de Jürgen Rüland, han sido desarrolladas en la relación Unión Europea-Comunidad Andina de Naciones, ya que ello ha permitido evidenciar si el estado del proceso de integración de la CAN ha condicionado la racionalidad política del comportamiento de la Unión Europea hacia la región andina (civil power o soft imperialism); esto posibilitará establecer la viabilidad de la firma del Acuerdo de Asociación Unión Europea-Comunidad Andina de Naciones.Palabras clave: Unión Europea, Comunidad Andina, interregionalismo, funciones, acuerdo de asociación. Interregionalism functions in the EU-ANDEAN community relationsABSTRACTIn the present article analysis has focused on which functions of interregionalism, systematized by Jürgen Rüland, have been developed in the European Union-Andean Community birregional relation, that allowed demonstrate if the state of the integration process in the Andean Community has conditioned the political rationality of the European Union towards the Andean region (civil power or soft imperialism); with all these elements will be possible to establish the viability of the Association Agreement signature between the European Union and the Andean Community.Keywords: European Union, Andean Community, interregionalism, functions, association agreement.


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