Between Differentiation and (Dis)Integration – Theoretical Explanations of a Post-Brexit European Union

The authors of this paper provide a critical analysis of the most prominent theoretical vehicles employed in studying differentiated integration in contemporary, post-Brexit Europe. They discuss the descriptive, explanatory, and interpretative potential of the selected theoretical approaches that are applied at the intersection of disintegration and European differentiation discourse. “The holy grail” of the theorising of the dynamic (and accelerating) processes of (dis)integration and differentiation remains undiscovered. Nevertheless, a constant search for theoretical explanation is needed in the in-depth analyses of the current state of the European Union.

The Recognition of Professional Qualifi cations in the European Union The Practice of Administration and European Courts – The Ski Instructor Example

The case of the English ski instructor Simon Butler working in France is the best example of the malfunctioning of the professional-qualifi cationsrecognition system in Europe. The practice of European and national administration as well as the jurisprudence of the CJEU and French courts shows how important and complex the subject of qualifi cation recognition is. A review of administrative practices and an analysis of case law show the positive and negative sides of the EU’s qualifi cation recognition system. The European Commission is carrying out numerous activities aimed at improving said system. The latest solutions make the idea of qualifi cation without borders a reality. The most important task is to examine the changes and legislative proposals of the European Union, analyse the case of Simon Butler and present proposals for changes against the background of activities undertaken throughout the Union. They should be realised through legal research methods and non-reactive social methods.

Young Activists as International Norm Entrepreneurs: A Case Study of Greta Thunberg’s Campaigning on Climate Change in Europe and Beyond

The role and significance of young activists in the process of international norm creation, diffusion, internalisation, and implementation have not received much attention in academic research. Yet, as a case study of Greta Thunberg campaigning on climate change has proven, children and teenagers can become significant norm entrepreneurs. Using the theoretical underpinnings of social constructivism, this article identifies and analyses Thunberg’s actions to exhort pressure on states, members of governments and international organisations to further develop and implement norms that would help save the planet from the imminent climate crisis. Our research uses an exploratory and inductive approach in which qualitative research methods (a case study of Greta Thunberg) and discourse analysis are applied.

The Main Problems in the Relations Between the European Union and Turkey

This paper depicts the dynamics of the EU-Turkey relations beginning from the signing of the association agreement, i.e. the Ankara contract, to date. In addition, it aims to specify the factors preventing the bilateral collaboration and achievement of EU membership as aspired to by Ankara. The paper focuses on both the internal and international problems arising on Turkey’s path to EU membership, namely, the westernisation trend originating from Kemal Ataturk times, recent developments in Turkey, the democratisation of political institutions, the rule of law and protection of human rights, regional security, Turkey’s part in the refugee crisis, visafree travel, Greek-Turkey relationships, Ankara’s stance towards Cyprus, the Kurdish problem, and the Turkey-US and Turkey-Russia relationships. The authors discuss the EU Member States’ attitude towards the political and socio-economic developments in Turkey and the way Ankara looks at the requirements put forward by those Member States. We suggest several methods of rapprochement and brighter bilateral prospects.

Children as an Object of the Right-Wing Populist Politics and Discourse in Poland

In Central and Eastern Europe populist regimes are attracting attention as a result of the traumatic legacy of communism, the subsequent overburdening reforms and exhausting systemic transformation, resurgence of ever-lurking nationalism, regional conservatism, parochialism and cultural chauvinism, and/or as an example of the structural shortcomings of young democracies at the borders of civilization. The subject literature also indicates numerous and universal elements of populist governments, present as well in this part of Europe. Without prejudging the aptness and strength of these various concepts and arguments, this article is an attempt to include in these wideranging themes a particular issue that absorbs conservative populists, namely “childhood” and “children”. While the problem of children in politics has already received numerous interpretations, the importance of childhood in the right-wing populist discourse and politics has so far remained an issue discussed only occasionally. We put forward the thesis that children play an important and specifi c role in the right-wing populist superstructure – they constitute an illusory picture of the nation, an allegory of its renewal, as well as a convenient, though inconsistently used, instrument for achieving political, ideological and propaganda goals. Attitudes towards children can be an important characteristic of populism as such, and should be taken into account in research on the subject. We will illustrate these problems using the example of Poland and the populist Law and Justice (PiS) Party that is in power there now.

The Self-employment of Women in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan has a population of more than 10 million, of which women accounted for 50% in 2020. At the same time, 93% of Azerbaijan’s citizens describe themselves as Muslims. Since the beginning of independence, Azerbaijan has been a secular state by virtue of Article 48 of the Constitution, which guarantees the freedom of worship, choice, or nonpractice of religion and the freedom of expression of one’s own views on religion. This article aims to assess the changes in the self-employment of women in Azerbaijan through a deductive analysis of data and observation of changes in the structure of resources based on generally available macroeconomic data. This study focuses on the situation of women on the Azerbaijani labour market over the two decades of the 21st century. The numbers of economically active women, including those in employment and the unemployed, and economically inactive women are specified. Further, the government’s legal and financial policy in respect of women’s self-employment is analysed. The author determines what percentage of companies were set up by women and in which sectors and locations.

“A Europe of Homelands or Homeland Europe” – Contemporary Limitations of the Idea of the Federalisation of the European Union

In this article, the author touches on the evolution of the European integration process, trying to capture the essence of the idea of federalisation on the way to the creation of the European Union. The theoretical narrative within federal thoughts is complemented by contemporary limitations both in the formal acceptance of the idea of federalisation of the European Union and in the informal “pole organizing the imagination” as mentioned by T. Mazowiecki. The main narrative, therefore, concerns the division of the field of EU integration between the analysis of structural limitations of the idea of federalisation of the European Union, including the system and jurisdictions of nation states, as well as ideational limitations, individual approach of the Member States to the integration process or the electoral success of Eurosceptics.

An Overview of Micro- and Macroprudential Policy Tools in the EU in the Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic Economic Shock

The fi nancial crisis from 2008 and the following Eurozone crisis from 2012 created an incentive to establish a system of fi nancial supervision at the European Union (“EU”) level, due to the fact that the policy tool commonly used turned out to be ineffective. With regards to banking supervision, the package of legislations: “CRR/CRD” and “BRRD” has been adopted as a response to fi nancial system shortcomings, in order to make it more resilient and harmonised. One of the challenges was to take control of the so-called: “too big to fail” fi nancial institutions, therefore next to macroprudential supervision, microprudential policy pools were introduced. This constituted the phenomena of the shift from regulationbased supervision to risk-based supervision with the aim of reducing the systemic risk in each and every EU Member State and, in turn, prevent possible future crises. In this paper, those methods will be gathered, presented, and discussed in the light of the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis.