The new procedure for selecting the President of the European Commission is subject to institutional and political struggles. Regardless the fate of the system after the European elections in 2019, SIEPS’ director Göran von Sydow argues, a genuine European level contestation over executive office is not likely to emerge soon.
In May 2019, general elections to the European Parliament were held for the ninth time. SIEPS has collected publications and seminars on different aspects of the elections, including the outgoing European Commission and the Lead candidate process. (July 2019)
The outgoing European Commission has been defined by the idea of a more “political” institution. While the ambition proved difficult to implement, a return to the role as a neutral arbiter is no longer an alternative.
Annual survey: Increased support for EU membership
SIEPS has a long-term collaboration with the SOM Institute at the University of Gothenburg, which conducts annual surveys of Swedish EU public opinion. The latest survey was conducted in the autumn of 2018.
The report presents Swedish EU opinion in various social groups and describes how citizens consider that EU membership affects different areas of society.
Watch our seminars
Perspectives on the Future of the EU
In this volume, five leading European scholars go beyond policy issues to focus on the future of the EU as a political system. At the heart of their contributions are the prospects for legitimacy and democracy in the union.
This anthology is jointly published by the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI) and the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies (SIEPS). The authors originally presented their analyses in the winter of 2018/2019, in a series of lectures co-organized by the two institutes. The volume includes an introduction by the editors, Björn Fägersten, UI, and Göran von Sydow, SIEPS.
Latest publications
The new procedure for selecting the President of the European Commission is subject to institutional and political struggles. Regardless the fate of the system after the European elections in 2019, SIEPS’ director Göran von Sydow argues, a genuine European level contestation over executive office is not likely to emerge soon.
The outgoing European Commission has been defined by the idea of a more “political” institution. While the ambition proved difficult to implement, a return to the role as a neutral arbiter is no longer an alternative.
Other seminars available on video
At a SIEPS seminar on March 28 2019, the voter turnout of the elections in 2014 was discussed and used as a basis to make some predictions about the turnout of the elections in May. Hermann Schmitt and Sebastian Adrian Popa, leading researchers at the University of Mannheim, presented their findings.
At a seminar in Stockholm, 8 March 2019, renowned experts and policymakers discussed the banking union from a Nordic-Baltic perspective. The seminar was arranged jointly by SIEPS and the Swedish inquiry on potential participation in the banking union.
On 30 November 2018, Christopher J. Bickerton and Ulrike Guérot held a lecture presenting their ideas about the state of democracy in the EU. They shared a set of concerns about the state of democracy in Europe, but had distinctly different conclusions. The seminar was part of a series co-organized by SIEPS and the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI).
On 9 November 2018, Frank Schimmelfennig gave a talk on the topic of differentiated integration as a threat or solution to the current state of European integration. The seminar was part of a series co-organized by SIEPS and the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI).
At a seminar held on 5 October 2018, EU member states' positions, the role of the EU institutions, the legal aspects of the possible negotiation outcomes as well as provide insight into the state of negotiations, were discussed.
At a SIEPS seminar on 21 September 2018, Michael Kaeding gave an overview of the national perspectives on the future of European cooperation. In addition, the seminar devoted special attention to the debates in the Nordic states with contributions from leading researchers Juha Jokela and Marlene Wind.
At a SIEPS seminar on 18 April 2018, the future of the EU budget was discussed. The seminar was arranged together with the European Commission in Sweden.
During a seminar held on 7 March 2018, political scientists Victor Lapuente and Bo Rothstein presented a new SIEPS report on Corruption at the regional level in the EU and a Quality of government index for the regions of the EU.
At a SIEPS seminar on 26 January 2018, devoted to the continental debate on EMU reform, prominent scholars from Germany, France, the Netherlands and Italy discussed which steps are conceivable in the short to long term.
At a SIEPS seminar on 10 November 2017, Ian Begg, a leading expert on both the EU budget and the economic ramifications of Brexit, gave a lecture.
What exactly is the social dimension of Europe? This seminar, held on 22 September 2017, aimed to explain the EU legal framework in the area, and discussed what the EU can do and what the EU should do.
A SIEPS seminar was held on 14 June 2017 to discuss the Juncker-Commission at half time.
At a seminar implemented on 26 January 2017, we discussed lessons learned from the referendum, public attitudes today and look at current party dynamics.
