The European Union is still struggling with finding solutions to the economic crisis. The crisis has affected not only the living conditions for many citizens, but also their attitudes towards the European Union and the euro. As a result, we are now experiencing a rapid decline in public opinion on the European Union across the Member States. In what way has the crisis taken its toll on the support for the EU in Sweden?

In collaboration with the SOM Institute, SIEPS studies the long-term development of Swedish public opinion towards the EU. At this seminar the latest results regarding the Swedish attitudes on the EU and the euro will be presented. The seminar is part of the activities organised in connection with Europe Day 2013.

Speakers
Sören Holmberg, Professor in Political Science, University of Gothenburg
Frida Vernersdotter, Assistant Research Administrator, The SOM Institute, University of Gothenburg

Commentator
Birgitta Ohlsson, Minister for EU Affairs

Chair
Göran von Sydow, Researcher in Political Science, SIEPS

Time: Monday 6 May, 14.00-14.45
Venue: Europahuset, Regeringsgatan 65, Stockholm
Language: Swedish

Registration not required. For full program information, click here>>

In light of the Europe 2020 strategy, public authorities in the European Union should make better use of public procurement in support of general societal goals such as the protection of the environment and good social conditions. However, the objective of the procurement rules in the Union is primarily to strengthen the single market and the EU’s competitiveness. An important issue, therefore, is the ability of public authorities to make social or environmental demands when purchasing products. The situation is different in the U.S. where American states can encourage, and in some cases even require, public institutions to purchase products manufactured in that state (i.e., a geographic preference) due to the so called Market Participant Exception.

At this seminar, two SIEPS papers will be presented: Strategic Use of Public Procurement – Limits and Opportunities by Jörgen Hettne and the report States as Market Participants in the U.S. and EU? – Public Purchasing and the Environment by Jason Czarnezki.

Speakers
Jörgen Hettne, Senior Researcher, SIEPS, Associate Professor of EU Law, Lund University
Jason Czarnezki, Professor of Law, the Environmental Law Center, Vermont Law School

Discussants
Roberto Caranta, Professor of Administrative Law, University of Turin
Åsa Edman, Principal Secretary, the Public Procurement Committee, Ministry for Social Affairs

Chair
Andrea Sundstrand, Doctor of Procurement Law, Stockholm University
 

Time: Tuesday 23 April, 14.00-16.30. Registration/coffee from 13.30.   
Venue: Medelhavsmuseet, Fredsgatan 2, Stockholm
Language: English

Register no later than 22 April.

The financial and sovereign debt crisis has underlined the important role of housing finance in the economy. Risky and short-term mortgage credit contracts as well as securisation were all important causes behind the crisis we are currently experiencing. The volume of housing finance is such that it not only affects individual households and banks, but the stability of the financial system as well. The crisis and falling house prices have also had great effects on housing finance in many countries.

At this seminar, three invited speakers will present various aspects of these developments. Christian König, from Association of Private Bausparkassen e.V. in Berlin, is engaged in EU legislative work and will talk about attempts to establish common regulations for housing finance in the EU. 

König is also the author of SIEPS´ recently published analysis The creation of an internal market for mortgage loans: A never-ending story? Christine Whitehead, Professor at London School of Economics and one of Europe´s most distinguished researchers in the field of housing finance, will discuss changes in installment levels and lending tendencies in EU member states. Alexandra Leonhard, Analyst at The Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning and an expert on Swedish housing finance, will outline the situation in Sweden.

Speakers
Dr. Christian König, Head of Legal Affairs, Association of Private Bausparkassen e.V., Berlin
Professor Christine Whitehead, Department of Economics, London School of Economics
Dr. Alexandra Leonhard, Analyst, he Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning

Chair
Monika Hjeds Löfmark, Senior Researcher in Economics, SIEPS

Time: Thursday 11 April, 13.00-15.00. Registration/coffee from 12.30
Venue: SIEPS, Fleminggatan 20, Stockholm. NB. New Venue! 
Language: English

The seminar is free of charge and open to the public. Each participant will receive a copy of the publication presented.

Please find below the PowerPoint presentations from the seminar.

On 11 February 2013, a new SIEPS report entitled EEAS 2.0 – A legal commentary on Council Decision 2010/427/EU on the organisation and functioning of the European External Action Service, will be presented in Brussels, at the Centre for European Policy Studies.

This legal commentary offers an article-by-article analysis of the above 2010 Council Decision on the EEAS, which is currently under review. It is intended to serve as a reference document for practitioners and analysts dealing with the EEAS.

The study has been produced by an independent, multinational and multidisciplinary team of scholars brought together by the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies (SIEPS), the European University Institute (EUI) and the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS).

Speakers
Steven Blockmans, Senior Fellow, CEPS
Christophe Hillion, Senior Fellow, SIEPS
Stephan Marquardt, Legal Affairs Division, European External Action Service
Cesare Onestini, Head of the Corporate Board Secretariat, European External Action Service
Hrant Kostanyan, Research Fellow, CEPS
See programme on the CEPS' website for the full list of speakers

Time: Monday, 11 February, 2013 - 13:15 - 16:00
Venue: CEPS Conference Room, 1, Place du Congrès 1000 Brussels
Language: English

To register, please visit CEPS' website>>

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is generally considered to be a key factor in fostering economic growth. In light of the single market programme and the introduction of the euro, studying the determinants of regional FDI is of vital importance in a policy perspective.

At this seminar, professor José Villaverde will present the report Inward Foreign Direct Investment in the European Union: Regional Distribution and Determinants, co-written with professor Adolfo Maza. The report brings important insights to the research on FDI and analyses the regional distribution of inward FDI flows in the EU. It also gives recommendations on how to better attract investments.

Speaker
José Villaverde, Professor, University of Cantabria, Spain

Discussants
Lars Persson, Professor and Vice President, 
Research Institute of Industrial Economics
Magnus Runnbeck, Senior Analyst, The Swedish Trade and Invest Council
Mattias Frumerie, Head of Internal Market Group, Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Chair
Anna Stellinger, Director, SIEPS

NB! NEW TIME AND NEW VENUE!

Time: Wednesday 23 January 13.30 – 15.00.
Venue: SIEPS, Fleminggatan 20, 5th floor, Stockholm. 
Language: English

Register no later than 21 January.

The seminar is free of charge and open to the public. Each participant will receive a copy of the publication.

Energy has always had a prominent place in the European integration process. And yet, the establishment of an EU energy policy is relatively recent, particularly in its external dimension. Increasing energy needs, and the imperative to secure supply in a changing geopolitical context may explain this recent development. To be sure, the Treaty of Lisbon has endowed the European Union with an express competence in the field.

At this seminar, Bart Van Vooren will present his report Europe Unplugged – Progress, potential and limitations of EU external energy policy three years post-Lisbon, in which he discusses the impact of the Lisbon Treaty on the EU ability further to develop an external energy policy.

Speaker
Bart Van Vooren, Assistant Professor of European Law, University of Copenhagen

Discussants
Anke Schmidt-Felzmann, Postdoctoral Fellow, Swedish Research Council/Stockholm University
Peter Van Elsuwege, Professor of European Law, University of Ghent

Chair
Christophe Hillion, forskare i juridik, Sieps

Time: Friday 7 December, 10.00 – 12.00. Registration/coffee from 9.30 
Venue: Medelhavsmuseet, Fredsgatan 2, Stockholm
Language: English

Register no later than 5 December.

The seminar is free of charge and open to the public. Each participant will receive a copy of the publication.

Sweden´s capacity to implement EU law in a swift and efficient way has varied through the years. A sizeable amount of the complaints and lawsuits against Sweden are indeed caused by delays and other shortcomings in implementing EU directives and regulations. This can prove costly, because of the EU´s tightened sanction rules for countries lagging behind.

At this seminar, the report Doing it right and on time – Is there a need for new methods of implementing EU law in Sweden? will be presented. The authors analyse the present situation and suggest ways to make the implementation more efficient and more broadly established. The connection between negotiations and implementation of EU directives, the role of the parliament, the need for committees and inquiry systems, as well as appropriate timing for consultation processes and impact assessments are among the issues discussed.

Speakers
Jörgen Hettne, Senior Researcher in Law, SIEPS
Jane Reichel, Associate Professor in Public Law, Uppsala University

Commentators
Åsa Casula Vifell, Associate Professor in Political Science, Stockholm University
Sara Bratberg, Deputy Director at the EU Coordination Secretariat, Prime Minister´s Office
    
Chair
Pernilla Bäckman, Researcher in Political Science, SIEPS

Time: Tuesday 20 November kl. 14.00 – 16.30. Registration/coffee from 13.30   
Venue: Medelhavsmuseet, Fredsgatan 2, Stockholm
Language: Swedish

Register no later than 19 November.

The seminar is free of charge and open to the public. Each participant will receive a copy of the publication.

Constitutional issues are hot in many countries. Foreign institutional models are often invoked in these debates, but so are national traditions and the lessons of national experience. The Venice Commission – the Council of Europe´s advisory body on constitutional and other legal matters of importance for democratic development – has in that context come to play an ımportant role. But what does the Commission do? How does it function, and what is its impact?

At this seminar, the Venice Commission will be introduced, as well as its achievements in primarily Eastern Europe, Caucasus and the Balkans. The relation between the Commission and the EU will also be discussed.

Speakers
Kjell Torbiörn, former Head of Office of the Secretary General, Parliamentary Assembly, Council of Europe
Thomas Markert, head of the Secretariat of the Venıce Commission

Commentators
Iain Cameron, Swedish member of the Venice Commission, 
Johan Hirschfeldt, Swedish alternate member of the Venice Commission

Matılda Dahl, Lecturer in Business Economy, Gotland University
    
Chair
Daniel Tarschys, SIEPS

Time: Monday 19 November kl. 14.00 – 16.00. Registration/coffee from 13.30   
Venue: Medelhavsmuseet, Fredsgatan 2, Stockholm
Language: English

Register no later than 16 November.

The seminar is free of charge and open to the public. Each participant will receive a copy of the publication. 

Consumer empowerment is very much a European topic today. A clear example is the European Commission´s new European Consumer Agenda. But what is the current status of the EU's 500 million consumers? What influence do they actually have and how can it be strengthened?

This seminar will analyse the state of empowerment of European consumers in relation to three main stages of their activity, namely acquiring, exercising and enforcing their rights. Hence, three aspects of consumer policy and regulation will be debated during the seminar: empowering consumers as political actors, empowering consumers as market participants and facilitating enforcement of consumer rights through special judicial and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

Time: Fredagen den 26 oktober 09:00-13:00. Registrering/kaffe från 8:30
Venue: Kungliga Myntkabinettet, Slottsbacken 6, Stockholm
Language: English

Register no later than 24 October

Programme

9.00 – 9.30 Introduction
Anna Stellinger, Head of Agency, SIEPS
Peter Knutsson, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Justice
Gunnar Larsson, Director-General, Swedish Consumer Agency

9.30 – 10.30 Session 1 – Empowering the European consumer as a market participant
Chair
Ulf Bernitz, Professor of European Law, Stockholm University
Speakers
Karolina Zurek, Senior Researcher in Law, SIEPS: New turn in consumer protection – Have we all just become "buyers"?
Antonina Bakardjieva-Engelbrekt, Professor of Law, Stockholm University: Consumer empowerment in the European Union – weighing the institutional alternatives.


10.30 – 11.00 Coffee and sandwich break


11.00 – 11.45 Session 2 – Europeanisation and political participation of consumers
Chair
Anna Stellinger, Head of Agency, SIEPS
Speakers
Paolo Graziano, Associate Professor in Political Science, Bocconi University, Milan, and IUSS, Pavia: Europeanisation, consumer interest associations and EU consumer policy.
Michele Micheletti, Professor in Political Science, Stockholm University: Political consumerism: Responsibility-taking in the world today


11.45 – 12.30 Session 3 – Facilitating judicial process in consumer disputes
Chair
Antonina Bakardjieva-Engelbrekt, Professor of Law, Stockholm University
Speakers
Iris Benöhr, Postdoctoral Fellow in Law, Oxford University: EU consumer dispute resolution after the Lisbon Treaty
Laura Ervo, Professor of Law, Örebro University: Class action – a solution to access to justice problems?


12.30 – 13.00 Closing discussion
 

The seminar – which is free of charge – is organised jointly by SIEPS and the Institute of European Law at Stockholm University and will gather academics and policy makers to analyse recent developments in European consumer law and policy.

The economic crisis in Europe has renewed the debate on the functioning of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The discussions have mainly focused on economic aspects of the union’s viability and design, while its other characteristics remain largely overlooked. 

At this seminar, Professor Christopher Lord will present the report On the Legitimacy of Monetary Unionwhere he argues that one of the most central questions is whether the monetary union can be considered legitimate. According to Lord, democratic control embedded in the empowerment of citizens to ultimately exercise it as equals, is the primary prerequisite when assessing legitimacy. This, in turn, raises questions regarding democratic control over the European Central Bank (ECB), as well as the role of national parliaments and the European Parliament in exercising it.

Speaker
Christopher Lord, Professor, ARENA, The Centre for European Studies, The University of Oslo

Discussants
Sverker Gustavsson, Professor, Department of Political Science, Uppsala University

Adriaan Schout, Deputy Director Research Europe, Clingendael - Netherlands Institute of International Relations

Moderator
Pernilla Bäckman, Researcher, Political Science, SIEPS

Time: Wednesday 3 October 14.00 – 16.00. Registration/coffee from 13.30
Venue: Medelhavsmuseet, Fredsgatan 2, Stockholm
Language: English

Register no later than 1 October.

The seminar is free of charge and open to the public. Each participant will receive a copy of the publication.

The Council of the European Union is certainly the most powerful institution of the European Union, as a major Community legislator – alone or with the European Parliament – and as an executive body.  Still, there is only limited knowledge of the Council’s decision-making and how the Council reaches an agreement.

At this seminar, Wim Van Aken  will present the report Voting in the Council of the European Union – Contested Decision-Making in the EU Council of Ministers (1995-2010) focusing on Member States’ voting behaviour. The report is based on a robust collection of data stretching over a period from 1995 to 2010, together with qualitative material from interviews with practitioners in the Council Secretariat and the Member States’ permanent representations.

Speaker
Wim Van Aken, Postdoctoral Fellow, Economics Department, HEC-University, Liege, Belgium

Discussants
Mikko Mattila, Professor of Political Science, Department of Political and Economic Studies, University of Helsinki

Jan Olsson, Ambassador, Coreper I, Permanent Representation of Sweden to the European Union, Brussels

Moderator
Pernilla Bäckman, Researcher, Political Science, SIEPS

Time: Friday 28 September  13.30-15.30. Registration/coffee from 13.00.
Venue: Kungliga Myntkabinettet, Slottsbacken 6, Stockholm.
Language: English

Please register no later than 26 September.

The seminar is free of charge and open to the public. Each participant will receive a copy of the publication.

The Swedish model of Government administration, often seen as an inspiration internationally, has been challenged in an EU context. One question is whether the Government can be responsible for independent authorities acting in relation to the EU. Another concerns the number of Swedish laws emanating from the EU and the status of the Parliament. Still other questions deal with the control of the exercise of power and how it should be designed.

In the SIEPS anthology The legacy of Oxenstierna – reflections on Swedish Government administration and the EU, five researchers describes how EU law influences the Swedish societal organisation in general and the model of administration in particular. At the seminar, the various chapters in the publication will be presented and debated.

Speakers:
Thomas Bull, Professor, constitutional law, Uppsala University
Lovisa Halje, doctoral student, common law, Uppsala University
Maria Bergström, doctoral student, European law, Uppsala University
Jane Reichel, doctoral student, public law Uppsala University
Joakim Nergelius, Professor, law, Örebro University    

Moderator:
Jörgen Hettne, senior researcher, law, SIEPS

Time: Tuesday 28 August, 09.00 – 12.00. Registration/coffee from 08.30. Coffee break 10.30.  
Venue: Medelhavsmuseet, Fredsgatan 2, Stockholm.
Language: Swedish

Register no later than 23 August.

The seminar is free of charge and open to the public. Each participant will receive a copy of the publication.

The ongoing crisis in the Eurozone has posed particular challenges to the current Danish EU Presidency. Denmark, like Sweden, is not a member of the Euro Group and has therefore been excluded from some of the most important decision-making during the first half of 2012. 
Moreover, the political clout in the EU now rests more with the European Council than with the Council Presidencies. Nevertheless, Council Presidencies continue to matter and during the initial period of the Danish Presidency a number of concrete results have indeed been achieved.

At this seminar, a mid-term review of the Danish Presidency will be presented and we will look ahead to the future challenges of the EU.

Speakers
Julie Hassing Nilsen, researcher, European University Institute, Florence
Mette Buskjaer, Research Assistant, Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)

Discussant
Johan Krafft, Director General, Department for EU-Coordination, Swedish Prime Minister´s Office

Moderator
Göran von Sydow, Researcher in Political Science, SIEPS

Time: Tuesday 29 May, 13.00-14.30. Registration/coffee from 12.40.
Venue: Myntkabinettet, Slottsbacken 6, Stockholm
Language: English

Register no later than 25 May

The seminar is free of charge and open to the public. Each participant will receive a copy of the publication.

While the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice is generally viewed as an internal policy of the European Union, it also has a significant external dimension. Following several initiatives from the European Council, the EU has thus become a global player in areas such as migration policy, the fight against terrorism and organised crime. Indeed, the Treaty of Lisbon intends to enhance the Union’s capacity to act on the international stage, and notably as regards the various aspects of the AFSJ.

At this seminar, Professor Jörg Monar will present his recent SIEPS report on “The external dimension of the EU’s area of freedom, security and justice: Progress, potential and limitations after the Treaty of Lisbon”.

Speakers
Jörg Monar, Professor and Director of Political and Administrative Studies at the College of Europe (Bruges, Belgium) and Professor of Contemporary European Studies at the Sussex European Institute, University of Sussex (Brighton, UK)

Laurent Muschel, Deputy Head of Cabinet of European Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, Brussels

Lars Werkström, Director-General for International Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Stockholm 

Moderator
Christophe Hillion, Senior Researcher SIEPS and Professor of European Law, Universities of Leiden & Stockholm

Time: Friday 25 May, 09.00-11.00. Registration/coffee from 08.40.
Venue: Medelhavsmuseet, Fredsgatan 2, Stockholm
Language: English

Please register no later than 23 May.

The European Union is currently going through a difficult time. The common currency is put under pressure and European leaders meet regularly to solve pressing problems. This situation has spurred tensions between the member states and has affected the relations between the public and their representatives. Support levels for the EU as well as the national institutions are falling in many European countries.

In collaboration with the SOM-institute, SIEPS studies the long term development of Swedish public opinion towards the EU. At this seminar the latest results of the Swedish attitudes on the EU, the euro and certain aspects of foreign policy will be presented. Furthermore, the change in public opinion in the other EU member states will be presented. 

Speakers:
Sören Holmberg, Professor, University of Gothenburg
Göran von Sydow, Researcher, SIEPS
Frida Vernersdotter, Assistant Research Administrator, SOM-institute

Moderator:
Anna Stellinger, Head of Agency, SIEPS

Time: Thursday 10 May, 13.00-14.30. Registration/coffee from 12.40.
Venue: Medhavsmuseet, Fredsgatan 2, Stockholm
Language: Swedish

Please register no later than 8 May.

The seminar is free of charge and arranged in cooperation with the SOM Institute at the University of Gothenburg. All participants will receive a copy of the publication.