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.

An important part of the political attraction of the EU is based on good governance, a solid rule of law and reliable public administrations. These values are also central to EU's external relations and neighbourhood policy in the support of strong societies and stable states.

The report also discusses ways of counteracting corruptive practices and how to best promote good institutions. The report is written by political scientists Nicholas Charron, Victor Lapuente and Bo Rothstein of the Quality of Government Institute (QoG) at the University of Gothenburg.

Commentators:

• Ann-Kerstin Myleus: Deputy Head of Unit, Directorate-General for Regional Policy, European Commission
• Enkeleida Tahiraj: Visiting Senior Fellow, European Institute, London School of Economics
• Clara Volintiru: Assistant Professor, International Business and Economics Department, Bucharest University of Economic Studies

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.

The 2010 European public debt crisis created momentum for a number of reforms, such as the establishment of a banking union and the revision of the Stability and Growth Pact.

It would appear that the euro countries are now ready to agree on a second wave of reforms of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).

But which of the reforms recently proposed by the Commission are conceivable? The main dividing line is between the countries who are seeking to reduce the remaining risks in the system and those who strive to introduce risk sharing arrangements.

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.

The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union coincides with the negotiations on the next multiannual budget beginning in 2021. Will this only complicate the budget negotiations; or is Brexit a blessing in disguise that will facilitate genuine policy reform?

Drawing on various recent contributions to the debate on the future of Europe, Iain Begg recently analysed likely demands for reform of the budget and how they might be accommodated in the next multiannual financial framework in the analysis The EU budget after 2020. 

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.

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker are hosting a Social Summit for Fair Jobs and Growth in Gothenburg in November. The Commission has also published a reflection paper on the social dimension of Europe.

Agenda

• The Social Acquis
• Free movement of people in the EU and the welfare state
• The Swedish labour market model and the EU

A SIEPS seminar was held on 14 June 2017 to discuss the Juncker-Commission at half time.

Halfway into the term it is time for a health check. What has the Juncker Commission actually accomplished and is it really "more political"?