On 1 December 2009, the Lisbon Treaty entered into force, aiming at making the EU more democratic, more transparent and more efficient. In this volume, four scholars discuss whether the Treaty has strengthened the EU during the past decade, a period marked by several crises for the European Union. With contributions from Luuk van Middelaar, R. Daniel Kelemen, Anne Thies and Eleanor Spaventa.
Member States outside of the eurozone may opt to join the EU’s banking union or to continue staying out. In this report, Professor Thorsten Beck examines the pros and cons of a potential Swedish participation.
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.
Several challenges stimulate the debate on the future of the EU: globalisation, security concerns, the rise of populism, the impact of new technologies, Brexit. An underlying question concerns the prospects for legitimacy and democracy.
The 2019 European Parliament elections take place in a new political landscape in many countries across the EU. The expected results suggest unstable majorities and potentially changed dynamics between the EU institutions.
Cutting red tape is a popular message but fundamentally misleading. SIEPS’ Senior Advisor Daniel Tarschys, professor in Political Science, makes the case for an EU asset that is crucial for the survival and success of the Union.
The reconciliation of France and Germany has been central to European integration. Today, the two countries are seeking to strengthen the EU in a new context of external and internal pressures.
In November 2017, the European Pillar of Social Rights was adopted at a summit in Gothenburg. Caroline de la Porte, professor of European and comparative social policy, analyzes the interaction between the social pillar and the Nordic model and underlines the symbolic value of the initiative.