In March 2012, the European Commission presented two legislative proposals in the field of posting of workers, which constitute a response to the intense debate following the CJEU’s rulings in the Laval quartet. The first proposal, the Monti II-Regulation, attempts to clarify the relationship between the right to take collective action and the economic freedoms, while the second one, the Enforcement Directive, aims at improving the enforcement of the Posting of Workers Directive, through equally ensuring workers’ rights and enhancing cross-border services by reducing employers’ administrative burdens.
The Swedish model of Government administration – with independent authorities and a comparatively small Government Office – differs from the model common in most other EU member states. Whether the Swedish model is appropriate in the context of the EU has therefore been a topic of discussion since Sweden became a member of the European Union
The Greek general election of 6 May 2012 resulted in strong electoral support for political parties other than those traditionally in power. It confirmed a widespread discontent with the austerity policies, but still a majority of the voters expressed a desire to remain a member of the Eurozone.
While the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (AFSJ) 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.
Even though the Lisbon Treaty has made the rotating Council Presidencies less politically relevant, the country holding the presidency during six months still has an important role to fill. For Denmark, holding the presidency during the first half of 2012, the ongoing crisis in the Eurozone has posed particular challenges.
After several years of increase, we now witness a significant drop in Swedish public support for the EU. In the 2011 survey from the SOM Institute, only 46 percent declare themselves in favour of Sweden's EU membership.
Despite the fierce opposition against introducing so-called Eurobonds, the proposal as such has resurfaced in light of demands from G20 and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that the euro area member states further increase the lending volume of their rescue funds. Given the lack of political response, the European Central Bank (ECB) has come to the rescue by buying government bonds and stimulated the financial markets with low-interest loans in order to reduce the systemic risk.
The new Hungarian Constitution – that entered into force in January 2012 – has faced widespread international criticism. This analysis intends to explain why that is the case and views the debate from a legal and constitutional perspective.
The EU has been and remains committed to concluding a comprehensive climate agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In this paper, outcomes of the latest round of negotiations, based on the UNFCCC and held at the Durban Climate Conference (2011), are assessed from the perspective of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, focusing on some critical questions.
Remaining problems with corruption in Bulgaria and Romania have prompted the EU to introduce the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM). This mechanism is to extend EU leverage into the post-accession period with the aim of triggering necessary reforms.