National courts are Community courts and as such they should do everything needed to make sure that the preliminary rulings procedure functions as efficiently as possible. The effectiveness of this system is obviously based on a healthy dialogue (discourse) between the two main protagonists: the Court of Justice and the national court.
The latest poll of the Swedish public opinion regarding the EU shows that the levels of support are at an all-time high since the membership in 1995. There is now almost a majority supporting the EU.
The external dimension of the European Union’s policy on migration and asylum has become an increasingly important feature of the Union’s relations with third countries. It is shaped not only by the foreign policy interests of the member states but also by changes in internal politics of the member states.
The intention of the ongoing review of the EU budget is to create a budget that is better adapted at facing future challenges. At the same time it raises fundamental questions about what the EU is and should do.
The new U.S. administration inherited a formidable set of international challenges including wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the prospect of a nuclear Iran and a resurgent Russia. Moreover, a deep economic crisis has radically changed the preconditions for the conduct of U.S. foreign policy and the international status of the USA during the previous president reached unprecedented low levels.