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.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Since the 1990’s, the number of EU agencies has increased steadily and rapidly. While they have been given more discretionary powers, the mechanisms of control and accountability have not kept up with this development.
Italy was selected to join the euro among the first group of EU member states. The country’s experience of the single currency is however mixed, which has led to a sceptical attitude towards the euro reforms proposed.