No society is free from corruption. According to a new study, weak governance structures are also closely related to the considerable socio-economic differences across EU regions.
In the discussion about EU’s future, a euro area reform is one of the main priorities. Regarding the scope of the reforms, the position defended by Germany will be crucial, but the EMU members’ differing views of the Economic and Monetary Union also need to be considered.
The goal of entering the EU used to unify the Visegrad countries. Today, they are increasingly critical of the EU, especially concerning migration. Behind the unity there are however key differences.
The Swedish Riksdag is one of the most powerful parliaments in terms of engagement in EU affairs. It could however do better – by prioritising the most important issues and debating them publicly. Katrin Auel is Associate Professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Vienna, Austria.
The three Nordic and the three Baltic countries cooperate informally within the EU. While the similarities are important, the differences should not be underestimated. One example is security in the Baltic region – an area where there are shared interests but policy responses based on different experiences.
The Member States should take greater ownership of EU agricultural policy. A co-financing model would also close the funding gap caused by Brexit, writes Professor Alan Matthews.
The Common Commercial Policy (CCP) is perhaps the most expressive incarnation of the EU external action. The Treaty of Lisbon considerably revised this policy, both in substantive and institutional terms.
The Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) is a relatively recent add-on to the external action toolkit of the European Union. Introduced as a distinct policy framework cohabitating with that of the classic Community external relations, its hallmark remains its predominant intergovernmental nature.
The Treaty of Lisbon introduced a mandate for the EU to develop a special relationship with its neighbouring countries. How has this mandate impacted, if at all, the so-called European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) which the Union had developed in the wake of its eastern enlargement? And more generally, how has the ENP evolved in view of the new realities on the ground? These are some of the questions that Professor Steven Blockmans explores in this tenth report which SIEPS publishes in the context of its research project The EU external action and the Treaty of Lisbon.
What, really, is the role of the European Commission? In this European policy analysis, researchers Mark Rhinard and Neill Nugent analyse the nature of the Commission. They pose the question of whether the Commission is more of a policy leader – charged with initiating policy and legislative proposals that will advance the interests of the EU as a whole – or more of an administrative body, charged with an array of executive tasks.