When markets are liberalized and open for competition, the scope of EU law is widening simultaneously. Even though EU law permits considerations other than free competition, the member states must themselves use the space available.
Even though the Member States are ambitious in setting the agenda for the EU, they are less keen to provide the funding necessary to meet these ambitions. Indeed, if the EU seriously sought to attain all goals and ambitions of the Member States, it would easily swallow large parts if not all of the EU’s combined GNI.
At the end of last year, the Hungarian parliament adopted a new media law. It was met by strong reactions and believed – among other things - to constitute a threat to the freedom of the press and being incompatible with EU law.
Sovereignty over the Economic and Monetary Union, EMU, is divided. Monetary policy is unified at the European level while economic policy is in essence national.
In the aftermath of the financial crisis, a vast amount of economic analysis and a sizeable number of reforms in the financial markets have followed. In this report, Professor Henry Montgomery takes the analysis one step further by examining the psychological explanations behind the crisis.
The Commission’s Fifth Cohesion Report provides a wealth of new data on social, economic and territorial trends in Europe. This gives an excellent basis for discussing the future of cohesion policy, but the questions asked by the Commission in its consultation are too narrow.
The Open Method of Coordination is a relatively new form of cooperation within the European Union. It is used to adjust the policies of the member states in order to reach common goals.
The Belgian EU Presidency has faced a number of tough challenges. These include reaching an agreement on the new initiatives about the EU:s economic decision-making system as well as handling the continuous economic crisis.
The recent financial and economic crisis had particularly severe employment and welfare implications for newly flexible labour markets. Only a coherent approach to the integration of markets and market-correcting policies may in the future prevent uncoordinated social and employment policies from endangering the political sustainability of economic integration, writes the author of this analysis.
The process of reforming the legislation in the area of financial services in the EU has been going on since the late 1990´s. This analysis presents a brief history on that process.