In a recent ruling, the Court of Justice of the EU found that Hungary has infringed EU law concerning media freedom. This ruling marks the first time national legislation has been directly assessed against the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, reinforcing the trend towards stronger protection of fundamental rights at the EU level, writes Joakim Zander, Senior Advisor at SIEPS.
Reforms to improve gender equality play an important role in the EU’s competitiveness agenda. This analysis shows that national reforms improving women’s economic rights lead to increased regional GDP per capita growth. However, complementary policies are also needed.
Demographic and economic trends are predicted to reduce the EU’s global influence by the turn of the next century. Key countermeasures on the EU’s part include promoting sustainable fiscal policy and safeguarding the rules-based international order, according to Harry Flam, senior adviser at Sieps.
The EU and its member states face increasing pressure to take greater responsibility for their own security. However, despite significant developments, the Union's ability to act remains constrained. A question is thus, ‘who calls the shots’ in European defence? That is the starting point for this volume, where leading experts analyse the governance and the choices for Europe’s security.
Shortly, the Council of Europe is expected to adopt a declaration concerning the European Court of Human Rights’ handling of migration issues. This analysis examines its background and the contentious negotiations on the draft declaration, concluding that the outcome could undermine the Court’s independence as well as the wider Convention system.
Support for EU membership is growing among Swedes, despite the challenges facing the EU and the pressures on member state unity. However, the previously increasing support for Sweden joining the euro has declined. These findings are presented in SIEPS' annual analysis of Swedish public opinion on the EU.
The EU is pushing for greater autonomy in three, US-dominated, key tech sectors: AI, cloud computing and chips production. Johannes Jarlebring describes the difficult road ahead and suggests a targeted approach that take the realities of EU governance into account.