As a consequence of the economic crisis, a series of measures have been undertaken in order to strengthen the economic-political coordination in the EU. This development raises several questions in relation to the Swedish EU membership.

Elections to the European Parliament famously fail to excite the interest of voters. The result is low turnout at these elections, particularly in some post-communist EU member states.

This European Policy Analysis looks at the balance of powers between the European Parliament and the EU governments in the EU budget negotiations. The next long-term EU budget, covering the years 2014–2020, shows that its content is heavily constrained by how the decision process takes place.

For about fifteen years, the European Commission has taken initiatives to provide better regulation. Since the introduction of the early warning mechanism, enabling the national parliaments to have a say on whether or not the legislative proposals comply with the principle of subsidiarity, it is arguably even more important that the legislative proposals maintain a high degree of quality.

National parliaments are often thought of as having lost substantial powers due to European integration. In what way has the rapid decision-making of the EU during the Eurozone crisis affected national parliaments within the Union? In this publication, political scientists Katrin Auel and Oliver Höing present their analysis of activity within the national parliaments of the EU during the Eurozone crisis.

The fall in Swedish public opinion on European integration has come to a halt. The polls from late 2013 even show a slight increase in the pro-EU attitudes among the Swedes.

Through the Lisbon Treaty, the national parliaments were entrusted with the task of reviewing proposals of EU legislation in the light of the principle of subsidiarity, a task which in the special protocol on subsidiarity is called the Early Warning Mechanism. In this analysis the author argues that the review should be seen as a constitutional dialogue and not as a narrow legal control.

Beggars have increasingly become a common sight in Swedish cities. This, in turn, has led to a renewed discussion on the situation for the Roma in Southeast Europe.

The European economic crisis revived the discussion on future treaty revision. However, stringency of the revision procedure based on unanimity requirement presented an obstacle to fast resolution of complicated problems posed by the crisis.

The Eurozone crisis and its management prompted dramatic changes to social rights and entitlements, specifically in the Member States which were most severely affected by the economic downturn. Fundamental rights, including fundamental social rights, from different sources can be a means to contest those crisis-imposed changes.