Professor Christopher Lord, author of the present report On the Legitimacy of Monetary Union argues that both economists and political scientists have often failed to ask one of the most central questions, namely whether the monetary union can be considered legitimate.

The Schengen system is one of the core achievements of the European integration process. This system, which permits those who are present in any of the Schengen States to cross the borders without being checked, assumes a considerable degree of harmonization and mutual trust among those states.

A much discussed topic in the European Union is how public procurement may be used to support general societal goals, such as good environmental protection. But to what extent is it actually possible for public authorities to use procurement in order to achieve non-economic goals? In this report, the situation in Europe is compared with the one in the United States.

During the last decade, European Union has undertaken a range of measures aiming at prevention and control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs). Regulation of the so called ‘lifestyle risks’ is, however, not uncontroversial.

What triggers growth? How can the EU Member States ensure conditions that have a proven positive effect on growth? These questions are relevant, not least considering the recent financial and economic crisis which represents the deepest downturn in world economy since Second World War. How important are institutions – that is to say, formal rules and capacity to enforce those rules – for the economic performance of a country? This SIEPS report discusses the relation between the quality of institutions and economic growth.

All remaining restrictions to the free movement of Bulgarian and Romanian citizens will have to be removed before the end of 2013. In a number of EU member states this has renewed fears of “benefit tourism”.

The economic crisis has revealed a number of weaknesses in the structures of the EU and the EMU. The measures taken in the EU in order to thwart the crisis have been introduced at a pace that has sometimes made it difficult to keep up with developments.

In July 2010, the European Council decided on the organisation and functiong of the European External Action Service (EEAS). The EEAS is currently under review, and this new SIEPS report offers – for the first time – an article-by-article analysis of the Council Decision.

The Treaty on European Union stipulates that in its relations with the wider world, the EU shall uphold and promote its values and interests; it shall also contribute ‘to the strict observance and the development of international law, including respect for the principles of the United Nations’. In this report, the author discusses the evolving interface between the EU and international law after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty.

This special SIEPS publication aims to contribute, in practical legal terms, to the review of the organization and functioning of the European External Action Service (EEAS). In particular, it offers specific recommendations for the amendment of Council Decision 2010/427/EU on which the Service’s operation is based.