On the 31st of January 2020, SIEPS and The Permanent Representation of Sweden to the European Union in Brussel holds a seminar on the EU Industrial Policy.

The EU Internal Market is often described as one of the Union´s main achievements. By removing all obstacles to the free movement of people, goods, services and capital, and by securing a fair and sound competition, the Internal Market shall offer a level playing field for businesses within the Union. This in turn allows for the development of strong and innovative companies that can compete in the global market, if it offers a level playing field.

The seminar will discuss potential effects on the Internal Market of the EU´s Industrial Policy, for example the aim to strengthen strategic parts of its industries. How may EU state aid policy and the interpretation of competition law evolve, and how shall the EU address competition in the Internal Market from state subsidized third parties? What is the nexus between the internal and the global level playing fields? 

Bakground

The European Council will in March 2020 discuss ways to reinforce the EU´s economic base, and to prepare for this the Commission will present a long-term vision for the EU´s industrial future. The aim is to find the right balance between openness and protection and to ensure that the two pillars of EU industrial policy – external and internal, defensive and offensive – work hand-in-hand.

Increasing global competition from state capitalist China and protectionist US forms part of the background to the EU´s efforts to promote sound internal industrial policies while, at the same time, attempting to “level the global playing field”.

The seminar was filmed and is available on Facebook. 

The seminar is a co-arrangement together with The Permanent Representation of Sweden to the European Union in Brussels.

On 27 January 2020, SIEPS and CER (Centre for European Reform) co-organized a seminar on the rule of law and democracy. The seminar was hosted by the Swedish Permanent Representation to the EU.

Speakers:

• Welcoming remarks: Hans Dahlgren, Sweden’s minister for EU Affairs.

• Keynote speaker: Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice.

The panel included:

• Agata Gostyńska-Jakubowska, Senior Research Fellow, Centre for European Reform.

• Christophe Hillion, Senior Researcher in Law, Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies and professor of European law, Universities of Oslo and Leiden.

• Pawel Jabloński, Undersecretary of State for Economic Diplomacy and Development Co-operation and European Union Law, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Poland.

• Emmanuel Crabit, Director for Fundamental Rights and Rule of Law, European Commission.

Read a short summary, including pictures.

Hans Dahlgren and Didier Reynders.

On the 5th of December 2019, SIEPS held the seminar "Ten Years of Lisbon: Success or Failure?.

Ten years have passed since the Lisbon Treaty came into force. Has the Treaty delivered? Has it been applied as originally intended? Has it been efficient to meet the policy needs?

At this seminar, we have asked four scholars to reflect on some of the institutional and constitutional changes brought by the Lisbon Treaty. In particular, they examine the Treaty’s promise to make the Union more democratic and efficient, the role of fundamental rights, and the role of the Union as a global actor. The Treaty is analyzed in light of the different crises that have plagued the Union in the last decade. 

On 17 September 2019, a seminar that aimed to stimulate Swedish participation in an important European debate, was held. It marked the initiation of a research project on EU industrial policy to be conducted by SIEPS. Watch the seminar (in English) and read a summary (in Swedish).

The European Council has invited the European Commission to present, by the end of 2019, a long-term vision for the EU's industrial future. Pressures from state capitalist China, a protectionist US, forces resulting from digitalisation and from climate change are all examples said to justify the urgent need to elaborate an EU industrial policy.

So, is this just smokescreen for reverting to old protectionist policies? Or has something fundamentally changed that requires Europeans to strive for the establishment of a “level playing field” in terms of global competition, and to create “European strategic autonomy” in areas of global value chains, to cite a few common buzzwords? 

Presentation by Fabian Zuleeg:  "A renewed strategy for Europe: An Industry Action Plan for the EU"

At a SIEPS seminar held on 14 May 2019, professor Mark Dawson presented a paper analysing how we can evaluate the Juncker Commission and whether a political Commission has worked in the sense of meeting its objectives.

The current European Commission's term of office will come to an end in October. Jean-Claude Juncker, who became President of the Commission through the so called “Spitzenkandidaten” procedure, stated that he was to lead a “Political Commission”.

But what is a political commission and has this been successful?

Experts from academia, media and the Government Offices commented.