Politics and Institutions


91 - 120 of 243
02 April 2008

Using post-enlargement Eurobarometer data, this paper explores public support for deepening and widening across the EU. In particular, it tries to answer the following questions: 1) Do citizens perceive a trade-off between deepening and widening? 2) Is there a gap between elite discourses and citizen perceptions regarding deepening and widening? 3) What fears lay behind citizens’ preferences for deepening versus widening?

29 February 2008

This comprehensive study documents the evolution of the European Commission since the 2004 enlargement, based on extensive data and interviews with Commission and Council officials, senior diplomats and external observers. Contrary to what many had expected, the Barroso Commission has not shown signs of paralysis since the new countries joined the Union. Despite the larger College and the broader range of socio-economic realities in the enlarged Union, the number of legislative acts has remained almost as high as under Prodi and that of non-binding acts has even increased.

22 February 2008

In this Working Document, Stefano Micossi, Director General of Assonime, argues that once the Union is recognised for what it is – an innovative polity, where power is shared by a large number of players with many participation and influence-wielding mechanisms, – it becomes apparent that on the whole it complies with democratic legitimisation standards no less than do member states, even if multiple, and potentially conflicting legitimisation channels and principles may confuse observers.

11 December 2007

This Policy Brief provides a concise overview of the most important innovations introduced by the Treaty of Lisbon (ToL), comparing it at the same time to the defunct Constitutional Treaty (CT). The author, CEPS Fellow Sebastian Kurpas, concludes by considering whether the Lisbon Treaty will make the EU more democratic, more efficient and more transparent.

15 November 2007

After a long period of internal introspection and deadlock over the Constitutional Treaty, the EU can now see some light at the end of the tunnel. If successfully ratified, the new European Treaty agreed by the Head of States and Government in Lisbon may provide the appropriate institutional tools for the EU to function with 27 member states.

08 November 2007

In a groundbreaking speech in the European Parliament in June 2005, the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair effectively signalled room for negotiation on the UK rebate in exchange for fundamental reform of the EU budget, with particular reference to the common agricultural policy. No concrete proposal was presented, but in the European Council’s Decision on the financial perspective for 2007–13 in December 2005, the Commission was invited to undertake a full review of EU budget expenditures and resources, and to report its findings in 2008–09.

22 October 2007

The new ‘Lisbon Treaty’ agreed at the European Council meeting on 18-19 October 2007, preserves most of the substance of the failed Constitution; it will serve the EU well. As usual, however, Europe has taken a step forward by creating a new disequilibrium; new Treaty revisions are likely to be proposed even before all the provisions of this present one have been implemented.

24 September 2007

Agreement was reached by the EU member states in June 2007 to remove the competition phrase contained in Article 3(1)(g) of the EC Treaty from the new Reform Treaty and create a ‘competition protocol’ that includes the words from Article 3(1)(g). This paper argues such treatment of the matter is inadequate to protect the current competition acquis and ensure the healthy future development of Community competition law.

16 July 2007

Rarely has an EU Presidency been met with such high expectations as Germany’s in the first half of 2007. With hindsight, it might be said that these expectations have largely been fulfilled. The agreement on a detailed mandate for the upcoming Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) under the Portuguese Presidency now offers a way forward for a Union that has been ‘in crisis’ since the French and Dutch no-votes. This report offers an overview of the German Presidency’s aims in the various policy areas and makes an assessment of the achievements of its six-month term.

25 June 2007

In their initial judgment of the European Council meeting in Brussels, CEPS Director Daniel Gros and Assonime Managing Director Stefano Micossi find the agreement reached by the Heads of State and Government a positive development on balance. In this new CEPS Commentary, they note approvingly that much of the substance of the Constitutional Treaty has been preserved.

02 March 2007

Drawing on an extensive data set and a large number of interviews with senior officials, diplomats and other practitioners, this report investigates the 32 months leading up to and following the enlargement of the EU in May 2004, i.e. from September 2001 through December 2006. The material collected for the analysis covers each piece of legislation adopted in the Council over a period of more than 5 years.

29 January 2007

The recent formation of a far-right party group in the European Parliament has raised a series of important questions with regard to the internal organisation and representation of interests in the EU’s only directly elected institution. In this commentary, Sara Hagemann looks into what powers the far-right politicians actually achieve by joining forces and finds that although there are great financial and organisational incentives for these extremists to meet in a trans-national party group, little formal political influence awaits them.

28 January 2007

Many experts and practitioners expected the 2004 enlargement to affect both the efficiency and content of policy-making in the EU. In contrast to these expectations, most accounts of decision-making in the Council of Ministers following May 2004 have concluded that the effect has been only moderate. The EU’s most important legislative body is commonly found to function relatively smoothly following the enlargement big bang in 2004. Yet many aspects of the enlargement of the EU institutions have still not been adequately reported or evaluated.

12 December 2006

In light of the severe crisis afflicting the European Union and the low regard with which the Union’s institutions are held by public opinion, Stefano Micossi and Daniel Gros argue in this Policy Brief that three critical areas stand out in need of clarification and fresh initiative: the common framework for policy coordination, the budget and the democratic deficit in European institutions. The chances of success would be enhanced by tackling these issues in the right order.

28 November 2006

This study examines, on behalf of the EP’s Budgetary Committee, the most important measures that came under communication headings in the general budget undertaken under the Commission’s prerogatives in the years 2000 to 2005 with a view to developing recommendations for future actions. The focus of the study is to establish how much ‘value for money’ these measures represent by looking at their relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and utility.

28 November 2006

This cost-benefit study carried out for the European Parliament assesses the different programmes and actions in the area of information carried out by the European Commission and financed by the Community budget over the period 2000-05. Using the criteria of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and utility, the study shows that the overall assessment in terms of ‘value for money’ is positive. However, there is still room for improvement concerning all the actions.

28 November 2006

The promotion of lifelong learning and active citizenship is important for the performance of the European economy and democracy. In this study conducted for the European Parliament's Committee on Budgets, CEPS Associate Fellow Christoph Meyer examines the cost-effectiveness of EU programmes and actions in the fields of education and citizenship during the period 2000-2005.

19 October 2006

Close foreign policy cooperation among a limited number of EU member states is generally looked upon with suspicion as it is associated with ‘directoires’ of large member states. The central argument of this paper is that, under certain conditions, the specialisation and division of labour among the member states can strengthen both the effectiveness and legitimacy of the foreign policy of the EU. This paper proposes the establishment of a system of small, specialised EU core groups that focus on particular foreign policy issues.

29 September 2006

The authors of this new EPIN paper argue for a thorough reappraisal of flexibility as an instrument of integration and outline the conditions under which it would help the enlarged European Union to move forward. In particular, treaty-based ‘enhanced cooperation’ should be regarded as a useful tool that avoids many of the potentially disintegrating effects of purely intergovernmental approaches. In a Union of soon-to-be 27 members, enhanced cooperation could turn the idea of flexible integration from a measure of threat to a real opportunity for deeper integration.

12 July 2006

In recognition of the fact that EU policies in non-development areas, such as trade, energy and migration, can also profoundly affect the poor in developing countries, the EU has affirmed ‘Policy Coherence for Development’ as an important principle for achieving more effective development cooperation.

04 July 2006

Responsibility for the implementation of the Community budget is entrusted by the EC Treaty to the European Commission exclusively. However, by virtue of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, approximately 80% of the total expenditure (agricultural spending and spending on structural aid) is managed, in various guises, by member state administrations. The application of the above-mentioned principles to the Community budget has given rise to a complicated panoply of levels of decision-making, which has not resulted in a clear indication of who is responsible for what.

16 June 2006

This CEPS Commentary by CEPS Research Fellow Julia De Clerck-Sachsse analyses the results of the June 15-16 European Council with regard to the future of the Constitutional Treaty. Outlining proposals for the political headway to be made under the Finnish presidency, it argues that the rhetoric of a ‘Europe of projects’ needs to be backed up by concrete policy actions as well as remaining firmly embedded in the constitutional debate.

23 May 2006

Acknowledging that the French and Dutch no-votes were a huge blow to the Constitutional Treaty and that there is no plan for putting the Constitution into force, Richard E. Baldwin, Professor of International Economics at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva, asks in this paper: What is the EU’s next step? While conceding that the full answer to this question is unknowable at this point, he asserts that any answer must surely take into account the ‘trail to failure’ – the sequence of events that led up to the Constitution.

11 May 2006

In its recent White Paper on a European Communication Policy, the European Commission has promised a “fundamentally new approach”. The policy is meant to narrow the communication gap looming between the European Union and its citizens and ultimately to map a way towards the development of a European public sphere. The purpose of this Policy Brief is to critically evaluate the proposals emanating from the White Paper and to advance several suggestions aimed at helping the current initiative to have a more tangible and long-term effect than its many predecessors.

01 February 2006

This paper analyses the UK rebate on EU contributions and concludes that it creates adverse effects, which greatly reduce the incentive for the UK to play an active role in the development of EU policies. This may to a large extent explain the UK’s traditional semi-detached relationship with the EU. The paper concludes, however, that that there is a strong case for the continuation of a modified system of rebates for a country or countries in the UK’s position.

01 February 2006

Paper contains the three papers presented to the CEPS-IISS Euorpean Security Forum focusing on the EU’s ‘crisis’ in the wake of the French and Dutch ‘no’ votes to the Constitutional Treaty and a summary of the debate by the ESF Chairman. Papers include:
“American and European Malaise? A European Perspective”, by Jeffrey Gedmin
“The Strategic Implications of the EU Malaise: Enlargement, Variable Geometry and a Stronger Neighbourhood Policy: An American Perspective”, by Charles Grant