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How has the new structure of European Union (EU) economic governance affected the ability of parliaments (national and European) to scrutinize and control economic policy? Departing from the premise that executive power needs to be matched by appropriate parliamentary control, this contribution argues that parliamentary powers have been compromised in EU economic governance. Although budgetary powers remain formally at the national level, governments' decisions have become constrained and national parliaments find themselves on the losing side of a reinforced two-level game. This loss in parliamentary powers is not compensated at the European level, as at that level political authority is effectively left suspended between the national governments, who are unaccountable as a collective, and the European Commission, which lacks a political mandate of its own. Against this background, a final section identifies guidelines for organizing parliamentary accountability in settings, like EU economic governance, in which executive power has come to be shared across levels.

European integration is largely seen as a process that has delivered stability and peace, as well as the economic prosperity of the Member States of the European Union (EU). It has helped to raise standards of living and build an internal market. But, there are more and more arguments that the EU decision-making system is not effective and the governance model is obsolete. Some are pointing out increasingly rising divergence on crucial EU policy matters. Others are arguing that the EU has been confronted with the challenge of heterogeneity, stressing the issue of immigration as the one of the most contentious policy matters currently facing the EU. Besides those controversial issues inside EU and different positions among member states there is Brexit.

The paper analyses in particular the issue of EU economic governance and one of its main pillars – the European Semester. The Country Specific Recommendations, as the integral part of the economic governance model are presented in a view of the new framework envisaged to tighten budgetary coordination and keep the deficit and debt levels in accordance to the EU rules.

Common problems in the processing of biological samples for observations with the scanning electron microscope (SEM) include cell collapse, treatment of samples from wet microenvironments and cell destruction. Using young floral tissues, oomycete cysts, and fungi spores (Agaricalesas examples, specific protocols to process delicate samples are described here that overcome some of the main challenges in sample treatment for image capture under the SEM. Floral meristems fixed with FAA (Formalin-Acetic-Alcohol) and processed with the Critical Point Dryer (CPD) did not display collapsed cellular walls or distorted organs. These results are crucial for the reconstruction of floral development. A similar CPD-based treatment of samples from wet microenvironments, such as the glutaraldehyde-fixed oomycete cysts, is optimal to test the differential growth of diagnostic characteristics (e.g., the cyst spines) on different types of substrates. Destruction of nurse cells attached to fungi spores was avoided after rehydration, dehydration, and the CPD treatment, an important step for further functional studies of these cells. The protocols detailed here represent low-cost and rapid alternatives for the acquisition of good-quality images to reconstruct growth processes and to study diagnostic characteristics. ; This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 634429. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. We also acknowledge the financial contribution made by the Real Jardín Botánico, CSIC. SR is grateful to the European Union [ITN-SAPRO-238550] for the support of her research in Saprolegnia. We also want to thank Francisco Calonge for kindly provide the Phellorinia herculanea images and B. Pueyo for processing samples (Figure 5). All images were taken by the SEM service at the Real Jardín Botánico-CSIC in Madrid.

AbstractThe European Pillar of Social Rights sits at the fulcrum of EU social policymaking. This article aims to explore its legal and political character, how it was shaped in the adoption process and its place within Social Europe. The key argument is that the Social Pillar builds on but also critically modifies previous initiatives present within the broader EU governance framework, notably in the European Semester. Key political actors like Commission President Jean‐Claude Juncker and parliamentary rapporteur Maria João Rodrigues contributed to the adoption process not only through their long‐held political views but also by bringing to bear their own critical reflections on previous EU initiatives. Methodologically, the article relies on 15 interviews with policy experts and uses an interdisciplinary approach based on legal analysis, process tracing and actor‐centred constructivist theory. The contribution of the article is threefold: (1) it helps to better understand the EU's social flagship initiative and the modifications of its governance approach compared with previous initiatives, (2) it sheds new light on the tensions and opportunities of social policymaking within the EU and (3) it shows the added value of actor‐centred constructivist approaches on a theoretical level.

1. What Does the Technological Shift Have in Store for the EU? Opportunities and Pitfalls for European Societies, Antonina Bakardjieva Engelbrekt, Karin Leijon, Anna Michalski, and Lars Oxelheim -- 2. Technological Megashift and the EU: Threats, Vulnerabilities and Fragmented Responsibilities, Lindy M. Newlove-Eriksson and Johan Eriksson -- 3. Technological Discontinuities and the Climate Transition in Europe: The Role of Policy in Two Traditions of Economic Thinking, Staffan Jacobsson and Björn Sandén -- 4. AI in the EU: Ethical Guidelines as a Governance Tool, Stefan Larsson -- 5. How Does the EU Protect Competition in the Digital Platform Economy?, Björn Lundqvist -- 6. Digitalisation, Productivity and Jobs: A European Perspective, Fredrik Heyman, Pehr-Johan Norbäck, and Lars Persson -- 7. Technological Shifts and the Social Partners: Is the European Semester Heading Towards a Social Europe?, Jenny Jansson, Olle Jansson, and Jan Ottosson -- 8.Money for Nothin': Digitalization and Fluid Tax Bases, Mårten Blix and Emil Bustos -- 9. New Tax on Digital Services: A Step Towards Fairer Taxation in the EU's Single Market?, Pernilla Rendahl -- 10. Digital Democracy and the European Union, Martin Karlsson.

This analysis aims to set out clearly and succinctly the legal arrangements for macro-economic governance in EMU, legal challenges to that regime and different ways of assessing that new regime. It focuses on changes introduced from 2010, the year when the euro area crisis, and the response to it, began, and on changes to the law other than those concerning provision of sovereign debt loan assistance. The analysis first presents the (many) key EMU acronyms before outlining in four diagrams what is new in EMU by looking at what changes have been made since 2010. It outlines what further proposals in this area are included in the Five Presidents' Report of June 2015. It then briefly examines three central legal challenges with the current regime: competence, compatibility and complexity. Finally it raises issues of the effectiveness of the EU macro-economic governance regime by considering three assessments: too early to say, abject failure or triumph of pragmatic intelligence. These raise questions of optimal policy design. The four diagrams accordingly provide the foundation for understanding the current regime, further proposed changes, legal challenges and issues of effectiveness. ; The ADEMU Working Paper Series is being supported by the European Commission Horizon 2020 European Union funding for Research & Innovation, grant agreement No 649396.

This study shows the correlation between the European integration process and the progress of gender equality objectives. In particular, it focuses on the effectiveness of economic governance tools to enhance coordination between national policies towards gender equality. The research question pertains to whether the new architecture of economic governance aims to consolidate the market model or correct gender imbalances. This aspect leads us to explore the diverse tools of national monitoring displayed in the recently reinforced governance, particularly the fiscal discipline policy as a conditioning framework, the European Semester as the current significant instrument for coordinating national policies, and the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR) and its Social Scoreboard annex. The analysis confirms that the potential of governance instruments to enhance gender equality is underused. Meanwhile, these tools set out a policy focused on consolidating the market model of competitiveness and fiscal discipline, rather than tackling gender inequalities

This book examines the economic theories and policies that underline the governance of the European Union. Through exploring the history of European economic governance and how this framework has evolved over time, it contextualises theoretical influences, policy debates surrounding the European Union and its instruments of governance, including the European Semester, Six Pack, Two Pack, and Fiscal Compact. Forthcoming reforms to fiscal rules and the economic policy architecture of the European Union are also discussed, with a particular focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This book aims to give readers a broad understanding of the framework and dynamics that define European economic governance. It will be relevant to researchers and policymakers interested in the European political economy. Fabio Masini is the Jean Monnet Chair in Theories and History of European Economic Governance and is Professor of Theories and History of International Political Economy at the University of Roma Tre. He is Managing Editor of the journal History of Economic Thought and Policy.

Student exposure to international contexts can support students to develop a variety of knowledge, values and skills for social work practice in a globalised world. While various models of internationalisation in social work education exist, semester abroad models have received scant attention in international social work. This article presents perceived learning outcomes for German social work students who participated in an integrated semester abroad programme within the European Union, that are comparable to other international pedagogies. The model showcases reciprocal study abroad arrangements between universities located in neighbouring countries that has implications for such internationalisation beyond exchanges between North-South countries.

The present article examines why Swedes cooperate with the police using the framework of the procedural justice theory. This theory assumes that trust in procedural justice and in the effectiveness of the police are important issues in shaping citizens' perceptions of police legitimacy. Additionally, perceived legitimacy is necessary for the recognition of police authority. When citizens recognize the right of the police to exercise authority, they are assumed to feel an obligation to obey the police, and ultimately they will have a greater tendency to cooperate with them. Because of the ongoing discussion about the meaning and conceptualization of the concept of 'legitimacy', some additional ideas are described and are also taken into account in the model that we tested. We used structural equation modelling (SEM) to do the analysis, which was conducted on data available from the European Social Survey (ESS) Round 5. The results indicate that trust in the procedural justice of the police plays an important role in the explanation of citizens' willingness to cooperate with the police through perceptions of moral alignment and feelings of obligation to obey the police. However, there is still a high percentage of individual variance in willingness to cooperate with the police that cannot be explained by the model we tested. The implications of the findings are discussed.

Although the roots of the European Union lie in economic integration, the EU's economic policy competences and possibilities are narrowly limited in European primary law. Nevertheless, the influence of the EU, and in particular the European Commission, on economic policies of the member states is clearly visible and tangible. The focus of European economic policy is on the coordination of member state policies by the European Commission. It uses strategic planning instruments such as 10-year strategies, guidelines, and reform recommendations, which it bundles within the European Semester. European economic policy-makers are actually faced with the task of limiting the acute socio-economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on the one hand, and finding answers to the structural challenges posed by globalisation, digitisation, and climate change on the other. A common European economic policy is becoming increasingly necessary, and expectations are growing. The European Commission is trying to combine these two tasks - the stimulation of the European economy and the sustainable transformation of national economies - with the new European recovery fund "Next Generation EU". The European Green Deal will become the guiding principle for both economic policy coordination and economic policy at the national level. This reorientation of European economic policy towards sustainable and decarbonised growth will promote the Europeanisation and, in the long term, the unitarisation of national economic policies

The sovereign debt crisis induced a wide array of new institutions to reinforce European economic governance. The budget of the European member states is now subject of the European semester, which is part of the preventive arm of the Stability and Growth Pact as codified by and backed-up by the so-called Six-Pack and Two-Pack and backed by the Fiscal Compact that enable the Commission to issue, inter alia, country-specific recommendations before the budget is submitted to national parliaments. The country-specific recommendations are not binding, but will be hard to ignore by the member states in the long run unless the economy recovers. In this paper we are going to look at the efforts of the European Union to reinforce European fiscal governance, i.e. the coordination of the budgetary policy of the member states. More precisely, we will address the progress of the member states towards their Medium-Term Budgetary Objective as measured by the structural balance and Expenditure Benchmark as well as the implementation of the Country-Specific Recommendations in the field of fiscal policy, which are further strengthened by the Fiscal Compact by which the member states – with the exception of the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom – commit themselves to fiscal discipline, coordination and governance. The paper is geared to the assessment the country-specific recommendations in terms of goal-attainment and effectiveness and aims, by such, to deliver a contribution to the body of knowledge on European economic governance and fiscal consolidation.

Bentonite is a key barrier for the isolation of high-level radioactive waste within Deep Geological Repository. However, bentonite may be altered by contact with cementitious materials and their alkaline pore fluids. This study offers an extensive morphological and semi-quantitative characterization of the bentonite surface exposed to three types of alkaline pore fluids released by different cement-based materials. The bentonite surfaces were studied using a thorough scanning electron microscopy exploration and analysed using an energy-dispersive ꭕ-ray detector (SEM-EDX). In addition, statistical, element mappings, ꭕ-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy analyses were performed. The aim was to have a picture of the morphological and chemical alterations of bentonite at very early stages in accordance with the integrated approach necessary to address bentonite stability in the long-term. As a consequence of the reactivity, two types of morphologies stood out in the matrix of bentonite: platelets and coatings-like crusts characterized by their high Mg and Ca content. These alterations presented a different scope depending on the type of alkaline pore solution involved and suggested the precipitation of authigenic magnesium silicate hydrates (M-S-H) and/or trioctahedral clay minerals and Ca‑carbonates. The knowledge of the performance of bentonite subjected to these alkaline solutions can help in the evaluation of the most suitable cement-based materials to be used next to bentonite ; The experimental work was supported by funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Training programme from EURATOM [H2020-NFRP 2014, 2015] under grant agreement n◦662147; CEBAMA