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Since the introduction of the Erasmus programme in 1987, student mobility has become more visible. One underlying rationale of Erasmus and other international exchange programmes is the promotion of a European feeling of identity. In this article, the authors study the influence of European student mobility on European identity using a mixed-method approach. The quantitative part consists of an online survey, conducted among students at ten universities in seven countries, at the end of the 2008-2009 academic year. The qualitative part consists of 32 semi structured in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions, conducted with students at four European universities. The analysis shows that a study period abroad influences the development of an "experience-based Europe". This experience of Europe adds a social dimension to the political and cultural definition of the term, and is the result of socialisation processes that are characterised by internal and external identity observations.

Over the past years the economic crisis has been sensibly displaced. Starting as a subprime crisis in the US, it soon unfolded as a global economic and financial crisis. European countries confronted the crisis with banking rescue packages, economic stimulus programmes, automatic stabilisers and a common emergency fund for endangered states of the Eurozone. Consequently, not only private, but also public debt increased. The crisis therefore evolved towards a fiscal crisis and moved into the political system. Against this background, the article investigates the articulation of political economic interests and initiatives in the European management of the debt crisis. It argues that the emergence of a new austerity oriented fiscal consolidation agenda reflects a strengthened position of creditors and owners of financial assets. However, given the unequal – European and domestic – distribution of the adjustment burden, the revitalisation of European financial market capitalism remains characterised by intensified social struggles.

Over the past years the economic crisis has been sensibly displaced. Starting as a subprime crisis in the US, it soon unfolded as a global economic and financial crisis. European countries confronted the crisis with banking rescue packages, economic stimulus programmes, automatic stabilisers and a common emergency fund for endangered states of the Eurozone, Consequently, not only private, but also public debt increased. The crisis therefore evolved towards a fiscal crisis and moved into the political system. Against this background, the article investigates the articulation of political economic interests and initiatives in the European management of the debt crisis. It argues that the emergence of a new austerity oriented fiscal consolidation agenda reflects a strengthened position of creditors and owners of financial assets. However, given the unequal -- European and domestic -- distribution of the adjustment burden, the revitalisation of European financial market capitalism remains characterised by intensified social struggles. Adapted from the source document.

The author stresses the important role of legal regulations to meet the basic functions of statistics. The regulations should especially: define the concept and the role of official statistics in contrast to other statistical activities, provide legal basis to observe the independence and objectivity rules by statistical services, grant legitimation to receive data from different sources. The legal regulations shall create the methodological conditions of the functioning information systems in the country based on uniform statistical and economic concepts, classifications and identification systems. They should grant a legal protection of individual data obtained from respondents in statistical surveys. Recently adopted by The European Parliament (EP) and The Council Regulation No. 223/2009 of the 11 March 2009 on European statistics as well as two decisions: No. 234/2008/WE appointing European Advisory Committee on Statistics and No. 235/2008/WE establishing European Consultative Council on Statistics Managing have been discussed.

Between the 19th century and today, German foreign politics has gone through many changes. For a long time, German relations with European countries have been strained, but now the country is an important participant in the international community. The present article gives an overview of the most important instances in this development. Discussed are: The German Reich in the Vienna structure; European integration after 1945; and new responsibilities of the Berlin Republic after 1990. In general it can be stated, that German foreign politics were shaped in continuous mutual effect with other European powers. A lasting integration into the European system of states was only successful after WWII. As a last note it can be said, that two hundred years of German foreign politics show, that a nation situated in the center of Europe, cannot afford politics against its neighbors, since it will only be capable to establish order and stability together with them. Adapted from the source document.

Recent developments in the study and practice of Community Radio have given to both academics and practitioners a wide range of issues to be discussed and networks such as OurMedia, where both sides and policymakers come periodically together, have given a platform to the increasing convergence of interests while focusing the attention also on geographical areas traditionally overlooked by the literature published in English1. At a European level, fora like the Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE)2 and recent events organised by Budapest's Central European University (CEU)3 and London Metropolitan University4 in 2007 have contributed to the discussion on the status of community media in the continent, focusing particularly on policy, regulation, funding and the issues emerging from the eventual transition to digital of these services. A comprehensive report recently published by the European Parliament, is also a signal of a growing recognition among EU institutions (European Parliament, 2007)

Researchers currently know very little about how African Americans regard themselves and their salient outgroup (i.e., European Americans). The current study examines how experiences with individual ingroup and outgroup members affect these evaluations on two key dimensions in intergroup research: warmth and competence. In particular, the study asks what effect I-sharing (i.e., sharing a subjective experience) with an African American or a European American has on African Americans' perceptions of the warmth and competence of their ingroup and outgroup. Results revealed an ingroup preference on the dimension of warmth when participants had I-shared with a fellow African American but not when they had I-shared with a European American. No such ingroup preference emerged on the dimension of competence. Instead, participants exhibited an outgroup preference on this dimension after I-sharing with a European American. The discussion entertains possible explanations for these differential effects of I-sharing on judgments of the ingroup and outgroup.

In its 2004 Hague Programme, the European Council prescribed the adoption of the "second phase" of the Common European Asylum System before the end of 2010. In the first phase, elaborated within the framework of the preceding Tampere Programme, minimum standards for refugee protection had been adopted; these were now to be improved. Seeking to foster the necessary debate and impetus, the European Commission presented a Green Paper on the subject in June 2007. The Paper certainly contains useful suggestions for future harmonisation, yet with its exclusive focus on asylum policy it may be found wanting. The supreme problem facing asylum policy-makers today - "mixed" immigration flows comprising both forced and economically-motivated migrants - cannot be tackled without at least a consideration of the extension of channels for economic immigration. Against this background, improving protection standards may require the further integration of asylum policy into the European Union's so-called Global Approach towards Migration

The convention on stepping up cross border cooperation, particularly in combating terrorism, cross border crime and illegal migration, initiated by the Germans and signed in Prüm (Germany) on May 27, 2005, represents a new element in the fragmented landscape of European Justice and Home Affairs. The signatories of the so called Prüm Treaty are Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Austria. Presently, the treaty is going through the ratification process in each of these countries. The treaty bears the marks of the Schengen integration process and thus creates questions regarding its role in the future development of European Justice and Home Affairs policy. In particular, how will the democratic oversight of such deepened integration among a small circle of EU member states be ensured? And above all, is this treaty compatible with the European Union's goal of establishing an EU-wide area of freedom, security and justice as set out prominently in the European Treaties? (SWP-Comments / SWP)

This study explores the motivational factors underlying European American individuals' tendency to display more culturally sensitive behavior in the presence of African Americans. European American male college students (N = 75) individually viewed and evaluated racially insensitive humor, ostensibly in small groups with two confederates. The confederates' racialbackgrounds were varied so that they consisted of either (a)two European Americans, (b) one European American and one African American, or (c) two African Americans. Half of the participants in each condition reacted to the humor privately, whereas the other half responded to the humor publicly. It was revealed that the mere perception of the presence of an African American individual prompted participants to display cultural sensitivity, evaluating the anti-African American humor negatively. It was interesting that this tendency was equally prevalent when participants rated the humor publicly and when they rated it privately. Implications for understanding the nature of cultural sensitivity and interracial self disclosure are discussed.

Empirical research on film audiences is marginal in contemporary film studies. The research field has to incorporate contributions from media and television studies, since video, television and internet have fundamentally changed the context of film consumption. We argue that there is a need for audience research, because it can provide fresh insights into important issues such as the state of European cinema. Concepts of European and national cinema are put in an audience perspective. We present results of a survey on the role of film in the everyday life of young people in Flanders, Focusing on varying consumption contexts and the divide Hollywood-Europe-Flanders, we find that European film is more foreign to young audiences than Hollywood fare. Even local cinema has to deal with prejudice. Reconsidering European cinema from an audience perspective opens up new lines of thought that traditionally were obscured by macro-approaches and theoretical notions of spectatorship.

A rationale for European Central Bank President Wim Duisenberg's & Bank of Japan Governor Masaru Hayami's respective approaches to dealing with the contemporary global financial crisis is offered. Several factors that influenced Duisenberg's decision not to advocate interest rate cuts are identified: the international market's hesitancy to trade in euros; the call for more relaxed monetary policies among European finance ministers; & the failed attempt to convince European governments to reform fiscal & social policy. It is argued that the Bank of Japan's recent independence from the Japanese Ministry of Finance prompted Hayami not to support direct financing of the national deficit. Nonetheless, it is asserted that Japan's current experience with deflation necessitates innovative fiscal decision making rather than adherence to traditional measures. Whereas the European economy is expected to recover, it is concluded that the realization of reform in Japan's current monetary policy is unlikely. 3 Photographs. J. W. Parker

A mini‐symposium series of papers presenting the results of the European Commission‐supported Biomed II project is introduced. The project accomplished a cross‐border scientific networking engaging 31 European residential treatment programmes. The results showed that scientific development is best served by a flexible bureaucratic approach. 'Old' science and the 'new' science ways of working were balanced. 'History' and 'social networks' are the key concepts signalling the project knowledge gains. A treatment sample (N=723) was extracted from a database of 1028 current European cases. Non‐drug‐specific characteristics are as important as drug‐specific characteristics in distinguishing emerging dependence groups. The project networking created a process that increased the level of involvement of science and the service communities. To sustain the gains of the project, a reaching out of existing European treatment services to extended family and friendship networks with a history of dependence‐related problems will be required.

Argues that International relations has been ahistoric & Eurocentric, especially in relation to Ancient & Imperial China, which evolved independently of European influence until modern times. Three historical forms of international order in China are analyzed: a multi-state system in Ancient China with a comparison to the ideas & institutions in the modern European international system; the Imperial Chinese world order, Pax Sinica, which prevailed in China for two millennia; & the eventual encounter with European international society & the transformation of the Imperial China empire. Central to the empire was the tribute system of trade relations based on a hierarchy informed by Confucian values. This system could not survive in an age of European expansion & initiated the third great transformation of Chinese international relations that brings China into an emerging global society. The author concludes that the field of International relations needs to go beyond Eurocentrism by addressing the diversity & richness offered by an historical perspective of China. 1 Table. J. Moses

The essay first highlights certain basic features of the attitude of the European immigrant countries towards the new (migrant) ethnic minorities in their midst, the attitude that at the same time is indicative of the existence of various forms of ethnicity in the development of the European nation-states. The differences in the individual "national responses" regarding the existence of new ethnic communities reflect these differences in the understanding of the ethnic/national identity of individual countries. The author then goes on to deal more specifically with the presence of the Muslim population in West-European countries, the population that - perhaps more than any other group of "aliens" - is torn between the Westeuropean practice of ethnic and increasingly cultural discrimination, and a belief in liberalism and pluralism. ln connection with this, the role of Islam and the "Muslim" identity in the Muslim communities in West- European countries is analyzed. (SOI : PM: S. 108)