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Joining the European Union (EU) has changed the nature of democracy in the new member states. The EU's membership has complicated the structure of democratic decision making by making it more multilayered and multicentered. EU membership has enhanced the powers of nonmajoritarian institutions such as the European Commission, the European Court of Justice, and various regulatory agencies. National parliaments tend to be less powerful democratic players after a country joins the European Union—and even before, as the EU accession process has shown. EU membership has also broadened the democratic public space. As a consequence, democratic decision making within the European Union has to accommodate a more diversified set of interests and cultural orientations. Providing citizens with greater access to the European decision-making process seems to be most urgent in the new member states from Central and Eastern Europe, whose citizens feel particularly detached from this process. The article tries to suggest some ways of achieving this.

A tension between (richer) contributing Member States and (poorer) recipient Member States has always characterised the history of the budget of the European Union, the politics of which has often turned fraught. Alongside traditional tensions, newer ones have emerged, including the effect of EU enlargement in 2004-7, which has increased demand on spending, and the effect of the post-2008 economic crises, which has likewise increased demand for spending though faced by conflicting demands for austerity. Finally, the Lisbon Treaty reinforces the power to block agreement on reform to the budget. With the EU due to announce a new budget in 2013, this volume evaluates the prospects for major change to expenditure and the structure of the budget for the period starting in 2014.

The EU, as is commonly held, is a different form of political rule: a polity based on rationality and functional interests, not emotional appeals. Without reference to the narrative of the nation or the state, the question emerges as to whether the European Union needs or has myths? If it does, what are they and how successful have they been? The aim of this article -- indeed of the special issue -- is to explore the role of political myth in creating normative and cognitive foundations for governing in the EU and to examine whether these are applicable to the case of the European Union. Adapted from the source document.

Security considerations were at the heart of the European project, but the European Union has started to develop fully-fledged security policies only in recent years. At this stage, the EU is a fledgling security actor, with limited capabilities and strategic clout. This paper analyses the EU's contribution across four key security functions. It concludes that in spite of global ambitions stated in various documents, the EU remains first and foremost a regional security player.

Examines the Greek Cypriot application for European Union membership, as a means of exerting international pressure upon the Turks and the Turkish Cypriots, and Turkish objections to it.

The European Union (EU) and the Eurozone became the economic integration example to follow for years. However, the worldwide economic crisis that unfolded in 2007 put the whole economic integration process in question, the European project in jeopardy and the euro under pressure, with serious doubts that it can survive its first crisis. The core argument of this book is twofold. First, it seeks to explain the difficult political, economic and fiscal idiosyncrasies of all member states in order to put the reasons for the economic crisis into a new and clear perspective. Second, it argues that the institutional response put forward to explain this tremendous crisis is flawed and dangerous because it does not solve the main underlying problem: the deep differences among member states on their understanding of economic and financial behavior. This study counters the leading institutional explanation for the economic crisis that has impacted the entire EU. It presents a unique and provocative explanation of why the EU and the Eurozone are still immersed in an economic crisis and will be of key interest to students and scholars of European Politics and Economics.

Laws and regulations affect the daily lives of businesses and citizens. High-quality laws promote national welfare and growth, while badly designed laws hinder growth, harm the environment and put the health of citizens at risk. This report analyses practices to improve the quality of laws and regulations across all 28 EU Member States and the European Union. It systematically assesses the use of evidence and stakeholder participation in the design and review of domestic laws and regulations based on the OECD Indicators of Regulatory Policy and Governance. It also provides insights into individual Member States' use of regulatory management tools as they relate to EU laws. The report presents good regulatory practices and highlights areas that should receive further attention and investment.