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This paper analyzes the impact of decentralization on overall fiscal performance in the European Union, taking into account fiscal institutional arrangements. We find that spending decentralization has been associated with sizably better fiscal performance, especially when transfer dependency of subnational governments is low. However, subnational fiscal rules do not seem to be associated with better performance

In the Summer of 1998, the Executive Board discussed a set of three papers prepared by the staff that focused on the likey impact of EMU on selected non-EU countries. In recognition of the contribution these papers could make to the literature and discussion of EMU, the Board requested that this collection of papers be published. This Occasional Paper presents the three papers in one volume Chapter 1 provides an analysis of the likely impact of EMU on three regions: Central and Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean Basin, and the African CFA zone. Chapter 2 focuses on the trade and financial effects of EMU on selected transition and Mediterranean countries. And Chapter 3 considers the possible implications of EMU for the Middle East and North Africa region

These reports describe the data protection laws of the European Union (Part I) and of selected foreign countries (Part II). They describe the legal framework for the collection, use, and transfer of data, and examine whether existing laws are adequate to deal with online privacy in an era of rapid technological development and globalization

1. The EU : history, institutions and sources of law -- 2. Enforcement actions against member states and preliminary rulings -- 3. European law supremacy and direct effect -- 4. Indirect effect and state liability -- 5. Free movement of goods 1 : articles 28-30 and 110 TFEU -- 6. Free movement of goods 2 : articles 34-36 TFEU -- 7. Personal mobility : citizenship and free movement of persons -- 8. Freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services -- 9. Competition law 1 : article 101 TFEU -- 10. Competition law 2 : article 102 TFEU.

Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- List of Boxes, Tables and Figures -- Preface -- List of Abbreviations -- 1 Introduction -- Competition and competition policy -- Introducing the European competition regime -- Organization of the book -- 2 The Evolution of the European Competition Regime -- Origins and influences -- From coal and steel to EEC -- The first fifteen years: 1958 to 1972 -- From recession to stagnation: 1973 to 1981 -- Towards a 'new' competition policy -- More recent trends and developments -- Conclusion -- 3 The Institutions of European Competition Governance -- The Parliament and the Council -- The European Commission -- Organization and functions -- The European Courts -- National actors and European networks -- Conclusion -- 4 Restrictive Practices Policy -- Article 81: regulating restrictive practices -- Policy practice -- Assessing restrictive practices policy -- The age of aggressive enforcement: the situation after 2004 -- Conclusion -- 5 Monopoly Policy -- Article 82 in context -- The Commission's analysis: demonstrating and establishing 'dominance' -- The Commission's assessment of 'abuse' -- Assessing monopoly policy -- The modernization of Article 82 -- Conclusion -- 6 Merger Policy -- The origins of European merger control -- Towards a coherent merger regime: procedure and practice -- The recast 2004 European Merger Regulation -- Assessing merger policy: politics and political sensitivities -- Conclusion -- 7 State Aid Policy -- Organization, powers and decision-making -- Towards a cohesive state aid regime -- Policy content -- Assessing state aid control -- Conclusion -- 8 Theoretical Perspectives 199 -- Can neo-functionalism account for supranational competition governance? -- Exploring Europeanization -- Conclusion -- 9 Conclusions -- Modernization and decentralization: policy and organizational reform.

Malta has bucked the trend of its EU Mediterranean neighbours in many ways. This smallest of EU states barely dipped into recession during the global financial crisis and remains a stable member of the Eurozone whilst also having one of the lowest infringement rates and highest transposition of EU law records amongst the 28 member states. Providing the first comprehensive study of Malta's complex road to EU membership this book looks at the impact of membership on the country's political structures and processes and explains the principal factors that have conditioned the country's Europeanization experience. Reflecting Malta's unique and often contentious road to membership, the book explores the historical context and outlines how Maltese processes and policies have changed since membership and whether a causative link exists between these changes and Malta's membership of the EU. A wide range of primary and secondary sources facilitate the study complemented by a series of interviews with a broad range of Malta's political and social actors as well as individuals from EU institutions. This depth of analysis enables a holistic view of Malta's first decade of EU membership and helps establish the fundamental characteristics of Malta's unique Europeanization experience

How is access to asylum and other forms of extraterritorial protection regulated in the European Union? Is the EU acquis in these areas in conformity with international law? Which tools does international law offer to solve collisions between both? And, finally, is law capable of bridging the foundational oppositions embedded in migration and asylum issues? This volume is about the transformation of asylum in Europe in the context of the EU enlargement process. This transformation involves norms, as well as the procedures and resources for their implementation. In the candidate countries, as in the west, the process of transformations is marked by the tension between the interests of protection and migration control. Through their comprehensive analysis, the authors illuminate the legal and political dynamics which underlie this tension. Chapters trace the complex patterns of national, sub-regional and EU law and policy that are driving the future of asylum in an expanded Europe. This allows for reflection on what the transformation process tells us about the current EU asylum acquis, and what it tells us about the prospects for refugee protection in the new frontier states and beyond. This book is the result of a three year study carried out by academics and practitioners from the candidate countries, current Member States, and international organizations. It explores the evolution of refugee policy and practice in a changing Europe

1. Introduction -- 2. Europeanization -- 3. Maltese political development and the question of 'Europe' -- 4. The road to 'Europe' -- 5. Malta as a member of the EU -- 6. Malta's integration into the Customs Union -- 7. EU membership and the Maltese agricultural sector -- 8. An assessment of Malta's Europeanization experience.

Enlargement and treaty reform have moved Europe's constitutional debate into the political spotlight. This important new text outlines the main themes of constitutional debate in the EU, analyzes formal and informal constitution-building since the early days of European integration, and introduces the actors and structures behind treaty change.

This new text introduces the history, evolution and contemporary state of one of the European Union's most important, expensive and controversial policies. It examines the role that cohesion policy plays in European integration, as well as in economic development across regions, and analyzes the key debates and issues at stake.