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This book addresses the fundamental issues of human rights, gender, immigration, and the role of non-governmental organizations as providers of services in European Union development cooperation policy. It investigates the questions of the role of the free market and the future of Lome Convention.

The global arena for development cooperation is in a state of flux, as the conventional drivers of economic and social progress have seen rapid transformations in the last years. In the South, new powers have (re)emerged and now represent proper alternatives to conventional North-South cooperation as a range of middle-income countries (MIC) have witnessed swift growth. Remittances and private financial flows to developing countries have exploded, and aid today only constitutes a small brick in the large puzzle that is financial flows for development. Different forms of partnership and comprehensive agreements are slowly substituting traditional donor-beneficiary relationships to the point where aid may be left with a marginal role in stimulating development. The implications of these changes for EU development cooperation are immense as the recognized and employed instruments and modalities are challenged. The changing global environment necessarily requires it to rethink its approach to development cooperation and its relations with emerging actors. Still, Europe holds a comprehensive history and experience in several areas that may prove to be comparatively advantageous in development cooperation, and where potential may be unlocked.

This article examines the internal decision-making process in the European Union when the EU participates in international environmental negotiations. More particularly, the practical functioning of the relation between the member states and the EU negotiator (i.e. the Commission, the Presidency or a lead country), representing the member states externally, is examined. Starting from principal—agent theory and based on empirical research on eight EU decision-making processes with regard to international environmental negotiations, the article argues, first, that control by the member states on the EU negotiator takes place most manifestly during the course of the international negotiations, and, second, that these ad locum control mechanisms perform not only a control function, but also a cooperation function.

The European Payments Union (EPU) was prolonged for a seventh year from July 1, 1956, without any alterations in the rules under which it had operated since August 1, 1955. The sixth annual report of EPU retraced the economic and financial developments in member countries during the fiscal year 1955–1956. It pointed out that economic activity had continued to expand, but in many countries demand had showed signs of growing rather faster than output, so that some inflationary pressures were felt in the form of rising prices and wages and of some weakening of individual balances of payments. The strongest advances in industrial output had occurred in France, with increases in west Germany, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands being next in importance; there had been no growth in the United Kingdom. Most countries had witnessed a gradual exhaustion of spare productive capacity and very full employment, with man-power shortages in certain specific sectors. A significant development in most countries had been the increase in fixed capital formation. In France and the United Kingdom especially, one main reason for it had been the fact that full use of industrial capacity had already been approached and labor shortages were appearing. The rise in investment expenditure, in conjunction with a continued increase of consumer expenditure, particularly on durable goods, had added to inflationary pressures. In a number of countries wage demand had seemed in excess of the probable rise in productivity; and in several countries wage increases had been granted. Between the second quarter of 1955 and the second quarter of 1956, prices had risen in most countries by 4–6 percent, and by even more in Iceland and Turkey.

European security is transnational in nature due to the interdependencies of globalized societies. This gives rise to the need for cooperation and the sharing of security intelligence between Member States. This article presents a critical review of the functioning of the intelligence community in the European Union (EU), making a historical review that allows us to understand whether or not transnational cooperation has been moving towards greater integration. In addition to mapping the organisms that are part of this community, the article relies on a theoretical framework of policy analysis to structure the challenges of intelligence sharing on the European level. It is argued that the EU's capacity to produce its own security intelligence is very low, depending on the sharing of intelligence by the national agencies. Additionally, it is said that the sharing of police intelligence is much more structured than the sharing of security intelligence. Finally, it is concluded that the European intelligence community welcomes different intelligence cultures within it and focuses its activities on diffuse cooperation that faces the limits of national sovereignty, interoperability deficits, and difficulties in establishing institutional relationships of trust.

Intro -- Introduction -- Sebastien Peyrouse -- Increasing the effectiveness of EU education assistance in Uzbekistan. Revising the EU strategy in light of the new regime -- Tadeusz Bodio -- The origin and main trends of the evolution of the European Union's Policy in Central Asia* -- Beata Przybylska-Maszner -- The European Union's Strategy for Central Asia - between political tactics, cooperation and competition -- Radosław Fiedler -- European Union democracy and rule of law and civil society promotion in Central Asia and its constraints -- Filip Kaczmarek -- The approach of the European Parliament to Central Asia* -- Bakytbek Kainazarov -- EU engagement in promotion of democracy in post-Soviet Central Asia: the case study of the Kyrgyz Republic - prospects and challenges* -- Robert Kmieciak -- European decentralization experiences and the prospects for local government development in Kazakhstan* -- Marek Rewizorski -- Beyond Hydro-Politics Amongst Nations. The European Union, International Institutions and Challenges for Transboundary Water Management in Central Asia -- Selected Bibliography -- Project questionnaire -- Contributors

2005/2006 ; This paper intends to be a prospective analysis of a phenomenon that is not new in Europe, but it is not even old: the cooperation and development of European regions. It reports on the results of research to explore a range of attempts to develop new regional forms in European Union, and considers the degree to which they accord to conceptualisations of the "new regionalism" and accounts of the changing territorial structure of the state. It highlights the array of new regional configurations which now extends across the territory of the European Union, discussing the influence exerted by the growth of interest in European spatial planning over the course of the 1990s and considering the degree to which readings of new regionalist rhetoric have informed both the creation and substance of a number of recently conceived regional entities. The structure of this thesis is formed by six chapters that develop one central idea of the situation of regions in European Union with particular interest on the "new regionalism" and development of trans-border cooperation in this part of the word. Therefore, we start the research paper by presenting in the first chapter - the Introduction - the main objectives of this study and the main questions that this thesis tries to answer. The second chapter - Theories of European Regional Policy – presents some of the most important theories about the concept of Regional Policy in European Union, that is also the most important mechanism that affects and tries to develop the cooperation between European regions, and the approach of this concept by different scholars all over the EU and not only. This chapter is structured in three parts: the Classical Theories of European Regional Policy in the context of European Union Policies, the New Theories and Proposals Regarding the European Regional Policy and the Cross-border Cooperation and European Regional Policy. These three ways of looking at the European Regional Policy are connected and try to approach this complex argument from more perspectives, as it can be observed in the pages of this chapter. In the chapter number 3 - The European Regional Policy and its Instruments- we are going forward into the analysis of the regional policy in European Union and try to find more connections between the regions from this perspective. In this sense, this chapter has three parts: The European Regional Policy - from the beginning to our days-, The Instruments of the European Regional Policy: A. Structural Funds and The Instruments of the European Regional Policy: B. INTERREG Programmes. We noticed, following this research, that not only the European regional policy is present in the daily life of European citizens, but also it is very active, and from its beginnings to our-days had more and more influence in the development of European regions. This was and is possible with the help of its instruments, the most important of these being presented in this chapter. Following the same framework, the next chapter, number 4 - The Theories of Regionalism in the European Union – wants to approach the issue of regional cooperation also from a more formal point of view. In this sense, the chapter has three parts: The Regionalism and the "New Regionalism" in the European Union, The Analytical Framework and the Trans-border Regions and the "New Regionalism". This structure helps understanding the concept of regionalism and, more than that, seeing the connection between European regionalism, the European regional policy and the main actors in this field, the European regions. At this point of the study, it is necessary to give some examples of how it is working and how could work these theoretical aspects in practice. The chapter number 5 - The Analysis of Two Case-study of Regionalism in European Union – brings to our attention two examples of European regionalism, one from the beginning of the application of this concepts: A Case-study of "Old Regionalism" in European Union - Cross-border Cooperation: Italy and Austria -, and on the other side, an example of a more recent type of this phenomenon in the European Union, that is: A Case-study of "New Regionalism" in the European Union – Trans-national Cooperation North West Europe (NWE). The chapter concludes, in the third part: The Results of the Analysis between these Two Types of Regionalism in the European Union, by presenting some similarities of these two types of regionalism and the advantages and disadvantages that result from the application of this kind of regional cooperation. The final chapter, number 6 – Conclusions and Next Steps, presents the conclusions and some possible ways of action in the future, in the field of cooperation between the European regions, so the chapter is structured in two parts: Conclusions and Next Steps. The thesis concludes with a list of references that we used in the research. This part is the Bibliography. It is divided in the following parts: General Papers, Special Papers, Studies-Articles-Publications, European Union Documents and Electronic sources. For a better understanding of the arguments in discussion, we considered necessary to annex three documents: Cross-border Cooperation (ERDF) Maps in European Union, Trans-national Cooperation Areas Maps in the European Union and Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS). This represents the situation of the regions in the European Union. Within this structure, the thesis wants to put in light the importance and the role that the regions play in the European Union. The analysis of this kind of aspects could bring a better understanding of where and how the future will be for the regions in the European Union. ; Questa tesi vuole essere un'analisi prospettica di un fenomeno che non è nuovo in Europa, ma nemmeno conosciuto da tanto tempo: la cooperazione e lo sviluppo delle regione europee. Questo lavoro riporta i risultati della ricerca che ha tentato di analizzare in modi diversi le nuove forme regionali nell'Unione Europea, considerando in quale grado gli esperti sono d'accordo nel dare una definizione al "nuovo regionalismo" e nel rilevare le modifiche strutturali a livello territoriale dello stato. Nello stesso tempo, si sottolinea la moltitudine di nuove configurazioni regionali che adesso si possono individuare sul territorio dell'Unione Europea, esaminando l'influenza esercitata da un maggior interesse per la pianificazione spaziale - territoriale a partire dagli anni '90, anche in considerazione del grado in cui le nuove teorie retoriche regionaliste hanno influito sulla creazione e sulla sostanza di nuove forme regionali che sono state create di recente. La struttura di questa tesi si basa su sei capitoli, ognuno dei quali prova a sviluppare da un punto di vista diverso, un'idea centrale della situazione delle regioni nell'Unione Europea, con un accento particolare sul fenomeno del "nuovo regionalismo" e lo sviluppo della cooperazione transfrontaliera in questa parte del mondo. In questo senso si è dato inizio a questo lavoro di ricerca, presentando nel primo capitolo, l'Introduzione, i principali obiettivi di questa tesi e le questioni più importanti per le quali si vogliono trovare delle risposte. Il secondo capitolo – Le teorie della politica regionale europea – presenta alcune delle più importanti teorie che riguardano il concetto della Politica Regionale nell'Unione Europea, che è nello stesso tempo il meccanismo principale che influisce e che prova a sviluppare la cooperazione tra le regione europee. In esso si mettono anche in evidenza le teorie di diversi studiosi europei e non solo, che hanno analizzato questo argomento. Il capitolo è strutturato in tre parti: Le teorie classiche della politica regionale europea nel contesto delle politiche europee; Le nuove teorie e le proposte che riguardano la politica regionale europea; La cooperazione transfrontaliera e la politica regionale europea. Questi tre modi di avvicinarsi al tema della politica regionale europea sono collegati tra di loro e provano a studiare questo fenomeno complesso da svariate prospettive, come si può desumere dalle pagine di questo capitolo. Nel terzo capitolo – La politica regionale europea e i suoi strumenti – si è cercato di procedere nell'analisi della politica regionale nell'Unione Europea e di trovare più connessioni tra le regioni da questo punto di vista. In tal senso, questo capitolo si sviluppa in tre parti: La politica regionale europea – dalle origini fino ad oggi; Gli strumenti della politica regionale europea: A) i fondi strutturali; Gli strumenti della politica regionale europea: B) i programmi INTERREG. Nel corso di questa ricerca abbiamo notato che non solo la politica regionale europea è presente nella vita quotidiana dei cittadini europei, ma che, da quando ha avuto inizio questa sua presenza e fino ai nostri giorni, è stata ed è molto attiva, avendo un'influenza crescente nello sviluppo delle regioni europee. Ciò è stato ed è tuttora possibile grazie ai suoi strumenti, i più importanti dei quali sono stati presentati e studiati in questo capitolo. Seguendo la stessa costruzione, il successivo capitolo quattro – Le teorie del regionalismo nell'Unione Europea – vuole approfondire l'argomento della cooperazione regionale anche da un punto di vista più formale. In tal senso, il capitolo è suddiviso in tre parti: Il regionalismo e il "nuovo regionalismo" nell'Unione Europea; La struttura analitica; Le regioni transfrontaliere e il "nuovo regionalismo". Questa struttura aiuta a capire il concetto di "regionalismo" e, soprattutto, prova a dimostrare le connessioni esistenti tra il regionalismo europeo, la politica regionale europea e i principali attori in questo campo, le regioni europee. A questo punto della ricerca, si è ritenuto necessario dare qualche esempio di come funzionano e come potrebbero funzionare in pratica questi concenti teorici. Il capitolo quinto – L'analisi di due casi di studio del regionalismo nell'Unione Europea – sottopone alla nostra attenzione due esempi di regionalismo europeo, di cui uno può rappresentare le prime fasi nell'applicazione di questi concetti teorici: Un caso di studio del "vecchio regionalismo" nell'Unione Europea – Cooperazione transfrontaliera: Italia e Austria; mentre l'altro caso fornisce un esempio di un tipo di regionalismo manifestatosi più di recente nell'Unione Europea: Un caso di studio del "nuovo regionalismo" nell'Unione Europea – Cooperazione transnazionale: Nord-Ovest Europa (NWE). Il capitolo si conclude con una terza parte: I risultati dell'analisi tra questi due tipi di regionalismo nell'Unione Europea. In questa parte si è cercato di rappresentare alcune delle similitudini risultanti dall'analisi, nonché i vantaggi e gli svantaggi derivanti dall'applicazione pratica di questo tipo di cooperazione regionale. Nell'ultimo capitolo, numero sei, – Conclusioni e Azioni Future, sono esposte le conclusioni e le possibili direzioni future d'azione nel campo della cooperazione tra le regioni europee. Questo capitolo è strutturato in due parti: Conclusioni; Azioni Future. La tesi si conclude con un elenco delle risorse bibliografiche utilizzate per questa ricerca. Questa parte, denominata Bibliografia, è strutturata nelle parti seguenti: Libri Generali; Libri di Specialità; Studi, Articoli, Pubblicazioni; Documenti dell'Unione Europea; Fonti Elettroniche. Per una migliore comprensione degli argomenti affrontati in questa tesi, si è ritenuto necessario di allegare tre documenti: Le cartine della Cooperazione Transfrontaliera nell'Unione Europea; Le cartine della Cooperazione Transnazionale nell'Unione Europea; La Nomenclatura delle Unità Territoriali Statistiche (NUTS). Questi documenti rappresentano l'attuale situazione delle regioni nell'Unione Europea. Con questa impostazione, la tesi vuole mettere in evidenza l'importanza e il ruolo che le regioni giocano nell'Unione Europea. L'analisi di questo tipo di argomenti può portare a una migliore comprensione circa la configurazione del futuro per le regioni nell'Unione Europea. ; XIX Ciclo

In the contemporary geopolitical environment, this article outlines the issues and challenges faced by Africa and explores India–EU cooperation in addressing them. An attempt has been made to analyse this cooperation within the context of dynamic changes taking place in Africa. On the one hand, the essence of the phenomenon of Africa as a potential market is presented; on the other hand, it is depicted as a continent of challenges and threats. These factors have been assessed and analysed independent of China's growing role in Africa. While describing both EU and India's engagements in Africa, the article outlines specific areas of cooperation including defence and security, development cooperation, trade and investment, infrastructure development, climate challenges, and strengthening institutions of democracy.

Summary presented at the start of the article: " 'Development cooperation' is one of the traditional policy domains of the European Union (EU). Over the years it advanced from an instrument used in colonial times to one of modern partnership, although European self-interest remains a driving force. Jointly, the EU and its member states are the largest development donor in the world and also provide sizable market access and investment to developing countries. Their overall performance record has been assessed fairly positively by internal and external parties, although many possible improvements have been identified. The various enlargements of the EU traceably supported a widening of the geographic and substantive scope of EU development policies and practice. In addition, EU development cooperation was reinforced by the fact that it gradually received a firmer basis in the constituent EU treaties. The 'European Consensus on Development' document, as revised in 2017, laid out the main direction of and emphases in EU development cooperation until the year 2030. The European Consensus prescribed a rights-based approach, and squarely placed the United Nations "Agenda 2030" and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) contained in it, as the main framework and objectives for EU development cooperation. A wide range of actors is involved in EU development cooperation, in part because this is an area of shared competence among the EU member states that pursue their own national policies as well as those specified by the EU. Thus, EU actors such as the European Commission, Council, and Parliament feature in this policy field along with EU member states and individual or collective developing country actors. The most prominent example of this is the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, which consists of 79 countries. Civil society organizations, including non-governmental development organizations, both from the North and the South, also seek to influence or otherwise engage with the policies and ...

Annual Report:The fifth annual report of the Managing Board of the European Payments Union (EPU) covered the period July I, 1954 to June 30, 1955. The financial year 1954—1955, the report noted, had been one of considerable economic expansion in member countries, although with some variation between them; the progress of the previous year, which had followed upon a period of relative stagnation, had continued and gathered momentum. The report noted that in some countries the rapid expansion had had repercussions both internally and externally which had required corrective measures. During 1954–1955 industrial production had increased greatly, the increase being most marked in base metal manufacturing, metal products and in chemical manufacturing. However, agricultural production of member countries, as a whole, had not changed from the previous year. The report stated that the greater industrial production had been the result of both increased employment and productivity; in a number of countries unemployment had been reduced to new low levels and in certain countries, the number of unfilled vacancies exceeded that of the registered unemployed. Concurrently, and in connection with the rapid economic expansion, salaries and wages had increased in practically all member countries to a much greater extent than in previous years.