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It is often pointed out that the creation of the single European market represents in itself a challenge for national European trade unions and industrial relations systems. A challenge for what, from Commons on, is considered the main task of trade union action: that is, to "take wages out of competition" and to offer workers a shelter against "the increased competitive menace" . To these challenges, the process towards the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and the creation of a single European currency, as it has been envisaged by the Maastricht Treaty, will add new, specific effects. Indeed, this is already occurring, as 1999 gets closer and closer, with the certainty that, despite the severe and politically divisive budget policies that all European governments are forced to adopt, only a small group of countries will qualify from the beginning for the third stage, opening up the problem of the relationships between EMU and non-EMU countries. In the following pages I will consider the specific problems implied by EMU for trade union action. They can be divided into two groups: one is related to the process, now underway, conducive to the creation of the single currency itself, and derives from the costs of meeting the Maastricht requirements (section 2); the second is connected with the consequences of EMU once the process has been accomplished and the single currency established, and with the new scenario that will then be open to economic and social actors (section 3 and 4).

The treatise contributes to the ongoing debate on the definition and the ranking of price stability in context with targets of economic policy in market economies and reflects on the theoretical roots and on the role of monetary policy in a medium-term and a long-term oriented view. Referring to Milton Friedman's basic truths about inflationary processes, five main elements of a stability oriented monetary policy are derived and compared with the strategy of the European Central Bank (ECB) - especially with its liquidity management and the liquidity oriented refinancing tools of European monetary policy. In the first place it is shown that the strategy of the ECB, confirmed and clarified in May 2003, is still a policy of monetary control, but that the role of money is not as prominent as before and then referring to the Taylor-rule, that the ECB accommodates real economic developments. In the so called two pillar approach the economic analysis is now the pillar mentioned first, followed by the monetary analysis as second pillar. In this context the discussion on monetary targeting versus inflation targeting is judged as somewhat exaggerated. Being a potential future concept, components of a developed targeting are consi-dered, with its roots on the insight that inflation is a monetary phenomenon and that a monetary policy coping with empirical complexity should not be based too mechanically on inflation forecasts. Die Abhandlung ist ein Beitrag zur anhaltenden Debatte um Stellenwert und Definiti-on von Preisniveaustabilität im geld- und wirtschaftspolitischen Zielkatalog, sowie zur theoretischen Verankerung, zur Rolle und zur Praxis der Geldpolitik in Euroland. Sie baut auf der im Mai 2003 vom EZB-Rat veröffentlichten Überprüfung der geldpoliti-schen Strategie auf. Es wird herausgearbeitet, dass das Konzept mit seiner Reser-viertheit gegenüber einer aktivistischen Geldpolitik und mit der Überzeugung, dass Inflation ein monetäres Phänomen ist, weiterhin monetaristischen Einsichten nahe steht, die Rolle der Geldmenge aber nicht mehr so privilegiert ist wie zuvor

UID/CPO/04627/2013 ; Federal aspirations have been subjacent to the integration of the European Communities/European Union since its inception. With the current crisis that started in 2007/2008, we have seen a new wave of ideas related with economic federalism. However, it is unclear what the concrete solution could be, particularly in terms of the division of competences and powers between the EU and the member states. The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyse the major proposals and/or federalistoriented measures to resolve the Eurozone crisis. It is also an aim to assess the eventual design of a more economically integrated European Union, based on any form of economic federalism, and discuss its implications and risks for Portugal. ; publishersversion ; published

Global economic weight in the Longue Duree : nemesis of West European geopolitics -- Segments to regions : structural transformation of global governance -- Geopolitics of property relations : state socialism under global capitalism -- Elasticity of weight : the EU as a geopolitical animal.

Analyzing the course of accession negotiations of Turkey to the European Union and taking into an account the experience of previous enlargements, the issue of free movement of persons appears to be one of the most difficult and controversial subject. EU members societies report concerns about job losses and reduced wages in the case of immigration of cheaper labor. In addition, ethnic prejudices and cultural, religious, social and language differences in the European Union hold the demand for foreign workers.Based on the theory and analysis of current migration flows of the Turkish population to European Union countries, it appears that the most important factors influencing decisions to migrate, and thus also on its size, there are differences in income. An important factor is also the presence of a number of Turkish minorities in European countries.In order to balance the benefits and losses associated with Turkish migration will be analyzed the trends in Turkish immigrants participation in the European Union and Germany. ; Analizując przebieg negocjacji akcesyjnych Turcji do Unii Europejskiej oraz biorąc pod uwagę doświadczenia dotychczasowych rozszerzeń, kwestia swobodnego przepływu pracowników okazuje się być jednym z najtrudniejszych i najbardziej kontrowersyjnych tematów. Społeczeństwa krajów członkowskich Unii zgłaszają obawy związane z utratą miejsc pracy oraz redukcją płac w wypadku imigracji tańszej siły roboczej. Ponadto uprzedzenia narodowościowe oraz różnice kulturowe, religijne, socjalne i językowe hamują w Unii Europejskiej popyt na zagranicznych pracowników.W oparciu o teorię migracji oraz analizy dotychczasowych przepływów ludności tureckiej do krajów Unii Europejskiej okazuje się, że najistotniejszymi czynnikami wpływającymi na podejmowanie decyzji o migracji, a więc także o jej wielkości, są różnice w dochodach. Ważnym motywem jest także występowanie licznych mniejszości tureckich w państwach europejskich.W celu zbilansowania korzyści i strat związanych z turecką migracją zbadane zostaną tendencje w zakresie udziału tureckich imigrantów w Unii Europejskiej i Niemczech.

Analyzing the course of accession negotiations of Turkey to the European Union and taking into an account the experience of previous enlargements, the issue of free movement of persons appears to be one of the most difficult and controversial subject. EU members societies report concerns about job losses and reduced wages in the case of immigration of cheaper labor. In addition, ethnic prejudices and cultural, religious, social and language differences in the European Union hold the demand for foreign workers.Based on the theory and analysis of current migration flows of the Turkish population to European Union countries, it appears that the most important factors influencing decisions to migrate, and thus also on its size, there are differences in income. An important factor is also the presence of a number of Turkish minorities in European countries.In order to balance the benefits and losses associated with Turkish migration will be analyzed the trends in Turkish immigrants participation in the European Union and Germany. ; Analizując przebieg negocjacji akcesyjnych Turcji do Unii Europejskiej oraz biorąc pod uwagę doświadczenia dotychczasowych rozszerzeń, kwestia swobodnego przepływu pracowników okazuje się być jednym z najtrudniejszych i najbardziej kontrowersyjnych tematów. Społeczeństwa krajów członkowskich Unii zgłaszają obawy związane z utratą miejsc pracy oraz redukcją płac w wypadku imigracji tańszej siły roboczej. Ponadto uprzedzenia narodowościowe oraz różnice kulturowe, religijne, socjalne i językowe hamują w Unii Europejskiej popyt na zagranicznych pracowników.W oparciu o teorię migracji oraz analizy dotychczasowych przepływów ludności tureckiej do krajów Unii Europejskiej okazuje się, że najistotniejszymi czynnikami wpływającymi na podejmowanie decyzji o migracji, a więc także o jej wielkości, są różnice w dochodach. Ważnym motywem jest także występowanie licznych mniejszości tureckich w państwach europejskich.W celu zbilansowania korzyści i strat związanych z turecką migracją zbadane zostaną tendencje w zakresie udziału tureckich imigrantów w Unii Europejskiej i Niemczech.

The article is devoted to the theoretical understanding of the concept of «consumer» based on modern scientific achievements of the science of civil law, as well as regulations and legal positions of the courts of Ukraine and the European Union. In the current legislation of Ukraine, the term «consumer» is used quite often, but the meaning that the domestic legislator invests in it varies. The main legal act that establishes the legal status of the consumer is the Law of Ukraine «On Consumer Protection». According to this law, a consumer is a natural person who purchases, orders, uses, or intends to purchase or order products for personal needs not directly related to business activities or the performance of duties of an employee. It follows from this definition that consumers can only be individuals, including citizens of Ukraine, foreigners, and stateless persons. Instead, when applying the rules of consumer law, legal entities cannot be classified as consumers. Also, the Law of Ukraine «On Consumer Protection» does not apply if an individual has the status of an entrepreneur and buys, orders, or uses goods (works, services) for business activities. As a consumer, the Law of Ukraine «On Consumer Protection» recognizes an individual who only intends to purchase a product or order work or service. Such provisions of Ukrainian legislation are in line with European practice, as most European Union directives on the definition of consumer rights in various areas recognize a consumer as an individual acting for a purpose not related to business or professional activities. Legislation in some European countries, such as France, Germany, Poland, and Italy, also does not support the idea of extending consumer protection legislation to legal entities.

This article investigates the role played by the main European cooperation mechanism on asylum, the Common European Asylum System, in the making of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex rights in the European Union. Based on a one-year qualitative inquiry in Brussels and online, it shows that European Union asylum policies were a key arena for the consolidation, invention and renegotiation of European Union lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex rights, especially concerning trans recognition. This pioneering role, far from being fortuitous, was part of the conscious strategy of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex movement to use asylum as a 'side door' to the creation of a de facto recognition of 'gender identity' as a protected characteristic. Characterising this phenomenon as a 'politics of interstices' and analysing the importance of ignorance (and not just knowledge) as a tool for policy change, this article makes the case for an analysis of policymaking that acknowledges the importance of non-equality-specific arenas in the making of equality norms.

In conditions of globalization and rapidly growing production fragmentation, generation of value added becomes an ultimate goal and a measure of economic performance. The study provides an analysis of factors contributing to value added at macro level in different European countries. The analysis includes a panel framework covering 27 European countries over the period 2006–2015. In order to investigate the differences across regions, three subsamples are considered, namely, developed economies, PIIGS (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain) and Central-Eastern European Countries (CEEC). Pooled OLS, fixed effects and random effects models are used. The results indicate that increase of value added corresponds to budget discipline, quality of human capital improvement, strong currency and transparent institutions. It could be expected that currency depreciation improves performance of the value added of exported final goods. However, the results show the opposite evidence: currency depreciation causes the value added decrease in all groups. Thus, for transitional countries, it is im¬portant not only to join global production chains, but also to acquire a significant share in generation of value added in these chains based on technological changes.