Suchergebnisse

This comprehensive, up to date and theoretically informed text examines the full range of the European Union's external relations including the Common Foreign and Security Policy. It look at the increasingly important part the EU plays in global politics. The authors argue that the EU's significance cannot be grasped by making comparisons with traditional states. Issues covered include:· the status, coherence, consistency and roles of the EU as an actor, and what being an actor means in practice.· how the field of trade relations forms the basis of the EUs activities · the EU in global environmental diplomacy, North-South relations and in relation to the Mediterranean and East/Central Europe· the EUs controversial relationship to the Common Foreign and Security Policy and defence.

Throughout history, international relationships have always witnessed the forming of alliances, bilateral agreements, mutual treaties, conventions, partnerships or founding organizations. All these agreements have lasted as long as all the actors involved have shared a common interest, but during conflictual periods they have been reduced to simple sheets of paper. Certainly, the very same states have, again and again, been both 'friends' and 'enemies' because in international relations "nations have no permanent friends or allies, they only have permanent interests."1 Thus, in a world of growing interdependence and continuous change, globalization will not turn this world into a flat one, nor will it bring history to an end. On the contrary, it will generate new threats and will make differences more obvious and more striking. Moreover, the events that have taken place during the last few years clearly point this out. Starting with the 2013 Summit in Vilnius, the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership, in particular, have brought about major direct changes in Eastern Europe and indirect ones in Bruxelles, culminating in territorial changes in the immediate proximity of Romania. Taking into account both its significant geopolitical and geostrategic location and its membership to the European Union, Romania finds itself, as always, at a crossroads. In this context, the present paper aims at determining the role the European Union plays in Romania's relationship with Russia.

Examines the impact of the EU on the quality of democracy in eight post-communist countries: Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, Ukraine and Armenia. Considering both the political and legal aspects, this title focuses on inter-institutional accountability

EU social policies should be complemented by contributing to a harmonious development of society, by reducing structural and regional imbalances, developing a balance between the a localized community and the national society, and improving the living standards of citizens and families of member states (Garrido 2002). Such important social policy principles as freedom and justice are addressed and represented in family laws in the EU regulations introduced during the period of 2000–2016. In this article, we studied the EU's legal solutions in reference to national (Spain) laws on these matters: children and parental responsibility (adoption, child abduction, family benefits) and couples (matrimonial, regimes, prenuptial agreements, provisional measures). This legislation is necessary in the face of the proliferation of families whose members have different nationalities, and even in the mobilization of residences. Cooperation has intensified between national judicial authorities to ensure that legal decisions taken in one EU country are recognized and implemented in any other. This is highly important in civil cases, such as divorce, child custody, maintenance claims, or even bankruptcy and unpaid bills, when the individuals involved live in different countries. The development of family laws is one of the most important factors of family welfare in European countries.

International economists and other scholars address the major issues that arise in writing a European constitution, including the evolution of federalism and the role of direct democracy.The leaders of European Union member states have declared that a European constitution should take "a clear, open, effective, democratically controlled Community approach." Their goal--that within the Union, "European institutions should be brought closer to its citizens"--raises many questions about implementation. What is the most effective procedure for connecting citizens' preferences to political action and policy choices at the EU level? The contributors to this CESifo volume, internationally prominent economists and other scholars, address the major issues that arise in the writing of a constitution. They do so with the underlying assumption that individuals are rational actors and the goal of the state is to advance their collective interests.The ten chapters consider such topics as how a constitution might be designed to prevent military conflict, whether the EU will evolve "by default" into a federal state, the apparent contradiction between the evolutionary development of the EU and the static structure of the constitution, the definition of citizenship and rights, the division and distribution of power, the budgetary deadlock on the provision of public goods and the redistribution of resources, coordinating policy, alternative methods for choosing an EU president, and the role of such direct democracy institutions as referenda and initiatives. The editors conclude by summing up the main arguments advanced to offer a unified sapproach to these issues.

Summary: This chapter explores the concept of accountability as it operates in the European Union, weighing the importance of political accountability against managerial and audit accountability. The existing machinery for accountability is evaluated and political "accountability gap" identified. The vertical transfer of functions to the institutions of a transnational system of governance which, it is argued, are not designed for purposes of accountability, is seen as weakening national accountability systems. A horizontal transfer of powers from the institutions of representative democracy to an autonomous and unrepresentative judiciary is also identified. The current Convention on the Constitution and the White Paper on European Governance are considered. The author concludes that accountability is currently weak in the EU and that change needs to start at the lowest level: within the EU institutions and in national parliaments.

The fashion in which the European Union pursues its objectives has varied enormously over time. In all fronts but, in particular, as a public administration that implements the policies of the Union. Currently, the European Union's executive action is not as it was originally designed to be. The model of executive federalism, where the Union takes decisions in the fields where it is competent and Member States implement them, was valid for the old Communities and still perceivable in the Treaties and in the rulings of the Court of Justice. Today it is often more of a legal fiction than a reality. ; Programa Oficial de Doctorado en Derecho ; Presidente: Luciano Parejo; Secretario: Eva Nieto Garrido; Vocal: Andreu Olesti Rayo