Suchergebnisse

Examining Board: Professor Marise Cremona, European University Institute (Supervisor) Professor Bruno De Witte, European University Institute Professor Sara Poli, Università di Pisa Dr Anne Thies, University of Reading. ; Defence date: 5 September 2013 ; First made available online on 22 January 2016. ; With the growing awareness in EU external relations that the existence of Member States' competence does not necessarily allow them to freely exercise such competence, the duty of sincere cooperation laid down in Article 4 (3) TEU is increasingly becoming the focus of academic attention. In light of the vast potential of the duty to encroach on Member State prerogatives, in combination with a number of striking developments in the Court's case law in the field of external relations, particularly in recent years, the question arises whether Article 4 (3) TEU is slowly turning into an instrument for the Union institutions to achieve a loss of national competence, disguised as restrictions on the Member States' freedom to exercise their powers. This thesis investigates which role Article 4 (3) TEU has really played in governing the relationship between the EU and the Member States in external relations. It sets out to answer the positive question of which concept of federalism dominates the exercise of external powers. Building on this foundation, the thesis ultimately endeavours to provide an answer to the normative question regarding the vision of federalism best suited to the needs of both the Member States and the EU when acting on the international scene. In order to answer these questions, the thesis seeks to transpose Halberstam's theory of the political morality in federal systems to the field of EU external relations. Looking at the interpretation given to Article 4 (3) TEU, both in its detailed reasoning and as part of a broader picture may then allow us to appreciate the construction of the loyalty obligation as the reasoned outcome of a constitutional process involving the EU institutions, the Court of Justice and the Member States themselves. It will be argued that instead of pursuing political harmony between the Member States and the Union by way of creeping competence, Article 4 (3) TEU emphasises cooperation, compliance and complementarity in areas where the rigid division of competence would otherwise render the system of external relations ineffective.

A roundtable discussion regarding Central and Eastern Europe countries and their relations with Russia is presented. Adapted from the source document.

Abstract
Southern European countries (SEC) are often considered as a homogenous group, distinct from the rest of Europe, in the literature of housing studies. This article explores the idea that despite sharing cohesion factors, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain also displayed a significant degree of heterogeneity in their housing patterns at the outset of the current economic crisis. The study analyses 2005 and 2009 micro-data from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions at two levels. At the macro level, a cluster analysis was used to define four homogeneous groups in the European context. At the micro level, both homogeneous and heterogeneous features of home ownership in the SEC were identified using logistic modelling. The results of the macro analysis highlight the structural proximity between the southern and the post-socialist countries in terms of housing characteristics. With regard to predictors of home ownership, the micro analysis confirms that SEC form a distinctive group when compared with the European Union at large, while displaying significant internal heterogeneity in predictors such as age, citizenship, dwelling type and social environment.

This book analyses the European Union's common institutions and procedures and critically discusses its ability to pursue its vital interests as a unified actor in world politics. Though considerable progress has been made in its quest for collective external action, the EU´s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) as well as ist Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) continue to be strictly guided by the principles of intergovernmental coordination and unanimity. A comprehensive introduction to and analysis of CFSP and CSDP by examining their structures and fields of action – that's what this volume offers.



From the Contents:

Part 1: History and Institutions
Part 2: EU Foreign Relations: Organisations, Regions and Countries
Part 3: Current Issues
Conclusions/Outlook

Compulsory admission to mental health facilities is a controversial topic, as it impinges on personal liberty and the right to choose, and it carries the risk of abuse for political, social and other reasons (Gostin, 2000). However, involuntary admission can prevent harm to self and others, and assist people in attaining their right to health, which, due to their mental disorder, they are unable to manage voluntarily. Since the 1950s and 1960s, the delivery of mental health has shifted from a paternalistic emphasis on the need to treat those who are not able to look after themselves, to the rights of patients who have a mental illness. The Principles for the Protection of Persons with Mental Illness ('the MI Principles') adopted by the United Nations in 1991 play an important role in raising awareness about the human rights of people with mental health problems. They provide guidance on areas such as the procedures for involuntary admission to mental health facilities and standards of care (Knapp et al, 2007). Legal frameworks for involuntary placement of those who are mentally ill have been reformed in many European countries. Most regulate compulsory admission and treatment by special mental health laws. Only Greece, Spain, Italy and those member states of the European Union (EU) that joined in 2004 and 2007 have no separate laws (Dressing & Salize, 2004).

Intro -- Introduction (Józef M. Fiszer) -- Chapter 1. The Euro-Atlantic System Today and its Prospects in the New Global Order -- 1.1. Introduction -- 1.2. Evolution of the Euro-Atlantic system at the turn of the XX and XXI centuries -- 1.3. Shaping the multi-polar world order - determinants, opportunities and threats -- 1.4. The Future of the Euro-Atlantic System in the Multi-polar World -- 1.5. Conclusion -- Chapter 2. Rising Powers, Global Governance and the New International Order - Challenges for the European Union and the United States -- 2.1. Introduction -- 2.2. Quantifying the new international order -- 2.3. Heterogeneous and defensive alliance of the rising powers -- 2.4. Rising Powers and the Global Governance Architecture -- 2.5. Conclusion -- Chapter 3. The European Union and the United States in the process of shaping a new architecture of global governance in a transatlantic perspective -- 3.1. Introduction -- 3.2. Transatlantic relations and the new architecture of world order -- 3.3. Conclusion -- -- 4.1. Introduction -- 4.2. China and Asia-Pacific - a double challenge -- 4.2.1.The change in economic and military balance of power -- 4.2.2. Rising risk of conflict in the region -- 4.3. China as a geo-economic competitor -- 4.3.1.China as a technological superpower? -- 4.3.2.China as global power -- 4.4. The tasks of the West -- 4.5. Conclusion -- Chapter 5. Differentiated Integration in the European Union and its Prospects in the Context of Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policies -- 5.1. Introduction -- 5.2. What is the nature of differentiation in the European Union? -- 5.3. Typologies of internal and external differentiation -- 5.4. Differentiated integration as an opportunity for stalled enlargement and neighbourhood policies -- 5.4.1. Is flexible membership acceptable to candidate and neighbouring states?.

"For decades the European Union tried changing its institutions, but achieved only unsatisfying political compromises and modest, incremental treaty revisions. In late 2009, however, the EU was successfully reformed through the Treaty of Lisbon. Reforming the European Union examines how political leaders ratified this treaty against all odds and shows how this victory involved all stages of treaty reform negotiations--from the initial proposal to referendums in several European countries. The authors emphasize the strategic role of political leadership and domestic politics, and they use state-of-the-art methodology, applying a comprehensive data set for actors' reform preferences. They look at how political leaders reacted to apparent failures of the process by recreating or changing the rules of the game. While domestic actors played a significant role in the process, their influence over the outcome was limited as leaders ignored negative referendums and plowed ahead with intended reforms. The book's empirical analyses shed light on critical episodes: strategic agenda setting during the European Convention, the choice of ratification instrument, intergovernmental bargaining dynamics, and the reaction of the German Council presidency to the negative referendums in France, the Netherlands, and Ireland."--

Introduction : the constitutional theory, the constitutional debate and the constitutional process / Catherine Barnard -- European democracy between the ages / Paul Magnette -- Direct effect, indirect effect, supremacy and the evolving constitution of the European Union / Sacha Prechal -- Respecting fundamental rights in the new union : a review / Andrew Williams -- Social policy revisited in the light of the constitutional debate / Catherine Barnard -- The areas of freedom, security and justice and the European Union's constitutional dialogue / Dora Kostakopoulou -- Unity and pluralism in the EU's foreign relations power / Enzo Cannizzaro -- 'Euro-visions'? some thoughts on prospects and mechanisms for future constitutional change in the European Union / Angus Johnston