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This article provides a comparative analysis of the degree of Europeanization of national party manifestos. The research is based on a newly established database, which comprises digitized party manifestos of relevant parties in the period 1960–2003 in most of the established member states. The unit of analysis is the frequency of 'co-mentions' of 20 policy areas and (aspects of) Europe and the European Union. The results show that the degree to which parties acknowledge the increasing impact of Europe on policy-making depends on factors such as the time period, the type of policy sector, the duration of EU membership, the general attitude of parties towards European integration and the degree of internal consensus on European issues. Hence, references to Europe do not (only) reflect the process of European integration itself, but are affected by both insti tutional and party strategic factors.

AbstractThis article provides an assessment of the EU institutions' response to the coronavirus pandemic. By building on a synthesis of the new intergovernmentalism and the emergency politics approach it contends that the effectiveness and legitimacy of de novo bodies like the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have fallen prey to its intergovernmental decision‐making structure, whereas the ECB has proven to be more resilient. The European Commission as the traditional engine of European integration was able to fill the gap with its large‐scale recovery instrument termed 'Next Generation EU' and via the creation of a temporary loan‐based instrument to support national short‐term work schemes (SURE). The historic July 2020 European Council produced policy outputs such as the 'emergency brake' and the diluted 'rule of law mechanism' that have the potential to deepen the rift between polarized member states.

When signing the new Treaty on European Union in Maastricht, the governmental leaders of the 12 member countries of the European Communities had accomplished a significant step towards economic & political union. Before taking effect the draft proposal had, however, to be ratified according to the procedures of the 12 member countries. We discuss & analyze these different ratification procedures by focusing on the parliamentary stage. Applying the two-level game concept of international cooperation we show that a two-dimensional representation of the Maastricht draft treaty sufficiently explains the domestic events that occurred during the ratification process. Besides extending the Maastricht negotiation win-set linking economic & political objectives, the two-dimensionality particularly increased the 12 governments' likelihood to survive the ratification constraints in their domestic arena. Using spatial solution concepts from social choice theory as tools, we attempt to illustrate with empirical data how 'big' the domestic win-sets of the 12 were in the parliamentary ratification. 6 Tables, 5 Figures, 44 References. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Ltd.]

"The European Union in a Global Context explores the interplay between the state and state sovereignty, nationalism, European integration and globalisation. It provides essential foundations in these areas, while using stimulating arguments to prompt discussion and provoke interest in the relationships between these processes. It critically analyses the challenges faced by the EU from the contemporary political and economic dynamics of globalisation (IPE), including trading relationships set through the WTO and bilateral relations with emerging markets, especially the BRIC economies. Likewise, pressures from within, such as a resurgence of nationalism, localisation, anti-austerity politics, and Euroscepticism are examined. While the Union is fundamentally challenged by pressures from above and below, and by its own internal dysfunction, it remains central to the effective management of the international political economy. The European Union in a Global Context is a lively, focussed and engaging text, incorporating anecdotes and contemporary arguments, and presenting different perspectives on European integration and globalisation. It will be of key interest to European Politics, European Studies, European Union Studies and more broadly to global political economy, foreign and security policy and international relations"--

European Union research has made great strides in understanding the dynamics of the European Union decision-making process. In contrast to this progress, the dynamics unfolding after the enactment of a European Union secondary legislative act has largely been ignored. Some of these acts remain in force in their original form for several years while others are revised soon after their enactment. What factors account for this variation? We empirically analyze the proposition that in the presence of 'legislative drift,' i.e. the intertemporal variation of decision-makers' preferences, major revisions of European Union legislative acts are more likely to occur. Based on an analysis of the revision histories of 158 major European Union acts in the time period between 1958 and 2003, we find significant support for this hypothesis. [Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications Ltd., copyright holder.]

This comparative case study tries to offer an empirical insight into the explanatory power of competing approaches on parliamentary influence in the cooperation procedure of the European Union. The theoretical debate on the impact of the cooperation procedure has received remarkable attention & centers around the relative importance of parliamentary agenda-setting & veto powers. Our comparative analysis reveals two important conceptual differences among the competing approaches on parliamentary power: first in their focus on the preference profile &, second, in their modeling of the reference point. The empirical findings show that the supranational preference profile characterizes the actor configuration in European legislative politics, at either the dimensional or the issue level of Commission proposals. The competing approaches overestimate supranational agenda-setting power & parliamentary veto power is unlikely to strengthen the pro-integrationist influence. 2 Tables, 6 Figures, 24 References. [Copyright 2001 Sage Publications Ltd.]

In providing an analysis of post-European Monetary Union fiscal policy, this forum focuses on the EMU's role in the political economy of fiscal policy making. It then turns to a discussion of the causes of fiscal stress that confront many of the European Union countries in the face of EMU implementation, eg, demographic change, an aging population, immigration, & the effects of a social welfare system. 23 References. K. Larsen

Intro -- Geleitwort -- Vorwort -- Inhaltsverzeichnis -- Abkürzungsverzeichnis -- 1 Einleitung -- 1.1. Fragestellung -- 1.2. Forschungsstand -- 1.3. Aufbau und Methodik -- 2 Solidarität in der Europäischen Union -- 2.1. Begriffsgeschichte von Solidarität -- 2.1.1. Ursprung im römischen Recht -- 2.1.2. Adaption im Zuge der Französischen Revolution -- 2.1.3. Neuausrichtung im postrevolutionären Frankreich -- 2.1.4. Wirkung in der Arbeiterbewegung -- 2.1.5. Verwendung in der aufkommenden Soziologie: Comte und Durkheim -- 2.1.6. Der französische Solidarismus -- 2.1.7. Solidarität in der katholischen Soziallehre -- 2.1.8. Solidarität in der Gegenwartsdebatte: Habermas und Honneth -- 2.1.9. Zusammenfassung: Das Konzept der Solidarität -- 2.2. Das Solidaritätsprinzip in der Europäischen Union -- 2.2.1. Die Europäische Union als "Rechtsgemeinschaft" -- 2.2.2. Das Solidaritätsprinzip als conditio sine qua non der Europäischen Union -- 2.2.2.1. Solidarität und Gemeinwohl in der Europäischen Union -- 2.2.2.2. Verrechtlichung des Solidaritätsprinzips in der Europäischen Union -- 2.2.3. Das Solidaritätsprinzip im Vertrag von Lissabon -- 2.2.3.1. Integrationshistorischer Hintergrund -- 2.2.3.2. Werte, Grundsätze und Ziele des Vertrags von Lissabon -- 2.2.3.3. Das Loyalitätsprinzip -- 2.2.4. Das Solidaritätsprinzip in den asylpolitischen Zielvorgaben des Vertrags von Lissabon -- 2.3. Zusammenfassung -- 3 Solidarität in der europäischen Asylpolitik -- 3.1. Das Solidaritätsprinzip im Gemeinsamen Europäischen Asylsystem -- 3.1.1. Die rechtlich-politische Ausgangssituation in der europäischen Asylkooperation -- 3.1.2. Der Beginn: Die "TREVI"-Zusammenarbeit -- 3.1.3. Von "Schengen" zu "Dublin" -- 3.1.4. Die Auswirkungen der weltpolitischen Umwälzungen um 1990 -- 3.1.5. Vom Maastrichter Vertrag bis zum Programm von Tampere -- 3.1.6. Die Massenzustrom-Richtlinie.

Individuals self-categorize within an international context, and this supranational identity shapes expectations for their own political system. Those individuals in postCommunist countries who believe that their country's primary international orientation should be towards the European Union have a more participatory view of politics and are more politically active. This study develops a social identity explanation of political behavior, and tests the explanation utilizing maximum likelihood and non-parametric matching methods in a 2004 survey of political attitudes in Moldova. Moldova's patchwork of identities, mixed historical legacy, and salience of supranational association make it an excellent case for study. The analysis finds strong support for the effect of supranational identity across a wide range of attitudes and activities.