Heffernan offers data on the trading, economic, & political power of the European Union (EU). Organizational expansion is shown by a list of historical stages in European integration. Criteria for EU membership & details of evolving enlargement are cited. An explanation of the EU's contemporary functions & characteristics includes review of the creation of the Council of Europe & events moving the organization from the ECSC (European Coal & Steel Community) to the Maastricht treaty. Examination of the EU's interdependence considers the influence of the two world wars on European integration. There is reflection on conflict over integration & development as well as intergovernmentalism & supranationalism. The question, "How is the EU governed?" delves into the European Council's functions & the European Commission's composition. Legislative & executive systems are outlined. Fast periods of integration are listed & compared with slower, more conflictive epochs. Historical perspective of the EU covers the specificity of Western Europe & the role of intergovernmental bargaining. 12 References. M. C. Leary
Article 8b of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) extends municipal & European electoral rights to all Union citizens residing in each member state. This is clearly one of the most controversial provisions of the TEU, since municipal political rights have traditionally been extended only to the citizens of a particular state. In discussing the potential consequences of this principle of equal treatment, it is argued that Article 8b will necessarily have some effect on the overall regulation of the political participation of nonnationals in various member states & that it will ultimately require a full guarantee of the political freedoms of expression, assembly, & association. M. Maguire
The paper "Israel in the European neighborhood policy" attempts to explain the importance of the relation EU-Israel for the security of the European Union, but also for the global security. This task will be accomplished by analyzing basic documents vital for European political architecture, such as the European Security Strategy, Strategy Paper for Israel for the period 2007-2013, or EU/Israel Action Plan. The speeches of members of European Commission about the relation of EU with Israel are also important sources of the present paper, bringing valuable ideas who successfully complete the content of EU-Israel treaties. This paper attempts, also, to explain the functionning and the role of European neighborhood policy, its principles of action and objectives and, later on, to analyse the importance of Israel as a country found in the proximity of European Union. The reason for choosing Israel from all the other neighbors of the European Union, as subjects of European neighborhood policy, was the common values reflected in tradition and culture of the Jews from Israel and of the Europeans, enhanced by the European Jewry Heritage from Europe. We consider that the relationship between European Union and Israel is very normal and useful. Among the priorities of action established by the two parts as a consequence of European Union-Israel treaties, we would like to point out the assignment to fight against anti-Semitism and against terrorist actions. The Jewish people are a people who passed through a lot of difficulties and inconveniences during history and through a great tragedy during the Holocaust. Israel represents the refuge they longed for centuries and democratic states do support Israeli aspiration towards having their own fatherland. Anti-Semitism increased now in the Arab world being the consequence of the conflicts between Palestinians and Israelites in the last decades. Some times it can take the form of terrorist action and hence the connection with terrorist networks. The fight against terrorism is not strictly connected with anti-Semitism; terrorist networks are acting more and more widely, including actions versus western civilization. So it is both in the interest of Europeans and Israel to act against the ones who put in danger the basic human values. Both Israel and European Union and United States also, have to reconsider their relation with Arab world whose aggression increased as being home for numerous extremist and terrorist Islamic movements. Terrorism is the present day threat and not a global war. But terrorism can cause much more damage than a war as affecting the entire world and mainly civilians. No place can be safe enough when confronting with such a threat. But the treaties between Israel and European Union have also economic, social, political, security related objectives. They have at their base the common values that Israel and European Union countries share: democracy, human rights and respect for fundamental freedoms. They wish to create more prosperous and secure countries. And they open European economy to Israeli participation. Strenghtening the economic ties between Israel and European Union, all sectors of cooperation will be strenghtened because economic interest is at the basis of long term relations. The method of work will be critical interpretation of the documents concerning European neighbourhood policy and its connection to Israel. The purpose is to understand the written base of EU and Israel relations as a precondition for further possible analysis of the diplomatic relations and politics of the two entities. Our position is to encourage the relationship between Israel and European Union. Israel and the European Union countries are united through historical ties as Jews from whole Europe contributed after 1948 to the creation and development of the Israelian state. Their relationship appears us very normal and an expected result.
Argues that the neocorporatist model of labor politics that was initially developed by early integration theorists, & applied by particular nation-states in the 1950s & 1960s, was never realized at the European Union (EU) level -- primarily because, in contrast to the nation-state level, labor continued to be underorganized & thus could not stimulate an interaction effect between capital, the state, & itself. The underorganization of labor is traced to wide regional disparities in Europe & corresponding differences in national labor movements. Other causes for the failure of the neocorporatist model in EU integration efforts include the presence of the Council of Ministers, which worked to halt any attempt by supranational bodies to organize interests, & the strength of national corporatist efforts. Three trends indicate that the restoration of neocorporatism at either the national or supranational level is unlikely: (1) an increasing differentiation of social structures & collective interests in advanced capitalist societies; (2) market instability & volatility; & (3) changing roles & structures of interest associations. The future of interest politics at the nation-state & EU levels in light of this context is discussed. D. M. Smith
The two ways in which the European Union might represent a challenge to the concentration of power in the US are explored to argue that the internal contradictions of European leadership & present developments in the world economy threaten to destabilize the entire structure of the EU. A brief historical narrative traces the process of European construction sponsored by the US since 1949, which achieved a strong European economy without creating major problems for the US. The frictions between the US & French led European order of 1958-1969, the low point of US prestige at the end of the 70s & the neoliberal zeitgeist were the context for the European response with the Single European Act of 1986 which gave rise to the EU. Analysis of the Single Act identifies the system of supranational law, & the unbalanced nature of European construction. The current efforts of the EU to integrate member states financial systems & to build huge liquid markets in euro dominated securities are hindered by the way the EU elites conceive financial integration. Overcoming the internal contradictions of the EU would require rejection of the purely market creating focus of the present EU, & a determination to preserve & develop the deep integration achieved over the last half-century. Only if progressive forces of opposition to find enough common ground to redirect rather than dismantle the EU, the significant challenge to US hegemony emerge on the old continent. References. J. Harwell
Recent debate on the existence of democratic processes in the European Union (EU) has provoked more questions than answers. The difficulty of choosing a suitable model for comparison is cited along with the need for the EU to use increasingly democratic means. Lord explores the means by which democratic government may reliably reflect public wishes. It is asserted that more democracy in the EU could mean less legitimacy. Means of avoiding this problem are explored via a list of methods for institutionalizing democracy & a comparison of intergovernmental & supranational approaches. Also considered are the idea of democratizing the EU by a "consociational" method & monitoring governors. Examples of deeper democratization's impact on national & populist representation are given. European elections & the European Parliament (EP) are examined for their ability to herald results of the proposed change. There is discussion of the powers of executive formation & dismissal & of the EP's legislative power. The possibilities attending strengthening of the EP, popular election of an EU executive, & Swiss-style referendums are analyzed. 1 Table, 40 References. M. C. Leary
Bromley reiterates his original contention concerning the revelatory potential of studying the EU (European Union)'s governance. The book's discussion of divergent formats is reviewed for insight into the workings of integration. Hix's summary of the pertinent differences in intergovernmental & supranational models is quoted. An argument for the EU as a functional federal state is illustrated, & debate over characterization of the EU as a regulatory state is reviewed. Nation states are compared with the EU through first an intergovernmental, then multilevel filter. Exploration of the EU's authority & credibility turns from questions of models to arguments by Rosamond, Majone, Scharpf, & Thompson regarding regulatory function, market efficiency, redistribution, & political community. 3 Tables, 8 References. M. C. Leary
Bromley ponders EU (European Union) nations' roles, the group's groundbreaking international cooperation, its division of political authority, & the nature of that authority's execution. Also examined are EU members' transformation through integration, the nature of the adaptive political form, & that form's possible relation to member states' politics. The demise of European imperialism is chronicled from the late 19th century through WWII. Shifts in power & alliance are evidenced by documentation of the General Agreement on Tariffs & Trade, the International Monetary Fund, & the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Discussion of the EU's implementation & governance includes the 1951 treaty establishing the European Coal & Steel Communities & the 1957 Treaties of Rome. The EU's most significant supranational aspects are explored. The complexities & possibilities arising from EU member states' deference to the group's supranational status are elucidated. Descriptive instances of conflict resolution are included, & the role of international legislative organizations is discussed. 11 References. M. C. Leary
Contemplation of expansion takes into account the European Union (EU)'s original ideals. The EU's formation & growth, 1951-1995, is charted along with cautionary projections, including those made by Jacques Delors, on growth. There is discussion of the costs of enlargement, models of EU development, & the EU's commitment to & conditions for expansion. Considered consequences of enlargement include conflict over accession & the need for institutional reform. Post-Cold War integration is compared with previous conditions & with prospects for integrating current applicants. The process of reaching an agreement on new conditions for membership, 1991-1995, is reviewed. Figures on individual Eastern European countries' populations & economies are given. There is listing of EU conclusions regarding applicant states' eligibility for membership & of concerns that arose regarding issues of agriculture, single market implementation, environmental standards, transport, nuclear safety, & border disputes. Potential admission of Mediterranean countries is contemplated. Proposed shifts in the EU's practices, institutions, & policies are laid out. 2 Tables, 4 Figures, 13 References. M. C. Leary
Reflection on the development of the European Union (EU) is enhanced by a chronology of pivotal historic events. Definitions of key terms are provided. The goal of examining reasons for the EU's evolution, administration, & dominant political system is stated. Other queries regard the EU's purpose, the nature of its relationship with & effect on member states, & its efficacy. A definition of the term "politics" is pursued. There is iteration of Finer's list of nation-state attributes. Exploration of the notion of legitimately exercised power includes reproduction of Beetham & Lord's set of criteria determining legality, justifiability, & legitimation. An overview of questions of governance links models of the EU, an intergovernmental model, & a supranational model. 18 References. M. C. Leary
An examination of the role of a European Charter for Fundamental Rights maintains that the ongoing discussion of fundamental rights reflects the growing relevance of a democratically legitimated unification process for the citizens of member states. Although economic unification was the original focus of European integration, it soon became apparent that fundamental rights would have to be considered. Guidelines for matters concerning fundamental rights developed by the European Convention on Human Rights are described, along with the new dimension to the debate introduced by the Treaty of Amsterdam, & the acceptance of a European Charter for Fundamental Rights at the Dec 2000 European Council in Nice. Although the Charter was accepted as a nonbinding political statement, supporters consider it an important step toward the development of a European constitution. The position of opponents to such a constitution is explored, along with other potential conflicts surrounding a Charter of Fundamental Rights, & prospects for the future of fundamental rights policy. J. Lindroth
Investigates the influence of the capitalist class in the European Union (EU) during the postwar liberal restructuring of capitalist relations & the more recent global neoliberalization of national power configurations. The European bourgeoisie is identified as the capitalist class & described as a social force whose cohesion & power derive from four principal sources: (1) a labor process built on the exploitation of human labor power; (2) a particular complex of market relations; (3) a structure of profit distribution; & (4) a particular relation to the state. These aspects are used as coordinates for framing the way in which the capitalist class has responded to postwar economic conditions. It is argued that until the 1960s, the capitalist class in the postwar period followed a corporatist policy characterized by a Fordist mode of accumulation & enforced by regional institutions. However, successive shocks of domestic & international crisis in the 1960s led to a renationalization of economic policies among EU states, a period of stagnation in integration efforts that was only halted by a neoliberal restructuring that forced competitive austerity & freed capital to circulate transnationally. Particular attention is paid to the European Round Table of Industrialists & its role as a policy-making group in the extended relaunch of European integration. 4 Tables, 39 References. D. M. Smith
Can interest groups and lobbyists—arguably undemocratic institutions—operate in democratic systems without hindering the people’s interests? Karolina Karr’s Democracy and Lobbying in the European Union explores the role and potential impact of interest groups on democracy, both in theory and practice, in the context of a changing continent. This timely volume explores how the power of interest groups has developed due to the growing distance between elected representatives and the European people and forecasts what this development might mean for the vitality of government. Wie können die Interessen einzelner Gruppen in demokratische Systeme integriert werden, ohne dabei demokratische Entscheidungsprozesse zu gefährden? Karolina Karr untersucht die Rolle und den Einfluss von Lobbygruppen in der Europäischen Union. Sie zeigt, wie Abgeordnete mit Informationen ausgestattet werden, und fragt, ob und inwieweit die Politiker dadurch besser in der Lage sind, unterschiedliche Interessen zum allgemeinen Vorteil auszubalancieren.
