Suchergebnisse

The European Union macro-regional strategies represent a policy framework that aims to enable EU Member States and third countries sharing common interests to better coordinate their potentials in order to make the best possible use of available opportunities. This paper looks into the specificities of four EU macro-regional strategies covering 19 European Union Member States and nine non-EU countries. Given the challenging situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it also considers the future perspectives of EU macro-regional strategies as well as their adaptability to new circumstances. More specifically, it focuses on intergovernmental initiatives and their implementation, underlying the importance of the application of the principle of subsidiarity. In addition, the aim of the paper is to provide a critical overview of the subject by highlighting two pivotal elements. First, it assesses whether the EU macro-regional strategies could be genuinely successful, given the fact that they do not have their separate allocation but use the existing funding instead. Second, it explores the ability of the EU macro-regional strategies to bridge wider EU-level policies on the one hand and local policies on the other. Finally, the idea of the paper is to offer an overview of the future role of the EU macro-regional strategies and of possibilities for their further expansion. ; The European Union macro-regional strategies represent a policy framework that aims to enable EU Member States and third countries sharing common interests to better coordinate their potentials in order to make the best possible use of available opportunities. This paper looks into the specificities of four EU macro-regional strategies covering 19 European Union Member States and nine non-EU countries. Given the challenging situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it also considers the future perspectives of EU macro-regional strategies as well as their adaptability to new circumstances. More specifically, it focuses on intergovernmental ...

The European Union macro-regional strategies represent a policy framework that aims to enable EU Member States and third countries sharing common interests to better coordinate their potentials in order to make the best possible use of available opportunities. This paper looks into the specificities of four EU macro-regional strategies covering 19 European Union Member States and nine non-EU countries. Given the challenging situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it also considers the future perspectives of EU macro-regional strategies as well as their adaptability to new circumstances. More specifically, it focuses on intergovernmental initiatives and their implementation, underlying the importance of the application of the principle of subsidiarity. In addition, the aim of the paper is to provide a critical overview of the subject by highlighting two pivotal elements. First, it assesses whether the EU macro-regional strategies could be genuinely successful, given the fact that they do not have their separate allocation but use the existing funding instead. Second, it explores the ability of the EU macro-regional strategies to bridge wider EU-level policies on the one hand and local policies on the other. Finally, the idea of the paper is to offer an overview of the state of affairs when macro-regions are concerned. ; Makroregionalne strategije Europske unije okvir su politike koji ima za cilj omogućiti državama članicama EU-a i trećim zemljama, koje dijele zajedničke interese, da bolje koordiniraju svoje potencijale kako bi na najbolji način iskoristile dostupne mogućnosti. Ovaj rad razmatra specifičnosti četiriju makroregionalnih strategija EU-a koje pokrivaju 19 država članica i devet zemalja koje nisu članice EU-a. S obzirom na izazovnu situaciju uzrokovanu pandemijom bolesti COVID-19, razmatraju se i buduće perspektive makroregionalnih strategija EU-a kao i njihova prilagodljivost novim okolnostima. Točnije, usredotočuje se na međuvladine inicijative i njihovu provedbu, što je temelj primjene načela ...

The large-scale COVID-19 pandemic is a severe public health emergency which poses distressing social and economic challenges to the international community as a whole. In order to provide immediate and effective support to affected welfare and healthcare systems as well as to build their lasting, inclusive and sustainable recovery, both the European Union and the United Nations have introduced a number of urgent measures aiming to help and protect citizens and economies. This paper looks into the specificities of urgent procedures launched and carried out by the two most influential international organisations with a view to rapidly respond to the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis. More specifically, it focuses on the involved institutions and steps of urgent procedures as well as on their most remarkable outcomes. In the case of the European Union, the emphasis is put primarily on two Coronavirus Response Investment Initiatives (CRIIs), adopted during the Croatian Presidency of the Council in one of the fastest legal procedures in the history of the European Union, and the Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe (REACT-EU) as an extension of the CRIIs' crisis repair measures. The overarching United Nations' response is assessed through an analysis of its urgent policy agenda developed on the premise that the COVID-19 pandemic is not only a health and socio-economic emergency but also a global humanitarian, security and human rights crisis. This particularly includes procedures foreseen by the Global Humanitarian Response Plan (GHRP) and the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP). In addition, the aim of the paper is to provide a critical overview of the subject by highlighting three pivotal elements. First, the paper sheds light on the financial aspects of the urgent fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, necessary for turning words into action. Notably, this refers to funds secured by the Multiannual Financial Frameworks 2014-2020 and 2021-2027, and theNext Generation EUrecovery ...

On 11 December 2019, the European Commission published the Communication on the European Green Deal, preparing the ground for a new growth policy based on the ambitious climate and environmental objective of achieving a climate-neutral Europe by 2050. To that end, the European Green Deal has proposed the establishment of the Just Transition Mechanism, a robust funding scheme aiming to complement actions closely intertwined with the transition towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient future. Although of European provenance, the new growth strategy builds closely on the principles of the Paris Agreement – a landmark international legal act to combat climate change in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty. This paper examines the legal specificities of the green and just transition in the EU through the prism of the European Green Deal. The emphasis is on the role of the Just Transition Fund (JTF), the principal pillar of the Just Transition Mechanism, established and implemented under Cohesion policy rules to help the European economy and society become environmentally sustainable and conscious. In particular, the focus is on the possibilities offered by the new instrument in financing the diversification of local economy and mitigating negative impacts on employment, both alone and in conjunction with other instruments, mechanisms and facilities of the forthcoming financial period 2021 – 2027. In order to illustrate the manifold challenges of reshaping Cohesion policy in the course of the green transition, the paper also summarises the critical elements of the EU green reform at the time of the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis. ; Peer reviewed