The Shaping of a Policy Framework for the Wider Europe. CEPS Policy Brief No. 39, September 2003

[From the Introduction]. With the enlargement of the EU from 15 to 25, the new Wider Europe debate – interpreted in the broad sense as in this paper – rises high up on the EU agenda, complementing the draft Constitution prepared by the European Convention. Together they are defining what the EU is to be. The Convention is defining the EU from the inside. The Wider Europe debate is seeking to define it by reference to its outer edges and wider neighbourhood. Already in March 2003, the European Commission published a first policy communication on the subject. This has been followed by the document on European security strategy submitted to the European Council in June 2003 by Javier Solana, the optique of which is different, but whose content overlaps with the Wider Europe. These two documents may be viewed as ‘white’ or ‘green’ papers of the EU institutions. They are important references, yet highly preliminary and incomplete. The present document sketches a more structured policy framework, and makes proposals for how this might be further developed

The social borders of EU Immigration Policy (in the Italian perspective). WP CSDLE “Massimo D’Antona”.INT – 105/2014

In the bibliographic archives of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) of one can locate a reassuring typed letter dated 1975 by the then Commission of the EEC, hand-annotated by an unknown clerk. In the correspondence with ILO in the context of a comparison regarding the protection of migrant workers, the sender emphasizes that the attention concerning extra-EU workers is not of less importance than that of intra- EU migrants1. In support of the good intentions the letter mentions the presentation to the Council of a specific Action Programme in Favour of Migrant Workers and their families only a few months after the approval of the Resolution by the Council regarding the then first programme of social action. Dated 21st January 1974, the former; 18th December the latter also sealing a temporal continuity not only axiological of the appreciation of the shared roots of the free circulation of workers. Some forty years later, these documents deserve careful attention rather than a superficial glance. Above all, they raise questions about the real impact of EU immigration policy especially after the Treaty of Lisbon. The document originating in the early seventies was supposed to give political rigour to the undertaking in the first document with a view to “bringing about equality between EU and non-EU workers and their families in all respects, social and economic, taking into account current EU regulations” and “harmonizing immigration policy in respect of non EU countries”

Division 3M Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) - Interim Monitoring Update

This document updates some of the indices for northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) harvested within NAFO Divisions 3M. The assessment for this resource was completed, within Scientific Council during autumn 2011. Scientific Council recommended that the fishing mortality for 2013 be set as close to zero as possible. Now, the low indices of biomass estimated in the 2012 EU summer survey, where the stock size was well below Blim proxy, confirm the depletion of the stock after several years of downward trend, even though the levels of exploitation have been low since 2005 and close to zero in 2011 and 2012, due to the moratorium initiated in 2011. The biomass estimates (EU survey summer 1988-2012) are updated within this report. In the 2011 EU survey the 3M total and female biomass index were 1041t and 850 t respectively. These indexes were around 37% lower than last year and the lowest values in the EU survey series. As previous years, the sharp decline of shrimp biomass in Flemish Cap was associated with a high level of the cod stock. This unfavorable situation confirms the recommendation carried out within Scientific Council during autumn 2011

Divison 3M Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) - Interim Monitoring Update

This document updates some of the indices for northern shripm (Pandalus borealis) harvested within NAFO Divisions 3M. The assessment for this resource was completed, within Scientific Council during autumn 2008, and although it was not possible to present a management advice on a specific TAC due to insufficient information, in light of the poor prospect for this stock, the scientific council recommended that the exploitation level for 2009 and 2010 should not exceed the levels that have occurred since 2005. The catch table (to September 2009) and biomass estimates (EU survey summer 1988-2009) are updated within this report. Preliminary data indicate that 20267 t and 12889 t of shrimp were taken in 2007 and 2008 respectively against an annual TAC of 48000 t y 32000 respectively. In the 2009 EU survey the 3M biomass index was 2797 t, next to the lowest values estimated in the beginning of the EU survey series and confirming the decrease initiated in 2002. This drastic decline in the biomass index make necessary the revision of the recommendation carried out within Scientific Council during autumn 2008

Member States and Audible Communication within the EU Council Working Groups

EU Council working groups still represent a topic that is neglected in EU research. If they are analysed, the effect of socialisation is particularly tested while rationally motivated factors such as a Left-Right position, green/alternative/libertarian (GAL) and traditionalism/authority/nationalism (TAN) positions or approaches towards the EU are left aside. This article analyses how such factors shape the member states’ oral communication at the working groups level. Based on a dataset gathered by non-participatory observation of interventions, the analysis suggests that none of the rationally constructed variables plays a significant role in shaping the audible communication of representatives of the EU member states. The article thus confirms the effect of socialisation on oral communication as well as the influence of structural factors such as member states’ power and the character of the document under discussion

Progressive realism and the EU’s international actorness: towards a grand strategy?

The EU lacks a coherent strategy to guide its international actions.This is a problem that has been amply discussed in both academic and policy-making circles, but that remains to be fully addressed. The December 2013 European Council recognised the issue, and the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini is in charge of a strategic review that will lead to a global strategy by June 2016. Most arguments in favour of a grand strategy rely on utilitarian arguments that highlight the EU’s potential for a more efficient foreign policy. By linking a progressive realist approach to the importance of an EU grand strategy, this article intends to demonstrate the normative need for such a guiding document. As it will be argued, a grand strategy is a necessary step in the consolidation of the EU as a pluralist postnational polity that has in the fulfilment of its citizens’ interests its raison d’être

The Energy Union: what is in a name? EPC Commentary, 18 March 2015

On 19-20 March, the EU Council will react to the Commission’s Communication on the Energy Union. Considering the high expectations, the reactions have been diverse so far, with complaints about the lack of attention for some specific interests or unsurprising credit as the document is vague enough to accommodate all wishes. However, a general consensus has emerged about the need for a holistic approach. States and stakeholders seem to recognise that the main challenges Europe faces in energy matters are deeply interconnected and can no longer be treated separately and without a larger role for the EU

Dear Donald … Yours, David. CEPS Commentary, 12 November 2015

The cordial letter of November 10th from the British Prime Minister to the President of the European Council is an important document. It sets the stage for deliberations on whether the UK stays in the EU, or quits in an historic act of destructive disintegration for the EU that condemns the UK to what has fittingly been called “the spectre of geo-political irrelevance”. Overall the letter is looking like a plausible move towards settling the Brussels part of the Prime Minister’s manifest objective to keep the UK in the EU, argues Michael Emerson in this CEPS Commentary. But there is one major part of the debate that is underdeveloped so far: the clarification of the scenarios and consequences of secession. Eurosceptics have not detailed their positions on how to manage the secession, but what is becoming clearer is that all conceivable options are far more problematic than the status quo

Preparing for the New Minorities in Europe: The EU Influence on National Minority Protection in Romania and Slovakia. Jean Monnet/Robert Schuman Paper Series Vol. 5 No. 25, August 2005

[From the introduction]. This paper examines the mechanisms and strategies of the EU in supporting the process of democratization in Central and Eastern Europe by concentrating on one particular area which seemed most significant in view of the escalation of ethnic conflict in the region. I focus on the influence of the EU’s representatives and institutions in inducing cooperation between states and ethnic groups within states for the purpose of minority rights expansion and implementation by means of the promise of integration. By definition, democratization includes "... the processes whereby the rules and procedures of citizenship are either applied to political institutions previously governed by other principles... or expanded to include persons not previously enjoying such rights and obligations (e.g. ethnic minorities, women, foreign residents, etc.) or extended to cover issues and institutions not previously subject to citizen participation (state agencies, military establishments, etc.)" (Schmitter and O'Donnell, 1986: 8). As early as 1993, the European Council had devised specific criteria for the evaluation of a country’s preparedness to gain membership in the Union, and on par with the economic requirements were political conditions which outlined the road towards integration. The political conditionality for the Central and Eastern European countries’ membership was spelled out in the concluding document of the Copenhagen summit on 21-22 June 1993, where the European Council put forward what came to be known as the “Copenhagen criteria” for EU admission: “Stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities, the existence of a functioning market economy as well as the capacity to cope with competitive pressure and market forces within the Union.” (1) While minority rights were never specifically listed or clearly outlined, I will demonstrate that through the statements of its representatives and the official reports European institutions have issued on the countries’ progress towards accession, the EU has continuously had an essential role in the expansion of minority rights

Division 3M Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) - Interim Monitoring Update

This document updates some of the indices for northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) harvested within NAFO Divisions 3M. The assessment for this resource was completed, within Scientific Council during autum 2007, and although it was not possible to present a management advice on a specific TAC due to insufficient information, in ligth of the poor prospect for this stock, the scientific council recommended that the exploitation level for 2008 and 2009 should not exceed the 2005 and 2006 levels. The catch table (to September 2008) and biomass estimates (EU survey summer 1988-2008) are updated within this report. Preliminary data indicate that 20533 t and 16869 t of shrimp were taken in 2006 and 2007 respectively against an annual TAC of 48000 t. In the 2008 EU survey the 3M biomass index was 10931 t, the lowest value of the last 10 years and confirm the decreasing trend initiated in 2002