Europe between China and the United States : geoeconomic implications of the belt and road initiative

Purpose: The research aims to examine the scope, nature and strength of the EU’s relations with China and the United States, under new circumstances created by the development of the Belt and Road Initiative. Design/Methodology/Approach: In pursuance of the goals, three main research fields were identified. The first part of the research covers the EU-China relationship with special regard to the Belt and Road Initiative development. The second part concentrates on the transatlantic relationship under the specific terms of Sino-American competition. The third section is devoted to measuring the strength of economic ties between the EU with China and the U.S. The multidimensional analysis of the EU-China and the EU-U.S. bilateral cooperation is conducted within the framework of the geoeconomic theory. The main tool used in the first and second part of the research is a literature analysis whereas to reflect the strength of geoeconomic relations between the countries geoeconomic vulnerability indicators were employed. Findings: The BRI is an instrument promoting China’s model for international economic cooperation, giving an advantage to the Chinese state and commercial enterprises at the expense of the U.S. and other partners of the EU. Although China has an advantage in terms of trade, its FDI is yet to catch up with those from the U.S. However, as China consistently increases trade and investments in the EU countries, its geoeconomic and geopolitical influence in the region may definitely increase. Practical Implications: The proposed set of indicators can be used to assess and monitor the strength and nature of bilateral relations between countries from a geoeconomic perspective. Originality/Value: The article provides a comprehensive and multidimensional analysis of the current EU-China-U.S. relations in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative. In this paper, the authors examine relations between the above mentioned countries by means of a geoeconomic approach.peer-reviewe

Enhancing the Effectiveness of Social Dialogue Articulation in Europe (EESDA) Project No. VS/2017/0434 Social Dialogue Articulation and Effectiveness: Country Report for France

This report presents a country study analysing the articulation and effectiveness of social dialogue in France. The methodological approach relies on desk research and semi-structured interviews with social partners in France, aiming at obtaining deeper insights into how issues are articulated in French social dialogue, actors are interacting, and how social dialogue outcomes are achieved – and ultimately implemented. Following a brief historical background on the industrial relations system and the evolutions in the French context after a series of reforms, the report then provides both a cross-sectoral overview of social dialogue articulation and the interaction with European-level social dialogue. It also offers a sectoral perspective by looking at four sectors with a particular focus on four occupations within these sectors: commerce (sales agents), construction (construction workers), education (teachers) and healthcare (nurses). The research suggests a diversity of experiences both in cross-sectoral and sectoral social dialogue articulation and their effectiveness depending on the type of actor (e.g. trade unions, employer organisations, etc.) and on the sector of focus. The perceptions of social dialogue effectiveness are mixed in the face of continuous reforms over the last decades. Interactions with European-level social dialogue and social partners is considered as important (particularly in some sectors), but the intensity of the interaction is limited when it comes to involvement in the European Semester process

E-commerce and territorial development in the Objective-1 spanish regions

The information and communication technologies constitute one of the main forces of the globalization. In this framework, the e-commerce takes advantage of Internet to improve the competitiveness of the companies and territories. In the nowadays scenario, the e-commerce opens development posibilities for the regions fewer developed, creating a virtual space that saves the geographical barriers. However, the use of its advantages requires infrastructures and equipment, organizational capacity and high formation in new technologies. In spite of the deficit that the objetive 1 spanish regions show in these fields to develop the their own Information Society, the attitude and the efforts of the public and private agents in improving their position in the national and international context, they open optimistic expectations on the future use of the advantages that the e-commerce offers for the growth and the improvement of the regional competitiveness in Spain. Nevertheless, one cannot hope the e-commerce is a decisive element to eliminate the territorial inequalities, not even the technologies of the information in its group, but rather it can be that they originate a restructuring of the spanish and european territorial pattern, where some regions will be able to improve thanks to the extension and deeping of the digital economy and others will worsen its position in the territorial system. In any event, the developed regions leave of a better position. All the analysts coincide in pointing out that the e-commerce is in an incipient phase, for what es expected that its growth in next years is very important. In this sense, this communication seeks to analyze the use of the possibilities that the e-commerce offers as tool of improvement of the competitiveness in the objetive 1 spanish regions in the framework of the regional development. To get this objetive, the theoretical linkings are revised among the new information and communication technologies, that allow the use of Internet like a trade channel, and the territorial development, showing the different focuses with those that are come approaching the influences of the Information Society on the regional competitiveness. Also, the current situation and perspectives of the objetive one spanish regions are rewied to face the challenges that outline the technological advances in this field in three environments: infrastructures and equipment; organization, support institutions and administration initiatives; and innovation, knowledge and formation.

COMMON INDUSTRIAL POLICY AND COMPETITIVENESS*

This article focuses on the theory in the field of industrial policy and government intervention in economy, presenting personal approaches and considerations related to this subject. Also, it presents worthy aspects to be considered when adapting industrial policy instruments to the modern day socio-political realities and especially to Romanian economy.industrial policy, market failure, competitiveness, economic growth

Transparency in transatlantic trade and data law

Transparency continues to occupy a patchy and uneven place in EU and US relations in key economic and regulatory areas. This patchiness plays out in a variety of ways including in downgrading by the US of the EU in diplomatic and regional standing albeit non-expressly in recent times. The chapter explores the shifts in practices on transparency in EU-US cooperation from a legal perspective. It focuses on EU-US trade negotiations and data transfer cooperation. Transparency provides a useful point of departure as it is a common value and instrument for the US and EU, yet one that seems to be utilised very differently. Transatlantic relations increasingly show a tension between the government to government model of transparency. In the EU-US data protection regime of the Privacy Shield a complex constellation of subjects is emerging and its genuine enforcement appears open to significant doubt. In trade, the European Parliament increasingly attempts to participate and involve citizens’ rights in new EU-US negotiations and raise civil liberties, citizens’ mobility rights and public interest themes. In light of these developments, this chapter considers how EU and US are becoming divergent in how they handle both communication with each other and toward citizens. The EU is increasingly becoming an organised transparent actor toward the US and trying to increase transparency toward citizens through different instruments, whereas at the moment we see in the US a disruptive environment of information flows and an administration that disrupts the traditional lines of allies and non-allies in how it behaves

International co-ordination of e-commerce

Despite the world-wide stock market breakdown of the internet economy in the year 2001, the new information and communication technologies will enable firms to integrate world-wide e-commerce in their business. This will facilitate the entry of firms in every connected country into international markets and perhaps value up their market position. Therefore, the world-wide use of information and communications technology, in particular e-commerce is fostered. To attain this, there are lot of attempts to regulate the e-economy on an international level as there are uncertainties in legal certainty, data protection or the digital divide between industrialised and development countries. The paper addresses this topic and shows which playing fields of co-ordination in e-commerce are relevant in general and how they are recently implemented in international co-ordination activities by various organisations and states e.g., the European Union, the United States or the WTO.e-commerce; internatioal coordination