European Neighbourhood Policy in the Mashreq Countries: Enhancing Prospects for Reform. CEPS Working Documents No. 229, 1 September 2005

This report assesses ways in which the Action Plan process that has been launched under the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) could become a more effective driver of political and economic change in the Mashreq region (covering Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories), compared with the modest results from the Barcelona process to date. The development of the ENP has already provided a valuable systemic/institutional advance in Euro-Med relations and has been an important confidence-building measure in an increasingly uncertain political environment. But it has yet to provide momentum for economic, political and social advance in the partner states. Key elements in making the Action Plan process more effective would be the following: · The Commission needs to deepen the policy content of the ENP with sketches of different degrees of desirable EU acquis compliance as a function of different economic structures and capabilities of the partner states. · The task of policy-shaping in different sectors of the Action Plans with the partner states needs to be shared by the Commission with other international organisations, most importantly the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). · The policy-shaping recommendations in support of the economic parts of the Action Plans should be explicitly linked to financial or market-access incentives (or both) on offer from the EU and international financial institutions. The promotion of political reform in the partner states is a more delicate affair. Yet there is still some room for ‘positive conditionality’ if the Commission were to define more substantively the package of incentives that are offered to partner states

Information Society Strategies in the European Context: The Case of Greece

This article sets out to analyze the policies adopted by the Greek government in its effort to accelerate the pace of reform towards a knowledge-based economy. These policies have to take into account the position that the country occupies within the emerging information society and, of course, the opportunities created by EU initiatives that aim to promote economic competitiveness and reduce regional disparities. Within this framework Greek policy makers have recognized the need for a coordinated, coherent and integrated approach, which attempts to diminish inequalities both within the country and with respect to other European Union economies. What emerges as a distinctive feature of the Greek information society strategy is the emphasis placed on the pivotal role of the state and the adoption of active interventionist policies

The EU-Korea FTA and its implications for the future EU-Singapore FTA. EU Centre Background Brief No. 4, June 2011

Summary. In 2006, the European Union (EU) announced its intention to conclude a new generation of free trade agreements (FTAs) with strategic partners. These FTAs, primarily motivated by economic considerations, would aim at a high level of trade liberalisation. In particular, they would cover the areas which are crucial to the EU’s competitiveness, such as services liberalisation and investment promotion and protection, and include strong provisions to tackle non-tariff barriers in areas such as intellectual property rights, public procurement, regulatory barriers and unfair competition. The EU also identified key partners that would offer significant opportunities for EU companies. ASEAN, Korea and Mercosur emerged as priorities in view of their market potential and the current level of protection against EU export interests. The first FTA that EU has concluded in Asia is the EU-Korea FTA, which will provisionally enter into force on 1st July 2011. The EU considers it the most “ambitious” EU FTA and is presented as a “benchmark” for future ones. An overview of the main elements of the FTA illustrates the level of ambition of the EU in concluding its new generation of FTAs. In particular, it provides interesting insights into what a future EU-Singapore FTA may look like. After negotiations between the EU and ASEAN were put on hold, the EU decided to enter into negotiations with individual ASEAN member states, starting with Singapore in December 2009. Both partners are currently entering the last phase of negotiations and the FTA may be concluded over the next few months. The final shape of the EU-Singapore FTA would provide a reference point for a 21st century FTA and for EU’s negotiations with other ASEAN member states, laying the foundation for the future of a comprehensive EU-ASEAN economic partnership

POLICY AND PRACTICE TARGETING THE LABOUR MARKET INTEGRATION OF NON-EU NATIONALS IN IRELAND. ESRI RESEARCH SERIES NUMBER 89 JUNE 2019

Increases in immigration inflows to both the European Union (EU) and Ireland between 2014 and 2016, due in part to the ‘refugee and migrant crisis’, have resulted in an increased focus on integration policies, outcomes and measures, including in the area of labour market integration. Employment is crucial for the integration of migrants into the economic and social life of their host country, so labour market integration is a very important part of integration policy (European Commission, 2016). In recent years, many Member States have updated existing labour market integration policies or have developed new ones. Ireland, like the majority of EU Member States (EMN, 2019), pursues a policy of mainstreaming service provision in the area of integration, with targeted initiatives to meet specific needs. This study first considers labour migration policy, which manages and shapes overall access of non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals to the Irish labour market.1 Under the employment permits system administered by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI), non-EEA nationals may apply to access the Irish labour market. The report then looks at specific policies and measures which aim to improve labour market integration for non-EU nationals living in Ireland. The focus is on labour integration measures for regularly staying non-EU nationals with a right to work. Measures specifically targeting non-EEA students, graduates, asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection are beyond the study scope. The effect of general labour market and social policy provision in Ireland on labour market integration is also outside the scope. Examples of public and private sector practices are discussed together with examples of community sector practices that receive public funds