Values in the EUÕs Neighbourhood Policy: Political Rhetoric or Reflection of a Coherent Policy?

The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) is often justified by references to its unprecedented emphasis on the Òcommitment to shared valuesÓ in future EU relations with its vicinity. Few attempts have been made, however, to critically reflect on the Òvalues dimensionÓ of the ENP. This article examines if the ENP can be sufficiently justified on the basis of the political values it embodies: It explores the extent to which the declared commitment to values in the ENP is based on a wider consensus at the EU-level; the changing emphasis on Òshared valuesÓ in the policy over time; and the degree to which the ENP adds to institutionalising political values in future EU relations with its neighbours.EU Foreign Policy, European Neighbourhood Policy, EuropeanNeighbourhood and Partnership Instrument, European Values

Does the EU Have Moral Authority? A Communicative Action Perspective on Sanctions

The European Union (EU) states in its 2016 Global Strategy that it intends to be a "responsible global stakeholder" and to "act worldwide to address the core causes of war and poverty, as well as to promote the indivisibility and universality of human rights" (European Union Global Strategy, 2016, pp. 5–8, 18). However, the Global Strategy is silent on the credentials or prerequisites that give the EU the authority to act globally and address conflicts and violations of human rights, including through the use of sanctions against non-EU states. How far the EU has the authority to use sanctions, which are essentially coercive measures, is especially relevant when the EU resorts to unilateral sanctions based on obligations owed erga omnes, namely measures without explicit United Nations Security Council authorisation and based on obligations owed to the international community as a whole. Drawing on Habermas's theory of communicative action, this article introduces an analytical framework - the "moral dimension" of EU authority - which maps the substantive and procedural standards to guide the assessment of whether the EU has the appropriate credentials to qualify as an authority with the right to intervene forcibly into the internal affairs of non-EU states. The analytical value of the framework is examined empirically in the case study of the EU's restrictive measures (sanctions) imposed in response to state violence against anti-government protests in Uzbekistan in 2005

Freedom of speech and media plurality in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

[Excerpt] In 2020, the world was confronted with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The gravity of the global situation led most governments – even those least affected by, and most sceptical of, the virus – to take emergency measures to limit the infection as much as possible. Many countries declared a state of emergency to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, giving the legal grounds to intensify regulations in various areas of citizens’ daily life: according to Cherevko (2020), the most evident restrictions were related to freedom of assembly, freedom of movement, and privacy rights. Emergency measures also led to deteriorating conditions of media freedom on all continents, with media operations often obstructed or limited during the lockdown regimes (Cherevko 2020; Désir 2020). Some countries cut the funds from public service media in order to fund other sectors, while others actively censored the content of the Fourth Estate (Désir 2020)

Values in the EU's Neighbourhood Policy: Political Rhetoric or Reflection of a Coherent Policy? European Political Economy Review No. 7 (Summer 2007), pp. 38-62

The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) is often justified by references to its unprecedented emphasis on the "commitment to shared values" in future EU relations with its vicinity. Few attempts have been made, however, to critically reflect on the "values dimension" of the ENP. This article examines if the ENP can be sufficiently justified on the basis of the political values it embodies: It explores the extent to which the declared commitment to values in the ENP is based on a wider consensus at the EU-level; the changing emphasis on "shared values" in the policy over time; and the degree to which the ENP adds to institutionalising political values in future EU relations with its neighbours

Despite souring relations, the EU should avoid the temptationto further disengage with Belarus and enhance its policy ofcritical engagement.

Considered by many to be Europe’s ‘last dictatorship’ under President Alexander Lukashenka, Belarus’s relations with the EU have been in decline for several years, despite initiatives such as the Eastern Partnership. Giselle Bosse warns that instead of disengaging, the EU should continue its policy of critical engagement with the country by building the capacity of Belarusian civil society and being more realistic and specific about its policy goals