Does ERASMUS Student Mobility promote a EuropeanIdentity?

The potential of European student mobility to promote a European identity and,consequently, European integration has long been stressed by transactionalistssuch as Karl Deutsch but was never tested empirically. The EU-funded exchangeprogramme ERASMUS moves more than 150,000 university students annually,and it is still widely assumed it plays a pivotal role in the promotion of a Europeanidentity. Based on the results of a longitudinal survey among ERASMUS and nonmobilestudents I show that reality meets only partly these expectations. WhilstERASMUS enables students to improve their foreign language skills and learnmore about other European countries, it does not foster a European self-identity ora sense of European pride. However, the ERASMUS experience does help Britishstudents to feel more attached to Europe and to acknowledge they have things incommon with continental Europeans.European identity

Austria’s presidential election is set to be another vote dominated by the issue of immigration

Austria will hold a presidential election on 24 April, with a run off scheduled for 22 May if no candidate manages to win an absolute majority in the first vote. Emmanuel Sigalas states that while the post itself is largely ceremonial, the election will be a key test of the relative standing of each of the main parties. He writes that the contest is likely to be dominated by the issue of the migration crisis and the creeping influence of the Freedom Party of Austria’s (FPÖ) anti-immigration platform over the Austrian government

European views on the UK’s renegotiation: Ireland, Portugal, Austria and Croatia

The success or failure of David Cameron’s planned renegotiation of the UK’s EU membership will depend to a large extent on how the other 27 EU member states respond to his proposals. But how do countries across the EU view the UK’s renegotiation? Building on a report published in 2014 by the German Council on Foreign Relations, EUROPP is running a series of overviews of the renegotiation from each of the EU’s member states. Compiled by Tim Oliver and written by authors based at universities and research institutions, the overviews will set out what discussion – if any – there has been about the renegotiation and the wider views within each country on the renegotiation and a potential Brexit. This post is the fourth in the series and gives views from Ireland, Portugal, Austria and Croatia. Ireland: Brexit is a matter of significant and growing concern in Ireland Portugal: Lisbon’s attitude has been fairly positive to the renegotiation, but without support for Treaty changes Austria: After Brexit and Grexit, could Auxit be next? Croatia: Zagreb sympathises with the UK’s positions, but sees few short-term gains from a renegotiatio

Aggregation and Representation in the European Parliament Party Groups

While members of the European Parliament are elected in national constituencies, their votes are determined by the aggregation of MEPs in multinational party groups. The uncoordinated aggregation of national party programmes in multinational EP party groups challenges theories of representation based on national parties and parliaments. This article provides a theoretical means of understanding representation by linking the aggregation of dozens of national party programmes in different EP party groups to the aggregation of groups to produce the parliamentary majority needed to enact policies. Drawing on an original data source of national party programmes, the EU Profiler, the article shows that the EP majorities created by aggregating MEP votes in party groups are best explained by cartel theories. These give priority to strengthening the EP’s collective capacity to enact policies rather than voting in accord with the programmes they were nationally elected to represent

Britain’s Exit from the EU and the Implications for Austria

In Austria a “Brexit” is still treated as a hypothetical scenario, even though the debate of a possible British exit from the EU has acquired momentum in the UK. The present IHS Standpunkt argues that Austria’s pro-Europe forces ought to coordinate their efforts with their partners in other countries, in order to prevent the unravelling of the EU. Austria has a lot to lose if Britain leaves the EU, and the losses are not only economic in nature but political as well. A potential Brexit will strengthen Euroscepticism across Europe. Austria’s political forces will find it more difficult to oppose the Eurosceptic and populist demands, and the implications will be felt in the domestic political arena as well