Liberty versus security? EU asylum policy and the European Commission

The Common European Asylum System (CEAS) experienced significant developments during the Tampere programme (1999 – 2004). This article analyses how security is constituted or viewed by the European Union in the area of asylum policy; more importantly how the European Commission, in the face of the emerging discourse on the ‘war on terror’ decided to push for a more inclusive agenda. Thus, the European Commission can (though not always does) play a significant role in this process - the role of a supranational policy entrepreneur that enables the normative construction of a policy. The article analyses the high-profile case of the first phase of the CEAS, particularly the four main directives, its legal and political construction, and suggests the significance of the Commission in the political and normative process. Despite the challenges of the ‘war on terror’, the Commission managed to keep the CEAS within the limits of the Geneva Convention

Towards supranational governance in EU counter-terrorism? - The role of the Commission and the Council Secretariat

New security threats have emerged as major new areas of policy development in the European Union, especially during the 'war on terror'. This paper makes two significant points that counter theoretical expectations of EU counter-terrorism. Both are derived from an analysis of empirical events of EU practice. Firstly, it argues that it is vital to analyse EU institutional actor behaviour in the process of 'constructing security threats', especially when dealing with the responses to international terrorism. Secondly, despite the importance of member states in the European Union, institutional actors such as the European Commission or the Council Secretariat are increasingly gaining in importance. The Commission can (though not always does) play a significant role in this process - the role of a supranational policy entrepreneur. Yet, it is not alone in this - the Council Secretariat can also add to the notion of policy entrepreneurship at the EU level. This argument reveals shortcomings of intergovernmental understanding of European integration in the area of counter-terrorism. The paper analyses different dimensions of EU counter-terrorism, its legal and political construction, and demonstrates the significance of supranational policy entrepreneurs in the political adoption process

The European Union and refugees: towards more restrictive asylum policies in the European Union?

Several scholars have argued that European countries have decided to cooperate on asylum and migration matters at the EU level in order to develop more restrictive policies. In particular, it has been argued that European states have ‘venue-shopped’ to a new policy-venue in order to escape national constraints. This paper puts this argument to the test by assessing the extent to which the development of EU cooperation on asylum matters has indeed led to the adoption of more restrictive asylum standards. The paper argues that, actually, EU asylum cooperation has led to an overall increase in protection standards for asylum-seekers and refugees. This outcome is explained by two main factors: the increasing ‘judicialisation’ of asylum in the EU and institutional changes in the EU asylum policy area that have strengthened the role of more ‘refugee-friendly’ institutions

Variation In Population Densities of the Florida Scrub Lizard (sceloporus Woodi) between Managed Sand Pine Scrub And Longleaf Pine Stands in the Ocala National Forest

Population-level response to habitat fragmentation is central to applied species management and conservation. Managed landscapes are often subject to increased fragmentation and, consequently, may force once connected populations to function as metapopulations. Studies investigating metapopulations occurring over patchy, managed landscapes are of increasing importance as fragmentation is a known cause of biodiversity loss. In June-September 2012, populations of the rare, endemic Florida scrub lizard (Sceloporus woodi) were sampled across the Ocala National Forest (ONF) to compare abundance and density across two management types. In the ONF, sand-pine scrub is clearcut and rollerchopped whereas longleaf pine is managed via prescribed burning (2 year cycle). Lizard abundance and density was also compared between the interiors of stands to the associated natural surface roads. Ten stands of scrub (2-3 years post disturbance) and ten stands of longleaf pine (1 year post-disturbance) were sampled. To compare microhabitat conditions, vegetation and substrate data were also gathered. Lizards were more abundant in longleaf pine than scrub. Stands of scrub showed a noticeable absence of lizards. Higher encounter rates suggest that lizards are utilizing natural surface roads. Scrub and longleaf differed in several microhabitat conditions which may drive differences in abundance and density. However, variables such as patch size and isolation may play a larger role in the overall persistence of the Florida scrub lizard metapopulation

The European Union's response to the CBRN terrorist threat: A multiple streams approach

This article examines how the European Union (EU) has sought to address the threat of CBRN terrorism using Kingdon's Multiple Streams Framework. It demonstrates that the EU has significantly developed its response to the CBRN terrorist threat, but that it has followed a piecemeal approach to a significant extent. It also argues that, in contrast to the intense debates about the CBRN terrorist threat and the large number of policy proposals generated, the EU has only adopted a limited number of 'hard law' instruments, although some of those have had a significant impact. This stands in contrast to the large body of 'soft law' that has gradually developed, albeit with all its limitations