The Role of the European Union in the World. European Policy Brief No. 22, March 2014

Despite the hopes raised by the most recent Treaties, the Lisbon Treaty in particular, the European Union has been unable to strengthen, let alone develop its role on the international stage. A couple of weeks away from the European Parliament elections, we need to ask ourselves what can reasonably be done by the upcoming Parliament to ensure that significant progress is made with respect to the EU’s foreign policy. Some of this progress could result from the implementation of the European Security Strategy or originate from the role and initiatives of the High Representative/Vice-president of the Commission. In addition, rethinking specific approaches could allow for significant improvements in key areas such as the EU’s dealings with neighbouring countries, its commercial relationship with the US, its energy security or its common security and defence policy

Ampliación de la Unión Europea: estado de la cuestión

Not availableLa ampliación es el gran desafío de la Unión Europea para los próximos años, el asunto más importante que debe tratarse durante los mandatos de la Comisión Prodi y del actual Parlamento Europeo. ¿Por qué? Porque esta ampliación no se asemeja a ninguna otra ampliación anterior y ninguna volverá a tener el peso real y simbólico de ésta. Se trata de reunir Europa, de reconciliar la geografía con la historia y con la evolución política que la ha transformado en el último decenio, de extender la zona de paz y estabilidad política, de democracia, de respeto de los derechos humanos y de desarrollo económico que representa la Unión Europea

Better to Be Alone than in Bad Company: Cognate Synonyms Impair Word Learning

The effects of cognate synonymy in L2 word learning are explored. Participants learned the names of well-known concrete concepts in a new fictional language following a picture-word association paradigm. Half of the concepts (set A) had two possible translations in the new language (i.e., both words were synonyms): one was a cognate in participants’ L1 and the other one was not. The other half of the concepts (set B) had only one possible translation in the new language, a non-cognate word. After learning the new words, participants’ memory was tested in a picture-word matching task and a translation recognition task. In line with previous findings, our results clearly indicate that cognates are much easier to learn, as we found that the cognate translation was remembered much better than both its non-cognate synonym and the non-cognate from set B. Our results also seem to suggest that non-cognates without cognate synonyms (set B) are better learned than non-cognates with cognate synonyms (set A). This suggests that, at early stages of L2 acquisition, learning a cognate would produce a poorer acquisition of its non-cognate synonym, as compared to a solely learned non-cognate. These results are discussed in the light of different theories and models of bilingual mental lexicon

From Neighbourhood to Integration Policy: Are there concrete alternatives to enlargement?. CEPS Policy Brief No. 95, 1 March 2006

In this new CEPS Policy Brief, the author, the Director General of DG External Relations at the European Commission, explores the utility of the EU’s newest foreign policy tool, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). Describing the ENP as a virtuous circle, Landaburu characterises the policy as one based on shared values and enlightened self-interest. He argues that by increasing the prosperity, stability and security of the EU’s neighbours and by projecting the EU’s prosperity, stability and security beyond its borders, it increases its own. In other words, “by helping our neighbours, we help ourselves”

Le rôle de la collaboration transfrontalière dans la construction européenne

Introducción al coloquio sobre alianzas territoriales y fronteras europeas, cuya finalidad es servir de trampolín para nuevas iniciativas en materia de cooperación transfronteriz

Iniciativas de la Comisión por el empleo.

TERCER PANEL: Iniciativas para la creación de emple

The Fifth Enlargement of the European Union: the Power of Example

After the dust cleared in the early 1990s, the institutional framework for realizing the peaceful unification of Europe was laid down at the Copenhagen European Council in June 1993. The statement by the EU at Copenhagen that it was ready to accept new members that fulfill certain criteria led to applications from ten countries of Central and Eastern Europe. As laid down in the Treaties, it fell to the Commission to provide advice on these applications to the Member States of the EU, which it did in July of 1997 in its ambitious program of reform, known as Agenda 2000. Agenda 2000 sought to look at the prospect of enlargement not as a simple addition to the existing EU, but as a process that would have an impact on the way in which it should be governed and funded at what was already a time of massive change. Agenda 2000 also took a close look at the future of the main EU policies, particularly those of agriculture and regional policy, which were already in a process of reform, and which would be strongly affected by the arrival of new members. Agenda 2000 was accompanied by a set of Opinions from the European Commission on the applications for membership that had been received by ten countries of Central and Eastern Europe that enjoyed association agreements with the EU. The Opinions were able to conclude that a number of the candidates were already in a position to begin negotiating their membership in the EU. However, the Commission was conscious of the need to avoid the appearance of new divisions in Europe, this time between those candidates whose recent progress in economic and political reform had brought them to the negotiating table, and those who had started from more difficult positions, such as Romania and Bulgaria, or who had, like Slovakia, not yet convinced the EU of their commitment to functioning democratic practices. The Commission therefore proposed an inclusive system, whereby we would revisit the progress made with the Copenhagen criteria every year, both for those who were not yet negotiating, and for those who were. The combination of strict application of the objective criteria and readiness to welcome progress along the way will result in a well-prepared enlargement of the EU. Now, in autumn 2002, the end of the road is in sight, at least for the best-prepared candidates. This essay outlines how the negotiations that began in 1998 have brought us to this point. They have been a test for all concerned, but a test that demonstrates clearly the ability of the EU to act in an area of decisive interest