Archive in: Analysis
27 Jul 2009
The UK Tories' European policy: The road to oblivion
Stanley
Crossick
European Policy Centre
The tone of UK Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague's 21 July speech to the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London "takes us back to Winston Churchill's image of Britain at the centre of three concentric circles: transatlantic, Commonwealth and European - a world that no longer exists," writes Stanley Crossick, founder of the European Policy Centre, in a July post on Blogactiv.
24 Jun 2009
Post-election analysis: Between apathy and anger, but no earthquake
European Policy
Centre (EPC)
In light of the election results, the new European Parliament will be less in favour of further enlarging the EU, more conservative and 'stingy' in terms of EU budget resources, more conservative on CAP-related issues and possibly more divided over fundamental rights-related issues, argues a June paper from the European Policy Centre (EPC). But the new EU assembly will be more engaged on climate change-related issues and legislation and ever-more focused on foreign and security policy matters," it adds.
17 Jun 2009
Barroso on the spot before European Council nomination
Michael
Berendt
Fleishman Hillard
"[European Commission President José Manuel] Barroso will have to tread carefully in selecting candidates for a new college," writes Michael Berendt, a former European Commission official and current public affairs advisor, in a June post on Blogactiv.
08 Jun 2009
Why leaders don't speak about Europe
Emmanuel
Morucci
Team Europe-France
"Should Europe be a coalition of states or examine the ability to manage in a common and federal manner its currency, its environment, its energy, its safety, its welfare and its economic development?," asks Emmanuel Morucci, a French sociologist and member of the 'Team Europe-France' network, on his blog.
03 Jun 2009
Reflecting on the EU elections in Finland
Aaretti
Siitonen
Finnish Institute of International Affairs
"The significance of the European elections for domestic politics should not be over-estimated," writes Aaretti Siitonen, a researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, in a May paper.
26 May 2009
New parliamentary majority required to reject Barroso
Poul Nyrup
Rasmussen
Party of European Socialists (PES)
The European Parliament needs to produce a majority in 2009 because there are "so many reasons for change," writes Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, president of the Party of European Socialists (PES), in a post on Blogactiv.
30 Apr 2009
The European Parliament: More powerful than its reputation
Nicolaus
Heinen
Deutsche Bank
"Bringing citizens closer to Europe (and not bringing Europe closer to citizens) is the biggest challenge" of the upcoming elections to the European Parliament, argues Nicolaus Heinen of Deutsche Bank Research in an April paper.
09 Jan 2009
Avoiding a new European divide
Jean Pisani-Ferry
& Zsolt Darvas
Bruegel
"The emergence of a new economic and political divide within Europe has become a distinct possibility," argue Jean Pisani-Ferry, director of the Bruegel think tank, and Zsolt Darvas, research fellow at the Institute of Economics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, in a December 2008 paper for Bruegel.
07 Jan 2009
Why is Britain Eurosceptic?
Charles
Grant
Centre for European Reform (CER)
The British Eurosceptic press constitutes a "serious problem" for any British government that tries to engage with the EU, argues Charles Grant, director of the London-based Centre for European Reform, in a December 2008 paper.
10 Nov 2008
Reflecting on a second Irish Lisbon referendum
John
O'Brennan
Lecturer, National University of Ireland
The only viable option for the Irish government to resolve the Lisbon Treaty crisis is "to hold a second referendum on the substantive question of whether or not Ireland remains a member state of the EU," writes John O'Brennan, a lecturer on European politics and society at the National University of Ireland, in an October paper for the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS).
08 Apr 2008
The Lisbon Treaty: Playing Presidential poker?
Dominik
Hierlemann
Bertelsmann Stiftung
The Treaty of Lisbon will change the way European politicians govern and cooperate in the future, says Dominik Hierlemann of the Bertelsmann Stiftung. But with unclear definitions of the new leadership roles, the top EU positions could prove confusing for the bloc's citizens, he warns in a March paper.
12 Sep 2007
Distribution of seats in the European Parliament
Thierry
Chopin
Robert Schuman Foundation
In this paper for the Robert Schuman Foundation, Thierry Chopin and Jean-François Jeannet explore the available options for distributing seats in the European Parliament, aiming to determine which best satisfies both democratic and diplomatic issues.
21 Feb 2007
A chance for a new foundation of the EU
In this ZEI discussion paper, Professor Ludger Kühnhardt puts forward the idea that the current crisis of the EU could be a real chance for a new foundation of the EU to make it more appealing to its citizens.
18 Dec 2006
'The polycentric and opportunistic capital of Europe'
Carola Hein, associate professor of Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania writing in the journal Brussels Studies, outlines a new model for a decentralised European capital based in Brussels and other host cities.
18 Sep 2006
Analysis: European Political Parties - Towards a new democratic EU
In this article from the quarterly Integration of the Institut für Europäische Politik (IEP), Jo Leinen describes both the challenges and the added value of European political parties for the European Union.
22 Nov 2004
"How to get the best out of your lobbyist!"
In an open letter to new MEPs, Tom Spencer from the European Centre for Public Affairs (ECPA), says lobbyists "are the ideal companions for your down moments"!
05 Jul 2004
Manifesto for a "European" Political Group
The Idea Factory, a new European platform that aims to produce thought-provoking ideas, presents a controversial Manifesto for a new, pro-European political group.
European Elections 1999-2004: A Shift in Europe's Political Cultures ?
In a review of the outcome of the last two EP elections, the author explores the roots of the political alienation of Europe's voters.
16 May 2004
Legitimacy and the European Union
This European Policy Brief by the Federal Trust considers the effectiveness of the recommendations in the draft Constitution aiming to reinforce the legitimacy of the EU, as put forward by the European Convention.
09 Feb 2004
The Role of National Parliaments in the European Union
This European Policy Brief by the Federal Trust considers the recommendations of the draft Constitutional Treaty for involving national parliaments more fully in European legislative arrangements.
Europeans challenge Europe