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2101. International Investment Law and the European Union: Towards a New Generation of International Investment Agreements

Author:
Catharine Titi
Publication Date:
07-2015
Content Type:
Journal Article
Abstract:
For about half a century, the European investment treaty model has been associated with European Union (EU) member states’ bilateral investment treaty practice, often referred to as their ‘best practices’. Member state bilateral investment treaties, which are liberal instruments strongly protective of investor interests, have remained relatively unchanged over the years, in contrast with their North American counterparts, which have come to represent a new type of investment treaty, cognizant for the first time of the contracting parties’ right to regulate. With the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon and the exercise of the EU’s new competence over the conclusion of treaties covering foreign direct investment, Europe marks its distances with the old approach of the member states and appears eager to set its own ‘model’. While broadly in harmony with the new generation of North American investment treaties, the nascent EU policy aims to improve international investment law in innovative ways, targeting both substantive and procedural protections, and leading to a yet newer generation of international investment treaties. The present article explores this new EU standard, which is set to change the face of international investment law as we know it.
Topic:
International Law, Treaties and Agreements, Foreign Direct Investment, and European Union
Political Geography:
Europe and European Union

2102. International Investment Law and the European Union: A Reply to Catharine Titi

Author:
Martins Paparinskis
Publication Date:
07-2015
Content Type:
Journal Article
Abstract:
Reasonable people might disagree whether the European Union (EU) is likely to make a significant and commendable contribution to international investment law. This article addresses two issues of relevance for this discussion. First, it considers the appropriateness of evaluating evelopments in international investment law in terms of balance between investor protection and the right to regulate. Second, the contribution of the recent EU practice is briefly examined, finding it less interesting and innovative than one might have expected.
Topic:
International Law, European Union, Regulation, and Finance
Political Geography:
Europe and European Union

2103. La pérennité du supranationalisme intergouvernemental, paradoxe de l’élargissement (The “Enlargement paradox”: Intergovernmental Supranationalism Survives despite the Winds of Change)

Author:
Tanja Mayrgündter
Publication Date:
04-2015
Content Type:
Research Paper
Institution:
Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches Internationales (CERI)
Abstract:
In the last decade, the EU has been challenged by major phenomena, such as the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty and the economic and financial crisis. Unlike other policy areas, where the logic of action and institutional interplays have consequently changed, enlargement constitutes a “paradox”, having largely been resistant to such impact factors. That is, “intergovernmental supranationalism” has remained the dominant feature of the enlargement polity, politics and policy. Even though the overall result has not changed, there has been change in the configuration among the intergovernmental and the supranational elements. That is, while on the one hand intergovernmental forces have increased, on the other hand, all three dimensions have primarily been hit by the “technicality turn”, consequently fostering the supranational momentum. Finally, an overall new balance has been reached under the “old” intergovernmental supranational umbrella.
Topic:
Politics, Regional Cooperation, European Union, and Political Science
Political Geography:
Europe, Global Focus, and European Union

2104. Energy Security and Energy Union Perspectives for Azerbaijan

Author:
Rovshan Jamalov and Tahmasib Alizada
Publication Date:
12-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Center for Economic and Social Development (CESD)
Abstract:
Azerbaijan is a reliable partner in the energy security issue for the oil importer countries. Country has sufficiently traditional energy resources which already invested on this energy sector. However, country geographical location gives opportunity in order to use the alternative and renewable energy resources which helps to keep the balance of the utilization of energy resources. The energy security is also main important issue for the country. Therefore, country broaden the relation with the EU in the context of EU energy security and EaP partnership countries.
Topic:
Security, Energy Policy, European Union, Renewable Energy, and Geography
Political Geography:
Europe, Azerbaijan, and South Caucasus

2105. Labour in Europe’s crisis

Author:
Mario Pianta
Publication Date:
04-2015
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET)
Abstract:
A structural transformation is investing labour in Europe, accelerated by the crisis started in 2008. Job destruction is dominating employment trends in most EU countries and deep changes are taking place in labour relations, labour market institutions and wage regimes. The focus of this paper is on three issues. First,an overview is offered of the change taking place across EU countries at the level of industries in manufacturing and services. Second, the changes taking place in the structure of employment by professional groups are investigated, showing the factors that account for the evolution of skills. Third, the need for policies is argued, that are not limited to labour market conditions, but address production structures, especially in the countries hardest hit by the crisis.
Topic:
Labor Issues, European Union, Crisis Management, and Labor Market
Political Geography:
Europe

2106. The Eurozone crisis: A debt shortage as the final cause

Author:
Andrea Terzi
Publication Date:
04-2015
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET)
Abstract:
This paper proposes a different interpretation of the Eurozone crisis, seeing as its “final” cause European policies which have forced private savings down too low. Neither fiscal profligacy nor capital flows are the “final” cause of the Eurozone political and institutional failure that thwarts the growth of output and jobs. The sovereign debt crisis and the capital flight of 2010-12 were triggered by the vulnerable position of creditconstrained local governments in a monetary union and of a fragmented banking system with no credible deposit insurance. If member countries were to comply from now on with present fiscal and macroeconomic rules, real growth and job creation would not be restored. The final cause of economic drag in the Eurozone must be searched for within those same rules. The paper first offers a critical review of the notion of savings in orthodox theory as the source of funds available for investment. It finds that in a monetary economy, financial saving can be stored only in the form of a financial claim and requires an act that reflects on others. This means that an act of financial saving requires funding and must be associated with a corresponding act of another unit issuing debt. Savings do not fund. They need to be funded. The paper then elaborates on a simple (“T-shirt”) model of private job creation in a monetary economy, where this is a function of the actual and the intended stock of gross private savings. When savings are in excess of the intended amount, private spenders create jobs, and when savings are short of the intended amount, private spenders destroy jobs. Assuming intended savings as a given, and because the ultimate source of savings is debt, then any policy that inhibits the formation of debt also inhibits the formation of financial savings and jobs. If debt (private, public, or foreign) is the final fuel for spending, then Eurozone rules that put a cap on public debt inhibit one major source of savings. Differences in economic units’ financial balances are the ordinary condition of a monetary economy, and policy should be aimed at supporting those differences that best work towards policy goals, not forcing a reduction of such differences by treating them as “imbalances”. Current fiscal rules leave the Eurozone with two fragile and risky alternatives: building up more private debt or counting on a permanently high flow of net exports.
Topic:
Debt, European Union, Finance, and Capital Flows
Political Geography:
Europe

2107. Beyond Ukraine. EU and Russia in Search of a New Relation

Author:
Aldo Ferrari
Publication Date:
06-2015
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI)
Abstract:
Due to the Ukrainian crisis, relations between the EU and Russia hit rock bottom, the lowest point from the end of the Cold War. Indeed, it is crystal clear that today’s dispute is nothing but the latest chapter of a long story of misunderstandings and conflicting strategies on the post -Soviet states of Eastern Europe and South Caucasus. The further deepening of this cleavage would inflict serious damage on all interested parties: the EU, Russia and several post-Soviet states. Why is Ukraine so important both for EU and Russia? What are the real origins of the current crisis that brought to an open confrontation between Russia and the EU? What is the rationale behind Russia’s firm opposition to a further NATO enlargement? What are the viable options to escape the fate of a new ‘Cold War’?
Topic:
International Relations, NATO, European Union, and Crisis Management
Political Geography:
Russia, Europe, and Ukraine

2108. Departure to the EU Member States: causes and consequences of Kosovo’s recent migration

Author:
Plator Avdiu
Publication Date:
10-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS)
Abstract:
According to official statistical data, it is estimated that around 75,000 Kosovo citizens have migrated to the European Union, mainly to Hungary and Germany through Serbia, only from October 2014 to March 2015. Given that this number represents those who have actually officially sought asylum, the total number of migrants who continue to reside illegally is much higher than 75,000, As a result, during this period Kosovo ranked among the top five countries from where asylum applications were made in at least one of the European Union Member States. Irregular migration from Kosovo presents yet another challenge for Kosovo, since the European Union’s stance is that the number of Kosovo asylum applications to the European Union needs to fall before any recommendation can be made in regards to the visa-free regime for Kosovo. Through this paper, Kosovar Centre for Security Studies, aims to provide reasons behind Kosovo’s recent migration flow towards the European countries. Accordingly, our research indicates that there are three main reasons behind recent wave of migration from Kosovo: (1) lack of socio-economic perspective in Kosovo; (2) smuggling of migrants, and (3) the absence of cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of Kosovo and Serbia, that is to say between the Kosovo Police and the Police of Serbia. Apart from economic factors which are seen to be the main reasons for migration, a sharp surge in the number of migrants to the EU is considered to have occurred as a result of networks of smugglers operating in Kosovo and Serbia that were smuggling migrants in order to take them to the European Union through Serbian legal and illegal routes. Furthermore, there was no police cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia to combat organized crime networks, which could prevent illegal migration.
Topic:
Migration, European Union, Smuggling, and Asylum
Political Geography:
Europe, Kosovo, and Balkans

2109. Migration: Challenging visa liberalization for Kosovo

Author:
Donika Emini
Publication Date:
11-2015
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Kosovar Centre for Security Studies (KCSS)
Abstract:
This paper aims to demonstrate the extent to which the recent migratory flows from Kosovo challenged its visa liberalization process in both the technical and political aspects. While the technical aspect includes repatriation of the returned persons in Kosovo, the political aspect relies on the attitude of the EU countries towards Kosovo when granting their opinion on the visa liberalization process for Kosovo. The end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015 have witnessed a rather large wave of Kosovo migrants heading towards the EU countries through the so called “Western Balkan route” mainly via Serbia aiming to reach the EU Schengen zone. The flux of migrants raised a lot of questions about the implications for Kosovo's EU perspective. According to the authorities in Prishtina, roughly 50,000 (Kosovo Intelligence Agency, 2015) people left Kosovo from November 2014 to April 2015, although data published by the Eurostat count roughly 75,000 persons (Eurostat, 2015) aiming to reach the EU countries, in most of the cases Germany. Correspondingly, during this period, citizens of Kosovo topped the list of asylum seekers in Europe with roughly 74,755 applications, followed by Syrians with and Afghans (Eurostat, 2015).
Topic:
Migration, European Union, Asylum, Visa, and Liberalization
Political Geography:
Europe, Kosovo, and Balkans

2110. Changing Dynamics of Turkish Regional Policy: Resistance for Multilevel Governance?

Author:
Ali Onur Ozcelik
Publication Date:
07-2015
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The Rest: Journal of Politics and Development
Institution:
Centre for Strategic Research and Analysis (CESRAN)
Abstract:
This article is concerned with the relationship between Europeanization and regionalization processes in Turkey in the post-Helsinki Era of 1999. By considering European regional policy and its related pre-accession financial incentives as the most useful and appropriate empirical lenses, it offers an analysis of the causes and mechanisms encouraging regionalization process in Turkey during the EU accession process. Through the analysis of official documents and of in-depth interviews with relevant actors in the EU and Turkey, findings suggest that while some of the changes are considered as direct effects of Europeanization, such as the creation of territorial system according to NUTS classification, other developments are invoked by indirect mechanisms of Europeanization, such as the creation of regional development agencies (RDAs) and their role in regional planning and allocation of national funds. More importantly, the findings illustrate that although the EU’s credibility has declined after 2005 and its regional policy, in the sense of the implementation of regional policies and management of structural funds, have shifted towards the more centralized model in the post-Lisbon era (for the 2007-2013 structural fund programme), developments in these areas in Turkey have gone to opposite directions, more accurately, through the more regionalized model. These changes not only reflect the pre-Lisbon practices of EU regional policy and structural funds underlining a spill-over effect resulting from the dissemination of EU practices and policies, but also contain the spices of Turkish administrative tradition.
Topic:
Regional Cooperation, Governance, European Union, Europeanization, and Regionalism
Political Geography:
Europe, Turkey, and Asia