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2121. Monetary Disunion: The Domestic Politics of Euroland

Author:
W. Streeck and L. Elsässer
Publication Date:
10-2014
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies
Abstract:
Regional disparities within the European Union have always been perceived as an impediment to monetary integration. This is why discussions on a joint currency, from their very beginning, were linked to compensatory payments in the form of regional policy payments. Structural assistance to poor regions and member states increased sharply at the end of the 1980s. Today, however, fiscal support has to be shared with the new member states in the East. Moreover, due to the financial crisis, the cheap credit that poor EMU member countries enjoyed as a result of interest rate convergence is no longer available. We predict that in the future, some sort of financial aid will have to be provided by rich member countries to poor ones, if only to prevent a further increase in economic disparities and related political instability. We also expect long-lasting distributional conflict between payer and recipient countries far beyond current rescue packages, together with disagreement on the extent of aid required and the political control to be conceded by receiving countries to giving countries. We illustrate the dimension of the distributional conflict by comparing income gaps and relative population size between the center and the periphery of Europe on the one hand and on the other, between rich and poor regions in two European nation-states characterized by large regional disparities, Germany and Italy. While income gaps and population structures are similar in the two countries to those between Northern Europe and the Mediterranean periphery, regional redistribution is much more extensive in the two nation-states. We conclude that this presages a difficult future for the domestic politics of Euroland.
Topic:
Economics, Politics, Financial Crisis, and European Union
Political Geography:
Europe

2122. Building EU-UN Coherence in Mission Planning & Mandate Design

Author:
Richard Gowan and Thierry Tardy
Publication Date:
11-2014
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center on International Cooperation (CIC)
Abstract:
Just over five years ago, relations between the EU and UN were strained due to the difficulties of planning and implementing coordinated missions in Chad and Kosovo. Today, relations are considerably more cordial, but there is still room to improve the two organizations’ joint planning procedures. This paper aims to assess what has been achieved in the field of planning coordination and what the remaining challenges are; it also makes some suggestions for further action.
Topic:
United Nations and European Union
Political Geography:
Europe

2123. Rapid Reaction Capability of the European Union

Author:
Matthew McCray
Publication Date:
12-2014
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies
Abstract:
The formation of an Army of Europe has been discussed almost since the end of World War II, but has yet to be realized. After reading through the numerous and varied proposals over the past sixty years, the observer invariably arrives at the conclusion that all concerned parties agree: the European Union (EU) should have its own military. The Union today, taken as a whole, is an economic and cultural superpower. Its leading nations seem to be willing to pursue the status of a humanitarian superpower and leader in conflict prevention, as well as to defend the Europe’s perceived collective interests in the world.
Topic:
International Cooperation, Regional Cooperation, Military Strategy, and European Union
Political Geography:
Europe, Central Europe, and Western Europe

2124. 2nd Annual Suna Panel Discussion: Turkey and the EU: Turning Long-Term Relations into Effective Collaboration

Author:
Lenka Peťková
Publication Date:
03-2014
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Global Political Trends Center (GPoT)
Abstract:
Commemorating Amb. Suna Çokgür Ilıcak, Global Political Trends Center (GPoT Center) of Istanbul Kültür University in collaboration with the Center for Strategic Research (SAM) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, and the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences (FSES) of the Comenius University in Bratislava organized the second panel discussion held in her memory. Amb. Suna Çokgür Ilıcak, who had passed away while serving as Turkey's Ambassador to Slovakia, played a pivotal role in strengthening relations between the two countries. The panel discussion entitled "Turkey and the EU: Turning Long-Term Relations into Effective Collaboration" took place on March 6, 2014 on the premises of the FSES with the participation of students, academics, local civil society and media representatives, experts and members of the diplomatic corps based in Bratislava.
Topic:
International Relations, Diplomacy, Politics, and European Union
Political Geography:
Europe, Turkey, and Slovakia

2125. The Eastern Partnership: Challenges and Opportunities for European Integration

Author:
Alexander Verschoor-Kirss and Anna Bulakh
Publication Date:
08-2014
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
International Centre for Defence and Security - ICDS
Abstract:
The Vilnius Summit of the Eastern Partnership (abbreviated EaP), held in November 2013, reiterated the stated goal of the previous summit in Warsaw of “building a common area of shared democracy, prosperity, stability and increased interactions and exchanges.” The Vilnius Summit of the Eastern Partnership (abbreviated EaP), held in November 2013, reiterated the stated goal of the previous summit in Warsaw of “building a common area of shared democracy, prosperity, stability and increased interactions and exchanges.” Both the European Union and its partners came to an important conclusion: that the peaceful resolution of conflicts through building trust and good neighborly relations is essential to economic development, social development, and cooperation in the region. Before the EU and EaP countries can reach this laudable goal, however, this partnership needs to address the shared security threat revealed by the current crisis in Ukraine: Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
Topic:
Conflict Resolution, European Union, Partnerships, Democracy, and Regional Integration
Political Geography:
Russia, Europe, and Ukraine

2126. Political Identity Building in the EU: A Constructivist Approach

Author:
Suavi Aydın
Publication Date:
07-2014
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Academic Inquiries
Institution:
Sakarya University (SAU)
Abstract:
The EU is an important economic and political figure in global politics and its sui generis presence has been analyzed both from a rationalist approach and by integration theorists. Despite the rationalist material ontology, when we examine the social constructivist reading, the EU has achieved many gradual improvements that foster and strengthen its position as an actor; in particular, the Treaty of Lisbon has emphasized the political identity of the EU. These developmental steps have mostly been constructed on civilian concepts rather than traditional material oriented approaches. This civilian ground has been reinforced by EU treaties and other forms of legislation, giving flesh and bones to the political identity. As a consequence, these efforts have formulated the political identity of the EU; moreover, the EU has begun to export these political identity components, which are fundamental freedoms and the rule of law and democracy, towards other countries. The addressee states generally have some historical or cultural bonds to the EU. Therefore, this research will try to examine which integration theory best answers the EU’s political identity setting and its representation. This paper argues that first the Copenhagen Council in 1993 and then the Treaty of Lisbon have acted as starting points for EU’s self-image; in legal terms, these political steps have given the EU a stable political identity. This consensus in political identity has consolidated the actor profile on the international stage. When considering this progress from a theoretical perspective, traditional integration theories fail to comprehend and clarify this formative process, as they are immersed in the early economic integration process. Interestingly, although this shaped political identity became a robust and constant part of the EU, in recent years the EU has come face to face with the Eurozone economic crisis. In this context, a social constructivist approach, which makes use of social relations as a tool and references social ontology, seems the best approach to intervene the EU political identity and its presence, particularly after the EU gained legal status.
Topic:
Politics, European Union, Identity, and Social Constructivism
Political Geography:
Europe

2127. Erasmus+ Programme With Eyes of Ukrainian Students

Author:
Svitlana Batsyukova
Publication Date:
03-2014
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Studies of Changing Societies Journal (SCS)
Institution:
Studies of Changing Societies Journal (SCS)
Abstract:
This article looks at the relevance, comprehensiveness and integrity of the Erasmus+ programme in Ukraine thorugh the lenses of Ukrainian students' eyes. It takes account of recently signed political provisions of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and demonstrates support outlined in the Agreement toward goals of the Erasmus+ programme. The core component of the article presents analysis of students' questionnaires. The questionnaires were composed of questions aimed at supporting or countering different arguments related to the introduction of the Erasmus+ programme in Ukraine.
Topic:
European Union, Higher Education, and Survey
Political Geography:
Europe and Ukraine

2128. Causes and Consequences of the Recent European Crisis: Can Polanyi help us understand problems of the Eurozone?

Author:
Mine Kara
Publication Date:
07-2014
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace
Institution:
Center for Foreign Policy and Peace Research
Abstract:
By evoking economic turmoil in Europe, the global crisis of 2007-2008 had important impacts on the economic and political integration of the European Union (EU), leading to a reassessment of the relationship between the core– periphery countries and the model of the ‘democratic European welfare state.’ Most studies that address this problem in the EU focus on the fiscal mismanagement and welfare policies of the non-core or periphery countries (i.e. Greece) as the main culprit. Unlike the mainstream ideas, this paper explains the recent European crisis as a result of the liberalization and deregulation process that started with the second globalization wave in the 1970s. This paper also questions whether the recent radical nationalist trend in the EU countries can be explained as a byproduct of the crisis, using Polanyi’s notion of “double movement”.
Topic:
Globalization, European Union, Eurozone, and Economic Crisis
Political Geography:
Europe

2129. ‘Via Media’ vs. the Critical Path: Constructivism(s) and the Case of EU Identity

Author:
Zeynep Arkan
Publication Date:
07-2014
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
All Azimuth: A Journal of Foreign Policy and Peace
Institution:
Center for Foreign Policy and Peace Research
Abstract:
The European Union’s international identity is a theme that has attracted great scholarly interest in the last two decades, parallel to the increasing role of the Union as a global actor. This period has also witnessed the rise of constructivism as an approach in International Relations with a specific focus on the social nature of and ideational factors in international affairs. Many of the works published in this time frame have approached the topic of European Union identity from a constructivist perspective that focused on the outcomes of the identity construction process within the Union, drawing parallels between the processes of identity construction and dissemination in nation states and at the European level. This study, by differentiating between the critical and conventional constructivist accounts of identity, offers a discursive analysis of the European Union’s identity that concentrates instead on the building blocks and evolution of the identity construction process within the Union. To this aim, it explores the ways in which the identity of the European Union has been represented in the foreign policy discourse originating from the Union’s various institutions and leaders, based on a particular conception of ‘Europe.’
Topic:
European Union, Media, Constructivism, and Identity
Political Geography:
Europe

2130. Employee financial participation in businesses: Is it worth discussing?

Author:
Barbara Blaszczyk
Publication Date:
04-2014
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Center for Social and Economic Research - CASE
Abstract:
This paper is an overview of the achievements in the area of employee financial participation (EFP) during the last fifty years. It addresses the question of the extent to which EFP is relevant in today’s world. EFP is distinguished from participation in management (industrial democracy), and the various types of EP are discussed. The major arguments for EFP are presented and discussed critically. The evolution of major forms of EFP, the scale of their operation in several advanced economies, and the legal and tax incentives for EFP are described. The efforts of European Union bodies to popularise this idea in all member countries are illustrated. Showing that EFP has become a broadly recognised principle of modern management in thousands of enterprises, we consider opportunities for disseminating these solutions on a wider scale, in particular in Poland. Finally, a number of directions for further research on financial participation are considered.
Topic:
European Union, Employment, Finance, and Management
Political Geography:
Europe and Poland