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471. The New Eastern Europe: Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova

Author:
Daniel Hamilton and Gerhard Mangott
Publication Date:
01-2007
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Transatlantic Relations
Abstract:
The nations of Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova are the new Eastern Europe—sandwiched between a larger European Union and a resurgent Russia. Historically the object of fluid and volatile geopolitical shifts, none has ever existed as a state within its current borders, and none enjoys consensus on its respective national identity. All are located along key military, transportation and energy corridors linking Europe to Eurasia. Their problems—infectious diseases, organized crime, drug and human trafficking, pollution and illegal migration—directly spill over into the EU. Their success could have a beneficial impact on the development of democracy, pluralism and the rule of law throughout the post-Soviet space. Their future will help shape Russia's own destiny and ultimately determine where Europe ends.
Topic:
Democratization, Migration, and Regional Cooperation
Political Geography:
Russia, Europe, and Ukraine

472. Current Status of Debate in European States on the Constitutional Treaty

Author:
Adam Szymański, Leszek Jesień, Łukasz Adamski, Mateusz Gniazdowski, Emil Pietras, Rafał Tarnogórski, and Beata Wojna
Publication Date:
04-2007
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Polish Institute of International Affairs
Abstract:
This elaborate paper provokes a series of questions. Where are EU member states heading in their effort to reform the Community's institutions? Are there leaders of the pack among them, are there stragglers? Are the present considerations on the constitutional treaty linked to a vision of sorts? These are vital questions, to be answered probably during the forthcoming months and years, when watching the politicians' efforts to have their share in this realm of European integration.
Topic:
Regional Cooperation
Political Geography:
Europe

473. Geostrategies of the European Neighbourhood Policy

Author:
Christopher S. Browning and Pertti Joenniemi
Publication Date:
05-2007
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies
Abstract:
The debate about the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) has, in essence, been about borders and bordering. Such departures often contribute to rather fixed geopolitical visions of what the EU is about and how it aims at running and organising the broader European space. In contrast, this paper aims at retaining space for viewing the ENP as a developmental and somewhat fluid process. A conceptual framework, based on the outlining of three geopolitical models and a series of different geostrategies employed by the EU in regard to its borders, is hence utilized in order to tell a more dynamic story regarding the developing nature of the ENP and the EU's evolving nature more generally. The complexity traced informs that various geostrategies may be held at the same time at the external border. Moreover, the dominance of one geostrategy may be replaced by another or a different combination of them with regard to the same neighbourhood. It is, more generally, argued that if anything it is precisely this dynamism that should be championed as a valuable resource and as such avoiding the tendency to close off options through the reification of particular visions of the nature of the EU and its borders.
Topic:
International Relations, Development, and Regional Cooperation
Political Geography:
Europe

474. European Strategies for Reducing 'Unwanted' Immigration

Author:
Jørgen Carling
Publication Date:
04-2007
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Danish Institute for International Studies
Abstract:
Much of the current immigration to Europe is 'unwanted' in the sense that receiving countries would prefer to be without it. Some of this immigration is 'unavoidable', limited by states' incapacity to implement their rules. The migrants in question are people who arrive in Europe, usually through the services of human smugglers, and are impossible to return even if their requests for residence are rejected. A second, and much larger, part of the 'unwanted' immigration is 'reluctantly accepted' by European governments. This includes migrants who are granted asylum or other forms of protection, and migrants who are admitted for family reasons. Political pressure to reduce the number of immigrants in these groups has intensified considerable. A critical point which justifies the label 'unwanted' is that support for admitting these migrant groups is largely based on political motivation to uphold the supporting principles rather than a positive evaluation of the immigration flows they generate. This brief discusses the strategies used by states to reduce 'unwanted' immigration.
Topic:
International Relations, Migration, and Regional Cooperation
Political Geography:
Europe

475. Austria's Deepening Economic Integration with Central and Eastern Europe

Author:
Rina Bhattacharya
Publication Date:
08-2007
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Abstract:
The Austrian economy has benefited substantially from the expansion of economic ties with Central and Eastern Europe, which has provided a significant boost to growth, productivity, competitiveness, profits and (more controversially) aggregate employment. Indeed, among the older EU member states, Austria has benefited the most from the transition of the Central and Eastern European countries from planned economies to market economies, and the subsequent entry into the EU of the ten new member states, mostly from Central and Eastern Europe, in 2004. However, important segments of the population in Austria, and in particular low-skilled and semi-skilled workers in the manufacturing sector, appear to have been adversely affected by these developments. There is thus a need for policy measures to help those segments of the workforce that have had difficulty coping with growing competition from Central and Eastern Europe. Furthermore, more can be done to make Austria a more attractive location for highly skilled and well qualified expatriate workers and to maintain Vienna’s position as a central hub for multinationals operating in the region. These include, in particular, the need to strengthen eastern transportation links and to reduce to a minimum bureaucratic hurdles and red tape for foreign enterprises seeking to operate out of Vienna.
Topic:
International Trade and Finance, Regional Cooperation, Economic Cooperation, and Financial Stability
Political Geography:
Europe, Eastern Europe, Austria, and Central Europe

476. A Synergy for Black Sea Regional Cooperation: Guidelines for an EU Initiative

Author:
Fabrizio Tassinari
Publication Date:
06-2006
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Centre for European Policy Studies
Abstract:
On 17 July 2006, Fabrizio Tassinari, Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen and visiting Research Fellow at CEPS, presented his study entitled \'A Synergy for Black Sea Regional Cooperation: Guidelines for an EU Initiative\', financed by the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond.
Topic:
Regional Cooperation and Treaties and Agreements
Political Geography:
Europe and Balkans

477. Trail to Failure: History of the Constitutional Rejection and Implications for the Future

Author:
Richard Baldwin
Publication Date:
05-2006
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Centre for European Policy Studies
Abstract:
The French and Dutch no-votes were a huge blow to the Constitutional Treaty. The deadline for ratification is suspended and as of early 2006, neither the French nor the Dutch government had a plan for reversing the fatal votes. In short, there is no plan for putting the Constitution into force.
Topic:
Regional Cooperation and Treaties and Agreements
Political Geography:
Europe and Dutch

478. A New Agreement between the EU and Russia: Why, what and when?

Author:
Michael Emerson, Fabrizio Tassinari, and Marius Vahl
Publication Date:
05-2006
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Centre for European Policy Studies
Abstract:
The 10th anniversary of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between the EU and Russia, which falls on 1 December 2007, is already prompting thoughts on whether and how to replace it. This raises basic issues about the form, purpose and content of bilateral treaties in the context of an integrating Europe. The following scenarios are discussed: Retire the PCA without replacement, Extend the status quo, Extend the status quo, adding a Political Declaration on Strategic Partnership, Replace the PCA with a short Treaty on Strategic Partnership, Replace the PCA with a comprehensive Treaty on Strategic Partnership, Negotiate a Treaty of Strategic Union.
Topic:
International Cooperation and Regional Cooperation
Political Geography:
Russia, Europe, and Asia

479. Bulgaria and Romania's Accession to the EU:Postponement, Safeguards and the Rule of Law

Author:
Gergana Noutcheva
Publication Date:
05-2006
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Centre for European Policy Studies
Abstract:
On the day before the European Commission's decision on the fitness of Bulgaria and Romania to become EU members on 1 January 2007 (due to be delivered 16 May 2006), it is becoming increasingly evident that the EU has fallen into its own 'rhetorical trap' from which there is no easy way out. Most EU officials and politicians would agree that the governance standards in the two Balkan candidates are not up to EU level yet, but everyone knows that there is not much the EU can do about it at this point.
Topic:
International Cooperation and Regional Cooperation
Political Geography:
Europe, Bulgaria, Balkans, and Romania

480. The Commission's White Paper on Communication: Mapping a Way to a European Public Sphere

Author:
Sebastian Kurpas, Christoph Mayer, and Michael Brüggemann
Publication Date:
05-2006
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Centre for European Policy Studies
Abstract:
In its recent White Paper on a European Communication Policy, the European Commission has promised a “fundamentally new approach”. The policy is meant to narrow the communication gap looming between the European Union and its citizens and ultimately to map a way towards the development of a European public sphere. In contrast to the socalled 'Action Plan' for improving the Commission's own communication from July 2005, the White Paper is addressed to the EU as a whole, including other central institutions, member states, European political parties and even 'civil society'. The purpose of this Policy Brief is to critically evaluate the proposals emanating from the White Paper and to advance several suggestions aimed at helping the current initiative to have a more tangible and long-term effect than its many predecessors, authored by Messrs Tindemans, Adonnino, Oostlander, DeClerq, Pex or Pinheiro.
Topic:
International Cooperation and Regional Cooperation
Political Geography:
Europe