European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
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‘State of the EU’ to the fore [September plenary session]
Written by Mitja Brus Jean-Claude Juncker’s ‘State of the Union’ (#SOTEU) address to the European Parliament will feature in the first EP plenary session after the summer recess. On Wednesday 9 September at 9am he will make his first such address as President of the European Commission. For this major event we will soon publish … Continue reading
The international dimension of European Urban Policy
Written by Isabel Moran Vidal Cities in the European Union Nowadays, 71.7% of the population of the European Union (EU) lives in urban areas . Cities play an important role in implementing policies related to culture, economic and social development, climate and environment. Moreover, in order to achieve the goals stated in Europe 2020 , … Continue reading
Macro-regional strategies across Europe
Written by Isabel Moran Vidal The European Economic and Social Committee held in October a public hearing titled ‘ Macro-regional Strategies across Europe ‘ aiming to look for a common denominator in the problems macro-regional strategies face, as well as those points which make macro-regional strategy successful. The objective is to prepare an opinion which … Continue reading
2014: a great year in European politics? A great year on the EPRS Think Tank Blog
Written by Clare Ferguson 2014 was an interesting year for us at the EPRS. Debate on all things European broke out all over, with the European elections in May, a new European Commission, and increasingly vocal arguments for and against integration, independence, immigration and invigoration of the EU economy. Not surprisingly then, our top posts … Continue reading
Summary: Conference on the Echelon affair
Written by Kristina Svobodová A conference was held on 5 November to mark the publication of a study by the European Parliament Historical Archives – “The Echelon Affair. The EP and the global interception system 1998-2002″. Several guest speakers, who were actually involved in the investigation of the Echelon affair, attended to give their perspective … Continue reading
La violence envers les femmes dans l’UE: État des lieux
EN: Violence against women in the EU: State of play DE: Gewalt gegen Frauen in der EU: Sachstand ES: La violencia contra las mujeres en la UE: Situación actual IT: La violenza nei confronti delle donne nell’UE: Quadro della situazione PT: A violência contra as mulheres na UE: Situação atual PL: Przemoc wobec kobiet w UE: Aktualna sytuacja RO: Violența … Continue reading
European defence cooperation: New impetus needed
The December 2013 European Council summit is due to debate the EU’s security and defence policy. Many expect the summit to give renewed impetus to European defence, as economic austerity has had a severe impact on the defence budgets and military capabilities of EU Member States (MS). Moreover, the EU’s future ability to protect its … Continue reading
Austerity, labour market and international treaties. Cases of four EU countries in receipt of financial assistance
Due to the global financial crisis and the European sovereign debt crisis several European countries (in particular Greece, Ireland Portugal and Spain) were forced to ask for financial assistance. In return they had to commit to implement so-called austerity measures aimed at reducing their budget deficits. These countries also agreed to implement structural changes such as labour market reforms in order to improve their competitiveness. … Continue reading
EU budget for growth and employment – In Focus
The EU has recently set its budgetary priorities for the next seven years, adopting the 2014-20 Multiannual Framework Programme (MFF). Two briefings present the key points of the agreement and its flexibility provisions allowing some additional room for maneuver in multi-year planning to promote growth and to fight unemployment. Overall, the 2014-20 MFF allocates up … Continue reading
Social dimension of austerity measures: Cases of four EU countries in receipt of financial assistance
The economic and financial crisis has been affecting the EU since 2008. The effects of growing budgetary deficits have included the increase in governments’ borrowing costs to unsustainable levels in Greece, Portugal, Ireland and Spain, forcing them to request financial assistance. In return, they committed themselves to reducing the deficits through spending cuts and increases … Continue reading
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood experience: International response and regional implications
Accused of taking an authoritarian turn and being unable to sort Egypt’s economic problems, Mohammed Morsi, the democratically elected Egyptian president was ousted earlier this year. The ensuing crackdown on his party, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), has pushed the organisation to return to the underground organisation with which it had worked for decades. The implications … Continue reading
The MFF 2014-2020: how much can the EU budget contribute to growth and employment?
Corresponding to around 1% of the EU’s gross national income (or 2% of public spending in the EU), the EU budget is considered small in size by many analysts and its impact on the economy of the EU is debated. However, the role that the EU budget can play in economic recovery should not be underestimated. … Continue reading
Constitutional problems of multi-tier governance in the EU
Differentiated integration – where some Member States are not yet ready or are unwilling to participate in new developments – is a fact of today’s European Union. Nonetheless, the route chosen by the Member States to move forward has a major impact both on the legal certainty around any new instruments and on their democratic … Continue reading
North-East Atlantic fish stock disputes: The mackerel and herring conflicts
Fish stocks which migrate amongst, or are found in, the waters of several coastal states, or in international waters, require joint management to prevent over–fishing and to share fishing possibilities. However, international disputes have arisen over the fishing of some North-East Atlantic (NEA) stocks. Having withdrawn from earlier agreed international arrangements with the EU and … Continue reading
Une Union de droits
2013, Année européenne des citoyens sera officiellement close à Vilnius les 12 et 13 décembre prochains. Cette année a permis de sensibiliser l’ensemble des citoyens européens à leurs droits et leurs devoirs. L’intégration européenne, assise à l’origine sur le marché commun, a évolué pour s’appuyer aujourd’hui sur la citoyenneté de l’UE, créant ainsi une véritable Union de … Continue reading
EU financial instruments for external action
6 language versions available in PDF format EU-Finanzinstrumente für auswärtiges Handeln Instrumentos financieros de la UE para la acción exterior Les instruments financiers de l’Union pour l’action extérieure Strumenti finanziari dell’UE per l’azione esterna Instrumenty finansowania działań zewnętrznych UE EU financial instruments for external action New proposed regulations for European Union (EU) financial instruments for … Continue reading
Emergency response and civil protection
6 language versions available in PDF format Notfalleinsätze und Katastrophenschutz Reacción urgente y protección civil Intervention d’urgence et protection civile Risposta alle emergenze e protezione civile Działania w sytuacjach wyjątkowych i ochrona ludności Emergency response and civil protection The European Union’s Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) and the European Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) provide … Continue reading
Regulating North-East Atlantic deep-sea fisheries
The biological characteristics of deep-sea species and the specific features of deep marine ecosystems make them particularly sensitive to human activities. In July 2012, the Commission tabled a proposal to review rules for deep-sea fishing in the North-East Atlantic. The Council has not yet taken a position, but the European Parliament is set to vote … Continue reading
Services bancaires de base: accès et mobilité
6 language versions available in PDF format Grundlegende Bankdienstleistungen Zugang und Mobilität Servicios bancarios de base: acceso y movilidad Services bancaires de base: accès et mobilité Servizi bancari di base: accesso e mobilità Podstawowe usługi bankowe: dostęp i mobilność Basic bank services: access and mobility Disposer d’un compte de paiement est essentiel pour les consommateurs … Continue reading
EU-Morocco fisheries partnership agreement
Fisheries agreements with non-EU countries are intended to allow EU vessels to fish for surplus stocks in the third countries’ exclusive economic zones in return for a financial contribution. They are negotiated by the European Commission (EC) based on a Council mandate, and ratified by the Council after consent of the European Parliament (EP). The … Continue reading
