The Eastern Enlargement of the EU identifies the major fiscal challenges facing Central European countries on the road to European Union accession. The Introduction and three other chapters are on broad macro-economic issues, and four sectoral' chapters follow these on such questions as the fiscal impact of pensions, health reform, taxation and agricultural policies. A comprehensive analysis of tax systems and of the major elements of public social expenditures (pensions and health care systems) is presented. This analysis helps to identify the key factors determining the present size of governments and the need for, and prospects of, fiscal adjustment. In addition, a comparison of fiscal policy is carried out, followed by a long-term fiscal projection until year 2010. The book is relevant to academics in macroeconomics, European studies and transition economics, as well as in public finance and public policy sciences. It should also appeal to a significant professional audience. Policy makers and economists interested in the accession process in EU countries - at ministries, National Banks, research departments of banks, international organizations (the EU Commission, World Bank, IMF, OECD) - will have a strong interest in this book.

Legal theory has been much occupied with understanding legal systems and analysing the concept of legal system. This has usually been done on the tacit or explicit assumption that legal systems and states are co-terminous. But since the Rome Treaty there has grown up in Europe a `new legal order', neither national law nor international law, and under its sway older conceptions of state sovereignty have been rendered obsolete. At the same time, it has been doubted whether the `European Union' that has grown out of the original `European Communities' has a satisfactory constitution or any constitution at all. What kind of legal and political entity is this `Union' and how does it relate juridically and politically to its member states? Further, the activity of construing or constructing `legal system' and legal knowledge becomes visibly problematic in this context. These essays wrestle with the above problems.

The book is the first of its kind to provide a comparative analysis of the provision of social and public services in France, Italy, Germany, the UK and Norway. This volume, co-authored by leading national experts, topically examines whether, when, how and why the delivery of social and public services, which was historically a responsibility of local authorities, has been significantly shifted to marketized and commodified forms. However, despite this considerable change, there have been recent indications of remunicipalization in some sectors. Combining both cross-country and cross-policy comparisons in a broad range of pertinent service fields, this volume fills a noticeable gap in the international literature currently available.Mirroring the underlying interdisciplinary approach of the book, the findings will be useful and attractive to students of law and economics as well as political science and sociology. Academic researchers and politicians on all intergovernmental levels will also find this book insightful and stimulating.

This book investigates relations between Israel, the Palestinian territories and the European Union by considering them as interlinked entities, with relations between any two of the three parties affecting the other side. The contributors to this edited volume explore different aspects of Israeli-Palestinian-European Union interconnectedness.

This book offers an analytical overview of schools of thought on European integration which offer useful insights into EU social politics. Building on this framework, the chapters then examine in detail pre-Maastricht social policy and the 'social partners', the innovations of the Treaty itself, and where EU social policy stands at the end of the 1990s. Case studies of European Works Councils, parental leave, and atypical work, are included to highlight the day-to-day processes at work in social policy formation and the major interest groups and EU institutions involved. This is an up-to-date and accessible study which finds the social policy-making environment in the EU has become increasingly corporatist in the 1990s.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203299078

Feminising the Market discusses the role of the European Community, in particular the Single European Market, and shows how it is having an important impact on women's working lives. As well as documenting women's employment throughout Europe, the book addresses issues of key importance for women in Europe. These include how the European Community has developed policies that positively benefit women, the way that women are influencing change at the European level, and the impact that this is having at the national level.

This volume looks at the process of enlargment which the European Union is currently undertaking, focusing on both the economic and political dimensions of the subject. The volume examines how enlargment has evolved and looks at the roles and relations of the different actors - member states, applicant states and EU institutions. With contributors coming from different disciplinary backgrounds, the volume offers an unusually rich array of perspectives on one of the most significant political developments of recent years.

This text contributes to the continuing debate surrounding the European Integration process. Drawing on a wealth of material, including the 1996 Intergovernmental Conference and budgetary negotiations, the contributors develop insights and theories about the nature of the integrative process. This collection brings together leading academics and practitioners in the field and should be useful to students, teachers, practitioners and anyone interested in the evolution of European unity.

What is the form of government of the European Union (EU)? And how is the institutional governance of the Eurozone evolving? These questions have become pressing during the last few years. On the one hand, the Euro-crisis and the legal and institutional responses to it have had major implications on the constitutional architecture of the EU and the Eurozone. On the other hand, the May 2014 elections for the European Parliament and the ensuing struggle to form the European Commission have brought to the fore new tensions in the EU political system. The purpose of this book, which brings together the contributions of EU lawyers, comparative constitutional lawyers and political scientists, from all over Europe and the United States, is to offer a new look at the form of government of the EU and the Eurozone and consider its potential for future development. While offering a plurality of perspectives on the form of government of the EU and the Eurozone, this book emphasises how the Euro-crisis represents a watershed in the process of European integration, makes the case for a more legitimate and effective form of government for the EU and the Eurozone, and identifies possible windows of opportunity for future treaty reforms. The volume will provide food for thought for scholars, policy-makers and the public at large as they continue debating the most apt form of government for the EU and the Eurozone.

In recent years, we have witnessed the spectacular growth of risk management approaches to regulation, so much so that the concept of risk regulation has entered the mainstream regulation vocabulary. This timely collection takes a critical look at risk and EU law. Its multidisciplinary, comparative approach traces the dangers lurking in the practical application of these approaches. It offers important insights into the limitations of the approach and its variability across domains and Member States. It is a valuable addition to the risk regulation literature and deserves to be widely read.' - Bridget M. Hutter, London School of Economics and Political Science, UKAlthough the assessment and management of risk has always been an integral part of government and private decision-making, it has acquired particular importance in contemporary politics. Developments such as the global financial crisis of 2008, the ensuing Eurozone crisis, the rise in international terrorism, and natural disasters have brought to the fore the importance of risk management. As the competence of the EU has expanded, the presence of EU law in risk control has increased significantly. This book seeks to provide an analysis of EU risk regulation in various sectors, examining some key concepts and transversal themes, as well as focusing on sector specific regulation. The contributors explore the social epistemology of risk observation and management, risk modelling, the role of science in political and judicial decision-making, in addition to transnational risk regulation and contractual governance. They examine EU regulation, among others, in the field of terrorism prevention, external relations, food regulation and financial supervision.L This book will be of interest to law scholars, social scientists and students, whilst lawmakers and lawyers will also benefit from the practical insights of its expert authors. Contributors: A. Alemanno, F. Allen, D. Brean, F. Cafaggi, E. Carletti, M. Cremona, S. Duquet, A. Garde, T. Herberger, A. Hoefer, C. Kobrak, K.-H. Ladeur, H.-W. Micklitz, A. Oehler, T. Tridimas, M.B.A. van Asselt, K. Vieweg, E. Vos, S. Wendt, J. Wouters

European integration has profoundly changed the relationship between national and subnational governments and has led to the emergence of the "Europe of the Regions." This edited volume highlights some of the problems involved in the integration of the three main levels of governance in the European Union: the regional, national, and supranational level. The contributors address recent developments in various regions and examine the way these regions have adjusted to the growing importance of the European Union's multilevel governance system. Among the issues discussed are the emergence and institutionalization of new regional political systems, such as those of Scotland, Wales, and Flanders; the channels available to the regions for influencing the EU policy process in relation to their constituencies; and horizontal projects of integration among regions, which make the whole multilevel governance system more flexible as well as more complex.

The Rio Summit has pointed to the urgency for the development of an international conservation policy, and the post-Maastricht debates in Europe have highlighted the need for the EU to reassess structural funding in nature conservation, as well as the influences on policy and practice. This text is a "route map" through the legislative and policy frameworks and explains how conservation works in Europe. It goes through the policies for nature conservation in the European Community and its constituent member states and sets out the mechanisms for delivering this policy. Practitioners in the fields of countryside, conservation and general land management should find this text a useful guide to the working of the EU, as well as helpful in appreciating their local role within the wider community objectives.

Since the late 1970s, the European Union (EU) has seen an immense growth in regulatory measures aimed at environmental protection. In more recent years, this regulatory activity has come under increasing criticism. This has coincided with a more general disenchantment with regulation, resulting in a wave of "deregulation" initiatives. These initially focused on privatization and market liberalization in various industries (economic deregulation), but subsequently have also been applied to environmental policy itself. This text looks at two separate, but related facets of deregulation in the EU. Through case studies of the energy transport and water sectors, it examines the environmental implication of economic deregulation. Dealing with options for deregulation in environmental policy, the book looks at self-regulation, negotiated agreements and environmental management systems. A number of other issues are also addressed such as the links between deregulation, environmental protection and competition.

The 1990s have seen intense debates about the role of regions in European integration. Changes in EU structural funding rules, the innovations of the Maastricht treaty, and the growing importance of federal and regional government within EU member states have all boosted the significance of regional tiers of government in EU politics. Taken together their effect has been to shift the balance of decision-making responsibility within the EU to a third (regional) level of government emerging in the EU policy process alongside the first (union) and second (nation-state) levels. As a result, a system of multi-level governance can increasingly be identified, in which different levels of government adopt different roles in different fields or phases of the European policy process.

This broad ranging new text provides a systematic assessment of the emergence of gender as a significant issue on the EU agenda and of the EU's impact on gender inequality, both in terms of specifically gender-related policies and the gender dimensions of other policies.

The possibility that the European Union might expand to thirty members in the first quarter of the next millenium poses fundamental questions about the objectives and processes of the EU.
This study addresses many of the key issues raised by the increasing exapnsion of the EU. Analysing the traditional 'Community method' of expansion and finding many short comings with its ability to handle future enlargement, Chris Preston explores:
* the past experience of enlargement and the lessons that can be drawn
* the impact that enlargement has had on EU policies, institutions and the new members themselves
* the likely future developments in the enlargement process
Focusing on the Mediterranean, Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet countries, this book will be essential reading for students, specialists and practitioners of European Politics.

A pioneering textbook which explains the dynamics of politics across Europe in the post-Cold war era. Comparing democratisation, transition to a market economy and increasing economic and political integration in the countries of central and eastern Europe with experiences in Scandinavia, and southern and western Europe, the book provides a wealth of information and analysis on the state of Europe at the end of a momentous century of European and World history.

The European Union is paradoxical: it is not a state, yet it performs many traditional functions of the state. Its regulatory powers are immense but its redistributive functions are negligible; its decisions penetrate all aspects of economic and social life, yet Brussels has no local administration or tribunals, no controllers capable of guaranteeing the correct and faithful implementation of the regulations or objectives which frame European policies. Ths book explores the means through which this paradox is confronted. It examines the nature and modalities of policy-making at Community level and discusses the implications of the specific nature of European institiutions for bargaining group mobilization and policy style. It then studies how the three major nation states have adjusted their policy processes and institutions to the European challenges. Finally, it considers the impact of community decisions in three areas: industrial, competition and social policy.

The 1990s have seen intense debates about the role of regions in European integration. Changes in EU structural funding rules, the innovations of the Maastricht treaty, and the growing importance of federal and regional government within EU member states have all boosted the significance of regional tiers of government in EU politics. Taken together their effect has been to shift the balance of decision-making responsibility within the EU to a third (regional) level of government emerging in the EU policy process alongside the first (union) and second (nation-state) levels. As a result, a system of multi-level governance can increasingly be identified, in which different levels of government adopt different roles in different fields or phases of the European policy process.

This brand new textbook provides a concise and informative overview of environmental policy and politics in the European Union. It includes a thorough analysis of the traditional areas of environmental concern such as pollution and natural resources, as well as newer environmental issues, including GMOs and climate change. Throughout this clear and readable introduction, the authors emphasize the interdependence between EU environmental policy and changes at the global level, focusing in particular on the EU's role in global environmental governance. The authors' didactic approach means this text will be invaluable to undergraduate and postgraduate students of environmental politics, policies and governance in the EU as well as MA programmes with a global focus, including international relations and EU studies.

In 1989, the floodgates of revolution were opened in Eastern Europe. Communist governments toppled in all of the East European countries that were members of the Warsaw Pact. Glasnost and perestroika in the Soviet Union, the prospect of increasing West European integration leading to the further marginization of Eastern Europe, and long-suppressed alienation of the public from the political leadership throughout Eastern Europe were amongst the immediate factors leading to the upheavals of 1989. In this research volume, Alpo Rusi, Director of Planning and Research in the Political Department of the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, examines the history of the postwar east-west relationship in Europe, the underlying proceses of change and the implications of the present period of transition to a new European order.;In Dr Rusi's view the events of 1989 are but a harbinger of a new security order in Europe. The author analyses the rise of bipolarism, both during the conflict of the Cold War and during the growth of detente, and lays stress on the parallel process of an evolution towards multilateralism. Dr Rusi's view is that in exploring the prospects for Europe's future, analysts

This interdisciplinary book examines Brexit from a political economy perspective, enriched by insights from scholars of political science, history and law. Shedding light on the key motivations for Brexit, this incisive book seeks to better understand what shapes the UK's political and economic preferences and the fundamental causes and issues that have moulded its stance on the EU. Political issues explored include the political rationality of Brexit and the reasons for the UK's unsustainable position in the EU, specific UK sovereignty concerns in the absence of a written constitution, the issue of preferences, and the UK's prospective standing in the world post EU exit. Economic considerations such as the root causes of Brexit, examination of the properties of the single market and EU regulation, including the issue of the City of London, and the importance played by subjective wellbeing rather than economic growth are investigated, as well as the challenges to be confronted post-Brexit. The Politics and Economics of Brexit will be a key resource for scholars and students interested in the European Union, European governance and political economics. Analysing the Brexit impasse from 2016-2019, this comprehensive book will also be valuable to those working in comparative politics, international relations, business and industry. Contributors include: S. Baroncelli, A. Bongardt, R. Bourgeot, P. Della Posta, R. Di Quirico, E. Diodato, S. Giusti , S. Rehman, M. Rosini, L.S. Talani, F. Torres

The European Union is becoming increasingly involved in health policy. The Treaties of Maastricht and Amsterdam require the EU to consider health issues in all that it does. Even though the Union has no direct involvement in the delivery of health services, its range of responsibilities, including the ramifications for health of the Single European Market, make it a key player. This is the first major academic book solely devoted to EU health and health-related policy.

What is the European Union international role and identity becoming after the cold war, September 11th and the transatlantic rift? Is the second global actor challenging the trends towards a 'pax americana'? EUROPE: A CIVILIAN POWER? provides an original account of the features and the external relations of the EU as a civilian power in the making. It addresses the key questions on the new security threat, world emergencies challenging the EU, not only as a peace and democracy stablizer on a continental scale, but also as an actor which shares responsibility for global governance and world order. MARIO TELO provides a comparative analysis of regional cooperation in Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America and focuses on the interregional relations with the EU. He highlights the international relevance of the current EU constitutionalization process and gives a critical review of the concepts of civilian power, soft power, civilizing power, multilateralism, multipolarism, international fragmentation, empire, hegemonic stability and global legitimacy. Analysis of the best literature on international relations and European integration is completed by MARIO's practical experience as an advisor to the EU institutions and a lecturer in Asia and Americas.