8,437 research outputs found
Differentiated Integration in the European Union
No full textThe notion of Differentiated Integration is increasingly used in the literature on European integration. Often employed interchangeably with the notion of "flexible integration, diverging views on its nature have led to the emergence of various definitions and, to some extent, a semantic confusion. A lack of consensus characterizes the academic literature; some authors even avoid putting an explicit definition on the term.
The main objective of this book is to seek answers for the following questions: How can one define Differentiated Integration in the European Union? Should Differentiated Integration be considered as a process, a concept, a system or a theory? Should it be seen as a temporary or a well-established phenomenon? How is this field of study likely to develop in the future? In order to do so, all chapters, written by leading experts in the field, offer a state-of-the-art analysis of the study of differentiated integration, from theoretical and practical perspectives. In addition, this book is not a collection of isolated papers: all chapters are interconnected and gravitate towards the aforementioned central questions, but approach these from different perspectives
France at the Crossroads : Societal Challenges to the Welfare State during Nicolas Sarkozy's and Francois Hollande's Presidential Terms
No full textFrance has established itself as one of the most ‘generous’ welfare states in the world. The Great Recession of 2007–8 confronted French social policy with escalating unemployment and deepening inequalities. Combined with major pension reforms, these led to strong levels of dissatisfaction across the country, exacerbated by tensions over immigration, Euroscepticism, and internal security problems. This chapter examines how these issues developed in political context and uses material from attitude surveys to analyse existing and future challenges for the welfare state in France. It assesses recent reforms: governments of right and left offered contrasting programmes but failed to win public trust. France now stands at a cross-roads, facing a strong presidential challenge from the anti-immigrant, anti-EU right
Towards an ‘ever more differentiated Union'?: Measuring demand for European (dis)integration
No full textSince the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty, the EU has seen a dramatic increase in the use of various mechanisms of differentiation, be it temporal, territorial or functional. As of today, more than fifty percent of EU policies have been affected by differentiation. While much of the existing literature on differentiated integration has focused on the supply side of differentiation, little attention has been paid to the demand for differentiation. Based on party manifesto and Eurobarometer analysis, this chapter attempts to fill a gap in the literature by focusing on two domestic actors that shape demand for differentiation, namely political parties and public opinion. It is argued that given the saliency of this issue, party positions on European integration are now best measured through the lens of preferences on differentiation, per policy area. The chapter further demonstrates that even more needs to be done to analyze how citizens understand the causes and effects of differentiated integration; countries that experience differentiation as a result of referendums tend to display the strongest support for national decision-making in various policy areas
The Europeanization of the Welfare State: The Case for a 'Differentiated European Social Model'
No full textSince the ratification of the Treaty of Rome in 1957, the European integration project has been committed to reducing inequalities between member states. However, social inequalities remain high, and public support for the welfare state varies between countries. Some experts have suggested a common European social policy. This chapter analyses recent developments and future prospects at the European Union level. After discussing the initial ambitions of social policy harmonization, it focuses on the role of the EU during the Great Recession by examining the range of policy responses advocated by Brussels in order to fight against a multi-faceted crisis. These are dominated by the tightening of austerity, but include social investment and greater labour market flexibility. The final section reflects on the future of European integration after Brexit. It argues that further common policy development is only likely through agreements restricted to a particular a number of member states in an ‘ever more differentiated Europe’
Euroscepticism as a Transnational and Pan-European Phenomenon The Emergence of a New Sphere of Opposition
No full textEuroscepticism continues to become an increasingly embedded phenomenon within party systems, non-party groups, at the level of public opinion and within the media as the EU enters an uncertain phase. Yet, academic literature has paid little attention to the emergence of, and increased development of, transnational and pan-European networks of EU opposition. As the ‘gap’ between Europe’s mainstream political elites and an increasingly sceptical public has widened, pan-European spheres of opposition towards the EU have developed and evolved.
The volume sets out to explain how such an innately contradictory phenomenon as transnational Euroscepticism has emerged. It draws on a variety of perspectives and case studies in a number of spheres – the European Parliament, political parties, the media, civil society and public opinion. Examining to what extent the pan-European dimension of Euroscepticism is becoming increasingly influential, it argues that opposition to European integration has for too long been viewed somewhat narrowly, through the paradigm of national party politics
The Panama Papers could bring down Iceland’s government and bring the Pirate Party to power
No full textThe leak of several million confidential documents created by the corporate service provider Mossack Fonseca – the so called ‘Panama Papers’ – has particular implications for Iceland, with the country’s Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Minister of the Interior all linked to the affair. Benjamin Leruth writes that the government is now under severe pressure to call early elections which could well bring the Icelandic Pirate Party to power
Iceland’s election results are not a vote against the EU
No full textThe weekend’s election in Iceland saw a shift to the right for the country, and substantial gains for the Independence Party, which is against joining the EU. Reflecting on the election results Benjamin Leruth argues that despite reluctance from the two winning parties, an EU referendum may still be on the cards for Iceland as a majority of the population still supports accession talks
Democratic Forums and Welfare State Attitudes
No full textThe Democratic Forum approach makes a major contribution to understanding what people want from the welfare state and what they think is possible and to the framings that connect their ideas. Our work shows how intergenerational solidarity and support for the core welfare state services (healthcare and pensions) remain resilient across Europe, while views on inequality and, most importantly, on immigration differ between countries. Despite conflict, the dominant view across most of Europe is that immigration tensions can be managed through social and cultural integration. In the UK the primary stance is exclusionary and chauvinist.In other policy areas the emphasis in popular ideas is shifting from old to young. The most striking finding is the strength with which social investment policies involving childcare, training, education and support into work are endorsed, for different reasons, in all five countries. Older people, especially in richer countries, are willing to make sacrifices to help their children’s generation.Trust in government plays a strong role in welfare state attitudes, and the UK also stands out in the lack of public confidence in the capacity of its government to sustain decent services.<br/
Is ‘Eurorealism’ the new ‘Euroscepticism’? Modern conservatism, the European Conservatives and Reformists and European integration
No full textIn 2009, United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron announced the creation of a new pan-European group, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR). This group, often considered as ‘soft Eurosceptic’ in the existing literature, is mostly composed of right-wing, nationalist and conservative political parties working together to “reform the EU on the basis of Eurorealism, Openness, Accountability and Democracy”. This chapter analyses the evolution of right-wing Euroscepticism at the transnational and pan-European levels, and the development of ‘Eurorealism’ as an alternative to the notion of ‘Euroscepticism’. It attempts to offer a clear definition of this term and to understand why the ECR group was so successful in attracting new parties following the 2014 European elections. More particularly, this chapter aims at explaining why historically pro-European and ‘hard Eurosceptic’ parties switched their stance to adopt a more critical (or more favourable) position on European integration by joining the ECR
The UK’s renegotiation proposal: a good compromise, but much needs to be done to convince voters
No full textA draft proposal for the UK’s renegotiation of its EU membership was published on 2 February. Benjamin Leruth assesses whether the proposal meets the goals set out in David Cameron’s letter to Donald Tusk in November. He writes that while in principle the key aims set out by Cameron have been met, there remains a long way to go before a final deal can be secured with all of the EU’s member states
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