POLT07004 2022 Orchestrating the European Union

Tracing the historical and political moulding forces behind the very idea Europa, this module sets out to critically evaluate the trajectory that European states have followed since the end of the 2nd World War. A number of theoretical frameworks purporting to explain European integration are critiqued including neo-functionalism and inter-governmentalism. Moving from the theoretical, an overview of the organisational structures of the institutions of the EU is undertaken.

Institutions examined include the European Parliament, European Council, Court of Justice of the European Union, Council of Ministers, European Commission, European Central Bank and the Court of Auditors. The relationships between these institutions and overall decision‑making of the EU vis-a-vis member states is analysed. This analysis is undertaken by interrogating the manner in which policy is formulated in the following spheres: Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and the von der Leyen Commission's policy priorities.

Cutting through the jargon of EU politics, the third edition of this engaging and informative textbook examines the history, institutions, processes and politics of the European Union with unprecedented clarity. The EU is a fascinating political experiment in regional integration and it has changed our understanding of Europe, how Europeans relate to one another, the role Europe plays in global politics and has even shifted our understanding of politics itself. Helping to make sense of it all in the authors accessible style, this book is underpinned by theory and the latest research throughout. Organised in three main parts, the text covers everything from the history of the EU and its treaties to the institutions that make up the EU and its policies in areas such as the economy, the environment and the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice. This is the go-to text for all students taking courses or modules on the EU, as well as functioning as an accessible introduction for anyone who wants to find out more about how the EU works and what difference it makes.

Thoroughly revised, the seventh edition of this accessible and highly respected text provides a rigorous yet digestible introduction to the European Union. Additionally, it authoritatively explains developments that continue to bring challenges to this powerful institution in times of great political change. Key features: Clearly covers the history, governing institutions, and policies of the EU; Fully updated with new tables, figures, and photographs; In-text features such as Chapter Overviews, Questions to Consider, and Further Reading encourage deeper research and debate; Sustained discussion of transformative and historical change in the upheaval of Brexit and its ramifications, and the future relationship of the UK with the EU; Through reflection on destabilizing issues such as immigration and the years of refugee crisis in Europe, the continued crisis in the eurozone, tensions with Poland and Hungary, Euroskepticism, Russia, and the rise of populism; Increased coverage throughout of women or minorities within the EU. Jonathan Olsen presents the EU as one of the world's economic and political superpowers, which has brought far-reaching changes to the lives of Europeans and has helped its member states to take a newly assertive role on the global stage. Essential reading for students of European and EU politics, this book offers an up-to-the-minute look at both the opportunities and existential threats facing the EU.

This is the must-have, leading introduction to the European Union. Offering an ideal primer on the EUs history, institutions, and politics, this concise textbook also covers the various challenges and opportunities faced by the EU, from the democratic deficit and the potential of future enlargement to the spread of nationalism and crises such as Brexit and the impact of the global pandemic. Understanding the European Union is now more crucial than ever, and this text provides a succinct but nuanced account of its development and how it works. This book will be the ideal guide for all undergraduate and postgraduate courses in political science, global affairs and European Studies. It is also a suitable starting point for anyone seeking to learn more about the EU.

Accessible and engaging, this is a complete guide to the past, present, and future of the European Union. An expert author team examine in detail the theory and history behind the EU, before moving on to explore the institutions and policies at work, giving readers a valuable insight to this complicated political body.

Subject: "This sixth edition of 'European Union Politics' builds on the success of the previous five editions by retaining and updating the chapters published in the previous version of the book. Innovations in this edition include a new chapter on Brexit and a section on the migration crisis in Chapter 22." -- Preface

The dynamic and complex system of European Union policymaking is analysed in this new edition of a much-praised textbook. It offers the most integrated understanding of EU policy available. Major approaches to policymaking including intergovernmentalism, neofunctionalism, supranationalism and critical theory are presented and supplemented with the authors own theoretical model, federal integration, to create a comprehensive evaluation of the EUs interests and actors in key policy domains. The text covers the EUs main policy areas including those on the single market, Economic and Monetary Union, foreign policy, migration and border control, social and regional policies, and the budget locating them in this wider theoretical framework. As such, it is the key introduction to the subject for students of European Politics at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

This book examines how Ireland's relationship with the EU was affected by a succession of crises; the financial crisis, the migration crisis and the Brexit crisis, in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The various crises were not of equal significance on the island of Ireland. The financial crisis was a huge issue for the Republic but not Northern Ireland; Brexit had a major impact in both polities; the migration and populism issues were less controversial; and foreign policy challenges had a minimal impact. The book provides a summary of the main features of each of the main crises to be considered, from both the EU and the Irish perspective. It also explores a number of policy areas which are central to the understanding of each of the crises and the impact each crisis has had for Ireland. Chapters examine issues such as security, migration and taxation as well as protest politics, political parties, the media, public opinion and the economic impact of each of these crises on Ireland's relationship with the EU. The book is also the first of its kind to provide a comprehensive analysis on British-Irish relations in the context of Brexit assessing in particular the Withdrawal Agreement and Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, the devolution settlement and the 1998 Agreement as well as the European dimension to Northern Ireland's peace process. Leading academics from Ireland, the UK and the EU have combined to provide a thought-provoking book which will be invaluable to anyone interested in contemporary Irish politics and economics. Analysts of the EU, particularly those interested on the impact of the financial crisis, populism and Brexit on Ireland's relationship with the EU will also find it essential reading.

The EU's emergence as an international security provider, under the first Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) operations in the Balkans in 2003, is a critical development in European integration. In this book, which relies on extensive interviews with CSDP officials, Michael E. Smith investigates how the challenge of launching new CSDP operations causes the EU to adapt itself in order to improve its performance in this realm, through the mechanism of experiential institutional learning. However, although this learning has helped to expand the overall range and complexity of the CSDP, the effectiveness of this policy tool still varies widely depending on the nature of individual operations. The analysis also calls in to question whether the CSDP, and the EU's broader structures under the 2009 Treaty of Lisbon, are fit for purpose in light of the EU's growing strategic ambitions and the various security challenges facing Europe in recent years.

The aim of this study is to examine the extent to which the end of the Cold War led to Europeanisation in the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The analysis takes into consideration previous studies on Europeanisation and its impact on the transformation of national security and defence, and attempts to account for the development of Europeanisation and related mechanisms. These mechanisms, which have been described as framing mechanisms and negative integration, incorporate all the major relevant factors identified here (i.e. a common Strategic Culture, new security identity, domestic political decision-making, industrial base and defence-spending decline) that contributed to the realisation of the CSDP. The relevance of these factors for CSDP Europeanisation is examined through an historical and empirical analysis, and the relationship between the CSDP and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is also explored. This approach facilitates analysis of the debate concerning the emergence of the CSDP and throws light on the political shift that led European Union (EU) leaders to support the CSDP. Another aspect of this study is the empirical examination of the dynamics and limitations of the European defence sector. The changes which took place in this sector facilitated the emergence of the CSDP and are therefore analysed in the light of globalisation issues, economies of scale, economic crises, military autonomy, new security strategy and Research and Development (R&D) impact. This book will be of interest to students of European security, EU politics, defence studies and International Relations.

The "European model of agriculture" on trial -- What is the CAP about? -- The monster myth -- An even greater myth: coordinated agrarian capitalism -- The political back room.

The thirteenth edition of this market-leading textbook provides an authoritative and concise analysis of the theories and policies relating to monetary union in which the author helps students to critically think about the sustainability of the Eurozone. Part One examines the implications of adopting a common currency by analysing Europe's experience and the issues faced by the European Central Bank. Part Two of the book looks at the problems of running a monetary union by analysing Europe's experience and the issues faced by the European Central Bank. Each chapter ends with a conclusion recapping the core issues, and a set of questions, which encourages students to test their knowledge and stretch their understanding further. This book is accompanied by the following online resources: For students: - Links to data sources - Essay questions - Web links - Paul De Grauwe on Twitter For Lecturers: - PowerPoint slides - Instructor's manual

The contributions to this book examine the two main asymmetries of the Euro Area as they have intensified during the second decade of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU): the first between monetary union (more supranational governance) versus 'economic' union (less centralised governance); the second between those Euro Area member states of the so-called 'core' and those of the 'periphery'. EMU stands as one of the European Union's (EU) flagship integration achievements. Set up in 1999, with the large majority of EU member states at the time, EMU was described as 'asymmetrical' even prior to its start. From the outset, it involved asymmetrical integration in monetary and 'economic' union. Although a major element of the blueprint that paved the way for the final stage of EMU, the concept of 'economic' union was insufficiently developed. The second decade of the single currency gave rise to a second asymmetry, namely one between those Euro Area member states of the 'core' and those of the 'periphery'. The ten contributions to this volume speak to one or both of these asymmetries, covering the major political, political economy and policy dimensions of EMU and the ongoing debates about necessary policy and institutional reforms to overcome these asymmetries and bolster Euro Area stability. The outbreak of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) Crisis in 2020 created unprecedented socio-economic challenges for Euro Area member states, heightening the perceived urgency of reform. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of European Integration.

This new book provides a comprehensive analysis of Europe on the brink of political disintegration. Observers of the European Union (EU) could be forgiven for thinking that it is in a state of permanent crisis. The Union has been beset with high levels of Eurozone debt, Russian intervention and armed conflict in Ukraine, refugees fleeing conflict zones in North Africa and the Middle East, and the decision of Britain to leave the European Union. This text offers a concise and readable assessment of the dynamics, character and consequences of these four crises and the increasingly real possibility of European disintegration. High levels of socio-economic interdependence and institutionalization have failed to result in an ever closer union, and yet the proposed theories of disintegration also fall short. Webber instead shows that it is only by looking at the role of the EUs dominant member, Germany, in each crisis that the potential for an increasingly fragmented Europe becomes clear. Until now, Germany has been the EUs stabilizing force but this is no longer guaranteed. The fate of the integration process will depend on whether other, more inclusive forms of stabilizing leadership may emerge to fill the vacuum created by Berlins incapacity. This text is the ideal companion for upper undergraduate and postgraduate students of the European Union, as part of degrees in Politics, International Relations or European Studies, or for anyone interested in the crises of the European Union.

This accessible new textbook situates the European Union in a dramatically changed world order. Resisting a more traditional and abstract introduction to the institutions, structures and policy making processes of the EU, this innovative new text cuts through the jargon to demonstrate how hard the EU must work to retain its international influence. Taking into account the latest empirical developments, including the spread of war and violence in the East with Ukraine and the ongoing turbulent politics of North Africa and the Middle East, Richard Youngs an expert in the field introduces us to how the EU has been forced to act differently. The book is unique in offering an outside-in conceptual framework that inverts the way that the EU external action is studied and understood. It unpacks the different international challenges the EU has faced in recent years, including the weakening of global order, the need for more protective security, geo-economic competition, climate change and conflicts to its east and south. In each case the book examines how the EU has responded and how its core international identity has changed as a result, assessing whether the Union still retains strong global influence. This book is the ideal companion for students taking modules on the European Unions foreign policy, global politics, and for students of European Union Politics more broadly at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Journal of European Public Policy- https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rjpp20/current

Journal of European Social Policy- https://journals.sagepub.com/home/esp

Comparative European Politics- https://www.palgrave.com/gp/journal/41295

European Union Politics- https://journals.sagepub.com/home/eup

Journal of European Integration- https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/geui20/current

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https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/