.... Introduction Since the existence of the European Union, the internal borders in Europe have faded or vanished. This enabled the development of a trade center in Europe. Consequently, the members of the EU are intensifying their business and compared with the pre-EU era, competitive behavior has reached its highest level. Unfortunately, some corporations turn to illegal activities in order to gain an advantage over other competitors. The results of these activities differ widely but their effects are always inhibiting for the competitive market. To counteract against these illegal activities, the European Commission (hereinafter the EC) investigates the European market thoroughly in order to maintain a competitive market across the EU. In recent years, the EC has intensified its anti-collusion behavior by charging fines of substantial amounts to companies who deliberately violated the rules and policies given by the EC. For example, in 1998, the European Commission fined ten companies with a total amount of ECU 92.21 million1 in the district heating industry and sentenced them for running a secret market-sharing, price-fixing and bid-rigging cartel for the pipes that were used in their constructions (European Commission, 1998). The action of the EC raises some interesting questions, as to whether the EC is justified to sentence companies for trading in the colluding way they did and whether the EC should be able to influence the trade in Europe by charging fines. This paper...
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...European Union structure: * European Council * Commission of European Union * European Parliament European commission proposes the scheme. European commission: 24 director generals. They executive the decisions. Two main institutions: 1 The committee of the region – local authorities 2..Economic and social committee Regulations have to be applied in the 28 member states. The enterprise Europe network * Networking based * More than 50 countries, 650 organizations, 4000 experts * Provides information and advice to local business on EU policies * Gives feedback to the EU institutions * Finds commercial and technological partners throughout the European Union * Provides support in innovation and internationalization Examples of questions: * What are the expected changes of the rules for my products in the next months? * How can I get my VAT back in another country? * What is the EU law for waste management? * How can I manage to enter the Polish Market? * … Monitoring the EU policies: why? * 80% of economic and social relevant policies come from the EU and are coordinated between member states. * 17 of them are sharing the same currency * EU decision making is important at all levels, from the EU to the regions and cities (more than 366 bns of euros will be invested in the Eu economy uo to 2020) * 70% of the EU policies have a direct impact on the regional development * 80% of our regional...
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...Institutions of European Union Introduction The European Union is a unique economic and political partnership between 28 European countries that together cover much of the continent, created in the aftermath of the Second World War. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC), formed by the inner six countries in 1951 and 1958, respectively. Through successive enlargements, the Union has grown from the six founding states—Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands—to the current 28. It took around 60 years from the Treaty of Brussels, 1948, to the Treaty of Lisbon, 2009, to get its final form. In 1993, under Maastricht Treaty the name European Economic Community was changed to European Union, which reflects the evolution of an economic union to an organization standardizing system of law to maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. Human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights: these are the core values of the EU. During the formation and development of European Union the number, structure, cross-link and interdependency of institutions and other bodies increased (Figure 1). In our work we will explain the history and development of political and legal institutions of European Union. Figure 1, Power structure of main political and legal institutions of European Union . European Parliament ...
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...The development of the European Union was due to the travesties left behind via World war one initially, which resulted in the treaty of Versailles (1919) and was a peace settlement, signed only a year after the first world war, in an attempt to not only hold Germany and her allies to ransom but responsible, weak, in check and to punish them financially. The anger and resentment that built up in Nazi Germany as a result of the heavily imposed precautions set in the treaty of Versailles 1919 was part of the long term cause, which directly contributed to the cause of the second world war, short term causes such as Austria and Czechoslovakia in the 1930 also had a hand. Europe was crushed, due to these events as those involved underwent fatalities way beyond anything ever imagined So the need to prevent any further atrocities was seen as important so binding Germany's coal and steel industry (the strength of its war machines), into an economic and political alliance. Was of major importance The Soviet Union also a concern due to occupancy of the former East Germany, Eastern and Central Europe, urged Western European and America to come together and form NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) 1949, the former West Germany, joined Nato in October 1954 and along with others received millions of dollars, under the marshal plan to support economic recovery. Restricting Germany’s and France coal and steel was a sure fire way to encourage a plan, much than before, to give...
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...C O V E R S T O R I E S R O U N D TA B L E C O M M E N TA R Y Transatlantic Divergence in GE/Honeywell: Causes and Lessons BY DONNA E. PATTERSON AND CARL SHAPIRO welcome, even when they are predicted to cause leading firms to gain market share. Second, the procedures in place in Europe contributed to the ability of the Competition Commissioner to block the proposed merger of GE and Honeywell based on dubious economic grounds and very weak evidence. In particular, the absence of timely and independent judicial review of the Commissioner’s decision that a combination is incompatible with the Common Market gives enormous discretion to the Competition Commissioner and to the Commission’s Merger Task Force. We discuss below how the interplay of these two trans-Atlantic differences led to the divergent results in GE/Honeywell. The EU’s Conglomerate Case A key driver of the proposed merger was the desire of GE and Honeywell to combine their complementary product lines in the civil aerospace industry.2 GE makes, sells, and services large aircraft engines. Honeywell, itself the result of a 1999 merger between Allied Signal and Honeywell, makes small aircraft engines, various avionics components, and other “non-avionics” components, such as environmental control systems, wheels and brakes, and auxiliary power units. At its heart, the merger was neither horizontal nor vertical, but conglomerate. In fact, the GE/Honeywell merger was remarkably “clean” in terms of horizontal...
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...The emergence and deepening of the European identity has been a significant aspect of integration over the past two decades. The European identity can be classified as a set of values shared by all the citizens of the European Union. The most tangible illustration of a European identity is the European Union (EU), a political-economic union that consists of 28 member states within Europe. Individuals and nations within Europe subordinating parochial interests is an imperative influence for the assimilation of Europe, as it achieves a common sense personified by the identity, based on the beliefs, values and norms. The concept of European identity can be demonstrated through cultural, social and political factors in varying degrees, with reference to the French society. Cultural and social identities involve the existence of a European identity that exceeds the distinctiveness of individuals based on native factors such as national identity or culture group identity, whereas political identities considers the strengthening expansion of a European identity through the influence of European identity. Supporters of European integration regard the development of a European identity as part of the quest to a culturally, politically, economically and influential united Europe. A European identity can notionally exist simultaneously through national or cultural identities, with individuals establishing a hierarchy of importance or relevance for their identities to their lives. Cultural...
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...Is there a democratic deficit at the heart of the EU? Many Conservative and UKIP politicians as well as supporters of these two parties would argue there is a democratic deficit at the heart of the EU. One of the big arguments as to why the EU has a democratic deficit is that the EU is an elitist organisation. This argument claims that the EU is controlled by a small group with a lot of power. The elite can be separated into two distinct groups: the economic elite and political elite. The economic elite are defined as big businesses that want a big, single market of which to trade in of which the political elite push forward. The political elite constitute: heads of governments, foreign ministers, civil servants and the Commission who have come under a lot of scrutiny by euro-sceptics for being undemocratic. Elite domination can be evidenced by the Maastricht Treaty of 1992 and Denmark as a member state. The Maastricht Treaty was the most important treaty in terms of change of rules of the EU and Demark wanted to consult with its population before accepting the terms by holding a referendum. The first referendum led to a rejection by the Danish people however a second referendum was held on the issue in which the Danish population agreed to accept the treaty. This is a clear example of the EU not taking no for an answer and shows how the EU is led by an elite that will not take rejection from the population of an EU member-state. This can be evidenced further by idea of an EU...
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...Assignment: Competition in the European Union: The legal framework Assignment: Competition in the European Union The legal framework Case Study Florian Madl BUS 573_Law for Business Executives, CLU 1 Assignment: Competition in the European Union: The legal framework Table of content 1. The Case ........................................................................................ 3 1.1. General .......................................................................................... 3 1.2. Case Description ........................................................................... 3 1.2.1. General Description ...................................................................... 3 1.2.2. Duration of the infringement ....................................................... 4 1.2.3. Geographical scope ....................................................................... 4 1.3. Decision ......................................................................................... 4 2. Analysis of the Case ....................................................................... 5 3. Additional Informations ............................................................. 10 4. Bibliography ................................................................................ 11 2 Assignment: Competition in the European Union: The legal framework 3 1. The Case 1.1. General Case:...
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...A. Imagine that you are thinking of starting a restaurant in your community. The restaurant will be a Spanish food place it will be call the Rincon International. It will serve different types of plates for all the community. 1. Who will be the stakeholders in this business? My Family: could be my kids or my husband that can help around the restaurant or the neighborhood helping by spreading the word about the restaurant. My Best friend: Since she loves to cook, she will be the main chef and she will be my partner. Neighbors: Since they will be the first costumers that the restaurant will have. The Bank: Since it will help with a loan in order for me to be, able to lend me some money, also the employees may become costumers to, and they can become referrals. Employees: Because they all will work hard for the restaurant to work so, they also can earn a paycheck 2. How will you establish good relationships with your employees? With your suppliers? With my employees: paid them what they are worth for. Respecting them and giving them the opportunity to growth and bring ideas for the restaurant to succeed. Giving those vacations, sick days and letting them take their birthday off if they choose to. Giving them a bonus when they successfully achieved their first year as employees also in Christmas. Have the opportunity if the restaurant is very successful to have every 3 months an employee’s weekend getaway. With my Suppliers: First, establish a good service...
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...Environmental Assessment - Environment - European Commission http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eia/sea-studies-and-reports/sea-research.htm EUROPEAN Home Who's who Policies Integration Funding Law Resources News & Developments Environmental Assessment A study to develop and implement an overall strategy for EIA/SEA research in the EU Summary This publication (ISBN 92-828-3568-5) can be ordered through EUR-OP’s sales network 1. This Study has been undertaken by the EC Joint Research Centre Ispra for the EC Environment DG , Brussels. The aim of the Study is to propose a scheme to develop and implement an overall strategy for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) research in the European Union. The proposals are based on deficiencies and research needs identified through literature survey, with emphasis on the findings of four selected key documents, and through the analysis of the responses to a questionnaire prepared by the authors of this Study and filled in by acknowledged EIA/SEA experts. The proposals reflect the authors' subjective interpretation of the findings of the analysis undertaken; different proposals could be formulated starting from different points of view. 2. Six EIA areas and four SEA areas have been selected as priority areas for research. The selected areas are intended to form a "research priority group"; at this stage they are all considered of equal priority. They are listed below following the order...
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...considerations on the cost of employing researchers appear also to matter for firms preferring a location outside their home country, in particular in China and India. Key words: R&D internationalisation; drivers; R&D policies; EU large R&D corporations JEL code: O33 1. Introduction In the last decade, theoretical (Dunning and Narula, 1995; Kuemmerle, 1997) and empirical studies (among the others: Kuemmerle, 1999; Kumar, 2001; Von Zedwitz and Gassmann, 2002) on the internationalization of R&D have highlighted a shift from the so-called home-base exploiting to the home-base augmenting R&D strategies. Within such framework, MNEs set R&D laboratories abroad not only for adapting technologies and products developed at home to local ∗ European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS), Edificio Expo, Calle Inca Garcilaso 3. 41092 Seville. Spain. The views expressed are purely those of the authors and may...
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...Implications in Germany The governments use of their taxing and spending money controls the economical activity. In the US the fiscal policy is controlled by the legislative and executive branches of the government. In the European countries much of the power over the policy is controlled by the prime minister. Government spending and taxes are what affects the GDP and the fiscal policy. Figure 1 shows some of the effects that the fiscal policy has on the economy. Although we are in a recession right now, economist says that the only way to get out of this deficit would be to increase government spending. Consumers, investors, the government or an increase in exports is what causes spending to happen. Right now with the recession, consumers are decreasing their spending because of high debt and decreased income Exports can help depending on the income of the other nations and is they too are experiencing a recession then foreign income will be low(Heistein, 2011). Figure1. What are the effects on fiscal policy on the economy? | Budgetary Balance | Output | Unemployment | Inflation | Spending Increases | | | | | Spending Increases | | | | | Taxes Increases | | | | | Taxes Increases | | | | | Fiscal Policy- 2010(Euro economics) Because of these factors it seems that the government is going to have to be the ones to increase spending. In the Federal budget balance the fiscal policy is used to balance the budget. This is done by either increasing...
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...LABOUR LAW 1. Concepts * UK, France * Art. 1 * Rome Treaty: Jean monnet ‘the united states of E’ 2. Institutions - european council -council of EU - commission - parliament -ECJ 3. Labour law and social policy - thinner - social policy - 3 theories: neo-liberal, social democratic, Marxism - paradoxen 4. Historical development a) market rights as motivators of social rights ‘spill over’ - 60’s (neo liberal period) -70’s (crisis, Paris, social action, golden period of harm.) b) socially acceptable economic integration -80’s (clash, deregulation, delors, GR/SP/PO) -90’s( Maastricht, UK, AU/FI/SW, 1997 UK, employment title) c) economically acceptable social integration -green paper on social policy (Flynn) -white paper 1994 -white paper Delors -green paper 2006 interactions between union and member states *Regulation *De-regulation(beer Shirac) *Coordination *Financial support *Harmonisation(?) *Eu Social Law (TFE, TEU, Charter fund rights) *directives *Soft law Title X Social policy TFEU -art. 151/152 -art. 153(working, social security and protections, repres and col defense) qualified majority voting/ unanimity -excluded *Collective labour law vs individual labour law(s anc cb: collective) -social dialogue -collective bargaining -Jacques Delors – Val Duchesse process - European trade union confederation - Maastricht Treaty (2 art. Annex) -Business Europe/ CEEP /UEAPME / ETUC - better enforced - 3 conditions:...
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...contents 1. Introduction 2 2. The variety of economic and political systems in Europe 3 3. The institution European Union. 7 4. The impact of the EU on its member states. 11 5. Lobbying in the EU. 13 6. Conclusion 17 References 17 Appendices 17 1. Introduction On January 1st. 2007, the European Union (EU) has completed its last enlargement round till now by accepting Romania and Bulgaria as full members. The union now counts 27 member states, incorporating an enormous number of more than half a billion inhabitants. Obviously, each member largely effects and is affected by the European Union. The research interest of this paper is therefore to shed light on the construct European Union, by exploring the relationship between the European Union, its member states and constituents. The topic will be approached by first examining the varieties and interrelations of political and economic systems in major European countries. In a second step, the organizations and the governance of the European Union will be discussed, leading to the analysis of the EU impact on its member states. The third part is an analysis of the expression of interest in the EU. Finally, main arguments will be summarized to arrive at a conclusion. 2. The variety of economic and political systems in Europe The legitimation of a community like the European Union is inevitably linked to the existence and reliance...
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...Michelin II – The treatment of rebates* Massimo Motta 1 European University Institute, Florence, and Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona 27 November 2006 Forthcoming in a book on EU competition case studies, edited by Bruce Lyons (Cambridge U.P.). The author has not been involved in this case, and his information about the case was only and exclusively drawn from public sources, such as the Commission Decision and the Court of First Instance’s Judgment. I am very grateful to Chiara Fumagalli and Liliane Karlinger for their comments on a previous draft. 1 * 1 1. Introduction In 2001, the European Commission found that the French firm Michelin had – via its various types of rebates - abused its dominant position in the French markets for new replacement tyres and retreaded tyres for heavy vehicles, and imposed a fine of EUR 19.76 million to Michelin. 2 Two years later, the Court of First Instance upheld the Commission’s Decision in its entirety. 3 In many respects, this case is exemplary of the strict formalistic approach followed in abuse of dominance cases by the European Commission and the Community Courts, which severely limit the possibility of dominant firms to resort to certain business practices, such as exclusive dealing, rebates, tying. Indeed, the EU case law has so far disregarded the actual effects of the allegedly abusive practices (the Commission does not need to prove that exclusionary effects have indeed taken place, nor does it need to show that...
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