... p.3 1. Actorness - the Construtivist Dimension p.4 2. Capability in EU’s Foreign Policy p.6 2.1 Institutional Settings p.6 2.2 The EU at the UN(SC) p.7 2.3 Institutional Capability p.8 3. Approaching Presence p. 8 3.1 Normative Values Approach p.8 3.2 Normative Values in EU Policy p.9 4. Presence in the Context of UNSC Reform p.10 4.1 The Reform of the UNSC p.10 4.2 EU Member States’ Attitudes p. 11 4.3 Two Positions – One Identity? p.13 Conclusion p.16 Illustrations: Table 1 p.11 Table 2 p.12 Introduction “Intellectually and conceptually, the European Union and the United Nations are built on the same foundations. If this ground becomes shaky, both structures are in danger.” (Fassbender, 2004, p.884) Different scholars have found that Europe only has two decades left – at best – to have an important impact on global political developments (Mayer, 2008, p.64; Schnabel, 2005, p.75). Therefore, European political conduct in the domain of foreign policy finds itself in a decisive time. On the one hand, the Lisbon Treaty has just been adopted about one and a half years ago and was too contested to make further large-scale changes likely in the near future. On the other hand, it appears that especially now the EU needs coherent action to shape the environment according to...
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...The European Union: Questions and Answers Kristin Archick Specialist in European Affairs March 4, 2013 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RS21372 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress The European Union: Questions and Answers Summary The European Union (EU) is a political and economic partnership that represents a unique form of cooperation among sovereign countries. The Union is the latest stage in a process of integration begun after World War II, initially by six Western European countries, to foster interdependence and make another war in Europe unthinkable. Today, the EU is composed of 27 member states, including most of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and has helped to promote peace, stability, and economic prosperity throughout the European continent. The EU has been built through a series of binding treaties, and over the years, EU member states have sought to harmonize laws and adopt common policies on an increasing number of economic, social, and political issues. EU member states share a customs union, a single market in which goods, people, and capital move freely, a common trade policy, and a common agricultural policy. Seventeen EU member states use a common currency (the euro). In addition, the EU has been developing a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), which includes a Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP), and pursuing cooperation in the area of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA)...
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...EUROPEAN UNION (28 NATIONS) [pic] SUBMITTED TO : Asst. Prof. Shivkumar Belli SUBMITTED BY :- Gurleen Kaur Payal Jotwani Nitin Dixit Renu INTRODUCTION The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of 28 member states which are located primarily in Europe, currently under the presidency of Herman Van Rompuy. Its capital is de facto Brussels. The EU operates through a system of supranational independent institutions and intergovernmental negotiated decisions by the member states. Important institutions of the EU include the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European Council, the Court of Justice of the European Union, and the European Central Bank. The European Parliament is elected every five years by EU citizens. 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. In the intervening years the community and its successors have grown in size by the accession of new member states and in power by the addition of policy areas to its remit. The Maastricht Treaty established the European Union under its current name in 1993. The latest amendment to the constitutional basis of the EU, the Treaty of Lisbon, came into force in 2009. The EU has developed a single market through a standardized system of laws which apply in all member states. Within the Schengen Area passport controls...
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...infrastructure, human resources), were, however, as never before agreeable to the necessity of defending basic human rights and democratic values. Western European leaders decided to undertake coordinated actions aiming at the reconstruction of European countries and their economies and introduction of a new political order, which could guarantee the security of nations and give a chance for their successful development in the future. The genesis of the integration process in Europe after the World War II: In the process of planning the introduction of a new political order in post-war Europe, it was acknowledged that the key task was the reconstruction of European economies. Western European leaders realised that only efficient and effective European economy would be a foundation on which new safety and development structures could be built. The American aid plan for Europe - the European Recovery Plan, called the Marshall Plan, was a great support for those plans. At that time the actions of the Soviet Union, a former ally, which after the war began violently affirm its supremacy in the controlled area of Central and Eastern Europe, openly promoting antidemocratic communist ideology, became disturbing and at the same time mobilizing the Europeans. Only common, coordinated actions could provide European countries with the force with which...
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...how the new Treaty came about and why it was seen as necessary, followed by an analysis of its new developments structured into four parts. Firstly, it considers how the LT is supposed to increase the EU’s effectiveness through more qualified majority voting, the co-decision procedure and through institutional changes including the creation of new leadingpositions.Secondly,democraticvaluesaremoreclearlydefinedandrolesof theEuropeanand national parliaments are reinforced. Thirdly, the LT has attempted to improve citizen’s rights, for example by the new citizens’ initiatives, as well as by making the Charter of Fundamental Rights legally binding. Fourthly, the LT has introduced several political changes, including more cooperation on the common foreign and security policy and how to combat external threats as a global actor with a single voice. Moreover, this essay considers how the LT differs from the Constitutional Treaty, arguing that although no longer a formal constitution, it does maintain constitutional elements. It then looks at some specific issues; in particular, whether legitimacy, transparency and accountability have been improved, and takes the view that while this is the case to some extent, there remains much room to f urther improve. Finally, it also f ocuses on the EU’s future outlook in the light of the Lisbon Treaty’s amendments, arguing from an intergovernmentalist standpoint, as Member States seek EU cooperation in their own national interests. After the much...
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...the head of delegation of the EU to third countries (e.g. the US),and the president of the European Council. 2. Of which of the following international organisations is the EU a (full) member? The FAO and WTO, two conditions need to be fulfilled: 1) The EU must have the power (as conferred by the Member States in the Treaties) to become a member, 2) the international organization must allow the EU (which is not a state) to become a member. Consult, for instance, Art. 4 of the UN Charter 3. What is the EU in international law? Rights and obligations. It is not a state or is a regional integration organization with a very extensive measeur of international legal personality (at 47 TEU) 4. Who represents Europe in the world, in external affairs and treaty negotiations with 3rd countries or international organizations, High representative of EU for foreign affairs and policy: created by the Lisbon treaty , it is also the vicepresident to the European Comissions. Head of state, Europe is represented by 2 persons: permanent president of European Council and President of the European Commission (more for classical competences of the EUUU). And Rotatic council. World wide diplomatic network of the European Union: EU ambassadors, EU delegations of the European Action Service (EEAS, it has more than 141 embassies and delegations around the world). 5. Engagement of the EU in international organizations and legal position on those organisations, special look on United Nations...
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...tell us about the European identity? Contents Abstract Page 4 Introduction ` Page 5 Chapter 1: Constructing a European identity Page 8 Chapter 2: The European Union as a normative actor Page 21 Chapter 3: The Belarusian problem Page 30 Conclusion Page 49 Bibliography Page 52 Abstract Europe has embarked upon an unprecedented process of state integration witnessing the widespread deferral of policy making to intergovernmental institutions. The European Union’s institutionalism has facilitated an assimilation of values into an increasingly coherent, if complex regional identity. A normative self-conception has emerged that Brussels has sought to project onto its external relations through the Common Foreign and Security Policy. Brussels increasingly considers itself a transformative actor in global politics offering an alternative to great power realpolitik. This paper finds that while European multilateralism offers an environment conducive to a normative foreign policy, the extent to which it is able to exert any ideational influence is constrained by the level of engagement it is willing to pursue. Europe maintains a policy of isolating the Lukashenko regime and has failed to engage Belarusian civil society. As a result it has had a negligible impact on Belarusian political culture. Europe’s failure to adequately engage Belarus also suggests a contradiction within the European identity construction...
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...JCMS 2010 Volume 48 Annual Review pp. 95–118 Institutions and Governance: A New Treaty, a Newly Elected Parliament and a New Commission jcms_2096 95..118 DESMOND DINAN George Mason University Introduction Elections for the European Parliament (EP) and the nomination of a new European Commission made 2009 a particularly important year with regard to European Union institutions and governance. More significant than these five-yearly events, however, was the long-delayed ratification and implementation of the Lisbon Treaty. In June 2009, EU leaders approved a Decision ‘on the concerns of the Irish people on the Treaty of Lisbon’, which they annexed to the European Council conclusions. They also agreed that ‘at the time of the conclusion of the next accession Treaty [. . .] the provisions of the annexed Decision’ would be included ‘in a Protocol to be attached [. . .] to the Treaty on the European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union’ (Council, 2009a). The purpose of the promised Protocol was to facilitate a second referendum in Ireland on the Lisbon Treaty and to help ensure a successful outcome. The Irish government soon announced that the referendum would take place on 2 October. The prospect of a favourable result looked bright, thanks to the global economic crisis, which hit Ireland particularly hard. Although ratifying the Treaty would not make a material difference, it would send a positive signal to international investors...
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...The economic benefits of environmental policy A project under the Framework contract for economic analysis ENV.G.1/FRA/2006/0073 - 2nd FINAL REPORT November 2009 Matt Raymenta, Elke Pirgmaierb, Griet De Ceusterc, Friedrich Hinterbergerb, Onno Kuikd, Henry Leveson Gowera, Christine Polzinb, Adarsh Varmaa a b c d GHK Sustainable Europe Research Institute (SERI) Transport & Mobility Leuven VU University Amsterdam, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM) Institute for Environmental Studies Vrije Universiteit De Boelelaan 1087 1081 HV AMSTERDAM The Netherlands Tel. ++31-20-5989 555 Fax. ++31-20-5989 553 E-mail: info@ivm.falw.vu.nl Internet: http://www.vu.nl/ivm vrije Universiteit amsterdam Contents Executive Summary 1. 2. 3. 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 4. 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 5. 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 6. 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 7. 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 8. 8.1 Introduction Environmental Policy and the Economy Environmental Policies and Productivity Description and background Policy instruments Review of evidence from the wider literature Evidence from examples and case studies Scale of economic benefits to date and assessment of the further potential Beneficiaries and timescale Environmental Policies and Innovation Description and background Policy instruments Review of evidence Examples and case studies Scale of economic benefits Beneficiaries and timescale Environmental Policies and Employment Description and background Policy instruments Review of evidence from...
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...Surrey 2014 Table of Contents List of tables and figures 4 Acknowledgements 5 List of Abbreviations 6 Section A. Organisation evaluation 8 The Executive Summary 8 The Placement Overview 9 1. The Evaluation of the EP’s activities 10 1.1 The EP format 11 1.2 The History of the EP 11 1.3 Geographical Locations and Facilities 12 2. The People 16 2.1 Visions and Strategies 16 2.2 Institutional structure and management 16 2.2.1 External structure 16 2.2.2 Internal Structure 17 2.3 Management of the EP 21 2.3.1 EP’s Political management 21 2.3.2 EP’s Organisational management 22 2.3.3 EP’s Communication Management 23 2.4 Staffing, recruiting and training 24 2.4.1 Staffing 24 2.4.2 Recruiting 27 2.4.3 Training 27 3. The Numbers 27 3.1 Strict rules for efficient and transparent budget implementation 32 3.1.1 Separation of functions 32 3.1.2 Use of standard documents 32 3.2 Controls of the budgetary procedure 32 3.2.1 Internal controls 33 3.2.2 Internal audits 33 3.2.3 External controls 33 4. Evaluation and conclusion 34 4.1 SWOT analysis 34 4.2 Conclusions 35 Section B. Personal and professional development 36 1. Getting a Placement 36 2. Placement year objectives 37 3. Placement experiences 38 References 40 Appendices 43 List of tables and figures Figure 1. EP Locations Source: BBC.com (2014) 9 Figure 2. EU Coverage Source: EP Visits and seminar unit (2013) 13 Figure 3. Strasbourg centre Source:...
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...environment and management. FAO’s mandate is contribute to the growth of world economy and to increase the level of nutrition, with the mission of helping build a food secure world. In order to achieve such mandates, they involves 4 activities which are putting information within reach, sharing policy expertise, providing a meeting place for nations and bringing knowledge to the field. It used result- based management which is an approach that integrates strategy, people, resources, processes and measurement to improve decision-making while increasing transparency and accountability. The focus is on measuring performance against goals, learning from experience and adjusting to new conditions, reporting outcomes, and achieving objectives. There are two ways FAO can be funded: assessed contributions (regular assessed contribution paid by member countries) and...
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...European Union:- A group of European countries that participates in the world economy as one economic unit and operates under one official currency, the euro. The EU's goal is to create a barrier-free trade zone and to enhance economic wealth by creating more efficiency within its marketplace. The current formalized incarnation of the European Union was created in 1993 with 12 initial members. Since then, many additional countries have since joined. The EU has become one of the largest producers in the world, in terms of GDP, and the euro has maintained a competitive value against the U.S. dollar. EU and non-EU members must agree to many legal requirements in order to trade with the EU member states. The European Union is a group of countries whose governments work together. It's a bit like a club. To join you have to agree to follow the rules and in return you get certain benefits. Each country has to pay money to be a member. They mostly do this through taxes. The EU uses the money to change the way people live and do business in Europe. Countries join because they think that they will benefit from the changes the EU makes EU is a unique economic and political partnership between 27 European countries that together cover much of the continent. The EU was created in the aftermath of the Second World War. The first steps were to foster economic cooperation: the idea being that countries who trade with one another become economically interdependent and so more likely to...
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...Department of Business Administration BUSN69, Degree Project – Accounting and Auditing Master Thesis, 15 ECTS Spring 2014 The evolution of CSR Reporting in the Banking Sector of Greece An analysis of specific characteristics of CSR Reporting Author Papakostopoulos, Georgios Supervisors Jonnergård, Karin Loft, Anne 2014-10-20 1 2 Abstract Title The evolution of CSR Reporting in the Banking Sector of Greece An analysis of specific characteristics of CSR Reporting. Seminar Date 2014-06-02 Course BUSN69, Degree Project – Accounting and Auditing Author Georgios Papakostopoulos Supervisors Karin Jonnergård and Anne Loft Keywords Banks, CSR, Development, Reporting, Standardisation Purpose This thesis aims to examine the development of CSR reporting in the banking sector. The emphasis is set on a number of characteristics. Trends for standardization will be also examined Methodology The methodology undertaken is generally based on a qualitative research approach through a combination of content analysis with interviews. The research has a partly longitudinal, inductive and comparative character. Theoretical Perspectives The theoretical aspects that were used in the analysis were a combination of the theoretical framework of the Legitimacy, Stakeholder and Institutional theory with the reporting requirements from a number of standards, guidelines, initiatives and indices. Empirical Foundation ...
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...Summary: International Financial Markets (master blok 1) Book: Financial Markets and Institutions (a European perspective) – Haan et al. Author: Kim Cornelissen Chapter 1: Functions of the Financial System 1.1. Functions of a financial system The financial system Figure 1.1; page 5 – Working of the financial system Financial system: includes all financial intermediaries and financial markets, and their relations with respect to the flow of funds to and from households, governments, business firms, and foreigners, as well as the financial infrastructure. Main task is to channel funds from sectors that have a surplus to sectors that have a shortage of funds. Financial infrastructure: the set of institutions that enables effective operation of financial intermediaries and financial markets, including such elements as payment systems, credit information bureaus and collateral registries. * Direct finance: occurs if a sector in need of funds borrows from another sector via a financial market. Financial market: is a market where participants issue and trade securities. * Indirect finance: a financial intermediary obtains funds from savers and uses these savings to make loans to a sector in need of finance. financial intermediaries: coalitions of agents that combine to provide financial services, such as banks, insurance companies, finance companies, mutual funds, pension funds etc. Bank-based system: indirect finance is then the main route for moving funds...
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...FISCAL POLICY IN GERMANY AND IN GREECE DURING THE RECESSION IN 2008-2009 By Mohammad Waqas Approved _________________________________________ (……………………………..) A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelors of ……. May 2011 Abstract Recession has been a highlighted feature of the world economy over the past few decades. Recession has added importance to the discretionary fiscal policy because monetary policy and automatic stabilizers could not pull back the economy from recession on their own. The case of EU countries is of great significance in times of recession because of certain common policies which the member states have to follow. The research is theoretical in nature synthesizing previously done studies in the same field. Fiscal policy in Germany and Greece during the recession in 2008-2009 is being analyzed to come up with the better policy measure. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract……………………………………………………………………………….3 TABLE OF CONTENTS………………………………………………………….….4 1.INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………….………………5 2. OVERVIEW………………………………………………………….…………….9 3. RECESSION IN EUROPE 2008-2009…………………………………………..11 3.1. Recession in Greece………………………………………...…………...…..13 3.2. Recession in Germany……………………………………...…………...…..17 4. EU FISCAL POLICY………………………………………………………....….20 5. POLICY TOOLS………………………………………………………………….23 6. FISCAL POLICY IMPLICATIONS …………………………………………….25 6.1 Greece ………………………………………………………………………..25 6.1.1 Pre Crisis...
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