POLICY BRIEF SERIES

The Role of the Western Balkan Youth in the EU Enlargement Process

No 9 (July 2022) Roxana Irod

SUMMARY

Throughout the years the EU started to act more and more like a federal state, especially after the Lisbon Treaty came into force in 2009. In spring 2022 the European institutions have decided to organize the final stage of the Conference on the Future of Europe which allowed them to listen to the European citizens` opinions on what the future holds for the EU member states as well as making recommendations. The following proposal contributes to the area ‘Democracy in the EU’. More specifically, it will focus on discussing how the citizens can help to make a more democratic Union through the European institutions. The main idea that I want to get across with this paper is that the European Parliament’s role in the EU needs in the near future an update regarding its prerogatives. This way not only the institutional system will be strengthened and become more inclusive and democratic, but also the citizens will feel like their voices are heard in more domains than until now.

More Democracy in the EU. More Power for the European Parliament?

No 8 (July 2022) Alina Savu

SUMMARY

Throughout the years the EU started to act more and more like a federal state, especially after the Lisbon Treaty came into force in 2009. In spring 2022 the European institutions have decided to organize the final stage of the Conference on the Future of Europe which allowed them to listen to the European citizens` opinions on what the future holds for the EU member states as well as making recommendations. The following proposal contributes to the area ‘Democracy in the EU’. More specifically, it will focus on discussing how the citizens can help to make a more democratic Union through the European institutions. The main idea that I want to get across with this paper is that the European Parliament’s role in the EU needs in the near future an update regarding its prerogatives. This way not only the institutional system will be strengthened and become more inclusive and democratic, but also the citizens will feel like their voices are heard in more domains than until now.

No. 7 (June 2022) Roxana Irod

SUMMARY

When discussing EU’s role in the world in the context of the Conference for the Future of Europe, it is important to reflect on the future of EU’s enlargement policy in the Western Balkans. Ever since 1999, with the launch of the Stabilization and Association Process, the Western Balkan (WB) countries were told that they have a clear path for entering the European Union (EU) as long as they fulfil the accession conditionality. As the years passed, the EU seemed more and more reluctant to advance on its promise of enlargement for the troubled region (with the exception of Croatia that entered the EU in 2013) and currently the negotiations are reaching a standstill. How far will the so-called ‘enlargement fatigue’ go and what could be its costs for the future?

EU Army: the only solution to avoid a war?

No. 6 (May 2022) Anda Manea

SUMMARY

Reflecting on the future of Europe implies reflecting on the future of its security. In the context of the most recent events in Ukraine, invaded by the Russian army and under attack for more than two months, European security is under threat. The current conflict between Russia and Ukraine may direct the EU to reconsider its course of action in the field of security and defense. Discussions about an EU army are now more intense than ever.

The EU’s Rule of Law Report 2020 and its discontents. Main Findings and Future Prospects

No. 5 (December 2020) Bogdan Mureșan

SUMMARY

In September 2020, the European Commission published its first country-by-country assessment on the rule of law in all 27 Member States. The comprehensive document covers four pillars – the justice system, the anti-corruption framework, media pluralism, and other institutional issues related to checks and balances – and is part of a new rule of law mechanism. The dedicated country chapters are based upon contributions from the Member States and a variety of already available sources, using a qualitative, albeit flawed methodology. While pointing to a host of positive aspects, the report also highlights “concerns” and “serious concerns” regarding worrying developments or democratic backsliding in various Member States, including in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it refrains from issuing concrete policy recommendations and has no binding power. This paper aims to briefly present the main findings of the report, some of its inherent shortcomings and future prospect.
Photo Credit: European Commission
EU Support for the Rule of Law in Post-Conflict Reconstruction the Case of Kosovo: Lessons Learned and Ways Forward

No. 4 (October 2020) Ana Cojocaru

Summary

In recent years, the EU’s renewed focus on rule of law and common democratic values has not been limited to matters concerning member states – rather, the Union has been acting as an exporter of norms and democratization in its close neighbourhood, particularly in candidate and potential candidate states. Such an example is the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), which acted as a test of the EU’s normative power – one that the Union seems to be struggling with for the past 12 years. This paper aims to analyse the impact EULEX has had in the consolidation of rule of law in Kosovo, to review the lessons learned from the Kosovar example, and to develop a set of recommendations for policy makers, which can be extrapolated to other post-conflict situations.
European External Action Service

After the billion went missing.The pathological turn of Europeanization in the Republic of Moldova

No. 3 (July 2020) Raluca Pantilimon

Summary

This analysis of the EU-driven reform pathologies is supported by data on one side, of the perception indices on corruption (the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International, WGI, and the analyses of the Legal Resources Center from Moldova – on how lawyers relate to the corruption in Moldova from within the Moldovan judicial system), and, on the other side by looking at the progress made in the field of rule of law, mainly the EaP Index. Along with this, the analysis will be sensitive to the changes of government and the impact they had on the judicial independence, and to the high-level corruption convictions (the actors involved and their position vis-à-vis European matters). In the end, a set of recommendations will be provided for improving the EU’s approach towards reforming the justice system in Moldova, and for re-branding its role as a normative power in the region.

Source: UNDP Moldova/Lilia Surdu and Ina Zglavuta, 2014
An analysis of Member States reports on Citizens’ assemblies on the future of Europe: COVID-19 as a chance to rethink methods

No. 2 (June 2020) Diana Tejerina and Alberto Caballero

Summary

The COVID19 pandemic has forced the EU to postpone the beginning of the conference on the Future of Europe scheduled for May 9th 2020. We argue that this may provide a chance to critically discuss the involvement of citizens and civil society in a discussion that the pandemic will make even more necessary. This policy brief addresses the problems that we identify in the national reports on the European Citizens Consultations (ECCs) in order to make recommendations on how the EU could make use of participatory methodologies. But this requires a clarification of the normative objectives that these consultations seek to obtain.

Hope beyond the CAP? Four ways for the EU to support small farmers and begin shaping digital agriculture

No. 1 (June 2020) Leon Kaiser

Summary

Today’s industrial agriculture continues to harm the environment while depopulation threatens the social, cultural and economic welfare of rural areas. The European Union needs to support existing agricultural practices that are sustainable today. Civic agriculture and small farmers are key to meet climate goals and mitigate the ongoing biodiversity loss. Drawing on recent discussions in digital policy, this brief proposes action in four areas that can help support small and family farmers in the EU in the short and long term.