European Common Market Research Articles

Institutional Issues of International Power Grid Development in Northeast Asia

With regard to the initiative of “International power interconnections in northeast Asia” here examines the challenges which may hinder the establishment of a common energy system in region. The analysis is based on the APERC methodology for international energy cooperation in the APEC region, and on historical approach to the development of pricing mechanisms and policy in the European common market of electricity trade and system services. Mechanisms for the prevention and overcoming of the revealed problems of regional cooperation in the power sector are proposed.

Challenges in Greek education during the 1960s: the 1964 educational reform and its overthrow

In Greece, during the 1960s a new period began which marked a break with the past and the start of a new approach for the future. After the post-war period, Greek society began to balance the State budget and create the conditions for the country’s accession to the European Common Market. This was the context in which, in 1964, the second meaningful educational reform of the 20th century was attempted. However, in 1965, the educational reform was quickly blocked on account of the unstable political situation and the imminent dictatorship. This paper examines the changes in Education adopted as part of the 1964 educational reform within their historical and political context, and provides an overview of the major political and educational events that led to their early overthrow in 1965.

The Logic of the Euro, Its Institutional Architecture and the Related Implications

<p><em>The Euro is the logical consequences of the European common market according to the principle ‘one market, one money’, to avoid unfair competitionchanging internal monetary parities. Anyhow it is a necessary but insufficient condition being the institutional architecture weak. The European Central Bank cannot perform as the other main central banks: cannot act as lender of last resort or intervene on the exchange market to counteract speculation; the risks on national exchange rates has been transferred to member-countries sovereign debts withouta non-deflationary solution to reenter the excesses in theagreed ratio on GDP. The Eurozone is a non-optimal currency area without a policy Mundell’s type. The suggested solutionsby the Europeans are to reform national labor markets and public bureaucracies, and by the idealists to create a political union.</em></p>

The Logic of the Euro, Its Institutional Architecture and the Related Implications

<p><em>The Euro is the logical consequences of the European common market according to the principle ‘one market, one money’, to avoid unfair competitionchanging internal monetary parities. Anyhow it is a necessary but insufficient condition being the institutional architecture weak. The European Central Bank cannot perform as the other main central banks: cannot act as lender of last resort or intervene on the exchange market to counteract speculation; the risks on national exchange rates has been transferred to member-countries sovereign debts withouta non-deflationary solution to reenter the excesses in theagreed ratio on GDP. The Eurozone is a non-optimal currency area without a policy Mundell’s type. The suggested solutionsby the Europeans are to reform national labor markets and public bureaucracies, and by the idealists to create a political union.</em></p>

Natural gas market integration in the Visegrad 4 region: An example to follow or to avoid?

In this article, we focus on the ongoing project of natural gas market integration in the Visegrad 4 region. Employing discourse-network analysis – a novel methodological framework that combines stakeholder analysis with frame analysis, we map and evaluate the individual stakeholders’ positions towards the project. The results show a substantial lack of shared understanding of what does such integration actually mean, how to implement it, how to recognize that it has been achieved, and how to relate it to integration that takes place at the European level. We conclude by identifying structural problems that prevent the regional integration from emerging and putting them in perspective of the common European gas market project.

OIL AND GAS FUTURES AND OPTIONS MARKET

Energy mineral resources markets are represented by complex supply and demand ratios which are depending on different factors such as technical (transport) and geopolitical. The main specific of energy markets is represented by an uneven geographic distribution of hydrocarbon reserves and exploration on one hand and energy consumption on the other. World oil markets, although geographically localized, because of specific market trade, represent unique global market with decreasing price difference. Price differences are result of development of a transport possibilities of oil supply. Development of transport routes of natural gas and increasing number of liquefied natural gas terminals in the world give pressure to natural gas market and its integration into global gas market. Integration of regional gas markets into a common European gas market is main energy policy of EU concerning natural gas. On the other hand, there are still significant price differences on some markets (e.g. United States of America - South East Asia). Development of global energy markets is enabled by development of a futures and options contracts of an energy trade which have replaced bilateral contract deals between producers and consumers. Futures contracts are standardized contracts traded on exchanges. Buyer agrees to buy certain quantity of stock for an agreed upon price and with some future delivery date. Option is a contract which gives a buyer the option of the right to buy (or sell, depending on the option) an asset at predetermined price and at a later date. Stocks price risk can be managed with the purchase and selling futures and options contracts. This paper deals with futures and options energy markets and their market strategies.

Product heterogeneity, cross-country taste differences, and the growth of world trade

This paper extends the analysis of the “home market” effect in Krugman (1980) to a flexible demand structure and examines the dynamic effects of trade liberalization. I first develop a model in which consumers are heterogeneous in their valuations of product attributes and firms offer goods of heterogeneous attribute levels. With international trade in the presence of cross-country taste differences, consumption is home-biased in the immediate aftermath of liberalization. Once industries specialize, the volume of trade grows and so do the gains from liberalization. In the long-run equilibrium with open markets, the volume of trade is diminished by the existence of cross-country taste differences only if countries specialize completely. I then show that the adaptation of industrial composition to the demand structure of the European common market was associated with growing within-European trade in the automotive industry.

Knowledge Management Via Erasmus Programmes

Abstract Living in a highly competitive society which is becoming more and more globalised and students evolving into “digital natives”, students deriving from the European Union countries have benefitted from the Erasmus programmes in an attempt to become aware of the common European culture, education and labour market. Under these circumstances, the present paper addresses the issue of knowledge acquisition via Erasmus programmes and how knowledge management is operated as a result of these study opportunities. For our endeavour, we have conducted an online quantitative and qualitative study with the students from the University of Bucharest and Politehnica University of Bucharest who have benefitted by the programme. As expected, the students' answers came to confirm our hypotheses that the exchange programmes are useful in this sense at the same time that information and experience that benefits students should be exploited and managed more in the Romanian academic life for the labour market.

Introduction: Non-state Actors in Mediterranean Politics

Introduction: Non-state Actors in Mediterranean Politics

Productivism and Post-Productivism in the Olive Groves of Southern Spain

Abstract This work examines changes in the cultivation of olive groves in the region of Andalusia since the accession of Spain to the European Common Market (1986). The first phase is marked by the triumph of productivism in which some of the basic elements of this model (specialisation and intensification) are overwhelming, according to the statistical sources used for this research, although the behaviour in terms of corporate concentration can be considered unique. Also notable, as we will explain later, are other less desirable effects of the process, which can currently be considered environmentally unsustainable. As the weaknesses and contradictions of the model have become evident, in the recent years - as a result of the new stimuli provided by the Common Agricultural Policy - more attention is paid to the opportunities offered by rural development. For the moment, the results of this approach have been limited, although the 2015-2020 planning period could be decisive for its reorientation.

EU Membership, Mrs Thatcher\u2019s Reforms and Britain\u2019s Economic Decline

This paper presents a dissonant view on post-war British economic performance. A defining feature is the decline of the UK relative to the six founding members of the European Union after 1945. However, this relative decline stopped. The conventional view is that a turning point occurs in the mid-1980s when Mrs Thatcher implements far-reaching structural reforms. This paper asks whether econometric evidence supports this conventional view and finds it does not. We then examine an alternative hypothesis: this turning point occurs around 1970 when the UK joined the European Community. We find strong econometric support for this view. The intuition we offer is that EU membership signalled the prominence of business groups that chose to compete at the high-tech end of the common European market against those business groups that preferred comparative advantage-driven Commonwealth markets (mostly former colonies). Those pro-Europe business groups later become the constituency that provides support for Mrs Thatcher’s reforms. Without this vital support, we argue Mrs Thatcher’s structural reforms would not have been nearly as effective, if proposed and implemented at all.

Regulatory Integration of International Capital Markets

I examine the financial and real effects of regulatory integration of international capital markets using a unique policy plan by the European Union, which creates a common European market for financial services and capital, through, e.g., passporting rights. For identification, I exploit the bilateral and staggered nature of laws that are passed at the European level but are implemented by national governments. Over its implementation, regulatory integration leads to large increases in external financing, investment and employment for publicly listed firms. These results highlight the importance of regulatory integration of international capital markets for firms’ financing decisions and real outcomes.

EUROPEAN SOCIAL DIALOGUE, A HIDDEN PHENOMENA OF THE INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE IN EUROPE

Talking about intercultural dialogue in Europe we think about the dialogue between the actors within the European Union and/or between its people. The intercultural side of the European social dialogue as it is established in the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) does not automatically come in our minds. If we consider however that the actors of the social dialogue are coming from different industrial relations schemes, that the national social dialogue within the EU member states have its own specific character a look on the cross-border social dialogue is worthwhile. Not only on a national level but on the European stage social dialogue plays an important role in forming a European labour law within the European Common Market. This particular niche of intercultural dialogue in Europe the article is dedicated to. Within the cross-boarder social dialogue, different systems collide which is a challenge as such. As far as the bipartite and tripartite social dialogue is concerned it is already difficult enough to bring together the different approaches of the national cultures. And it is evident that it is a huge challenge on the corporate level, where workers of different companies of different countries meet each other, obliged to come to common results concerning the information and consultation rights given to the European Works Councils (EWC) by law. This phenomena is to be found in all transnational European companies, namely in those with EWC but also in companies with a specific European legal form such as in the Societas Europaea (SE) where we find works councils and supervisory boards with members from all countries concerned.

Sustainable agriculture and protection of the environment

The economic, environmental and social development should not degrade the environment but it should leave it for the next generations in the state that it is presently or even better. The principle of sustainable agriculture is to cover the human needs for food without damage to the environment. The aim of the article was to research the farmers’ awareness of the principle of sustainable agriculture and balanced fertilization and their influence on the environment. Among 100 farmers of the Tczew district (Poland) there was done questionnaire research on the determination rates of nitrogen fertilizers and on the regulation of fertilizers usage in Poland. Most of farmers declared a good knowledge of good agricultural practices and of balanced fertilization and the awareness of threats issuing from their activities. At the same time in Poland since the announcement of the Nitrate Directive of the former European Common Market (1992) up till now (2013) the application of nitrogen fertilizers doubled and the yield of wheat increased only by 15%, which means the increase of environmental burden with this chemical element.

The Proposal for the Allocation of Capacity for International Railway Transport

The geographic position of the Slovak Republic and transport flows of goods create assumptions for the development of rail freight transport. Market share of railway transport in the Slovak Republic is about 20% of the overall transport volume. This share is largely formed by the international transport. International railway transport has In the Slovak Republic the significant share of the rail transport performance and therefore it is necessary to find out solutions that improve and strengthen its position. One possibility of development of international railway transport is to set up the conditions for faster transit of trains at cross border stations. The process of border crossing between different rail networks is extensively problematic, not only from the perspective of transfer of transport responsibility for the wagon loads, but also from allocation of the infrastructure capacity for international trains. The opening of rail freight market allows entering of new rail operators to the rail network. To optimise the use of the network and ensure its reliability it is useful to introduce additional procedures to strengthen cooperation on allocation of international train paths for freight trains between infrastructure managers. The paper contains the methodology of the allocation of rail capacity for international railway transport in conditions of Slovak railways. Based on the process transport analysis of cross border stations, common procedure of communication between rail operators and infrastructure manager is designed. Proposed coordination of allocation of the train paths reflects the conditions of common European Union transport market and it provides possibility to increase the competitiveness of railway transport on the transport market.

THE ROOTS OF BREXIT: CONFLICT OF IDENTITIES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

The United Kingdom has been developing due to political compromise that has a positive impact over British political system to solve dichotomy between the principles of Parliament sovereignty and regional home rule. These principles seriously depend on selfidentification processes that reflect significance of Britishness and ethno-national (regional) identities in consciousness and political culture of citizens. Struggle or reconciliation of the identities was complicated after Great Britain had become a member of European Common market. It is evident that European identity has enforced regional ones, for it is better to be a people among other peoples in Europe than just an ethno-national minority in the state. However, Britishness keeps its positions due to British global project, and it was proved by Brexit. Anyway, Brexit revealed demarcation lines, based on identities, and the threat of territorial integrity of the United Kingdom.

How to benefit from a common European electricity market design

The realization of an Internal Electricity Market in Europe is currently, on the one hand, progressing, in particular thanks to the wide-spread implementation of market coupling solutions for cross-border congestion management. On the other hand, diverging national market designs pose a threat to the continuation of this process. Given the challenges to electricity market design in a multi-regional context, we analyze how different design aspects, namely cross-border congestion management and capacity mechanisms, affect welfare and generation adequacy in Europe. In doing so, we rely on an agent-based simulation model for electricity wholesale markets which we apply within several numerical, computational case studies for the region of Central Western Europe (2012–2030). Our results confirm the benefits of market coupling in terms of welfare as well as generation adequacy. Furthermore, we find indications that coordinating market designs across regions supports these targets. Therefore, we recommend that European energy policy forms a stable, transparent regulatory framework with cross-border market coupling as an integral component. In this context, energy policy targets should be clearly defined and operationalized, which also needs to consider potential conflicts between them. Finally, electricity market designs need to be coordinated among states to benefit most from a common European market.

TŁUMACZ PRZYSIĘGŁY A DYREKTYWY: TERMINOLOGICZNE WYZWANIA ZWIĄZANE Z TŁUMACZENIEM DYREKTYWY DOTYCZĄCEJ WYROBÓW MEDYCZNYCH

The presentation addresses the field of translating EU texts (directives), specifically the Medical Device Directive. The translation of EU instruments lies within the scope of responsibilities of the translators working for the European Commission and the European Parliament. Yet, sworn translators working in their native countries face the need to translate medical documentation both for natural persons (that is necessary for administrative purposes) and for corporate bodies (that operate on the common European market and require e.g., declarations of conformity, instructions for use or EC design examinations certificates to commercialise their products and thus run their business). Naturally, sworn translators while performing tasks commissioned refer to and consult the accepted translated versions of EU instruments to remain in line with the versions that have been transposed into their national legislations. In this paper, the original (English) and the translated (Polish) versions of the Medical Device Directive (93/42/EEC) shall be compared and analysed to find whether the Polish version fully reflects assumed terminological consistency.

ELECTRICITY MARKET DEVELOPMENT IN LATVIA

Electricity is crucial to the development, progress, security and overall lifestyle in the global economy. A common European electricity market requires market integration and transmission grid expansion, including cross-border interconnectors. The electricity market opening in Latvia was divided into four stages; it began with legal persons in 2007 and ended with household users on 1 January 2015. The aim of the research is to assess the development of the Latvian electricity market since the beginning of the electricity market liberalisation.Research methods used: monographic, descriptive, analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction and regression analysis. The Diamond Model was employed to acquire information for market analysis.The electricity market’s development was affected by its liberalisation. With the interconnections still being developed, the Latvian electricity market is slowly fitting into the Scandinavian market and decreasing its supply dependence on third countries. Now the electricity market is developing naturally; yet, it requires stricter monitoring of its development and stimulation.

Współpraca polsko-litewska w kontekście utworzenia wspólnego europejskiego rynku energii w latach 2004–2015

Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie współpracy Litwy i Polski na przykładzie wspólnych projektów energetycznych w latach 2004–2015. Współpraca polsko-litewska została zintensyfikowana po wstąpieniu przez oba państwa do Unii Europejskiej dążącej do budowy wspólnego rynku energii. Do najważniejszych obszarów współpracy wymienionych państw można zaliczyć budowę mostu energetycznego i gazociągu, współpracę na rzecz budowy elektrowni jądrowej w Wisagini oraz inne przedsięwzięcia podejmowane w ramach BEMIP. Wszystkie wspólne projekty, mimo deklaracji zainteresowanych, nie są rozwijane zgodnie z wcześniejszymi planami. Autor artykułu próbuje przybliżyć przyczyny współpracy, jej przebieg, główne trudności oraz możliwe skutki analizowanych projektów.