European Union Studies Research Articles

Europe's Super‐Rich: Towards Oligarchic Constitutional Order

AbstractThis article addresses an important but understudied puzzle in European Union Studies: the super‐rich's influence on domestic and transnational discourses, policies and institutions for wealth defence, security and legitimacy. It examines the super‐rich's impact on democratic governance and human rights claims of marginalized groups, and how states, civil society and non‐oligarchic entities contest oligarchic rule. The article proposes a research agenda to determine if Europe can be seen as an oligarchic constitutional order, characterized by governance practices and authority structures deeply intertwined with the super‐rich's interests in transnational and domestic politics. The framework in this research agenda underscores how institutional arrangements, legitimating principles, regulatory practices and procedural systems increasingly favour the super‐rich, reflecting a dominant mode of transnational governance rooted in extreme socio‐economic stratification. The research agenda aims to elucidate the tension between wealth and democratic governance, particularly how policies and normative discourses often align with the super‐rich's interests despite resistance from marginalized groups.

The Resilience of Latin American Regionalism: A Neofunctionalist Perspective

AbstractLatin America has seen both recurrent crises and a surprising resilience of its regional organizations. This article explores how different approaches have attempted to explain this seemingly paradoxical record. Combining insights from European Union (EU) studies and comparative regionalism, we ask whether neofunctionalism as a theoretical approach developed for the study of the EU can travel across the Atlantic and enrich the analysis of Latin American regionalism. Neofunctionalist theorists posited that functional spillover could lead to politicization and subsequent deepening of regional integration. But while spillover has been the engine of European integration, it has never been a real option in Latin America. Past applications of neofunctionalist approaches to Latin American regionalism have therefore above all revealed its limitations. Comparative regionalism approaches fared better in that they identified characteristics that account for the repeated crises of Latin American regional organizations. However, this article suggests that the “second-best” strategies mentioned in neofunctionalist analyses, such as encapsulation, spill-around, or even spillback, can help explain the resilience of regionalism in Latin America. While those strategies posed an obstacle to deeper integration, as shown by classical neofunctionalist studies, we draw on a set of case studies to illustrate that Latin American regionalism survived through expansion (spill-around) rather than deepening (spillover), as well as through encapsulation and, in some cases, even spillback. A new reading of neofunctionalism therefore helps to explain the resilience of Latin American regionalism under adverse conditions.

Fidanacogene Elaparvovec: First Approval.

Fidanacogene elaparvovec (PrBEQVEZ™) is an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector-based gene therapy developed by Spark Therapeutics (a subsidiary of Roche) and Pfizer (under a license from Spark Therapeutics) for the treatment of haemophilia B. In December 2023, fidanacogene elaparvovec received its first approval for the treatment of adults (aged ≥ 18 years) with moderately severe to severe haemophilia B (congenital factor IX deficiency) who are negative for neutralizing antibodies to variant AAV serotype Rh74 (AAVRh74var). Fidanacogene elaparvovec is under regulatory review in the USA and the European Union and clinical studies are ongoing in multiple countries. This article summarizes the milestones in the development of fidanacogene elaparvovec leading to this first approval for moderately severe to severe (factor IX activity ≤ 2%) haemophilia B who are negative for neutralizing antibodies to AAVRh74var.

Between stability and crisis: everyday uncertainty in the European Union

ABSTRACT When the European Union is not in active crisis, do we characterise it as experiencing a period of stability? What can scholars learn by studying the EU as it toggles in between the two? This special issue presents some of the best papers from the European Union Studies Association’s 2022 conference in Miami, Florida. Two themes structure this collection. First, by temporally and conceptually locating the EU between stability and crisis, we see these contributions on EU policy, institutional evolution, financial resilience, and identity formation as a substantive reflection of the variety of emergent and ongoing challenges that comprise everyday uncertainty. Second, in showcasing contributions that study the EU in a variety of ways – as both a political actor and context, or site, of politics, this special issue aims to encourage a widening of the EU studies field.

Introducing the PFxEU tracker dataset: Tracking political financing in the European Union

A rich literature examines the links between politics, money and corruption across the globe. Somewhat surprisingly, this topic has not found much attention in European Union studies. This article presents the PFxEU tracker, an open-access dataset that tracks the financial donations received by European Union political parties. It systematically codes (a) each donation received; (b) its amount; (c) the type of donor; and (d) its region of origin. Analysing the dataset, a cleavage can be observed. On one side are parties that have Eurosceptic and nationalist agendas and individual donors. On the opposite side are federalist agendas and international-business donors. Moreover, individuals form the largest donor category, and nearly half of all donations come from Central and Eastern Europe. PFxEU aims to encourage further research into European Union political financing, supports research collaboration devoted to the analysis of corruption and European Union politics and makes basic political information part of the public domain.

Business activity and business confidence: a new volatility transmission relationship

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the transmission of volatility between business confidence index and stock market indices in Greece. The country remains the riskiest project in European Union (EU) and previous studies fail to reach an accurate conclusion regarding the direction of this transmission.Design/methodology/approachThe study covers the period from January 2013 to August 2022 in monthly basis where important economic events occur. Considering that these economic events derive strong volatility moments, the authors adopt a new methodology that measures the transmission of volatility with higher precision. This is the generalized spillover analysis by Diebold and Yilmaz (2009, 2012).FindingsThe results indicate that Business Confidence Index (BCI) is the main receiver of volatility spillovers in Greece under all aspects of the used methodology. The specificity of the results shows that business activity through a green growth model is what drives investor confidence and then their activities.Originality/valueAlthough a handful of studies have considered the transmission of volatility between BCI and stock market indices, this study contributes in several ways. This study focuses on one country (Greece), avoiding the dispersion of the results from the examination of the relationship in several countries. The used country remains the riskiest project in EU even nowadays, while other studies fail to confirm the main direction of volatility spillovers from business confidence to stock returns. This study covers a period that is ignored by previous studies and includes important economic events. In addition, considering that these economic events derive strong volatility moments, a new methodology is adopted in this field of research that measures the transmission of volatility with higher accuracy.

Eloise Todd: mobilising civil society for pandemic prevention

Eloise Todd: mobilising civil society for pandemic prevention

Academic Trends in European Union Studies in Turkey within the Framework of Turkey-EU Relations

The relationship between academics and policymakers has a complex and multi-layered structure, and there are different views on how this relationship should be. While discussing the political processes in the context of Turkey’s membership, the interactions between academics and policymakers in the relations between Turkey and the EU have the potential to provide solutions in the steps that need to be taken. However, the academic tendency of EU studies in Turkey will be revealed by answering questions such as what subjects are preferred by academics working on the EU in Turkey to study in the knowledge-production process, which subjects they prioritize in EU studies, what the effects of the ups and downs in Turkey-EU relations are on the academy, and how the academy positions itself in the field of EU studies. It is considered that such a study will contribute to further studies on how the academy’s relations with policymakers are and how they should be in studying Turkey-EU relations.

‘A Sovereign Europe’? Strategic Use of Discourse at the Service of French Economic Interests in EU Politics (2017–2022)

AbstractThe ‘practice turn’ in European Union (EU) studies has shown that everyday actions, notably discursive practices, are consequential for producing European integration. Yet, an important development has been overlooked by scholars: the emergence of a ‘European sovereignty’ discourse in EU politics. Since President Emmanuel Macron's Sorbonne speech in September 2017, the EU policy of the French government has been structured around the affirmed objective of building ‘European sovereignty’. It supposes that the EU should become more geopolitical and not shy away from defending its own interests in an increasingly disorderly and hostile world. This article enquires into the objectives that President Macron and the French government have sought to realise by introducing this discourse into EU politics. We argue that ‘European sovereignty’ is a discursive practice that instrumentalises security threats to the EU in order to legitimise France's economic policy objectives, most notably the reform of EU competition policy. Our findings derive not only from publicly available documents and speeches but also 72 semi‐directed interviews.

Dysfunction and Pathology in Brussels: The European Commission and the Politics of Debt Restructuring

AbstractThe European Union (EU) studies literature has not engaged much with instances in which the European Commission exhibited dysfunctional and pathological behaviour. The paper employs a least likely case to suggest that the Commission might adopt such behaviour even under adverse circumstances. It examines the Commission's public opposition to a private sector involvement scheme for Greece in 2011, despite member states and investors favouring such an option. This stance exacerbated financial instability, proving detrimental for the Commission's stated crisis‐management goals. By using qualitative material, including 10 elite interviews, the paper attributes this behaviour to the Commission's pro‐integration culture as historically interpreted in the context of financial crises. This led the Commission to universalise inefficient policies whilst being insulated from external feedback. The study offers insights on when the Commission adopts dysfunctional behaviour whilst providing a novel angle on its role in EU integration.

Barriers to circular economy implementation in designing of sustainable medical waste management systems using a new extended decision-making and FMEA models.

The idea of the circular economy (CE) has gained prominence in the policies of the European Union (EU), commerce, and academic studies. Basically, CE is capable of achieving the best value and resolving many of the systemic challenges in the society and commerce of a country, thus leading to sustainable development and preventing irreparable damage to the environment. Medical waste management has proved a daunting challenge with the increase in the global population and the demand for medical services. Fuzzy multi-criteria decision-making approaches try to cover the different and uncertain views of decision-makers (DMs). The present study suggests a novel strategy based on multi-objective optimization using the ratio analysis (MOORA) in the area of spherical fuzzy sets (SFSs) to counterbalance the disadvantages of the failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) method, such as the lack of weight assignment for risk factors and consideration of uncertainty. In the proposed method, first, the barriers are identified using the FMEA method, and the risk factors are given values. Then, the barriers identified using MOORA are prioritized in the spherical fuzzy (SF) area. The computational procedure of the proposed methodology is established through a case study of the barriers to circular economy implementation in designing sustainable medical waste management systems problems under an SF environment. The proposed approach was compared with IF-MOORA and was found that the results are more reliable using the proposed method, also the ranking in the MOORA method was compared with the TOPSIS method in terms of degree of correlation.

953P Trends in disease burden from hepatocellular carcinoma: An observational study of European union 15+ countries

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the third leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Globally the incidence is increasing with an estimated 900,000 new cases diagnosed in 2020. This study considers the geographical trends in disease burden from hepatocellular carcinoma. Data from 1990 to 2019 is explored to further understand the pattern of disease across EU15+ nations.

Determination of 40 Elements in Powdered Infant Formulas and Related Risk Assessment.

The aim of the study was to analyze all powdered infant formulas authorized and commercialized in Italy at the time of the study to measure the concentrations of 40 elements, and to estimate the infants’ intake of some toxic heavy metals for assessing possible related health risks. For this purpose, an optimized multi-element method was used through inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Be, B, Al, Zr, Nb, Sb, Te, W, V, Cr and As concentrations were <LOD in more than 30% of samples. The levels of the other elements resulted to be very variable (more than 2000 µg g−1 for Ca and K or less than 1 ng g−1 for others). The results were similar to those reported by other European Union (EU) studies, but different from those recovered outside the EU. These differences should be eliminated to guarantee the right to health worldwide. The concentrations of Cd, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the infant formulas studied were always below the considered limits. However, it is important to check for potentially toxic elements in infant formulas to protect the health of this sensitive population. The data found in this study could be used as benchmark data for future research.

Beyond Legislative Veto Power: The Transformative Effects of the Early Warning System for Subsidiarity Control Ten Years Down the Line

The majority of European Union (EU) studies tend to be critical of the Early Warning System (EWS) for subsidiarity control, deeming it as ineffective in blocking unwanted EU legislation. Against this background, the aim of this paper is to identify and discuss several transformative effects of the EWS connected with the quality and democratic character of the EU governance, beyond the tool’s legislative veto power. A critical review of the EWS’ interpretations as an accountability mechanism, Europeanization engine, parliamentary autonomy enhancing tool, platform of politicization of Europe, as well as an instrument improving the Commission’s regulatory culture reveals that —although flawed by design— the modus operandi of the EWS has in fact contributed to reinforcing the input legitimacy of the EU. The argument is also made that the EWS should be viewed as a sort of ‘reality-check’ for the EU’s legislative moderation, thus enhancing the ‘perceived output legitimacy’ of the EU policy-making. The paper, however, concludes that although the positive effects of the EWS ought to be recognized and valued, the mechanism in its current form has exhausted its democratic potential and needs to be complemented with new forms of representative politics in EU affairs.

Lessons and learnings from a decade of EU crises

ABSTRACT What are some of the lessons learnt from a decade of crises in European integration? EU studies scholars have set themselves the task not only to gain a deeper understanding of the many aspects of the process of European integration, but also to inform the EU policy debate so that lessons can be learnt from the past. This special issue brings together some of the best papers from the European Union Studies Association’s 2019 conference in Denver, Colorado. Three themes emerge from the collection: the effect of crises on changing modes of EU governance, the impact of domestic politics and public opinion on EU policies, and the growing influence and relevance of the EU’s supranational legal framework.

La noción de potencia normativa europea y su incidencia en la doctrina española

Desde la dimensión más normativista/idealista de la teoría crítica, I. Manners fue capaz de elaborar la noción de potencia normativa europea la cual surge, en un primer momento, en el conocido artículo “Normative Power Europe: Acontradiction in terms?” publicado en el Journal of Common Market Studies en 2002. Desde entonces, dicha noción pasó a formar parte del denominado mainstream de los estudios de área de la UE siendo considerada como uno de los conceptos más innovadores. Ciertamente, su impacto ha sido significativo, aunque heterogéneo, de ahí que los académicos (especialmente los autores españoles) presenten posturas divergentes respecto al mismo. No obstante, pese a estas diferencias, es innegable cómo esta nueva noción ha enriquecido significativamente las perspectivas más tradicionales desde un enfoque innovador y singular.

The Study of National Preference Formation in Times of the Euro Crisis and Beyond

The aim of its introduction is threefold: We start from a conceptual clarification of preference formation, defining it provisionally as a political process ‘by which social actors decide what they want and what to pursue’. After an analysis of different conceptual and theoretical approaches, the introduction offers a critique of liberal intergovernmentalism, one of the major explanatory frameworks of preference formation in European Union studies. This critique centres on the context in which national preference formation took place during the European Monetary Union crisis. This special issue argues that the conceptualisation of preference formation as state-based, unidirectional and unchanged by the regime is deeply problematic. Preference formation is typically messy and non-linear and rarely closed to the possibility that both preferences and positions may change, sometimes radically, it is even more complex, context-sensitive, and open to a wide range of influences in a multi-level system such as the European Union. In other words, the traditional understanding of preference formation as a purely domestic process of interest aggregation and competition require revision given the multiple factors that shape preferences in general and in the interdependent policy-making of the European Union in particular.

Understanding the identity of a policy field: the European Commission and liberal modernization in the domain of labour and social policy

In congruence with the theme of this special issue, this paper clarifies the contribution the identitarian turn in European Union (EU) studies can make to the field. The paper explores the policy domain identity of the European Union social and labour market policy. It argues that over time, this identity has shifted considerably. Starting in the 1990s, when the Delorsian re-regulatory policy orientation slowly dissipated in favour of a more market-oriented approach in line with the so-called pink turn of centrist Social Democratic parties, the identity has undergone a number of changes. In the 2000s, the predominant identity was clearly liberal in nature, shaped by the Lisbon Agenda and a faith in the welfare-creating powers of deregulated market capitalism. By the 2010s, there was clear pushback against this image, and throughout this decade, the policy domain identity has lingered and struggled to assume a more concrete orientation. This slightly muddled and unfocused identity is in part to blame for the period of stagnation in further strides, whilst criticism of Commission overreach and intra-EU immigration have created a momentum against additional activity in this field.

European Union Studies as power/knowledge dispositif: Towards a reflexive turn

Culture, Practice and Europeanization (CPE) is an open access peer reviewed platform for publishing research-based articles predominantly dealing with research into the multiplicity of social processes, interactions, and policies relating to Europeanization and international encounters in Europe. Perspectives may be interdisciplinary. Empirical, theoretical and conceptual texts of significant originality will be considered for publication. CPE publishes foremost full-length original articles, but will also consider original reviews, conference speeches, and notes in order to inform the research community of most recent developments. CPE welcomes contributions that seek to enhance understanding of social processes relating to internationalization and further trans-national activities and processes in Europe.

Pollution resulting from oil exploration and Plastic disposal in Niger-Delta Nigeria: biodynamics and artist’s recycling methods as control measures

Despite the huge efforts of the government and other key players in Nigeria’s oil industry to reduce the volume of gas flaring during oil exploration; very little progress can be seen. Billions of standard cubic feet (SCF) of gas are still flared quarterly, which puts the country air quality at a risk. The country’s level of particulate matter is still at 10% ratio. This level of particulate matter (PM) is proven to pose high adverse environmental and health implication such as climate change, acid rain, agricultural loss, physiological effects, air pollution caused by burning of petro chemical products causing the destruction of zinc roof, depletion of the ozone layer, decay of concrete walls/ foundations and economic loss. It is therefore the aim of this paper to engage the use of Biodynamic technology and art-oriented approach to see how most of these chemical products could be converted to art forms by way of recycling for aesthetic purposes and also as street furniture instead of resulting to burning them. With these suggestions therefore, the solution to air pollution problems being faced in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria will be reduced to its barest minimum. Through Biodynamic, smog from the atmosphere could be absorbed/ purified via a catalytic reaction with sunlight and then turned the smog into harmless salt. Being that this technology has already been validated by European Union Studies to 75% active and also owing to the fact that it’s basic constituents such as Titanium oxide and Marble mineral is in commercial quantity abundant in Nigeria, is not to rule out the fact that with proper environmental management and control, the Niger Delta Region will be relieved of these menace of pollution. Moreover, the works of art produced from these chemical wastes can also be exported as income generation for the country. Therefore, it is imperative for this technology and creative ventures to be embraced and developed, to allow for not only improvement of air quality but to also see to the emergence of a product that can bring a new face in the diversification of Nigeria’s economy through exportation of these products. This will not only grow the country’s Gross Domestic Products, but will also be in line with the developmental vision of the Federal Government of Nigeria. Keywords: Bio, dynamic, Air pollution, Aesthetics, Air quality, Recycling, Niger Delta, Particulate matter, Titanium, Marble, Catalyst, Economy, Artists, Gas flaring