European Union Response Research Articles

Civilian CSPD Missions as European Union's Response to International Crises: Selected Aspects of Crisis Management

This article provides an overview of EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions’ crisis management achievements and challenges since 2003, in connection with the European External Action Service (EEAS), the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC) Directorate, and their respective roles. The analysis describes and evaluates the changes in the overall political and security context and the EU’s approach, suggesting some of the consequences in the launch and implementation of civilian CSDP Missions. The article also discusses the evolution of the EU’s integrated approach to external conflict and crises, and its cooperation with other security actors. The concluding remarks compare achievements and shortcomings of ongoing missions against their mandates and objectives, outlining some selected EU initiatives which aim at improving the EU’s performance in crisis management situations.

The European Union's response to the pandemic crisis: from the NextGenerationEu to the vaccination plan

The European Union's response to the pandemic crisis: from the NextGenerationEu to the vaccination plan

The EU Market in Times of a Global State of Emergency: Internal and External Trade Barriers in the Age of Pandemics

This article explores the immediate reaction of the EU and its Member States to the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Europe in terms of trade restrictions. Almost all Member States adopted export control measures on personal protective equipment (PPE) essential to combat the pandemic in order to preserve it for the domestic market. The trade barriers affected the intra-EU trade as well as the external trade with third countries. The article explores whether and to what extent these restrictive measures on exports within the internal market may be justified on grounds of the protection of health and life of humans, as allowed by Article 36 Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). It will be argued that the consolidated case law justifying a Member State facing health emergencies to adopt restrictive measures to protect the population on its territory is not suitable in case of pandemics. The degree of market integration and the rising concept of health solidarity as an EU objective allow a different interpretation of the health exception assuming as term of reference the whole EU population. The article further analyses the export authorization scheme adopted by the Commission to allow restrictions on exports of PPE to third countries in case of shortages in essential goods in the Union. The article concludes by suggesting a preventive EU mechanism of control of intra-EU export restrictions in case of serious cross-border threats to health, similar to the export authorization scheme for extra EU exports, in order to avoid unilateral and disjointed responses by Member States in the future. COVID-19 crisis, European Union response, Export control measures, Public health exception to free movement of goods, Member States general interest, Health solidarity in the EU, External trade restrictions, Export authorization schemes.

Refugee and Forced Migrant Crisis: A European Problem

The increase in migratory flows through the corridor between North Africa and Europe triggered the so-called 'Mediterranean refugee crisis'. Precarious boats carrying migrants in transit and with them, the news that thousands were dying at sea, fleeing war and famine, in their attempt to reach 'Fortress Europe'. The European Union's response has been fluctuating between control and rights as part of its approach to migration management, translated into legal and discursive frameworks where both views appear: on the one hand, it declares war on people smugglers, and on the other, it imposes security and control practices and regimes that use fear as a pretext to stigmatize migrants, Once again, it forgets that these migrations - a consequence of the great existing inequalities, largely caused by its own policies - are a European problem. In this paper we will argue that the migration crisis is a European problem for: a) historical reasons: European countries were a source of massive emigration to America, Africa, Asia and Oceania as they conquered and colonized; b) political-social reasons: migration, as a 'disposable labor' force, is intertwined with colonial and imperial histories between regions where racial, gender and class categories were established and are still in place; and c) legal: starting with the three pillars of the European Union in the post-Maastricht era, through the intermediate phase of the post-Amsterdam era and also through the use of international agreements, such as the Schengen Convention of 1985 and the Dublin Treaty of 1990.

European Union Responses to the Covid-19 Pandemic: adaptability in times of Permanent Emergency

ABSTRACT Exploring the challenges of Covid-19 for the European Union (EU) during March-August 2020, this article argues that contrary to prior crises the EU has demonstrated a certain degree of adaptability to a ‘permanent’ emergency mode. This adaptability varies across policy areas under study. Inter-crisis learning has been higher in state aid and economic governance than in the area of Schengen. Discursive shifts co-exist and have been central to the areas of cybercrime, economic governance and climate change. Additionally, and despite the tensions, there are signs of renewed political commitment to the European project and an acceleration of decisions and initiatives that had been decided or discussed before the pandemic. Although de-politicization and politicization trends continue to co-exist, we observe politicization at the top with European elites perceiving the Covid-19 emergency as an existential threat for the EU. Finally, we argue that the EU’s adaptability and acceleration of prior trends do not necessarily involve a race that favor supranational tendencies.

Human rights and democracy in economic policy reform: the European COVID-19 response under scrutiny

ABSTRACT This article argues that the impact of economic policy reforms on democratic institutions might compromise the enjoyment of human rights, especially economic, social, and cultural rights (ESC rights). This impact is twofold: First, economic reform policies driven by international and supranational institutions compromise democratic self-determination. Second, economic reform policies driven by the need to reduce public expenditure might put marginalised groups at risk and hamper their democratic participation. Since the realisation of ESC rights requires a framework for legitimate redistributive decisions, any such impairment of democratic institutions poses a risk to the realisation of ESC rights. Courts are unlikely to fully compensate for this risk. The Guiding Principles on Human Rights Impact Assessments of Economic Reforms (the Guiding Principles) devise a way for jointly strengthening human rights and democracy. Crucially, they urge states to subject economic policy reforms to democratic control. Human rights impact assessments may empower the public sphere and shift economic policy reforms from the Arcanum of high-level international negotiations back to democratic processes. Moreover, the Guiding Principles oblige states to design comprehensive and participatory economic policy reforms. The article shows the potential of the Guiding Principles by probing the European Union's response to COVID-19 and suggests improvements.

El coronavirus como test de resistencia de la integración europea: límites del diálogo constitucional

Este articulo trata de ofrecer un análisis de la respuesta de la Unión Europea a la crisis del coronavirus, en particular en lo relativo a las relaciones multinivel con los Estados miembros. Se examina fundamentalmente la respuesta sobre todo financiera de la crisis y la lectura política y jurídica de la misma. El coronavirus se concibe como acelerador del proceso de integración. Se consideran la eventual necesidad de expansión de competencias y el rendimiento de las instituciones. Se examina el plan de recuperación Next Generation EU y en concreto las reformas estructurales post COVID-19. Finalmente se examina la vigencia del constitucionalismo multinivel en los tiempos de coronavirus al calor de la sentencia Weiss del tribunal constitucional alemán.

Crisis response, path dependence, and the joint decision trap: the EU’s eastern and Russia policies after the Ukraine crisis

ABSTRACT The outbreak of the Ukraine crisis has been widely seen as heralding a critical change in relations between the European Union (EU) and Russia. Both path dependence and the joint decision trap have influenced EU responses to the crisis in terms of its broader policy toward Russia, the Eastern Partnership, and energy policy. The nature of the EU's response has involved a combination of sustained crisis response and incremental change, reflecting relative continuity in the underlying principles governing the approach combined with immediate crisis response measures. The EU's approach reflects elements of both conflict and cooperation in the relationship.

European response to COVID-19 health crisis

The world is undergoing the pandemic health crisis of COVID-19. First and foremost, the pandemic is causing losses in human lives all over the world. Secondly, it is testing the economies of all countries, regardless of the degree of dispersion and loss of lives between the states. Another consequence of this health crisis is that apart from national health systems, it also puts to the test political systems. This consequence is even greater for an evolving political system such as the European Union, which in a decade has faced two other crises - the Eurozone and the refugee crisis. The EU has once again been called upon to face an exogenous cross-border crisis. It has to confront a pandemic within the existing framework of its competence, tools and bodies, while creating new ones in the need to support its Member States. This paper focuses on the European Union's response to the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, the weaknesses that this crisis has brought to the fore and the policies that would help the EU manage similar crises in the future.

News - Comment. View from Brussels: Coronavirus - For the EU's virus response, the skies are the limit

Coronavirus continues to spread across the world, but the European Union's response to the pandemic has exposed the frailties of its institutions.

From Adversaries to Allies: Australian and European Union Responses to Challenges in the World Economy

Australian Economic ReviewVolume 52, Issue 4 p. 447-447 Policy Forum: Economic Relationships between Australia and the EU From Adversaries to Allies: Australian and European Union Responses to Challenges in the World Economy Richard Pomfret, Richard PomfretProfessor of Economics and Jean Monnet Chair on the Economics of European Integration, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia; email <richard.pomfret@adelaide.edu.au>.Search for more papers by this author Richard Pomfret, Richard PomfretProfessor of Economics and Jean Monnet Chair on the Economics of European Integration, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia; email <richard.pomfret@adelaide.edu.au>.Search for more papers by this author First published: 01 December 2019 https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8462.12352 Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume52, Issue4December 2019Pages 447-447 RelatedInformation

ZPŮSOBY STRATEGICKÉ ADAPTACE: NATO a EU pod tlakem revizionismu

How to assess the strategic adjustment of international organisations? The article combines recent advances in the study of grand strategy and studies in institutional adaptation to explain NATO's and European Union's responses to current Russian revisionism. Selecting specific cases of NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) and EU's East StratCom Task Force, it analyses the innovativeness, scope and cohesiveness of these measures in the context of broader strategic readjustments. The conclusions pit the Alliance's gradual but more robust strategic renovation against the Union's more radical but limited and possibly fractious strategic breakthrough.

Nova EU direktiva za sprečavanje korišćenja finansijskog sistema u svrhu pranja novca i finansiranja terorizma

The new Fifth Directive on the prevention of the use of the financial system for the purposes of money laundering and terrorist financing is the European Union's response to the 2016 terrorist attacks in Europe and the Panama Papers scandal. This directive aims to strengthen the standards that improve, as much as possible, the conditions for preventive action against money laundering and terrorism financing.

The secret life of non-recognition: EU-Israel relations and the obligation of non-recognition in international law

ABSTRACTThe European Union (EU) is undertaking a prolonged, slow-burning revision of its relations with Israel, driven by the need to avoid recognition of an illegal situation. This article reviews these ongoing developments from the perspective of international law. As compared with the EU's response to the annexation of Crimea by imposing sanctions on Russia, its measures vis-à-vis Israel aim at protecting the EU internal legal and political order from the illegal situation created by Israel's institutional practice with regards to the Palestinian territory. The EU's approach to non-recognition is a rule-based cornerstone of its external relations law and foreign policy, and provides insights on the otherwise opaque workings of this obligation in international law and the transnational legal enforcement process in which it manifests.

Analysis of the Effectiveness of Application of Content Quota System for On-Demand Video Streaming Platform: Focusing on the European Union Response to Netflix

Analysis of the Effectiveness of Application of Content Quota System for On-Demand Video Streaming Platform: Focusing on the European Union Response to Netflix

Augmenting the European Union's Response to Antisemitism

There may be no better time for the European Union (EU) to galvanize its forces against antisemitism than now, following the recent spate of Islamist attacks and the European Commission's appointme...

Why has EU macroeconomic governance become more supranational?

While much of the literature on the Euro crisis has highlighted the intergovernmental features of the European Union response, it appears that in strategic areas, such as macroeconomic policy or banking regulation, supranational institutions have seen their discretionary powers significantly enhanced and that they have played an instrumental role in bringing about such a change. This is all the more remarkable considering the decline in support for integration among governments and the public. This article explains this paradox by the dramatic character of the crisis and the deep mistrust that existed between European states at the time. It also suggests that the process could be hard to reconcile with attempts at ‘politicizing’ EU public policy.

Political Resilience and EU Responses to Aviation Terrorism

ABSTRACTIn this article, we examine how European authorities have responded to reported threats to aviation resulting from individual terrorist tactics. We do so by applying the notion of political resilience and drawing on Palonen's “policy, polity, politicking, and politicization” model as well as on Malcolm Anderson's concept of “politics of the latest outrage.” We argue that the European Union response to aviation terrorism has created polity transformation and generated a long list of new policies but has also in the process become politicized and subject of politicking, with some high-profile measures being criticized for having a deleterious impact on passengers' rights.

Criminal Liability of Legal Persons in Case of Computer Crime: A European Union Response

Abstract The contribution deals with the criminal liability of legal persons in case of computer crime. It is divided into three sections. The first section briefly introduces computer crime and relevant legislation of the European Union in the area of criminal law, which is the basis of that liability. While the second section is focused on provisions of criminal liability of legal persons, the third section is focused on sanctions for legal persons.

A historical institutionalist explanation of the EU's responses to the euro area financial crisis

ABSTRACTHow can we understand the European Union's responses to the euro area financial crisis? This contribution examines this question through a historical institutionalist (HI) lens. First it reviews the design of existing institutions. With the help of HI it examines what challenges the institutional design posed on the European Union (EU) when the crisis hit. Next, the responses to the crisis by member state leaders and by EU-level actors are reviewed. An analysis is made of selected new EU institutions created to address the crisis: the European Financial Stability Facility; the European Stability Mechanism; the Six-Pack and Two-Pack; the European Semester; and the Fiscal Compact. Four ideal types – ‘displacement’, ‘layering’, ‘drift’ and ‘conversion’ – are examined and found not to fit well. In some cases institutions were ‘layered’ on top of existing institutions. Perhaps an amendment could be made by offering the ideal type ‘copying’ in those cases where new institutions that borrow from earlier institutions. Although no complex problem can be truly understood by looking at it through one single theoretical lens, this contribution argues that a large of part of the problems that emerged, and the solutions adopted, can be understood by examining it through an HI lens.