European Solutions Research Articles

Subsidiarity: European Lessons for Australia's Federal Balance

The principle of subsidiarity was adopted as part of the law of the European Union as a response to perceptions of excessive centralisation and bureaucratisation within the European system of government. If subsidiarity is a solution to these problems in Europe, it might be asked: could it also be a solution to similar problems that arise in other federal systems, such as those of the United States and Australia? However, posing the question in this way is misleading because it is not at all clear that subsidiarity has been a solution in Europe, and in any case it cannot be assumed that a solution in one context will necessarily operate effectively in another. This article closely examines the nature and operation of the principle of subsidiarity in Europe and asks what lessons might be learned from it. To do this, the article begins by identifying the carefully defined operation of the principle in EU law and then closely examining the application of the principle, firstly as a political decision-making procedure that involves the Member State parliaments in the European policy-making process, and secondly as a juridical principle enforceable by the European Court of Justice. The possible adoption of the principle in other federations is then discussed, but limitations on its effectiveness in Europe, as well as the different institutional and political circumstances of the Australian federal system, are shown to undermine its likely usefulness, unless other more fundamental issues about the way in which the federal system is understood, organised and operated are addressed. The final part of the article suggests that these more fundamental issues are best understood and addressed in the light of a broader, more substantial, 'social' conception of subsidiarity: a conception not unrelated to the Roman Catholic social theory from which the idea of subsidiarity originally derived. A more substantial, social conception of subsidiarity, it is argued, can help us to understand why the application of the principle in Europe has had only limited effect and also why its application in other federal systems is unlikely to remedy problems of centralisation and bureaucratisation. This is because the European version of subsidiarity is focussed on the question of how the functionalist objectives of the EU can most appropriately be achieved, with only tangential consideration being given to the proper functions, purposes and responsibilities of the constituent Member States themselves. Focussing simply on the scope and reach of the competences of the central organs of government is not enough. Nor is it sufficient, as in Australia, to focus only upon the immunities that the constituent states ought to enjoy as self-governing political communities. Rather, the key task is to identify the proper functions and purposes (munera) of the various political (and social) communities and associations that make up the wider political community of which they are an integral part. The proper immunities that a particular community should enjoy cannot be identified apart from and identification of the appropriate munus of that community. Although an admittedly difficult and highly controversial task, unless the issue of the munera is addressed, 'subsidiarity' as a principle is not going to have much effect, for its fundamental lesson about the nature and integrity of the munus of each community - social and political - will not have been learned.

The Long‐term Solution for Europe

The solidarity of the G‐20 nations in staving off global financial crisis two years ago has deteriorated into a brawl over currency valuations, trade imbalances and sovereign debt, reflecting the great powershift from the West to the East and the emerging economies.In this section, we invited comments from historians, a former head of state who successfully navigated the Asian financial crisis and a prominent Chinese dissident.

Technical paths to emission regulation compliance of commercial vehicles in the next decade based upon solutions for EPA 2007 and EU V

During the past years significant regulatory reductions of allowable diesel particulate (“PM”) and Nitrogen oxides (“NOx”) emissions have been enacted worldwide. The regionally diverse regulatory requirements have led to different emissions control solutions in Europe (predominantly SCR systems), Japan and USA (predominantly DPF systems). Within Europe, different manufacturers are also using systems with diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) or open or so-called partial flow filters tailpipe emission reduction. An overview by Corning Incorporated.

Enterprise marketing management (EMM) systems: Current use and future prospects

To gather data on current and future use of enterprise marketing management solutions in Europe, Unica and Ovum conducted an online survey of 300 senior marketing executives in December 2005–January 2006. Respondents represented a range of industry sectors and were equally divided among France, Germany and the UK. Most respondents expressed confidence about the strategic value of marketing in supporting the organisation, and good practice in marketing was said to be widespread. In contrast to the pervading optimism, UK respondents in particular were pessimistic about their ability to achieve the organisation's marketing objectives, due to a lack of marketing expertise. Technology, in particular the internet, was central to marketing, with e-mail and the web being the most popular channels, but traditional approaches such as direct mail and word-of-mouth marketing were continuing to play an important role. The majority of organisations had no immediate plans to implement innovative new technology-related channels, such as blogs and Really Simple Syndicate (RSS) feeds. Nearly three quarters of organisations measured marketing performance, the most popular metrics being customer satisfaction and the number of new clients. Return on investment (ROI) was the most popular new metric planned for implementation in 2006. Exactly half the respondents claimed to have heard of EMM, which was better known in France than elsewhere. Several point solutions were in use, the most popular being real-time marketing and marketing resource management (MRM). None of these solutions was, however, used by more than 40 per cent of the organisations. In general, planned implementation of new EMM solutions reflected the current usage levels, but there were indications of strong growth in lead management solutions. Lack of awareness was cited as the main reason for not investing in EMM, but concern with costs and budgets was also widespread among the organisations surveyed. In conclusion, the survey demonstrated that holistic EMM solutions are not in common use, and although they are likely to become more widespread in future, several factors hinder the spread. Despite these findings, the survey did indicate that elements of EMM — such as personalised e-mail marketing and MRM — are becoming increasingly common among European marketers. For example, 32 per cent of the respondents indicated that they are using MRM technology to manage their marketing functions. The figures reflecting lack of plans for blogs and RSS feeds suggest that businesses are investing their budgets in core, enterprise-level technology to support the marketing function, rather than spending it on less proven tactics.

Evropská identita v informační společnosti

Article considers various aspects of development of the nation-state in the time of modernity as well as implications for institutional settings of liberal democratic nation-state facing process of globalization and new mechanisms brought by the information society. On this basis situation of Europe and especially of the European Union, as a unique multi-cultural institutional structure, is examined taking into account especially question of European identity in contrast to cultural diversity of Europe. As a core matter this article argues that a solution for Europe could be in an attempt to redefine concept of identity of individual citizens of European states. Following Habermas' theory, this article explains that this new concept could be understood as forming a dual identity of citizen - one of its dimensions being universal political embedding in common values of the society, while the other one being rooted in cultural particularity of citizen's community, with possibility of connecting it to more cultural contexts. As the political dimension of the identity can never be completely separated from the cultural context from which it emerges, it must be emphasised that this level of identity must be understood as permanent process of democratic dialogue based on all representative cultural contexts of the society. New institutional structure of Europe must be based on three pillars in order to deal successfully with challenges of the information society and globalization: redefinition of identity of European citizens in terms of dual identity as mentioned above; actualisation of 64 educational systems in order to support this redefined content of citizenship; and finally activities to support possibilities of citizens' participation in the information society mechanisms, particularly support of the information literacy.

A sensible solution for Europe

A sensible solution for Europe

Student Loans: a solution for Europe?

European Journal of EducationVolume 37, Issue 4 p. 417-431 Student Loans: a solution for Europe? Marianne Guille, Marianne Guille Université Panthéon–Assas Paris 2, FranceSearch for more papers by this author Marianne Guille, Marianne Guille Université Panthéon–Assas Paris 2, FranceSearch for more papers by this author First published: 19 February 2003 https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-3435.00119Citations: 5AboutPDF 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 onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume37, Issue4December 2002Pages 417-431 RelatedInformation

Revestimientos aplicables sobre soportes de yeso

Because of its water sensibility the main technical problem of gypsum plaster, for using in external walls, is constituted by its protection against external solicitations. After recall of requirements (water tighness in respect of rain water, protection against mechanical actions,...) and of principal basic data (characteristics of supports, climatical and economical data), a list of already used solutions in Europe and Developing countries is made, followed by an inventory of various possible solutions and of the means used in order to verity the workability of these solutions. In conclusion, the point is doing upon solutions which are emerging.

Intrinsic Safety Rules OK for Process Instrumentation (Part 1)

The technique of intrinsic safety was originated in England for mine signalling, following a serious Welsh mine disaster in 1913. The first surface certificate was issued in 1936 and the first formal standard in 1945, but it was not until the 1960s that the technique came into its own, with the advent of semiconductors. Now intrinsic safety has become the predominant solution in Europe for process measurement and control in hazardous locations, and is seriously challenging the flameproof approach in North America. This paper outlines the development of the technique, its application rules, and some typical applications of shunt-diode safety barriers and intrinsically safe “interface units”.