The Council of the European Union is certainly the most powerful institution of the European Union, as a major Community legislator – alone or with the European Parliament – and as an executive body. Still, there is only limited knowledge of the Council’s decision-making and how the Council reaches an agreement.
While the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (AFSJ) is generally viewed as an internal policy of the European Union, it also has a significant external dimension. Following several initiatives from the European Council, the EU has thus become a global player in areas such as migration policy, the fight against terrorism and organised crime.
Professor Christopher Lord, author of the present report On the Legitimacy of Monetary Union argues that both economists and political scientists have often failed to ask one of the most central questions, namely whether the monetary union can be considered legitimate.
Tillväxt har länge stått högt på den europeiska agendan, bland annat genom den så kallade Europa 2020-strategin och mer nyligen tillväxt- och sysselsättningspakten. Initiativen är många, men de leder inte nödvändigtvis till ökad tillväxt.
Energy has always had a prominent place in the European integration process. And yet, the establishment of an EU energy policy is relatively recent, particularly in its external dimension.
Sveriges förmåga att snabbt och effektivt införa EU:s regler i svensk rätt har varierat genom åren. En relativt stor andel av klagomål på och rättsprocesser mot Sverige gäller just förseningar och andra brister i genomförande av EU-regler. Eftersom EU har skärpt sanktionsreglerna för länder som släpar efter kan det bli dyrt.
Even though the Lisbon Treaty has made the rotating Council Presidencies less politically relevant, the country holding the presidency during six months still has an important role to fill. For Denmark, holding the presidency during the first half of 2012, the ongoing crisis in the Eurozone has posed particular challenges.
Cyprus assumed the EU presidency in the midst of the economic crisis. The presidency has been a challenging task, not the least since Cyprus itself has been severely hit by the crisis and is subject to austerity measures
The Swedish model of Government administration – with independent authorities and a comparatively small Government Office – differs from the model common in most other EU member states. Whether the Swedish model is appropriate in the context of the EU has therefore been a topic of discussion since Sweden became a member of the European Union
The political consequences of the euro crisis are considerabe. The role of the Eurogroup has been strengthened, with a corresponding widening of the gap between the Eurozone and other EU Member States.