European Integration - Heinrich Böll Stiftung

Croatia

DOSSIER

If its citizens will say ‘yes’ to EU-accession and the accession will be ratified by all 27 EU-Member States, Croatia will enter the European Union on 1 July 2013. When Croatia started negotiating its membership six years ago, the enthusiasm was great. In the meantime, things have changed. The European Union is in crisis and inside the EU it is feared that with Croatia another ‘Greece’ will be taken aboard, whereas many Croats (of whom many share that assessment) are afraid to climb aboard a sinking ship.

Lost in Cacophony

Croatia has been going through the first weeks of 2012 in the accelerated rhythm of the referendum on the accession to the European Union. As the date of the referendum, 22 January comes closer, the rhythm is approaching a fast staccato. Indeed, everything reminds us of such clear-cut, distinctive notes. These days everybody, whether they are ‘for’ Croatian membership in the European Union or ‘against’ it, is playing their own notes with little attention to the other. Croatia is deafened by the confusing pre-referendum cacophony... click here for the full article

Tihomir Ponos (1970, Zagreb) has been a journalist for the Croatian daily newspaper Novi list since 2006. He graduated in philosophy and history at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Zagreb. Prior to his employment with Novi list Ponoš was a journalist and commentator for the daily political newspaper Vjesnik. He has been awarded the 'Joško Kulušić' award of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights for promotion of human rights in the media. He regularly contributes to the historical component of the Educational programme of Croatian national television. He published the historical book ''On the edge of revolution - students 1971'' that focused on the student movement during the early 1970s. He edited a number of history-related books.

Poland

Dossier

Spotlight on Poland

On 1 July 2011 Poland will take over the rotating presidency of the European Union. The Polish presidency comes well-prepared and with an ambitious agenda. The expectations are high as Poland is the last heavy-weight country before the “fate of the Union” is laid into the hands of moderately-sized Member States like Denmark, Cyprus and Lithuania with presidencies by crisis-ridden Ireland and Greece looming in the not so far future. It seems ironical that Europeans are looking at Poland for solutions: after all not so long ago Poland was considered the Union’s problem child. A large chunk of the Polish population remained sceptical towards the EU-membership and the Kaczyński twins came dangerously close to make the Lisbon Treaty sink like a stone. After the elections in October 2007 a sigh of relief was audible in Brussels (and very probably other European capitals). With the new government consisting of Donald Tusk’s Civic Platform and the Polish People’s Party Poland seemed to have finally whole-heartedly arrived in Europe. Four years later, Poland has established itself as a constructive player on the EU-stage and the Polish population is more pro-European Union than ever and than most of their fellow-Europeans. But with parliamentary elections coming up in October, in the middle of the EU presidency, the question is: will the Polish political landscape change again and, if so, what would that mean for Europe? What do other Europeans actually know about Poland, the biggest ex-communist country to join the EU in 2004, about its history, its problems, its achievements, its hopes and disappointments? Read further...

European Union Council 2011 Presidencies

Photos by Kate Dodd,rockcohen and Kpalion

DOSSIER

Hungarian and Polish Presidencies of the EU 2011

After Slovenia, in 2008, and the Czech Republic in 2009, Hungary will be the third ex-communist country to take on the rotating presidency of the European Union, followed by Poland on 1 July. This will be the first time two member states with a communist past will succeed each other at the helm of the European Union. The Hungarian presidency couldn’t have happened at a worse moment: Viktor Orbán’s new restrictive law on media has been severely criticised by many EU member states, including Germany and the UK and the Hungarians can expect to be under close scrutiny of the European Parliament. The main challenge of the Hungarian presidency whose slogan is “A strong Europe“ will be to deal with the crisis in the Eurozone, for which it seems ill equipped as the country does not use the single currency. Other main tasks will be the launch of the complicated negotiations for the multi-annual budget EU (2014-2020), a solution to the problem of Roma integration, an area in which Hungary itself has not the best of reputations, as well as giving an impulse to the Eastern Partnership and Croatia’s EU accession process. Will Hungary be able to do justice to its role at the helm of the EU? What problems will be left for the Poles who will come well-prepared but are facing elections in the middle of their presidency term?

ARTICLE

Reflections on the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union: Climate and Energy

When the Polish government was preparing to preside over the Council of the EU, no one had suspected that this Presidency would come in such a difficult time for Europe. When Poland was trying to increase its partners' interest in issues of the Eastern Partnership, the revolution in North Africa started. When Poland wanted to sign an association agreement with Ukraine, its president Viktor Yanukovych began the trial against the former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko, which put an end to Ukraine's closer relationship with the EU. When Poland was preparing for talks on increasing the cooperation in external energy security, the eurozone became endangered and it was necessary to take actions that would save it from collapsing.

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ARTICLE

Pole Position: The Polish Presidency of the EU Council

- The Polish Presidency of the EU Council started with high expectations on the part of other Member States and EU officials. At the outset of its Presidency, Poland enjoyed a good reputation because of its economic performance during the crisis (in 2009 Poland was the only country in the EU to achieve economic growth) and also because of its very pro-European society (over 80% of the Poles support their country’s membership in the EU and two thirds believe that this membership is something good). The government in Warsaw was perceived as well prepared for the task of pushing the EU agenda forward. Jacek Kucharczyk Agnieszka Łada Jacek Kucharczyk and Agnieszka Łada»

ARTICLE

Polish Presidency without Equality

- The Polish government announced that the Polish Presidency of the EU was a success. Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s speech before the European Parliament where he summed up the six months of the Polish Presidency was well received and highly appreciated by the parliamentarians. The leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats in the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, claimed that: “the Polish Presidency has undoubtedly been one of the best in recent years”. But has it really? What actions were undertaken during the Polish leadership? And particularly, what happened to equality as a priority of the Polish presidency? Joanna Piotrowska»

Article

Equality and Non-Discrimination and the Priorities of the Polish EU Presidency

- The list of priorities of the Polish Presidency does not mention equal opportunities or the fight against discrimination apart from a general statement relating to the need of providing persecuted Christians with help. This does not mean, however, that by neglecting this issue the Polish government can just ignore the necessity to implement such an important EU policy during its presidency. more»

Article

The Hungarian Council Presidency: How Well Did it Do?

After a long six months the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union ended in glory on the last day of June 2011. Croat accession negotiations to the EU have now officially closed; the next phase is the drafting of the accession treaty, followed by a referendum in Croatia and ratification in the EU’s 27 national parliaments. Then, hopefully on 1 January 2013, Croatia will become the EU’s 28th Member State. This is probably going to be by far the greatest legacy of the Hungarian Council presidency.

ARTICLE

Poland: Walking the Tightrope of a Post-Lisbon Presidency

- Working out a compromise between the Presidency of the EU Council and the remaining Community institutions will certainly prove a challenge for Poland, which assumes EU Presidency as of 1 July 2011. Although the Presidency no longer formally represents the European Union in relations with third countries, it can still influence many of its internal and external policies, albeit on a lesser scale. As was aptly observed by Minister Mikołaj Dowgielewicz, the official in charge of the Polish Presidency, its role is not reduced to attending cocktail parties. Jacek Kucharczyk and Agnieszka Łada more»

Preview of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union

- On January 1, 2011, Hungary, as the third member of the European Union, which joined the club in 2004, took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union. It is, however, the first presidency of a newer Member State under Lisbon treaty rules. After the new treaty entered into force December 1, 2009, all rotating presidencies are, in reality, first time presidencies. Their relative success now depends more on administrative ability than political leadership. Piotr Maciej Kaczyński more»

EUROZONE

The European Central Bank in Frankfurt. Photo: Crivin's under CC License.

Dossier

Is there a future for the eurozone?

Many a swansong on the euro and the eurozone has been sung during the last months. Some economists and politicians prophesy an end of the euro(zone) and plead for the reintroduction of national currencies (or, at least for a split of the Eurozone allowing the weaker countries to devaluate their currencies which, in turn, could boost their exports). But, also, many European citizens (especially of economically stronger countries) want to get rid of the euro and of the discipline of the eurozone they blame for hard-hitting cutbacks. They want „their own money back“ and they resent making sacrifices for their weaker and „wasteful“ European brothers and sisters. For some the end of the eurozone and even the European Union is nearby. In the meantime, Estonia has happily entered the eurozone and European leaders and ministers of finance quarrel passionately and work hard to find a solution. Often in the past, Europe was at its best and most creative under the most difficult and threatening circumstances. Will the euro(zone) survive? Are the measures taken so far the right ones and what else needs to be done?

Portrait of Liesbeth Noordegraaf-Eelens and Jos de Mul

ARTICLE

The Sovereign Debt Crisis or Sophie’s Choice: On European Tragedies, Guilt and Responsibility

The year 2011 will probably be known for its quick succession of Euro summits. They all had a similar, tragic outline. Every summit started with good intentions: this would be the summit bringing the solution for the crisis. As a result, expectations ran sky high and financial markets lifted. As the summit came closer, expectations were moderated, ballyhooing tempered, rumours about failures spread, and possible solutions were put into doubt. During – or just before – the summit, it became clear that although some solution was to be expected, it definitely would not be the solution. Liesbeth Noordegraaf-Eelens and Jos de Mul more»

ARTICLE

The Triumphal Failure of Greece: A Report from the Eurozone’s Ground Zero

The Greek crisis is essentially a déjà vu of the subprime loans catastrophe, which hit the US in 2008, leaving the global economy in disarray. The obvious difference is that, in this case, the insolvent borrower is a state. Other than that, the similarities are striking: the sudden realisation that the Greek debt was ‘toxic’ initiated a crisis of trust in the financial system, due to the uncertainty over the exposure of major lending institutions to bad loans and raised doubts regarding the solvency of other developed states in the eurozone. The quality of sovereign bonds portfolios became ‘anyone’s guess’, or, to put it more precisely, anyone’s speculation. The immediate effect of this crisis of trust was the rise of interest rates in interbank and sovereign loans, resulting in a liquidity shortage and, perhaps, a double dip recession in 2012.

Nikos Chrysoloras more»

ARTICLE

The Greek Crisis: a Tragedy in the Making

Greece, as many other countries, has since 2009 faced the second phase of a global-scale capitalist crisis, the sovereign debts crisis. The banks, after being saved during the first phase of the financial crisis with government money, then turned against their saviours by reducing lending for the increasing sovereign debts, which ironically occurred for their sake.

Michalis Tremopoulos more»

ARTICLE

Why the Green New Deal is a response to the European debt crisis

- The global economic crisis has not been overcome; its character has merely changed. For us parliamentarians, its most tangible characteristic is the smoldering debt crisis in some Euro countries. Similar to the crisis in the banking sector, the European government debt crisis is typical of a large-scale financial crisis, the "Second Great Depression," and managing it has to be addressed in this context. Dr. Gerhard Schick, MP more»

ARTICLE

EUROPE’S MISSED OPPORTUNITY – BIGGEST ECONOMIC REFORM SINCE THE SINGLE CURRENCY FAILS TO MATERIALISE

- Since the American sub-prime crisis swept through Europe, illuminating the unsustainable nature of economic models such as Ireland (the Celtic tiger) or Spain and making it impossible to disguise the damaged state of the Greek economy, the discussions on economic governance that dragged on during the negotiations of the Lisbon constitutional treaty have now resumed with a vengeance. Philippe Lamberts more»

ARTICLE

THE NEXT REFORM AGENDA FOR THE EUROZONE

- Since spring 2010, the European Union has progressed with reforms of its economic governance mechanisms at an impressive speed. A first major achievement was the establishment of new European Financial Supervisory structures. On 16 December 2010, the legislation establishing the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB) came into force. The ESRB is an independent EU body responsible for the macro-prudential oversight of the financial system within the EU. It contributes to the prevention or mitigation of systemic risks to financial stability in the EU and will also contribute to the smooth functioning of the internal market.
Daniela Schwarzer more»

Article

Why the euro will not disappear in 2011

- In Estonia, cash machines started providing euros on the first of January this year but this event went unreported as it is now fashionable to predict the failure of the euro. It is an understatement to say that the euro area came under pressure last year. Yet, 2010 taught us, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, that euro countries are bound together to such an extent that problems in one country will inevitably affect all the others. By Hendrik Vos and Ferdi De Ville more»

European Union Council 2010 Belgian Presidency

Photo by historic.brussels. CC-licence

Dossier

Belgian Presidency of the Council of the EU

On 1 July Belgium took on the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union with a caretaker government in charge. The Belgian elections which had taken place two weeks before were won by the nationalist/regionalist New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) in Flanders and the Socialists in Wallonia and negotiations on the formation of government will presumably take some time. This should not, however, impact neither the programme nor the efficiency of the presidency. What exactly can be expected from the Belgian EU presidency and how will the interaction be between the presidency and European Council president Herman Van Rompuy?

The Belgian Presidency of the European Union 2010: an outline

Given its traditions as a founder member of the European (Economic) Community and its long standing support of European integration, one can expect the Belgian presidency, in this difficult time of global economic crisis, to implement measures already agreed and develop new ideas for the EU. There are, however, three factors that increasingly limit the rotating presidency’s room for manoeuvre. Mario Telo more»

The Belgian Presidency of the European Union: a Preview

- During the second half of 2010 Belgium will hold the presidency of the European Union. It will be the twelfth time it has held this role since the start of European integration in the fifties. Despite the decreased importance of the rotating presidency and reassuring words that Belgian diplomats have a great deal of experience in European matters, it is not ideal to begin a presidency with ministers who have resigned. This will be discussed along with some of the paradoxes in Belgium’s European policy. Hendrik Vos more»

The Economic Challenges Facing the Belgian EU Presidency

- The main challenges confronting the Belgian presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2010 concern the European Union’s economic agenda. The banking crisis, which occurred late in 2008, caused an economic crisis that seriously affected all Member States. It has become clear in recent months that some causes of the crisis should be dealt with at European level. Hendrik Vos more»

Human Rights Priorities of the Belgian Presidency 2010

- Belgium’s twelfth presidency is particularly important and differs from all its former presidencies: it is fully operating under the Lisbon treaty and, for the first time, the Belgians are part of a ‘triple presidency’. The triple presidency began with Spain’s six-month term and will be concluded by Hungary, which will take over from Belgium in January 2011. All this makes the Belgian presidency the first non-traditional rotating presidency or rather the first ‘EU joint team’. Roberta Dirosa more»

The Belgian Presidency of the EU: Foreign Policy Priorities

- Belgium assumed the rotating presidency of the EU at a very difficult time of transition for Europe. On the one hand, the international economic crisis which erupted in 2008 is far from over and is giving rise to global tendencies towards political instability; and on the other hand, the new mechanism of the Treaty of Lisbon reinforcing the role of the EU in the world has not been implemented entirely, resulting in a partial re-nationalisation of the foreign policies of member states. These external and internal uncertainties require particular skill on the part of the rotating presidency in balancing innovation with continuity, new institutional structures with the inevitable inertia of the preceding institutional practices. By Mario Telo more»

The Belgian Presidency of the European Union: an Assessment

- Does Europe need good administrators or innovative political leadership? It is too early to give a definitive evaluation of the Belgian presidency response to this issue. It is a question of knowing just how far the presidency went beyond that of playing the honest broker and took on the role of providing the necessary driving force required by the EU with regard to internal and external developments. Mario Telo more»

The Belgian Presidency of the European Union in Retrospect

- In the past months, the resigning Belgian ministers led thirty-six formal council meetings and sixteen informal meetings. In addition, Belgian diplomats, experts and officials chaired the working parties and committees that prepared all these meetings. We are referring here to 1943 formal meetings of council working parties besides many more informal contacts. Belgian ministers represented the council in the European Parliament, in the European Commission and at multilateral meetings on all kinds of issues, throughout the world.
Most observers agree that the Belgian presidency was a success. This is not self-evident. Indeed, at the start of the presidency there were quite some uncertainties. In July, Belgium had no full-fledged government. Never before has the European presidency had to begin under a caretaker government. Hendrik Vos more»

European Economic Governance

COMMENT

What's left of EU Economic Governance after the Merkel-Sarkozy putsch?

After months of proposals and negotiations behind closed doors the efforts of the European Commission to improve and make more effective existing rules regarding the debt and deficit levels in the Eurozone seem to have been thwarted by the Herman van Rompuy task force, i.e. Member States in disguise. The usually stringent German Chancellor Merkel has joined the French President Sarkozy in watering down the Commission’s proposals. At the European Council meeting the heads of governments have decided for a permanent crisis mechanism and have agreed to limited treaty change. How will this new mechanism work in practice and what are the concerns? Yazgülü Zeybek more»

Constitutional Treaty

EU Policy After the Irish No Vote

The EU needs to seriously address its democratic deficit and the disillusionment that many Europeans feel for the Union. Dealing with these issues will surely not be an easy task but it will, without a doubt, enrich European democracy and the very ideals that we stand for and wish to promote in the world. By Claude Weinber and Roderick Kefferpütz more»

Publication

Bosnia and Herzegovina and Controversies of the EU integration process

- Published by the Heinrich Böll Foundation Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2008
The publication is in English and Bosnian. See pdf (132 pages, 914 KB).

Study

The Future of the Constitutional Treaty

- Ways out of the dead end - How to get the European Constitutional Treaty back on track. By Michaele Schreyer more»

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