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The Treaty of Nice and the Convention on the Future of Europe
The Treaty of Nice prepared the European Union only partially for the important enlargements to the east and south on 1 May 2004 and 1 January 2007. Hence, following up on the questions raised in the Laeken Declaration, the European Convention made an effort to produce a new legal base for the Union in the form of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe. Following ‘no’ votes in referendums in two Member States, that treaty was not ratified.
Referendums on EU issues
Referendums give citizens a direct say over matters which would otherwise be decided by elected (or non-elected) representatives. Thus, as instruments of direct democracy, they may foster citizens' involvement and legitimise important decisions. In fact, referendums have been on the rise in Europe and elsewhere in the world in recent decades, and have become a recurrent feature of European politics. Since 1972, Europe has seen 54 referendums on EU matters, concerning membership, treaty ratification ...
Consulting the People - Lessons Learnt from a Half Century-Long Struggle to Link Europe with its Citizens and the Future Need for a Transnational Participative Infrastructure
This article explores the long struggle for reconciliation of the key concepts of modern representative democracy, citizens participation with the innovative approach of the European integration process, to establish a democratic governance beyond the nation-state border. Firstly, by re-visiting the theoretical work on transnational democracy and looking into the global trend towards a greater use of modern participative mechanisms; secondly, by assessing the efforts and debates within the European ...
The Constitutional Treaty and Structural and Cohesion Policies
The Constitutional Treaty has significantly altered the provisions relating to the structural and cohesion policies. Five areas are analysed in greater detail in this note: agriculture, culture, regional development, fisheries and transport and tourism. Following the failures of the referendums on the Constitutional Treaty in France and the Netherlands, Europe is once more facing a period of anxiety, torment and questions. In this context, various initiatives have been launched in the institutions ...
Common Intervention Policies: Towards the Model of a 'Policy Area'
This paper examines and analyses Common Agricultural Policy, The Common Fisheries Policy as well as the Cohesion and Structural Funds Policies, and looks at the future perspectives for the common intervention policies, including the possible effects of EU enlargement.