Integration November 2012
The first article of the fourth issue of integration (November 2012) covers the topic of differentiated European integration from an academic point of view. The author Funda Tekin draws attention to the reality of Opt-outs, Opt-ins and Opt-arounds in the area of freedom, security and justice. Differentiated integration will, moreover, represent an academic research field in the Institut für Europäische Politik. integration, further, discusses the successful coordination of the Danish EU Presidency in turbulent times. Another article deals with the evolvement and development of the EEAS and the organisation of the European foreign and development aid. A fourth focus lies on subnational administrations as guarantors of legitimacy in the EU.
See online abstracts.
Vera Faust/Jochen Roose/Annette Knaut/Katrin Böttger/Julian Plottka (eds.): The European Citizen‘s Initiative – Occupational therapy for the people?
The ECI is the focus of the issue 4/2012 of the Forschungsjournal Soziale Bewegungen. Eight articles discuss potentials and limits of this new instrument. Julian Plottka, Katrin Böttger and Annette Knaut give an overview on the procedure and on the current state of research on the ECI. Jo Leinen interprets the ECI as a pioneer of the European public. In addition, Paolo Ponzana reports on the evolvement and on the hopes referring to the ECI. Reiner Keller and Annette Knaut disagree with this concept of the European public that, from their point of view, results from national-state oriented thinking. Alternatively, they suggest the concept of transnational discourse spheres. Laurent Bernhard and Theo Schiller discuss the procedures of direct democracy: In terms of that Bernhard focuses on Switzerland, whereas Schiller adopts an internationally comparative perspective. Being the co-coordinators of the first registered initiative “Fraternité 2020”, Marcus Gastinger and Georg Jürgens summarise the practical implementation of initiatives and the difficulties that have occurred launching this new instrument of participative democracy. Finally, Christine Quittkat discusses whether the ECI is an instrument for citizens to participate in EU politics.
The abstracts of all articles are available here.