hard copy £5.00+£2 p&p November 2003

hard copy £5.00+£2 p&p October 2003

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The case for a stronger European
Parliament
by Lousewies van der Laan, November 2003

The EU urgently needs a stronger and reformed European Parliament (EP). With 60 per cent of all legislation affecting citizens' lives discussed in Brussels, EU decision-making must become more democratic. In this CER working paper Lousewies van der Laan analyses the current democratic failings of the EU – and sets out a cohesive agenda for reform. The simplest improvements which the authors proposes are those the EP can undertake by itself, without a treaty change. Every day that Parliament neglects to improve its effectiveness and image is a day lost for the EU's legitimacy.

press release

press review

ISBN: 1 901 229 49 1

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The EU's new borderlands
by Judy Batt, October 2003

With the 2004 enlargement, the EU will acquire many new neighbours, some of them unstable states with fragile economies. This working paper explains why the regions along the EU's new eastern border matter for Europe's security. Judy Batt provides potent examples of these regions' turbulent history and illustrates how relations have improved since the collapse of communism. She argues forcefully that the EU needs to be extremely careful in how it manages its new external frontier. Border checks and immigration controls must not be allowed to turn into a new Iron Curtain.

press release

ISBN: 1 901 229 48 3

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Guarding Europe
by Adam Townsend, May 2003

The European Union needs to build an effective security framework to stop criminals and terrorists from roaming freely across its internal borders. Guarding Europe analyses what the EU should do to improve its security in the face of international terrorism now that most member-states have removed the border controls between them. The September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks exposed flaws in the way the United States police and intelligence agencies operated.

press release

ISBN: 1 901 229 44 0

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The Lisbon scorecard III:
The status of economic reform in the enlarging EU
by Alasdair Murray, March 2003

Three years into the EU's Lisbon economic reform agenda, the EU remains far from meeting its goal of becoming the 'most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010'. But the EU has made some notable progress during the last twelve months – in terms of energy liberalisation, financial services integration and, most recently, the adoption of a Community Patent – and it is far too early to pronounce the reform process dead. The CER's Lisbon Scorecard III finds that the EU is struggling to meet its ambitious targets for raising employment rates for women and older workers, or increasing expenditure on research and development.

press release

ISBN: 1 901 229 43 2

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The EU and the Middle East:
A call for action
by Steven Everts, January 2003

The EU urgently needs a more effective and coherent Middle East strategy. With war looming against Iraq and violence escalating between Israelis and Palestinians, the EU is under intense pressure to spell out what it can do to solve these problems. But so far the EU has been mostly a bystander. In this working paper Steven Everts analyses EU policies on Iraq, Israel Palestine and the problem of poor governance in the region. He argues that the EU should become more pro-active and assertive. Rather than react with shock and horror to the latest twist in the Washington debate, the Europeans should set out their own vision.

press release

ISBN: 1 901 229 42 4

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