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The article discusses how Belgium managed to successfully fulfill its term of European Union (EU) Presidency in 2010, despite having a caretaker government. It argues that Belgium's domestic problems did not significantly impair Belgium's Presidency due to a combination of experience, consensus, and preparation. The effect of the Lisbon Treaty on EU foreign policy and the trio Presidency format is also noted. The role of the rotating EU Presidency is discussed in terms of the Lisbon rules and procedures, as well as the EU's increased focus on financial and economic governance.

This article seeks to expose some limitations of dominant discourses about European integration. It argues that the attempt to move towards a more federalist Europe underpinned by the ideal of 'post-national citizenship' (Habermas) is both unrealistic and undesirable. The populism and ethno-centric nationalism endangering the European project emerged in Europe not despite the cosmopolitan agendas of its elites, but arguably, in response to their ambitious agendas. A more realistic view on nationalism is imperative for a better understanding of European integration; one capable of addressing the appeal of populist politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the parliamentary debates and decision-making related to the highly contentious EU directive on services. It is intended as a contribution to the academic debate on political conflict lines in the European Parliament. Our argument is that neither the left-right cleavage nor a territorial one (old versus new Member States) can fully explain conflict at stake on socio-economic issues. Rather, what we can observe is cross-cutting opposition between 'regulators' and 'liberals'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explains Europarties' inability to act and position themselves cohesively in EU politics. It develops a theoretical framework based mainly on domestic parties' disincentives to agree on a common Europarty position. The framework is applied to the case of social democracy and fiscal competition. Despite opportunity for agreement, (dis)incentives related to self-economic interests and domestic institutional settlements (and corresponding electoral calculuses) were aggravated by substantive ideological preferences. The case implications are drawn on literatures on the national parties' general positioning on EU issues as well as on Europarties and the EU agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An article is presented that reports on the Swedish Presidency of the European Council in terms of former President Fredrik Reinfeldt in 2001. The Swedish European Union (EU) Council Presidency was significant in European politics before the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009 due to its realistic expectations and achievements, its efficient strategies, and its affect on domestic politics. The article discusses subjects including domestic and international stability and instability in Europe, as well as the European Parliament and the European Commission.

An article is presented that reports on sustainable European integration and the European Union (EU) during and after 2009. The article includes the author's views of European stability in terms of society, economics, and politics. Information is provided on sustainable integration as related to areas including human ecology, international security, economic policy, and governance. The article also discusses prescriptive modes for building a sustainable EU with reference to strengthening citizenship, altering political philosophy, establishment ownership and empowerment, and communication.

This article reports on the Czech Presidency of the European Union (EU) Council in 2009 before the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon. Under the Czech Presidency, the European Council (EC) was led by President Jan Fischer and faced low expectations due to weaknesses in the Czech government and the global financial crisis and recession of 2008-2009. The article discusses aspects of EC function related to political administration, the management of agendas, mediation, and representation. Information is also provided on European domestic politics, economic policy, and conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

An article is presented that reports on the appointments of Herman van Rompuy as the President of the European Council and of Baroness Catherine Ashton as the European Union's (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The appointments of Rompuy and Ashton to these roles occurred on November 19, 2009 and drew mixed reactions from European politicians. The article discusses Rompuy and Ashton's prior political roles, noting the Ashton's nomination was generally a surprise. Information is provided on the European Parliament, foreign policy and international relations, and the Lisbon Treaty.

An article is presented that reports on the 2009 European Union (EU) elections for European Parliament and the nomination of a new European Commission. The elections and nominations followed the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon for integration in Ireland. The article discusses these political events in terms of the global financial crisis and recession of 2008-2009, noting how they affected European politics. Information is also provided on German Basic Law, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso.

An article is presented that reports on justice and home affairs (JHA) in the European Union (EU) in 2009. The Stockholm Programme for JHA in the EU was adopted following the end of the Hague Programme and the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon and features legislation related to areas including immigration, civil law, and border control. The article discusses the development of EU policy areas such as refugee policy, migration policy, visa policy, and terrorism. Information is also provided on Stockholm Programme objectives, as well as on economic crime and information exchange.

An article is presented that reports on law in the European Union (EU) following the 2009 ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon for integration. The article discusses changes in case law and courts as related to issues including refugees, the government of Cyprus, and discrimination. Notable cases described include Commission v. Italy (Motorcycle Trailers) about import restrictions and Ireland v. Parliament and Council (Data Retention Directive) about EU legislative power. Information is also provided on the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and German Basic Law.

An article is presented that reports on foreign relations in Europe between the European Union (EU) and nonmember countries in 2009. In 2009, the EU improved its existing policies and developed commissions for foreign and security relationships with neighboring countries. The article discusses the increase in the number of applications for EU membership, noting how the desire for membership alters relations and the effectiveness of EU conditionality. Information is also provided on conflicts in Eastern Europe, the Treaty of Lisbon for integration, the 21st century global financial crisis, and countries including Switzerland and Norway.

An article is presented that reports on the European Union's (EU) foreign policy and international relations and issues it faced in 2009. Politics in the EU changed in 2009 with the final ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon for integration and the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama. The article discusses the EU's challenges related to areas including security policy, international defense, the European Council, the European External Action Service (EEAS), and trade agreements. Information is also provided on former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso, and European Council President Herman van Rompuy.

This article argues that the ‘nature of the EU beast’ is neither unique nor captured by a particular type of governance. Like its Member States, the EU features a combination of different forms of governance that cover the entire range between market and hierarchy. The analysis of this governance mix reveals several characteristics of the EU that have been largely overlooked in the literature. First, the EU relies heavily on hierarchy in the making of its policies. Its supranational institutions allow for the adoption and enforcement of legally binding decisions without the consent of (individual) Member States. Second, network governance, which systematically involves private actors, is hard to find. EU policies are largely formulated and implemented by public actors. Third, political competition has gained importance in European governance. Member States increasingly resort to mutual recognition and the open method of co-ordination where their heterogeneity renders harmonization difficult. The article shows that the EU mainly governs through inter- and transgovernmental negotiations and political competition between states and regions. Both forms of public-actor-based governance operate in the shadow of hierarchy cast by supranational institutions. This governance mix does not render the EU unique but still distinguishes it from both international institutions and national states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an urgent need for a method to measure quantitatively the Europeanization of national public policies, meaning the scope and extent to which national policies are shaped by European law and policy. Research on the Europeanization of public policies has so far mostly been limited to qualitative analysis. While such case studies, or comparative case or country studies have produced valuable insights into the nature of Europeanization, the challenge to measure how much national policy-making has been influenced by European law and policies has not yet been mastered by the discipline. After outlining both the scholarly and the political context of the debate, the article briefly discusses different methods that have been developed so far to measure the Europeanization of national legislation in the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, France and Germany. Their common feature is that they aim to measure Europeanization – and that they do so by using diverse methods and measures. Not only do they display some flaws in how they measure the Europeanization of legislation, but the results of these diverse studies are by no means comparable. Based on a short discussion of these approaches that have been developed so far, I will outline how this challenge could be faced. I will then present a concept for the development of an analytical tool to measure the scope and extent of the Europeanization of national public policies across policy fields, time and countries, as a means of improving our knowledge and as a starting point for explaining variance across policy fields, across time and, most interesting, across countries. Finally more and less fundamental objections to this enterprise are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study empirically investigates the two options which were considered by the German presidency for finding a solution to the crisis of the EU's reform process. Our findings reveal that making concessions to the remaining eight ratification countries and renegotiating the text with all Member States were feasible solutions for reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on the status of European integration within the "Libson Strategy," which was launched by the European Council in 2000. The strategy was intended to increase social cohesion while stimulating widespread economic growth and promote European unity. The authors examine the rationale of the strategy and the future direction of European coordination. They advance a range of critical perspectives on the evolving governance of the Lisbon Strategy and offer a series of concrete proposals for its reform.