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The European Union took its first strategic step on the topic of climate adaptation in 2009 with publication of a White Paper on Adaptation. Since its publication, many researchers and analysts have criticized the White Paper for its lack of concrete and enforceable actions. In this paper, we analyse the White Paper as an instrument of soft law. First, we provide background on the theory of soft law, its terms of applicability, and the standards by which to judge its success. Second, we analyse the content and context of the White Paper according to soft law principles. We find that the conditions under which the White Paper was adopted were exactly those suited to a soft law approach and highly determined by the European multi-level governance context. As such, the White Paper has managed to achieve several of the common objectives of soft law in particular in setting up processes allowing information-sharing and subsidiarity. However it has failed to achieve several others especially in fostering the commitment of the states, and in moving the European Union in the direction of binding regulation. Further strategy development will be required to fix these deficiencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2004 ten Eastern and Southern European countries will join the EU. Agriculture and agricultural policy is an important issue in this EU enlargement process, for several reasons. This paper assesses the implications of the enlargement process for agriculture and agricultural policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1993, an environmental risk assessment (ERA) for a new drug application has been stipulated by EU Directive 93/39/EEC amending Directive 65/65/EEC. In early 2001, after several unpublished draft versions for an ERA guideline, a draft guideline/discussion paper for an ERA for non-GMO-containing drugs was published by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA). The draft guideline describes a step-wise, tiered procedure for the ERA. The first tier consists of deriving a crude predicted environmental concentration (PEC) in the aquatic compartment for the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) or its major metabolites, based on predicted amounts used and specific removal rates in sewage treatment or surface waters. If this crude PEC is <0.01 μg/l and no environmental concerns are apparent, no further assessment is deemed necessary. Else, in the second tier, a crude predicted no-effect level (PNEC) for the aquatic compartment is to be extrapolated by dividing the lowest 50%-effect concentration from acute ecotoxicity tests with algae, daphnia or fish (EC50, LC50) by an assessment factor (usually 1000). If the ratio PEC/PNEC is <1, no further assessment is deemed necessary. Lastly, in the third tier, further considerations on a case-by-case basis are needed. This may encompass refining the environmental fate information and thereby the PEC, considering further environmental compartments and their respective PECs (up to and including field studies), but also refining the PNEC. While the ERA addresses mainly the API, excipients of the formulated drug should be considered as well. In the case of medicinal products, the benefit for patients has relative precedence over environmental risks, meaning that even in the case of an unacceptable residual risk for new drugs after third-tier considerations, prohibition of a new API is not taken into consideration. Instead, possible mitigating or precautionary safety measures may consist of specific product labelling (i.e. package leaflets for the patients regarding returning and proper disposal of unused medicines), restricted use through in-hospital or in-surgery administration under supervision only, or the recommendation of environmental analytical monitoring up to ecological field studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Assesses the European Union's (EU) Green Paper on its relations with the 71 Lome Convention countries after the millennium. Comparison of the proposals in the Green Paper and the Lome system; Views on the European Commission's thinking about EU-African, Caribbean and Pacific relations; Changes in the political environment; Importance of a gradualist or incremental approach in trying to create a relationship.

Evaluates the paper made by Polish author Michal Dobroczynski regarding Poland's plan to join the European Union (EU). Advantages of Poland being a member of the EU; Costs of the European integration to both the EU and Poland; Analysis of the historical causes and factors which have created an economic, political, social and cultural development gap between West and East Europe.

The article reports on the adoption of a green paper on mental health in the European Union. The initiative was undertaken to eliminate divisions in the provision of mental health services in different member states. Proponents hoped to raise the profile of mental health services that is often a neglected area.

In this paper, we introduce the special issue on Financial and Institutional Reforms for an Entrepreneurial Society in Europe. There are many reasons for Europe to want to make the transition to a more Entrepreneurial Society. And for decades now, policy makers are trying to bring that transition about with variations on the Beducate, deregulate and finance^ approach to entrepreneurship. We argue that more fundamental reforms are required to improve the entrepreneurial ecosystem and bring about this transition. We then discuss the 12 contributions that pertain to five different facets of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The first two papers address the most fundamental institutional foundations of the ecosystem. The next three papers discuss the (lack of) access to knowledge and incentives to start innovative entrepreneurial ventures. That is followed by three papers that focus on the institutions that (fail to) channel financial resources to such ventures and two papers that analyze the relevance of labor market institutions. The special issue concludes with two papers investigating how the interplay of institutions and productive entrepreneurship results in economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the specifics of the current development of the world economy and discusses implications for new member states of the European Union, the EU NMS, with a small case study on the Czech Republic. The paper is divided into four parts: the trends, the EU NMS and the effects of the trends in the EU NMS and in the Czech Republic. The paper is based on a general economic analysis of data provided by the World Bank (WB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Eurostat, the European Central Bank (ECB) and by the Czech Statistical Office (CZSO). Being familiar with recent macroeconomic trends is nowadays important for Central and Eastern European managers in order to efficiently adapt their strategies to the constantly changing business environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there have been numerous academic and policy debates on the delivery mechanisms of European Union (EU) funds in member states. Studies focused on issues arising, for instance, during the management and implementation of EU aid at the local level but devoted less attention to the economic and institutional impact of EU funds. To what extent do EU funds act as drivers of socio-economic development and institutional change? Theoretically, this paper contributes to debates about economic convergence and the institutional spillover effects generated by EU aid across national and local settings. Empirically, the paper evaluates the impact of EU aid in Bulgaria and Romania after a decade of EU membership. Firstly, the paper examines a mix of quantitative indicators and secondary sources on the socio-economic impact of EU funds in the two countries. Secondly, using original qualitative evidence, the paper assesses the spillover effects of EU aid on domestic institutions and stakeholders, policies and practices. Finally, the paper provides an analysis of the unintended domestic consequences triggered by EU funds. It contributes to growing debates on the impact of European aid and suggests potential avenues for policy development and for further academic research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the beginning of this year, the White Paper An Agenda for Adequate, Safe, and Sustainable Pensions1 (hereinafter: White Paper) was published. This happened about one and a half years after the Green Paper Towards Adequate, Sustainable, and Safe European Pension Systems2(hereinafter: Green Paper) was published. The reactions to both documents vary from 'a very important document' to 'a missed chance' and 'a lot of emotion and little substance'. We regard both these documents as important and guiding for the pension systems in the European Union (hereinafter: EU). They demonstrate the role that Brussels envisages for itself and it offers considerable support for Member States to carry out reforms. The White Paper offers a rough sketch, so to speak, for the pension systems of the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bosnian War witnessed horrifying humanitarian crimes, particularly systematic rapes perpetrated by Serbs against Bosnian women. More than 35,000 women and children were subjected to such atrocities in Serb-run "rape/death camps". Additionally, the fall of Srebrenica resulted in the loss of thousands of civilian lives. International intervention to halt the Bosnian War faced challenges and complexities. Various countries involved in the matter held differing interpretations of the conflict, leading to diverse views on potential solutions. The lack of consensus and political will hindered the effectiveness of the European Union's intervention efforts. This paper critically examines the international intervention in the Bosnian War, focusing on the approaches of key EU countries: France, Germany, and the UK. These countries' divergent policies and objectives impacted the EU's ability to adopt a coherent stance towards the conflict. The study employs Nuttall and Duke's theoretical approach to consistency in decision-making within the EU to explain why a consistent approach was not achieved during the intervention. By analysing the complexities of the EU's intervention in the Bosnian War, this study seeks to answer the question of what went wrong and provides insights into the challenges of decision-making and consensus-building within the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the age of globalisation, implementation and commercialisation of new technologies are perceived as key elements determining competitiveness of particular countries, therefore, the growth of innovativeness is seen as the predominant direction of European Union society’s transformation into information society. The aim of the paper is to propose a procedure of measurement of innovativeness growth over time, with the Summary Innovation Index (SII) methodology as a starting point. The considered issue can be expressed by the following main question: how to measure the innovation performance dynamics for a selected group of countries (such as the EU- 28, EU-15 or EU-13 countries) and for time intervals (not only for two moments of observations). This is an important inquiry since well-known innovativeness indices (SII, GII, or IOI) concentrate mainly on the provision of information about countries’ innovation performance for a specific year of observations. Due to this fact, changes occurring over longer time periods are rather neglected. The main result of the paper is a proposition of average innovativeness growth index. The index uses weights describing the employment share of a selected group of specialists (e.g.: scientists and engineers, research and development personnel) in relation to the economically active population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Capital Markets Union (CMU) is one of the flagship policy initiatives of the Juncker Commission. The Commission's strategy for realizing a CMU is set out in its White Paper on building a CMU. Besides describing the Commission's vision of a CMU, the white paper includes an action plan which details the measures that are needed to build a CMU. The aim of this article is to consider the Commission's measures in one particular area of the action plan. Specifically, this article examines the Commission's strategy for overcoming information barriers to SME investment. By acting in this area, the Commission's objective is to facilitate access to finance, but also to diversify sources of funding for SMEs, which are traditionally heavily dependent on bank-based finance. This article evaluates the Commission's strategy and its prospects of success. After assessing the relevant policy measures, it will argue for a paradigm shift which is based on three pillars: a greater emphasis on market building measures; a greater emphasis on information sharing duties as one mechanism that can help to address information barriers; and a market correcting strategy to dovetail greater market building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses how both the White Paper and the Rome Declaration speak of the European Union's (EU) efforts to maintain unity among it's member nations. The author suggests that the EU should not emphasize too much on unity, instead it should focus on overcoming the different interests of the parties. However, for this process to work the EU should take lessons from other unions like the U.S. and use anchors like executive effectiveness and its legitimacy as well as symbolism.

By providing financial resources, conditional to the implementation of the (social) recommendations in the Semester and the principles of the European Pillar of Social Rights, the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) has opened new political and institutional opportunity windows for the multi‐level co‐production of social policies. The article first dives into how the RRF has been translated into national social policies choices, by assessing the alignment of reforms and investments with the Semester social recommendations and their capacity to address the social vulnerabilities identified in the Pillar's Social Scoreboard. Second, it sheds light on the interaction between the European Commission, in charge of assessing and monitoring the RRF, and the national governments, the key actors in setting‐up and implementing the plans. Comparing six case studies (Italy, Germany, Spain, Croatia, Belgium and Austria), the article shows that the RRF has only partially contributed to reinforcing member states' compliance with social Country Specific Recommendations and the role of the Social Pillar in the drafting of National Recovery and Resilience Plans has been very limited. This notwithstanding, the RRF has contributed to fasten‐forward the implementation of welfare reforms and initiatives which would have been remained on the paper, especially for whose countries with limited fiscal capacity. Furthermore, it provides empirical evidence of the collaborative approach between the Commission and the national government, substantiating the claim of the emergence of a new mode of coordinative Europeanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to determine the pace and directions of changes (understood as: improvement or deterioration) occurring in selected areas of sustainable development of EU Member States. The paper analyzes dynamics of changes in selected areas of sustainable development monitored on the basis of headline indicators published by Eurostat from 2008 to 2015. In the paper, three variants of reference points of synthetic measure of development were considered. On the basis of the obtained results, the countries in which the improvement in the sustainable development and its deterioration can be observed were identified. The results have confirmed the existence of significant developmental disparities between EU Member States in this field, but it should be noted that the obtained results depend on the methodological approach both to the selection of features and the adoption of a specific standardization formula, as well as the considered variants of reference points. The results obtained can be utilized in subsequent years to examine the directions of change observed both from the point of view of European Union as one organization, and the individual EU Member States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main focus of this paper is the study of common principles of flexicurity in the EU and the interrelationships in the Danish flexicurity system. The paper generates insights about the complexity of the interrelationship between flexibility and security, and the role of flexicurity labor market institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Javnost-The Public is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The European Union (EU) is an entity in re-evolution in relation to the development of its human rights strategy. This paper will examine the EU's human rights advocacy in external relations in the context of normative power Europe (NPE), particularly in relation to the notion of the EU becoming a 'norm entrepreneur' with its revised human rights 'toolbox'. The promotion and protection of human rights is cited as being at the core of European values, together with democracy and the rule of law, having both an internal and external focus in rights promotion and protection. This paper endeavours to present an analysis of the EU as norm entrepreneur in the context of human rights advocate. In so doing, it will examine the question of EU visibility in terms of human rights promotion. In its external action, the EU has a number of 'tools' in its human rights toolbox. By applying a rights inclusion analysis to the tool of digital diplomacy in an Asian context, the question of EU as norm entrepreneur is seen to be driven by strategic interests and partnerships. This paper argues that the EU is an 'inadvertent' norm entrepreneur through its programmatic pursuit of being an entrepreneur for social good in its external action rather than norm diffusion as experienced in a European context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The European Union (EU) and its European neighbourhood are mutually dependent. In the next decades, the EU will need to import foreign labour in response to different challenges. The geographical proximity, economic, cultural and historical links with EU Neighbouring countries make them an important potential source of labour force and, moreover, they are the main countries of origin and transit of legal and illegal migration towards Europe. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of different EU policies on future migration flows, and to evaluate the current effect of immigration from neighbouring countries on EU labour markets. Design/methodology/approach – The papers in this Special Issue combine different macro and micro approaches, and have been produced in the context of the seventhth Framework Programme EU-funded SEARCH project. The main objective of this project is to strengthen the integration process by analysing current and future trends in several areas covering trade, migration or institutional reforms among others. The first three papers focus on the analysis of the determinants of migration flows, the next four are related to immigrants’ integration and the last one explores the trade-migration link. Findings – The evidence gathered in this Special Issue is of interest to academics and policy makers. For instance, at the aggregate level there is a need to coordinate EU migration policies with reforms in other areas such as labour market institutions or welfare systems, but also to take into account developments in immigrants’ countries of origin. Policy should focus on assessing the skills levels of immigrants and providing assistance in transferring their skills, but also on providing better information of the current needs in the EU labour markets. Originality/value – The Special Issue adds to the literature on the determinants of migration and on the integration of immigrants into EU labour markets. These papers contribute to a better understanding of the complex link between the EU and the Neighbouring countries. They also leave open many questions that should clearly stimulate future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the efficiency of Active Labour Market Policies (ALMPs) in the European Union (EU). The paper first reviews the main trends governing the evolution of the European Social Fund (ESF) since its creation. The ESF promotes public expenditure in ALMPs in order to foster social cohesion across the EU. In order to test to what extent this strategy can be backed up by facts, we estimate the impact of public expenditure on ALMPs on the employment rate using panel data from 28 European countries (1985–2011), taking into account the endogeneity of the explanatory variables and the dynamic behaviour of their relationship. Results support the hypothesis that expenditure in ALMPs is more beneficial for employment than aggregate public expenditure. In addition, we show that periphery countries observe a larger efficiency of their ALMPs. These results support the recent policy strategy undertaken by the European Commission to raise the budget devoted to ESF in Member States experiencing higher unemployment rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has undergone notable changes by starting collaboration with the European Union (EU). Hence, this paper seeks to estimate the effects of IMF programmes on employment, with data from the EU-28 between 1993 and 2013. In order to control for selection on observable and unobservable variables, the study employs Propensity Score Matching in combination with the Differences-in-Difference estimator. Next, the robustness of the findings is checked by applying four different matching algorithms. Our paper concludes that employment decreases once a country resorts to the IMF, and this impact is still measurable after two years of programme initiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to suggest a reflection on the European model of industrial relations, which is understood as the (possible-and it is still in its consolidation phase-) configuration of a supranational dimension of industrial relations. Starting by introducing the fundamental elements of the legal, political, economic and social integration that characterize the European project, this paper continues reflecting on the dimensional complexity that exists at the moment that the European Union's social law is analysed as a space for the recognition and development of fundamental social rights, especially of those of a collective nature. The rights to freedom of association, collective autonomy, strike and collective bargaining find a particular development in the peculiar community dimension that is worth being analysed. In the absence of a constitutional framework similar to those existing in the national legal systems of member States, the recognition and development of these fundamental rights acquire particularly interesting specific characteristics which make it possible to imagine a European model of industrial relations, even though its most critical and problematic aspects. This model, which is in constant evolution and dialectic (and sometimes confrontation) with the different national models of industrial relations, achieves a very encouraging expressive level in the development of different kinds of autonomous and free collective bargaining, which constitute -particularly in a transnational dimension- the ultimate boundary of the collective autonomy that is regulated in regional terms. Therefore, this paper seeks to open a window to the European Union and thus contribute to a global discussion on the internationalization of industrial relations and the structure of fundamental social rights in supranational terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The death and disease burden of non‐communicable diseases falls disproportionately on members of lower socioeconomic groups. This paper explores NCD prevention measures introduced through EU consumer law in order to assess the impact these have had on health inequalities. It demonstrates that these interventions often have limited impact, and therefore maintain inequalities. Indeed, when interventions do work, they tend to be more effective with advantaged citizens than disadvantaged citizens, and therefore increase inequalities. From a behavioural research perspective, this paper demonstrates why these interventions – which focus on regulating the consumer information environment – have failed to reduce health inequalities, and analyses the debate on the extent to which behavioural research should act as a core consideration in public health related consumer policy. The paper concludes that, while regulating consumer information is a useful tool for NCD prevention, if information‐based interventions are to reduce health inequalities the EU will need to incorporate greater insights from the way consumers actually behave. Moreover, there are limitations to policies which regulate information, and therefore the EU should make more use of other tools in its regulatory toolbox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a historical-institutionalist framework, this paper discusses the emergence and evolution of transnational cooperation initiatives in post-war Europe. A number of critical junctures can be identified at which different goals and approaches were introduced. Due to the path-dependent nature of institutional arrangements, this has resulted in increasingly fuzzy rationales and contradictory objectives for transnational regions in Europe today. The paper concludes with a reflection on the value of historical institutionalism to identify the malleability of such complex policy concepts and the key challenges that transnational regions are facing due to unresolved tensions in their policy design and evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy efficiency policy is expected to play a key role for meeting the European Union's energy targets (particularly for reduced energy demand and reduced CO2emissions) using a range of policy instrument combinations. However, most analyses undertaken so far have focused on single-policy measures rather than developing a more generic framework for assessing to what extent a particular policy mix is effective and under which specific conditions. This paper both contributes to the theoretical literature on policy mixes and undertakes an empirical analysis of the current policy mixes in buildings efficiency policy in 14 European Union countries. Building on the existing literature, and using expert knowledge, an assessment of the interaction of 55 pairs of policies is presented. This identifies policy mixes likely to deliver more, less or the same energy savings in combination than singly. The theoretical assessment is compared with actual policy mixes present within the European Union, highlighting that combinations of multiple financial incentives may need further investigation. By bringing these forms of knowledge together, the paper suggests how buildings policy mixes could be made more effective, shows gaps in current knowledge and highlights key research needs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Journal of International Relations / Medzinarodne Vztahy is the property of University of Economics in Bratislava, Faculty of International Relations and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper addresses the issue of excessive price abuse under Article 102(a) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), by drawing inspiration from a recent stream of cases (developed first at the national and then at the EU level) involving pharmaceutical companies marketing off-patent drugs. In particular, the two 'most advanced' cases are analysed: Aspen in Italy and Pfizer/Flynn in the United Kingdom. This new-found attention towards exploitative practices in the form of excessive and unfair pricing by dominant undertakings that have traditionally been subject to a cautious antitrust scrutiny seems worth exploring for a number of reasons, as illustrated in the paper. Ultimately, it is argued that this further 'interference' of competition law into the realms of regulation may be actually justified, albeit subject to precise conditions for enforcement, and may pursue policy objectives in the wider context of EU health law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International demand for military crisis-management missions continues to grow and demand for troops continues to outstrip supply. Like other Western democracies, European Union member states, because of their wealth, relative military competence and commitment to human rights, bear a particular responsibility to expand the international community's capacity for action. But while the EU has succeeded in defining a complex military-technical and political-strategic framework to boost its role and that of its member states in crisis management, its performance so far has fallen well short of its ambitions. This paper analyses what the EU wants to be able to do militarily - its level of ambition - and contrasts this aspiration with the current reality. To explain the gap between the two, the paper examines national ambitions and performance across the EU and analyses their domestic determinants using the examples of Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom. The paper concludes by suggesting that the EU might need to strike a new balance between the inclusiveness and the effectiveness of its activities in this area if it wants to increase its military crisis-management performance and live up to its declared ambitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the special issue “Effects of the euro changeover on consumer behaviour” by briefly reviewing the contents of the included papers. The introduction follows the organization of the papers in three sections each focusing on a common set of issues. In the first section, research revealing the perceived and actual problems consumers face after the euro changeover is described. Research illuminating learning and adaptation to the euro changeover is the focus of the second section. A special problem is the misperception of inflation after the euro changeover. Research on this problem is addressed in the third section. In a final section, the main findings and their policy implications are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper analyses one of the most important and discussed economic topics, namely foreign direct investments, from the point of view of their possible theoretical contingency with the gross domestic product per capita, which up to a certain extent stand for the welfare of a nation. Out of the 28 belonging to the European Union, six countries, the lowest ranked in respect to this indicator, namely: Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Latvia, Hungary and Poland, are analysed from the perspective of net FDI inflows and FDI inflow share in GDP. The results are construed in comparison with one another. The paper reveals that there is indeed a connection between the level of GDP per capita, the level of net FDI inflows and the living standard of the population, although sometimes such results are not strongly confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Econometrics / Ekonometria is the property of Sciendo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: Onward migration is a rising issue in migration studies as a consequence of the growing complexity in migration patterns worldwide. This paper analyses historic and economic reasons behind the recent surge of onward migration from Southern European countries and, more specifically, Italy. Using 2014 ORIM data about short‐term onward migration intentions and a logistic regression model, the paper explores factors that select aspirant onward migrants from Italy. The model tests the effects of socio‐demographic and economic factors. The results of the study question the idea of citizenship as the highest level of integration in the host country and suggest that the recent wave of onward migration from Italy is mainly a reactive phenomenon triggered by the economic crisis. Most of all, this study explicitly underlines the role of gender in shaping intentions of short‐term onward migration in Italy. The gender‐sensible approach adopted in the present study shows the important role of women in the decision‐making process of couples: female unemployment significantly increases intentions of onward migration, and the migration is also considered as an opportunity for the spouse and a gain in the economic prospects of the entire family. Conversely, female employment has a significant role in preventing onward migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the 'making' of Capital Markets Union (CMU) through the theoretical lens of 'actor-centred constructivism', by considering the 'policy narratives' that bureaucratic actors have employed strategically to promote the project. It is argued that two main narratives were articulated by the European Commission in order to mobilize the political support necessary to push forward CMU and reduce potential opposition to it. The first narrative was to boost the size and internal and external competitiveness of European Union capital markets. The second narrative was the increased funding to the real economy, especially to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and infrastructural projects. The Commission used these narratives instrumentally in 'framing' CMU as a positive-sum game, rather than a zero-sum game with potential winners and losers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studies the role of path-dependence in the resilience of EU regions. Particularly, employing a nonparametric analysis, the paper demonstrates that historical adjustments of EU regions materialized by productivity improvements, primarily in the manufacturing sector and incidentally in the sectors of construction, financial and non-market services, during the period 1995--2008 secured high(er) levels of regional resilience during the economic crisis period 2008--2013. Such a finding provides implications not only for theory but also for policy. Policies aiming at boosting regional productivity and competitiveness, which through a positive regional performance of high growth rates is concealed, a well-structured and robust production restructuring, might affect regional resilience in a way that shields regional economies not only from current imbalances but also from any future downturns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ways in which climate adaptation is understood in the European Union is examined via three key policy documents: the Strategy on adaptation and the Green and White Papers that preceded it. Drawing on Poststructuralist Discourse Theory, light is shed on the implicit values and assumptions that underpin this recent policy initiative. The findings demonstrate a tension between the declared ambition to act on adaptation and implicit suggestions that nothing really has to change, and the challenge can be addressed by market and technological innovations, and by mainstreaming adaptation into existing sectoral policies. The policy discourse effectively serves to depoliticize choices societies make in response to climate change, presenting adaptation as a non-political issue. Insight into European adaptation discourse enables deeper understanding of recent policy developments and opens up possible entry points for critique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes a closer look at those parts of the European Commission’s Capital Market Union (CMU) that bear upon the attempt to set up a new market for securitizations, called ‘simple, transparent and standardized securitizations’, in brief STS-securitization. The ‘puzzle’ at its heart is the discrepancy between narratives and content. While the narrative is about the construction of a US-style market-based financial system to overcome the problems of Europe’s bank-based system and help medium-sized enterprises, the first legal initiative aims to create a European market for securitizations, which are a source of funding for large (mortgage) banks and as such are squarely at odds with the headline goals of the Capital Market Union. The paper discusses in detail key passages from the proposal to tease out the discrepancy between story and fact and ventures an explanation based on the identification of the interest coalitions behind the package. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe through innovation system foresight and systemic innovation approach to address key systemic issues of European Union (EU) Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) concerning the sustainable development and economic resilience: the authors highlight the need for a systemic approach to innovation policy for the sustainable islands’ growth.Design/methodology/approach This research focuses on a multiple case study of selected OCTs, members of the Association of the OCTs. Specifically, this paper illustrates the foresight approach implemented in six OCTs in the context of the Territorial Strategies for Innovation project funded by the 10th European Development Fund.Findings The focus is on innovation system foresight and systemic innovation: the authors argue that key innovation elements of the individual OCTs can be used as crucial components of an emerging innovation system while this specific type of foresight can assist the governments of respective OCTs in the selection and design of specific instruments in relation to the formulation of their innovation strategies and policies.Originality/value This paper is based on work undertaken by the Territorial Strategies for Innovation project team during a three-year period dedicated to supporting the governments of OCTs both in defining and in implementing their innovation strategies. Its main contribution is to develop the concept of innovation system foresight and systemic innovation for the OCTs. The work presented here is considered to be of value by highlighting specific innovation elements for achieving sustainable and inclusive growth in OCTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]