Search results for ""author péter balázs""

A European Union with 36 members is a pure working hypothesis today. Extending future territorial contours is in full harmony with one of the main political objectives of the organization as the European Communities offered the possibility of membership to all European states, from the first day of its existence.

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In the early 2000s, the European Union (EU) set out to transform itself into a leading player in world politics. Drawing strength from the Union's sui generis nature as a unique economic and political project, its leaders sought to make the EU a de facto global actor. However, in the past few years, the changing international order, the decrease in European competitiveness and economic output, as well as a number of internal institutional compromises have begun to challenge the EU's ability to perform its role as a global player, indeed even its role of regional stabilizer. The ongoin military conflict in Ukraine, the US's continuing pivot to Asia, and the repercussions of the global financial crisis in the Eurozone all hamper the Union's ability to act, but also undermine its magnetism> partner countries now without a clear path to accession appear to be much more opportunistic when it comes to their European relations, than the enthusiastic post-communist countries who became members in 2004. The present book offers a survey of both the challenges that the EU as a global actor has been facing since the 2008 financial crisis, and the policy responses it gives (or should give) to these problems. It assesses key areas of European policy such as internal institutional reform, foreign policy, security policy, trade, energy security and migration. The contributors believe that this selection offers a non-exhaustive list of policy areas that the EU can use to shape both itself and its environment in a way that is favorable for a stable and prosperous "wider Europe."

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The European Union has succeeded to considerably expand its influence during the past twenty years. The three rounds of enlargement and the strengthening of the EU's economic and political presence in its neighborhood are among the most remarkable successes of its post-Cold War history. The Union is one of the key facilitators of stability in the Western Balkans; it represents an institutional and normative anchor for countries in Eastern Europe and acts as a partner for a thriving economic partnership with most of the Mediterranean states. During the past few years, however, the changing international order, the deterioration of European competitiveness and the need for internal compromises have begun to challenge the belief in the Union's future capabilities to actively mold its environment, bringing the problem of the capabilities-expectations gap once again to the fore. The essays in this book analyze the interaction between two processes: the evolving influence of the European Union in the wider European space, and its adaptation to the changing global environment.

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This book was originally published by Claeys and Casteels, now formally part of Edward Elgar Publishing. Recent developments both in Turkey and its immediate neighbourhood have brought into sharp focus Turkey’s pivotal role in a region that has become increasingly challenging to the EU. These developments, for example, have prompted Ankara to declare more of an independent course of action both domestically and regionally and hasten into a détente with Russia. As a result, considerations of Turkey’s European future have been eclipsed by concerns about Ankara’s preference to aspire to being an independent regional power. Along with those about Turkey’s orientation, time-honored existential questions are being raised again: Is Turkey a border, a buffer, or a bridge between the EU and the Middle East? This book moves beyond the ‘identity’ debate between Turkey and the EU, and offers a guide at this critical time for drawing lessons from a rigorous examination of divergence and convergence between the EU and Turkey in three significant policy areas. The result of a focused research project conducted by a team of international policy experts from the Central European University (Budapest) and Sabanci University (Istanbul), the studies included in this volume suggest alternative scenarios regarding how Turkey and the EU might jointly develop effective energy, transport, and competition policies, regardless of Turkey’s EU candidacy status. These studies show how geo-strategic realities ultimately require Turkey to cooperate with the EU on a number of policy issues, despite Ankara’s rhetoric to the contrary. Turkey’s role as an energy supplier to the EU has never been dropped from Ankara’s policy agenda. More recently, the Turkish government has been announcing how its investments in the third bridge across the Bosporus would help to release untapped potential of land-based trade between Europe and Asia. Regardless of the current divergence of political visions, Turkey’s policy aims, at least in the three policy areas examined, foresee coordination, if not cooperation, with the EU.

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