In 2004 the European Union makes a decisive step towards the new Eastern frontier which opens up a new phase destined to radically change the political and economic geography of the European Union. However, great difficulties and risks lie in wake. The failure of the intergovernmental conference leaving problems of institutional reorganisation unsolved has been an alarming signal. Furthermore, 2003 brought to the fore political divisions which spit the old and new Union making the enlargement scenario highly volatile. With the aperture of the new Eastern frontier the scenario becomes more complex not helped by the failure to give Europe a more effective and credible institutional setting. But, without a constitution adopted by those who want to participate in the construction of a Europe which merits this name, the new Eastern frontier risks opening up the way to a bigger but more unruly area in which more or less provisional and contrasting alliances will be permitted. only subscribers can see the full article

The article analyses the evolution that the process of EU constitutional reform has achieved over this past year. It looks into the innovations introduced in the Constitutional Treaty approved in July 2003 at the European Convention and the proposals of the government and the Italian representatives. The paper then goes over the debate at the intergovernmental conference and the role played by the Italian EU Presidency (July-December 2003). It also highlights the critical aspects which led to the breakdown in negotiations at the Intergovernmental Conference and the underlying political motivations. Lastly, it indicates a few steps which need to be taken to restart negotiations, given that the European Parliamentary elections are to be held in June 2004.only subscribers can see the full article

This paper examines what differences will emerge in the European asset from the entry of 8 new member states from Eastern Europe. It also attempts to identify and assess the implications of the growing differentiation between states on the European integration process. The map of unity and diversity in the enlarged EU is extremely complex which doesn’t correspond simply to the old East-West divide. Furthermore, it is easy to find flaws in the various theories on the significance of diversity in the process of European integration. Not all types of inequality are necessarily damaging on the way (strife?) towards complete harmonisation, given that various types of multiplicity already exists in the 15-member union. Diversity can have positive or negative connotations according to context and objectives: a more diversified union can resemble a neo-medieval empire rather than a neo-Westphalian state but this doesn't necessarily mean the demise of European integration.only subscribers can see the full article

This paper - which was given as the «Lecture 2003» of the Associazione Manlio Rossi Doria - investigates, first of all, the crisis of the «fordist system of welfare» and of its three main social institutions: the nuclear family; the big industrial firm; and the «Social Security Welfare State». These institutions granted economic security to workers and retired people, but they restrained their chances of self-fulfilment in the professional field. Today radical changes are occurring in the labour market and the family. The «map» of social risks also has undergone wide changes. Economic insecurity and job precariousness are growing, but - at the same time - new chances are opened for social and professional mobility. The second part of the paper analyses recent social and employment policies, adopted in some European countries, which allow to outline the contours of a new welfare system, more suitable to reconcile social security and self-fulfilment of the individual.only subscribers can see the full article

The paper analyses the main aspects of Law No. 189/2002 - known as the «Bossi-Fini Law» 0150 with reference to innovations in immigration due to labour migration. A comparative analysis of the main European countries is conducted and special attention is given to the Eu policies that are developing, based on new attributions to the Eu from the Amsterdam Treaty. The interpretation key adopted highlights a methodological defect of the recent italian reform of immigration for labour migration. In particular, the italian reform exceeds in its political significance and is poor in legislative substance. As a result its interpretation and application are prone to distortion, furthermore, emphasis is placed on the less innovative and/or more regressive positions of the community policy under definition.only subscribers can see the full article

Spurred by the ongoing discussion on the principles of a EU Constitutional Treaty, the two US authors explore the development processes of norms currently in force in the Union, highlighting the elements of democracy. Defined as «concerted polyarchy», they interpret European decision-making procedures as a process in which the solution to problems is founded on the permanent imbalance between motivations and interests and on the organised and collective exploration of the resulting differences. The decision taken is «polyarchic» as the analysis and approval depend on mutual control by the decentralised operators, facilitated by the existence of a central structure. In this sense, although an intrinsically democratic concerted polyarchy doesn’t exist, it stimulates the exploration of diversity to expose the decision-makers to full appraisal, transforming the obstacle of diversity into an instrument to accelerate and broaden the search for solutions.only subscribers can see the full article

2003 was a difficult year which started off with divisions on Iraq and concluded with the flop of the intergovernmental Conference in Brussels. But the annus horribilis was perhaps less horrible than at first thought. Important steps to clarify the problem of political identity and internal leadership of the EU have been accomplished. Progress has been made on security and defence but also on foreign policy. The lines of the debate on the enlarged Europe appear to be clearer today and it is not ruled out that such an agreement may be gradually pieced together in 2004 even if it is evident that Europe will not have the same characteristics as a real political Union. Future developments will see an increase in the internal flexibility of the Union through reinforced cooperation and «structured» co-operation on Defence if the Constitutional Treaty is approved or through informal co-operation tools if it isn’t. Differentiated integration will be the key to the future. However to prevent «disintegration», it is essential for reinforced co-operation to remain open and be managed according to an inclusive perspective. only subscribers can see the full article

The paper presents a series of useful perspectives to comprehend if and how the harmonisation process of social and occupation policies at the EU level has been developed and which key concepts are necessary to interpret its progress. The analysis thus proposes some considerations/definitions of the term «harmonisation», focusing on two main aspects: firstly the process of harmonisation in relation to the creation/stabilisation of the so-called «social European model'; secondly the harmonisation process in relation to the EU enlargement process to find out how the future new EU states have been helped/supported to harmonise their own policies on social and occupational matters and in which direction such a process of harmonisation has been targeted, towards which values and development models and with which results/prospects.only subscribers can see the full article