European Union Intergovernmental Conferences

The radical changes taking place in the international scene during the late 1980s have presented the European Communities with important new challenges. The twelve Member States agreed that the only way to respond effectively to this new situation was to speed up the European integration process, and in December 1990 two Intergovernmental Conferences were inaugurated, focusing respectively on the development of an Economic and Monetary Union and a Political Union. It was the difficult task of the Luxembourg and Dutch Presidencies to channel the often very diverging positions of the different actors in the process into one coherent set of amendments to the Treaties forming the European Communities. This publication examines the positions which the different Member States, the Commission and the European Parliament have been defending in the Intergovernmental Conference on Political Union and more particularly with regard to one of the most sensitive topics under discussion, namely the development of a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). The introduction places the debate on the development of a Political Union and a CFSP in an historical perspective and gives an overview of the progression of the negotiations. The concluding chapter presents a general framework for better understanding of the course and results of the negotiations, and a critical evaluation of the outcome. The annexes reproduce the main proposals on the development of a CFSP submitted to the Conference.

Provides an empirical investigation of foreign policy decision-making in the EU-15. The authors examine collective decision-making within national governments and in intergovernmental negotiations.

In 2004, the European Union's Intergovernmental Conference finalized the historic process of enlarging the EU from fifteen to twenty-five members. This book is the most detailed and up-to-date account of the state of the European Union's biggest enlargement so far, and also considers its future prospects in several key areas. It explains why the ten applicant countries wanted to join the EU and how they succeeded after lengthy negotiations. Each chapter is a cutting-edge overview by a leading figure in the field and subjects covered include: * the enlargement-integration debate * the politics of the EU's new member states * the role of the European Convention * the political economy of an enlarged Europe * the challenges of developing common European foreign and security policy * the EU's relations with its neighbours * EU-American relations.

Europe must change to face the critical challenges ahead. This most distinguished and experienced group of key European opinion-formers offer a sharp critique of existing institutions and a ten-point plan for a fulfilment of the pro-European vision. An institutional structure initially conceived for a community of six must be radically transformed to serve a potential union of some thirty members. The transition to economic and monetary union, the legitimacy crisis of European institutions are among the crucial issues discussed. Jacques Delors assesses the reform proposals in his foreword.

Richardson introduces the policy-making processes at work in the EU. This edition has been significantly improved to make it even more accessible for second and third year undergraduates. A website will also support this edition, featuring some of the more technical material such as statistics.

This book seeks to explain decisions in the European Union using a revised neofunctionalist framework.

Introduced with a preface by Jacques Delors, this volume offers new insights and develops generalised theories about the nature of European integration. The contributors step back from the detail of the latest intergovernmental conference and budgetary negotiations to generate conclusions of enduring value. The issues dealt with include the following: * Britain and integration * intergovernmental conferences * the rule of law * making foreign policy work * the democratic deficit.