Търсене

Common foreign and security policy (CFSP) has a particular status in the EU legal framework, part of which is the unanimity rule within the Council. This report analyses decision-making rules in CFSP from a 'cost of non-Europe' perspective. It identifies CFSP challenges and the extent to which they could be attributed to unanimity. This allows us to identify the current 'cost of unanimity'. The report also analyses possible alternatives to unanimity decision-making in CFSP, such as a switch to qualified ...

This study has been commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the AFCO Committee. It analyses the possibilities and challenges regarding unanimity and qualified majority voting as well as the use of passerelle clauses in EU decision-making, with a special focus on the use of qualified majority voting in the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy.

Value added tax (VAT) fraud has an extensive impact on the European Union (EU) budget. As missing trader intra-community (MTIC) fraud is the biggest kind of VAT fraud it would be beneficial to fight this kind of fraud to a larger extent.

In her first State of the Union speech, and in the section of the speech most applauded by the European Parliament, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for the use of qualified majority voting (QMV) in areas such as sanctions and human rights. The crises and security challenges accumulating in and around the European Union have added to the urgency of having a more effective and rapid decision-making process in areas pertaining to the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP ...

Passerelle clauses are a mechanism for introducing Treaty change of a very specific nature. They modify the decision-making rules that affect acts of the Council, by allowing a shift from unanimity to qualified majority voting or from a special legislative procedure to the ordinary legislative procedure. This study explores the differences between passerelle clauses and other flexibility measures (enhanced cooperation, the flexibility clause, and accelerator or brake clauses) and explores the main ...

This briefing note provides an overview of available resources offering case studies of innovative projects and initiatives as well as examples of good practice aiming to improve the quality of language teaching and learning within EU Member States. A summary of results delivered by recent studies and surveys on comparability of national language assessment regimes is offered as well. In conclusion, recommendations are formulated on which of the European Strategy's on Multilingualism objectives need ...