The negative external effects of profit orientated businesses on the environment and society are most visible and destructive in developing countries, where compensation measures for adversely affected groups rarely exist and where high corruption rates often impede meaningful enforcement of...

The war in Afghanistan is undoubtedly a key moment in the emergence of an armed rebellion in the Muslim world. The impact of this conflict quickly exceeded the borders of Afghanistan to extend Pakistan. Since then, the Iraq war, the civil war that engulfed Syria and the armed conflict in the...

In 2007 the EU member states inaugurated a European Defence Technological and Industrial Base strategy. The gradual integration of national DTIB should lead to selfsufficiency for security of supply – but on a European rather than national level. A better co-ordinated, less duplicative defence...

The study presents recent trends on stress at work as well as an overview of EU and national measures to tackle this problem, especially in the context of the economic and financial crisis. The report also includes a number of case studies illustrating initiatives that have proven successful in...

The fundamental requirement for stock assessments is to provide a rational basis for the management of fishery resources. Data-deficient fisheries present a challenge as they only provide a limited basis for management decisions. The nature and extent of data-deficient fisheries in European...

The EU Delegations are playing a more important role in political analysis and policy shaping, thanks to their leadership in drafting the new Human Rights Country Strategies, are better able to carry out human rights diplomacy, thanks to their improved standing through the Lisbon Treaty changes,...

Direct payments (DP) in the EU-27 were introduced as the central element of the 2003 CAP reform and are implemented in different models. The 2013 CAP reform will change both the implementation of the DP and their budget. This study assesses the possible effects of the DP reform proposals on EU...

This study researches the link between competition policy and economic growth. In particular, the authors investigate the contribution from the competition instruments – antitrust, merger control, sector specific measures, liberalisation and State aid – to achieve the goals of the EU 2020...

The European Council is increasingly central to the governance of the European Union. Even if national parliaments have originally focused their involvement in EU affairs on the ordinary legislative process, most of the chambers have started to develop specific activities, before or after...

This study reviews several instruments to finance environmentally sound recycling of ships. The main focus is on a levy and fund system as per an amendment by Mr Carl Schlyter, MEP, to the Commission’s proposal.