Poor, poor European Commission!
After having read the minutes of the European Commission meeting of 14 May, I feel so, so sorry for the European Commission. In their discussion about the (then) upcoming European elections, all the...
View ArticleHow limited are LIMITE documents for national parliaments in the EU?
In the article “Classifying Secrets in the EU” (paywall, JCMS 53(3)) by EU Council official David Galloway, the world of secret EU documents has found its way into mainstream EU-related political...
View ArticleWhat will the European Commission learn from the European Parliament...
On 28 May, the Wednesday after the European elections, Barroso reported back to the Commission from the informal dinner of heads of state and government the evening before in which the future European...
View ArticleJuncker: The first European Commission President we can get rid of
The news today reported that both Sweden and the Netherlands – i.e. their prime ministers – have dropped their previous opposition to Jean-Claude Juncker to becoming European Commission President. This...
View ArticleThe “arch-federalist” Juncker? A comparative perspective
UK politicians call Juncker arch-federalist, and the press has taken over this term, too. The Telegraph does it. The Guardian does it. The (Irish) Independent does it. The Washington Post does. What...
View Article7 observations on Jean-Claude Juncker’s President-elect speech
During the European election campaign, I’ve seen a Jean-Claude Juncker who seemed tired, who did not seem up to speed during the debates with his contenders and who seemed to be disconnected from the...
View Article42.54% turnout: How preparing my European Studies course made EU news this week
Some academics may think teaching is an obligation that disturbs research. In the publish-or-perish economy of academic life, it may seem as if teaching doesn’t add much to general knowledge and...
View ArticleThe gender balance gap between the European Parliament and national...
In the December 2014 issue of “European Union Politics” there is a paper by Fortin-Rittberger & Rittberger* titled “Do electoral rules matter? Explaining national differences in women’s...
View ArticleSaving EU democracy: emotional intelligence or cold stupidity?
Heather Grabbe and Stefan Lehne claim in a new Carnegie Europe report and a shorter op-ed that all it needs to save EU democracy is ’emotional intelligence’. I doubt that this is what we need, even if...
View Article2019 in Political Science (2) – Secrecy in Europe and Academic Trajectories
I have promised to blog more frequently this year and to share how life and work as a political scientist looks like from my end. For this week’s post, I use the occasion of Vigjilenca Abazi‘s...
View Article
More Pages to Explore .....