The European Parliament (EP) has seen a gradual increase in its powers since the introduction of direct elections in 1979. Scholars have focused on both individual-level and aggregate factors to... Show moreThe European Parliament (EP) has seen a gradual increase in its powers since the introduction of direct elections in 1979. Scholars have focused on both individual-level and aggregate factors to explain turnout rates in EP elections over time, including increased levels of EU politicization and the rise in support for Eurosceptic parties. However, one strand of analysis seems to partially have been overlooked: Some earlier research on EP election turnout claimed that absolute turnout rates across the EU should be used with care, as a number of ‘structural factors’ influences these shares and with this, affects estimates of actual voter turnout. Are such structural variables still relevant in a time where European politics are becoming increasingly salient among the wider public, pro- and anti-EU sentiments may increase citizens’ inclination to vote and trust in EU institutions may be getting increasingly important? Based on various estimates, we find that structural factors can still be characterized as determinants in EP elections, but that the power of structural factors to explain turnout at the EU level, compared to non-structural factors, has decreased. Nonetheless, EU-wide (average) EP turnout rates, as widely reported, are not likely to be good reflections of actual trends in EP turnout over time. Show less
De Europese staatssteunregels stellen paal en perk aan de mogelijkheden voor lidstaten om ondernemingen financieel te steunen. Bij de handhaving van die regels komt een belangrijke taak toe aan de... Show moreDe Europese staatssteunregels stellen paal en perk aan de mogelijkheden voor lidstaten om ondernemingen financieel te steunen. Bij de handhaving van die regels komt een belangrijke taak toe aan de Europese Commissie en aan de nationale rechters. Deze rechters moeten de naleving van de besluiten van de Europese Commissie waarborgen, maar waar nodig ook zelf gevolgen verbinden aan een schending van de staatssteunregels. De Nederlandse rechter heeft zodoende bij de handhaving van de staatssteunregels op zijn minst op papier een belangrijke – en steeds belangrijker wordende – rol te vervullen. Daarbij moet hij niet alleen rekening houden met de relevante Europese regels, maar ook met de nationale (procedurele) context waarin hij opereert. Die kan nogal verschillen: zowel de burgerlijke rechter als de bestuurs- en belastingrechter kunnen namelijk met staatssteungeschillen worden geconfronteerd. In dit proefschrift wordt op basis van ruim tien jaar Nederlandse staatssteunrechtspraak geanalyseerd hoe deze rechters de hen toegewezen rol daadwerkelijk vervullen. Expliciete aandacht gaat uit naar de eisen die zij stellen aan het belang van de partijen, hoe zij beoordelen of van staatssteun sprake is, de gevolgen die zij daadwerkelijk aan schendingen van de staatssteunregels verbinden en de onderlinge verhouding tussen de Nederlandse rechter en de Europese Commissie. Show less
Social convergence has been an objective since the Treaty of Rome in 1957, but it was only in 1997 and 2000 that social and labour market policies were formulated at the European Union level. To... Show moreSocial convergence has been an objective since the Treaty of Rome in 1957, but it was only in 1997 and 2000 that social and labour market policies were formulated at the European Union level. To what extent have national social and labour market policies in EU member states converged over time? What is the influence of EU policy initiatives and European economic integration on national welfare state reforms? Based on quantitative analyses of welfare state changes since the 1980s in EU and other OECD countries, this study provides a number of new insights into the research on the Europeanisation of welfare states. A wide range of indicators shows that welfare state policies have converged across EU countries. Furthermore, the study sheds light on the functioning of the open method of coordination in employment policy. It shows that the European Employment Strategy has contributed to an increased emphasis on activation in national labour market policy reforms. The study’s results indicate that European economic integration and globalisation have also affected welfare states. The insights gained in this study could improve the effectiveness of the EU social and labour market policies and, consequently, achievement of the goals of the Europe 2020 strategy. Show less
Is territory still used in the European Union and the Netherlands to organize security, solidarity and democracy? Is the EU evolving towards a state, an empire or another type of political... Show moreIs territory still used in the European Union and the Netherlands to organize security, solidarity and democracy? Is the EU evolving towards a state, an empire or another type of political organization? And how can the changing significance of territory be indicated and explained? – Those are the leading questions of this dissertation. It avoids taking the territorial state and the principle of territoriality for granted in examining the significance of territory. Following Robert Sack, territoriality is defined as the strategy to control people and phenomena by demarcating a geographical area. The more territory impacts on people’s behaviour and ideas, the more certain (unintended) consequences mark the policies, polities, and politics involved. These consequences (geographical fixity, impersonality, geographical inclusion and exclusivity, and centrality) are called the logic of political territoriality. The state is the political organization marked most by the logic of territoriality in contrast to networks or empires. The work by Stein Rokkan and Stefano Bartolini on the evolution of national states and the European Union respectively offers the explanatory framework for explaining changing political territoriality. The organisation of security and healthcare in the Netherlands show how gradually territory obtained greater significance particularly in the 19th and 20th century. European integration has challenged the significance of national territories among other things by the free movement of persons, goods, capital and services, and has weakened the logic of territoriality at state level. Partial exits from national territories by dissatisfied mobile citizens-consumers and border regions have been indicated. Meanwhile, the continuous uncertainty of the EU’s boundaries largely due to enlargement keeps the logic of territoriality at bay at European level. The expansive, value-based and multi-level organisation of the EU reflects its imperial nature. Show less
In de periode 1990-2000 is de Europese Unie veranderd van een te negeren internationale omgeving in een bestuurslaag waar niemand meer omheen kan. Wat heeft deze verandering teweeggebracht bij... Show moreIn de periode 1990-2000 is de Europese Unie veranderd van een te negeren internationale omgeving in een bestuurslaag waar niemand meer omheen kan. Wat heeft deze verandering teweeggebracht bij belangengroepen en politieke partijen? Hoe en in hoeverre hebben zij zich aan de EU aangepast, in organisatorische en strategische zin? Het is van groot belang hier kennis van te hebben, omdat belangengroepen en politieke partijen de cruciale verbindende schakels zijn tussen burgers en overheid, ook de Europese. Het in 2005 gehouden referendum over het Grondwettelijk Verdrag heeft geleerd dat de relatie tussen ‘Europa’ en zijn burgers niet zonder problemen is. Aan de hand van inzichten uit de organisatiekunde, Europese integratietheorieën en studies naar Europeanisering is onderzoek gedaan naar het aanpassingsgedrag van de belangengroepen de Stichting Natuur en Milieu, de Consumentenbond en LTO-Nederland en de politieke partijen PvdA, VVD en GroenLinks. Uit het onderzoek blijkt dat belangengroepen zich in sterkere mate hebben aangepast aan ‘Europa’ dan politieke partijen. De verklaring hiervoor ligt in een minder tot aanpassing aanzettende Europese omgeving. De structuur van politieke mogelijkheden op Europees niveau blijkt het aanpassingsgedrag van de onderzochte organisaties het beste te kunnen verklaren. Edwin van Rooyen is universitair onderzoeker aan het Documentatiecentrum Nederlandse Politieke Partijen van de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen en universitair docent Europese Unie Studies aan de Faculteit der Geesteswetenschappen van de Universiteit Leiden. Show less
The EU suffers from an implementation deficit. Member states often do not comply with EU policies, which in turn hampers the process of European integration. This book documents the problem with... Show moreThe EU suffers from an implementation deficit. Member states often do not comply with EU policies, which in turn hampers the process of European integration. This book documents the problem with the timely transposition of EU directives. It explores the size and the causes of the transposition deficit for the case of the Netherlands. Using a mixed methods design, it critically assesses the explanatory value of several legal and administrative factors, as well as the goodness of fit and several hypotheses flowing from rationalism and constructivism. The main conclusion of this work is that the Netherlands suffers from a structural problem with timely transposition. Domestic politics play an important role in explaining transposition problems. In theorizing these ‘politics of compliance’, we should not limit our analyses to substantive conflicts but also include the procedural politics that often surround the process of Europeanization. Show less
