National Sovereignty versus Europeanization
Alisa Elena BARCAN
Abstract: Today’s sovereign state, in the process of contemporary transformations, is not and cannot be identical to the sovereign state of the past centuries or to the one of the 20th century’s first half. It must respond to the contemporary and future needs, which are unique and complex. Therefore, in regard to these needs, the sovereign state must adapt, transform, and improve. Being the main characteristic of the state power, which is, in it’s turn, an important component of the state, sovereignty is a feature of the state itself. In the European Union and in the international arena, states are all sovereigns. The EU represents a juxtaposition of the member states sovereignties. Hence, the sovereignty cannot be absolute and every state must respect the sovereignty of other states, as well as the rules of the community right. The evolution of states is followed by the evolution of the concept of sovereignty, which defines them. Therefore, in the context of Europeanization, the concept of sovereignty must be reconsidered.
Keywords: state, sovereignty, European Union, Europeanization
A generous giant? The Development Assistance Policy of the European Union
Andrei Alexandru DINU
Abstract: The European Union’s Development policy is an interesting topic to study for various reasons. The Union is the largest donor in the world, and its supranational institutions play a key role in the discussed policy area, presenting us with a rare case for the scrutiny of the arguments produced by the IR theory debate over the value of institutions, their capacity to influence state behaviour and build a regime of cooperation that would eliminate uncertainty and conflict. Moreover, given the advanced stage of its integration, the EU’s Development policy offers fertile ground for evaluating how multilateralism affects the quality of aid, and the results should be representative at a global scale, since enlisting 27 participant states and 55% of the world’s donations makes the EU the most extensive regime of development aid. Results are somewhat contrary to expectations because in this specific case the supranational, despite coordinating and harmonizing national interests has its own foreign policy agenda, making “development” a secondary objective in the pursuit of a more important, domestic, “European” interest.
Keywords: development aid, European Union, International Relations Theory
CAP – Between Intergovernmentalism and Supranationalism
Ana- Maria GHIMIȘ
Abstract: This paper presents one of the most relevant common policies of the European Union: the Common Agricultural Policy. Although its relevance for the EU budget is declining, the CAP is still a part of high politics, as defined by Hoffmann, and it is supported by important European states, such as France. As well as the EU institutions, CAP may be subject to the intergovernmental-supranational debate. In this paper, this policy is analyzed according to one of the paradigms mentioned above, through an analysis of the emergence, development and reform of the CAP.
Keywords: intergovernmentalism, supranationalism, high politics, spillover, Luxembourg compromise, the CAP, France, Germany, cereals, GATT, the Council of Ministers, UW Committee, Special Committee of Agriculture, the British check, unanimity
Europeanization and the Romanian Political Regime. Executive – Legislative Relations
Livia LĂSTUN and Irina MUNTEANU
Abstract: Romania succeeded, despite all of the obstacles encountered, to enter the European Union, facing a transformation process before and after the exact moment of the adhesion. The main criterion: a higher level of democracy. The main method of completing this criterion: shaping of the decision making process. Before entering Europe, Romania was starting to experience a process that could be named Europeanization, a change that starts at the top and on the paper, by according the legislation to the European standards and implementing it. Therefore, before anything, the relations between the decisive authorities are being affected, especially those between the legislative and the executive bodies. The goal of this paper is to analyze these very effects of Europeanization upon the relations between executive and legislative in Romania, not only direct, but also indirect, not only intended, but also unexpected, without having the pretension of covering up all the aspects of the issue.
Keywords: Europeanization, transition, executive, legislative
