European Union

EU strategy towards Iran after the nuclear agreement
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

New rules to curb the growing influx into the EU of plant pests, such as olive grove killer Xylella fastidiosa, and better equip member states to tackle their spread, were endorsed by the Agriculture Committee on Thursday. The draft rules, informally agreed by MEPs and member states last year, will introduce new preventive and rapid response mechanisms for suspect plant imports, step up pest surveillance efforts in the EU and require all member states to draw up outbreak contingency plans.
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

New rules to curb the growing influx into the EU of plant pests, such as olive grove killer Xylella fastidiosa, and better equip member states to tackle their spread, were endorsed by the Agriculture Committee on Thursday. The draft rules, informally agreed by MEPs and member states last year, will introduce new preventive and rapid response mechanisms for suspect plant imports, step up pest surveillance efforts in the EU and require all member states to draw up outbreak contingency plans.
Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Presented below is the text of the Presidential order of the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Junker to the Commission (College, DGs, etc), providing that no negotiations with Great Britain are to take place in relation to its exit from the EU (Brexit) before an official notification of TEU article 50 is received, obtained exclusively by Alexandros Kyriakidis and EU & Democracy.

This is the “Presidential order” (as referenced by the European Commission President Jean-Claude Junker), stipulating “no notification, no negotiation” in relation to Brexit.

You may also view the original on Scribd here.

Brussels, 28 June 2016
Dear Colleagues,
Further to last week’s referendum in the United Kingdom, there is a need for the Commission to be clear and certain in the process that we can now expect to take place. While we expect the United Kingdom to honour the democratic choice of its
people as soon as possible, we also will not agree to any negotiation, formal or informal, before we receive a notification on the basis of Article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union.

I have asked Alexander Italianer, Secretary-General, to coordinate centrally all Commission actions, initiatives or responses related to the follow-up. to the UK referendum. In my Cabinet, this process will be followed by Richard Szostak, my Diplomatic Adviser.

All Directorates-General and services of the Commission are asked to strictly respect the principle of no negotiation without notification and the central role of the Secretariat-General. This covers requests for appearances in the other institutions or bodies, questions from the European Parliament, opinions and inquiries from national Parliaments, intended visits by Commissioners and officials to the United Kingdom, all related correspondence and queries and requests for access to documents. This is, of course, not an exhaustive list and I invite you to remain vigilant and to flag any other issues that may be of relevance.

In the meantime, the work of the Commission will continue and our agenda of priorities and our work programme will be rolled out with determination, in close cooperation with the European Parliament and the Council. We will also continue to make sure that EU law is applied and implemented in the 28 Member States.

Yours sincerely,

[signature]

Members of the College
Cc: Heads of Cabinet, Directors-General

The post BREXIT EXCLUSIVE: The Presidential Order by Jean-Claude Junker for no Brexit negotiation before TEU Art. 50 Notification appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

General : Ever heard of pangolins? Chances are you will never have a chance to see them up close. These mammals are the most trafficked worldwide and like rhinos and elephants are now on the brink of extinction. It's another example of wildlife trafficking poses a serious threat to the survival of our ecosystems. On Thursday 13 October, the environment committee votes on a report by Catherine Bearder on how EU and its members states should step up their efforts to combat wildlife trafficking.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : Ever heard of pangolins? Chances are you will never have a chance to see them up close. These mammals are the most trafficked worldwide and like rhinos and elephants are now on the brink of extinction. It's another example of wildlife trafficking poses a serious threat to the survival of our ecosystems. On Thursday 13 October, the environment committee votes on a report by Catherine Bearder on how EU and its members states should step up their efforts to combat wildlife trafficking.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : Parliamentarium, the Parliament’s visitors centre, has proved to be one of Brussels' most popular attractions since opening. Its permanent exhibition shows Parliament's work and explains the history of European integration in 24 languages. On Thursday 13 October it celebrates its fifth anniversary. If you are in Brussels that day, don't miss the chance to join the celebration from 17.00 to 22.00 CET.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

General : Parliamentarium, the Parliament’s visitors centre, has proved to be one of Brussels' most popular attractions since opening. Its permanent exhibition shows Parliament's work and explains the history of European integration in 24 languages. On Thursday 13 October it celebrates its fifth anniversary. If you are in Brussels that day, don't miss the chance to join the celebration from 17.00 to 22.00 CET.

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

International Trade Committee MEPs, farmers, businesses, public health and trade union representatives debated the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada on Wednesday morning. CETA can only enter into force with the European Parliament’s approval.
Committee on International Trade

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

International Trade Committee MEPs, farmers, businesses, public health and trade union representatives debated the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the EU and Canada on Wednesday morning. CETA can only enter into force with the European Parliament’s approval.
Committee on International Trade

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) includes different instances or organs, “the Court of Justice, the General Court and specialised courts” (Article 19 EUT).

Until today there is only one specialised court: the Civil Service. However,on September 1, 2016, the seven positions in the Civil Service, along with its powers, were transferred to the General Court.

The Regulation 2015/2422 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2015 (OJEU 24 December 2015, in force on 25 December 2015) amending Protocol No 3 on the Statute of the Court of Justice of the European Union establishes a reform on General Court in order to strengthen and allow greater work responsibilities establishing a progressive increase in the number its judges. On 25 December 2015 the number of judges (12) were increased to 40. On 1st September 2016, the seven posts of the Civil Service were transferred to the GC (along with the powers of the CS) and  from 1 September 2019 will be two Judges for each member State and therefore there will be appointed nine, reaching a total of 56.

The post Say hello to the new ECJ structure appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

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Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

There is a need to ensure a strategic framework for the cultural and creative industries as they now represent a major and growing part of our economies, Members of the Culture Committee and of National Parliaments agreed on Tuesday evening at the interparliamentary meeting on the subject.
Committee on Culture and Education

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

There is a need to ensure a strategic framework for the cultural and creative industries as they now represent a major and growing part of our economies, Members of the Culture Committee and of National Parliaments agreed on Tuesday evening at the interparliamentary meeting on the subject.
Committee on Culture and Education

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

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EU Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs meet in Luxembourg on 13-14 October 2016. Justice ministers are examining the state of play and discussing the way forward concerning the regulation establishing a European public prosecutor's office (EPPO) and the directive on the fight against fraud to the Union's financial interests (PIF) by means of criminal law.

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Welcome to Ideas on Europe.

This blog is a window to express my thoughts or comments, give news, always related to European integration.

I appreciate your comments and feedback.

All the best.

Joaquín Sarrión.

About me: https://about.me/joaquinsarrion

Twitter: @joaqsarrion

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/joaquin-sarrion-esteve/37/882/558

SSRN Author Page

www.researchgate.net/profile/Joaquin_Sarrion https://universitatdevalencia.academia.edu/JoaquínSarriónEsteve

 

The post Hello world! appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

Julian L. Garritzmann

Students in Finland and Germany study free of charge. In the U.S. and in Japan, in contrast, they pay tremendous tuition fees, leading to often six-digit student debt amounts after graduation. At the same time, most students in Finland and in the U.S. receive public financial student aid, while the majority of students in Germany and Japan remain dependent on their parents’ financial contributions or their own part-time work. Why is that the case? Why do some countries charge tuition fees while others don’t? Why do only some governments support students financially?

My research (Garritzmann 2015; 2016) investigates these and related questions. Here, I want to summarize three key insights: the four worlds of student finance, how have the four worlds of student finance emerged, and why policy change becomes increasingly unlikely. Interested readers can find much more detailed analyses in my recent book “The Political Economy of Higher Education Finance: The Politics of Tuition Fees and Subsidies in OECD Countries, 1945-2015”.

 

The Four Worlds of Student Finance

How do the higher education tuition-subsidy systems differ across countries? (How) Have they changed over time? Along which dimensions do higher education systems differ at all? In order to answer these questions, I compiled information on more than 80 aspects of the higher education funding systems of 33 OECD countries between 1995 and 2015. This dataset allows to comparatively answer questions such as: How many students pay tuition fees? Do all, some, or no students pay? How much do students pay on average? Do all students pay the same and if not, how do the amounts vary and why? Who sets the level of tuition fees in the first place? How much public financial support do students receive? Do they have to pay back this money or not? Chapter 2 of my book presents and discusses this data in detail.

A core insight from the detailed analysis of this data is that the advanced economies (OECD countries) fall into four groups:

-          In a first country cluster, hardly any student pays fees, but public financial student aid is also meager at best. This is the case in most continental European countries.

-          In a second country group, students also study free-of-charge, but at the same time they receive large public support. This is mainly so in Nordic Europe.

-          A third group, comprising the USA and other Anglo-Saxon countries, is characterized by the combination of substantial tuition fees and generous public support (at least in the form of student loans).

-          In a final group, students pay similarly high tuition amounts, but the majority does not receive any public support. This is the case in Japan, South Korea, Chile, and other Latin American and Asian countries.

I call these four groups the “Four Worlds of Student Finance”.

 

How have the Four Worlds of Student Finance emerged?

The main research question that my book seeks to answer is why and how the Four Worlds have developed. Why do the countries differ so considerably? This question is particularly interesting because I also found that when we look back at the 1940s and 1950s, these country differences did not exist at all. In the immediate post-World War II phase the higher education systems of all countries were almost identical: Tuition fees were low or inexistent in all countries, there was no public student aid, and enrollment levels were very low everywhere (about one to five percent of each cohort went on to higher education at this time). So why have the countries developed into four very different directions although they had an almost identical starting point?

My research shows that the reason for this development is political. Detailed qualitative case studies of four countries (Finland, Japan, Germany, the USA) over seven decades (1945-2015) as well as thorough analyses of a large amount of quantitative data show that the emergence of the Four Worlds of Student Finance can be traced back to the respective partisan composition of government. Whether students pay tuition or not and whether they receive subsidies or not depends on which political parties were in government during the postwar period.

More particularly, I show that in some countries (for example in Sweden) progressive leftwing parties were in office for decades, seeking to establish equality of opportunities and socio-economic upward mobility. To achieve this, they banned tuition fees and introduced generous student support systems to facilitate access for children from lower strata. The low-tuition—high-subsidy system was born.

In other countries (for example in Japan), conservative rightwing parties were predominant over a long period of time. These governments pursued very different goals: They tried to keep higher education as elitist as possible and feared that the expansion of higher education would lead to a “massification” and a decline of the quality of higher education. Conservative parties therefore did not install any student aid and “outsourced” the expansion of higher education in the tuition-dependent private sector, safeguarding the elitist character of their public universities. This pushed countries in the direction of high-tuition—low-subsidy regimes.

In still other countries, neither leftwing nor rightwing parties predominated in office, but rather took turns. My analysis shows that in these cases it matters crucially for the higher education systems how long leftwing and rightwing parties were in office. That is, not only the partisan composition of government but also the duration of parties in office matters. This can, for example, explain the development in Germany (low tuition, low subsidies) and the U.S. (high tuition, high subsidy).

 

“Nothing’s gonna change”: Policy change becomes increasingly unlikely

A third major finding is that over time the higher education systems of all countries have become increasingly path-dependent. That is, while there has been a lot of policy change in the 1960s and 1970s setting countries on their respective paths, no country (with the exception of England) has altered its higher education finance system considerably after the 1980s. Countries that charged tuition at the beginning of the 1980s continue doing so today and – if anything – have raised the amounts. Countries without tuition fees remain tuition free. The same applies to financial student support: Path dependencies prevail and the Four Worlds of Student Finance seem increasingly stable.

Why is that the case? I show in the book (see also Garritzmann 2015) that over time the influence that governments can exercise on higher education finance systems decreases. This is so because of “positive feedback effects”, that is citizens adapt their political preferences to the respective systems that they are socialized in. As a consequence, a public opinion develops that favors the respective status quo over any policy change. It thus becomes politically very costly for parties to change the higher education system fundamentally. The experiences by Labour and the LibDems in England (the only country that has experienced major change) underline this perfectly. We are thus increasingly unlikely to witness any considerable policy change. Put bluntly, Sen. Sanders will not abolish tuition in the USA and Finland will not introduce any (for most of its students).

Taken together, my research shows that when we want to understand why higher education systems differ across countries and time, the answer is politics. Careful attention to the political process also helps understanding which reform potentials are still possible today and how policies could be designed to enable at least incremental change.

 

Dr.Julian L. Garritzmann is post-doctoral researcher at the University of Konstanz (Germany) and senior researcher at the University of Zurich (Switzerland). His research interests include education systems and policies, political parties and party competition, the interrelation of social policies and educational policies, and public opinion towards social investment and social compensation policies. In addition to his new book, his research has appeared in Journal of European Public Policy, Journal of European Social Policy, and West European Politics.

 

References:

Garritzmann, Julian L. (2015) Attitudes towards Student Support: How Positive Feedback-Effects Prevent Change in the Four Worlds of Student Finance. Journal of European Social Policy, 25(2):139-158.

Garritzmann, Julian L. (2016) The Political Economy of Higher Education Finance. The Politics of Tuition Fees and Subsidies in OECD Countries, 1945-2015. Palgrave Macmillan.

The post The Politics of Higher Education Tuition Fees and Subsidies appeared first on Ideas on Europe.

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Intellectual and industrial property
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Length of video : 220'
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Disclaimer : The interpretation of debates serves to facilitate communication and does not constitute an authentic record of proceedings. Only the original speech or the revised written translation is authentic.
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP