UACES:The University Association of Contemporary European Studies

Ideas on Europe

Informed Analysis, Comment and Debate

Yet Again, the EU is a Step Behind

Following the European Council Summit in December of last year, leaders agreed to accelerate entry of the European Stabilization Mechanism (ESM), the permanent successor to the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) to July of this year. Given increased pressure on the remaining triple-A guarantors of the EFSF, this shift to the ESM, which will draw [...]

Communicating EU technocracy and science: Is it the same?

Fellow Bloggingportal.eu editor Mathew has just published an excellent piece titled “Of technocrats, journalistic balance and telling EU stories“. His post reflects in a way what I try with this blog, that is to think about whether translation between the world of self-imposed balance and reason and the world of purposeful (or purposeless) conflict of [...]

The Euro Marriage

The creation of the euro is an epoch-making event. For the first time in history independent nation-states have decided to merge their monetary sovereignties in a single currency. From the start, however, the project has been based on a marriage between France and Germany.

Most recent

Waiting six months for one document from the EU Commission

Ronny Patz |

On 30 July 2011, I requested a meeting protocol of the Chefs de Cabinets of the European Commission. On 12 August , the Secretariat General of the EU Commission refused any access, not even to parts of the document. I went into appeal, and on 6 September the Commission informed me that they were unable [...]

Merkel is correct about Eurozone reforms - But which reforms?

Protesilaos Stavrou |

  The policies of Merkel do not align with her rhetoric. Image Source: Flickr In her speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said among others the following (from euronews): Do we want coherence without ambition? If we do, we will meet somewhere in the middle. Or do we want [...]

Drafting EU law: Who cares for TEU and TFEU anyway?

Ronny Patz |

As an academic working on EU affairs you are sometimes forced to read EU law, even if that is not the most beautiful prose you come across in your life. On one of these EU law journeys I had to read the “Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on [...]

Strategic Snapshot No. 4 published

European Geostrategy |

The Group on Grand Strategy publishes today its fourth ‘Strategic Snapshot’, entitled ‘How to bridge the “three islands”: The future of European military co-operation’. This snapshot delves into the world of European military integration, particularly co-operation between the Nordic states, the British and French and the Central European countries.

Happy birthday: Bloggingportal.eu turns 3

Ronny Patz |

Update: See the collective anniversary post by 12 Bloggingportal.eu editors! Tomorrow, on 26 January 2012, Bloggingportal.eu celebrates its third birthday. I haven’t been an editor right from the start, but I followed the development of the portal right from the beginning, and for me it feels as if the journey we went through was much longer [...]

First thoughts on the ESM: Another European non-solution

Protesilaos Stavrou |

On Monday January 23, 2012 the finance ministers of the eurozone member-states, met to discuss issues related to the ongoing crisis of the Euro. The discussion focused on two issues: (1) the negotiations for the restructuring of the Greek sovereign debt, under the (ill-advised) PSI programme, (2) the necessary preparations for the establishment of the [...]

  • Sign-up to receive a fortnightly email featuring recent articles

UACES on Europe

The Euro Marriage

EU-Israel relations: Everything is economic

Tell us about your research? Sara Benedí talks to Elise Rietveld

Interview: Ben Rosamond and the importance of IPE in European Studies