European Council on Foreign Relations's Books

This publication contains the reports presented at the UniDem Seminar in Skopje. Foreign policy unquestionably serves the national interest in the broadest sense but nowadays it is no longer left entirely to discretion of governments. The legal foundation of foreign policy are made up both of rules of international law and rules of domestic law, whilst remaining an under-regulated area of democracy and of the law. The seminar in Skopje was an initiative which permitted an exchange of views on this subject between representatives of different countries.

Treaty of Lisbon : An impact assessment, 10th report of session 2007-08, Vol. 2: Evidence

Correspondence with Ministers : January 2006 to September 2006, 40th report of Session 2006-07

The Committee asked the Minister for Europe, Mr Douglas Alexander MP, to give evidence on the most recent developments in European foreign policy. In this report the Committee makes available the oral evidence received. Topics in the evidence are: key developments of the United Kingdom presidency; financing of the Common Foreign and Security Policy; scrutiny and presentation of CFSP; non-proliferation of WMD and small arms; ESDP missions in Africa; the future of the Western Balkans; the possibility of a visa-free regime with Ukraine; the Middle East peace process; the future of the Barcelona process; and assistance to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Inquiry conducted by Sub-committee C (Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Policy)

Fourth report of Session 2010-11 : Documents considered by the Committee on 20 October 2010, report, together with formal Minutes

Inquiry conducted by Sub-committee C (Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Policy).

Eleventh report of Session 2010-11 : Documents considered by the Committee on 8 December 2010, including the following recommendations for debate, European Development Fund (EDF) expenditure; Financial management (two documents); Implementing the EU's Int

Since the end of the Cold War and the disappearance of the Soviet threat to Western Europe, Europeans and the United States have had to re-consider the threats to their security, which have become unclear and unpredictable. More recently the shift in the economic and political balance away from the United States and Western Europe towards Asia, a revision in US defence thinking and the economic crisis have created a new situation to which the European Union (EU) and its Member States need to respond. The strong message from this report is that the pressures on European defence are changing radically with reduced budgets and a United States that will look increasingly to the Asia Pacific region. Europe can keep America's engagement by stepping up to the mark itself. European military expenditure is not the only issue; it is also the effectiveness of that spend. By better coordination of forces and most of all by ensuring that forces are capable of, and willing to, deploy Europe can achieve this now. It is also essential that the EU's Member States engage in a profound debate about the circumstances under which they would be prepared to use force. With 21 members of both the EU and NATO, what is good for the EU is good for NATO and Europe as a whole. This is an area where the UK and France should lead efforts to strengthen European defence capabilities. [Report summary]

On cover & title page:European Commission for Democracy through Law

Nineteenth report of Session 2010-11 : Documents considered by the Committee on 16 February 2011, including the following recommendations for debate, reviewing the working time directive; global navigation satellite system; control of the Commission's imp

This publication contains the proceedings of an international seminar, held in Moldova in July 2003 and organised by the European Commission for Democracy through Law (also known as the Venice Commission). The seminar considered approaches to the establishment of a multi-ethnic state where the interests of different minorities are taken into account without compromising the unity of the country, and and on the different challenges that democracies, both new and well established, will have to face in the twenty-first century. Topics discussed include federalism, autonomy and linguistic diversity.

The European Union Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) opened on 23 July 2007 and was initiated following a report originally produced by the German Presidency on the "Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe" (Constitutional Treaty, Cm.6429, ISBN 9780101642927), which in turn led to a "Draft IGC Mandate" setting out a detailed prescription on issues raised by the above report, circulated by the Presidency of the European Council. The report itself recommended a "Reform Treaty" which would amend existing treaties and so required an intergovernmental conference. The European Scrutiny Committee has set out a number of conclusions, including: the Committee questioned the aims of the European Council in engaging with EU citizens on the EU Constitution whilst setting out changes to the constitution in an essentially secretive manner; that the substance of the Reform Treaty is substantially equivalent to the Constitutional Treaty itself; the Committee is concerned about the UK's position under the Charter; that the UK retains opt-outs that were previously arranged under the Constitutional Treaty will still be retained under the Reform Treaty; that the proposals in the Reform Treaty raise a serious difficulty of a constitutional order, appearing to impose a legal duty on national parliaments to the European Union itself, the Committee calls such a legal duty on Parliament, objectionable, and states that as a matter of principle it should be resisted.

Eighteenth report of Session 2010-11 : Documents considered by the Committee on 9 February 2011, including the following recommendations for debate, financial management; economic governance; attacks against information systems, report, together with form

Thirty-first report of Session 2010-12 : Documents considered by the Committee on 24 May 2011, report, together with formal Minutes

This publication contains the papers presented at the UniDem seminar held in Warsaw, 19-20 November 2004. A decade and a half after the democratic transition in the countries of central and eastern Europe, the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) marked its fifteen years of existence by looking back over this period of institutional upheaval. The Warsaw seminar, which inaugurated the work of the Polish chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, viewed these fifteen years of change in the light of constitutional practice. Thus, two basic approaches were adopted: the role of the executive in this practice, and the influence of electoral systems in institutional change. The papers and discussions in Warsaw brought together specialists from very different backgrounds. Marking a convergence between constitutional law and electoral law, this conference retraced fifteen years over which the outlines of powers have gradually taken shape. Depending on the state, the executive has moved towards a presidential, semi-presidential, or parliamentary form of government, with a trend towards the latter two. During this period, electoral systems underwent major changes, sometimes dictated by general interest and sometimes responding to partisan demands. In all institutions the electoral systems have kept pace with constitutional practice and change, and have thus led progressively towards honest and genuine choices for citizens

Despite its geostrategic importance and its easier accessibility since the dissolvent of the Soviet Union, Central Asia has nevertheless remained a white spot on the map of western scholarship and public awareness. Bringing together papers presented at the VII ESCAS-Conference, this volume aims to shed light on the historical, political, cultural and socio-economic development of this region. Scholars from within and outside Central Asia discuss a wide range of topics, covering historical processes and events on the one hand and present developments of regional and global concern on the other.

The Conclusions of the European Council are politically binding on the Member States of the European Union and have a major influence on the direction of EC and EU business. The process of preparing the Conclusions is secretive with Parliament having no opportunity to scrutinise the Conclusions before the Prime Minister commits the UK to them. Whilst the Council of Ministers sometimes has conclusions and sometimes does not ( there are different Council of Ministers, each dealing with a separate policy area), the European Scrutiny Committee believes that a clarification of the Conclusions-process is needed and the objective of this report is to inquire into the arrangements for the preparation, consideration and approval of the Conclusions of the European Council and the Council of Ministers. The Committee has set out a number of conclusions and recommendations, including: that the Government should discuss with other Member States the options of improving the process and removing present inefficiencies and eccentricities of the proceedings of the European Council; that the Government should deposit within the scrutiny process in Parliament the draft Conclusions of the European Council; that the Government presses the case with other Member States for establishing criteria to determine when Conclusions of the Council of Ministers are required.

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