EU Enlargement and Rural Development Policy : an Easy Case Or a Stumbling Block of the Accession Negotiations? : the Case of Slovenia

EU Enlargement and Rural Development Policy : an Easy Case Or a Stumbling Block of the Accession Negotiations? : the Case of Slovenia PDF Author: Luka Juvančič
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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The principle of social and economic cohesion is regarded highly in the EU policy agenda. Enlargement of the Union will bring about a major challenge to this principle, since it is known that the scope of inter-regional development inequalities is about to widen up strongly. This is evident especially in the field of rural development. As it is argued by various sources, rural conditions and trends in the Candidate Countries differ markedly from those in the existing EU-15. As it issubstantiated in the paper, the policy mechanisms, financial provisions and institutional framework that EU-15 has designed to tackle these problems do not entirely correspond to the rural conditions and possibilities in the CEECs, which implies the need for a thorough set of their adjustments. These considerations are elaborated in a wider scope through the case of Slovenia. With the accession process, the existing Slovene rural development policy concepts are challenged by a comprehensive EU policy framework. Rather than for a simple adaptation to this framework, Slovenia seeks for a designation of its own set of priorities and provision of a national administrative and financial framework that would match the corresponding EU structures. The key segments of rural development policy, which are analysed in greater detail, include farm restructuring, environmental and spatial aspects, restructuring of food-processing sector and sustainable adaptation ofrural areas. As a critical point in shaping an integrated set of rural development policy in Slovenia, a rather comprehensive conceptual confusion can be identified. It stems from factors, such as ill-defined institutional competences, shortcomings in organisational potential on regional/local levels, and limited and scattered financial capabilities. Setting-up of a comprehensive concept and effective policy mechanisms remains the key task that has not yet been satisfyingly resolved. The paper concludes with discussion whether the EU pre-accession assistance and the post-Agenda 2000 rural development policy mechanisms offer an adequate framework to tackle specific rural development problems in CEECs and in what extent do they contribute towards promotion of integrated rural development. It is argued that a greater effort should be stressed to the flexibility of programmes according to the specific country needs, simplification of rules and procedures and towards investment in human capital. However, with regard to the latest developments on this issue, a clear dichotomy can be perceived between the pre-enlargement objectives of the existing EU-15 member states and the CEECs, leading to a possibility of policy failures also in the later stages after accession. The paper concludes with some proposals to overcome the critical points in establishing efficient rural development policz mechanisms in the CEECs.

EU Enlargement and Rural Development Policy : an Easy Case Or a Stumbling Block of the Accession Negotiations? : the Case of Slovenia

EU Enlargement and Rural Development Policy : an Easy Case Or a Stumbling Block of the Accession Negotiations? : the Case of Slovenia PDF Author: Luka Juvančič
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
The principle of social and economic cohesion is regarded highly in the EU policy agenda. Enlargement of the Union will bring about a major challenge to this principle, since it is known that the scope of inter-regional development inequalities is about to widen up strongly. This is evident especially in the field of rural development. As it is argued by various sources, rural conditions and trends in the Candidate Countries differ markedly from those in the existing EU-15. As it issubstantiated in the paper, the policy mechanisms, financial provisions and institutional framework that EU-15 has designed to tackle these problems do not entirely correspond to the rural conditions and possibilities in the CEECs, which implies the need for a thorough set of their adjustments. These considerations are elaborated in a wider scope through the case of Slovenia. With the accession process, the existing Slovene rural development policy concepts are challenged by a comprehensive EU policy framework. Rather than for a simple adaptation to this framework, Slovenia seeks for a designation of its own set of priorities and provision of a national administrative and financial framework that would match the corresponding EU structures. The key segments of rural development policy, which are analysed in greater detail, include farm restructuring, environmental and spatial aspects, restructuring of food-processing sector and sustainable adaptation ofrural areas. As a critical point in shaping an integrated set of rural development policy in Slovenia, a rather comprehensive conceptual confusion can be identified. It stems from factors, such as ill-defined institutional competences, shortcomings in organisational potential on regional/local levels, and limited and scattered financial capabilities. Setting-up of a comprehensive concept and effective policy mechanisms remains the key task that has not yet been satisfyingly resolved. The paper concludes with discussion whether the EU pre-accession assistance and the post-Agenda 2000 rural development policy mechanisms offer an adequate framework to tackle specific rural development problems in CEECs and in what extent do they contribute towards promotion of integrated rural development. It is argued that a greater effort should be stressed to the flexibility of programmes according to the specific country needs, simplification of rules and procedures and towards investment in human capital. However, with regard to the latest developments on this issue, a clear dichotomy can be perceived between the pre-enlargement objectives of the existing EU-15 member states and the CEECs, leading to a possibility of policy failures also in the later stages after accession. The paper concludes with some proposals to overcome the critical points in establishing efficient rural development policz mechanisms in the CEECs.

EU Enlargement and the CAP

EU Enlargement and the CAP PDF Author: George Mergos
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Agriculture
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Implications of agricultural accession to the European Union

Implications of agricultural accession to the European Union PDF Author: Štefan Bojnec
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 27

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Slovenia

Slovenia PDF Author: Mojmir Mrak
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 9780821357187
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 506

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Book Description
Thirteen years after independence from the former Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia, Slovenia has become one of the most advanced transition economies in Central and Eastern Europe and will become a member of the EU in May 2004. This publication examines the country's recent political and socio-economic history, its transition to a market economy and the challenges that lie ahead. It includes contributions from Slovenia's president, a former vice prime minister, the current and previous ministers of finance, the minister of European Affairs, the current and former governors of the Bank of Slovenia, as well as from leading development scholars in Slovenia and abroad.

Lessons from managing conflict situations in the EU accession negotiaton

Lessons from managing conflict situations in the EU accession negotiaton PDF Author: Danica Fink-Hafner
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 25

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Book Description
The paper draws some lessons from Slovenian experiences in managing conflict situations in the EU accession negotiations. It focuses on national veto points that could also be instrumentialised by organised interests as part of the national implementation of the supranationally agreed policy in the circumstances of full EU membership. For a full understanding of such conflicts and their outcomes it is important to combine otherwise often exclusively used theoretical approaches to EU integration processes. The outcome of negotiations on a specific conflictive policy issue in the framework of European Agreement negotiations between the EU and Slovenia is explained by a combination of intergovernmentalist, institutionalist, pluralist and actor-based approaches. The case study on closing Sloveniaćs duty-free shops down pitches the investigation at two-levels: EU and national.Despite Sloveniaćs unequal position as a candidate-country in bilateral negotiations with Italy and Austria, as well as in negotiations withthe EU, the Slovenian national institutional arrangements and the employing of national institutional veto-points by Slovenian economic interestgroups (in concert with some political actors) made possible: a) a re-defining of the national interest; and b) a three-year postponement of the abolition of duty-free shops. Since all the described national institutional veto points continue to exist in the circumstances of full membership, the research findings remain relevant for understanding future problems in the implementation of common European policies that require national legislation in Slovenia.

The Western Balkans and the EU

The Western Balkans and the EU PDF Author: Morton Abramowitz
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Balkan Peninsula
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
Today, more than fifteen years after the end of the wars that accompanied Yugoslavia's dissolution, the "Balkan question" remains more than ever a "European question". In the eyes of many Europeans in the 1990s, Bosnia was the symbol of a collective failure, while Kosovo later became a catalyst for an emerging Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). In the last decade, however, the overall thrust of the EU's Balkans policy has moved from an agenda dominated by security issues related to the war and its legacies to one focused on the perspective of the Western Balkan states' accession to the European Union. This Chaillot Paper, which features contributions from authors from various parts of the region, examines the current state of play in the countries of the Western Balkans with regard to EU accession. It brings together both views from the Balkans states themselves and overarching thematic perspectives. For the first time the European Union has become involved in the formation of new nation-states that also aspire to become members of the Union. The EU's transformative power has proved effective in integrating established states; now it is confronted with the challenge of integrating new and sometimes contested states. Against this background, this paper makes the case for a concerted regional approach to EU enlargement, and a renewed and sustained commitment to the European integration of the Western Balkans.

The European Union

The European Union PDF Author: Kristin Archick
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781693263408
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 28

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Book Description
The European Union (EU) is a political and economic partnership that represents a unique form of cooperation among sovereign countries. The EU is the latest stage in a process of integration begun after World War II, initially by six Western European countries, to foster interdependence and make another war in Europe unthinkable. The EU currently consists of 28 member states, including most of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and has helped to promote peace, stability, and economic prosperity throughout the European continent. The EU has been built through a series of binding treaties. Over the years, EU member states have sought to harmonize laws and adopt common policies on an increasing number of economic, social, and political issues. EU member states share a customs union; a single market in which capital, goods, services, and people move freely; a common trade policy; and a common agricultural policy. Nineteen EU member states use a common currency (the euro), and 22 member states participate in the Schengen area of free movement in which internal border controls have been eliminated. In addition, the EU has been developing a Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), which includes a Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP), and pursuing cooperation in the area of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) to forge common internal security measures. Member states work together through several EU institutions to set policy and to promote their collective interests. In recent years, however, the EU has faced a number of internal and external crises. Most notably, in a June 2016 public referendum, voters in the United Kingdom (UK) backed leaving the EU. The pending British exit from the EU (dubbed "Brexit") comes amid multiple other challenges, including the rise of populist and to some extent anti-EU political parties, concerns about democratic backsliding in some member states (including Poland and Hungary), ongoing pressures related to migration, a heightened terrorism threat, and a resurgent Russia. The United States has supported the European integration project since its inception in the 1950s as a means to prevent another catastrophic conflict on the European continent and foster democratic allies and strong trading partners. Today, the United States and the EU have a dynamic political partnership and share a huge trade and investment relationship. Despite periodic tensions in U.S.-EU relations over the years, U.S. and EU policymakers alike have viewed the partnership as serving both sides' overall strategic and economic interests. EU leaders are anxious about the Trump Administration's commitment to the EU project, the transatlantic partnership, and an open international trading system-especially amid the Administration's imposition of tariffs on EU steel and aluminum products since 2018 and the prospects of future auto tariffs. In July 2018, President Trump reportedly called the EU a "foe" on trade but the Administration subsequently sought to de-escalate U.S.-EU tensions and signaled its intention to launch new U.S.-EU trade negotiations. Concerns also linger in Brussels about the implications of the Trump Administration's "America First" foreign policy and its positions on a range of international issues, including Russia, Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, climate change, and the role of multilateral institutions. This report serves as a primer on the EU. Despite the UK's vote to leave the EU, the UK remains a full member of the bloc until it officially exits the EU (which is scheduled to occur by October 31, 2019, but may be further delayed). As such, this report largely addresses the EU and its institutions as they currently exist. It also briefly describes U.S.-EU political and economic relations that may be of interest.

Democratisation in the European Neighbourhood

Democratisation in the European Neighbourhood PDF Author: Michael Emerson
Publisher: CEPS
ISBN: 9290795921
Category : Democracy
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
Approaches democratization of the European neighbourhood from two sides, first exploring developments in the states themselves and then examining what the European Union has been doing to promote the process.

Turkey's Accession to the European Union

Turkey's Accession to the European Union PDF Author: Belgin Akçay
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 0739179829
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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Book Description
Although Turkey has a long-held aspiration for European Union membership and has been a candidate for more than a decade, relations between the EU and Turkey have not received the attention it deserves from non-Turkish researchers thus far, and consequently the international literature on EU-Turkey relations is rather limited. In light of recent global economic and political challenges for the EU and Turkey, a need has emerged for an interdisciplinary approach to study EU-Turkey relations within the wider international political and economic context. Turkey’s Accession to the European Union: Political and Economic Challenges, edited by Belgin Akçay and Bahri Yilmaz, provides a timely overview of some of the most important issues and debates in the changing context of Europe, the change in domestic politics and foreign policy in Turkey, and the likely implications of these changes and developments for EU-Turkey relations. Within this framework, this collection includes articles emphasizing Turkey’s reform process with a view to EU accession, despite EU’s reservations about “absorbing” Turkey and the eventual decoupling of the Turkish reform process from European integration, as well as searching for alternative forms of cooperation or transitional arrangements which may be possible for Turkey at the time of accession.

Global Economic Prospects 2005

Global Economic Prospects 2005 PDF Author:
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 9780821357477
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 186

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Book Description
This annual publication analyses the global and national dimensions of the investment climate for developing countries, in terms of the policy and institutional environment. This edition examines the growth of regional trade agreements, which have risen eight-fold in two decades with currently, as much as 40 percent of global trade taking place among countries that have some form of reciprocal regional trade agreement. Issues discussed include: regional trading trends; effects of regional agreements on trade creation, trade facilitation and services, investment, intellectual property rights, and labour mobility; whether the proliferation of agreements poses risks for multilateral trading system, and if so, options for managing them. The report finds that agreements leading to open regionalism (that is, deeper integration of trade as a result of low external tariffs, increased services competition, and efforts to reduce cross-border and customs delays costs) are effective as part of a larger trade strategy to promote growth. Although regional agreements can prove beneficial to member countries, they can have adverse effects on excluded countries, and the lowering of border barriers around the world is crucial to minimising these effects. The completion of the Doha Development Agenda by all WTO countries will reduce the risk of trade diversion associated with regional agreements and will decrease trade losses of countries excluded from agreements.