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Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

05.10.09: EU leaders face 'difficult task' naming new Commission - 0 views

www.euractiv.com/...article-186074

lisbon-treaty eu-policy_memberstates poland czechia

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 06 Oct 09 - Cached
  • EU heads of state and government will have to make difficult choices when they meet in Brussels for a summit on 29-30 October, with uncertainty over when the Lisbon Treaty will come into force having huge consequences for the size of the next European Commission, analysts told EurActiv.
  • Background: According to pro-EU politicians, Europe is in a "completely new" situation after the resounding 'yes' vote in the second Irish Lisbon Treaty referendum, held last Friday (EurActiv 03/10/09).  At present, 25 out of 27 EU member states have ratified the Union's reform treaty, and the news from Poland is that its president, Lech Kaczyński, will soon sign the ratification by the country's parliament, completing the procedure in that country too.  All eyes are now turning to the Czech Republic, where a group of 17 Eurosceptic senators close to the country's president, Václav Klaus, filed a second complaint against the Lisbon Treaty with the constitutional court in Prague, putting its ratification on hold (EurActiv 30/09/09).  This strategy is seen as an attempt to delay final ratification of the Lisbon Treaty until a conservative government comes to power in Britain, where elections are due next year.  Tory leader David Cameron, who leads comfortably in opinion polls, said that in the event that the Lisbon Treaty is not fully ratified by then, he will call a referendum in the UK, despite the fact that the country has already ratified the treaty in parliament (EurActiv 24/09/09). 
  • On the one hand, EU leaders can assume that the Lisbon Treaty will soon be ratified and invite member states to submit candidacies for commissioners and other top jobs. Alternatively, they can choose to avoid taking any risks and launch a procedure for nominating a smaller-size Commission under the current Nice Treaty, analysts told EurActiv. 
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

Craig (2010) The Lisbon Treaty (to be published in December 2010) - 0 views

www.us.oup.com/...GeneralPublicInternationalLaw

eu eu-constitution lisbon-treaty literature eu-research

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 04 Aug 10 - Cached
  • Description The Lisbon Treaty reformed the foundations of the European Union and marked the culmination of a process of Treaty reform that began after the Treaty of Nice and spanned almost a decade. This book addresses the main innovations made by the new Treaty, examining its legal and political consequences in a reformed EU. The book is organized thematically around the principal issues that occupied those engaged in the reforms over the last decade. The chapters include analysis of the reform process itself and the political forces that shaped the relevant provisions of the Lisbon Treaty. The book contains detailed analysis of the relevant legal changes made by the Lisbon Treaty on each topic covered. This legal analysis is informed by broader literature from related disciplines, such as political science and international relations, since it is only by doing so that it is possible fully to understand the legal implications of the new provisions dealing with issues such as the inter-institutional division of power within the EU, the distribution of competence, the hierarchy of legal acts and the Charter of Rights. The book addresses the political and legal implications of the Treaty provisions, and the discussion is set against the background of the pre-existing legal and political regime, aiding a full understanding of the effect of the new rules contained in the Lisbon Treaty.
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

19.06.08: What about the size of the eu-commission after the No vote in Ireland? - 0 views

www.euractiv.com/...article-173472

constitution eu-commission eu-institutions lisbon-treaty nice-treaty

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 19 Jun 08 - Cached
  • The EU summit, which starts in Brussels today (19 June), was meant to give EU leaders the opportunity to discuss their first full-time president. But following the 'no' vote in Ireland, they now face the less pleasant prospect of having to reduce the size of the European Commission as currently required by the Nice Treaty.
  • Background: The Nice Treaty stipulates that when the number of EU member states reaches 27, the number of commissioners appointed in the subsequent EU executive would have to be less than this number, without giving a precise figure.  With the EU now having numbered 27 members since 1 January 2007, there is an understanding that the current number of commissioners exceeds the realistic number of portfolios.  As an example, to accommodate Bulgaria and Romania, Markos Kyprianou, the Cypriot health and consumer protection commissioner, had to abandon the second part of his portfolio in favour of his new Bulgarian colleague, Meglena Kuneva (EurActiv 26/10/06) Similarly, the multilingualism portfolio was taken from Ján Figel, the Slovak commissioner for education, training and culture, and handed to Leonard Orban, the Romanian commissioner (EurActiv 31/10/06).
  • But following the failed Irish referendum, heads of state and government will instead have to revert to the provisions of the Nice Treaty, which is designed for a Europe of 27 member states, diplomats said.  In short, this means having to consider reducing the number of commissioners to below 27, as foreseen under the current treaty agreed upon in Nice in 2001. In contrast, the Lisbon Treaty envisages reducing the number of commissioners to 15 by 2014. 
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • "Under Lisbon, this would only have happened in 2014," Sellal told journalists in Brussels on 18 June. The question of which country (or countries) should give up their commissioner will therefore now have to be open to negotiation between EU heads of state. And because such decisions have to be taken by unanimity, this raises the prospect of endless haggling between member states.  "As long as there will be no Lisbon Treaty, this question will remain open," Sellal said. 
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

12.12.08: EU summit gives in to Irish demands on Lisbon Treaty - 0 views

www.euractiv.com/...article-178004

constitution lisbon-treaty ratification options_after_Irish_No summits

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 12 Dec 08 - Cached
  • On the first day of the European Council (11 December), EU leaders agreed on a package of Irish demands which pave the way for a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland, which will most probably be held in October 2009.
  • Under the compromise text, seen by EurActiv, all EU countries are expected to keep their commissioner. Ireland will receive legal guarantees on taxation policy, social and ethical issues and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CFSP), with regard to Ireland's traditional policy of neutrality among other provisions. 
  • Transitional accommodations  Therefore, transitional measures have been adopted with respect to the Presidency of the European Council, as well as of the European Parliament. The member state holding the EU presidency when the Lisbon Treaty enters into force (Sweden holds the presidency until the end of 2009) will continue to chair all meetings in the same manner as today's presidencies.  But the next EU presidency holder (Spain from January 2010) will make changes in conformity with the Lisbon Treaty, making room for a permanent President of the European Council and a High Representative for foreign affairs and security policy.  Also, European Parliament will be enlarged from 736 to 754 members in the course of 2010, if indeed the Irish say 'yes' to the reform treaty. The elections will take place under the Treaty of Nice, but soon the Parliament is expected to accommodate the provisions of Lisbon.  Answering questions from the press, Poettering acknowledged that the situation was not ideal, and the legitimacy of MEPs falling between the Nice and Lisbon Treaties should be preserved, as their status should not be different. He admitted that legal experts would struggle with the issue. 
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

Juncker rules out Lisbon treaty before 2010 - 0 views

euobserver.com/26759

constitution lisbon-treaty options_after_irish_no

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 17 Sep 08 - Cached
  • The European Union's Lisbon Treaty will not enter into force before the European Parliament elections in June 2009, as was initially hoped, and is unlikely to do so before 1 January 2010 either, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said in Brussels on Wednesday (17 September).
  • If the Lisbon treaty does not come into force in 2009, that will affect the composition of both the European Parliament and the European Commission next year. Both would have to be conducted under the EU's current set of rules, the Nice treaty, which would mean that there would be 785 instead of 751 seats, as foreseen in the Lisbon treaty, in the parliament. But it would also reduce the number of commissioners in the next commission - to be nominated by November 2009 - as under Nice, the number should be "less than the number of member states."
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

06.11.08: Western Balkans still way off EU entry criteria - 0 views

www.euractiv.com/...article-176971

enlargement enlargementpolicy_eu enlargementpolicy_candidates enlargement_fatigue bosnia albania croatia serbia montenegro macedonia kosovo

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 06 Nov 08 - Cached
  • EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn made clear yesterday (5 November) that Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Kosovo, are still a long way away from getting clear persprectives of EU accession.
  • In spite of the EU executive's insistence that its assessments are based on objective criteria, the countries in the region are increasingly aware that enlargement is no longer fashionable in the EU, especially in the context of the current financial crisis and uncertainty following the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty by Ireland.  European Parliament President Hans-Gert Poettering said on Tuesday that "perhaps with the exception of Croatia," no enlargement was possible without the Lisbon Treaty. This statement contradicts strong views, expressed repeatedly by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, that no enlargement whatsoever was possible before the Lisbon Treaty comes into force (EurActiv 20/06/08). In fact, the Nice Treaty provides institutional arrangements for only 27 member states, but some countries believe that it may be possible to find a compromise to accommodate Croatia. 
  • Links European Union European Commission: Enlargement strategy and main challenges 2008-2009 European Commission: Key findings of the progress reports on the candidate countries: Croatia, Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: European Commission: Key findings of the progress reports on Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Kosovo European Commission: 2009 the year of the Western Balkans European Commission: Croatia 2008 Progress report European Commission: The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 2008 Progress report European Commission: Albania 2008 Progress report European Commission: Bosnia and Herzegovina 2008 Progress report European Commission: Montenegro 2008 Progress report European Commission: Serbia 2008 Progress report European Commission: Kosovo (under UNSR 1244/99) 2008 Progress report
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

30.06.08: Czech Government: Lisbon-Treaty doesn't violate Czech Constitution - 0 views

euobserver.com/26415

constitution czechia eu-policy_memberstates lisbon-treaty ratification

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 30 Jun 08 - Cached
  • The Czech government has advised the country's Constitutional Court that the EU's Lisbon treaty does not violate the Czech Republic's own constitution, improving the climate for ratification in the most problematic EU state after the Irish No vote.
  • Analysts expect the EU treaty to get through the 200-seat lower house. But the eurosceptic ODS party, many of whose members say Lisbon is dead after the Irish referendum, holds a 41-strong majority in the 81-seat upper house. The Czech president, Vaclav Klaus - an outspoken enemy of Lisbon - must also sign the text to make it law. The largely honorary office of the Czech president would find it hard to block a parliamentary decision in practice, however.
  • Ratification map France, Germany and the European Commission have called for ratification to continue despite the Irish No, pointing to a scenario in which Ireland stands isolated against 26 EU states and faces pressure for a re-vote, as occured with the 2001 Nice treaty referendum. Sixteen EU states have so far definitively ratified Lisbon. The Finnish, Polish and German parliaments have approved the text, but are awaiting their presidents' signatures. The Swedish, Dutch, Belgian, Italian, Spanish, and Cypriot legislatures will finish voting between July and the autumn. The Czech Republic is not the only problem country left, with the Polish president's office questioning whether the treaty still legally exists and the German constitutional court considering a legal challenge. Austrian leader Alfred Gusenbauer last week said he would also call a referendum if Lisbon is tweaked for a second Irish vote.
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

24.06.08: Lisbon Deadlock Might Hit Croatia EU Hopes - 0 views

www.balkaninsight.com/...11298

croatia enlargement enlargementpolicy_eu enlargementpolicymemberstates lisbon-treaty westernbalkans

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 25 Jun 08 - Cached
  • With EU enlargement in question following the Irish ‘no’ vote to the Lisbon Treaty, Zagreb fears a fresh delay to its accession.
  • Some experts also maintain that enlargement to include Croatia might be possible even if the Lisbon Treaty does not enter into force. The Brussels think tank, the European Policy Centre, for example, noted in a recent paper that while Croatian accession would require some adjustments to Nice, “some of these, concerning, for instance, the composition of EU institutions and the voting rules, could be introduced through the Accession Treaty with the next entrant (probably Croatia)”. Michael Emerson, enlargement expert for another EU think tank, the Centre for European Policy Studies, agrees. “It is not impossible legally for Croatia to come in with few bits of adjustment to exciting treaties”, Emerson said. “However politically, some member states will use this as leaver to try to get Lisbon Treaty through”, he added.
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

16.06.08: Irish No reaises questions over EU commissiion size - 0 views

euobserver.com/26328

constitution eu-commission lisbon-treaty nice-treaty

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 16 Jun 08 - Cached
  • Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty has left EU diplomats scratching their heads over the size of the next European Commission. Under current rules, the number of commissioners in the bloc's executive should be capped but it is unclear how.
  • "It turned out that the biggest question mark is over the number of commissioners as there should soon be a cut in their number but it is not stated specifically down to which number," one diplomat told EUobserver, referring to the appointment of the next commission, due in the autumn of 2009.
  • But while the new treaty would have meant that from 2014 each member state would be without a commissioner for five years in any fifteen year cycle. Under the Nice Treaty, which is in effect now, a reduction in size of the commission must be made next year. The Nice rules state that if the number of member states reaches 27, the number of commissioners appointed in the subsequent commission would be reduced by the Council [representing member states] to below 27.
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

09.01.09: Czechs prepare for possible second Irish No - 0 views

euobserver.com/27360

constitution lisbon-treaty ratification options_after_Irish_No Czech_Presidency_2009

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 08 Jan 09 - Cached
  • The Czech EU presidency is preparing a contingency plan for one of the most sensitive areas in the EU institutional set-up in case Ireland rejects Europe's new treaty for a second time later this year. According to the Irish Times newspaper, Prague is working on a plan for how to reduce the size of the European Commission should Irish voters once again vote No in autumn.
  • "On the composition of the commission we have to be ready for both possible scenarios: One scenario is that the Lisbon Treaty enters force at the end this year or we have to act and co-operate in the EU under Nice," deputy prime minister Alexander Vondra told the newspaper. The rules of the Nice Treaty state that if the number of EU member states reaches 27, the number of commissioners would then be reduced. The EU's pending set of new rules, known as the Lisbon Treaty, however allows the continuation of one commissioner per member state if all EU governments unanimously agree to it.
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

12.09.09 No vote would be an irrational act of self-injury - 0 views

www.irishtimes.com/...1224254377432.html

lisbon-treaty eu-policy_memberstates ireland enlargement

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 12 Sep 09 - Cached
  • A small state should be very cautious about becoming the occasion of, an excuse for, or identified as the pivotal factor in such a consequential shift, unless it has vital interests at stake. And since the alternative to Lisbon would be a political regrouping of the larger core states in a two-tier, two-speed setting outside treaty rules, in which smaller states would have reduced influence and Ireland would be marginalised, a No vote would be an irrational self-injury.This is doubly so because such an alternative European system would risk reproducing older power struggles the EU was originally set up to overcome. During the 1996 Irish EU presidency, an intense effort was made to draft rules designed to limit such “variable geometry” within the EU system, which became part of the Amsterdam Treaty in 1997. Somewhat amended in Nice and Lisbon, these rules still apply. It would be ironic indeed were they to be invoked in a more permissive setting after an Irish No.
  • A small state should be very cautious about becoming the occasion of, an excuse for, or identified as the pivotal factor in such a consequential shift, unless it has vital interests at stake. And since the alternative to Lisbon would be a political regrouping of the larger core states in a two-tier, two-speed setting outside treaty rules, in which smaller states would have reduced influence and Ireland would be marginalised, a No vote would be an irrational self-injury.This is doubly so because such an alternative European system would risk reproducing older power struggles the EU was originally set up to overcome. During the 1996 Irish EU presidency, an intense effort was made to draft rules designed to limit such “variable geometry” within the EU system, which became part of the Amsterdam Treaty in 1997. Somewhat amended in Nice and Lisbon, these rules still apply. It would be ironic indeed were they to be invoked in a more permissive setting after an Irish No.
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

17.06.08: EU mulls Lisbon Treaty sweeteners for Ireland - 0 views

euobserver.com/26338

constitution enlargement enlargementpolicy_eu ireland libon-treaty westernbalkans

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 17 Jun 08 - Cached
  • As EU foreign ministers try to breathe life back into the Lisbon Treaty, the charter of institutional reforms rejected by Irish voters last week, Dublin is likely to be offered stronger guarantees in the sensitive areas of taxation, defence and family policies. According to the Financial Times, "explanatory protocols" should explicitly state that the document does not affect Ireland's ability to set its own tax rates, the country's neutrality status or its abortion policy.
  • Another solution being floated involves a legal assurance that Ireland will never lose its seat at the European Commission table, the Irish Times reports. The Lisbon Treaty enables EU leaders to put the reduction of the size of the commission on ice. Either scenario is expected to be agreed at the first top-level meeting of EU leaders under the French EU presidency in October.
  • Irish No will not put brakes on EU enlargement Aside from the size of the next European Commission - now capped by the current EU rules - a question mark hangs over the 27-nation bloc's capacity to absorb new members. The Nice Treaty is tailored to no more than 27 member states. When asked about the prospects of EU hopefuls' accession to the EU, Mr Rupel excluded any changes to the process. "The outcome of the Irish referendum in no way changes enlargement policy...The EU unanimously decided to invited the countries of the Western Balkans to take membership so there is no doubt about that," the minister said, but added: "How we will carry that out that is another question."
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

29.06.08: The options for a Europe without a script - 0 views

www.ft.com/...eb-11dd-9009-0000779fd2ac.html

constitution enlargement enlargementpolicy_eu lisbon-treaty options_after_irish_no

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 01 Jul 08 - Cached
  • My own hunch is that they will try to find a way to enforce the Lisbon treaty without the non-ratifiers. As a first step, they will try to offer the No-sayers a quit-and-rejoin deal. It would be the least divisive option of all, but unfortunately, it may also be one of the least realistic. It would obviously require their consent, which is far from assured. In Ireland’s case it may require a referendum to get out and another one to get back in.If this is not possible, there are several other options involving varying degrees of involuntary separation. For example, everybody would formally remain inside the EU on the basis of the Nice treaty, but the ratifiers would organise their areas of co-operation outside the EU and its institutions – on foreign policy, immigration, economic governance, maybe even on energy and the environment. They could do so using the provisions of Lisbon treaty or any other rules they choose among themselves.
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

13.06.08: EU: Irish 'No' Vote On Lisbon Treaty Blows Hole In EU Integration Project - 0 views

www.rferl.org/...7E-4DC1-86A3-6F25610A3DD3.html

constitution enlargement enlargementpolicy_eu eu-policy_memberstates ireland lisbon-treaty referenda

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 14 Jun 08 - Cached
  • The EU ship of state has just been holed just above the waterline. While it is unlikely to sink, it could take in water, start listing, and eventually become very difficult to steer.
  • One of the biggest losers in the wake of the Irish referendum will be the EU's enlargement plans, insofar as they have existed. Pierre Moscovici, one of the leaders of the French opposition Socialist Party and a former Europe Minister, made that point in Paris on June 9. "I think that globally, an Irish 'no' would mean that the European Union would no longer be in a position to pursue further its policy of enlargement," Moscovici said. "For institutional reasons in the first place, because the Treaty of Nice -- I know this, because I was one its negotiators -- is designed for up to 28 [member states]. After that, we'll be in 'no man's land.'" Of the current candidates, only Croatia would be guaranteed entry under existing rules.
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

10.06.08: Arguments in the referendum debate in Ireland - 0 views

euobserver.com/26296

constitution ireland lisbon-treaty referenda

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 10 Jun 08 - Cached
  • There is great fear in the hearts of treaty supporters on the continent that the Irish, who have benefited from EU largesse arguably more than any other member state, may spurn their benefactor once again as they did when they rejected the Nice Treaty seven years ago.
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

28.06.07: A treaty for foreign policy? - 0 views

euobserver.com/24366

cfsp constitution

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 28 Jun 07 - Cached
  • What will be the theme of the new Reform Treaty, the outlines of which were agreed at the weekend? Will it have a big idea to give it meaning and purpose, or will it, like the Nice treaty, linger on, pointless and lamented. The answer lies in the enhanced capacity for the EU to act on the world stage. At present, the representation of the EU to third countries is divided three ways between the High Representative for the CFSP, the European Commissioner for External Relations and Neighbourhood Policy, and the foreign affairs minister of the member state that holds rotating presidency. Not surprisingly, this can sometimes be confusing.
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

Referendums related to the European Union - 0 views

en.wikipedia.org/..._related_to_the_European_Union

constitution enlargement referendums

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 11 May 07 - Cached
  • Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 11 May 07
     
    Contents [hide] * 1 Enlargement of 1973 * 2 Single European Act * 3 Maastricht Treaty * 4 Enlargement of 1995 * 5 Treaty of Amsterdam * 6 Treaty of Nice * 7 Enlargement of 2004 * 8 European Constitution
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

18.06.07: Poland preparing for EU summit - 0 views

euobserver.com/24303

constitution eu-policy_memberstates poland

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 20 Jun 07 - Cached
  • With just three days to go to a tense summit on the future of the EU treaty, Poland has still not decided if prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczysnki or president Lech Kaczynski will go to Brussels, in a move that could indicate how hard Poland will fight for voting system reforms.
  • The question comes amid an ugly disagreement between Warsaw and the German EU presidency over EU voting weights - an elaborate calculus on power sharing that kicks in on the rare occasions that EU members cannot agree on new laws by consensus. Berlin and almost all other EU members want to go for a "double majority" system, which gives big states more power vis-a-vis medium-sized countries than the current "Nice" system. But Poland is pushing for a middle way, based on the "square root" of member states' populations.
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

26.04.07: Croatia urged to reform - 0 views

www.euractiv.com/...article-163382

croatia enlargement enlargementnews enlargementpolicy_eu enlargementpolicycandidates

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 11 May 07 - Cached
  • MEPs have urged Croatia to make progress on EU accession criteria but at the same time said that full membership will not be considered before the EU reforms its own institutions.
  • Croatia expects to join the EU as a full member in 2009, but MEPs on 25 April 2007 stressed that the current EU institutional framework (Nice Treaty) needs to be reformed before any further enlargements take place.
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann

EUROPA - GLOSSARY - 0 views

europa.eu/...aboutglossary_en.htm

encyclopedias

shared by Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 11 May 07 - Cached
  • Prof. Dr Wolfgang Schumann on 11 May 07
     
    The following glossary contains some 220 terms relating to European integration and the institutions and activities of the EU. It is updated regularly and includes all the changes brought about by the Treaty of Nice as well as the changes provided for in
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