This book is neither the first nor last word on the role of organised civil society in democratic life inthe European Union. However, it does present a number of fascinating illustrations about the way civilsociety organisations provide avenues of expression for the European citizen.Above all,...

Study on Social Media and Social Networking as agents of Participatory Democracy and Civic Empowerment - The EESC Engages Organised Civil Society Organisations Online - Final Report Social Media have clearly altered the nature of civil society and also have an impact on democratic and political...

This paper provides an analytical description of the experiences made in the United States of America with the last two revisions of legislation controlling lobbyists and their activities, in particular the US Lobbying Disclosure Act. Conclusions with respect to the ongoing debate in the EU on...

The present report is the 14th annual report on migration and asylum of the Belgian National Contact Point (NCP) of the European Migration Network (EMN). The report provides an overview of the most significant political and legislative developments – as well as public debates - in the field of...

The paper empirically tests three of the most significant theories about the emergence of a European identity. The three approaches considered here are, respectively: first, a "cultural" theory, which understands identities as being based on ethno-cultural factors generated through a long-term...

The paper states that Poland appears determined to maintain its uncompromising position following the failure of the Brussels Summit to reach agreement on the draft constitution. Both the government and opposition are declaring that no compromise is possible other than to wait until at least...

The paper argues that the collapse of the European Council Summit in Brussels on 13 December 2003 and the failure to agree the new constitutional treaty throws the Union into a major and unprecedented crisis. Attempts by many EU politicians to talk the severity of the crisis down will not help...

The paper examines the position of the Czech Government at the final session of the Intergovernmental Conference (ICG) on 12 December 2003 in Brussels. The Czech Government was keen to show that the Czechs did not have any "red lines" in the negotiations. The issue of full representation in the...