The Regulation of Competition and Innovation in the European Union and Spain: Opportunities for the Philippines and the ASEAN

The Philippines are currently facing a process of regional economic integration inside the ASEAN, in some way similar to the process undertaken by Spain and the European Union decades ago. Since January 2016, the ASEAN has become a Common Market, for whose effective achievement Competition and Innovation Law and Policies may play a crucial role. The scope of these pages is to overview the importance of the regulation in these issues and the promotion of competition within the member States throughout the process of regional economic integration. Then, we will consider the role that Competition and Intellectual Property Law and Policies have played in the construction of the European Union, and we will point out some current challenges that are still to be faced. Finally, we will offer some comparative conclusions considering the importance that these norms and policies will have in the construction of the ASEAN as an economic integrated area, and the way the ASEAN might follow the footsteps set by the European Union in its integration process.

Latin America and the Caribbean and the European Union: striving for a renewed partnership

Includes bibliography

The Legal Status and Influence of Decisions of International Organizations and other Bodies in the European Union. College of Europe Research Paper in Law 01/2014

Introduction. The European Union’s external action is not only defined by its influence on international developments, but also by its ability and the need to respond to those developments. While traditionally many have stressed the EU’s ‘autonomy’, over the years its ‘dependence’ on global developments has become more clear.2 International law has continued to play a key role in, not only in the EU’s external relations, but also in the Union’s own legal order.3 The purpose of this paper is not to assess the role or performance of the EU in international institutions.4 Rather it purports to reverse the picture and focus on a somewhat under-researched topic: the legal status of decisions of international organizations in the EU’s legal order.5 While parts of the status of these decisions relate to the status of international agreements and international customary law, it can be argued that decisions of international organizations and other international bodies form a distinct category. In fact, it has been observed that “this phenomenon has added a new layer of complexity to the already complex law of external relations of the European Union”.6 Emerging questions relate to the possible difference between decisions of international organizations of which the EU is a member (such as the FAO) and decisions of organizations where it is not (irrespective of existing competences in that area – such as in the ILO). Questions also relate to the hierarchical status of these decisions in the EU’s legal order and to the possibility of them being invoked in direct or indirect actions before the Court of Justice. This contribution takes a broad perspective on decisions of international organizations by including decisions taken in other international institutions which do not necessarily comply with the standard definition of international organizations,7 be it bodies set-up by multilateral conventions or informal (transnational / regulatory) bodies. Some of these bodies are relatively close to the EU (such as the Councils established by Association Agreements – see further Section 5 below); others operate at a certain distance. Limiting the analysis to formal international organizations will not do justice to the manifold relationships between the European Union and various international bodies and to the effects of the norms produced by these bodies. The term ‘international decisions’ is therefore used to refer to any normative output of international institutional arrangements.

Russia and the Global Security Strategy of the European Union

The present article reviews the relations between the EU and Russia in the past decade and shows the deterioration of the bilateral relations. The Putin´s Russia has become a very active geostrategic player, with a worrying behaviour, breaking balances in the international scene established since the end of the Cold War. Russia is a priority in the Foreign and Security Policy of the European Global Security Strategy, but has become also a clear competitor. This last aspect is not sufficiently underlined in the Strategy and thus the strategic framework is not clear. In parallel, it is not clear in the Strategy which are the tools the EU has to defend its neighbourhood when their independence, sovereignty or territorial defence may be put in question. This question goes beyond the support to the resilience of those neighbours.

Latin America and the Caribbean in the World Economy 2007: 2008 trends

Includes bibliography

Economic relations between Latin America and the European Union

Includes bibliography

The ENP in practice - the European Union's policy towards Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova one year after the publication of the Strategy Paper. OSW Point of View, June 2005

Clear qualitative changes have taken place in relations between the European Union and its Eastern neighbours over the past year. The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) has been playing a significant part in the context of these changes. In the cases of Moldova and Ukraine, which are the countries interested in enhancing co-operation with the EU, the ENP has provided a formula that allows taking steps to implement this objective. The ENP has also contributed to "outlining an alternative" to Belarus' current self-isolation. However, the ENP has first of all given a clear message to Russia by specifying the EU's interests and objectives concerning Eastern Europe. The ENP has clearly stated that the EU wants to build democracy and a free market in those countries, and has signalled that the European Union intends to discuss the issues concerning the countries directly with them, and not through Moscow's offices.

What is the European Union? Religion between neofunctionalism and intergovernmentalism

This paper examines the ways in which religion has played a part in the process of European integration. By exploring the position of religious communities towards the European Community since the 1950s until today, it argues that the place of religion has been influenced by the theoretical debates on European integration, namely neofunctionalism and intergovernmentalism. It suggests that, since 1992, the European Union has adopted a neofunctionalist approach towards religious communities, in contrast with the dominant intergovernmentalist integration process between EU member-states. The analysis of religion in relation to this theoretical dispute raises questions about the nature of the European Union and the adaptation of religious communities to supranational institutions.

The influence of newer member states in the European Union:the case of Poland and the Eastern partnership

This article seeks to examine and assess the role of Poland in the early stages of the making of the Eastern Partnership of the European Union. First, it briefly reviews Poland's aims and ambitions with regard to the European Union's policy towards its eastern neighbours, both before and since it joined the European Union in 2004. Second, it describes and analyses the Eastern Partnership, including its added value for the European Neighbourhood Policy. Third, it draws on a range of interviews carried out by the authors in Brussels and Warsaw on Poland's role in the initial formation of the Eastern Partnership, as seen by its partners in the other member states and European institutions. In addition, it seeks to unpack some of the early stage lessons learnt by the Polish government about how best to achieve its ambitions in the European Union, and notes the remaining weaknesses of the Polish administration, particularly in the area of administrative capacity. © 2013 University of Glasgow.

China, perspective from the European Union: commitment and cooperation

The bilateral relationship between the EU and China has a tendency toward growth in recent years. At present, China’s economic development is at a critical transition period for deepening reform in the economic structure. The economic and trade cooperation with the countries of the European Union has a significant influence for the stability of trade development and economic growth. Therefore China tries to expand cooperation and eliminate the issues and difficulties that exist, it will more often to promote cooperation between the two parties towards deeper into various cooperative areas.

The European Union Foreign Policy in the Caucasus and Central Asia: The Limitations of the Opening towards the East

This article intends to study the evolution of the European Union foreign policy in the Southern Caucasus and Central Area throughout the Post-Cold War era. The aim is to analyze Brussels’ fundamental interests and limitations in the area, the strategies it has implemented in the last few years, and the extent to which the EU has been able to undermine the regional hegemons’ traditional supremacy. As will be highlighted, the Community’s chronic weaknesses, the local determination to preserve sovereignty and an increasing international geopolitical competition undermine any European aspiration to become a pre-eminent actor at the heart of the Eurasian continent in the near future.

European information users: topics from a comparative analysis within the European Union

Purpose – The aim of this article is to present some results from research undertaken into the information behaviour of European Documentation Centre (EDC) users. It will reflect on the practices of a group of 234 users of 55 EDCs covering 21 Member States of the European Union (EU), used to access European information. Design/methodology/approach – In order to collect the data presented here, five questionnaires were sent to users in all the EDCs in Finland, Ireland, Hungary and Portugal. In the remaining EU countries, five questionnaires were sent to two EDCs chosen at random. The questionnaires were sent by post, following telephone contact with the EDC managers. Findings – Factors determining access to information on the European Union and the frequency of this access are identified. The information providers most commonly used to access European information and the information sources considered the most reliable by respondents will also be analysed. Another area of analysis concerns the factors cited by respondents as facilitating access to information on Europe or, conversely, making it more difficult to access. Parallel to this, the aspects of accessing information on EU that are valued most by users will also be assessed. Research limitations/implications – Questionnaires had to be used, as the intention was to cover a very extensive geographical area. However, in opting for closed questions, it is acknowledged that standard responses have been obtained with no scope for capturing the individual circumstances of each respondent, thus making a qualitative approach difficult. Practical implications – The results provide an overall picture of certain aspects of the information behaviour of EDC users. They may serve as a starting point for planning training sessions designed to develop the skills required to search, access, evaluate and apply European information within an academic context. From a broader perspective, they also constitute factors which the European Commission should take into consideration when formulating its information and communication policy. Originality/value – This is the first piece of academic research into the EDCs and their users, which aimed to cover all Members State of the EU.

Observatorio de los tratados de libre comercio en Colombia: oportunidades de exportación para Colombia a Dinamarca, España, Eslovaquia, Eslovenia y Croacia

Tradicionalmente Colombia ha mantenido una estrecha relación comercial con la Unión Europea, siendo éste uno de los principales destinos de exportación de productos colombianos no tradicionales. En busca de fortalecer las dinámicas comerciales entre los países de la Unión Europea y Colombia se firmó un acuerdo comercial en aras de promover el crecimiento económico de los países involucrados. En este documento se hará especial énfasis en la relación comercial de Colombia con Dinamarca, España, Eslovaquia, Eslovenia y Croacia. Aun cuando las exportaciones colombianas a estos países europeos son incipientes se identificaron oportunidades de exportación a través de los beneficios que otorga el acuerdo comercial. Colombia se encuentra en un proceso de transición de apertura comercial y el Tratado de la Unión Europea con Colombia ratifica el compromiso del país por asegurar el crecimiento económico impulsado por el comercio exterior.

Observatorio del tratado de libre comercio entre Colombia y la Unión Europea (Irlanda, Italia, Letonia, Lituania y Luxemburgo): Análisis del perfil de una PYME en Colombia para su internacionalización

El siguiente trabajo presenta recomendaciones orientadas a las Pymes Colombianas en cuanto a un proceso de internacionalización de sus productos en Irlanda, Italia, Letonia, Lituania y Luxemburgo, países pertenecientes a la Unión Europea; basados en el análisis de barreras de entrada, Tratado de Libre Comercio entre la Unión Europea y Colombia, así como el comportamiento de la balanza comercial entre ellos. Con el siguiente análisis, consolidamos información necesaria y útil para llevar a cabo la construcción de un plan de trabajo orientado a penetrar mercados europeos, generando un mayor alcance y crecimiento en clientes; para lograr una mayor visibilidad principalmente de los productos y del país, creando una necesidad en los mercados penetrados. Con el fin anteriormente mencionado, es que se hace un recorrido desde los conceptos básicos, pasando por la ruta exportadora y barreras hasta llegar a plantear oportunidades en esos mercados de la Unión Europea. Dentro de los conceptos básicos se hace mención a lo que significa una Pyme, foco principal de nuestro trabajo, resaltando su importancia dentro de la sociedad y principalmente en la economía de un país, aportando en la balanza comercial en el momento que se comienza un proceso de exportación de productos. Este análisis durante su desarrollo conlleva a plantear una serie de conclusiones y recomendaciones que serán de gran utilidad para los empresarios con intensión exportadora, así como también de brindar un aporte enriquecedor desde la mirada de futuras profesionales que en este documento plasman conocimientos obtenidos durante cinco años, además de la habilidad en la selección y búsqueda de información específica que sirve de apoyo para la presentación de este valioso tema.