Finn Laursen

Introduction: The New EU FTAs as Contentious Market Regulation

Abstract EU trade policy is in flux. This reflects various developments, chief among them: the deepening of the global trade liberalisation agenda, the EU’s own constitutional recasting of the Common Commercial Policy, and the politicization of trade. The purpose of this special issue is to analyse the changing politics of trade in the EU, focusing on the EU FTAs with Korea, the US, Canada, and Japan. We propose to view the negotiations of these agreements through the lens of contentious market regulation. This approach takes the regulatory turn in trade seriously, and sheds light on its ramifications for the mobilisation of new actors and the involvement of parliaments in the politics of trade. After tracing the development of the new EU FTAs and discussing the specificity of the EU’s approach to deepened liberalisation, the article presents the framework of contentious market regulation and the individual contributions to the special issue.

The role of national parliamentary committees in European scrutiny: Reflections based on the Danish case1

This paper deals with the European Affairs Committee of the Danish Folketing. It endeavours to situate the committee within the Danish parliamentary system, giving historical background and information about procedures and powers. The European Affairs Committee is a powerful committee. It issues binding mandates to ministers before negotiations in the EU Council of Ministers. As the process of European integration led to increased functional scope of EU legislation a need emerged for involving the various sector committees in the Folketing more in parallel with the European Affairs Committee. An important factor explaining the Danish system of scrutiny is the fact that Denmark usually has minority coalition governments. Such governments need to know what agreements can be accepted at home. Calls for increased transparency have had some effect, but mandates are still negotiated behind closed doors.

Civil Society and European Integration

Nowadays, various processes, events, and changes are discussed under the heading of regional integration. Examples of regional integration include the European Union (EU). States increasingly deal with international interdependence through international policy coordination and integration. Joint decision making can be one way to deal with the negative externalities of interdependence. This article looks mainly at European integration. The question is whether European integration, an example of deep integration, has lessons for other integration schemes. Such lessons, if they exist, could possibly help policymakers in other parts of the world plan their efforts better and maybe avoid some mistakes. Even if many scholars have stressed that European integration is sui generis, it is the assumption of this article that lessons can be learned and that integration in different parts of the world can be compared.

The Making of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty

Contents: Finn Laursen: The Lisbon Treaty. The Treaty-Making Process - Hans J. Lietzmann: A Symbolic Revocation of Symbolism. The German Path from the EU Constitution to the Lisbon Treaty - Frank R. Pfetsch: Germanys Role with Regard to the Reform Process of the EU - Bernard Barthalay: France and Lisbon. Back to the Future - Alasdair Blair: Britain and the Negotiation of the Lisbon Treaty - Federiga Bindi/Luigi Gianniti: Italy and the Making of the Lisbon Treaty - Joaquin Roy: The Lisbon Treaty and Spain. Background, Context and Impact - Lenka Rovna/Zuzana Kasakova: The Czech Republic, an Uncomprehending and Difficult Partner? - Maciej Wilga/Ireneusz Pawel Karolewski: Poland Fighting its Cause in the EU. A Long Story about the Lisbon Treaty - Finn Laursen: Denmark and the Ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. How a Referendum was Avoided - Declan J. Walsh: Ratification by Referendum. How Ireland Changed from No to Yes - Gavin Barrett: A Rough Passage. Lessons from the Experience of the Ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland - Finn Laursen: The Making of the Lisbon Treaty. National Preferences, Inter-state Bargaining and Theoretical Debates.