July 5 - July 15 2008, Prague, Czech Republic
The European Summer School 2005
Workshop 1: Europe and its finance: New Financial Perspective/Agenda 2007
The current state of the EU budget is not feasible and the need for change is even more urgent in relation to the process of enlargement. The problems occur both on the revenue and expenditure side of the budget. Large portion of transfers from national budgets on the overall resources makes the biggest contributors anxious when benefiting countries speak about the need for huge European funding in many areas. On the expenditure side, by far the biggest part of the pie still goes to agriculture at the expense of other more relevant common policies. Structural policy stays at the center of the conflict among old "poor" member states and new member states that argue about which regions should be eligible for support. There is a question of so called "British rabbate" on the table. It provides Britain with a special position among net contributors. Britain has recently claimed this issue non-negotiable. In the same way French representatives speak about agriculture. Poor members do not want to give up increase in structural policy spending. So the final outcome of the negotiations is hardly predictable.
The ESS workshop Europe and its finance consisted of a theoretical lecture giving the necessary background in the first part and a following interactive finding-solution game where participants used the acquired knowledge and their own negotiation skills.
Workshop 2: Europe, candidates and neighbours
With the enlargement of ten new member states, the EU has been gradually developing and redefining its policy towards its neighbourhood. Since the interest in the economic and political stability behind Union's external borders, as well as in transfer of norms and further transformation is vital, does the EU possess efficient tools for creating cooperative answers to the emerging problems? What are the models of EU neighbourhood policy and which problems and limits are tied with each of them? Has the Union managed to fulfil its goal to define a long term perspective of future enlargements both, inwards to the member states as well as to send a clear message to the neighbouring countries? Which tools are available when no "carrot and stick" of the EU accession is present? The workshop Europe, candidates and neighbours dealed with selected issues related to the candidate countries, the ENP countries and to the EU-Russia relations.
Workshop 3: Europe and its security
As a result of removal of barriers for movement of goods, people, services and capital at internal EU borders, expansion of EU external frontiers towards more turbulent regions and due to global changes of international relations, the security environment of the European Union has altered at the beginning of the XXI century. Lecture/seminar Europe and its security focused on the European response to those new threats and challenges to EU internal and external security. In particular, the following areas was covered:
- New EU initiatives in co-operation of law-enforcement institutions of the EU member states, in particular the mechanism of European Arrest Warrant;
- Convergence of criminal law of EU states towards (limited) EU Criminal Code;
- New European visa and asylum policy;
- International dimension of EU security problems, in particular co-operation with the United States;
- Tension between human rights standards and requirements of enhanced security cooperation;
- European Common Foreign and Security Policy as integral part of guaranties of security within the EU.
Workshop 4: Making stories about the EU appealing to readers
Workshop 5: Stories from the New Europe
Even though eight post-communist countries joined the EU last year, their transitions to stable democracies and full market economies remain incomplete. Governments face challenges in living up to their new EU commitments while implementing unpopular reforms or Brussels-mandated changes at home. In the countries next in line--Romania and Bulgaria--officials have little time left to convince the European Union that the problems that linger, unresolved, shouldn't be enough to derail accession. And the EU's new neighbors--countries such as Ukraine and Belarus--present opportunities for the new member states to use their expertise as formerly communist states to spread democracy and market reform further east. All of these angles, and much more, provide a wealth of opportunities for compelling features from the New Europe, stories that should convince readers that the new member states have not suddenly become "boring" EU countries, unworthy of exploration or analysis. The workshop Stories from the New Europe provided an overview of the major EU-related stories that have dominated coverage of Central and Eastern Europe in recent months (the Constitution, the first-year anniversary of accession, Ukraine, war-crimes arrests, etc) and offered ideas on other, overlooked or underreported stories that could potentially be worth investigating. Also covered was the "technical side" of offering articles to editors at publications, including how to pitch a story in a convincing way.
Workshop 6: Writing powerful op-eds and smart analysis pieces
Talk of 'Europe' can all too easily make even the most interested people glaze over, yet, as the referenda on the European Constitution have shown, it can also animate ordinary people in unexpected and powerful ways. Too distant a notion for many people's taste, 'modern Europe' the European Union also touches on neuralgic points. The purpose of this workshop was to try to indicate and work towards ways of adding to the debate about the EU in an interestingly, objective, and productive manner. The workshop Writing powerful op-eds and smart analysis pieces in part discussed an editorial writer's attitude, preparatory work, and composition, and also highlight some of the key topics and trends that form debate about the EU.