Study Materials
Study materials are articles and other materials that participants in the EU Study Tour are expected to read before and during the Study Tour. Study materials are also used in preparing for several internal seminars held during the Study Tour. The materials listed or reproduced below reflect some of the key themes to be developed on the Study Tour.
All students are expected to participate in common thematic assignments which must be prepared during the pre-Tour period in Canada. The topics for Study Tour 2011 are given below. Curriculum and assignments are established by the Academic Coordinating Committee.
The students on the Study Tour have diverse backgrounds. Some are pursuing graduate level work in European studies and the European Union. Undergraduates vary considerably in the number of relevant courses focusing on the European Union which they have completed. We expect all students to be familiar with the scope of subjects covered in Michelle Cinis’s European Union Politics or its equivalent. If you haven’t accomplished this in course work we strongly suggest you acquire the text book and read it before departure.
Foundation text:
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European Union Politics |
Michelle Cini and Nieves Pérez-Solόrzano Borragán Copyright Year: 2010 | Third Edition | Oxford University Press|530 pp| ISBN-13: 9780199548637. To purchase: at your bookstore or http://www.oupcanada.com/catalog/9780199548637.html |
Study Materials and Thematic Sessions. For illustration only (2011 material); new material will appear in 2012.
The thematic assignments for 2011 focussed on the issues below (with thanks to Professors Joan DeBardeleben, Carleton University, and Kurt Hübner, UBC). Study Materials You can use this pdf
Theme 1: The Upheaval in North Africa and the EU: Responses and Impacts
Rory Miller and Ashraf Mishrif, “The Barcelona Process and Euro-Arab Economic Relations, 1995-2005,” Middle East Review of International Affairs, June 2005, http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/2005/issue2/jv9no2a6.html#Rory
Cristina Paciello, Maria(2010) 'The Impact of the Economic Crisis on Euro-Mediterranean Relations', The International Spectator, 45: 3, 51 — 69
Rosemary Hollis, “The basic stakes and strategy of the EU and Member States, “European Involvement in the Arab-Israeli Conflict”, European Union Institute for Security Studies, Chaillot Paper, December 2010, pp. 31-42, http://www.iss.europa.eu/uploads/media/cp124-European_Involvement_in_the_Arab-Israeli_Conflict.pdf
Destination Lampedusa: European Leaders Struggle with Wave of Tunisian Migrants,” Spiegel Online, Feb. 15, 2011, http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,745669,00.html
Astrid Ziebarth, “North Africa changes, and so should Europe’s migration policy,” Feb. 16, 2011, website of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, http://blog.gmfus.org/2011/02/16/north-africa-changes-and-so-should-europeâs-migration-policy/
Questions to consider:
Assess the following statement: “The EU’s previous policies toward its southern neighbours, the Barcelona Process and the European Neighbourhood Policy, are now largely superseded by events in
To what extent is the EU’s response to the revolutions in North Africa intertwined with its policy toward Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict? Discuss the interconnections.
The upheaval in Africa poses the possibility of major population movements. How adequate is the current framework for dealing with asylum seekers and others seeking entry into the EU to deal with this situation? What are some of the particular policy instruments available and what are the major challenges?
How might member state perspectives on any of the issues mentioned above (in points b-d) differ? How likely is it that the EU can develop a common position?
Theme 2: The EU’s evolving role as a foreign policy actor: the Lisbon Treaty, the external actions service, and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Michael Emerson, Rosa Balfour, Tim Corthaut, Jan Wouters, Piotr Maciej Kaczyński & Thomas Renard, “Upgrading the EU's Role as Global Actor,” Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS), Commentary (Brussels), 25 January 2011 Access: http://www.ceps.eu/book/upgrading-eus-role-global-actor-institutions-law-and-restructuring-european-diplomacy Please read chapters 1, 2.“The External Action Service,” See europa website of the European Union, http://www.eeas.europa.eu/background/index_en.htm (please review the material on this website).
Brendan Donnelly, Brendan, 'Europe in the World: All Change or No Change in Foreign Policy After Lisbon?'
Toby Vogel, “Stumbling to a Start: Is the E.U. prepared to have a genuinely common foreign policy?” Internationale Politik — Global Edition, 2010, Issue 4, http://www.ip-global.org/2010/07/01/stumbling-to-a-start/
Questions to consider:Do you agree that it is important for the EU to upgrade its role as a global actor? What would it mean for the EU to be a global actor?
What is the logic behind creation of the External Action Service and what are some of the obstacles to its future effectiveness?
What are some of the conflicts that have arisen over the construction and functioning of the External Action Service
?In your view will the creation of this service and of the High Representations significantly enhance the EU’s capacity as a foreign policy or global actor?
Theme 3: The Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA): Costs, benefits, and prospects
Christian Deblock and Michèle Rioux, “Canada and the European Union: From Economic Dialogue to CETA,” International Journal, forthcoming, vol. 66 (Winter 2010-2011), no. 1 New article (available on this site until May 8)
Kurt Hübner , “CETA: Stumbling Blocks in Ongoing Negotiations,” Policy briefs, Canada-Europe Transatlantic Dialogue, http://www.canada-europe-dialogue.ca/publication/2010-05-KurtHuebner(PublicProcurement-TradeNegotiations).pdf
Policy Workshop Report, “A Canada-EU Free Trade Agreement: Public Good or Private Interest?” Canada-Europe Transatlantic Dialogue, Carleton University, October 28, 2010, http://www.canada-europe-dialogue.ca/publication/2010-10-28-CETA-WorkshopReport.pdf
Provincial involvement in the negotiation of CETA goes far beyond what was experienced at the time of the NAFTA negotiations and may represent a new level of Federal-Provincial cooperation in the negotiations of international agreements. For background on the issue of provincial jurisdiction and Canada’s negotiation of international treaties see:
Christopher J. Kukucha, “From Kyoto to the WTO: Evaluating the Constitutional Legitimacy of the Provinces in Canadian Foreign Trade and Environmental Policy” Canadian Journal of Political Science, Mar 2005, Vol. 38 Issue 1, p129-152, 24p
Questions to consider:
What were the primary motivations for the launch of negotiations on the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement ? What are the primary objectives of the negotiations? What would be the relative benefits and costs for the EU and Canada, respectively?
What are the main contentious issues in these negotiations? Consider, among other things, the role of the provinces and member states, as well as impacts of particular sectors as well as employment. What kinds of concerns have been expressed by civil society organizations?
Additional background readings on this topic (optional):
“Assessing the Costs and Benefits of a Closer EU-Canada Economic Partnership,” a joint study of the European Commission and the Government of Canada, October 2008, Website of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Government of Canada, http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/assets/pdfs/EU-CanadaJointStudy-en.pdf
Jim Stanford, “The Impact of EU-Canada Free Trade on the Real Economy,” Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, October 27, 2010, http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/out-equilibrium
Response by Patrick Leblond, “Free trade with Europe will not destroy 150,000 jobs,” November 2010, Canada-Europe Transatlantic Dialogue, http://www.canada-europe-dialogue.ca/publication/2010-11-LeblondCommentaryCETA.pdf
Europe, Canada and the Comprehensive Trade Agreement, Kurt Hübner, ed. (Routledge, March 2011).
Questions to consider:
What were the primary motivations for the launch of negotiations on the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement? What are the primary objectives of the negotiations? What would be the relative benefits and costs for the EU and Canada, respectively?
What are the main contentious issues in these negotiations? Consider, among othter things, the role of the provinces and member states, as well as impacts of particular sectors as well as employment. What kinds of concerns have been expressed by civil society organizations?
Theme 4: How is Europe dealing with the economic crisis (with a focus on the euro crisis)?
W. Buiter, E. Rahbari: Greece and the fiscal crisis in the Eurozone, Policy Insight No.. 51, CEPR, October 2010, http://www.cepr.org/pubs/policyinsights/PolicyInsight51.pdf
“Europe will work: But it needs to strengthen its governance, fix its banks, and reform its structural policies,” Nomura Global Economics, March 2011, Chpt. 1-2, http://www.nomura.com/europe/resources/pdf/Europe will work FINAL_March2011.pdf
Erik Jones, “Macroeconomic imbalances and sovereign debt markets,” in Europe, Canada and the Comprehensive Trade Agreement, Kurt Hübner, ed. (Routledge, March 2011). (optional)
Questions to consider:
How and to what degree is the crisis management of the Commission and national governments changing the character and design of the mode of economic governance?
What are the social costs of the move towards fiscal austerity?