Estimating the costs of gender-based violence in the European Union

The purpose of the study is to identify and recommend appropriate methodologies to measure the cost of gender-based and intimate partner violence in EU-28 Member States. To define gender-based and intimate partner violence for this study we draw on the definitions advanced by the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (UN 1993) and Council of Europe (2011) respectively. These authorities focus on the forms of violence, violence perpetrated by intimate partners and other family members (domestic violence) and sexual violence that are disproportionality perpetrated against and disproportionality impact women

Towards Age-Friendly Work in Europe: A Life-Course Perspective on Work and Ageing from EU Agencies

[Excerpt] The European population is ageing owing to decreasing birth rates and increasing longevity. Population ageing is associated with a decrease in the size and ageing of the workforce. The majority of the EU Member States have reacted to this development by, among other measures, increasing retirement ages and limiting early access to pensions. Nevertheless, a large percentage of workers in the EU do not stay in employment until the official retirement age. The reasons for this are diverse, and will be examined in more detail in this report. Policy-makers are faced with the challenge of addressing this demographic change and its implications for employment, working conditions, living standards and the sustainability of welfare states. The working conditions of older workers and their participation in the labour market are affected by various policy areas (see also Table 1). This report aims to outline various aspects of the working conditions of the ageing workforce and related policies

Reforming the Doctorate in the Social Sciences : a report on good practice

Background of INCASI Project H2020-MSCA-RISE-2015 GA 691004. WP1: CompilationThis report responds to the changing nature of doctoral education and the need to engage in a reflection andreform process, especially during times of economic downturn when public university funding comes under increasing threat. It is based on a project that was initiated by the European University Institute (EUI) in late 2015 to provide a neutral forum for discussion. A distinguished Task Force of eminent professors from across Europe carried out the mandate to identify 'good practice' in doctoral education. As general discussions on the doctorate tend to pay main attention to medicine and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects, this project was to focus specifically on doctoral education in the social sciences (broadly understood). This focus also distinguishes the present project from much important work that has been done by the European University Association (EUA), the largest representative body of higher education at a European level which seeks to promote European policies, networking opportunities, and the visibility of European universities more generally. The compilation of good practice in the present report has no regulatory function, as it was assessed and collected by active academics and not policymakers; but it is expected to be of use as a first necessary mapping of good practice in doctoral education in social sciences

Governing climate change in the Mediterranean : fragmentation in dialogue, markets and funds

The article analyses the challenges of interregional cooperation for the two regional secretariats in the Mediterranean – the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean and the Secretariat of the Mediterranean Action Plan – in the policy fields of climate change mitigation and adaptation. Mediterranean climate governance is structured around complex governance arrangements, where multiple actors attempt to integrate the issue of climate change. However, the lack of financial commitments for long-term infrastructure investments and bilateral differentiation under the EU’s Neighbourhood Policy undermine region-wide cooperation. As a result, fragmentation in dialogue, markets and funds challenge the efforts of regional institutions in each climate sector and lead to variable governing outcomes. KEY WORDS Climate Change Governance, Climate Change Mitigation, Climate Change Adaptation, Southern Neighbourhood, Euro-Mediterranean relations, North Africapeer-reviewe

Ten years of EU membership - the Maltese Parliament

The European Union has long seen the use of enlargement as a means to transform its neighbours. For many of the 2004 enlargement countries, membership was a means to open economically and politically. For Malta and Cyprus, established democracies with extensive trade links across Europe, EU membership still had the capacity to transform their political and economic systems and hence the need, a decade on, to take stock. With this in mind and conscious that the EU political system has often raised concerns over legitimacy and accountability, attention is increasingly being focused on how the complexities of the EU political system, and the role national governments play in that system, impacts the legitimacy and accountability of the domestic political system, in particular the functioning of the national parliament. To this end, this paper will analyse how the Maltese Parliament has been impacted by membership and seek to establish whether there has been a significant alteration in its ability to hold the national executive to account.peer-reviewe

Taking its place in Europe - Iceland’s long road to its EU application

Iceland applied for EU membership in 2009. Before that it had sought to alleviate pressures on her to fully integrate with Europe firstly by pursuing limited integration through membership of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and later by joining the European Economic Area (EEA). This paper traces the steps taken by this peripheral European country from itsstruggle of independence from Denmark, through World War II, American occupation, the founding of a republic, NATO membership and the Cod Wars with Britain. The paper analyses the various phases of the debate on the ties to the European institutions leading to EEA and Schengen membership, the “miraculous economic success“ which ended in the epic crash of 2008 which precipitated a much contested EU applicationpeer-reviewe

The Europeanisation of Maltese interest groups : a comparative study after the first decade of EU membership

The most recognisable and researched impact of Europeanisation is upon government structures, processes and policies. However the study of its effects on domestic interest groups is still in its infancy stage. This article addresses such a gap in academic literature by examining to what extent interest groups are being exposed and influenced by European values and style of governance. Furthermore it also seeks to identify the typology of the enablers of change that are at play. Essentially, the article adopts a comparative and empirical case study approach, making use of mixed methodology, to investigate the complexity of the core issue from the Maltese and Irish perspective, as two small island member states at the periphery of an integrated continent. Findings confirm that interest groups in Malta and the Republic of Ireland are undergoing through a process of domestic change due to Europeanisation, yet their gradual transformation is being marshalled by differing logics of change.peer-reviewe