Papers from the Second International RICHIE Conference held in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2006.

Proceedings of conference "The Road Europe Travelled Along--The Evolution of the EEC/EU Institutions and Policies," which was held at the University of Siena on the 23rd and 24th of May, 2008.

This book examines the European Left's attempt to think and give shape to an alternative type of European integration-a 'social Europe'-during the long 1970s. Based on fresh archival material, it shows that the western European Left-in particular social democratic parties, trade unions, and to a lesser extent 'Eurocommunist' parties-formulated a project to turn 'capitalist Europe' into a 'workers' Europe'. This project favoured coordinated measures for wealth redistribution, market regulation, a democratisation of the economy and of European institutions, upward harmonisation of social and fiscal systems, more inclusive welfare regimes, guaranteed employment, economic and social planning with greater consideration for the environment, increased public spending to meet collective needs, greater control of capital flows and multinational corporations, a reduction in working time, and a fairer international economic order favouring the global south. During the pivotal years following 1968, deeply marked by labour militancy, new social movements, economic crisis, and the unmaking of the 'postwar compromise', a window of opportunity opened in which European integration could have taken different roads. The defeat of 'social Europe' was a result of a decade-long social conflict which ended with the affirmation of a neoliberal Europe. Investigating this forgotten struggle and the reasons of its defeat can be useful not just to scholars and students eager to understand the historical evolution of European integration, the European Left, and European capitalism, but also to anyone interested in building alternative European and global futures.

This book provides an indispensable guide to the economic, political and diplomatic process that led to the creation of the European single market and the signing of the Maastricht Treaty. In this new, expanded edition Padoa-Schioppa presents a lucid assessment of the opportunities and risks that EMU entailed; assesses the economic, monetary, political, and institutional significance of the euro; and reconsiders the rationale and underlying philosophy of EMU in the light of recent developments. Padoa-Schioppa has brought together a selection of his papers and speeches, covering 1982-94, from his work as Deputy Director General of the Banca d'Italia, and has edited them thoroughly to illuminate the recent history of European integration. A central theme of his book is the belief that a group of sovereign countries cannot for long sustain free trade, unrestricted capital movement, fixed exchange rates and full autonomy of national macroeconomic policies, and so need to move towards a single currency. He discusses extensively such issues as the single currency, the tasks of a European central bank, the ECU, the role of budgetary rules, currency competition, and the relationship between EMU and political union. The author has created an insider's guide to this topical issue for students, academics, policymakers and commentators alike. This book contains extracts from documents and an extensive chronology which will be of particular use for readers.

by Viktor A. Yushchenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine The intensification of the integration processes on our continent entirely coincides with the national interests of Ukraine, a country which is undoubtedly European both geographically and politically. What kind of Europe do we now have, and what should it be in the future? What should the role of Ukrainian society be in the economic, social, and cultural integration of the countries on the European continent? These questions are the subject of research and scientific analysis by the well-known economists whose work is contained in this book. Let there be no doubt, the strategic goal of Ukraine's foreign policy is the active participation of our country in the European integration process. Thus, the move toward co-operation and gradual integration with the European Union was defined as one of the main priorities of the Ukrainian Government's programme "Reforms for Well-being", which is based on President Leonid Kuchma's speech "Ukraine: Steps into XXI century" and was approved by the Ukrainian Parliament. This move is not a hasty response to a new trend, but rather a pragmatic decision since the EU will define the face of Europe for the next century.

In the wake of the Greek and Irish crises, and at a moment when solidarity between states is hotly debated on a daily basis at EU level, it is important to understand how 'solidarity' can happen at all. The Road to Social Europe reviews the development of political cultural processes since the nineteenth century, showing how social protection and social justice have gradually become interwoven with systems of social protection, or welfare states. Grounded on extensive empirical research conducted in many EU countries and in the European Commission's administration over twenty years, the book provides a cultural analysis of welfare systems in Europe. It also presents an original enquiry into the importance of languages for politics in Europe, for the politics of welfare, and for sociological research. It shows how sociological and ethnographic analysis can help in understanding the current and future challenges of European integration that rely unilaterally on functional economics. This in-depth sociological analysis of European diversity will appeal to a wide audience of students and scholars of sociology, political science, political economy and European studies.

This book- which features a foreword by Jean-Claude Juncker and Preface by Professor Harold James- examines the European vocation and achievements of Pierre Werner (1913–2002), former Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Foreign Minister of Luxembourg, unanimously recognized as one of the architects of Economic and Monetary Union. The author makes extensive use of Pierre Werner’s previously unpublished archives belonging to the Werner family, opened for the first time for research purposes. The book analyses the Werner Report, negotiations within the Werner Committee, the emergence of the Committee’s views on EMU, their political commitment to a European currency, the similarities and differences between their ideas, their personal networks, the influence of the states they represented, their theoretical and methodological input and their contribution to the political consensus. Chapters shed new light on various aspects of the European integration process and also on the role of Luxembourg and its European policy. In addition, the author has carried out a series of original interviews with Luxembourg and European figures who share their memories and thoughts concerning Pierre Werner, his achievements and his views on the European integration process, and also other topics such as Economic and Monetary Union and Luxembourg‘s European policy. This book will be of interest and value to researchers, EU policy makers and students in the fields of political economy, political science, economic history and history of economic thought.

China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an important developmental measure that started from September 2013 when Chinese President Xi Jinping initiated the strategic concept of building a new Silk Road Economic Belt, as a model for global economic development and growth.This book focuses on the BRI's influence on the interregional cooperation between Asia and Europe. It discusses a variety of topics including financial security — featuring how financial institutions, such as Asian Infrastructural Investment Bank, World Bank and Asian Development Bank provide feasible financial support for the economic development of countries along the BRI route; China's Economy and the 'New Normal' transformation; the integration of high-speed railways, equipment manufacturing into the Initiative; the China Dream and many more.

Describes the forces driving the next stage of globalization, which the author predicts will be a period of expanding wealth, opportunity, and international cooperation.

Shows that networks in European integration governance were not a phenomenon that developed in the 1980s out of a 'hollowing out' of the nation-states in the 1970s. Based throughout on newly accessible sources, the authors discuss various networks and show how they contributed to constitutional choices and policy decisions after World War II.