Ongoing and finalized research projects
Reflections groups as a reform instrument in European Integration (finalized)
(Prof. Dr. Gabriele Abels / Dr. Annegret Eppler)
High-level or reflection groups have been important for the process of European integration from the very beginning. They have served as agenda-setters and have influenced the direction for subsequent reforms of the European political system. Despite the widespread use of this instrument, EU studies have somewhat neglected the role of reflection groups. In 2008 the European Council established the Reflection Group "Horizon 2020-2030" with a mandate to identify future challenges and options for the European Union; the final report was published in May 2010. At the University of Tuebingen the work of this Reflections Group was scientifically accompanied. In November 2009 the conference "Horizon 2020-2030: Challenges of the Multi-level governance system to the EU-Reflection Group" chaired by Prof. Dr. Gabriele Abels, Prof. Dr. Michèle Knodt (TU Darmstadt) and Dr. Annegret Eppler took place in Stuttgart. The results of the conference are published in:
Abels, Gabriele/Eppler, Annegret/Knodt, Michèle (Hg.): Die EU-Reflexionsgruppe „Horizont 2020-2030“: Herausforderungen und Reformoptionen für das Mehrebenensystem (Schriftenreihe des Arbeitskreises Europäische Integration e.V., Bd. 69). Baden-Baden: Nomos Verlag 2010.
Governance of Food Safety in the EU (ongoing)
(Prof. Dr. Gabriele Abels / Alexander Kobusch M.A.)
Due to numerous food scandals of which the BSE-Crisis was the most prominent example, some major changes and even radical reforms have been implemented in the European Union and most Member States. Existing regulatory structures were changed in order to guarantee a high level of protection to consumers. As food safety is seen as a major field of risk regulation, the question arises how to implement scientific advice in the policy process. As our report for the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment illustrates, most Member States mandated specialized and independent agencies to deal with food safety matters. At EU level the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) deals with regulation in food safety – nevertheless the agency is only equipped with an advisory mandate. One of EFSA's main tasks is to set up a network comprising the national Competent Authorities (CAs). Also, national CAs co-operate with each other based on their own initiative. Thus regulatory competences are both spread over and interlinked among different levels of the European multi-level system. A major goal of the network is the development of a common risk assessment approach for all institutions involved.
The research project aims at, firstly, observing the transformation of this policy field and, secondly, explaining change by reference to the growing literature on regulatory policy making and "agencification" (cf. the European Union as regulatory state). In empirical terms both the horizontal and vertical structure of network-building is attended to. In the wider framework hypotheses on Europeanisation are tested and we ask whether or not the work of EFSA leads to the diffusion of norms, to similar institutional choices (isomorphism), and to similar strategies as to the question how to deal with stakeholders.
Some Masters' theses written at the Institute are dealing with these questions. They focus on EFSA's institutional design and the importance of scientific expertise (Alexander Kobusch, 2008), comparison of the institutional design and changes of agencies in Germany and Hungary (Jennifer Träsch, 2010), and examination of politics and polity change as path-dependent processes (Jan Ullrich, ongoing). Currently two dissertation projects are ongoing within this field, one examining regulatory networks within the regulation of food safety (Alexander Kobusch, ongoing), one focussing on change of consumer health protection in Germany and Hungary (Barbara Thoma, ongoing).
First results of this project were presented at various international conference, e.g. at the UCD Postgraduate Legal Research Workshop "Transnational Regulation of Food Safety and Quality – issues of harmonisation, diversity and legitimacy" in December 2009 and at the ECPR Standing Group on Regulatory Governance Conference "Regulation in the Age of Crisis" (Paper 1 & Paper 2) in June 2010 (both in Dublin). Results will furthermore be published shortly, for 2011 an edited volume as special issue of "Regulation & Governance" is in the planning ("Regulation of Food Safety in the EU: Changing Patterns of Governance").
The development of a multi-level parliamentary systems after the Lisbon Treaty (ongoing)
(Prof. Dr. Gabriele Abels / Dr. Annegret Eppler)
The Lisbon Treaty entered into force in December 2009. It established the vision of a multi-level parliamentary system for the European Union. This encompasses a strategy of giving powers back to the parliaments on all levels within the European multi-level system in order to counter the democracy and legitimacy deficit of the Union. In this context competencies hold by the European Parliament are enforced and enlarged, rights of national parliaments are enhanced and subnational parliaments are formally acknowledged as actors. Especially the latter are most important to federal or to strongly regional organised Member States as they carry out law-making functions. In Germany, this tendency has been further advanced by the Federal Constitutional Court, which has in its Lisbon ruling of June 2009 strengthened the cooperation rights of both the Bundestag and Bundesrat. Furthermore, the Court has introduced the concept "responsibility for the integration process" (Integrationsverantwortung) for all legislative bodies within the Federal Republic.
Stipulated by the changes made by the Lisbon Treaty a discussion has begun on the content of formally reinforced cooperation rights, prospective ways of implementation, and consequences for the legitimacy of the European multi-level system. We have launched several activities in order to follow up on this discussion:
- The European Affairs Committee of the Landtag (subnational parliament) of the state of Baden-Württemberg in Stuttgart conducted an expert hearing in March 2010 dealing with the key question, whether or not the Lisbon ruling of the Constitutional Court does affect the involvement of the Landtag on issues of EU policy-making. This initiative was subsequently taken up by other regional parliaments. Prof. Dr. Gabriele Abels was invited as one of three experts. Her statement "performing responsibilities in integration – shaping cooperation rights" is available here (link will be installed). Based on this statement a research project is conducted that focuses on a comparison of activities and strategies of German regional parliaments with regard to the expansion (or not) of parliamentary rights on EU issues.
- In May 2011 a scientific conference entitled "Roadmap to multi-level parlamentarism? Future functions of parliaments in the integration-process" will take place in Tübingen (in cooperation with the Arbeitskreis Europäische Integration – AEI). A key question is how the vision of multi-level parlamentarism can be turned into reality, what are the consequences for parliaments on different levels of the European multi-level system, and how can the recent developments be interpreted. Further information on the conference are available her (link will be given when homepage is open). The results of the conference will be published in the AEI book series (Nomos-Verlag, Baden-Baden).
Gendering the European Union (ongoing)
(Prof. Dr. Gabriele Abels / Prof. Dr. Joyce M. Mushaben, University of Missouri – St. Louis)
Starting in the early and mid 1990s, women- and gender-studies focused more and more on the process of European integration. The questions which influence gender has on European integration and how the process itself influences the relations of gender in the Member States' societies came into fashion. The European Union claims for itself to be the most advanced gender-regime in the world. Indeed, several policies focusing on gender and equality have been implemented since the mid 1970s. In the mid 1990s the instrument of Gender Mainstreaming raised equality to one of the Union's major goals – at least on paper.
The questions advanced have hardly been regarded in the mainstream of EU-studies and EU-related teaching. In this project we apply the gender-perspective to central aspects of European integration and research, to theories of integration, and to the EU Eastern Enlargement. We compare several policy areas with respect to gender mainstreaming and policy change. Results of the project will be published with Palgrave in a textbook entitled "Gendering the EU" in 2011. Contributors to the book project are (besides the editors): Alison Woodward, Anna van der Vleuten, Annika Kronsell, Birgit Locher-Finke, Yvonne Galligan, Sara Clavero, Elisabeth Prügl, Maria Stratigaki and Isabell Hubert.
