EU Politics, Law and Policy

EU Politics, Law and Policy examines the politics, processes, institutions and norms of both the European Union and of wider processes of Europeanisation within and beyond the EU's borders. Central themes of our research at the moment include:

(i) EU Institutional Politics

Our research focuses on political behaviour within and between the Council, the Commission, the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice.  Our research also covers the public's perception and reactions to EU politics, transparency and representation, as well as how institutional rules, national politics and legislative dynamics interact to shape policy outcomes and institutional developments in Brussels.

(ii) The Politics of Europeanisation

Research here examines the significance of EU stimuli for institutional and policy changes at the domestic level across one or more member (or applicant) states, assessing the mechanisms by which such stimuli are transmitted and the conditions determining their impact.  Thus, the limits of EU impact - and the reasons for them - are as of much interest as the impacts themselves, as both aspects highlight the relevance of EU and domestic systems of governance when considering capabilities and coherence.

(iii) EU Foreign Relations

Our research examines the role of the European Union the world, the development of European Union institutions and policies in the field of foreign, security and defence policy, and the impact of European states on the EU's foreign relations. Some of the topics that researchers are working on include: the EU's policies towards the Mediterranean and Middle East region; the EU's relations with south-eastern Europe; EU-UN relations; transatlantic relations; and EU trade policy.

(iv) The Authority of EU Law and its Discontents

Research here looks at the parameters and styles of claim made by EU law on its subjects as well as the manners in which it is challenged. It also looks at the central administrative machinery for the enforcement of EU law, most notably the national judicial systems and their interplay with the Court of Justice

(v) Mobility, Migration and Integration

Governments adopt a wide variety of approaches when regulating cross-border activities, managing international migration and dealing with minorities. They give different meanings to concepts such as citizenship and residency. They differ in the requirements they impose when admitting foreigners. And they apply different standards when dealing with vulnerable groups in society. In Europe, common policies on free movement, asylum and immigration, as well as police and legal matters have been one of the growth areas of EU law in recent years but significant variations in the implementation of common laws in this area persist. EI research in this field analyses the causes and consequences of cross-border movements by both EU citizen and third country nationals and the origins, variation and impact of regulatory measures.