The European Union （EU） this year has entered into the next phase of its existence, not only in terms of new economic conditions of the unwinding of the financial and economic crisis, but also on the basis of the re...The European Union （EU） this year has entered into the next phase of its existence, not only in terms of new economic conditions of the unwinding of the financial and economic crisis, but also on the basis of the results of European Parliament elections and the adoption of the EU financial fi＇amework for the period from 2014 to 2020. These indisputable facts does not change our view of the situation in which the EU is, or at major tasks whose managing can be considered as condition of its continued existence as an important part of the global economy. As the fundamental problem of the EU, persisting differences in economic level of the member states is considered. The aim of this paper is not to formulate and even to propose how the EU should look like in the future, but to assess criteria of decision making about concept of its future direction. In this context, the verification of argument will be performed, that only the integration of the countries that have common interests and objectives respectively are able to make the same efforts to meet them, is in certain stages of integration possible and functional. Conversely, a broader territorial structured integration of countries with significantly different economic parameters is feasible and functional only at lower stages of integration. This paper starts from that the process of economic convergence among member states as a condition for integration can be realized at the lower stage of the integration process, in terms of economic and monetary union, then only the expense of reducing the dynamics of economic development of integration group as a whole. Some degree of equilibrium of economic levels represents an important condition for the success of the integration project. To meet this goal, current differences in economic level of individual EU member states （comparative analysis using indicators of growth rate and development of GDP/capita） will be analyzed, including the assessment of the cost of the EU for the implementation of cohesion policy, both in terms of the economic crisis and the phase of requirement to the revival of the European economy. In this context, also the effectiveness of institutional arrangements of decision-making procedures will be assessed.展开更多
Taking its point of departure from a NATO （North Atlantic Treaty Organization） conference held in Copenhagen in 1953, this papers begins by tracing the foundation of the powerful political role that labor organizati...Taking its point of departure from a NATO （North Atlantic Treaty Organization） conference held in Copenhagen in 1953, this papers begins by tracing the foundation of the powerful political role that labor organizations held during a significant part of the twentieth century. At the conference, ＂labor＂ was emphasized as occupying a ＂key role＂ in the struggle of Western societies to withstand the challenge of communism--military alone could not achieve this objective. Since around 1990, this has fundamentally changed and the paper explores the contemporary situation through an ethnographic study--involving fieldwork at both workplaces and private homes--of Polish migrant laborers participating in the Danish labor market. Firstly, it is shown how the Polish laborers, due to the lower costs they represent, benefit from the new opportunities. Secondly, the paper illustrates how the trade union, though uneasy with the downward pressure on wage and working conditions that the Polish represent, prioritizes the organization of workers in order to maintain some degree of control over the labor market. Finally, the question is raised how the EU （European Union） is able to navigate two contrasting concerns： the urge both to create more cross-border competition and to uphold an image of a ＂social Europe＂ which might be key to maintain cohesion and legitimacy.展开更多
文摘The European Union （EU） this year has entered into the next phase of its existence, not only in terms of new economic conditions of the unwinding of the financial and economic crisis, but also on the basis of the results of European Parliament elections and the adoption of the EU financial fi＇amework for the period from 2014 to 2020. These indisputable facts does not change our view of the situation in which the EU is, or at major tasks whose managing can be considered as condition of its continued existence as an important part of the global economy. As the fundamental problem of the EU, persisting differences in economic level of the member states is considered. The aim of this paper is not to formulate and even to propose how the EU should look like in the future, but to assess criteria of decision making about concept of its future direction. In this context, the verification of argument will be performed, that only the integration of the countries that have common interests and objectives respectively are able to make the same efforts to meet them, is in certain stages of integration possible and functional. Conversely, a broader territorial structured integration of countries with significantly different economic parameters is feasible and functional only at lower stages of integration. This paper starts from that the process of economic convergence among member states as a condition for integration can be realized at the lower stage of the integration process, in terms of economic and monetary union, then only the expense of reducing the dynamics of economic development of integration group as a whole. Some degree of equilibrium of economic levels represents an important condition for the success of the integration project. To meet this goal, current differences in economic level of individual EU member states （comparative analysis using indicators of growth rate and development of GDP/capita） will be analyzed, including the assessment of the cost of the EU for the implementation of cohesion policy, both in terms of the economic crisis and the phase of requirement to the revival of the European economy. In this context, also the effectiveness of institutional arrangements of decision-making procedures will be assessed.
文摘Taking its point of departure from a NATO （North Atlantic Treaty Organization） conference held in Copenhagen in 1953, this papers begins by tracing the foundation of the powerful political role that labor organizations held during a significant part of the twentieth century. At the conference, ＂labor＂ was emphasized as occupying a ＂key role＂ in the struggle of Western societies to withstand the challenge of communism--military alone could not achieve this objective. Since around 1990, this has fundamentally changed and the paper explores the contemporary situation through an ethnographic study--involving fieldwork at both workplaces and private homes--of Polish migrant laborers participating in the Danish labor market. Firstly, it is shown how the Polish laborers, due to the lower costs they represent, benefit from the new opportunities. Secondly, the paper illustrates how the trade union, though uneasy with the downward pressure on wage and working conditions that the Polish represent, prioritizes the organization of workers in order to maintain some degree of control over the labor market. Finally, the question is raised how the EU （European Union） is able to navigate two contrasting concerns： the urge both to create more cross-border competition and to uphold an image of a ＂social Europe＂ which might be key to maintain cohesion and legitimacy.
