<p>The purpose of this thesis is to investigate if the trade flows within the European Union are affected by the environmental policies within the union. An environmental sensitivity index (IESP) is used as explanatory variable, with export and import shares respectively as dependent variables. The trade flow data is collected from the OECD database for the years 1995 to 1998, and is used in a regression analysis together with IESP data from the same years. The analysis covers 15 European Union member countries. The result from the regression analysis shows a positive relationship between IESP and trade flows. However, our values did not turn out to be significant, much due to the low number of observations and too few explanatory variables.</p> / <p>Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka om handelsflödena inom den Europeiska Unionen påverkas av miljöpolitiken inom unionen. Ett index som mäter miljökänslighet (IESP) används som förklarande variabel, med export respektive import som beroende variabler. Data om handelsflöden är hämtade från OECDs databas och täcker åren 1995-1998. Dessa data används i en regressionsanalys tillsammans med IESP data från samma period. Analysen täcker 15 medlemsländer från den Europeiska Unionen. Resultaten från regressionsanalysen pekar på ett positivt samband mellan handelsflöden och IESP. Tyvärr blev våra värden ej signifikanta, mycket beroende på för få observationer och förklarande variabler.</p>

<p>Den 13 december 2007 undertecknades ett nytt EU-fördrag i Portugals huvudstad Lissabon. Detta fördrag, kallat Lissabonfördraget, utgör en reviderad form av den EU-konstitution som inte blev godkänd vid folkomröstningar i Frankrike och Nederländerna 2005. Syftet med</p><p>denna uppsats är att undersöka vilka förändringar som skett under omarbetningen från EUkonstitutionen till Lissabonfördraget. Vidare har uppsatsen för avsikt att förklara de bakomliggande motiven till dessa förändringar ur två olika identitetsperspektiv. Frågorna som initialt fångade vårt intresse var; Varför fick EU dra tillbaka den tilltänkta grundlagen? Hur omfattande var egentligen förändringarna mellan EU-konstitutionen till Lissabonfördraget? Och slutligen, finns det någon europeisk identitet?</p> / <p>On the 13th of December 2007, a new EU-treaty was signed in Portugal’s capital, Lisbon. This treaty, known as the Treaty of Lisbon, is a revised form of the old European Constitution that was turned down in referendums in France and The Netherlands in 2005. Our aim with this thesis is to examine the changes during the revision from the European Constitution to the Treaty of Lisbon. Furthermore in this thesis we have the intention to explain the underlying motives from two perspectives of identity. The questions that initially captured our interest were; Why did the EU pull back from the European Constitution? How comprehensive are the changes from the European Constitution to the Treaty of Lisbon? And finally, is there any such thing as European identity?</p>

<p>The intention of this study is to perform a content analysis based on a theoretical framework founded on multi-level governance, MLG. The thesis examines the formal changes within employment politics between 1999 and 2004 (Sweden´s action plan for employment) and 1998 and 2007 (the spring budget proposition). I will investigate how multi-level governance has effected the Swedish employment politics. Furthermore, the purpose of the thesis and the questions under consideration are: How have the formal structures within Swedish employment politics changed since Sweden’s admission to the European union, particularly during the periods 1997-2008 and 1999-2004? And: How do the changes in Sweden, together with the European union directive concerning employment, coincide in the so-called employment strategy?</p><p>While performing the analysis I have focused on multi-level governance. The method used is quantitative content analysis in order to explain the co-variation between Swedish employment politics and the employment politics of the European union - the employment strategy. The conclusions from the research are that there is a clear influence by the EU in Sweden, and between the two groups of documents is Sweden´s action plan for employment, which is more influenced than the spring budget propositions.</p>

<p>Abstract</p><p>The aim with this essay has been to investigate if Sweden’s attitude against the European Union has changed expressed in the statement of government policies, during the years 1988-1998. In the prolongation I want to see if the policies can be seen as examples of agenda-setting.</p><p>My comprehensive objective is: In which way is the change of the Swedish attitude towards the European Union expressed in the statement of government policies during 1988-1998 shown?</p><p>My other objectives are: In which ways describes the statements the integrations process in Europe generally?</p><p>In which ways does the integrations process influences Sweden in generally?</p><p>In which ways does the integrations process influences Sweden’s relations against the European Union?</p><p>I have used qualitative text analysis as method in my essay to find the answers to the questions. I have classified a number of opinions, found in the policies, summarized under my three objectives.</p><p>The result of my essay was shown that the changed not can be found in the policies and they are examples of agenda-setting. Decisions and public opinions take places in other ways than in the statements of government policies.</p><p>Keywords: The European Union, the statement of government policies, the swedish EU-membership and agenda-setting.</p><p>Nyckelord: Den Europeiska Unionen, regeringsdeklarationer, det svenska EU-medlemskapet och “agenda-setting."</p>

<p>The legitimacy of the European Union is being questioned, and this has put focus on the democratic deficit, as the main reason for the negative outcome of the referendum about implementing the last initiated treaties of the union. In this essay the credibility of the problem solving strategy through the communication policy of the commission is being put under the scope. The objective is to treat the credibility of the solution to the main problems of the EU as an important part of how the democratic, political system works and how it deals with taking care of its’ supporting and demanding channels of communication. The importance of a citizen platform to form common interests and a strictly European dialogue using media, common debates and several other possible ways to advocate this solution throughout the whole union is stressed here.</p>

Previous research regarding the European debt crisis has mostly focused on the purely economic aspects of the crisis. However, there is a strong “Protestant-Catholic” dimension in Europe, where historically Protestant countries are more prosperous than their Catholic and Orthodox counterparts. This has especially been a fact since early 2010, when several countries within the European Union had their credit ratings downgraded. Is this phenomenon merely a coincidence? Or could the roots of the recent troubles in Europe have a basis in historic religions? To tackle this question, Max Webers ́s 110 year old study The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism is brought back into light and used as a tool for analysis of the crisis. The results show that not only are Protestant countries in general more prosperous, but they also have lower corruption and their citizens have a higher level of trust towards the government. These results are in line with what Weber called the “bureaucratization” and the “rationalization” of the society from a traditional one into a rationalized one. According to Weber, the “protestant work ethic” had certain features that helped create propitious preconditions for rationalization, which were extremely benign for the rise of capitalism in the Western world. Furthermore, the results in this studies show that the historic religions have had a lasting impact on national politics within Europe and that they remain a driving force behind european culture. Historically Protestant countries are therefore in less risk of getting in debt and capitalism still have a better chance of success in these countries.

Förordningen om inrättande av ett europeiskt småmålsförfarande (EG) nr. 861/2007 trädde ikraft den 1 augusti år 2007. Förordningen tillämpas fullt ut från och med 1 januari år 2009. Förordningen tillämpas i samtliga medlemsstater utom i Danmark. Förfarandet som inrättas genom förordningen utgör endast ett alternativ till befintliga rättegångsförfaranden. För Sveriges del innebär detta att förordningen ska vara ett alternativ till bestämmelserna i rättegångsbalken. I verkställighetsdelen ska förordningen vara ett alternativ till Bryssel I-förordningen. Förordningens syfte är att förenkla, påskynda samt kostnadseffektivisera handläggningen av småmål. Förordningen gör det även enklare för parterna att få erkännande och verkställighet av ett avgörande i det europeiska småmålsförfarandet i en annan medlemsstat. Förordningen är tillämplig inom privaträttens område, tvisten ska ha en gränsöverskridande karaktär, fordran får inte överstiga 2 000 euro samt domstolen måste vara behörig. Det finns både för- och nackdelar med förordningen utifrån ett svenskt perspektiv. En nackdel kan vara den ökade målströmningen till de allmänna domstolarna, vilket kan vara resurskrävande. Även antalet exekvaturmål i Svea hovrätt kommer förmodligen att öka. Den största fördelen med förordningen är att den har avskaffat exekvaturförfaranden i form av nationella verkställighetsförklaringar. Sådana verkställighetsförklaringar finns dock i Bryssel I-förordningen men på ett mer förenklat sätt. / On the first of August 2007, the regulation of a European small claim procedure (EU) No. 861/2007 entered into force. The regulation is however fully administered from the first of January 2009, and shall be used in all member states, besides Denmark. The small claim procedure composes only an alternative procedure to the member states existing small claim provisions. In Sweden the regulation composes an alternative to the provisions in the Act (1942:740) of procedure. The aims of the regulation are to simplify, precipitate and to make the handling of small claims inexpensive. It also aims to make it easier for the parties to get recognition and enforcement of judgments in the European Union. The regulation is to be used in civil law and has to be a cross-border contention. The claim cannot exceed the limit of 2 000 euro and it has to be a tribunal that carries jurisdiction. From a Swedish point of view, the regulation carries both advantages as well as disadvantages, a disadvantage would be the increased civil action to the common courts and it will be resource-demanding. The quantity of exequatur contention in Swedish court of appeal will most believably also increase. The main advantage of the regulation is the abolishment of the exequatur when the Brussels I, on the other hand, only set out to simplify it.

The purpose of this study is to show how some Swedish teachers in the grades four to six assess the subject of English and what impact the national tests have on teachers’ way of looking at assessments and grades and how teachers are supposed to work with assessment and grading according to the curriculum and the education act. The method of this study has been interviews with principals, teachers and pupils to get as many perspectives of the subject as possible. It has contributed to an interesting content and the end result will be as fundamental as it can be. The findings of this study show that teachers teaching English in Sweden have a great responsibility because of the lack of subject priority and communication between themselves, the government and other authorities in the world of education. They are also in a position of having to further train themselves to get new sources for their teaching and assessment of their students.

Diss. Stockholm : Handelshögsk., 2004.

Diss. Stockholm : Stockholms universitet, 2007.