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<p>This research proposed to look at quality standards of evaluations in economic and financial respect undertaken on behalf of the European Commission in order to assess the performance of its development assistancein a policy-driven context. the research found that evaluation on the basis of an individual project is often flawed and lacks quality in terms of the applied evaluation method.</p>

No description available.

<p>This research proposed to look at quality standards of evaluations in economic and financial respect undertaken on behalf of the European Commission in order to assess the performance of its development assistancein a policy-driven context. the research found that evaluation on the basis of an individual project is often flawed and lacks quality in terms of the applied evaluation method.</p>

This thesis explores the following research question: what factors explain the relationship between levels of government over the implementation of European Union regional policy? Debates in political science and economics in the late 1980s and early 1990s considered whether a Europe of the Regions provided a model for the future economic and political order of Europe. Although these debates informed our understanding of European Union policy making, they have now moved on. The theoretical framework for this thesis tests the extent to which European integration can be explained by processes of multi-level governance, and not by the previously dominant systems of intergovernmentalism. Furthermore, much of the previous theoretical work on European integration has drawn from the earlier stages of policy making (on budgetary decisions, and on institutional and regulatory design). This thesis considers instead the neglected area of the implementation of the Structural Funds in two regions (Yorkshire and Humberside, and Lorraine). Using policy networks tools of analysis it tests the explanatory capability of multi-level governance in the following areas: the variation in policy implementation between the United Kingdom and France; the patterns of resource mobilisation in policy implementation; and the formation of regional economic strategies. The main findings of this thesis show that where domestic regional policy frameworks are weak (e.g. in the United Kingdom), the European Commission has been able to effectively mobilise resources at critical phases of policy implementation - such as during the negotiation of economic strategies. However, over the longer term, the direction the Structural Funds have taken is driven by actors and institutions outside those directly involved in the implementation of the Structural Funds. That is, both DG XVI of the European Commission and the regions themselves have limited opportunities to influence the course of European political integration.

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This diploma thesis examines the issue of the roaming regulation. The goal was to find out whether it had been necessary to regulate roaming prices at the EU level and what consequences it has and will have for individuals in the market - especially consumers, mobile operators, politicians, and also for the single European market. The basic hypothesis is that the roaming regulation will ultimately lead to a reduction in consumer utility, and therefore there is no substantial improvement to the single European market. The first part describes current developments in the roaming regulation and presents arguments for and against regulation. The second part then discusses the presented arguments. The impact on various market players is examined using the available data.

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Energy policy in the European Union (EU) is a patchwork of diverging interests and preferences. While the European Commission pushes for a common energy policy, Member States are responsible for their own separate energy policies. These divergences in interests and preferences might create a conflict situation between the Commission and Member States. This thesis explores the Commission’s behaviour vis-à-vis the Member States, investigating the conditions under which the Commission is likely to try to deviate from Member States’ preferences in the external dimension of the EU internal energy market. Adopting a Principal-Agent Model (PAM), this thesis conceptualizes the Member States as principals and the Commission as their agent. A qualitative case study approach and process-tracing method are applied to appreciate the variety of preferences of the actors involved, and provide a means to study the various shades of post-delegation agent’s behaviour. This thesis looks at four in-depth case studies: 1) Decision 994/2012 on establishing an information exchange mechanism with regard to intergovernmental agreements between Member States and third countries in the field of energy; 2) Directive 2009/73/EC on common rules for the internal market in gas; 3) Energy Community Treaty; and 4) Energy Charter Treaty. These were selected based on their relevance to the research question. Findings suggest that two factors are likely to affect the Commission’s deviation from Member States’ preferences: a) the preference alignment among the principals and b) the preference alignment between the principals and the agent. This thesis suggests that when the preferences between the agent and the principals are heterogeneous, the agent is more likely to deviate from the preferences of the principals. This thesis also suggests that the preference alignment among the principals only has a secondary effect on the agent’s deviation. Finally, this research contributes to the further development of the PAM offering a possible categorisation of post-delegation agent’s behaviour going beyond the dichotomy of deviation and non-deviation.

The thesis deals with the concept of politicization of the European Commission. It stems from the assumption that the new election procedure of the President of the Commission which is connected to the nomination of so-called Spitzenkandidaten, i.e. the lead candidates of the political parties before the elections to the European Parliament, led to the strengthening of the Parliament and subsequent politicization of the Commission. The new President of the Commission thus comes from the strongest political party which ran the elections with his candidature. The thesis formulates four hypotheses while focusing on three main areas which might be influenced by politicization: public opinion awareness, strengthening of the political affiliation of the commissioners as well as of the whole College of commissioners, and change of its inner composition - the political experience should become more prominent when choosing the suitable candidates for the commissioners. The analysis shows that it is possible to trace a positive trend in public opinion awareness from the side of the European Commission. Furthermore, it indicates the political assignment of individual portfolios among commissioners. On the other hand, the strengthening of the political affiliation of the Commissions and the change of the inner...