“The Juncker Commission Faces Euroscepticism,” December 2014 (ENGLISH VERSION)

“The Juncker Commission Faces Euroscepticism,” December 2014 (FRENCH VERSION)

Frédéric Mérand is the Director of the European Union Center of Excellence (Université de Montréal-McGill University) and of the Université de Montréal Centre for International Studies (CÉRIUM)

This article was translated by Angus Wilson from the original French version that appeared in the Fall 2014 EUCE Network newsletter that can be found .

This contribution is intended to synthesize the findings of research undertaken in Canadian Public Administration, June 2013, Volume 56 No 2, entitled “Comparing Modes of Governance in Canada and the EU: Social Policy in Multilevel Systems”. Multilevel coordination of social policy in Canada and the European Union is compared in order to analyze the similar challenges the two systems face, and how they might learn from each other.

The concept of intersectionality has been described as one of the most important theoretical insights of the Women’s Studies literature (McCall 2005, 1771). Although this perspective was first developed within Women’s and Gender studies, it has quickly attracted the attention of other disciplinary fields. Today, important contributions are being made in the area of intersectionality research, especially in Europe. This report aims to review recent publications on the subject in Europe.

Donna Wood recently returned to Canada after a five-week tour of Europe, where she gave seven presentations in three countries (Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom) intended to encourage dialogue on federalism between Canada and the European Union. Her key message in the talks was that, when it comes to comparative federalism, it is time for scholars in Canada and the EU to talk more.

In October 2012, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that this year’s Nobel Peace Prize would be awarded to the European Union. This decision was seen as surprising by many observers, especially in the light of the Eurozone financial crisis, which has resulted in an overwhelmingly negative discourse about the EU in recent years. This commentary reviews the current criticisms on the Nobel’s decision by comparing the achievements of the EU and NATO in post-war Europe.

In the current European context, wage-setting remains an underemphasized issue, but an important one. It is with that in mind that this commentary explores the current state of the literature on wage-coordination and the social partnership.

From January 1, 2012, Canadian civil aircraft have been subject to the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). Under this agreement, a cap-and-trade principle limits the total amount of certain greenhouse gases that can be emitted by different types of companies, including airline companies. This commentary addresses the implication of this policy for Canada with regards to the Kyoto Protocol and the Chicago Convention.

Acquisition of Arctic hydrocarbon deposits is a strategic priority of Arctic States and numerous Non-Arctic States alike stimulated by the global thirst of energy. Concurrently the European Union and Inuit Circumpolar Council have aggressively implemented strategies that seek to curtail greenhouse gas emissions. This nexus of hydrocarbon extraction and climate change dominate the Arctic debate, yet the economic benefits attributed to extraction could undermine environmental policy

Since 2007, when Arctic sea-ice cover reached a record low, the EU has focused increased attention on Arctic issues. The following brief discusses next steps for the European Union (EU), suggesting that its greatest influence could be gained through implementation of policies and measures to reduce its own Arctic environmental footprint.

Canada and the European Union are engaged in an under-the radar trade negotiation which, for Canada, will lead to the most important economic agreement since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) is Canada, as third attempt to strengthen its economic relationship with the EU. This commentary outlines the reasons why CETA should be a success.