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European Commission

July 10, 2025

The EU’s quiet shift toward an ‘(un)safe fourth country’ asylum policy

Gaia Romeo The European Commission has proposed letting member states drop the ‘connection requirement’ from the ‘safe third country’ concept in asylum cases. Gaia Romeo and Frowin Rausis argue this seemingly technical tweak marks a major shift — toward an ‘(un)safe fourth country’ approach that some countries have repeatedly tried, and failed Read more
July 8, 2025

🧭 How staged integration can revitalise EU enlargement

Ivan Nagornyak Staged integration is gaining traction to revitalise EU enlargement without lowering standards. Drawing on Ukraine’s experience, Ivan Nagornyak and Mariia Shalamberidze examine expert models and propose a structured, fair, and security-conscious approach Read more
June 23, 2025

🧭 How the European Parliament can shape enlargement 

Lien Jansen Often dismissed as a procedural bystander in EU enlargement, the European Parliament holds underused tools to shape outcomes — from budgetary leverage to informal diplomacy. Lien Jansen argues that the European Parliament can act strategically — if internal cohesion and inter-institutional cooperation align. Its latent power matters more than ever in today’s geopolitical climate Read more
April 7, 2025

Balancing EU chemical policies: pollution control and competitiveness

Henry Hempel Chemical pollution is rising, and the global market share of European chemical industries is in decline. What can the EU do about it? Henry Hempel examines how the European Commission's proposed revisions to EU chemicals regulation could combine economic incentives with chemical simplification Read more
February 12, 2025

Does good evidence make good policies?

Giuseppe Cannata Evidence-informed policy-making promises to deliver better policies. Yet, people working at the science-policy interface in Europe face multiple challenges in making the most of it – from political constraints to a lack of administrative capacity and limited opportunity for productive exchange. Giuseppe Cannata discusses these challenges and their normative implications for European science-for-policy ecosystems Read more
June 27, 2024

Von der Leyen’s rocky road to a second term as President of the European Commission 

Catherine E. De Vries Following the European election results, Ursula von der Leyen faces a rocky road to confirmation as President of the Commission for a second term, writes Catherine E. De Vries. The key question is how she is going to be able to satisfy very different demands from the various groupings. Read more
March 12, 2024

The Law of Delors

Jaap Hoeksma Jaap Hoeksma argues that Jacques Delors’ 1985 non-vision of the European Union as an 'Unidentified Political Object' has actually come to pass – with a little help from the European Court of Justice Read more
June 16, 2023

Lex Tusk as a catalyst for EU democracy

Jaap Hoeksma The European Commission's intervention in the Polish crisis concerning the Lex Tusk is most welcome, writes Jaap Hoeksma. To be credible, however, the EU must also have its own house in order Read more

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Advancing Political Science
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