Swedish voters are still reluctant to join the euro. For this situation to change, the EU’s economic and monetary union (EMU) must be able to ensure economic prosperity, writes Karolina Ekholm, Professor in International Economics at Stockholm University. (2022:14epa)

The EU’s Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) is far from perfect. But it is a unique achievement, and it has weathered all the economic and political storms of its existence so far. It will in all likelihood continue to do so, writes Charles Wyplosz, economist and Emeritus Professor at the Graduate Institute, Geneva, as he assesses proposals to safeguard the future of the euro, and makes some of his own. (2022:13epa)

Long criticized as deficient, the EU’s democratic system now finds itself threatened – as do national systems – by populism, technocracy, and rival forms of government. The essays in this collection suggest how EU representative democracy could change in order to survive and perform effectively. Contributions by Ben Crum, Valentin Kreilinger, Christopher Lord, Sonja Puntscher Riekmann, and Göran von Sydow. (2022:2op)

From the sovereign debt crisis to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU has taken a leading role in the management of crises. The essays in this anthology analyse the EU’s performance and suggest how it could improve as a ‘crisis manager’. Contributions by Christian Kreuder-Sonnen, Vivien A. Schmidt, Astrid Séville and Jonathan White. (2022:1op)

The Conference on the Future of Europe invites the citizens of the EU to debate the future of the Union. But other EU actors and institutions are involved in the intiative. This SIEPS report investigates the influence of the ‘Europarties’ on the Conference’s agenda and its work. Karl Magnus Johansson and Tapio Raunio are both professors of political science. (2022:2)

Is there sufficient political accountability in the EU’s multilevel governance system? Are the public and their representatives able and willing to have decision-makers answer for their decisions? In this report Professor of Public Policy Yannis Papadopoulos examines the mechanisms of horizontal and vertical accountability vis-à-vis the EU institutions and assesses their effectiveness. (2021:4)

In recent years, the European Court of Justice has strengthened the rule of law as a binding value within the EU. This change is the result of several landmark rulings in the period 2018 to 2021, which should be seen in the context of the decline of the rule of law in some Member States. Professors Laurent Pech and Dimitry Kochenov unveil a profound change of the EU as a constitutional system. (2021:3)

The pandemic has led to alternative means of reaching decisions in the EU. How this has affected EU legislation and democracy is examined by Valentin Kreilinger at SIEPS and Selma Bendjaballah at Sciences Po Paris. The effects are analysed against the long-term trends in EU legislative affairs. (2021:12epa)

The EU is committed to gender mainstreaming across all its policies and activities. When it comes to the European Commission, researchers Lut Mergaert and Rachel Minto argue that there are examples of good practice, but also weaknesses. An important task for the Commission, they write, will be to target the transformation of its own organisation. (2021:8epa)

The European Commission is a key institution for EU policy but is only recently approaching gender equality. In this analysis, professors Miriam Hartlapp and Agnes Blome provide an overview of women’s representation at the top positions in the Commission and suggest actions for a better gender balance in the future. (2021:6epa)