Policies of the European Union

This research area covers topics and policies which are considered significant for the development of the EU.

Below you will find a selection of our work in this research area. Find more under Publications and Seminars. (For material in both Swedish and English, go to the Swedish web site).

Migration and Asylum Policy of the EU

Should They Stay or Should They Go? Frontex’s fundamental rights dilemma

Condemned for complicity in illegal practices, Frontex recently lost its executive director over accusations of misconduct. A dilemma faces his replacement: where fundamental rights are at risk, should the agency stay, and attempt to remedy the situation, or withdraw, to avoid being complicit? (2022:22epa)

The external dimension of EU migration policy – new proposals, possibilities, and risks

Under the pressure of an increased number of irregular arrivals and asylum applications in 2022, and while negotiations on the reform of the Common European Asylum System are ongoing, the EU is – again – searching for solutions outside EU territory. SIEPS senior researcher Bernd Parusel recapitulates the ‘external dimension’ of EU migration policy and discusses some of the ideas currently on the table. (February 2023)

The Ukrainian Refugee Situation: Lessons for EU Asylum Policy

Faced with millions of refugees fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the EU moved quickly and with remarkable unity. In this essay SIEPS researchers Bernd Parusel and Valeriia Varfolomieieva suggest some lessons that the handling of the situation might hold for the future of EU asylum policy. (2022:16epa)

Recent publications on policies of the EU

Open Strategic Autonomy: New Challenges for the EU’s Common Commercial Policy

The global economy and international trade have changed significantly since the fall of the Berlin wall. In this analysis, Christoph Herrmann (University of Passau) outlines how the EU has responded to the new geo-economic situation. He argues that while pursuing strategic autonomy is reasonable, in doing so the EU risks overstepping the bounds of legality. (2023:9epa)

A New Phase in EU Climate Geopolitics: Steps Forward and Back

For the EU, climate policy is a source of economic growth and modernisation, but also an integral part of its common foreign and security policy; its geopolitics. In this European Policy Analysis, Richard Youngs (University of Warwick) takes stock of the EU’s thinking and action on climate geopolitics, noting the impacts – positive and negative – of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (2023:8epa)

European Strategic Autonomy

Strategic Autonomy – Views from the North

The concept of strategic autonomy has been a frequent topic in the EU the last few years. The continuous management of political crisis has expanded the discussion beyond security and defence. How do the Nordic countries relate to this pursuit of sovereignty and capacity to act? This anthology explains and analyses how Denmark, Finland and Sweden view strategic autonomy, what similarities and differences exist between the countries' attitudes and how they view their and the EU's role in a polarized world. (2021:1op)

The concept of strategic autonomy has been a frequent topic the last few years.  The similarities and differences in the Nordic countries’ attitudes to the pursuit of sovereignty and capacity to act was discussed in a webinar on 15 December 2021. With Tuomas Iso-Markku and Niklas Helwig at FIIA (Finnish Institute of International Affairs), Calle Håkansson at Malmö University and UI (Swedish Institute of International Affairs), Christine Nissen at DIIS (Danish Institute for International Studies). Commentator: Kristi Raik, Estonian Foreign Policy Institute. Chair: Jakob Lewander, SIEPS.

The European Green Deal

The Green Deal shows that the EU is raising its environmental ambitions, and the European Commission has already made several proposals, including tougher climate measures. But existing conditions are different across the EU and there is a risk that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe end up on the wrong side of a widening gap. What it takes for the whole EU to benefit from higher environmental ambitions was discussed by Julian Popov, former Minister of Environment in Bulgaria, Jytte Guteland, Member of the European Parliament and Péter Kaderják, at Zero Carbon Hub in Budapest. Chair: Mats Engström, SIEPS.

The European Green Deal and the Risk of Widening the East-West Gap

The European Green Deal could accelerate convergence between newer and older member states. But if its implementation is badly managed, argues Julian Popov of the European Climate Foundation, it will instead widen the economic and social gap between East and West. (2021:17epa)

Edited volumes

From self-doubt to self-assurance: The European External Action Service as the indispensable support for a geopolitical EU

The rivalry of today’s world should induce the EU to act as a cohesive force. Yet, EU countries are still struggling to focus on the common interest. The 10th anniversary of the European External Action Service thus constitutes an opportune moment to reconsider its contribution to EU foreign policy. This report on the EEAS is the fruit of a research cooperation to which SIEPS has contributed. (January 2021)

EU Industrial Policy in a Globalised World - Effects on the Single Market

As the EU aims at strengthening the competitivity of European companies, the functioning of the Single Market comes to the fore. Is a more assertive industrial policy compatible with free and fair competition? This question is studied in a volume focusing on the legal instruments that govern the EU’s internal market. (2020:1op)