Strategic issues for the EU10 countries – Main positions and implications for EU policy-making

Book

The present report is displaying and analysing the behaviour of the ten Central and Eastern European member states (EU10) in the formulation of some of the most topical issues under discussion in the European Union. The countries in focus are Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

The country studies start with a general overview of the political and economic situation of each country, their EU-strategies including tackling the current crisis of the euro area, as well their commitments in the framework of the Europe 2020 strategy. The chapters then continue with these countries’ positions on the following policy areas: the upcoming multiannual financial framework (MFF) for 2014-2020, the reform of the common agricultural policy (CAP) and of cohesion policy, energy policy cooperation, enlargement and European neighbourhood policy, as well as any country-specific issue if relevant.

The report attempts to identify the key EU-related priorities of the EU10, their abilities to influence European Union policies alone or jointly and to look at the impact they make on the processes of European integration. The main question is what the interests of these states are within the above mentioned policy areas and how they are able to represent them at the EU level. It is also important to look at the alliance building patterns of these states along given policy issues. In a broader perspective the results of this report show the image of the EU in these countries and their ideals concerning European integration in general and their place and goals as part of it in particular. 

This book is edited by FEPS in cooperation with the Institute of World Economics, with the financial support of the European Parliament