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Projects

The research under the CIDEL project is divided into eight Workpackages. Workpackage 0 is dedicated to the overall co-ordination of the project. Hence workpackages 1 to 7 are dedicated to research. The purpose of workpackage 1 is to ensure the development of an overall theoretical approach to the study of post-national integration, which can work across the different research activities. Towards the end of the project period the final workpackage 7 will, in line with workpackage 1, provide overall conclusions and synthesise the findings. Workpackage 2 - 6 will be concentrating on concerete policy areas.

Workpackage 1 - Theoretical perspective
Workpackage 2 - Europe's Common Interest and Communicative Space
Workpackage 3 - Constitution Making and Legitimacy
Workpackage 4 - Justifying Enlargement
Workpackage 5 - External Security
Workpackage 6 - Taxation and Social Policy
Workpackage 7 - EU and Post National Integration

Workpackage 1: Theoretical Perspective
Start date and duration: months 0 – 28
Partners responsible: EUI, Florence - Arena, Oslo
Partners involved: all

Objectives
To contribute to a theory of post-national integration, establish criteria for integration through deliberation, and distinguish deliberation from other modes of integration.

Work Description
Organise the state of the theoretical discourse, with an emphasis on the logical clarification of different notions of integration
Organise a conference in the initial phase of the project to set the general agenda for the activities of CIDEL

Deliverables
Policy memos, papers, and articles (Deliverable No. 4)
A Conference on the EU and post-national integration (Deliverable No.5), February 2003
A research report on the basic concepts of deliberative democracy (Deliverable No. 4)

Expected Results
Establish a theoretical basis for post-national integration
Develop an enhanced understanding of the nature of European integration and unification
Provide standards for assessing the quality of democracy in the European Union

Workpackage 2: The Europe’s Common Interest and Communicative Space
Start date and duration: 0 - 36
Partner responsible: Stirling
Partners involved: Arena and Stirling

Objectives
Assess the available evidence on the development of transnational media in the wider context of EU communication and cultural policy and evaluate its implications for cross-national public engagement.
Clarify what possible effects a more visible and pronounced rights-based orientation on the part of the EU will have on the nature, direction and salience of social movement activism in the EU.

Methodology/Work Description
Develop a theory of the public sphere that takes account of the characteristics of an emergent supranational polity and apply this to the analysis of transnational media and journalism in the EU. The wider context includes policy developments in the fields of media regulation, the successive efforts to create a European audiovisual space and a European information area and an appraisal of the media relations of the European Commission.
Develop a theoretical framework and methodological approach to the study of social mobilisation in the EU, with particular emphasis on factors that encourage and deter organised action, as well as the systemic factors that facilitate and stymie mobilising efforts, in an effort to take stock of the EU as a rights-oriented entity.

Deliverables
Workshop on European Public Sphere (Deliverable No. 6), February 2004
A book on Europeanisation and the European communicative space (Deliverable No. 7), due in 2005
A research report on Europeanisation and social movements (Deliverable No.8), due in 2005
Policy memos, reports and articles (Deliverable 4)

Expected Results
Improved understanding of the conditions for the emergence of a European public sphere
Clarification of how the EU institutions – in particular the Commission and its various policies in the communication and media fields - affect and shape the emergence of a European public sphere
Provide clarification of the role, nature and salience of social movement activism in the EU, and how the EU - with emphasis on recent developments such as the Charter and the Convention - sparks and conditions such


Workpackage 3: Constitution Making and Legitimacy
Start date and duration: 0 -36
Partner responsible: Zaragoza
Partners involved: Arena, Zaragoza, Exeter, Birkbeck


Objectives
To clarify the normative basis of the emerging EU constitutional arrangement
To examine whether the process of constitution-making has changed over time and whether recent events such as the Charter and the Convention will affect such
To identify the nature and direction of changes over time with regard to mode of legitimation and with regard to the normative basis of the EU
To clarify the salience of values as opposed to rights in terms of providing the EU with legitimacy

Methodology/Work Description
Compare the arguments and reasons presented during the IGCs in 1991, 1996, 2000 and up to and including 2004 at the EU level and in selected member countries in order to shed light on how constitution-making is legitimated and whether the mode of legitimation has changed over time. Qualitative and quantitative methods will be employed, including text analysis, Q-methodology tests, and computer-assisted analysis of text structure and the structuring of arguments
Use primary and secondary sources and interviews to establish the constitutional status of the EU and the constitutional status of rights.
Use primary and secondary sources and interviews to establish the legal validity of EU law in selected member countries.

Deliverables
Two workshops on Legitimacy, governance and constitution-making. (Deliverable No 9):
One workshop has been organised by the Universidad Zaragoza in Albarracín on June 20 - 21, 2003 (Albarracín Workshop). This workshop was followed-up by a second workshop, in London, in 2004.

Further deliverables for this workpackage are the following:
A book on Constitution-making and legitimacy: 'Developing a Constitution for Europe' published March 2004 (Deliverable No 10)
A book on the Privatisation of citizenship? - the legal response to the end of the public-private divide (Deliverable No 11)
Academic responses to the Draft Constitutional Treaty in 2003: the report "Deliberative Constitutional Politics in the EU". (Deliverable No. 18)
Policy memos, reports and articles (Deliverable No. 4)

Expected Results
Clarify how constitution-making is legitimated in the EU, i.e. establish how important legitimation through outcomes is as opposed to legitimation through values and as opposed to legitimation through rights.
Establish the direction of constitutionalisation in the EU, i.e. whether there is a clear shift in the direction of rights and also whether there is an increased convergence in the manner in which constitution-making is legitimated.
Establish a clearer conception of the relationship between what is said and what is done in the EU with regard to the constitutional process.


Workpackage 4: Justifying Enlargement
Start date and duration: 0 - 36
Partner responsible: Arena
Partners involved: Arena, Athens, Madrid, Uppsala

Objectives
To generate detailed knowledge of how the enlargement process is legitimised
To assess the extent of attention given to principles of democracy and human rights in previous and current enlargements of the EU
To assess the evolution over time of the emphasis on rights and democratic principles in EU enlargements

Methodology/Work Description
Focusing on the two main research questions as to why the EU enlarges as well as why the process of enlargement has emerged in the manner and time it has we examine the arguments and reasons presented in order to justify this policy. The policy is to be "explained" by making intelligible the goals for which it is undertaken. The potential of a "hidden agenda" – that actors say something different from what they mean – will be controlled for by comparing words and actions as well as by comparing what is said over time, and in different institutional and political settings. Computer –assisted analysis of text-structure and the structuring of arguments will also be employed with this in mind.

Deliverables
Workshop on Justifying Enlargement (Deliverable No. 12) resulting in a joint research report, was organised in Madrid on 7 - 8 May 2004.
A joint book on Democratic principles and enlargement: past and present experiences (Deliverable No. 13)
Policy memos, reports and articles (Deliverable 4)

Expected Results
Fostering insights into the relationship of democratic principles, human rights and the process of enlarging the European Union
Contributing to the identification of potential legitimacy gaps in an enlarged union by assessing the quality of arguments that support decisions on enlargement and thus contributing to identify potential legitimacy gaps in an enlarged union
Identify potential inconsistencies in the enlargement policy by comparing perspectives of different member states as well as policies towards different applicant states


Workpackage 5: External Security
Start date and duration: 0 - 36
Partner responsible: Score
Partners involved: Arena and Score

Objectives
To generate detailed knowledge of how the building of the common European foreign, security and defence policy is legitimised
To assess the extent of attention given to principles of democracy and human rights in the EU’s foreign, security and defence policy
To clarify the potential differences between foreign policy as we traditionally understand it, and the foreign policy of a rights-based post-national union

Methodology/Work Description
Compare the reasons presented by selected member states and representatives of the EU’s institutions for a) building a common external policy encompassing security and defence; b) for undertaking selected policy-initiatives
We seek to "explain" external policy by making intelligible the goals for which it is undertaken. The potential of a "hidden agenda" – that actors say something different from what they mean – will be controlled for by comparing words and actions as well as by comparing what is said over time and in different institutional and political settings.

Deliverables
Workshop on "From civilian to military power: the European Union at a crossroads?"(Deliverable No. 14), was organised in Oslo on 22 - 23 October 2004.
A research report on Legitimising post-national security policy (Deliverable No. 14)

Expected Results
Fostering insights into the relationship among democratic principles, human rights and security policy on a European scale
Improving knowledge of the role of the EU as a forum for collective action in security and defence
Measuring the legitimacy-gap in the EU’s security and defence policy


Workpackage 6: Taxation and Social Policy
Start date and duration: 0 - 36
Partner responsible: Arena
Partners involved: Arena, Score

Objectives
To determine the fiscal implications of social policy in an enlarged Union
To understand how much strategies of co-ordination in social policy and taxation shape the development of the European Union as a polity

Methodology/Work Description
Data on the process at the European level will be compiled by analysing official documents and interviews with key actors
In the analysis, focus will be directed at analysing the actors on concrete policy impacts at the European and national level

Deliverables
Workshop on 'Which social and tax policy for which European Union?' (Deliverable No.15), will be held in Stockholm 10-11 June 2005
A book on Taxation and social policy of the EU (Deliverable No. 16)
Policy memos, reports and articles (Deliverable 4)

Expected Results
To assess the fiscal implications of a European welfare policy
A better understanding of the conditions for institution-building at the European leve

Workpackage 7: EU and Post National Integration
Start date and duration: months 28 – 36
Partners responsible: Arena, EUI
Partners involved: all

Objectives
Contribute to a theoretically informed and empirically based conception of post-national governance
Synthesise the findings of the project from all the workpackages
Contribute to an enhanced notion and understanding of the EU as polity

Work Description
Prepare scientific publications as well as a final set of policy papers and project abstracts
Produce a synthesising report in non-academic jargon, summing up the most important findings
A conference at the end of the period to synthesise the results of CIDEL

Deliverables
Concluding conference on the EU and post-national integration (Deliverable No. 17) is due for 22-24 September 2005.
A book on the nature of the EU which synthesises the findings of the entire research project" (Deliverable No. 18)
‘Academic responses’ to the Constitutional Convention involving CIDEL user groups also of relevance to WP2 and WP3

Expected Results
Improved understanding and conception of the theoretical basis for post-national integration
A better understanding of the nature of European integration and unification and one which is of importance to analysts as well as to policy-makers and the public
A better, richer and more precise – in theoretical and empirical terms - notion of the quality of democracy and democratic legitimacy in the union.