Eastern Journal of European Studies

Editorial Foreword

Author: Vasile ISAN

Abstract: A long time ago, at one of the opening ceremonies of the academic year, the Rector of the Iasi University said that the main characteristic of this institution is that it had been a European academic institution. His concern was not so much about the geographic location, although it is a feature which could be a right one. At that time - it was much before World War II - our University was the most Eastern European academic institution. Actually, he thought about the whole intellectual view and the fundamental principles of this university as being European, i.e. its roots had been nurtured and developed in the same great cultural tradition, and its modern shape was the outcome of the same Humboldtian idea of a university unity of research and education and academic freedom.

Keywords: Eastern Journal of European Studies, EJES, Centre for European Studies

Pages: 5-8 | Full text (PDF)

The Danube Region: transformation and emergence

Authors: Erhard BUSEK, Aleksandra GJORESKA

Abstract: The paper deals with the impact of concrete / tangible social transformation processes on the emergence and shaping of new concepts such as multi-dimensional identity. It also discusses the preconditions necessary for the emergence of such concepts as well as the reasons that may lead to their acceptance or rejection by the respective target groups. The topic is discussed on the concrete empirical evidence of the transformation and the emergence of the Danube Region as the third EU macro-region. It shows that transformation processes require careful coordination and transparency, especially when they address social spaces that do not conform to traditional boundaries and perceptions of reality. Education is considered to play a crucial role in the process of internalisation of such social realities and the redefinition of obsolete thinking patterns.

Keywords: Danube Region, transformation, identity, education, EU Regional Policy

Pages: 9-20 | Full text (PDF)

Patterns and determinants of business cycle synchronization in the enlarged European Economic and Monetary Union

Author: Iulia SIEDSCHLAG

Abstract: This paper provides empirical evidence about the degree of business cycle synchronization between the euro area countries and eight new European Union member states. We analyze the direct and indirect effects of similarity of economic structures and trade intensity on the co-movement of fluctuations of economic activity across these countries and find that bilateral similarity of economic structures and trade intensity were positively and significantly associated with business cycle correlations. This result is robust to different estimation techniques. Similarity of economic structures had an additional indirect positive effect on business cycle synchronization via its positive effect on trade intensity. The bilateral business cycle correlations are found to be endogenous with respect to bilateral similarity of economic structures and bilateral trade intensity suggesting that the new European Union countries will better satisfy the Optimum Currency Area criteria after the adoption of the euro.

Keywords: European Economic and Monetary Union, optimum currency area, international transmission of business cycles.

Pages: 21-44 | Full text (PDF)

The impact of EU-accession on farming and agricultural employment in Cluj County

Author: Kinga KEREKES

Abstract: This paper reveals some consequences of Romania's accession to the EU on farming and agricultural employment in Cluj County. EU15 countries have a different farm structure and a higher agricultural labour productivity than Romania and the Common Agricultural Policy in its present form responds primarily to their needs. Based on the interviews carried out in 2005 and in 2009 with farmers and experts from Cluj County, the paper presents the expectations towards EU accession as well as its short-term effects. Results of the interviews suggest that, in Cluj County, EU-accession leads to the disappearance of semi-subsistence farms and to the decrease of the number of agricultural workers. Farmers are still not sufficiently informed about CAP and the complexity of the administrative procedures, and the lack of professionalism of agency staff and the delays of payments caused many disappointments in the first two years after EU accession.

Keywords: EU-accession of Romania, Common Agricultural Policy, rural employment, agricultural employment

Pages: 45-62  | Full text (PDF)

Current approaches to the European Health Policy

Authors: Vasile PUSCAS, Anda CURTA

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to identify the key elements that define the new European health policy. We observed that the health policy actually appeared to be an enclave within the integration process. The development of health policy in the new Member States followed a common pattern. Therefore, the European health policy reflected a general desire on behalf of the members to have more clarity of the rules in this area, given the different interpretation of the rules by different Member States. The Lisbon Treaty does not bring substantive changes regarding the public health policy, therefore the Member States shall keep their competence in defining the organization and financing this domain. However, the EU2020 Strategy states that "Europe faces a moment of transformation". Therefore, the "Europeanization" of health policy could lead to the positive developments that all EU citizens are expecting.

Keywords: European public goods, Health Policy, Europeanization, new member states, integration, enlargement, sustainable development, European social policy, cross-border cooperation, free movement of services

Pages: 63-86 | Full text (PDF)

The relationship between supplier networks and industrial clusters: an analysis based on the cluster mapping method

Authors: Miklos SZANYI, Peter CSIZMADIA, Miklos ILLESSY, Ichiro IWASAKI, Csaba MAKO

Abstract: Michael Porter's concept of competitive advantages emphasizes the importance of regional cooperation of various actors in order to gain competitiveness on globalized markets. Foreign investors may play an important role in forming such cooperation networks. Their local suppliers tend to concentrate regionally. They can form, together with local institutions of education, research, financial and other services, development agencies, the nucleus of cooperative clusters. This paper deals with the relationship between supplier networks and clusters. Two main issues are discussed in more detail: the interest of multinational companies in entering regional clusters and the spillover effects that may stem from their participation. After the discussion on the theoretical background, the paper introduces a relatively new analytical method: "cluster mapping" - a method that can spot regional hot spots of specific economic activities with cluster building potential. Experience with the method was gathered in the US and in the European Union. After the discussion on the existing empirical evidence, the authors introduce their own cluster mapping results, which they obtained by using a refined version of the original methodology.

Keywords: cluster, transnational company, supplier network

Pages: 87-112 | Full text (PDF)

Regional inequalities and convergence clubs in the European Union new member-states

Authors: Panagiotis ARTELARIS, Dimitris KALLIORAS, George PETRAKOS

Abstract: The paper assesses on empirical grounds the level and the evolution of regional inequalities in each European Union new member-state (EU NMS) and examines the possibility for the emergence of regional convergence clubs. The experience of the EU NMS is a unique situation, where relatively closed economic systems opened, almost at once, to the world economy and, at the same time, market mechanisms replaced central planning. Thus, understanding the spatial pattern of regional growth in the EU NMS may provide valuable insight for theory and policy. The application of non linear econometric models, which transcend the "all or nothing" logic behind conventional convergence analysis, has shown the existence of regional convergence clubs in many EU NMS. The identification of regional convergence clubs, irrespective of the pattern that emerges in each EU NMS, highlights the heterogeneous spatial impact of the EU economic integration process.

Keywords: new EU member-states, regional inequalities, convergence clubs, Weighted Least Squares (WLS), integration

Pages: 113-133 | Full text (PDF)

International adoption of Romanian children and Romania's admission to the European Union (1990-2007)

Authors: Yves DENECHERE, Beatrice SCUTARU

Abstract: The adoption of Romanian children abroad, which began under Ceausescu and continued until the 2000s, has constituted a significant issue for Romania's positioning in Europe. The period of negotiation of the country's admission to the European Union constitutes a kind of paroxysm of the phenomenon. The article is a contribution to the history of representations, to the history of international relationships, and to the very recent history of Europe. Carried out from institutional, press, and oral sources, the survey demonstrates how international adoption, as a phenomenon of transnational society, has played a foreground part in anchoring Romania in Europe. Indeed, the issue crystallizes most European questions regarding Romania's capacity to integrate in the EU in terms of public policy, stabilization of its internal functioning, and protection of the most vulnerable.

Keywords: intercountry adoption, children, Romania, European Union, diplomacy

Pages: 135-151 | Full text (PDF)

A strategic and operational view of competitiveness and cohesion in the European context

Author: Valentin COJANU

Abstract: The persistence of spatial developmental disparities suggests that the strategic directions of any initiative targeting regional competitiveness should follow the lines of (1) maximizing its competitive impact and (2) matching the territorial specificity. According to this perspective, the paper discusses an original theoretical construct and points to graphical representations of operational forms that may configure a policy of territorial development along four co-existent levels: (1) urban fields, (2) clusters, (3) development areas, and (4) disadvantaged areas. The main implication for public policy initiatives resides in facilitating the progress towards building up such a potential for growth.

Keywords: agglomeration, competitiveness, development, spatial network, territorial planning

Pages: 153-168 | Full text (PDF)

BOOK REVIEW:

Vasile Puşcaş, International/Transnational Relations, International University Institute for European Studies (I.U.I.E.S.), Gorizia-Trieste, 2009

Author: Marcela SALAGEAN

Pages: 169-170 | Full text (PDF)