A People’s Europe. Turning a concept into content

A Peoples' Europe: turning a concept into content

In May 1996, the third EC/International Forum was convened to cast a critical eye on a familiar and wide-spread concept of our times and to seek to flesh out some of the issues that shape and define its content. The topics addressed evolved out of the observation that, when speaking about the European Union, the notion of a 'Peoples' Europe' is understood differently in different quarters and while substantial progress had been made as regards some of its core elements, more fine-tuning was and is required if this concept is to reflect the aspirations of the European peoples.

The aim of this book is to assess the impact of the rules of Community law, or absence thereof, on some of the issues which directly and intimately affect the level and quality of living in the European Union and to concentrate on problems experienced first-hand by a number of ordinary people living and working within the EU. The topics covered range from an attempt to define some key features of the controversial concept of 'citizenship of the Union' to policy networks and the implementation of the Union's structural funds. Furthermore, in assessing and addressing the intensity of the integrationist effort needed, academic experts tackle the sex, religion and race aspects of discrimination within the Union; critically examine the EU immigration and asylum policy and the limited rights and particular treatment that various categories of third country nationals enjoy under Community and/or national law; analyse the external dimension of the Community's Human Rights policy; and seek to establish whether or not any common ground exists between the cultural identities of the Member States.

Individual chapters cover citizenship, social policy, sex discrimination, racism, religious discrimination, immigration and asylum, third country nationals, human rights, culture and policy networks and structural funds.