[Issue 3 and 4] Book Review 1: Understanding the Euro Crisis

Download PDF

Understanding the Euro Crisis
The Future of Europe: Democracy, Legitimacy & Justice After the Euro Crisis
Serge Champeau, Carlos Closa, Daniel Innerarity & Miguel Poaries Maduro,
London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015.
ISBN: 978-1-78348-113-2

Reviewed by Mark FENWICK, Kyushu University

The sovereign debt crisis that has engulfed the European Union since 2008  has posed and – at the time of writing in early 2015 – continues to pose an existential threat both to the single currency and the whole project of European integration. Much has been written on the economic background, causes and effects of the crisis, but rather less on the meaning of the crisis from the perspective of political science, social theory and the law. The publication of The Future of Europe: Democracy, Legitimacy & Justice After the Euro Crisis is, therefore, to be welcomed as it brings together contributions from a number of disciplines to examine the unfolding crisis and the implications for the future of the euro from a “multi-disciplinary point of view”.  Although the contributors seem sensitive to the dangers of talking about the “future” in the midst of the crisis, the resulting collection provides an important and thought-provoking snapshot of the current state of theoretical and normative debates on recent events and the future prospects for the EU.

[Issue 3 and 4] Article 2: The (Partially) Revised Austrian Passing of Risk Regime: An Example of Fragmentation of Domestic Law as a Consequence of EU Harmonisation

Download PDF

Stefan WRBKA, Kyushu University

Harmonisation of national private law via European Union (hereinafter EU) directives and regulations undeniably leads to increased legal  defragmentation at the pan-EU (or: inter-Member State) level, i.e., to a greater amount of alignment of (content-wise) similar legal rules used by different European Member States (hereinafter Member States). Depending on the harmonisation level applied by the respective EU instrument, legal defragmentation can take a stronger (maximum / full harmonisation; hereinafter full harmonisation) or weaker (minimum harmonisation) form.

[Issue 3 and 4] Article 1: デンマークの国際平和活動 ―国連・NATO・EU― / Denmark’s Peace Operations: The UN, NATO, and the EU

Download PDF

五月女律子 北九州市立大学法学部
Ritsuko SAOTOME, The University of Kitakyushu

Denmark has taken part in many United Nations peacekeeping operations. After the end of the Cold War, Denmark has also actively participated in peace support operations led by NATO and the United States. However, Denmark has not sent troops to military crisis management led by the European Union (EU), because Denmark decided to opt out of the common defence of the EU.