David Clark, Neil Kinnock, Michael Leahy, Ken Livingstone, John Monks, Stephen Twigg

September 2005 £4.95, plus £1 p+p.

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At this decisive moment in the development of both the European Uion and the democratic left, European politics must not be allowed to become a competitive struggle between different national approaches. This pamphlet argues that a social model of the future must reflect a synthesis of what is best in each whilst still facilitating advances which accord with national preferences and conditions. In this process, Britain has much to offer, but it also still has much to learn.

Further information 

Dick Leonard

June 30, 2005

Download Counter-terrorism and human rights - is the EU on course? (20 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

The EU responded with commendable – if unusual – alacrity to the worldwide terrorist threat unleashed on 11 September 2001.

Now, nearly four years later, Amnesty International has produced a disturbing report questioning how far this objective has been met.

Dick Leonard examines the EU's approach to counter-terrorism in an article published in The European Voice.

Grace Annan

Download European Parliament Policy Brief (60 kilobyte PDF; need help viewing PDFs?)

This Policy Brief reviews a recent plea from the European Parliament for a stronger voice in the constitutional arrangements for EU foreign and security policy. In the wake of the referendum results in France and the Netherlands, there is a new recognition that European leaders must address the democratic deficit in EU decision-making. Whether or not the Parliament succeeds in these bids will depend on its ability to speak with one voice and to actively make this voice heard in national capitals in the coming one to two years.

Sir Digby Jones (with preface by Dr Denis MacShane MP)

4 April 2005

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Half of all UK legislation which imposes burdens on businesses originates from the European Union. Yet, given the depth of involvement of the EU in the UK's regulatory regime, the British public are surprisingly ignorant about the EU, its policies and institutions - and many MPs do not follow events across the Channel. In this pamphlet, Sir Digby Jones, director-general of the CBI, sets out a number of proposals for improving scrutiny of EU legislation in the UK parliament.

Sir Brian Crowe (with preface by Javier Solana)

£4.95, plus £1 p+p.

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The creation of an EU Foreign Minister is one of the most innovative proposals of Europe's proposed new constitution; yet there is still very little understanding of what the position woiuld entail and what challenges the new minister would face.

In this paper, Sir Brian Crowe, former Director General for External and for Politico-Military Affairs in the EU Council of Ministers, argues that empowering a new EU Foreign Minister is crucial for putting flesh on the bones of the Common Foreign and security Policy (CFSP). Fundamental changes are needed if the EU is to develop the capability for coordinated, effective, and rapid reaction.

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David Mathieson

September 2004

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In this new Foreign Policy Centre publication, David Mathieson argues that the two Prime Ministers urgently need to strengthen their relationship. Though relations between their respective parties were strained by the war over Iraq, and the warm relationship between Blair and Aznar, there is now real scope for cooperation between the two Prime Ministers.

Mark Gill, Simon Atkinson and Roger Mortimore

Commentary by Richard Gowan and Mark Leonard

September 2004

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The Foreign Policy Centre has published the results of the first poll to comprehensively gauge public opinion towards the European Constitution. It includes a detailed analysis of the battleground groups that will need to be won over.

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"An excellent publication… serves as a real wake-up call" Lord Simon of Highbury

Mark Leonard

The British Council

December 2003 £19.95, plus £1 p+p. Buy it on CentralBooks.co.uk

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Between December 2001 and July 2003, Europe's great and good were convened to find a way that the European Union could 'be brought closer to its citizens.'

These six essays outline a somewhat different picture of democracy in Europe to that of the Convention. They argue that the problem of democracy will not be solved by constitutional reform alone.

Successful European democracy will allow strong national and regional identities to be combined with the effective policies that European citizens demand. Citizens will feel that they have some kind of control over the whole set of issues that can no longer be dealt with by national governments working alone, and which are best dealt with in Brussels. These essays, written by a wide range of leading academics and practitioners from across Europe, abound with ideas about how this can be made to happen - with or without constitution.

Nick Clegg and Michiel van Hulten

May 2003

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In this policy brief Nick Clegg and Michiel van Hulten combine a punchy analysis of the challenges facing the parliament with a detailed consideration what needs to be done to resolve them.

It starts from the premise that a credible European Parliament needs to focus less on far-reaching political ambitions and more on the nuts and bolts of its representative role in order to engage the public in political debates.

While its institutional powers and legislative authority have steadily increased, political credibility has lagged behind.

The challenge is clear: MEPs are at risk of wielding power and authority without adequate legitimacy and responsibility.

Next Generation Democracy

Claes de Vreese

British Council & Weber Shandwick Public Affairs

April 2003

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Democracy relies on communication between citizens and those in power. However, at the European level, too often the strategy is to focus on sending out pro-European messages, rather than presenting the EU as a political system with room for disagreement, discussion and debate. Unless the Convention takes account of how the newly constitutionalised EU links to its citizens via the media, it will produce solutions that fail to engage its stakeholders, and will reinforce the 'democratic deficit'. Based on a unique study of the broadcast media across the EU, de Vreese defines how the media actually covers European issues, and lays out some concrete recommendations about how the EU must change. The EU must redesign its communication strategies to take account of the methods broadcast journalists actually use to produce European stories; to use all the advantages the EU has to give the institutions a 'human face'; and to develop strong links between the European level of policymaking and the national media marketplaces.

Further information 

"Claes de Vreese, like the FPC, can see which side of history he's on. But he can also see history heading out the door" Peter Preston, the Guardian

Next Generation Democracy

Tom Arbuthnott

British Council & Weber Shandwick Public Affairs

February 2003

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The accountability of national government has changed in the past twenty years. People's capacity to hold their governments to account has been complicated by the rise of new communications media, the rise of a 'permanent campaign' and the embedding of national government in a highly complex international system.

In this policy brief, Arbuthnott argues that Europe is a key part of the solution. Comparability is the new accountability in the EU. And the heightened capacity of the EU to allow people to make meaningful comparisons between their own governments' performance and others has subjected national politicians to an ever-higher degree of scrutiny.

"Full of excellent insights." Lord Howell of Guilford
"This is an important theme. Well done." Denis MacShane MP

Next Generation Democracy

Mats Engstrom

British Council Brussels & Weber Shandwick Public Affairs

November 2002

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Without open and common political arena, confidence in European institutions will remain low, no matter how they are designed. This pamphlet examines how digital technologies such as the internet can help develop European political spaces. It includes twenty concrete proposals for action.

There is a choice to be made. One way is open dialogue in electronic commons. Another possibility is a division of citizens in privately-owned networks where entertainment and scandal are the main elements of politics, and only an elite use the new technology to influence decisions. A political strategy is urgently needed to make digital technologies contribute to a more democratic Europe.

Next Generation Democracy

Mark Leonard

British Council Brussels & Weber Shandwick Public Affairs

June 2002

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The European Union is underperforming in too many areas. Both pro-Europeans and eurosceptics argue that the EU's institutions are unloved because they are unelected and remote. In this policy brief Mark Leonard and Jonathan White take a different view: the problem, they argue, is a delivery deficit. Instead of relying on federal theories to decide where power should lie, the authors suggest that policy-makers embrace the principle of Earning the Right to Act where powers are allocated according to performance - moving up and down from a national to a European level to achieve specific objectives. They argue that EU institutions must earn their powers by proving their ability to execute them effectively. Ultimately this is the only EU that can count on the sympathy of its citizens.

"The report provides a robustly pro-European critique of where the EU is failing the delivery test" The Observer

Next Generation Democracy

Simon Hix

The British Council and Weber Shandwick Adamson

February 2002

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National Parliaments are among the most legitimate bodies in the European Union: they engage constituents with political debate and set the agenda for national political discussion. Simon Hix suggests opening up a European space for debates within national Parliaments by giving them a significant role in electing the Commission president.

Mark Leonard (Ed.)

January 2002 £16.99pb, plus £1 p+p. Buy it on CentralBooks.co.uk

This definitive guide to the case for Europe brings together a unique collection of political, cultural and social arguments for closer European integration and full and whole-hearted British participation in the European Union. Contributions range from political and historical debate, to consideration of the impact of Europe on our everyday lives. Influential figures quoted include Winston Churchill speaking on a United States of Europe in 1946, Mikhail Gorbachev on 'The Common European Home', Anthony Giddens' discussion of 'A Third Way for the European Union', and Milan Kundera on 'Europe and the Novel'.

"Packed full of wisdom and vision. Here's a book full of cures for prejudice and phobia" Neil Kinnock

Mark Leonard

British Council Brussels & Weber Shandwick Public Affairs

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This is the framework document for the Next Generation Democracy project. The democratic deficit is the biggest problem facing Europe today. But we will not solve it if we treat it as a 'European' problem. It is time to turn the debate on democracy in Europe on its head.

Mark Leonard

September 2001 £14.95, plus £1 p+p. Buy it on CentralBooks.co.uk

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Produced jointly with the Czech Institute of International Relations, this pamphlet examines the future of the EU and calls for a rethinking of the European political space.

This pamphlet formed the backdrop to a top level conference attended by senior political figures including the Czech Deputy Prime Minister, which was held at Prague Castle on 6-8 September 2001.

Sponsored by BSMG Worldwide

Mark Leonard (Ed.)

November 2000 £9.95, plus £1 p+p. Buy it on CentralBooks.co.uk

Europe's future is being debated as never before. Enlargement, the 'democratic deficit', new security challenges and a changing global economy all mean that the EU must reform. This collection provides the definitive guide to the new debate about the principles which should guide it.

Contributions to the debate from German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Italian Premier Giuliano Amato, French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine and Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh show that European governments are grappling with the central questions of European reform and legitimacy in a new way.

Leading thinkers including Anthony Giddens, Jan Zielonka, Alison Cottrell, Ben Hall and Mark Leonard look at what a new case for Europe will mean in practice - in economics, Europe's global role, institutional reform and democratisation.

This project was kindly supported by BSMG Worldwide

Further information 

"Its essence is the patriotic and pragmatic case for being both pro-European and pro reform in Europe" Peter Mandelson
"The Europe of Nice is a building site waiting for new master builders."

Sponsored by Clifford Chance

Mark Leonard

10 September 1999 £9.95, plus £1 p+p. Buy it on CentralBooks.co.uk

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Mark Leonard sets out a radical new agenda for European reform, arguing that pro-Europeans must reshape the European debate if Europe is to be both effective and popular. Instead of the traditional federalist reform agenda, the EU should learn from successful network models of business organisation and introduce elements of direct democracy to reconnect to its citizens.

This project was supported by Clifford Chance

Further information 

"A radical agenda for reform from the government's favourite foreign policy think-tank" Stephen Castle, Independent on Sunday
"A welcome contribution to the important debate about Europe's future" Rt Hon Tony Blair MP, Prime Minister
"Extraordinarily stimulating" Jacques Delors