Log in
The research project, `The European Commission in Question', has had impact of considerable reach and significance: It has enabled senior managers across the Commission and others to gain a detailed understanding of the backgrounds, motivation and beliefs, careers and networking behaviour of Commission officials, as well as their attitudes to the internal operation of the organization, the impact of administrative reform, and the handling and effects of the 2004 and 2007 enlargements; it has informed the EU recruitment strategy of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office; and it has contributed to the Scottish government's approach to engagement with the Commission. More generally, its findings have informed the EU policy community and the wider public about the Commission and its staff.
Boeger has co-produced a highly influential body of collaborative work on telecommunications regulation which had direct impact across the EU. It has led to: substantial reform of Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications ("BEREC") and its Office's working methods; dialogue shaping across the EU Commission, European Parliament, and Member States; influenced an EU Parliament report; and has been the driver of inter-institutional pressure on BEREC and its office. In summary, the research kick-started and directly shaped the substantial changes to BEREC and its office both now and for the future, and is a key reference point. The overall aim is to improve the co-ordinated regulation of telecoms markets across the EU.
Beale was a major contributor to research published in 2000 as The Principles of European Contract Law (The Principles). The Principles had and continue to have a major impact on the development of contract law at both the EU and national levels. They formed the basis of subsequent work that led to the Draft Common Frame of Reference (DCFR, 2009), which incorporated The Principles. The Principles and the DCFR have influenced interpretation in the European Court of Justice (ECJ) / Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and are cited in national courts. They have had a significant impact on reform of national laws and led directly to the European Commission's proposal for a Regulation on a Common European Sales Law (CESL, 2011). With support from the University of Warwick, Beale played a key role not only in producing The Principles but in all the subsequent stages, including being a member of the Expert Group that produced a first draft of the CESL.
This case-study is based upon research by Prof Michael Dougan and Dr Michael Gordon (both members of the Liverpool European Law Unit) undertaken between 2008 and 2013. That work critically assesses a series of interlinked EU constitutional reforms, and their impact upon the EU's relationship to its Member States, with particular reference to the UK experience: first, the interpretation and implementation of the Lisbon Treaty 2007; secondly, the design and implications of the European Union Act 2011; thirdly, Britain's legal and political reception of the 2012 "Fiscal Compact" Treaty. The research's principal impacts have occurred within the period 1 January 2008 to 31 July 2013. They consist in providing a wide range of high-level institutional actors (including the European Court of Justice, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the House of Commons) with an objective and thorough critical evaluation of those major constitutional developments, so as directly to inform and assist their policy deliberations (including specific recommendations based directly on the research) on issues of fundamental importance to the future interests of the EU and the UK.
The entry into force of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) in December 2009 granted the European Union a competence to develop a sports policy. Parrish substantially influenced the development and implementation of this new competence providing professional advice and expert testimony to key policymakers. These included the European Commission, the European Parliament and the House of Lords. Specifically, the work of Parrish has helped define EU policy priorities for sport, shaped the content of sports related legislation and informed the dialogue between the European Commission and sports stakeholders and Member States. The appointment to these advisory positions, and the advice dispensed as part of these roles, drew materially and distinctly from Parrish's underpinning research.
Research by Simon Hix on the democratic reform of the European Union has helped to transform the way politicians, policymakers, journalists and interest groups understand how EU politics works, and as a result has changed the way the EU institutions work. Hix's research has achieved the following key impacts: 1) www.VoteWatch.eu is the leading website for tracking the voting behaviour of MEPs and governments in the EU Council; 2) recorded ("roll-call votes") are now taken in the European Parliament (EP) on all final votes on EU legislative proposals; 3) the Duff Report on the reform of the EP electoral system proposed to introduce preferential-voting in all EU member states; and 4) there is growing support amongst think tanks, NGOs and political parties for a competitive election of the Commission President, which Hix has advocated for several years. In November 2012, on the 40th anniversary of British membership of the EU, the media group EurActiv named Simon Hix amongst "the 40 most influential Britons on EU policy". He was the only academic on the list (see http://www.euractiv.com/UK40).
Research undertaken by Christoph Meyer has had a direct impact on the European Commission's external communication policy, structures and capacities, particularly in 2008 and 2009. Policy recommendations from this research were adopted by the Commission in May 2008 and influenced its first Corporate Communication Statement of 2009. In sum, the research had a significant impact on the communication activities of more than 1900 officials, spending more than 250 million Euros annually and targeted at more than 500 million citizens of the EU, as well as foreign publics as part of the EU's external relations.
A national UK standard on nano-labelling has been published and an international standard is imminent largely due to the efforts of Professor Geoff Hunt as an applied ethicist in nanotechnology. Hunt became interested in the labelling of nanoproducts when he saw (in 2006) a lack of recognition that nanoscale hazards would affect consumers' right to know. He raised this in his 2006 co-edited book and at a UNESCO workshop in Paris (2007), leading directly to an invitation from Dr Peter Hatto of BSI (UK standardisation body) to lead a world-first initiative on nano-labelling. He continued to steer this project for five years up to International level.
Professor Martin Dangerfield's research has focused on subregional cooperation in post-Cold War Europe with special emphasis on interactions with broader European integration processes. Its significance was acknowledged by policy-making communities at national, subregional and EU level. Dangerfield was appointed to advisory roles in events that both debated and informed public policy and enhanced public awareness. These concerned multilateral foreign policy cooperation of new EU members, namely the Visegrad Group (VG), and conception, design and implementation of a major EU initiative — the `Macro-Regional Strategy'. Dangerfield's work has also been cited widely in relevant non-academic publications produced for policy analysis and to deliver recommendations.
The global financial crisis led the European Union (EU) to diversify its sources for the EU Budget, including co-financing instruments with multilateral development banks. Dr Robinson's research addressed key concerns about financial risk and the lack of transparency created through such partnerships. His research has been recognised as improving the understanding of these complex instruments within EU institutions and its impact may be measured through the implementation of several of its key recommendations. These include the creation of the `EBRD Representative for EU affairs' within a participating bank, the acceleration of EU co-financing strategy, and the unprecedented action of the EU Court of Auditors including the banks in their auditing process.