In or out of Europe? What prospects for Ukraine?
Abstract The paper outlines the ambitions of, and economic and political reasons for, Ukraine to join the European Union (EU). Differences in interest and support for EU membership compared to other new EU members are discussed, including divisions among the population and elites, and the economic consequences of the enlargement for Ukraine. Public and elite in the EU are shown to be divided and lacking in support for further enlargement to include Ukraine (and Turkey). Alternatives to full membership of the EU are discussed. The European Neighbourhood Policy is considered to be the only viable alternative. This has political disadvantages, but some compensations. These include the possibilities for an independent trading policy with Russia and other parties. It has the advantage of allowing readjustment to market conditions to take place more slowly, ensuring political stability. Policy implications are that Ukraine should aim to be within Europe as part of the ENP, rather striving for EU membership which is unlikely to be conceded by the EU.
The decision-making process in EU policy towards the Eastern neighbourhood: the case of immigration policy
This thesis investigates the EU policy-making process concerning the external 
dimension of migration focusing on the EU’s eastern neighbourhood. 
 
In recent years, there has been an increasing emphasis on integrating a comprehensive 
migration dimension into the broader external policies of the EU. In 2004, the European 
Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) was developed as an overarching foreign policy tool 
integrating the EU’s existing policies towards its southern and eastern neighbourhood 
under a single framework with the objective of ensuring security and stability in the 
EU's neighbourhood. The management of cross-border movements along the EU’s new 
eastern frontiers in particular has moved up on the EU agenda with the eastern shift of 
the EU borders following the 2004/2007 eastern enlargements. With the increasing 
integration of migration policy objectives into the EU’s broader neighbourhood policy, 
the EU has progressively established a more streamlined form of cooperation with its 
immediate eastern neighbours concerning different dimensions of migration policy. The 
thesis examines the EU policy-making process with the aim of answering the question 
of how the EU policy has been shaped in the view of diverging national preferences and 
institutional roles and influence concerning the external dimension of migration policy. 
As a salient policy area central to national sovereignty and interest, the EU member 
states traditionally seek to control the impact of institutional constraints in the area of 
migration policy and support mechanisms by which they could exert national control 
over the policy outcomes. On the other hand, the increasing ‘communitarisation’ of the 
policy area since the Amsterdam Treaty has enhanced the role of the EU institutions. 
 
Drawing on the new-institututionalist approaches to EU policy-making, the thesis 
questions a purely intergovernmental understanding of policy-making dominated by the 
preferences of the member states in the external dimension of EU migration policy.
Protection of the Marine Environment: The International and National Regulation of Deep Seabed Mining Activities
This chapter provides an overview of the international and national regulatory framework pertaining to deep seabed mining activities. It begins by discussing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the backdrop for all marine activities – be they national or international – and examines the obligations of states to protect the marine environment from the harmful effects arising from deep seabed mining. Next, the chapter examines the international regime for deep seabed mining (i.e. “activities in the Area”), explaining the “common heritage of mankind” status of the Area (i.e. the international seabed); the functions of the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the international organization established to govern deep seabed mining in the Area; and the concept of state sponsorship of non-state entities (i.e. private actors) for deep seabed mining in the Area. The chapter follows with a discussion of the development of national legislation to regulate deep seabed mining, examining efforts in the Pacific region where many prospective deep-sea mining sites are located. This includes a look at the legislative regimes of several Pacific Island nations, namely, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and the Cook Islands, for whom deep seabed mining may soon become a reality – as well as New Zealand and Japan, countries with comparatively developed rule of law and legislative regimes that have undertaken or considered deep seabed mining in their national waters. Overall, the chapter critically describes and evaluates the current regulatory status in the international and national seabed areas and highlights some salient gaps that require urgent attention in order to ensure marine environmental protection and mitigate impacts on humans.