Balzacq Thierry

This author's articles

• Civil or Military? The Evolving Nature of EU Power

  27 February 2006
  The aim of the conference is to assess the extent to which potential EU military intervention shapes the international system. How will this evolving military power interact with softer components of its political ambitions in international relations? How might we expect security organisations such as NATO to respond to this pattern of action?

• Security and the Two-Level Game: The Treaty of Prüm, the EU and the Management of Threats

  23 January 2006
  On 27 May 2005, seven Member States signed the Prüm Convention to step up cross-border cooperation, particularly in combating terrorism, cross-border crime and illegal migration. Named after the German city in which it was signed, the Treaty’s main advantage is that it enables the signatories to speed up the exchange of information. However, this paper argues that the Treaty produces negative externalities for the European Union’s area of freedom, security and justice by circumventing the EU framework.

• Terrorism and Data Retention: Persistent Predicaments in EU’s Policy

  25 October 2005
  The Council Meeting on the EU Response to the London attacks of 13 July 2005 is producing a set of measures in an attempt to revitalize security within the EU. As part of the EU Counter-Terrorism package, the European Commission and the Council have put forward proposals on the retention of communications traffic data which provisions are highly problematic. First, their compliance with the principle of proportionality and effectiveness is open to discussion. Second, these measures do not fully comply with the European Convention on Human Rights and the EU framework on data protection. Finally, latest developments reveal worrying trends: an intense institutional race between the Council and the Commission. The result is a blurred EU policy and a weak protection for the individual.

• Opening Remarks: Presentation of the CHALLENGE Research Project and the Observatory

  6 September 2005
  Elspeth Guild, Thierry Balzacq and Sergio Carrera opened the conference by welcoming all the speakers and the participants. They focused their opening remarks on the importance of the CHALLENGE research project (The Changing Landscape of European Liberty and Security) as a tool for setting high standards of intellectual debate around security and liberty in Europe. Trough its Network of 21 University, CHALLENGE represents a valuable instrument for policy recommendations, which contributes to the development of an EU Area of Freedom Security and Justice.

• The Impact of Security Discourses and Reasons for Success

  6 September 2005
  Thierry Balzacq closed this session presenting a paper on the impact of security discourses and reasons for success.

• The EU’s Fight against International Terrorism: Security Problems, Insecure Solutions

  27 July 2005
  Investigations into the London attacks of 7/7 have yet to clarify the intricate storyline of the bombings. Yet the EU has already proposed specific measures to fight against international terrorism through policies that, unfortunately, compound the difficulty of addressing the challenge. This Policy Brief critically examines these measures following the EU Council’s 13 July Declaration on the EU Response to the London Bombings. CEPS Research Fellows Thierry Balzacq and Sergio Carrera argue that if the freedom and justice dimensions are not set at the centre of EU policies developing an Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, human rights and civil liberties may be endangered and finally lost to the exceptional security demands.

• Migration, Borders & Asylum – Trends and Vulnerabilities in EU Policy

  2 July 2005
  What level of policy convergence has been achieved by EU member states on immigration, borders and asylum? Although this question may sound rather theoretical, in practice it has profound consequences on the everyday life of individuals and the very nature of the EU. Common action in this field is exacerbated by the significant obstacles that negatively impact the quality of policies and the success of their implementation. Together with the tense EU struggle between the intergovernmental and community method of governing, these factors are detrimental to an EU-wide policy for promoting freedom, justice and stability in an enlarging Union.

• Balzacq Thierry : curriculum vitae

  12 April 2005
  Professeur de sciences politiques à l’université de Namur et directeur de recherche au CECRI de l’Université de Louvain

0 | 10