European Policy Review Publishes First Edition

The European Student Think Tank is proud to present the very first edition of the European Policy Review.

The European Policy Review is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes academic, student-written papers on a wide range of topics related to European Union policy. In line with the objective of the European Student Think Tank to provide a platform for discussion amongst students that share an interest in the EU, this journal seeks to involve students in the central and controversial debates in European politics. This journal therefore not only seeks to bring to the fore students’ perspectives on EU policy, but also aims to target a wide young academic readership. The European Policy Review has an international and multi-disciplinary character. The contributors to, and makers of, this journal are students from various countries, with different backgrounds and perspectives. The journal consciously chooses to cover a broad spectrum of topics and to incorporate multiple disciplines, thereby reflecting the numerous angles from which EU policy can be studied and discussed.

A team of qualified editors and peer reviewers has examined all the submitted papers and has made a careful selection on the basis of academic quality and potential contribution to the journal. The editors and peer reviewers have provided the authors of the selected papers with extensive feedback. On the basis of those comments, the authors have been able to revise their paper and produce an improved result.

Christina Fanenbruck analyzes the significance of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and investigates the influence of a single region inside the CoR by looking at the case of North Rhine-Westphalia. Read article.

Aileen Byrne and Lea Pfefferle explore data protection regulations within the EU and formulate a new template for the exchange of practices with the United States. Read article.

Anthony De Bondt explains the various ways of how the European External Action Service (EEAS) is held to account by the European Parliament, and suggests that formal and informal mechanisms complement each other in providing for true accountability. Read article.

Julian Scholtes analyzes the EU’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis and argues that Europe’s apathy is not the expression of a singular event but rather a reflection of a general apathy towards refugees, institutionalized through the Dublin Regulation. Read article.

Luca Barani presents his research on the views and perceptions of experts working within European think tanks, and highlights what these experts think of the way in which the EU seeks to manage societal diversity. Read article.

Anneloes Hoff writes about the lobbying strategies of domestic interest groups, and seeks to demonstrate that interest groups are becoming increasingly engaged with the Union’s decision-making process because of the ever-growing legislative output the EU generates. Read article.

Finally, Joren Selleslaghs analyzes the effects of the so-called ‘Europeanisation’ phenomenon on Switzerland, and reflects on the question of whether the approach of seeking bilateral agreements with the EU instead of becoming a full-fledged member is a beneficial strategy. Read article.

We very much appreciate the time and effort that reviewers and editors have devoted to assessing the papers we sent them. We also thank all authors who have taken the courage to submit their paper to the peer review process and deal with others’ criticisms. Finally, special praise must also be given to those who provided their expertise and energy to the formatting process. By publishing the first edition of the European Policy Review, we hope to set the tone of a new tradition with many more volumes to come. As we have experienced during the process that preceded the publication of this journal, launching a journal can be challenging and takes a lot of time. Nevertheless, we have also learned from the mistakes we made and the obstacles we had to face. We therefore expect that the publishing process will be continually improved with each subsequent edition of the European Policy Review. We hope you will enjoy reading this journal, and we warmly welcome your comments and suggestions for future editions.

Download the European Policy Review here or read it on issuu here

Mieke Molthof, Editor in Chief of the European Policy Review