The European Student Think Tank is proud to present the very first edition of its academic journal, the European Policy Review, published in April of 2014.

The EPR is available for free to download here.

In our inaugural edition, you will find the following:

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.