Original scientific paper
The legal aspects of the Lisbon strategy and future challenges – an elaboration from the point of view of soft law
Dominik Vuletić
; Faculty of business and economics, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The Lisbon Strategy and the subsequent new Europe 2020 Strategy are both viewed primarily within the macroeconomic realm and, from the scientific standpoint, a subject of study of both economists and political scientists. However, by virtue of their design, both agendas (Lisbon and Europe 2020) have produced and will produce certain normative, legal effects. Furthermore, they are in coexistence with the complex nature of the legal order of the European Union and the legal orders of EU Member States. The focal point of this paper is an analysis of the normative effects and the coexistence with hard law of the Lisbon and Europe 2020 agendas within the broader framework of soft law. The author takes an interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary approach in elaborating on the legal nature and function of soft law both in general terms and particularly within the political system of the EU. Experiences from the 2000-2010 implementation of the Lisbon Strategy are analysed. The author applies the theory of hybridity in European integration in detecting the need for functional interaction between the Lisbon Strategy implementation tools and hard law instruments. The final part of the paper elaborates on the influences of the Lisbon Strategy on EU candidate countries.
Keywords
Lisbon Strategy; Europe 2020 Strategy; soft law; Open method of Co-ordination; Integrated Guidelines; theory of hybridity
Hrčak ID:
70309
URI
Publication date:
20.5.2011.
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