Research

Many measures and legal acts adopted by the European Union (EU) have a direct impact on the regional level or are implemented by it. However, these are mostly negotiated between the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. What is the role of those affected, the regional political actors? Are they currently just bystanders or are they involved in shaping European policy? And what form of participation would they like to see in a newly constituted Europe?

Based on the finding that European integration has constrained the legislative competence and political scope of action of national and subnational parliaments in EU member states, research is increasingly focusing on the institutional adjustments and political activities of regional legislatures. REGIOPARL’ research was dedicated to both, the theoretical analysis of the (potential) role of regional parliaments and the empirical study of their activities in EU affairs. The research was oriented towards the following questions:

1. How do regional parliaments actually engage in EU affairs and why/under which conditions?

2. What (democratic) functions can regional parliaments fulfil in the European multi-level system, and should their role be strengthened?

3) How could the role of regional parliaments be strengthened – through institutional reforms and changing practices?

REGIOPARL addressed these questions by analysing the role of regional authorities in the current EU multi-level system. With its participatory research design, REGIOPARL incorporated the perspectives of regional actors on the ongoing debate on the future of the EU. The research agenda was structured by the modules (1) Empirical Research, (2) Normative Theory and (3) Participatory Research.

Research design

Research
output

Research design

REGIOPARL developed a comparative project design to address the guiding research questions. This is based, on the one hand, on traditional social science methods of data collection and analysis (Module 1). On the other hand, the normative perspectives of the members of regional parliaments are directly incorportated: in a series of workshops, the REGIOPARL Interventions, regional parliamentarians discuss the future of the EU and European democracy in particular (Module 3). The empirical research programme examines a total of 15 regions in seven EU member states, which were systematically selected along pre-defined criteria to take account of varying institutional, political and socio-economic conditions. This empirical and participatory research design is embedded in democratic theory, assessing the normative roles of parliamentary activities and potential of institutional reforms or reform perspectives for the democratic functioning of the EU (Module 2).

In addition to the work of REGIOPARL’s core research team, its cooperating partners in the joint research network address other important questions concerning the role of the regions in Europe. In conferences and workshops, REGIOPARL also tries to incorporate stakeholders from politics, culture and science into the debate – most recently at the annual research conference Parliamentary Voices on the Future of Europe.

Moritz Neujeffski, at the Social Science Research Centre Berlin (WZB), works on an especially relevant issue in this regards, regarding the tension between austerity policy, regional inequalities and redistribution mechanisms. He investigates the issue in his dissertation project: What is the role of regional equalisation programmes in times of financial crises and how has austerity policy affected regions differently? Can regional redistribution instruments secure the room for manoeuvre of individual regions even in times of crisis?

The REGIOPARL blog regularly informs about activities of the research teams and publishes guest contributions from our network.

Research output

Organization of academic conferences

2022 Conference: Mapping regional involvement in EU affairs, organized by Danube University Krems in the framework of REGIOPARL.

2021 Online-Conference: From Takers to Shapers? Challenges for Regions in a Dynamic EU Polity, organized by University of Tübingen in cooperation with REGIOPARL and the Arbeitskreis Europäische Integration (AEI).

2020 Online-Conference: Parliamentary Voices on the Future of Europe, co-organized by Danube University Krems & Jagiellonian University Kraków in the framework of REGIOPARL.

2019 Conference: Redefining Regions in Europe in Krems, organized by Danube University Krems in the framework of REGIOPARL.

Paper presentations at international academic conferences

2022 Sarah Meyer and Mario Wolf: Regional MP’s cooperation efforts in EU affairs from a comparative angle – at the ECPR General Conference, The EU and Sub-National Politics (22.-26. August).

2022 Sarah Meyer, Mario Wolf and Sara Kikić: The Politicization of EU Issues in Sub-state Parliaments: Europeanization, Party Politics, or Regional Context? – at EWIS 2022: the 9th European Workshops in International Studies (06.-09. July)

2022 Sarah Meyer, Mario Wolf and Paul Reimers: Getting involved in EU affairs? Regional parliaments’ participation in the EWS – at the 11th Biennial Conference of the ECPR Standing Group on the European Union (10.-12. June)

2022 Elisabeth Donat, Simon Lenhart and Sara Kikić: (My) region first: dimensions of Euroscepticism and populism at the subnational level in times of crisis – at the 11th Biennial Conference of the ECPR Standing Group on the European Union (10.-12. June)

2022 Elisabeth Donat and Simon Lenhart: A long way towards European Integration: EU’s future debate from the perspective of subnational politicians – at the Interdisciplinary Trans-Nordic Conference on European Differentiated Integration (2. June)

2022 Elisabeth Donat: Looking for allies – Regional Parliaments strategies for engaging in EU affairs – at the ESA RN 15 Midterm Meeting 2022: Global Sociology: theory and practice in the 21st century (5. May)

2021 Mario Wolf and Sarah Meyer: Getting involved despite obstacles? Regional MPs’ cooperation efforts in EU affairs – at the Austrian Political Science Day 2021 (26 November)

2021 Sarah Meyer, Mario Wolf and Sara Kikić: EU issue-salience in regional parliaments: Europeanization, party politics, or regional context? – at the ECPR General Conference, The EU and Sub-National Politics (30. August to 03. September).

2021 Paul Kindermann and Sarah Meyer: The Future of EU Democracy From a Regional Perspective. Views From Focus Groups With Regional MPs – at the ECPR Joint Sessions, Transnational Parliamentarism: Institutional Variety, Political Effects, and Representation (26. – 27. May).

2021 Henning Deters: German State Legislatures in the Post-Rüffert Reform of the Posted Workers Regime – at the ECPR Joint Sessions, Transnational Parliamentarism: Institutional Variety, Political Effects, and Representation (26/27 May).

2021 Paul Kindermann: Conceptualising the (potential) role of regional parliaments in democratising the EU. An analytical framework – at the International (digital) conference: From takers to shapers? Challenges for regions in a dynamic EU polity (6/7 May). University of Tübingen.

2021 Sarah Meyer and Mario Wolf: Getting involved despite obstacles? German regional MPs’ networking activities on EU affairs – at the International (digital) conference: From takers to shapers? Challenges for regions in a dynamic EU polity (6/7 May). University of Tübingen.

2021 Gabriele Abels, Martin Grosse Hüttmann, Sarah Meyer, and Simon Lenhart: The Committee of the Regions and the Conference on the Future of Europe – at the International (digital) conference: From takers to shapers? Challenges for regions in a dynamic EU polity (6/7 May). University of Tübingen.

2021 Elisabeth Donat and Simon Lenhart: Europeanization of citizens vis-a-vis regional politicians at the Authors Workshop for the Special Issue “Europeanisation and identities” (25/26 March). Online Workshop.

2020 Elisabeth Donat and Simon Lenhart: Das Stadt-Region-Nation-Europa Verhältnis aus der Sicht regionaler Abgeordneter at the (digital) Conference “Provinz postmigrantisch” (20/21 November). PH Schwäbisch Gmünd and MIGS.

Recent academic publications

2022 Paul Kindermann und Sarah Meyer: Zu Gegenwart und Zukunft der EU: Perspektiven regionaler Parlamentsabgeordneter. In: Peter Hilpold, Walter Steinmair, Andreas Raffeiner (Hg.): Österreich und die EU im Umbruch – eine Nachlese zur Festschrift für Heinrich Neisser. Wien: facultas, 74-80.

2021 Paul Kindermann and Sarah Meyer: Demokratisierungsstrategien in der Debatte zur Zukunft der EU. Perspektiven regionaler Parlamentsabgeordneter. In: P. Hilpold, A. Raffeiner, W. Steinmaier (eds.), Rechtsstaatlichkeit, Grundrechte und Solidarität in Österreich und in Europa. Wien: facultas, 479–504.

2020 Paul Kindermann, Sarah Meyer, and Mario Wolf: Innovative participatory instruments for the EU. DED Discussion Paper Series 8. Danube University Krems.

2020 Henning Deters: Der europäische Green Deal. Innovativ oder nur gut vermarktet? Ein Policy Brief. DED Discussion Paper Series 7. Danube University Krems.

2020 Elisabeth Donat, Sarah Meyer, Gabriele Abels (eds.): European Regions. Perspectives, Trends and Developments in the 21st Century. Bielefeld: transcript.

2020 Elisabeth Donat: Regional Identity between Inclusion and Exclusion. In: E. Donat, S. Meyer, G. Abels (eds.), European Regions. Perspectives, Trends and Developments in the 21st Century. Bielefeld: transcript, 25–42.

2020 Elisabeth Donat: Regionale Identität(en) in der EU. In: A. Hermann, D. Ingruber, F. Perlot, K. Praprotnik, C. Hainz (eds.), regional.national.föderal. Zur Beziehung politischer Ebenen in Österreich. Facultas Verlag: Wien, 237–252.

Expert input in political and other formats

2022 Sarah Meyer and Paul Kindermann: exchange of views (25 January) on citizens’ dialogue and citizens’ participation with European Commission Vice President Věra Jourová, invited by MEP Helmut Scholz.

2021 Sarah Meyer: invited input (16 November) to the thematic debate on the Conference on the Future of Europe as part of the 10th meeting of the Committee of the Region’s CIVEX commission, invited by Mark Speich, CIVEX Chair and Secretary of State for Federal, European and International Affairs, North Rhine-Westphalia.

2021 Sarah Meyer and Paul Kindermann: Mapping Regional Democracy in Europe. A Science2Public Perspective. Side Event (2 November) to the 19th European Week of Regions and Cities, with Mark Speich, Secretary of State for Federal, European and International Affairs, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Karl-Heinz Lambertz, President of the Parliament of the German-speaking Community of Belgium, organized in cooperation with Arjan Schakel, University of Bergen.

2021 Sarah Meyer and Elisabeth Donat: invited input (13 April) to the 17^th meeting of the European Affairs Committee of Bremen’s state parliament, invited by Susanne Grobien, Chair of the committee.

2021 Sarah Meyer: invited input (16 February) to the thematic debate on the Conference on the Future of Europe as part of the 6^th meeting of the Committee of the Region’s CIVEX commission, invited by Mark Speich, CIVEX Chair and Secretary of State for Federal, European and International Affairs, North Rhine-Westphalia.

2021 Sarah Meyer and Paul Kindermann: exchange of views (16 April) on the European Parliament’s Own Initiative Report ‘Citizens’ dialogues and Citizens’ participation in the EU decision-making’, 2020/2201(INI), invited by MEP Helmut Scholz.

2020 Sarah Meyer and Paul Kindermann: written feedback/input (27 November) on the Working Document ‘Citizens’ participation in the Conference on the Future of Europe’ of the European Parliament’s AFCO committee, invited by MEP Helmut Scholz.

2020 Sarah Meyer: invited input (14 October) to a workshop on Citizens at the heart of EU policies at the European Week of Regions and Cities as part of the Committee of the Region’s program for young elected politicians (YEPs).

2019 Sarah Meyer: invited talk (29 April) at an expert meeting of the network ‘Europawissenschaft für Nordrhein-Westfalen’ (NEW:NRW) at the state office North Rhine-Westphalia with state secretary Mark Speich.