Deutsch-Französisches Institut

About: Deutsch-Französisches Institut is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: European union & Sovereignty. The organization has 16 authors who have published 16 publications receiving 114 citations. The organization is also known as: DFI.

National v. European Identities? French and Germans in the European Multi‐Level System

Abstract: Following a multi-level governance approach, this article sees the spread of multiple – i.e. national as well as European – identities as a prerequisite for the legitimization of the European level of governance. Using Eurobarometer data and comparing France and Germany, a decline of multiple identities is seen, especially in Germany, since the 1980s. The article asks whether national and European identities stand in contradiction to each other and traces the emergence of a new cleavage along social and ideological lines. The results show the growing impact of social stratification variables indicating a potential social base for national-populist parties.

Proposal for an integrated approach for the assessment of cross-media aspects relevant for the determination of “best available techniques” bat in the european union

Abstract: The EC Directive concerning integrated pollution prevention and control (IPPC Directive 96/61/EC) obliges all Member States to make an integrated assessment of the impacts on the environment “as a whole”, as regards granting permission for and the operation of environmentally relevant industrial installations. The determination of “Best Available Techniques” BAT plays an essential role in the material transformation of the IPPC-Directive. An integrated approach for the assessment of cross-media aspects of techniques for the determination of BAT is outlined in this paper, which is grounded on the basic concept of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), emphasising the need for decision support. The proposed assessment approach is applied to a case study sinter production in an integrated iron and steel works, which forms the base for several recommendations concerning further research.

Contesting Europe: the constitutive impact of discursive dynamics on national referendum campaigns

Abstract: A comparison of two referendum campaigns on Europe in France and Ireland shows two different patterns of mobilisation. Focusing on the perceived influence of the European treaties on national legislation on abortion, two different types of Euro-scepticism can be discerned. One is settled in a potentially universal project of ‘enlightenment’ (fearing the ‘criminalisation’ of abortion due to EU (European Union) regulations), the other is concerned with the defence of the nation’s democratic sovereignty against the EU (and fears ‘liberalisation’ of abortion due to the same EU regulations). A discourse analysis of these two different settings establishes the ‘discursive dynamics’ of each campaign: How were actors constituted (into ‘legitimate’ actors) and how could the (differing) interpretations of EU treaty provisions become plausible and constitute into different national discourses? Instead of perceiving social variables (norms, rules, identities) as ‘independent’ factors that explain outcomes, the social process of their constitution is at the centre of this analysis. Understanding how and when certain actors and certain topics (or problematiques) come into being (are ‘constituted’) may, in turn, allow some ‘reasoned claims’ on the character of popular Euro-scepticism.

Zivilgesellschaft in Frankreich, Deutschland und Europa

Abstract: Zum 30. Jubilaum des Frankreichjahrbuchs behandeln wir ein Thema, dem in den deutsch-franzosischen Beziehungen traditionell ein besonderer Stellenwert zukommt, der Rolle der Zivilgesellschaft (Bock 1998). Schon sehr fruh, in der direkten Nachkriegsphase, wurde diese „neue Art“ der Beziehungen zwischen Frankreich und Deutschland nicht nur aktiv gefordert (durch die franzosische Militarverwaltung, Bock 2003:13, Zauner 1994), sondern auch programmatisch definiert und normativ uberhoht (Rovan 1945). Die gegenseitige Unkenntnis und die Beschrankung der Beziehungen auf die Begegnungen der offiziellen Reprasentanten (Regierungen, Diplomaten) sollte so uberwunden werden.