
Latest blog articles
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The shared management of EU funds: new perspectives and challenges
Questions surrounding how the EU budget is spent or audited have been, and will always be, of interest to EU citizens. Formally, the responsibility for the implementation of the budget rests with the Commission, but it is well known that the Member States have a crucial role to play, especially in...
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Vaccine trade wars and composite procedures: gibt es noch richter in Berlin?
On 4 March 2021, Italy decided to block a shipment of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine that was destined for Australia. This remarkable move, notably made in response to AstraZeneca’s delay in providing the agreed doses of vaccines by the set deadlines, is the first of its kind since the...
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Mixed pension: civil servants pension up for revision
The statutory pension of civil cervants in Belgium is on de verge of a reform. The legislative proposal ‘mixed pension’ will soon be introduced by law, after being the centre of intense debate for nearly a year. What exactly does ‘mixed pension’ mean?
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The importance of a flexible AOW commencement date
Last week, the Dutch and Belgian ombudsmen called on their governments to take action in the context of pensions problems for unemployed cross-border workers, aged 65, and living in Belgium. In response to this call, a possible solution by Expertise Centre ITEM is elaborated in this blog.
This blog...
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ESST Student Blog: Specialization Session for the Second Semester
For those who have already looked into the programme, one first impression is that it is crazy short and jam-packed with contents (1 course per 4 weeks). And in being short, choosing your specialization for the second semester (February - June) means the pressure is on for some to make up their...
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ESST Student Blog: University, Work, and Impressions of the Module 1
One difference (depending on the discipline as well) between a Bachelor and Master programme is the workload. Would I say the shift is significant between the Bachelor I have completed and now? Not only might it be too soon to say (I shall follow up with another post at the end of the first semester...
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ESST Student Blog: Introduction and Aims
Greetings and thanks for stopping by! My name is Shelly and the purpose of this blog is to document my experiences as a Masters student of the European Studies in Society, Sciences, and Technology Study programme (that's a mouthful so let's go with ESST!)
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The EU Justice Scoreboard: more effective justice in the EU?
On March 9, the European Commission has presented the 2015 Justice Scoreboard, an information tool that monitors national justice systems developed and managed by DG Justice. This year marked the third edition of the Scoreboard, which was created in 2013 with the aim to assist EU institutions and...