If the European Union and its Member States are to compete successfully in an increasingly aggressive global market, whilst many other economies continue to get stronger, all parts of the European Union, Member States and the EU institutions, have to regulate smarter. The answer therefore is not to give up on rules, but rather to develop and implement good quality rules. Presenting both timely and relevant forms of European policy instruments in the field of financial services, public administration, transport, working conditions and social protection, this volume shows which kind of policy instruments work and under what circumstances. This will help all to overcome many of the impediments to using alternative policy instruments at the European level as appropriate responses to pressing European and global governance challenges, such as efficiency, accountability, transparency and legitimacy.

If the European Union and its Member States are to compete successfully in an increasingly aggressive global market, whilst many other economies continue to get stronger, all parts of the European Union, Member States and the EU institutions, have to regulate smarter. The answer therefore is not to give up on rules, but rather to develop and implement good quality rules. Presenting both timely and relevant forms of European policy instruments in the field of financial services, public administration, transport, working conditions and social protection, this volume shows which kind of policy instruments work and under what circumstances. This will help all to overcome many of the impediments to using alternative policy instruments at the European level as appropriate responses to pressing European and global governance challenges, such as efficiency, accountability, transparency and legitimacy.

Efforts to tackle the trade impeding effects of divergent standards and regulations are at the core of European economic relations. This volume draws on literature from several disciplines to develop a comprehensive account of the regulatory strategies and institutional arrangements adopted by the EU in promoting the single market in goods. It provides a historical overview and detailed cases studies of the various policy initiatives that have altered the boundaries between the public and private sector in fostering market integration. Tackling interstate barriers to trade has relied heavily on European law to shape the framework of relations between states, and trade liberalization has been facilitated by legal rulings resolving territorial conflicts over regulatory jurisdiction and authority. The European Court of Justice has actively shaped markets, acting as a 'free trade umpire' in balancing the goals of market liberalization and market regulation while fostering market compliance. Although markets are absolutely dependent on public authority, the institutional innovation of the EU has been to use the private sector in an ancillary role to the state. By delegating responsibility to set standards for market access, the EU has chosen to draw on the resources of private actors, resulting in a system of governance that is a distinctive, hybrid model of regulation composed of state and non-state actors. Though the "outsourcing" of public sector regulatory activity was expected to be more effective than the process of regulatory harmonization, progress has been difficult. The current deficit in setting standards for European-wide market access raises concerns about the efficiency and effectiveness of such a regulatory regime. Egan provides a detailed evaluation of that process, highlighting regulatory gaps in the single market and the need to focus not only on the process of market integration, but also its outcome and impact on European business. Comparisons with American efforts to create a national market are made throughout to demonstrate the difficulties of constructing and maintaining a single market. American and European efforts to devise a uniform market for commerce and trade have involved both public and private authorities, though with different degrees of coordination and centralization, as many of the strategies undertaken by the EU echo earlier American market-building efforts.

In light of the EU's commitment to making the Single Market fit for the digital age, leading scholars analyse new and urgent issues in the field of contract, data protection, copyright and private international law.

A comprehensive analysis of the legal constraints to third countries' participation in the European Union's internal market.

Inside the EU, modernizing its copyright framework for the Internet age is considered a key step toward a Digital Single Market in the creative content sectors. To explore the most suitable and realistic policy options to achieve this objective, the CEPS formed a task force to foster a multistakeholder dialogue on the major challenges for copyright law in the online content sector today. Drawing on those discussions, this report contains the conclusions and policy recommendations organized around three main themes: - Licensing rules and practices in the online music and film sectors - The definition and implementation of copyright exceptions in the digital environment - The present and future of online copyright enforcement in Europe

John Pinder and Simon Usherwood explain the EU in plain readable English. They show how and why it has developed, how the institutions work, and what it does - from the single market to the euro, and from agriculture to the environment.