2012 EU Chronicles

The 2012 European Chronicles open with a brief summary of the major events of the year (in particular, the signature of the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union and of the Treaty establishing the European Stability Mechanism – ESM). The European Chronicles then analyze the Union’s main political guidelines, mainly through the Conclusions adopted by the European Council’s meetings. The Chronicles discuss the most significant institutional novelties, the relationships between citizens and EU institutions, the main evolutions in the economic and monetary union (especially concerning the roadmap for its strengthening, also my means of the establishment of a banking union). They present the developments in regulatory functions (internal market, electronic communications, competition, State aid, social policy, health and consumer protection, environmental protection), in distributive functions (common agriculture policy, research and technology, education and culture) and in EU financial programming and budget. The 2012 European Chronicles close with the analysis of the developments in the area of freedom, security and justice, the Union’s external relations (highlighting the progress made in respect of the difficulties encountered in 2011) and in the field of the common foreign and security policy.