The work of this research group focuses on the role and development of the institutions in the frame of multi-level governance in the European Union. Within this area the coordination of economic and fiscal policy of EU member states is an important topic. The team focuses especially on the difficult process of membership negotiations with Turkey. Currently, the DFG supported project “France, Germany and European crises“ plays an important role in the work of this research group.

The work of this research group focuses on the area of the regulation of network industries, public competition law, public procurement law and the regulation of Europe’s health care markets. Within this area reform efforts and complex regulation questions are at the center of this research group, which requires an interdisciplinary understanding of the neighboring discipline of economics. Two twinning projects in Morocco and Poland on public competition law benefit significantly from the consulting support of ZEI.

The work of this research group currently focuses on a comprehensive economic analysis of fiscal federalism which is of great importance to the composition of a future federal system in Europe. The political-economic approach and the development of the fiscal policy of the member states in the monetary union are of equal significance to the implementation of EU guidelines in all member states. This research groups also deals with the analysis of the changing comparative competitive advantages and the transfer of knowledge and technology in the global economy with their retroactive effects on the EU.

The work of this research group focuses on the development of a global profile of the European Union in the framework of external EU relations and security-related issues. This includes the question of EU Neighborhood Policy and the development of the Union for the Mediterranean. This research group also deals intensively with comparative questions related to the worldwide development of regional integration. The scholarly work of the research group supports the further education at ZEI's Academy in Comparative Regional Integration.