This thesis explores how the European Union (EU) constructs and adapts its identity as a normative power in light of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Historically viewed as a peace project founded on principles such as democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, the EU’s provision of military assistance and promotion of enhanced defence capabilities have raised concerns regarding

The Temporary Protection Directive was created in 2001 to harmonise burden-sharing and encourage European solidarity within the Common European Asylum System during mass influxes of migrants. However, the directive remained inactive during the 2015 migrant crisis and was only invoked for the first time in 2022, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This study aims to compare and contrast the

This thesis explores whether the EU’s newly launched Citizens’ Engagement Platform (CEP) can enhance young people’s intention to participate in representative democracy and whether it reinforces or challenges the EU’s liberal demoi-cratic model. Workshops with Swedish upper secondary school students, developed and analyzed using Ajzen’s Theory of Planned Behavior, served as the empirical basis. Fi

Vi använder dem varje dag utan att tänka på det. PFAS är kemikalier som finns i regnjackor, stekpannor, matförpackningar och till och med i brandskum. Problemet är att de inte bryts ner i naturen. De sprids i stället med vatten och kan till slut hamna i våra sjöar och i vårt dricksvatten. Och det är precis vad som händer i sjön Bolmen. Bolmen är inte vilken sjö som helst. Den är en av södra SverigPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of highly persistent synthetic chemicals that have raised growing concern due to their widespread presence in the environment and potential health effects. This study focuses on Lake Bolmen, one of southern Sweden’s most important sources of drinking water, and investigates how PFAS enter and accumulate in the lake. A total of 23 PFAS compound

The rule of law is one of the founding principles that has accompanied the birth and development of the EU and is considered a shared value among the Member States. However, it is currently facing implementation challenges at national level, and this increasing crisis of the principle in some Member States has affected not only the fundamental rights recognised at EU level, even resulting in the b

Tillsyn med fingertoppskänsla – att välja rätt tillsynsverktyg i varje situation Runt om i Sverige arbetar miljöinspektörer varje dag för att främja en god och hälsosam miljö, både för dagens samhälle och för kommande generationer. En viktig del av detta ar bete är tillsyn av verksamheter som kan påverka människors hälsa och miljön negativt. Alla sådana verksamheter är skyldiga att följa miljöEnvironmental protection supervision is an important instrument for limiting and controlling the negative effects that environmentally hazardous activities can have on human health and the envi-ronment. Fuel facilities (“gas stations”) are one of these hazardous activities, supervised by envi-ronmental protection inspectors at the municipal level. To ensure legal compliance, inspectors use tools s

Public procurement accounts for a substantial portion of public spending within the European Union (EU), yet it remains highly vulnerable to corruption. This thesis investigates to how EU procurement law—particularly Directive 2014/24/EU—can mitigate corruption risks in the internal market. It examines the legal mechanisms embedded in the Directive, such as mandatory exclusion, procedural transpar

När miljödepartementet slogs ihop med näringsdepartementet 2023 väcktes frågan: Vad händer med miljöfrågor när de hamnar i skuggan av frågor om tillväxt och konkurrenskraft? Denna studie undersöker om prioriteringen av förnybar energi ändras i den svenska politiken på grund av omorganiseringen. Med torka ena veckan och skyfall nästa så har det svenska vädret blivit alltmer extremt och många oroar Sweden has long been seen as a leader in environmental policy. However, after the reorganization of the Swedish Ministry of the Environment in 2023, concerns have been raised about how this change affects the country’s climate work. This study investigates how the merger of the Ministry of Climate with the Ministry of Enterprise has influenced the political priorities between renewable energy and

Storskaliga solcellsparker rör upp mycket känslor och åsikterna kring parkerna varierar kraftigt, men faktum är att de är en viktig pusselbit i den energiomställning som Sverige står inför. Problematiken med storskalig solkraft är att parkerna tar upp stora landarealer och i södra Sverige, där elbristen är som störst, råder det även störst platsbrist. Ett alternativ som har börjat undersökas de seWe are at a critical point where the carbon emissions worldwide must cease. One way to do so is to switch to renewable energy and become less dependent on fossil fuels. Solar power is an energy source which can be expanded rather quickly, and has become more common in the past years. The issue with large scale solar power plants is that they take up a lot of space, which leads to conflict of inter

Bygg- och fastighetssektorn står idag för cirka 40% av EU:s totala energianvändning och 36% av de energirelaterade utsläppen av växthusgaser. Samtidigt har en stor del av byggnadsbeståndet låg energiprestanda och omställningstakten mot ett mer energieffektivt och klimatneutralt byggnadsbestånd är låg. För att påskynda denna utveckling har EU antagit en tillväxtstrategi med målet att vid år 2050 upThe building and real estate sector currently accounts for about 40% of the EU’s total energy use and 36% of its energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, a large part of the building stock has low energy performance, and the shift towards a more energy-efficient and climate-neutral building stock is proceeding slowly. To speed up this development, the EU has adopted a growth stra

This thesis explores the function of compulsory licensing established by the World Trade Organisation’s TRIPS Agreement, which serves as a legal means to enhance access to essential medications in low-income countries. The study examines the conflict between intellectual property rights and the right to health, highlighting the flexibilities within TRIPS and their interpretation as emphasised in t

Följande uppsats behandlar rapporteringen av prostitution i Dagens Nyheter under perioden 1994-2024. Syftet återfinns i hur rapporteringen tagit sig uttryck under perioden, med ett något speciellt fokus riktat mot prostitutionens aktörer. Materialet har valts ut med hjälp av Retriever Research och undersökts med utgångspunkt i en kvalitativ innehållsanalytisk ansats. Utifrån feministisk teori och

The political debate surrounding criminal policy in Sweden has largely focused on orga- nized crime, and the issue has been central during the 2022 election. With this under- standing as a backdrop, this bachelor’s thesis seeks to understand how Swedish politicians from the social democrats (S) and Sweden democrats (SD) parties frame organized crime and criminal policy surrounding it. For this pur

Japan drabbas ofta av svåra naturkatastrofer, där jordbävningar och tsunamier orsakar omfattande förödelse. Efter sådana händelser kan arkitektoniska strategier bidra både till att återuppbygga fysisk infrastruktur och stödja människors psykosociala återhämtning. Arkitektonisk resiliens definieras som byggnaders förmåga att hjälpa samhället att återgå till balans efter kraftiga störningar. DessutoJapan is frequently struck by severe natural disasters, whereas earthquakes and tsunamis inflict widespread devastation. In their aftermath, architectural strategies can help rebuild physical infrastructure while supporting survivors psychosocial recovery. Architectural resilience is defined as a building´s capacity to help society regain equilibrium after major disruptions. Moreover, the physical

The global decline in fertility rates has become a pressing issue. This study focuses on Gen Z women, who are emerging as the primary childbearing population for marriage and childbearing, and conducts a qualitative investigation into the underlying logic behind their declining fertility intentions. Using a multi-method qualitative approach that combines semi-structured interviews with online ethn

Hur mycket information bör noterade bolag offentliggöra? Det är en fråga som har diskuterats tidigare, men som har blivit aktuell på nytt med noteringsaktens (förordning (EU) 2024/2809) ikraftträdande i december 2024. Den här uppsatsen riktar in sig på noteringsaktens regeländringar avseende kraven på offentliggörande av insiderinformation, med särskilt fokus på utvidgade undantag för offentliggörHow much information should be disclosed by listed companies? This is a question that has been discussed previously, but which has become relevant again with the entry into force of the Listing Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/2809) in December 2024. This thesis focuses on the regulatory changes introduced by the Listing Act regarding the requirements for disclosure of inside information, with particular

Denna uppsats undersöker volontärarbete inom Rädda Barnens barnverksamhet vid ett svenskt asylboende som en levd, situerad och moraliskt komplex praktik. Genom en kvalitativ metodologi, baserad på semistrukturerade intervjuer och deltagande observation, analyseras hur volontärer själva förstår sitt engagemang i relation till emotionella, etiska och politiska dimensioner av samtida migrationskontex

This study presents a mineralogical, textural and structural assessment of the Cambrian Faludden Sandstone Member (Borgholm Formation) and Lower Silurian mudstone (unspecified formation), for their potential use as reservoir and caprock, respectively, for deep carbon storage in the Swedish sector of the Baltic Sea subsurface. The study was performed on two drillcores from the island of Gotland, No

This thesis explores how young Swedish men experience and make sense of depression and the use of antidepressants. It examines whether they perceive their diagnosis of depression and subsequent treatment with antidepressants as appropriate or problematic. The research critically engages with the biomedical model in psychiatric practice, emphasizing the tension between standardized diagnostic frame

The construction industry plays a vital role in societal development but faces increasing demands to reduce its environmental impact, particularly the high carbon footprint associated with concrete production. Among the most widely used structural elements in buildings are concrete slabs, which are fundamental for load transfer and spatial integrity. However, these elements could be overdesigned,