Abstract
The spring issue 2012 of the Journal "L'Europe en formation" analyzes the relevance of federalism and decentralized government techniques in Europe and worldwide. The goal of the issue is threefold: firstly, it analyzes the most modern trends in federal studies; secondly, it outlines federalism developments by geographic areas and third, it demonstrates the importance of federalism not only as a political idea, but also (and even more so) as a very concrete tool of government. A tool that becomes indispensable in order to manage complex policy fields (e.g. environment, immigration and financial issues). The issue also hosts an outlook on extra-European federalism, shedding light on how federalism is evolving in Africa and Asia.