Search results for: independent individual work in lessons in All Content

The Restoration of Turkey: Strong Democracy, Dynamic Economy, and Active Diplomacy

The Restoration of Turkey: Strong Democracy, Dynamic Economy, and Active Diplomacy

Author(s): Ahmet Davutoğlu / Language(s): English

Keywords: restoration of Turkey

Comprehending the transformation of the global system depends initially on understanding how Turkey positions itself in this transformation and how it should adjust itself to this process from this point onwards. Turkey has been through a wide range of restoration on economic and social levels over the last 10 years. This period in the 2000s, though not the first in Turkish political history, has been among the most significant restoration periods in Turkey’s political history since the “Tanzimat”. The-re were various restorations during the Ottoman period, but in Turkey’s modern era, after the time of the French Revolution and the Tanzimat, there have been three important ones; that of the 2000s has been the fourth important restoration.

Policy Tracker: EU and Russia’s Energy Policy at the Backdrop of the South Stream Pipeline

Policy Tracker: EU and Russia’s Energy Policy at the Backdrop of the South Stream Pipeline

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: CSD; Center for the Study of Democracy; EU; Russia; Energy Policy; South Stream Pipeline; Gazprom; Ukraine

The present paper aims at tracking the development of the South Stream gas pipeline project from the perspectives of the EU and Russia, and in the context of the common EU external energy policy. The EU-Russia energy dialogue has become increasingly complicated since the two natural gas crises in 2006 and 2009, when the gas supply was cut for about two weeks due to a gas pricing dispute between Russia and Ukraine. Until then the energy relations between Europe and Russia have run smoothly as Gazprom had been perceived as a reliable supplier operating under long-term, oil-indexed contracts providing predictability of supplied volumes and prices. For producers such as Russia operating in a glut market, the most important goal was to preserve their market share in Europe. An eventual supply disruption would discredit suppliers and will push consumers look for more viable alternatives.

Campaign Financing under the New Electoral Code of the Republic of Macedonia. A Call for a Macedonian Buckley v. Valeo and beyond

Campaign Financing under the New Electoral Code of the Republic of Macedonia. A Call for a Macedonian Buckley v. Valeo and beyond

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Bulgaria goes ‘green’?

Bulgaria goes ‘green’?

Author(s): Dobromir Hristov / Language(s): English

Bulgaria’s energy sector suffers from deep governance and security challenges, which hold the first pages of the mainstream media in the past year with stories of fraud, nepotism and political corruption. The urge for action to transform the sector’s governance and open up markets for competition has been growing louder in the face of shrinking resources and increasing demands from different lobbies. The EU green policies and funding have been one of the precious few anchors, which the Bulgarian government should use to diversify its energy sources and liberalize its markets. Can the Bulgarian government really deliver for the benefit of its citizens?

Corruption Indexes of Coalition 2000, October 2003

Corruption Indexes of Coalition 2000, October 2003

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

In the period October 4 - 15 2003 Vitosha Research conducted its regular survey on corruption among the Bulgarian population. This study is part of the Corruption Monitoring System of Coalition 2000. The report "Corruption monitoring by Coalition 2000" (.pdf) presents the main findings, comparative analysis, trends and conclusions based on the data of the last survey.

How does the ombudsman institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina function?

Kako funkcioniše institucija ombudsmana u Bosni i Hercegovini

Author(s): Enesa Mrkaljević / Language(s): Bosnian

Keywords: Public law; constitution; ombudsman; judiciary; authorities; BiH; human rights; evaluation;

Instituition of Human Rights Ombudsman of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Ombudsman B&H) was established by Dayton Peace Agreement after which have been made some structural changes as Law on Human Rights Ombudsman was adopted. The Ombudsman reform was finalized in 2010, and entity Ombudsman institutions have ceased to operate. A unified and independent institution at the State level is of crucial importance for a domestic system to protect the human rights of every individual, to promote the rule of law, as well as to ensure proper conduct of public administration at all levels of BiH authorities. However, there are many weak points in functioning of Ombudsman B&H that have to be improved due to more effectiveness of the institutions. Establishment and strengthening of independency of Ombudsman B&H should be key task in the future. High professional and moral standards of ombudspersons and instituition's personnel should be improved. Also, implementation of the Ombudsman’s recommendations related to public authorities which have not been complied should be ensured in parliament, and civil society organization and media should be much more included in supervision process. Ombudsman B&H should be more involved in court proceeding as it granted by more laws. Furthermore, Ombudsman B&H is the „central instituition“ competant for protection from discrimination, according to Law on Prohibition of Discirimination and therefore should be far more involved in proceeding against discrimination. Also, sufficient financial resources needed to enable Ombudsman to carry out effectively all the tasks have to be considered by BiH authorities.

Transport and Mobility: A New Agenda for the Eastern Partnership

Transport and Mobility: A New Agenda for the Eastern Partnership

Author(s): Elżbieta Kaca / Language(s): English

Keywords: Eastern Partnership; Eastern Europe; European Union; Georgia; Moldova; Ukraine

The Eastern Partnership has exploited its potential, so a new offer for upgrades in transport and mobility is required for Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine. In their relations with the EU, those policy areas are characterized by a lack of uniform standards and slow advancement of cooperation on projects. To improve this situation, the EU might consider bilateral agreements with Association Agreement countries aimed at full integration with its transport market, funding more infrastructure projects, increasing opportunities for legal work in the Union for temporary migrants and ensuring better absorption in education, research and culture programmes.

Nord Stream on the liberalising EU gas market

Nord Stream on the liberalising EU gas market

Author(s): Łukasz Antas,Agata Loskot-Strachota / Language(s): English

Keywords: Nord Stream; EU gas market

Nord Stream increases Gazprom’s flexibility as far its export routes are concerned; it enables them to be changed with regard to the market or political situation. Nevertheless, this expensive pipeline may contribute to a further drop in the price competitiveness of Russian gas. Accordingly, increasing the attractiveness of Russian fuel and ensuring profitable sales is steadily becoming the main challenge for Gazprom in the EU against a backdrop of increasing competitiveness on the market.

Macedonia's Inter-Ethnic Coalition: The First Year

Macedonia's Inter-Ethnic Coalition: The First Year

Author(s): / Language(s): English

Keywords: Mavrovo process; ethnic conflict in Macedonia;

When, at the request of members of the Macedonian government, the Project on Ethnic Relations (PER) agreed more than a year ago to host a roundtable meeting for representatives of the country’s coalition [the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM), the Democratic Union for Integration (DUI), and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)] and opposition parties, we scarcely anticipated the demand for this type of forum. Indeed, what started as a single meeting (held in Mavrovo, Macedonia on May 10-11, 2003) has since become the “Mavrovo Process.” Launched by PER in cooperation with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the Swiss Embassy in Macedonia, the Process is designed to facilitate communication not only between members of the government and the opposition, but also within the coalition itself. These discussions, which are not for public attribution, provide participants a rare opportunity to offer their vision for Macedonia’s future and to candidly assess the government’s performance in implementing the 2001 Ohrid Framework Agreement—an internationally brokered truce that is credited with ending the country’s bloody albeit brief ethnic conflict. The participants at the May roundtable agreed that all parties should reconvene under PER auspices roughly once every six months, whereas members of the coalition should meet every three months. Two meetings have since taken place. The first, a discussion among the coalition parties, occurred in September; the second meeting, held in December, featured participants from the senior-most levels of the Macedonian government and opposition as well as representatives of the international community. While themes from the September discussion are referenced herein, it is the latter meeting which forms the basis for this report.

Turkey - an energy transit corridor to the EU?

Turkey - an energy transit corridor to the EU?

Author(s): Agata Loskot-Strachota / Language(s): English

Keywords: Turkey; energy; EU

1. The priority of Ankara's energy policy is to make Turkey an important transit corridor for energy resources transported to the EU. Turkey wishes to play an active role in the distribution and sale of gas and oil flowing across its territory.2. Transit and sale of energy resources, and gas in particular, are expected to provide a major source of income for Turkey and a tool by which Ankara will be able to build its position in the region and in Europe.3. Since Turkey is an EU candidate country, Brussels will probably welcome Turkey's role as a transit corridor as much as Ankara will.4. The success of Ankara's energy strategy hinges on developments in Turkey's internal energy market.5. It also depends on a number of external factors including:- Export policies and internal situation in producer countries.Most importantly, it depends on:a. Russia and its energy policy prioritiesb. Stability in the Middle East.- Policies of consumer countries, including the EU in particular.- Policies of world powers present in the region (USA).

Wastewater Issue: High Time for Better Management – The Case of Macedonia

Wastewater Issue: High Time for Better Management – The Case of Macedonia

Author(s): Karolina Pendovska / Language(s): English

Keywords: North Macedonia; water resources; wastewater; water pollution; wastewater management; environmental protection; treatment of wastewaters; water related legislation;

Globally increased industrial production, intense agriculture activities and household consumption in the last century have led to increased use of water resources. This in turn has increased the rate of production of wastewater, polluting the nearby recipients (surface waters and groundwaters). The well‐being of Earth’s natural water resources has been seriously threatened. Sustainable use of water resources and their protection, water quality and targets for achieving safe drinking water supply and basic sanitation have become more promptly addressed in the international and regional legal instruments. Reactions on the diminishing of future water resources quantity and quality are emerging on European Union (EU) level too, calling out for “water to be one of the main issues on the political agenda and integrated into all policies.”

Unsustainability of Negotiations on Transnistrian Conflict Settlement or Why Security Matters

Unsustainability of Negotiations on Transnistrian Conflict Settlement or Why Security Matters

Author(s): Eduard Țugui / Language(s): English

Keywords: Moldova-Transnistria; frozen conflict;

The official resumption of the activity of the „Permanent conference on political issues in the negotiation process on Transnistrian conflict settlement” in the 5+2 format following the decision in Moscow on 22 September 2011, the Tiraspol administration reformatting and the successive meetings of the Republic of Moldova representatives with the new administration have opened the perspective for the Transnistrian conflict settlement. Formulated in a policy of “small steps” containing only technical sector issues, the negotiations between Chisinau and Tiraspol, and those in the extended format “5 +2” have not brought great changes in the eastern districts of Moldova and are proving to be increasingly inefficient. One year after the launch of negotiations whose agenda was for the time being “liberated” of political and security issues, the officials from the two banks of the Dniester accuse each other of militarization and it is becoming increasingly obvious that in the absence of serious discussions on political issues and the complex security system “small steps” lead nowhere.

The Neutrality and Sovereignty of Moldova in the Sight of Russia

The Neutrality and Sovereignty of Moldova in the Sight of Russia

Author(s): Leonid Litră / Language(s): English

Keywords: Moldova-Russia relations;

The recent statement by the representative of the Russian Federation in the negotiations on the Transnistrian issue, Sergey Gubarev, has brought an important topic on the agenda of the Republic of Moldova relations with Russia, and namely, neutrality. Moreover, the statement that “if Moldova loses its sovereignty or neutrality, the Russian Federation will return to the issue of Transnistria’s right to self-determination”1 involves new elements of Russian discourse in the Republic of Moldova. Thus, the issue of the Republic of Moldova neutrality is not the only one that «bothers» Russia, adding to neutrality the sovereignty as well. Both neutrality and sovereignty are extremely important issues for the Republic of Moldova, like for any other state, which deserve separate exhaustive consideration.

№285. Commission v. Gazprom: The antitrust clash of the decade?

№285. Commission v. Gazprom: The antitrust clash of the decade?

Author(s): Alan Riley / Language(s): English

Keywords: Commission v. Gazprom; market vulnerability; Shale gas liquidity; coal dumping in Europe;

It may well be that the Gazprom anti-trust case launched by DG Competition on September 4th will turn out to be the landmark anti-trust case of this decade, as Microsoft was of the last decade. The argument of this paper is that, for a host of political and economic reasons, this case is likely to be hard fought by both sides to a final prohibition decision and then onwards into the EU courts.

Impact of the Jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights on the Decisions of the Constitutional Court of Serbia in the Procedure of Constitutional Appeal

Uticaj jurisdikcije Evropskog suda za ljudska prava na odlučivanje Ustavnog suda Srbije u postupku po ustavnoj žalbi

Author(s): Maja Nastić / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: Serbia; Constitutional Court; European Court of Human Rights; ECHR; evaluation;

The impact of the jurisdiction of the ECtHR on the Constitutional Court decisions is analyzed based on the normative framework established by the Constitution of Serbia (2006). Of particular importance are the provisions of the Constitution governing the relationship between national and international law, the basic principles of human and minority rights as well as the provisions on the Constitutional Court. By establishing the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court to decide on constitutional complaints, the Republic of Serbia became a part of the large number of countries that recognized the importance of this legal instrument. At the same time, the constitutional complaint emerges as a specific „reference point“ between the national constitutional court and the European Court of Human Rights. It is the last legal remedy to be used before possible referral to the European Court. The complainants often turn to the Constitutional Court because of violation of their rights enshrined in the ECHR. However, when the protection of this rights is also ensured by the Constitution, the Constitutional Court shall assess the violation or denial of the right concerning the relevant provisions of the Constitution. The impact of the jurisdiction of the European Court on the decision-making of the Constitutional Court in the procedure of constitutional appeals is analyzed from two aspects: a general one, concerning the fundamental principles on which human rights protection system is based and from the perspective of individual guarantees of human rights. The Constitutional Court shows its willingness to adapt its jurisdiction and bring it into line with the ECHR and the case-law of the European Court. Moreover, the Constitutional Court of Serbia demonstrates that it understands the ECHR as a living instrument. However, the Constitutional Court should not be overshadowed and blindly guided by the case-law of the European Court or to use it as a “paravane“ to justify political desirable decisions. This is important because it is expected that the Constitutional Court will show the path that regular courts should follow to protect human rights and freedoms.

State of the Environment Report 1997 – 1998

State of the Environment Report 1997 – 1998

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: Ecology in Albania;

The Compatibility between the Woman’s Occupational Status and her Maternal Role

The Compatibility between the Woman’s Occupational Status and her Maternal Role

Author(s): Olga Gagauz,Mariana Buciuceanu-Vrabie / Language(s): English

As for the Republic of Moldova, it is seen that high career requirements are listed on a secondary position to the financial problems and shortcomings. According to the research findings, the justification of the own attitude towards professional activity relates primarily to the economic aspect of the family being a source of income for 74.8% of respondents. The pro¬fessional activity becomes a means of self-ful¬fillment and autonomy for 41% and for about 38% - an opportunity to obtain financial inde¬pendence. With the increase in the number of children, through the involvement in the labor field women claim, primarily, the need for a significant additional income to support the family. Rationalizing on the motivation justifying the involvement into the labor market of the woman who has a child of preschool age, about 2/3 of respondents equally emphasize the “financial and material shortcomings”. Much lower, but significant values are assigned to: desire to have the “own” money (about 39%), satisfaction and interest in work (25.7%), and finally, the need to accumulate work experience (23.3%). Without deviating from the upper position assigned to economic problems, with the increase in the level of education of respondents, rises, as well, the share of motivation towards the interest in the job and the desire of financial independence.

Scientific Accounts on the Memory of Communism for Minority Hungarians in Romania

Scientific Accounts on the Memory of Communism for Minority Hungarians in Romania

Author(s): Zsuzsa Plainer / Language(s): English

Keywords: remembering Communism; Hungarian Minority in Romania;

The aim of this paper is to present and categorize the scholarly publications on the Hungarian remembering of the communist past in Romania. By stock-taking and categorizing the existing publication I intend to find out possible similarities and differences of such works in comparison with their Romanian „counterparts”. In doing so, the following paradigms are presented. The first category contains approaches coined by ethnographers, and anthropologists (including the memory of places, oral history accounts and anthropology of communism). The second paradigm covers those historical approaches which reached a greater public and had a visibility outside the minority Hungarian scientific community. Similar to the Romanian studies and books, minority approaches stress on discourses of the victims. Both accounts have in their core a common denomination, namely that that communism was an unpleasant detour in the Romanian history, something to get rid of, something to be condemned. Thus, communism in this perspective relates drama and sufferings of victims: those „true” or „clean” people, who were not involved and corrupted by the system. Sometimes (unlike Romanians’) the Hungarians’ memories overethnicize communism, which makes possible to create the perception of staying apart from it. But a new generation of historians and social scientists seriously questions this statement, and pleads for a more nuanced framework, claiming to show, the ethnic Hungarians were “part of this system”, too.

Newsletter - 07/2021

Newsletter - 07/2021

Author(s): Adis Maksić,Slavo Kukić,Denis Romac,Senada Šelo Šabić,Andrej Nikolaidis / Language(s): English

Keywords: America; politics; BIH; europeanization; NATO; election law; Montenegro; society;

1. Editorial - The Return of America. 2. Has Washington picked up the baton on the Europeanization of Bosnia and Herzegovina? 3. Consensus is crucial for BiH on the road to NATO. 4. Why the urgency on adoption of the Election Law? 5. Montenegrin society is boiling.

US-Latin American Trade Relations: Path to the Future or Dead End Street?

US-Latin American Trade Relations: Path to the Future or Dead End Street?

Author(s): Cintia Quiliconi / Language(s): English

Keywords: USA - Latin-America relations; hegemony; FTAA;

This paper is divided into five sections. The first section analyzes the link between economic integration in the Americas and the hegemonic power that the US exerts on the region through the FTAA initiative. The second section addresses the change in Latin American economic policies, taking into account the different role that US hegemony has played in the region. The third section analyzes how trade structures shape the different Latin American positions in the FTAA. The fourth section addresses when and how anti-Americanism re-appeared in Latin America during the 1990s. The fifth section delineates possible future scenarios with regard to US hegemonic intentions in the region and the potential reactions to those policies. The final section concludes the paper.