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№097: Deterring Russia after Ukraine: CEE Divided on the Future of NATO Policy

№097: Deterring Russia after Ukraine: CEE Divided on the Future of NATO Policy

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

Keywords: Central Europe; Eastern Europe; NATO

In the context of the Ukraine crisis, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Romania have called for significant strengthening of NATO’s deterrence and defence policy and for permanent deployments of Allied troops in the region. This position is, however, not shared by the rest of the Central and Eastern European NATO members. Similar to Western European countries, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia do not feel as threatened by Russia’s actions and do not support moves that could damage their political and economic relations with Moscow. Fundamental differences among the current positions of the regional Allies indicate a profound divide between Central and Eastern European NATO members.

№ 03 SELDI Anti-Corruption-Newsletter

№ 03 SELDI Anti-Corruption-Newsletter

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

The SELDI Anti-Corruption-Newsletter is listing in each issue topics of and links to articles from various SEE Media dealing with the issues of corruption and anti-corruption. Each of these links is specified by a very short description. CEEOL cannot guarantee the stability of those links guiding always to the particular web-site of the newspaper or institute, where these articles have originally been published.

№ 22 SELDI Anti-Corruption-Newsletter

№ 22 SELDI Anti-Corruption-Newsletter

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

The SELDI Anti-Corruption-Newsletter is listing in each issue topics of and links to articles from various SEE Media dealing with the issues of corruption and anti-corruption. Each of these links is specified by a very short description. CEEOL cannot guarantee the stability of those links guiding always to the particular web-site of the newspaper or institute, where these articles have originally been published.

Albania and European Union: Perceptions and Realities

Albania and European Union: Perceptions and Realities

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

Keywords: Western Balkans; Albania and EU;

Albanian Institute for International Studies (AIIS) conducted a survey with Public Administration, Media, Local NGOs and Business groups in Tirana. The aim of the survey was to assess perceptions of and knowledge on European Union and EU integration for Albania. These groups were chosen because they are both immediately responsible for and directly affected by the integration process. // The most obvious finding of the survey was the overwhelming support for Albania’s membership into EU in all the above-mentioned categories. The support levels were very close to 100 % with almost all respondents answering that they would vote for Albania’s membership into EU in a referendum on this issue. The figures speak for themselves; 96.43% in the Media Category, 96.91 % in Businesses and 99.38 % and 100 % in Public Administration and Local NGOs respectively. The high level of support for Albania’s EU membership was also reflected in the fact that respondents in all categories thought that strengthening relations with EU should be the most important priority of the Albanian Government.

№157: Squaring the Circle: Is a Balanced Deterrence and Dialogue Approach toward Russia Workable?

№157: Squaring the Circle: Is a Balanced Deterrence and Dialogue Approach toward Russia Workable?

Author(s): Wojciech Lorenz,Jakub M. Godzimirski / Language(s): English

Keywords: Russia; dialogue; international relations

Dialogue between Russia and NATO is indispensable to limit the risk of unintended military confrontation amid increased tension. Without dialogue, Alliance cohesion is also at stake. To develop a balance between deterrence and dialogue, it is necessary to understand how the two actions relate to each other, what lessons the West can learn from the past, and what goals it wants to achieve apart from limiting the risk of confrontation.

(In)Consistency of "Differentiated Citizenship" in the Recommendations for Changing the Constitution of the Federation BiH

(Ne)konzistentnost „diferenciranog građanstva“ u Preporukama za promjenu Ustava Federacije BiH

Author(s): Nedim Kulenović / Language(s): Bosnian

Keywords: Public law; constitution; citizenship; differentiating citizenship; amendment; BiH; FBiH; ethnic minorities;

U ovom veoma kratkom osvrtu razmotrene su posljedice koje dalja institucionalizacija „diferenciranog građanstva“ ima po prava pripadnika grupe koja se prethodno imenovala kao „Ostali“. Iako nisu provedena dublja teorijska razmatranja samog koncepta „diferenciranog građanstva“, i njegove opravdanosti u bosanskohercegovačkom kontekstu, uočen je značajan stepen nekonzistentnosti u njegovom modeliranju u Preporukama ekspertne grupe. Naime, ovakvo rješenje može rezultirati daljim različitim postupanjem, sada između dvije kategorije „Ostalih“, odnosno pripadnika nacionalnih manjina i etnički neopredijeljenih, a čije je barem pravno opravdanje veoma upitno. Ako je ovo zaista bila namjera Ekspertne grupe takva vrsta sistematskog isključivanja jedne kategorije građana iz participacije u strukturama vlasti FBiH zahtijevala bi naročitu vrstu opravdanja – kako s aspekta prava, tako i političke teorije – a koja ni u Preporukama, ni u Analizi, nije ponuđena. Ukoliko je, međutim, ovo posljedica omaške u formulisanju preporuka, nužno je pristupiti njihovom temeljitom usklađivanju, od definicije Federacije pa na dalje, s obzirom da se ova „greška“ spominje u više od dvadeset preporuka. Mora se na kraju upozoriti da još uvijek postoji teorijsko neslaganje u pogledu izvršenja balansiranja između etničkog i građanskog elementa u ustavnopravnom uređenju BiH. To je rezultiralo različitim institucionalnim modelima, od onog na nivou države i entiteta, do Brčko Distrikta BiH, odnosno Kantona Sarajevo, koji se karakterišu različitim intenzitetom etniziranja prava, odnosno diferenciranja građanstva. Nužno je biti pažljiv kako se u daljim pokušajima pluralizacije postojećih etnokratskih aranžmana na nivou entiteta ne bi prekludirala mogućnost da se naročito u kantonima – koji će sada postojati kao pojedinačne „laboratorije etničkog upravljanja“ – osigura veći spektar prava pripadnicima nacionalnih manjina i etnički neopredijeljenim od onoga što je moguće ostvariti na Federalnom i višim nivoima vlasti.

A House Ready to Crumble? Putting Back the Building Blocks of Macedonia’s Parliamentary Democracy

A House Ready to Crumble? Putting Back the Building Blocks of Macedonia’s Parliamentary Democracy

Author(s): Katerina Kolozova,Gordan Georgiev / Language(s): English

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. NATO BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE AND CHANGES IN PUBLIC OPINION

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. NATO BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE AND CHANGES IN PUBLIC OPINION

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

Keywords: NATO; ballistic missile defense; public opinion; security and defense; NATO countries; media; strategic communication;

This project was designed as a capabilities demonstration for the Latvian Ministry of Defence and NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence (NATO StratCom COE). The project developed a media analysis methodology based on strategic framing, a well-known function of media and strategic communication that attempts to influence the perception of facts and situations by encouraging certain interpretations and discouraging others using words, phrases, metaphors and images highlighting desired aspects of a perceived reality. The goals were to demonstrate that framing is relevant to understanding and improving strategic communication capabilities of NATO member and partner countries, to do this in the context of a topic important to NATO, and to show the potential relevance of these methods to operational capabilities.

WRITTEN COMMENTS BY THE EUROPEAN ROMA RIGHTS CENTRE CONCERNING TURKEY (Regarding EU Accession Progress for Consideration by the European Commission during its 2014 Review)

WRITTEN COMMENTS BY THE EUROPEAN ROMA RIGHTS CENTRE CONCERNING TURKEY (Regarding EU Accession Progress for Consideration by the European Commission during its 2014 Review)

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

Keywords: Turkey; Roma; human rights; discrimination; political developments; attacks on Roma; housing; legal threat; evaluation;

1. Anti-Discrimination and Other Human Rights Law 2. Political Developments 3. Attacks on Roma 4. Legal Threat to Housing Rights

The Use of Force Against the Islamic State

The Use of Force Against the Islamic State

Author(s): Veronika Bílková,Tamás Lattmann / Language(s): English

Keywords: Islamic States; illegitimate non-state actor; force; international law; Czech Republic;

The Islamic State (IS) must not be recognized as a State. It is an illegitimate non-state actor engaged in serious violations of international law. The use of force against the IS does not have a uniform legal basis. Some of the related actions can be justified on the grounds of the consent of the territorial State (this is the case with the US in Iraq, and Russia in Syria). The legality of other actions against the IS (those of Turkey in Iraq, and of the US in Syria) remains doubtful. The IS is likely to be defeated in the upcoming months. The situation does not require a more active engagement by the Czech Republic beyond what it is already doing (provision of weapons, training of armed and police personnel, etc.).

The Republic of Moldova and Ukraine – A Package Approach for the EU or Each with its Own Way?

The Republic of Moldova and Ukraine – A Package Approach for the EU or Each with its Own Way?

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

Keywords: Moldova EU-Accession; Ukraine EU-Accession;

The Republic of Moldova and Ukraine are two states expressing their desire to join the European Union. The efforts of both states to rally to the European values have often been ambiguous and blurred. As a result, these two countries’ rank is probably, in the category of “lagging behind” states in terms of their chances to join the European Union. Otherwise, both neighboring states possibly represent the last potential candidates to join the European Union. But the date of joining is directly linked to economic and political performances of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

REAL ECONOMY - Monthly Review of Economy and Policy - 2011-16

REAL ECONOMY - Monthly Review of Economy and Policy - 2011-16

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

Traditionally, at the beginning of every year, the independent think tank Expert-Grup makes brief reviews - radiographies - for the previous economic year. Like in 2008-2009, the radiography of the 2010 economic year will cover three essential aspects: a) the most important 5 economic events of 2010; b) the most revealing 5 macroeconomic trends; c) the most noticeable 5 faults of the economic policy. On the top of this we will add another interesting element: d) top 5 major risks for 2011. // We have tospecify that these tops represent a joint vision of Expert-Grup team on the economic developments, but do not necessarily imply a strict ranking by their importance. In the annual economic radiographies we try rather to identify the events, statements and mega-trends that in our view were the key determinants for the previous economic year and will mark the medium and short term economic developments. // Before proceeding to these ratings, let's consider the difficult context generated by the 2009 financial crisis (Section 2) and how the Moldovan economy reacted in 2010 to the revitalization of the regional and global economic growth (Section 3).

Exit-poll Drobeta Turnu Severin

Exit-poll Drobeta Turnu Severin

Author(s): Bruno Stefan / Language(s): Romanian

Keywords: local election vote;exit-poll;

Exit poll conducted on 2017 inhabitants of the city. He measured the votes cast in the local elections in Drobeta at the City Hall, the Local Council, the County Council, the Presidency of the County Council.

The early parliamentary elections of July 11, 2021: the Republic of Moldova between past and future

The early parliamentary elections of July 11, 2021: the Republic of Moldova between past and future

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

Keywords: Republic of Moldova; Early parliamentary elections; Moldovan political system; Oligarchic regime; Democratization of the Republic of Moldova; Diaspora participation in electoral elections;

The early parliamentary elections of July 11, 2021, will end a cycle in the evolution of the Moldovan political system (the period of the oligarchic regime) and will establish the beginning of a new stage – of democratization and modernization of the Republic of Moldova according to the European model. The categorical, first of its kind, victory of a pro-European right-wing party, opens new perspectives for the political evolution of the Republic of Moldova. The future evolution or involution of the Moldovan political system will be directly dependent on whether or not the new ruling party will have the capacity, intelligence, and ability to properly manage the chance and the vote of confidence given to it by the Moldovan citizens on July 11, 2021.

Modern Russian Way of War: Theoretical Fundamentals and Practical Content

Сучасний Російський спосіб ведення війни: теоретичні основи і практичне наповнення

Author(s): M. M. Veleskov / Language(s): Ukrainian

Keywords: Russian agression against Ukraine;

The current (2021!) Russian way of waging war is studied, the analysis of which is one of the main prerequisites for high-quality defense planning of Ukraine in the conditions of preservation of the Russian threat and disparity of power potentials in favor of the Russian Federation. The role and place of military policy in the great strategy of the Russian Federation is determined. The theoretical foundations of the modern Russian way of waging war are analyzed, including the factors influencing the planning and conduct of operations. The main features of the current Russian doctrine of operations, as well as its reflection on certain types and types of troops of the Russian Armed Forces in practice are identified. // Designed for experts, scientists and specialists in the field of defense planning and national security, civil servants, representatives of public organizations and anyone interested in the evolution of forms and methods of using troops (forces).

Special Institutional Solutions for Parliamentary Representation of National Minorities

Solutii institutionale speciale pentru reprezentarea parlamentara a minoritatilor nationale

Author(s): István Gergő Székely / Language(s): Romanian

Keywords: National minorities; Parliamentary representation; special parliamentary mandates for minorities;

The paper reviews special electoral regulations designed to facilitate the parliamentary representation of national minorities in several countries. Several types of special measures are identified and two of them are addressed in detail: the exclusion of minority political parties from the electoral threshold and the reservation of special parliamentary mandates for minorities. The study contains information on electoral institutions in 16 countries, in five of them the electoral threshold is not applied to minorities, and in 11 there are reserved mandates. The approach of the subject is primarily from a formal institutional point of view, ie it is based on the analysis of the legislative documents as well as on secondary literature in the field, but within the limits of the possibilities is attempted a more substantial evaluation of the regulations, indicating the advantages and drawbacks of the systems in their functioning in practice.

Inside Ukraine, № 2018 - 75

Inside Ukraine, № 2018 - 75

Author(s): Ihor Petrenko,Yehor Kyian / Language(s): English

PUBLIC POLICIES // The law on “Reintegration of Donbas”: political declaration or restoration of sovereignty? // State bureau of investigations: will it be possible to create an independent and transparent authority? // ECONOMIC ANALYSIS // Hryvnia 2018: Past and Future Factors of Influence

Hungary Turns its Back on Europe 2.

Háttal Európának 2.

Author(s): Oktatói Hálózat / Language(s): Hungarian

Keywords: culture; education; science; media; Hungary; Orbán-regime; government; corruption

With this volume, we continue our "Hungary turns its back on Europe" report, which was finalised in autumn 2019 and published in January 2020, "prepared by independent Hungarian intellectuals who wish to inform the Hungarian and international public as well as European institutions about the severe harm that the Orbán regime governing Hungary since 2010 has caused in the fields of education, science, culture, and the media." The reason for carrying on with our work is that, in the meantime, the situation in Hungary has exacerbated: the authoritarian features of the Orbán regime have been further strengthened, dismantling of the rule of law has continued, and the government's "cultural warfare" has moved up a gear and is increasingly destructive in the domain of culture. It is our common experience that Hungary, using European Union funds, has built an openly anti‐European, 21st century autocracy, which has taken the state captive, dismantled the checks and balances essential to the rule of law, turned democratic institutions into an empty shell, invaded the media and made corruption systemic.

Employment in Montenegrin municipalities merit or party based?

Employment in Montenegrin municipalities merit or party based?

Author(s): Jovana Marović,Mileva Milošević,Dina Bajramspahić / Language(s): English

Keywords: Montenegrin municipalities; party based employment; Inadequate human resource planning; transparency;

Through the analysis „Employment in Montenegrin municipalities merit or party based?“, Institute Alternative continues monitoring of the implementation of public administration reform in Montenegro, focusing on the local level, after publishing of several publications and monitoring reports dealing with reform processes in state administration bodies. The analysis has been prepared within the project „Corruption at the local level- zero tolerance!”, and the project focused on identification of the key issues at the local level in the areas of high risk for corruption.

KROLL Investigation: Between Expectations and Reality

KROLL Investigation: Between Expectations and Reality

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

Keywords: banking fraud in Moldova;

In 2014, the domestic banking system was shaken by one of the biggest internal crises in our country's history. The bank fraud that resulted in the theft accounting for 12 per cent of the GDP was the consequence of flawed corporate governance in some banks, of dysfunctions and lack of coordination among state institutions, including the ones in charge of ensuring financial stability, as well as the consequence of ill-intentioned decision-makers in state institutions and banks1. In almost 3 years after the crisis, the authorities recovered around MDL 963 million from selling the assets of the three banks, while Kroll Company, contracted to conduct an investigation and support the authorities in recovering the stolen money, detected committed crimes that together add up to around USD 600 million2. // Currently, the only solution that could actually lessen the burden on citizens is to follow the missing money and to recover it to the possible extent. Taking into account the complexity of schemes used by crooks in bank frauds, the full recovery of the assets is virtually impossible in such situations. International experts believe that retrieving even 50 per cent of the lost money in such cases is an achievement.