Геотермални помпени системи – Гъвкаво решение за устойчиво енергийно потребление на домакинствата

Author(s): Vanya Bankova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2024

Achieving sustainable household energy consumption is an essential part of realizing the ambitious goals of the European Union for economic, social and environmental development of the Community in the horizon 2050. The advantages of geothermal pump systems fully resonate with these goals, providing „green“ energy for the households from a renewable and inexhaustible energy source, have a high coefficient of heat conversion, long service life, high level of safety and zero emissions of harmful gases.

Postsovjetska politika Borisa Jeljcina prema NATO-u

Author(s): Jelisaveta Blagojević Miljanić / Language(s): Montenegrine Issue: 4/2022

From its founding in the decades that followed, NATO was tasked with protecting the Euro-Atlantic allies from potential Soviet aggression. After the collapse of the socialist empire thirty years ago, the relationship between the new Russia and the Alliance was marked by ups and downs.During the 1990s, President Yeltsin believed that with American and Western European support and financial aid, the economic and social problems of post-Cold War Russia would be „expressly” solved. However, such a policy soon was proved to be wrong, moreover illusory. Poor Russians were dissatisfied and disappointed, and their president did not know how to „calm passions” at home without anti-West narrative and accusations for Russian problems.Yeltsin‘s indecisiveness and lack of a clearly defined foreign policy strategy were evidenced by his empty threats regarding the expansion of NATO alliance as well as his lack of understanding of the Yugoslav crisis. In fact, Yeltsin failed to abandon some key principles of Soviet foreign policy, and to adapt the new Russia to its objective possibilities and needs in international relations.

Avoiding or Accepting the Unknown: Asylum in the European Union

Author(s): Michaela Grinaj / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

Many scholars have already dedicated their attention to the perceived migration crisis in Europe and related phenomena. The objective of the present paper is to examine tendencies of selected European national cultures to accept diversity and people with a migration background. The research hypothesis posits that countries with low Uncertainty Avoidance Index are more likely to accept migrants and refugees in their territory; while, on the contrary, countries that have relatively higher Uncertainty Avoidance Index tend to be more sceptical in regard to accepting migrants and refugees. In the study a variety of qualitative and mixed research methods (such as qualitative desk research, comparative analysis, and cluster analysis) are used. Firstly, applying the Uncertainty Avoidance Dimension by Hofstede, the European Union Member States are separated into four clusters according to their ranking within the Uncertainty Avoidance Index. Next, utilizing data collected within the project MAGYC, the EU Member States are ranked according to the number of asylum centres, detention centres or similar facilities per capita. Finally, the countries with the highest Uncertainty Avoidance Index and the lowest number of asylum centres per capita are compared providing a comparison of the countries with the lowest Index and the highest number of asylum facilities per capita. The constructed simplified model allows for answering the question whether certain relation between inclination to avoid the unknown and the willingness of national cultures to accept migrants and refugees exists, concluding that the hypothesis is valid only in the case of several countries.

Expert’s Insights Veto Challenge in EU Decision-making

Author(s): Bisserka Benisheva / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

Complex geopolitical developments demonstrate the need for the European Union to reform internally and enlarge externally. Both processes are interlinked and relate to making the Union an active global player. Most European policies are decided by large consensus, which effectively means qualified majority. There are several areas considered sensitive for Member States and subjected to unanimity in decision making. Historically deepening and widening of the Union have been done by revisions of the Treaty with gradual transfer of policy areas from unanimity to qualified majority. The article explores present day challenges on further transformations for the next political cycle to rebalance the decision-making power between Member States and EU institutions.

Book Review European Democracy and Single Market: 30 Years of the Maastricht Treaty

Author(s): Michele Messina / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

M.J. García García, A.M. Romito (eds.) Democracia europea y mercado único: 30 años del Tratado de Maastricht, Fondo Editorial Aranzadi, 2024. The book under review focuses on two of the most important aspects of the development of the EU integration process – the strengthening of the EU founding value of democracy and the achievement of the EU Single market objective following the entering into force of the Maastricht Treaty. The collective volume features authors coming from different national and academic backgrounds. The democracy-market nexus is approached from a number of perspectives, not always much explored in the past. The analyses seems to suggest that a durable evolution of the EU integration process can only be based on basic principles or founding values of the EU, like in the case of democracy, which is one of the most important ingredients for a European Single market, focused more on social and environmental issues rather than economic ones.

Догматизъм и прагматизъм в теорията на българското финансово право

Author(s): Suleyman Bashov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2023

Financial legal science analyses the financial legislation. There-fore, giving a clear definition of its essence and scope is of primary importance for financial legal theory. Nevertheless, the legal literature in Bulgaria contains very controversial thesis in this fields. The present study arranges these theses in two main gropes, de-fined as dogmatic and pragmatic one. The first one describes the subject of financial law through legal features and concepts. In this way, financial law is revealed as a branch of the Bulgarian legal system, composed of specific financial legal norms. The dogmatic view on this matter refutes the pragmatists, who tend to include in the financial law many relations, regulated by the norms of different legal branches, if they are considered 􀁦financial􀁲 in the financial and economic literature. At the same time, the present study emphasizes the merits of the dogmatic approach and the necessity for its application in any legal analysis. The legal system of Bulgaria is structured by legal features, not by social, economic, Financial legal science analyses the financial legislation. There-fore, giving a clear definition of its essence and scope is of primary importance for financial legal theory. Nevertheless, the legal literature in Bulgaria contains very controversial thesis in this fields. The present study arranges these theses in two main gropes, de-fined as dogmatic and pragmatic one. The first one describes the subject of financial law through legal features and concepts. In this way, financial law is revealed as a branch of the Bulgarian legal system, composed of specific financial legal norms. The dogmatic view on this matter refutes the pragmatists, who tend to include in the financial law many relations, regulated by the norms of different legal branches, if they are considered 􀁦financial􀁲 in the financial and economic literature. At the same time, the present study emphasizes the merits of the dogmatic approach and the necessity for its application in any legal analysis. The legal system of Bulgaria is structured by legal features, not by social, economic, psychological, and other determinants. These features refer to the nature of the legal relationship and its content. And its content is predetermined by the position of the legal entities involved in it. The conclusion of the study is that financial law must be based on dogmatic approach and referred to relations, which have the legal quality of public finances. Financial law cannot be considered as a legal regime referring to the economic category “finance”. This category is extremely broad and often has an unspecified meaning scope. Moreover, it is regulated by the norms of different legal branches as civil, commercial, and administrative law.

Book Review: Eckart Brodermann, Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts: an Article-by-Article Commentary, 2nd edition (Kluwer law International 2023)

Author(s): Velislava Hristova / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

OPERATIONAL DESIGN OF THE 1967 ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT

Author(s): Andrej Iliev,Dejan Mitrov / Language(s): English Issue: 46/2024

The background of the conflict originates from the end of the XIXth century when the Zionist movement (Israeli) promoted the idea of building an independent state for the Jews in the geographical territory of Palestine. Zionism was fiercely met and attacked by the Arab population of the country and resulted in a clash between the two movements for the possession of Palestine. There are two peoples and one territory, hence the reason for the conflict. Both communities consider Jerusalem their capital. In just 6 days of war, Israel conquered 26,000 km2 of Arab territory on 3 fronts. It managed to defeat the superior Arab forces with offensive operations, inflicting great losses on the infantry and equipment. Israel’s goals were achieved: the Gulf of Tiran was opened to navigation, terrorist attacks were minimized, and the territory was preserved from the Arab threat.

From ‘We Want to Destroy the Regime’ to ‘We Want to Destroy the World Order’: Russian Multipolarity and the Enlistment of the Post-Arab Spring Dār Al-islām

Author(s): Dustin J. Byrd / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2024

The Arab Spring produced new optimism in the Middle East regarding the possibility of democracy at the heart of the Muslim world. However, as the years passed, such optimism abated, leaving bitterness and cynicism in its wake. During the Arab Spring, Vladimir Putin watched in horror as numerous “strong men” lost power, or nearly lost power, including his ally, Bashar al-Assad. Determined not to allow what he saw as the West’s meddling in the Middle East provide a template for his own removal from power, Putin embarked on an anti-Western campaign to create a “multipolar world,” one that would liberate the strong men rulers from the demands of the “rules-based order,” i.e., the “unipolar world.” Key to the success of this campaign was the fostering of an alliance between the Russkii Mir (Russian World) and the dār al-Islām (Abode of Islam). Together with other parts of the world, such a coalition would resist the collective power of the Western world and attempt to bring about global conditions wherein “traditional” peoples can express their cultural, political, and economic particularities without being subject to the corrosive influence of the West. Key to this anti-Occident ideology is the far-right Russian philosopher, Alexander Dugin, and his neo-Eurasianist ideology. This essay explores how Dugin’s “reactionary modernist” ideology contributes to the struggles against the unipolar world, while at the same time arguing that his philosophy will most likely not be successful within the dār al-Islām for a variety of political, social, and religious reasons. If the promises of the Arab Spring are ever to come to fruition, this article argues, it will not be through a palingenetic Russia led by Putin.

AI and/as Racialised Political Theology

Author(s): Syed Mustafa Ali / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2024

Building on earlier work engaging with the entanglement of artificial intelligence (AI) and apocalypticism and both with whiteness (Ali 2019), in the present essay I explore AI through the lens of a political theology informed by critical race theory and decolonial thought. The essay begins by setting out the meaning of a few key concepts, viz. AI, political theology, ‘The World’, and the apocalyptic, before going on to consider their relationship, and concludes by briefly sketching an oppositional stance that I suggest is appropriate to adopt in relation to AI where the latter is understood as a manifestation of racialised political theology.

From Secession to Submission: an Ethical Framework for Non-territorial Autonomy

Author(s): Stipe Buzar / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2024

The purpose of the paper is to ascertain when non-territorial autonomy (NTA) arrangements are a morally appropriate response by states to various minority claims, given possible alternatives. As such, it is not about the relationships between minorities and majorities, but minorities and the state. The two main questions are: (1) What are the criteria of moral appropriateness? (2) When are any of the alternatives morally appropriate? Methodologically speaking, it makes sense to start from the most difficult of the alternatives to justify secession because it represents the most extreme possible claim of a minority towards a state, or even against a state. Once such a criterion or set of criteria is established, the criteria for other alternatives can only be reasonably lower, and the criteria for secession will be indicative of what these lower criteria could be.

Европейски инициативи за насърчаване защита на правата на възрастните хора

Author(s): Evgeniya Bratoeva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2023

The report focuses on the extremely topical problem for all European countries - the aging of the population with the resulting socio-economic consequences. The data presented by European statistical services show negative trends in all aspects of the quality of life of the elderly European population. The priority areas in which reforms need to be carried out, as well as the specific measures foreseen for them, are reviewed. The conclusions of a study conducted regarding the social protection of the elderly in Bulgaria against the background of the general European situation are presented.

O anatomii radości – w archiwum

Author(s): Francesca Fornari / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2024

Joy as a destabilizing, unpredictable, and ephemeral emotion, laden with ethical dimensions, can also manifest itself as a consequence of intellectual engagement (Misrahi, Lénoir). Pleasure, joy, happiness are recurrent themes in the literature of scholars delving into the intricate realm of “recalcitrant” manuscripts. Drawing upon examples from Agamben, Corti, Farge, Grésillon, and Zweig, this article delineates a phenomenology of joy within archival contexts. From the anticipation of receiving the “living material” of a manuscript to the “slow and unprofitable” process of transcribing the “intimate signs” of writing, and through the act of reading where “passion and reason” intertwine, the experience of joy can astonish those who immerse themselves in the traces of others’ words, within the perpetually unfolding vistas of archival papers, like a universe in miniature.

Indywidualne oraz generalne aspekty prawa łaski w Polsce Ludowej w latach 1944–1956

Author(s): Jan Sobiech / Language(s): Polish Issue: 65/2024

Instytucja prawa łaski stanowi istotny przejaw ingerencji władzy wykonawczej lub ustawodawczej w funkcjonowanie władzy sądowniczej, przede wszystkim w postaci korygowania jej orzeczeń sądowych. W zależności od rodzaju reżimu i systemu politycznego stopień tej ingerencji jest zróżnicowany. Celem niniejszego artykułu jest ukazanie specyfiki funkcjonowania i stosowania prawa łaski w Polsce Ludowej doby stalinizmu (1944-1956). Zagadnienie to obejmuje bowiem zarówno kwestie dotyczące formalno-dogmatycznych aspektów ustrojowych i prawnokarnych łaski w ujęciu indywidualnym oraz generalnym, jak i przejawy ich stosowania przez władze komunistyczne. Zadaniem artykułu jest także przedstawienie rzeczywistego celu stosowania prawa łaski w tym okresie i zastanowienie się, czy instytucja ta miała głównie charakter prawno-karny, czy polityczny. Artykuł podzielony został na trzy zasadnicze części: prawo łaski w latach 1944–1952, prawo łaski na gruncie Konstytucji PRL z 1952 r. oraz procedura ułaskawieniowa na podstawie znowelizowanego k.p.k. z 1928 r. Poza rozważaniami teoretycznoprawnymi ukazane są praktyczne przejawy stosowania prawa łaski, a także istotne poglądy orzecznictwa i doktryny – zarówno na kwestie prawnokarne, jak i ustrojowe. W artykule przedstawiono i przeanalizowano najważniejsze akty prawne tamtej epoki dotyczące omawianej instytucji, a mianowicie: Mała Konstytucja z 1947 r., Konstytucja PRL z 1952 r., a także wielokrotnie nowelizowany kodeks postępowania karnego z 1928 r. Wzmiankowane zostają także kwestie dotyczące założeń, jak i funkcji aktów amnestyjnych, z których szerzej omówione zostają dwa najważniejsze: z 1945 r. i 1947 r.

EUROPEAN SOCIO-POLITICAL ELITES’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS MIGRATION

Author(s): Miroslava Gligorić / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

This paper analyses the attitudes of European socio-political elites towards migration, with a particular focus on their views on current migration movements that are partly common and partly divergent, depending on the interests that guide them and their societies. Regarding the attitudes of socio-political elites towards the migrant issue, it is observed that the creators of European policies mainly advocate for the ‘externalisation’ of control over the migration issue, primarily involving the relocation of migrant rights outside the EU borders and disregarding their human rights. There is also a noticeable trend of informal deviation from the principles of human rights and freedoms associated with the migration problem, approaching the perspectives of the so-called Visegrád Group, while fundamentally remaining on liberal positions in this domain. The subject of this paper is the relationship between European socio-political elites and current migrations, and the methods applied in the paper include scientific-descriptive, comparative, and content analysis. The aim of the paper is to analyse the most dominant attitudes and indicate the consequences of specific decisions made by individual European socio-political elites regarding migration.

Reklamowe strategie komunikacyjne w Internecie w wyborach parlamentarnych w 2023 r.

Author(s): Anna Ryłko-Kurpiewska,Katarzyna Maciejewska-Mieszkowska / Language(s): Polish Issue: 52/2024

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The aim of this article is to present the results of the analysis of media messages and to indicate the communication strategies adopted by election committees in the 2023 parliamentary elections in Poland.THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The research problem is to indicate the specificity of targeting advertising messages in the 2023 par‑liamentary elections in Poland, taking into account their personalised nature and resulted from the specificity of the analysed phenomenon. Quantitative research, comparative analysis of statistical data and secondary research results, qualitative and quantitative analysis of the content and persuasive potential of the messages were used. THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: The argument consists of three parts. The aim of the first is to show the increasing role of social media in the electoral communication process on the example of opinion polls and statistical data analysis. Further considerations focus on the analysis of the costs associ‑ated with the online promotional activities of committees. The third focuses on presenting the specifics of personalisation of advertising messages and consist‑ency of activities in the context of election slogans.RESEARCH RESULTS: The article presents the author’s analysis of the online advertising strategy of election committees in the 2023 parliamentary elections. It allowed for the conclusion that committees, aware of the escalating role of the Internet in electoral messages, not only increase financial outlays on this medium, but also adjust the means of persuasion in order to personalise messages.CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS:The generational change of voters has influenced the intensity of online ad‑vertising messages. For the first time, online advertising and the possibility of personalising messages in electoral content were used on such a scale. It is not only the long‑established indirect nature that has become a characteristic feature of advertising messages, but also the participation of communication intermediaries.

Political image of Geert Wilders: Analysis of populist message on social media platform X

Author(s): Marek Górka / Language(s): Polish Issue: 52/2024

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The aim is to analyze Geert Wilders’ activity on platform X (formerly Twitter), with the research aiming to better understand the influence of social media on contemporary politics, the image of political leaders, and the dynamics of relations between politicians and society. THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The research problem is to understand how populist political leaders, such as Geert Wilders, utilize social media, particularly platform X, to shape their political image, promote their agenda, and build relationships with voters. The research method relies on discourse analysis of selected cases (e.g., controversial posts) to understand the rhetorical strategies used by Geert Wilders. This method enables a deep understanding of the use of emotional and provocative language for mobilizing supporters and building a political image. THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION:The first step was an attempt to define the relationship between the development of digital communication tools and the rise of populism. Then, characteristic elements from Geert Wilders’ biog‑raphy contributing to his public image as a politician were described. The final part concerns selected elements of political narrative published on platform X. RESEARCH RESULTS: The analysis of Geert Wilders’ statements on social media platform X reveals a coherent communication strategy aimed at building his image as a strong leader fighting for national interests and European values. CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS:This analysis also underscores the significance of social media in today’s politics and the innovative potential in the realm of online political communication. It is recommended to implement media education to increase public awareness of politicians’ communication strategies and their impact on society.

Финaнсирaнето в здрaвеопaзвaнето кaто фaктор зa устойчиво рaзвитие нa системaтa зa нaционaлнa сигурност

Author(s): Emiliya Kasova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2024

The trend in the financing of health services is related to the efforts to achieve a balance between equal financing of hospital services and the lack of funds as a major problem for managers at the government level in every country. The factors determining this trend are related to the growing concern of individual governments regarding the problem of control of expenses and to a lesser extent with the problem of equality and solidarity. However, one should not overlook the fact that the more government control increases, the more the traditional autonomy of health insurance funds is limited

НАЦИОНАЛНИ ИДЕНТИТЕТ, ИЗМЕЂУ ПАМЋЕЊА И ЗАБОРАВА

Author(s): Vladimir Krivošejev / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 190/2024

Review of: Весна Ђукић, Памћење као отпор забораву: Кратка студија политике очувања српског културног идентитета, Факултет драмских уметности, Институт за позориште, филм, радио и телевизију и Матица српска, Београд – Нови Сад 2022

ЗАШТИТНИК ЈАВНОГ ИНФОРМИСАЊА КАО БРАНИЛАЦ МЕДИЈСКЕ ПРОСВЕЋЕНОСТИ

Author(s): Miloš Prica / Language(s): Serbian Issue: 191/2024

The media are subjects of the legal order with duty to provide unbiased and truthful public information. All media are subject to public interest, but the content of public interest differs depending on the type of media. As a result of rendering the democratic society and the rule of law meaningless and inconsequential, there is abuse of freedom of public information. The question is no longer how to ensure the independence of the media from public authorities but how to ensure that the media serve the purposes of a democratic society and bring enlightenment in the public sphere. On the other hand, there is a challenge to preclude the arbitrariness of independent public authorities in the process of monitoring the media activities, which is a fatal disease in the state of law (Rechtsstaat). In the field of public information in the Republic of Serbia, there is an institutional imbalance between independent subjects of bodies in the field of public information. Considering that an effective legal form of control over the work of these independent public bodies has not been instituted yet, the establishment of the Protector of Public Information (Ombudsman), as a defender of media enlightenment, would be a positive step in the direction of establishing an institutional balance. The Ombudsman for Public Information (hereinafter: the PI Ombudsman) would be elected by the National Assembly from among prominent media professionals, based on the proposal of the journalists’ association. The PI Ombudsman’s activities would entail control of the activities of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM), media and other public information entities. The PI Ombudsman would not have the authority to impose legal sanctions but the exercised control of the activities of public information entities would enable the Ombudsman to issue warnings and recommendations to the Regulatory Body and the media, as well as to file motions to the competent authorities on observed or established irregularities, especially concerning the REM activities. Based on the radiating effect that may be exerted by the reputation of this independent public body, the actions of the Ombudsman for Public Information would aim to remove the arbitrariness of the media and the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media, as a necessary precondition for the development of an enlightened public sphere based on polite and reasoned discussion.