SOME CONSIDERATIONS RELATED TO THE FINANCING OF ROMANIAN EDUCATION SOUTH OF THE DANUBE

Author(s): Ineuan Emanuil / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

Romania’s involvement in the Aromanian issue was a novelty for its foreign policy. While inTransylvania or Bukovina, Bucharest was involved in supporting a cultural nationalism, which took various forms and to varying degrees, in the case of the southern Danube Romanians, support was given to communities with which Romania had no direct geographical continuity. Most of the financial resources directed by the Romanian state to the communities south of the Danube were used to set up new schools and to pay the salaries of the teaching staff in the area, as well as to support priests and churches. The Romanian cultural effort in the Balkans was eventually initiated by a number of personalities of Aromanian origin who had emigrated to the northern Danube area and who, in the course of time, held key positions both in the state apparatus (Anastasie Panu, Alexandru Diamandi, Eugeniu Carada, Tache Ionescu, Gheorghe Manu) and in cultural and economic life (Ioan Caragiani, Dimitrie Cozacovici, Menelau Ghermani, Pericle Papahagi). Under the influence of these personalities of Romanian Aromanian origin, but also at the request of several Aromanian leaders in the Balkans, the support of the Romanian state will be materialized through constant financial allocations from the state budget to the cultural and educational needs of the Aromanian communities in the Balkans.

THE CURRENT VITALITY OF THE ROMANIAN COMMUNITY LIVING IN HUNGARY

Author(s): Samira Cîrlig,Narcis Rupe / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

One of the Romanian communities living abroad is the one in Hungary. Separated from the Transylvanian Romanians in 1920, though it voted for union with the Kingdom of Romania. The small Romanian community faced then as it does now a serious problem in its own history – the lack of the necessary institutions, which would assure and guard its identity. Without such institutions and the support of the mother country, the small cultural and ethnic enclave is losing its life force with each passing day. The Romanian community from Hungary is feeling abandoned and alone, being forced to confront the onslaught of the host state, and the attempts thereof to undermine the continued existence of the small Romanian community. Among the policies of dissolutions that the Hungarian state is using against these Romanians native to Hungary, the following can be found: the counter-selection of community leaders, the management of self-perception through the falsification of censuses, and the cutting off of access to Romanian-language education at the secondary and higher levels of study. These policies are not only aimed at the Romanian community. Their ulterior gain is to obtain new privileges for the Hungarian community in Romania.

Ewolucja stanowiska Sojuszu Północnoatlantyckiego w sprawie obrony wschodniej flanki NATO – od Newport do Waszyngtonu (2014–2024)

Author(s): Krzysztof Kociubiński,Adam Sokołowski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2024

The article aims to present the evolution of the North Atlantic Alliance’s position on the defence of NATO’s eastern flank – from Newport to Washington. The analysis focuses on the official declarations from successive NATO summits held between 2014 and 2024. The decisions made at these summits, along with the actions of the Alliance as a whole and individual member states, highlight how threats to the security of the transatlantic area were addressed at specific times. The authors examine the extent to which the outcomes of political decisions were implemented in the defence activities of stakeholders in response to the most significant threat at the turn of the second and third decades of the 21st century – the aggressive policies of the authorities of the Russian Federation – not only towards sovereign Ukraine, but also towards the states of NATO’s eastern flank. In conclusion, the authors point out that external factors, such as a direct threat to European states and Russia’s aggressive policies, were the most important catalysts for the integration of the Alliance.

Lista recenzentów Rocznika Bezpieczeństwa Międzynarodowego w roku 2024

Author(s): The Yearbook of International Relations Editors / Language(s): Polish Issue: 2/2024

Revisiting Enhanced Protection: Implications from a Practical Case Study

Author(s): Emma Cunliffe / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2024

The 1999 Second Protocol to the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (1954) created a new legal framework to improve protection for the world’s most important cultural property in cases of conflict, called enhanced protection. However, it has never been tested. In representing the NGO Blue Shield International, I had the opportunity to test it on the NATO training exercise STEADFAST JACKAL 2023. The training audience, Eurocorps, was presented with a complex non-international armed conflict in which tensions escalated over a (fictional) site under enhanced protection. Multiple stakeholders, including the national owners and armed non-state groups, provoked conflicting legal and policy obligations. The actions taken by Eurocorps raised implications for safeguarding enhanced protection sites in real situations, which this article seeks to highlight and explore, offering a new understanding of the application of law in practice. The article argues that in certain circumstances enhanced protection may lead to competing obligations regarding human rights, justice, and cultural protection. Those registering sites and acting to protect them must consider likely scenarios carefully to establish good practices. Otherwise, enhanced protection could defend sites to the detriment of those that value them.

EU Strategic Approaches to Combating Corruption

Author(s): Georgi Tasev / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2024

Corruption remains a persistent challenge within the European Union, eroding institutional trust, economic stability, and the rule of law. In response, a comprehensive framework of strategic documents, policies, and instruments has been developed to foster transparency, accountability, and integrity across member states. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the Union’s anti-corruption strategy, focusing on key documents, governance reforms, and legal tools that enhance enforcement mechanisms. Furthermore, the study explores disparities in national anti-corruption measures across various countries, evaluating their alignment with common standards and identifying ongoing challenges. Special attention is given to the roles of key institutions in combating cross-border corruption. The paper concludes that achieving a corruption-free Europe will require sustained collaboration among institutions, member states, and civil society, emphasizing the importance of consistent monitoring and implementation of anti-corruption frameworks.

Nuclear Security Challenges and Detection Architecture Developments in Northeast Africa: A Comprehensive Analysis

Author(s): Bokhari Ahmed Moneir / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2024

Preventing terrorist organizations from getting and using nuclear weapons is a critical global challenge. Among the issues facing nuclear security in northeast Africa are illicit trafficking, political instability, the lack of regulatory frameworks, and limited technical capabilities. Countries like Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, are increasingly aware of these threats and are actively working to develop their nuclear security and detection architectures and address them. Effective nuclear threats mitigation relies on identifying and intercepting illicit nuclear material movements before they can be used for malicious purposes. This paper examines nuclear security challenges and threats and Nuclear Developments in Northeast Africa in focusing on regulatory frameworks, technological advancements, and regional and international cooperation and conventions related to nuclear security. It underscores the importance of a robust detection architecture, highlights the need for continuous improvement in regulatory measures, and calls for stronger international collaboration. Recommendations for future enhancements are also provided.

The Problem with Bulgaria’s Lack of Funding Directed to the Education Sector

Author(s): Boris Miloshev / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2024

Human capital is one of the driving factors for an economy and has a direct effect on production. One of the best ways to boost a country’s GDP is to increase labor productivity, which is directly linked with long-term economic growth. With Bulgaria having one of the lowest general government expenditures to GDP ratio in Europe and low teachers’ salary rates compared to other countries, it’s important to determine how this may be affecting the country and its economic growth as a whole. The aim of this paper is to analyze the lack of funding in the educational sector based on the human capital theory and the Augmented Solow growth model, as well as to provide some suggestions on possible improvement strategies.

MULTILATERALISM – PAST, PRESENT AND POSSIBLE FUTURES

Author(s): Diana Cristiana Lupu / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2023

Starting from the definition of multilateralism, based on its main characteristics – peaceful resolution of conflicts, sovereign states equality under international law, inclusion and active participation of all stakeholders, the present paper examines the current perception of the foundations of global cooperation stability. Thus, considering the high level of interconnectedness as well as the complexity of the crises our world is currently facing, some of the challenges to the multilateral system are presented, focusing on the UN, an inclusive multilateral institution, and the EU, a regional one. Romania’s position in this context is also mentioned. In connection to the Western-based democratic values and liberal societies, three possible futures are exhibited. Under the given circumstances, it has been almost unanimously agreed that reforms are necessary. However, there are still few specific details related to the substance and means of the changes, and there are too many variables to be considered in the efforts to align goals, interests and expectations, as well as to accommodate the structural, functional and strategic elements of transformation.

THREAT ACTORS SEEKING TO EXPLOIT AI CAPABILITIES. TYPES AND THEIR GOALS

Author(s): Petru-Dan KOVACI / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2023

Artificial Intelligence’s advancement has led to ethical and privacy concerns due to the ability of algorithms to mine personal data and conduct surveillance on a large scale. The influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in cybersecurity extends beyond private entities and individuals. In this scenario, it is important to highlight the threatening actors and their objectives in order to counter AI-based cyber threats. We are dealing with different entities, each having its own interests: cybercriminals are interested in making profit, terrorist groups cause ideological violence and nation-states target geopolitical influence. Moreover, they are increasingly interested in developing AI-driven cyber warfare capabilities for either attacking their enemies or enhancing their defence measures against such attacks. This trend will most likely aggravate the global cyber arms race as countries compete to surpass each other in the development and deployment of AI-driven cyber capabilities. Consequently, it has become crucial for organizations and individuals to understand how AI affects cybersecurity and, thus, adapt their strategies accordingly. Traditional defences must be supplemented with AI-powered tools and techniques to stay ahead of the curve, while security experts must continually update their skills and expertise to cope with the changing threat landscape.

REASSESSING THE CONCEPTUAL ELEMENTS OF ISLAMIC RADICALIZATION: THEORETICAL CHALLENGES AND RESEARCH TRENDS

Author(s): Iulia-Mihaela DRĂGAN / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2024

The radicalization phenomenon has captured the attention of the academic community, considering the need to understand its conceptual elements and to analyze the impact of the main causes that trigger the radicalization process. On the other hand, the rationale to elaborate on this article is that there is no unanimously accepted definition of radicalization at the academic level, and the causes that determine the radicalization process are explained reductively most of the time. Thus, what this article proposes is to review the specialized literature regarding the theoretical delimitations of radicalization, aiming for a definition as comprehensive as possible that would characterize in a holistic manner the process of Islamic radicalization. Also, another objective of the paper seeks to identify the challenges of the academic community regarding the conceptual elements of the phenomenon, using a methodology based on the confrontation of different theories through which the process of Islamic radicalization is explained.

Значимост на глобалните обществени блага в условията на нарастващи глобални рискове

Author(s): Velichka Nikolova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/2024

The present article focuses on the role of global public goods in the light of a dynamically changing global environment. To this end, attention is first paid to the main features of this type of goods and the challenges associated with providing financial resources for their production, followed by some more specific examples of global public goods, which are considered taking into account the danger of global risks.

Анализ на паричната политика на ЕЦБ и динамиката на цените на акциите

Author(s): Petko Pishinov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/2024

A number of economists and researchers have mentioned that apart from inflation and output gap (GDP gap), asset price movements are also important in refining monetary policy of a Central bank and should be considered as equal as the two other determinants. Thus, this research aims to investigate the monetary policy of ECB during the financial crisis period by examining the suitability of the interest rate setting based on inflation, output gap, and stock price movement.

Кейнсовата и Нео-кейнсианската теории за икономическите кризи: някои теоретични аспекти

Author(s): Petar Piperkov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/2024

The Keynesian tradition dates back to J. M. Keynes and, according to it, economic crises are endogenous phenomena. The article reviews some aspects of this tradition in light of the understanding of fluctuations from market equilibrium. The object is the currents in the Keynesian theory, and the subject – their views on economic crises. The purpose of the article is to highlight certain contradictions between the ideas of J. M. Keynes and the subsequent Keynesian schools, due to the original ideas of Keynes, which subsequently fell out of the Keynesian tradition, but are essential for understanding the genealogy of crises. Scientific methods such as historical-logical analysis, comparative analysis and synthesis were used.

Responsibility, Sustainability, and Threat: The Framing of Climate Change by King Charles III

Author(s): Oleksandr Kapranov / Language(s): English Issue: 29/2024

The issue of climate change is reflective of a cornucopia ofinterconnected variables, which involve political, societal, as well as ethicaland moral considerations associated with empathy, responsibility,sustainability, and solidarity (Sadler-Smith & Akstinaite 2022). Due to thesereasons, research in climate change discourse has gained currency in thepresent-day linguistic and mass media studies. One of the means of exploringhow corporate and political actors view the issue of global climate changeinvolves framing, which is copiously applied in linguistic, mass media, anddiscourse-related research directions (Gillings & Dayrell 2024; Schlichting2013). To-date, however, little is known about how climate change discourseis framed by the current British monarch King Charles III. This contributionpresents a qualitative study that explores the way climate change discourse isframed by King Charles III. The study involves a corpus of speeches on thetopic of climate change delivered by King Charles III from 2005 to 2023. Thecorpus was analysed qualitatively in line with the framing methodologydeveloped by Entman (1993, 2004, 2007). The analysis revealed that climatechange was framed as A 2 Degree World, Deforestation, Responsibility, Risk,Sustainability, Threat, and Urgency. The findings and their discussion arefurther described in the article.

Female Agency Encoding and Linguistic Expressions of Consent in Historical Romance Fiction

Author(s): Noemi Neconesnic,Nadia-Nicoleta Morăraşu / Language(s): English Issue: 29/2024

This paper explores the concepts of female agency and consent inhistorical romance fiction using corpus methods of analysis. To this purpose,we provide an overview of the concept of agency in historical romance novelswhich focus on female characters and their journey toward empowerment andindependence in addition to romantic fulfilment.Previous research has shown that romance novels can shapeperceptions of consent, as well as attitudes towards sexual intimacy. To observeif this idea is validated by the data retrievable from our corpus, we explore thelinguistic expressions of consent and discuss the encoding of agency throughperformative verbs and indexical expressions, as well as the frequency andcontextual usage of gender-marked language.

Munca prin intermediul platformelor digitale: într-un context european proaspăt reglementat, România vizează deja combaterea neconformări

Author(s): Claudia Sofianu,Anca Atanasiu,Dan Răuț / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 6/2024

The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union adopted on October 23, 2024, and published in the Official Journal of the European Union, European Directive 2024/2831 regarding the improvement of working conditions in platform work. The directive must be transposed by member states into domestic legislation within 2 years (i.e., by December 2, 2026). It remains to be seen whether these two years will be a sufficient grace period for those who own or use digital platforms to conduct careful analyses of the business model and existing framework, as well as to prepare and design the best measures to adapt to future legal regulations.

Contribuția reglementărilor privind activitatea prestatorului casnic la reducerea fenomenului de muncă nedeclarată

Author(s): Marius-Leonard Irindea / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 6/2024

The regulation of the activity of the domestic worker as an atypical form of employment based on vouchers creates the framework for the fulfilment of Romania’s commitment to register, by March 2026, a number of 60,000 domestic service providers who were previously recorded as unemployed or inactive. This effort is basically aimed at reducing the unemployment rate in Romania by 0.75%, given the figure of 460.4 thousand unemployed published by the INS in the third quarter of 2024, a figure that has remained relatively constant over the last 3 years. With the new law, the state aims to create jobs closer to the worker by making it easier for them to perform domestic activities close to their homes. At the same time, the law also targets the social component of insuring workers in the social and health insurance system and the fiscal component of collecting contributions and personal income tax.

Se confirmă și la nivel național optica trasată de CJUE în privința regimului de taxare a bunurilor comercializate sub costul de achiziție/producție

Author(s): Adelina Raportaru,Adelina Ursățeanu / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 6/2024

The national courts examined the tax regime applicable to goods sold by the taxpayer below the cost of acquisition/production, both from a VAT and a corporate income tax perspective, and invalidated the tax authorities’ practice of artificially limiting the right to deduct only to expenses that were later recovered from the final price of the product and the related VAT. The ICCJ decision is one of the first clear confirmations in the practice of the Romanian courts of the unlawfulness of the practice of the tax inspection bodies to artificially apply a different tax regime depending on the price level practiced by the taxpayer.

Controverse fiscale generate de O.G. nr. 16/2022 – regimul TVA aplicabil băuturilor pe bază de cafea și ceai

Author(s): Bogdan Blaj,Brigitta Kedves / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 6/2024

Within the evolving framework of Romania’s fiscal legislation, the amendments introduced by Government Ordinance no. 16/2022 mark a critical point in determining the taxable regime regarding VAT applicable to certain products or services. This article aims to highlight the main challenges arising from the unclear interpretations of the provisions of Article 291, paragraph (2), letters e) and k) of the Fiscal Code. Additionally, it addresses issues of legislative predictability and clarity that have led to controversies, exploring the determination of the applicable VAT rate for beverages based on coffee, tea, or maté. The article also discusses how the fundamental principle of in dubio contra fiscum can serve as an essential tool for ensuring a balance between the state’s fiscal interests and the protection of taxpayers’ rights.