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Енергетика и добро управление. Тенденции и политики

Author(s): Ruslan Stefanov,Valentina Nikolova,Dobromir Hristov,Assen Dyulgerov,Kiril Gegov,Georgi Kaschiev / Language(s): Bulgarian

The report explores the major deficiencies in the strategic, institutional, and legal framework of the Bulgarian energy sector. The analysis of the management of state-owned energy companies and large energy infrastructure projects reveals the disregard for even the most fundamental principles of accountability and control in their planning and implementation. This has affected negatively the Bulgarian taxpayers and consumers, has jeopardized the financial stability of the state-owned energy companies, and, ultimately, has reduced the energy security of the country. The report recommends that the implementation of the large energy infrastructure projects be reconsidered and be based on a sound cost-benefit analysis with regard to Bulgaria’s energy security.

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Организираната престъпност в България: Пазари и тенденции

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

The report Organized Crime in Bulgaria: Markets and Trends summarizes the analyses carried out by the Center for the Study of Democracy throughout the last decade which have focused on specific aspects of organized crime in Bulgaria (contraband, the drug market, tax fraud, human trafficking, arms proliferation, etc.), the systemic spread of corruption, and the linkages between the two. The report presents the latest trends and manifestations (or market niches) of syndicate crime and its particularly damaging effects. It goes further to offer a historical review of the facts and available expertise in the area, and to draw conclusions about the origin, characteristics and developmental features of organized criminality in Bulgaria in the context of the transition to democracy.

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Корупцията в здравеопазването в България

Author(s): Konstantin Pashev / Language(s): Bulgarian

At a time of heightened social sensitivity to persisting problems in the Bulgarian healthcare system, the report examines the causes and consequences of corruption in the Bulgarian healthcare. In the context of slow institutional reforms the analysis reveals the incentives of medical personnel for corruption, as well as the size and scope of corruption in the Bulgarian healthcare sector.

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Корупцията при данъчното облагане. Предизвикателства пред данъчната политика и администрация

Author(s): Konstantin Pashev / Language(s): Bulgarian

National and international corruption indices suggest that the Bulgarian tax administration has an important role to play in fighting corruption. While the general public and the business community are inclined to think better of the tax administration, in terms of the levels and spread of corruption, by comparison with other institutions, such as customs, the police or the judiciary, corruption in the tax administration is still admittedly rather high. Business largely believes that most, if not all, tax officers are involved in corruption. Over the last five years, one out of five businesses on average has come under corruption pressure at the hands of tax officers. While they would not go as far as to accept the taxpayers’ perception of the situation, members of the tax administration do not deny the problem. They see the administration’s functional areas for Tax Audit and Operational Control as worst affected in terms of, respectively, the amounts of money changing hands and the frequency of such transactions. International surveys are inconclusive about the level of corruption in the Bulgarian tax administration on a comparison basis. The World Economic Forum rates it as relatively low within the enlarged European Union. By contrast, the World Bank has found it to be higher than corruption levels in most of the Balkans and the former Soviet republics. The purpose of this study is not primarily to add another estimate of the level and scale of tax corruption in Bulgaria but rather, to contribute to an in-depth diagnosis of the phenomenon in terms of its drivers at work in individual and institutional behaviour.

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Завладяване на държавата. Противодействие на административната и политическата корупция

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

The eleventh Corruption Assessment Report of the Center for the Study of Democracy is focused on the most potent form of corruption affecting Bulgaria: state capture. The report builds on years of CSD experience in the regular monitoring and assessing of the spread of administrative and political corruption. This is now complemented by an assessment of the mechanisms by which powerful lobbies capture government decision making to the benefit of shady business interests and the detriment of public good. The report finds that these two manifestations – administrative corruption and state capture – are closely linked because they represent different facets of the same phenomenon.

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Yearbook of Slovakia's Foreign Policy 2010

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

This is only for the second time in the history of this edition, that the Yearbook assesses a year which saw a complete political power shift and thus an exchange of those who make and decide on foreign policy. It was an election year, a year of foreign policy accent shift, and a year of institutional and personnel changes (not only) at the Foreign Ministry. For the first time, the leader of the strongest coalition party became the Foreign Minister; a person with the real political power to move our foreign policy (and not only in the institutional or financial sense) a step (leap) forward. One can only hope that the current Government will also have the political will to do so. The first few post-election months have, however, already provided some indications. First of all, the integration of the diplomatic service, discussed often since 1993, became reality in 2010 and represents an important milestone in the future realization of our foreign policy. Progress was also achieved in strained neighborhood relations. Despite a complicated bilateral agenda, many open issues and rather different approaches, an open confrontation with Hungary was replaced with an unemotional and calm (sometimes even too calm) dialogue supplemented by European solutions. Slovakia’s new “leadership” also changed its stance toward our only neighbor being in a different international regime. It is very positive that our Government came to the understanding that irrespective of the political leadership, supporting the integration process of Ukraine into the EU is a part of our own policy of overcoming regional disparities within Slovakia and thus it is in our state’s interest. Progress was also made in regional cooperation in the field of natural gas supply security (sadly, once again we only resolved to risk-prevention measures after it had happened, but better late than never). It is a new and positive phenomenon in our cooperation with V4 partners and Austria. From Slovakia’s perspective, regional cooperation in energy mainly solves our problem. The loan to Greece along with the European Financial Stability Mechanism, were important issues before as well as after the elections. As of yet, we do not know the answers to gradually emerging questions, but we know that it is in our interest to have a stable currency and a stable euro zone with satisfied citizens. It is therefore crucial to answer the following question first: “Which decisions will contribute to the long-term stability of our currency, the euro.” A significant improvement was also achieved under the former leadership in relations between NGOs and the Ministry, when the NGDO Platform chair and the Foreign Minister signed a Memorandum of understanding in May 2010. It is only good that continuity is clearly visible in this direction after the elections. A positive signal was sent – not only to Europe, but to the entire world – by the determination of our representatives not to celebrate the anniversaries of totalitarian/ authoritarian regimes which violate basic human rights. We must also appreciate the principal position of our diplomacy on awarding the Nobel Prize to a Chinese dissident, on the release of Myanmar’s political prisoners, and the clear position on the Belarusian regime’s repression of its own citizens. These (and many other) events of the (entire) year 2010 are addressed in what is now the 12th Yearbook – whether in an assessment of our performance and promotion of our goals or interests in the international environment, an analysis of the realization of priority foreign policy goals, or in an evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of instruments for their realization. Obviously, the book only offers an analytical assessment within the natural limits of the publication of this kind, covering not all the fields and regions in which our foreign policy was visible or active. Slovakia’s President is the first to assess the year 2010 in this year’s edition. Even though the Yearbook is primarily meant for analytical assessments, the editorial board considers an opening address and position of the only supreme official to be in office for all of 2010 to be a positive contribution. Traditionally, the views and opinions of the Foreign Minister are present in the Yearbook. In his contribution, he presents and assesses the issues and aspects of Slovakia’s foreign policy, which are thoroughly examined by other authors in the book, as well as his opinions on the future of our foreign policy under the new leadership. Both texts give the reader a unique opportunity of seeing the same issue from different (this time also politically) angles in one publication. The expert section is opened by the evaluation of Slovakia’s operation in the international environment. The contribution of Vladimír Bilčík from the Research Center of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association (RC SFPA) assessing Slovakia’s performance within the EU is, as always, the introductory text of this section. He addresses issues related to the practical implementation of the Lisbon Treaty and the consequences of the financial and economic crises. He also analyzes how the election campaign prior to the June 2011 parliamentary elections in Slovakia influenced the positions of Slovakia’s politicians in the EU, i.e. the loan to Greece issue, the creation of the European Financial Stability Mechanism, as well as changes in the competences of individual governmental departments. Security and defense policy, or an analysis of our capacities and capabilities to participate on international security respectively, is offered by Ivo Samson, head of the International Security research program at the RC SFPA. He analyzes it through the prism of three key events of 2010: parliamentary elections in Slovakia, the new NATO Strategic Concept, and Slovakia’s strategic review of defense policy process. The ever more serious and urgent issue of climate change is addressed in the text of Juraj Mesík, an independent analyst. He takes a detailed look at developments between the Copenhagen and Cancun summits, including the summit conclusions, and maps the main climate events of 2010 – both in the global perspective and from Slovakia’s point of view – while outlining what the population will have to face in the future. The part focusing on Slovakia’s operation in the international environment concludes with the text of Irina Mattová, from the University of Prešov, characterizing global governance, mapping the agenda of non-formal groups (G8, G20), and indicating the driving forces that will determine the future agenda of these groups in relation to Slovakia. The second part of the Yearbook, focused on the priorities of our foreign policy, is opened by the article of Juraj Marušiak, from the Institute of Political Science of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. He analyzes the issue being rich for developments every year – Slovak–Hungarian relations. Relations with Hungary represented a specific problem encompassing both a foreign and a domestic policy dimension. The domestic policy dimension not only concerned ethnical cleavages on Slovakia’s political scene but also relations between “Slovak” and “Hungarian” political parties within Slovakia respectively. Tomáš Strážay, head of the RC SFPA Central and Southeastern Europe research program, analyzes Slovakia’s Central European activities. Due to the Visegrad 2010 jubilees his analysis is split into two parts: an outline of the key factors that characterized Visegrad cooperation throughout the years and an analysis of V4 priorities in 2010 with an emphasis on the preparation and realization of Slovakia’s V4 Presidency. Director and head of the RC SFPA Eastern Europe research program, Alexander Duleba, gives an analytical “picture” of Slovakia’s relations with both, EU Eastern Partnership countries and Russia, while comparing the policies toward individual countries under the governments of Robert Fico and Iveta Radičová. Slovak activities in the Western Balkans which still belong to the regional priorities of Slovakia’s foreign policy and being a region where Slovakia has a good reputation and trustworthy political positions, were assessed by an independent journalist, Július Lőrincz. The third part of the book, devoted to the foreign policy instruments, is opened by a text from Nora Beňáková, Chairman of the NGDO Platform, Ján Mihálik, from PDCS, and Peter Brezáni, from RC SFPA, who focus their attention on the functioning of our most visible bilateral foreign policy tool – development cooperation. The authors evaluate the practical fulfillment of goals set in documents and attempt to provide an overview of Slovakia’s development assistance activities in 2010. The article offers a set of proposals and recommendations to improve the ODA quality and efficiency. The section dedicated to foreign policy instruments closes with a text by Ondrej Gažovič, from the Institute of European Studies and International Relations of the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences at the Comenius University in Bratislava, who assesses the changes in Slovakia’s public diplomacy in 2010. He also offers an overview of the practical activities of this policy, the opportunities that were seized and squandered, and a reflection on the future perspective of public diplomacy in the context of Slovakia’s foreign policy. The expert section is concluded with another new thing, the regularly irregular section: The history of Slovak foreign policy. Its inclusion will be conditioned by the commemoration of a significant anniversary related either to an important person or event in Slovak foreign policy. Since 2010 we commemorated the 130th anniversary of the birth of a prominent Slovak diplomat – Milan Rastislav Štefánik, we decided to begin with a study on his diplomatic and strategic successes written by the experienced diplomat and historian, Miroslav Musil. The expert section is traditionally supplemented by annexes, such as the chronology of the most important foreign policy events, a list of international treaties, information on the structure and representatives of state administrative bodies operating in foreign policy, a list of diplomatic missions and representatives of the SR abroad, the diplomatic corps of the SR, information on military missions abroad etc. We firmly believe that this Yearbook will once again find its readers and serve all those who are interested in the past, present, and future of Slovakia and her foreign policy. In conclusion, we would like to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic for its cooperation in this project and its support, and for the fact that thanks to this cooperation we are able to continue building this much needed tradition.

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Yearbook of Slovakia's Foreign Policy 2007

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

The Yearbook of Slovakia’s Foreign Policy is a unique project which has for the past nine years been, we hope that successfully, contributing to the development of the tradition of the regular evaluation and analysis of the foreign policy of the Slovak Republic in the given year and supporting the cultivation of the foreign policy debate. This publication represents a significant and at the same time the only book source keeping record of the development of Slovakia’s foreign policy and the discussion on its further direction. The foreign policy of every country needs to build its own traditions especially in the case of a young state such as the Slovak Republic. Should the foreign policy be successful it must have its own form, its own language and its own institutions. In this sense under the term institutions it is necessary to comprehend not only the buildings of state bodies which are occupied by those who are responsible for the formulation and implementation of foreign policy. In a democratic state the public discussion is a part of the formulation of all public policies and foreign policy is not an exception. It is very important that public discussion gains institutional forms which become a tradition because without traditions there is no continuity and the absence of continuity means the repetition of old mistakes and always starting from point zero. In other words tradition is institutionalized memory. New knowledge is impossible without memory and without knowledge there can be no good political decisions. That is why traditions are so important especially in an area such as the foreign policy of a state. In this context it is possible to see the exceptionality of this publication as a ‘tradition’ as well as its specific position in the public debate on Slovakia’s foreign policy. It is a unique forum primarily dedicated to Slovakia’s foreign policy which provides space for those who bear the responsibility for the realization of the foreign policy of this country and those who are not indifferent to Slovakia’s foreign policy. The Yearbook serves for the exchange of opinions, knowledge, experience, positions and arguments with the goal of improving the quality of decisions in the area of foreign policy to best serve the interests of this country. We are convinced that it is very important to regularly evaluate the state of Slovakia’s foreign policy, which crucial events occurred in the past year and what challenges stand before the Slovak Republic in the near future. These were the main goals and intentions of the previous Yearbook editions; we prepared this year’s edition with identical objectives and we believe that we will do the same in the following years. The 2007 Yearbook evaluates the year of our foreign policy in the traditional structure. It analyzes Slovakia’s operation in the international environment, the realization of the priority areas of our foreign policy as well as the effectiveness of the instruments of its implementation. The introductory contribution of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic is however an exception compared to previous years. It summarizes and evaluates the foreign policy of the past 12 months from the viewpoint of the person bearing the responsibility for the formulation and implementation of foreign policy throughout the electoral term. This text thematically corresponds to individual chapters in the Yearbook which gives the reader the unique opportunity of seeing the same issue from two different angles. The expert section of the Yearbook is opened by the contribution of Vladimír Bilčík from the Research Center of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association who focuses on the process of the completion of the integration process as well as the challenge of the active contribution to the formation of the future EU which stands before the SR in the upcoming period. Our Permanent Representative to the UN Peter Burian evaluated the goals and conditions of our operation in the UN Security Council, analyzed threats and their solutions and didn’t leave out a thorough analysis of our February presidency. Tomáš Valášek, the Director of Foreign Policy and Defense at the Centre for European Reform in London, concluded the first chapter with his view of the Slovak security policy and our operation in foreign missions. The second section of the Yearbook devoted to the priority areas of our foreign policy is opened by the article of the High Representative of the International Community for Bosnia and Herzegovina and EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Miroslav Lajčák. In his contribution on Slovak policy in the Western Balkans he instigates a reflection upon how most of all the EU but also NATO could strengthen our positions and how to maintain our long-term specialization on this agenda. Tomáš Strážay, RC SFPA analyst, focused his attention on the successes and some problematic areas of the cooperation of V4 countries as well as to the resolutions which they were not able to fulfill but which could increase the significance and effectiveness of the V4 in the near future. Alexander Duleba, RC SFPA Director and Head of the East European research program, attempted to evaluate the development of the political and economic agenda of Slovak relations with its eastern partners in the year 2007 including the fulfillment of the new foreign policy priority – the economic dimension of Slovak diplomacy. The contribution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the SR to external energy security was addressed in the article of Ján Šoth, the Director of the Analyses and Policy Planning Department and the Head of the Standing Work Group on External Energy Security. The concluding part of the expert section which is devoted to the institutional background and foreign policy instruments is opened by the contribution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary General Marcel Peško on the modernization of the Slovak Foreign Service and the future character of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic. The representatives of the Slovak Non-Governmental Development Platform Eva Havelková and Nora Beňáková focused on the functioning of presumably the most important bilateral instrument of the Slovak foreign policy in the year 2007 – development assistance. The authors offered their view of the institutional and legislative changes in the Slovak ODA and tried to compare the territorial and sector objectives of bilateral projects in the periods before and after the realization of said changes. The expert segment of the Yearbook is closed by the contribution of the Director of the International Economic Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic Jaroslav Chlebo which is devoted to the possibly most frequently cited collocation in this electoral term – the economic dimension of diplomacy. The expert section is traditionally supplemented by annexes such as the chronology of the most important foreign policy events, chosen political documents, a list of international treaties, information on the structure and representatives of state administrative bodies operating in foreign policy, a list of diplomatic missions and representatives of the SR abroad, SR diplomatic bodies, military missions abroad etc. We firmly believe that also this year’s Yearbook edition will find its readers and serve to all those who are interested in the past, present and future of Slovakia as well as its foreign policy. In conclusion we would like to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the SR for its cooperation in this project and its support as well as for the fact that, also thanks to this institution, we can continue in building this much needed tradition.

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Yearbook of Slovakia's Foreign Policy 2016

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

A year ago I wrote in the foreword to the 2015 Yearbook that with respect to international affairs (and hence Slovak foreign policy), 2016 would not be any easier than 2015, and might be even more difficult. This has proven to be not far from the truth, in various aspects of foreign policy. Within the European Union we once again witnessed the sight of terrorism costing many lives. Internationally, ongoing wars – both far from and near to the EU neighborhood – brought more tension and instability to international relations. The EU itself faced its own internal struggles and challenges. Certainly the most consequential issue was the United Kingdom referendum, and their “yes” on the “Leave” vote. This is an unprecedented situation, whose end is still open and uncertain. Disagreements and misunderstandings among member states as to how to deal with the migration crisis continued, not to mention the ongoing ambiguity regarding the reform of EU institutions, the requests of Germany and France for a multispeed Europe, and the situation in Turkey, as well as an increase in general support among populations for populist leaders – for politicians without solutions that could actually work, or any clear agenda; politicians who, in the case of the UK, were so surprised at their success that they left almost immediately in order not to be held responsible for further developments. For Slovakia, 2016 was an extraordinary year. Not due to the fact that parliamentary elections took place in March, as their impact on Slovakia’s foreign and European policy was negligible. It was extraordinary because the Slovak Republic held its very first Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Slovakia presided during turbulent times, having to deal with issues (and even better with their impact) which no Presidency country has ever had to deal with. One must not forget this context when evaluating our Presidency. The year 2016 has shown us again that we must move fast and be constructive in searching for solutions to the EU’s problems. The EU’s political leaders, as well as its civil society, businesses, and academia – all of them must put an end to competing for the most politically beautiful, and pursue instead expert answers to current issues and problems. All of these matters, and perhaps more, are addressed here in what is now our 18th Yearbook – whether it’s an assessment of our performance in the promotion of our goals and interests in the international environment, an analysis of the actions taken in pursuit of our priority foreign policy goals, or an evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of one of the instruments of their implementation. Obviously, the book can only offer its analytical assessments within the natural limits (capacities and financial resources) of a publication of this kind, not able to cover every field and region in which our foreign policy was visible or active. We offer here what we consider the most crucial. As per tradition, the views and opinions of the Foreign Minister are presented first in the Yearbook. In his contribution he presents and assesses various issues and aspects of Slovakia’s foreign policy – which are thoroughly examined by other authors in the book – as well as his opinions on the future of our foreign policy after the Presidency. His piece offers the reader a unique opportunity to see various issues from the angle of the person responsible for implementing foreign policy, as well as from the angle of experts who do not have to take party politics into consideration when writing. As our goal is constructive critical debate and the search for real answers to current challenges, in the following selection of authors you will find mainly experts from NGOs/think-tanks and academia, since we (the editorial board) assume that their distance from the practical implementation of foreign policy (with all the direct and indirect influences involved) might bring a certain added value to their perspective. The expert section of the book opens with an evaluation of Slovakia’s performance in the international environment. The contribution of Zuzana Gabrižová, editor in chief of Euractiv.sk, assessing Slovakia’s performance in 2016 within the EU, serves – as always – as the introductory text for this section. Her piece traces the sequence and milestones that defined those developments relevant both to the Slovak–EU debate and to Slovak actions vis-a-vis the EU. Martin Vlachynský, senior analyst at the Institute of Economic and Social Studies, in his economic analysis of 2016, defines the economic tone of the year as being one played by well-known instruments. The Eurozone financial system, the deficits, quantitative easing, and, of course, the Greek crisis, remained topics of the day. Pavol Szalai, senior editor at Euractiv.sk, focuses on Slovakia’s energy policy, which in 2016 faced a different challenge: to preserve its role as a gas transit country, and resume its role as an electricity exporter. The section focusing on the international environment concludes with an analysis of Slovakia’s security and defense policy in 2016, written by the Slovak Foreign Policy Association’s two security policy analysts, Samuel Goda and Dušan Fischer. The second part of the Yearbook, focused on the priorities of our foreign policy, opens with an article by Tomáš Strážay, head of SFPA’s Central and Southeastern Europe research program. He analyzes Slovakia’s Central European activities during what was the 25th anniversary year of Visegrad cooperation, while focusing also on the future role of the V4 in the EU after Brexit, and on the future of the V4 as such. Slovak involvement in what might be characterized as a turbulent year in the Western Balkans, with its progress shifting from positive hope to negative development, was discussed, as traditionally, by the independent expert Július Lőrincz. The bilateral and multilateral context of our Eastern policy was the main subject of the analysis of Juraj Marušiak from the Institute of Political Science, Slovak Academy of Sciences. He argues that our policy towards the Eastern Europe was largely determined by two things in 2016 – our Council of the EU Presidency and Minister Lajčák’s effort to become the next UN Secretary-General. The third part of the book, devoted to foreign policy instruments, deals with the functioning of our most visible bilateral foreign policy tool – development cooperation. Maroš Čaučík, director of Dobrá novina – the Development Cooperation Program of eRko – an experienced expert as well as practitioner, provides an analysis of the practical fulfillment of our set goals, in his overview of Slovakia’s development assistance activities in 2016. His piece also offers a set of proposals and recommendations for improving the quality and efficiency of Slovak ODA. As usual the expert section is supplemented by appendices, such as a chronology of the most important foreign policy events, a list of international treaties, information on the structure and representatives of state administrative bodies operating within foreign policy, a list of diplomatic missions and representatives of the SR abroad, the diplomatic corps of the SR, information on military missions abroad, etc. I firmly believe that this Yearbook will once again find its readers, and serve all those who are interested in the past, present, and future of Slovakia and her foreign policy. In conclusion, I would like to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic for its cooperation in this project and its support, and for the fact that thanks to this cooperation we are able to continue in building this much needed tradition.

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Ročenka zahraničnej politiky Slovenskej republiky 2015

Author(s): / Language(s): Slovak

Bezpečnostné hrozby a migrácia. Aj tak možno prostou vetou a veľmi zjednodušene charakterizovať dominantné témy uplynulých 12 mesiacov. Terorizmus sa ozýval v Európe. Asi častejšie ako po iné roky a ešte aj nahlas. Vojna u nášho východného suseda neprestala, i keď ju z mediálneho priestoru vytláčali boje v Sýrii, z ktorej boli zasa vytlá- čaní jej obyvatelia. Situácia na Blízkom východe, ale i na tom trochu vzdialenejšom, či „nátlak“ klímy v Afrike výrazne zvýšili intenzitu migračných vĺn, ktoré z európskej, ale aj tej slovenskej verejnej debaty vytisli ostatné témy aj rozumné argumenty a ostali v nej často len emócie a dojmy. Ani s dlhovou krízou sa nepodarilo príliš pohnúť vpred. Všetko ostatné s memoárnym a oslavným podtónom aj v roku 2015, podobne ako v roku 2014 – i napriek úprimnej snahe zainteresovaných –, ostávalo v úzadí. Či už išlo o 70. výročie konca druhej svetovej vojny, 70. výročie založenia OSN alebo 40. výročie OBSE, prípadne o novú dohodu na trvalo udržateľnom rozvoji zo samitu OSN v New Yorku či témy súvisiace s Európskym rokom rozvoja (aj keď možno nechcene nám to v druhom polroku pripomínali migranti). A pritom išlo o výročia udalostí a organizácií či témy, ktoré by nás mali pred podobnými scenármi uchrániť, varovať a predchádzať im. Migračná kríza, ktorá v slovenskom aj európskom priestore všetko ostatné odsunula nabok a stala sa jednoznačne najdiskutovanejšou témou druhého polroka, len potvrdila, že sa treba v rozmýšľaní o riešeniach pohnúť vpred, a to asi veľmi rýchlo. Ani migračnú krízu neminul osud vojny na Ukrajine – i tá sa ako zahraničnopolitická téma stala témou slovenskej predvolebnej kampane. Tentoraz však pre ňu nebola typická rôznorodosť názorov, ale vzácna zhoda medzi politickými stranami. Snáď jedinou výnimkou bol v rétorickej rovine prezident. V minulom roku som na tomto mieste napísal, že vďaka Ukrajine sme pochopili, že je potrebné reštartovať kritickú debatu nielen o domácej a európskej, ale najmä bezpečnostnej politike. Nie som si istý, že sa to podarilo, vecnú diskusiu opäť nahrádzajú preteky o politicky najkrajšie a nie odborné riešenia. Ostáva len zopakovať, že na reštart kritickej debaty a hľadanie i presadzovanie odborných riešení je stále priestor. Rok 2015 bol teda pre zahraničnú politiku SR opäť príliš náročný a rok 2016 nebude o nič jednoduchší. V neposlednom rade to vo svojom hodnotení naznačujú aj niektorí z autorov nasledujúcich strán. Čoraz náročnejšie finančné podmienky nám nedovoľujú z ročenky urobiť komplexnú publikáciu, ktorá by uchovávala čo najviac zo zahraničnopolitickej diskusie a reality, preto Vám na nasledujúcich stranách ponúkame primárne to, čo spolu s edičnou radou považujeme v uplynulom roku za to najpodstatnejšie. Zámerom tejto publikácie je kritická debata a hľadanie lepších riešení. Aj preto je v na- šom výbere skupina autorov, ktorí sa pohybujú hlavne v mimovládnom či akademickom priestore a majú určitý odstup od samotnej realizácie zahraničnej politiky (a zrejme aj vplyvov, ktoré na jej realizáciu pôsobia či už priamo, alebo nepriamo). Pohľad tých, ktorí sú za výkon politiky zodpovední, tu napokon prezentuje minister zahraničných vecí a európskych záležitostí. Ten vo svojom texte prezentuje problémy a aspekty slovenskej zahraničnej politiky z pohľadu inštitúcie zodpovednej za realizáciu a koordináciu zahraničnej a európskej politiky. Expertná časť ročenky je, ako už býva zvykom, rozdelená do 4 blokov. Prvý bilancuje a hodnotí slovenské pôsobenie a úspechy pri presadzovaní našich záujmov v medzinárodnom prostredí, druhý analyzuje našu politiku v prioritných oblastiach, resp. regiónoch a tretí diskutuje o kvalite a efektivite nástrojov na realizáciu zahraničnej a európskej politiky SR. Ani v tomto roku nechýba časť pripomínajúca si významné výročia súvisiace s dôležitými osobnosťami alebo udalosťami slovenskej zahraničnej politiky. Prvá časť sa začína príspevkom Anety Világiovej z Katedry politológie Filozofickej fakulty Univerzity Komenského, ktorý analyzuje podstatné udalosti v európskej politike Slovenska počas roka 2015, vrátane krízy na Ukrajine a politiky EÚ voči Rusku, debatu o Grexite či Brexite a, samozrejme, hodnotí diskusiu o riešení migračnej krízy. Martin Vlachynský, analytik Inštitútu ekonomických a spoločenských analýz (INESS), sa zaoberal situáciou v eurozóne, jej pozitívami, no aj výzvami, resp. rizikami, ktoré na EÚ a eurozónu čakajú v ďalších rokoch, vrátane referenda o vystúpení Spojeného kráľovstva. Svoj pohľad na bezpečnostnú politiku Slovenska v roku 2015, ktorý uzatvára časť o pôsobení SR v medzinárodnom prostredí, spracoval Dušan Fischer zo Slovenskej spoločnosti pre zahraničnú politiku. Rok 2015 sa podľa jeho tézy niesol v európskej (islovenskej) bezpečnostnej politike v duchu hrozieb nekonvenčného charakteru, najmä medzinárodného terorizmu, migračných vĺn a pokračujúcej nestability na Ukrajine, ktorá súvisí s ruskou anexiou Krymu a pokračujúcimi bojmi na Donbase. Druhú časť ročenky, ktorá sa venuje prioritným oblastiam našej zahraničnej politiky, otvára príspevok Tomáša Strážaya, vedúceho výskumného programu Stredná a juhovýchodná Európa v Slovenskej spoločnosti pre zahraničnú politiku, ktorý analyzuje stredoeurópsku spoluprácu v roku 2015. Trochu vytratenú tému západného Balkánu (i keď najmä z mediálneho priestoru) už tradične hodnotil nezávislý novinár Július Lőrincz. Alexander Duleba zo Slovenskej spoločnosti pre zahraničnú politiku sa sústredí hlavne na realizáciu slovenskej východnej politiky. Argumentuje, že apriórna nedôvera voči Ukrajine, rovnako ako apriórna dôvera voči Rusku, patria k dvom základným chorobám slovenskej východnej politiky od roku 1993. A Slovensko nevyzdravelo ani v roku 2015. Tretia časť hodnotí fungovanie a efektivitu slovenskej rozvojovej spolupráce. Autor textu Peter Brezáni zo Slovenskej spoločnosti pre zahraničnú politiku svoju pozornosť upriamil na hodnotenie aktivít slovenskej rozvojovej pomoci vo významnom roku zá- sadných rozvojových reforiem na úrovni OSN, roku, ktorý EÚ vyhlásila za rok rozvoja. V záujme skvalitnenia a zefektívnenia ODA predložil – aj na základe minulých analýz – niekoľko návrhov a odporúčaní. Naďalej pokračujeme v rubrike Z histórie slovenskej zahraničnej politiky. Keďže v roku 2015 sme si pripomenuli 200. výročie narodenia Ľudovíta Štúra, Juraj Marušiak z Ústavu politických vied SAV pripomenul politické aktivity jedného z najvýznamnejších predstaviteľov slovenského národného života a obrodenia v 19. storočí. Expertnú časť tradične dopĺňajú prílohy – chronológia dôležitých zahraničnopolitických udalostí, zoznam medzinárodných zmlúv, informácie o štruktúre a predstaviteľoch orgánov štátnej správy pôsobiacich v zahraničnej politike, zoznam diplomatických misií a predstaviteľov SR v zahraničí, diplomatického zboru v SR, informácie o vojenských misiách v zahraničí a podobne. Naozaj dúfam, že si aj takto limitovaná verzia ročenky nájde svojich čitateľov a poslúži všetkým, ktorí sa zaujímajú o minulosť, prítomnosť i budúcnosť Slovenska a jeho zahraničnej politiky. Opäť by som chcel na záver poďakovať Ministerstvu zahraničných vecí a európskych záležitostí SR za spoluprácu na tomto projekte a za to, že vďaka tejto podpore sme v budovaní tejto veľmi potrebnej tradície mohli aspoň v tomto formáte pokračovať.

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Ročenka zahraničnej politiky Slovenskej republiky 2014

Author(s): / Language(s): Slovak

V uplynulom roku sa opäť po chvíli relatívneho pokoja otvorila Pandorina skrinka medzinárodných vzťahov. To, čo sa dialo, deje a bude diať v blízkej budúcnosti u nášho východného suseda, bolo bez akýchkoľvek pochybností udalosťou roka číslo jeden. Nielen v našom regióne. Počas uplynulých 12 mesiacov roku 2014 sme v Európe nemali v politickej debate komplikovanejšiu tému. Všetko ostatné ostalo v tieni bojov na Ukrajine, resp. sme sa na to „ostatné“ dívali cez prizmu situácie na Ukrajine. Pripomenutie si 100. výročia od začiatku prvej svetovej vojny či 70 rokov od vylodenia v Normandii, alebo nášho slovenského povstania v druhej svetovej vojne tak malo trpkú príchuť. Podobne aj oslavy desiatich rokov Slovenska v Európskej únii a NATO mali v ukrajinskom kontexte inú dimenziu. Konflikt na Ukrajine či anexia Krymu, ale aj pomerne rozpačité reakcie toho, čomu hovoríme trochu vágne medzinárodné spoločenstvo, ukázali, že medzinárodný systém a pravidlá, na ktorom stojí, resp. chce stáť, majú veľmi krehké základy. Pre Slovensko, ktoré je dlhodobým podporovateľom integračných ambícií Ukrajiny (bez ohľadu na to, čo hovorí premiér) a zároveň susedom, je tento vojenský konflikt Ukrajiny s Ruskom ešte osobitejší. Po dlhom čase bola zahraničnopolitická téma intenzívnou a pravidelnou témou vnútropolitickej debaty, zasiahla aj ako jediná takáto téma do predvolebnej kampane pred prezidentskými voľbami, rozdelila nielen vládu a opozíciu pri interpretácii toho, čo sa deje, ale charakterizovala ju kakofónia úradu vlády a ministerstva zahraničných vecí, ktorého práca bola touto situáciou poznačená azda na každom kroku. Bohužiaľ, až „vďaka“ Ukrajine sme si (nielen v SR, ale aj na medzinárodnej úrovni) uvedomili, že je potrebné reštartovať v desiatom roku nášho členstva v Aliancii a EÚ upadajúcu debatu o bezpečnosti, o budúcnosti spoločnej zahraničnej politiky EÚ a úlohe Únie vo svete, o budúcnosti Východného partnerstva (a rozširovania vo všeobecnosti). Nielen pre vojnu medzi Ukrajinou a Ruskom, ale aj v jej dôsledku sme sa posunuli vpred i v téme energetickej bezpečnosti, keď Slovensko v septembri spustilo reverzný tok plynu na Ukrajinu. Ukrajina bola aj témou nášho predsedníctva vo V4, počas ktorého sme koordinovali humanitárnu pomoc (a sčasti aj rozvojové aktivity) pre Ukrajinu. Okrem Ukrajiny nám oči pootvorili (pevne v to verím) aj voľby do Európskeho parlamentu. Účasť 13 %, jedna z úplne najnižších v EÚ, len potvrdila to, čomu hovoríme slovenský paradox. Aj to nás čiastočne prebudilo a donútilo (aspoň vo forme vyjadrení plánov a potreby sebareflexie) bilancovať a predefinovať priority. Uvidíme, ako sa s týmito výzvami, ktoré sme v roku 2014 ešte nechali „odležať“, popasuje naša domáca i zahraničná politika v roku 2015. Rok 2014 bol pre zahraničnú politiku bez akéhokoľvek preháňania veľmi ťažký a úvod roka 2015 naznačil (veľmi priamo a bez pretvárky), že nebude o nič jednoduchší. Napokon, odráža sa to aj v nasledujúcich textoch už 16. ročenky. Bohužiaľ, z rozličných dôvodov nie je možné vyskladať publikáciu, ktorá by rok 2014 zhodnotila komplexnejšie, ale snahou bolo poskytnúť priestor témam, ktoré sme spolu s edičnou radou považovali v uplynulom roku za tie najpodstatnejšie (a nie náhodou takmer všetky reflektovali problémy súvisiace so situáciou na Ukrajine). Cieľom bolo, aby autori udalosti nielen opísali, resp. odprezentovali, ale poskytli aj svoju analýzu, videnie či odporúčania. I preto sa do výberu dostali autori s istou mierou odstupu, t. j. z mimovládneho či akademického prostredia, a mali tak prednosť pred úradníckym vnímaním problému. Napokon, pohľad na zahraničnú politiku tu za realizátorov zahraničnej politiky poskytol minister zahraničných vecí a európskych záležitostí. Ten vo svojom texte prezentuje problémy a aspekty slovenskej zahraničnej politiky z pohľadu inštitúcie zodpovednej za výkon zahraničnej a európskej politiky. Expertná časť ročenky je, ako už býva zvykom, rozdelená do štyroch blokov. Prvý bilancuje a hodnotí slovenské pôsobenie a úspechy pri presadzovaní našich záujmov v medzinárodnom prostredí, druhý analyzuje našu politiku v prioritných oblastiach, resp. regiónoch a tretí diskutuje o kvalite a efektivite nástrojov na realizáciu zahraničnej a európskej politiky SR. Ani v tomto roku nechýba časť pripomínajúca si významné výročia súvisiace s dôležitými osobnosťami alebo udalosťami slovenskej zahraničnej politiky. Prvá časť sa začína príspevkom Zuzany Gabrižovej, šéfredaktorky informačného portálu EurActiv.sk, ktorý analyzuje podstatné udalosti v európskej politike Slovenska počas roka 2014, keď sme oslávili 10 rokov nášho členstva v Únii. Martin Vlachynský, analytik Inštitútu ekonomických a spoločenských analýz (INESS), analyzoval situáciu v eurozóne, jej pozitíva, no aj výzvy, resp. riziká, ktoré na EÚ a eurozónu čakajú. Slovenskú energetickú politiku v kontexte globálnych a regionálnych udalostí s minimálne strednodobým dosahom na SR poskytuje analytik RC SFPA Karel Hirman. Ten za najvýraznejšie udalosti považuje sprevádzkovanie reverzného toku plynu, znižovanie dodávok plynu Gazpromom pre SPP, ako aj situáciu okolo Slovenských elektrární. Svoj pohľad na bezpečnostnú a obrannú politiku Slovenska v roku 2014, ktorý uzatvára časť o pôsobení SR v medzinárodnom prostredí, spracoval Róbert Ondrejcsák, riaditeľ Centra pre európske a severoatlantické vzťahy. Podľa neho rok 2014 znamenal renesanciu diskusií o bezpečnostnej politike na Slovensku. Druhú časť ročenky, ktorá sa venuje prioritným oblastiam našej zahraničnej politiky, otvára príspevok Tomáša Strážaya, vedúceho výskumného programu Stredná a juhovýchodná Európa v RC SFPA, ktorý analyzuje stredoeurópsku spoluprácu v roku 2014. Aj v jeho článku je prierezovou témou situácia na Ukrajine. Riaditeľ RC SFPA a vedúci výskumného programu Východná Európa Alexander Duleba sa sústredí hlavne na zmapovanie politiky SR voči Ukrajine a Rusku, vrátane postojov oficiálnych predstaviteľov SR, parlamentných strán a slovenskej verejnosti k hodnoteniu príčin a priebehu rusko-ukrajinskej krízy, ktorá trvá od konca februára 2014. Slovenské aktivity na západnom Balkáne, kde majú naše aktivity i diplomacia dlhodobo vysokú kvalitu, už tradične hodnotil nezávislý novinár Július Lőrincz. Tretia časť hodnotí fungovanie a efektivitu slovenskej rozvojovej spolupráce. Autori textu Nora Beňáková z občianskeho združenia Človek v ohrození a Peter Brezáni z RC SFPA svoju pozornosť upriamili na hodnotenie uskutočňovania cieľov nastavených v strednodobej stratégii ODA na roky 2014 – 2018, snažili sa poskytnúť sumár aktivít slovenskej rozvojovej pomoci a v záujme skvalitnenia a zefektívnenia ODA predložili niekoľko návrhov a odporúčaní. Naďalej pokračujeme v rubrike Z histórie slovenskej zahraničnej politiky. Keďže v roku 2014 oslávila Slovenská republika desať rokov svojho členstva v Európskej únii a NATO, do tejto edície bola zaradená krátka, ale obsažná analýza trendov v postojoch verejnosti k NATO a EÚ, ako aj vnímania členstva Slovenska v oboch zoskupeniach, ktorú spracovala analytička Inštitútu pre verejné otázky Oľga Gyárfášová. Expertnú časť tradične dopĺňajú prílohy – chronológia dôležitých zahraničnopolitických udalostí, zoznam medzinárodných zmlúv, informácie o štruktúre a predstaviteľoch orgánov štátnej správy pôsobiacich v zahraničnej politike, zoznam diplomatických misií a predstaviteľov SR v zahraničí, diplomatického zboru v SR, informácie o vojenských misiách v zahraničí a podobne. Pevne verím, že aj táto ročenka si nájde cestu k čitateľom a poslúži všetkým, ktorí sa zaujímajú o minulosť, prítomnosť i budúcnosť Slovenska a jeho zahraničnej politiky. Na záver by som sa rád poďakoval Ministerstvu zahraničných vecí a európskych záležitostí SR za spoluprácu na tomto projekte a za to, že vďaka ich podpore sme v budovaní tejto veľmi potrebnej tradície mohli aspoň v tomto skromnom formáte pokračovať.

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Yearbook of Slovakia's Foreign Policy 2017

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

Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis. As an old Latin adage has it, times change, and we change with them. The year 2017 was no different in that regard, and change continued to be the buzz word in the realm of international relations. Political trends became unpredictable and complex, sometimes even tectonic. It does not come easy to me to say that the world did not become a more stable and safer place last year. We saw turmoil and regional tensions, with the international community starting to lose consensus on some key issues previously understood as common interests. These changes are no longer situational. They are early warnings of new, long-term tendencies, stemming from protracted conflicts, social inequality, isolationism and lack of trust. Changing constants have placed new demands on our foreign policy, and on us as diplomats.

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Proceedings of the 12th International RAIS Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities

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

This publication presents the Proceedings of the 12th International RAIS Conference on Social Sciences held at Princeton, The Erdman Center, 20 Library Place, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA, on April 3-4, 2019. The Conference was organized by Research Association for Interdisciplinary Studies.

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Conferinţa de cercetare în construcţii, economia construcţiilor, urbanism şi amenajarea teritoriului. Rezumate ale lucrărilor

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

Includes abstracts of the papers presented in the research conference on constructions, economy of buildings, architecture, urban and territorial development.

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5.99 €

Kuramsal ve Uygulama Boyutları ile Türkiye’de Sığınmacı, Mülteci ve Göçmenlerle Sosyal Hizmetler

Author(s): / Language(s): Turkish

Kadınlar, çocuklar, yaşlılar, engelliler, hastalar, ekonomik yok-sunluk içinde bulunanlar, öğrenciler vb. değişik gruplar için göç etmek ya da zorunlu göçün parçası olmak, yaşadıkları ya da potansiyel olarak yaşamak durumunda oldukları problemlerin şiddetinin artması anlamına gelmektedir. Bu bağlamda kitapta göçmenler ve sığınmacılara yönelik sosyal hizmetler farklı boyutları ile ele alınarak kuramsal ve uygulamaya dönük açılardan tartışılmıştır. Kitap 13 bölümden oluşmaktadır. İlk üç bölümde kavramsal ve kuramsal zemin tartışılmaktadır. İzleyen 10 bölümde ise sağlık, aile, ekonomi ve çalışma hayatı, eğitim, kadın ve çocuk, yaşlılar, hizmetlere erişim, LGBTİ gruplar ve uzmanlarının yeterlilikleri sosyal hizmet bağlamında irdelenmektedir.

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9.99 €

Movilidad humana en Latinoamérica: nuevos patrones, nuevos retos

Author(s): / Language(s): Spanish

Migration as a process has countless approaches and edges to study, from forced migration caused by war, failed states or natural disasters, to the migration of retirees to paradisiacal sites in order to improve quality older adults' lives. However, the bulk of migration studies persist in analyzing and clarifying labour force migration from the economic south to the north. In this sense, the present book "Human Mobility in Latin America; new patterns, new challenges" implies a serious effort on the part of publishers to bring new discussions to human mobility from multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary, so that, the reader will find a series of ten articles that address the problem of migration in Latin America, as an expulsion region of migrants, but always attending to the object of study in a rigorous and new way.

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Japon Dili ve Kültürü İncelemeleri - 日本語・日本文化諸考究

Author(s): / Language(s): Turkish,Japanese

"Our work towards the gathering of researchers and educators working on Japanese language and education under one roof began in 2014. Since then, we've held three meetings. After the meetings we organized, we reviewed our work every year in accordance with the comments we received at the meeting and the recommendations of the arbitral committees created for publication and printed them as japanese language studies (JDI) Series books. As we continued our work, we became a little more familiar with each other's work every year. It's the third book of our book series you've held. Each study you will find in the book represents the subject that the author has focused on this year, thinking, working."

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The Migration Conference 2019 - Book of Abstracts and Programme

Author(s): / Language(s): Turkish,English,Spanish,Italian

Migration Conference 2019; Place: University of Bari“Aldo Moro”, Italy. Date: 18th - 20th June 2019

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5.99 €

The Migration Conference 2017 - Programme and Abstracts Book

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

The Migration Conference 2017 hosted by Harokopio University, Athens from 23 to 26 August. The 5th conference in our series, the 2017 Conference was probably the largest scholarly gathering on migration with a global scope. Human mobility, border management, integration and security, diversity and minorities as well as spatial patterns, identity and economic implications have dominated the public agenda and gave an extra impetus for the study of movers and non-movers over the last decade or so.Throughout the program of the Migration Conference you will find various key thematic areas are covered in about 400 presentations by about 400 colleagues coming from all around the world from Australia to Canada, China to Mexico, South Africa to Finland.We are also proud to bring you opportunities to meet with some of the leading scholars in the field. Our line of keynote speakers include Saskia Sassen, Oded Stark, Giuseppe Sciortino, Neli Esipova, and Yüksel Pazarkaya.

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5.99 €

The Migration Conference 2019 Programme

Author(s): / Language(s): Turkish,English,Spanish

The Migration Conference 2019; Place: University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, Italy; Date: 18th - 20th June

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Членството на България в Европейския съюз: тринадесет години по-късно

Author(s): / Language(s): Bulgarian

The international scientific conference organized by International Economic Relations and Business Department at the University of National and World Economy was held for 19th time (13th since Bulgaria's accession to the European Union). Traditionally, it is dedicated to the Bulgarian membership in the European Union as well as the development of various aspects of the EU – policies, economy, internal market, trade, innovations, etc. Official welcome address to the participants was given by Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, UNWE Rector, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Maria Bakalova, International Economics and Politics Faculty Dean, Prof. Dr. Milanka Slavova, International Economic Relations and Business Department Head, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Svetla Boneva, Secretary General for Scientific Research Projects, and Mr. Dragomir Stoynev, Chairperson of the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds.

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