№102. Bulgaria and Romania’s Accession to the EU: Postponement, Safeguards and the Rule of Law

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

On the day before the European Commission’s decision on the fitness of Bulgaria and Romania to become EU members on 1 January 2007 (due to be delivered 16 May 2006), it is becoming increasingly evident that the EU has fallen into its own ‘rhetorical trap’ from which there is no easy way out. Most EU officials and politicians would agree that the governance standards in the two Balkan candidates are not up to EU level yet, but everyone knows that there is not much the EU can do about it at this point.

№113. Just what is this ‘absorption capacity’ of the European Union?

Author(s): Michael Emerson,Senem Aydin,Julia De Clerck-Sachsse,Gergana Noutcheva / Language(s): English

There is a tendency in some political discourse now to say that, because the Constitution that was meant to prepare for enlargement failed to be ratified, the enlargement process has now hit a roadblock called ‘absorption capacity’. An alternative narrative is that the Constitution proposed some useful but marginal systemic changes, but its ratification was badly mismanaged by some political leaders. In the meantime, the EU has not experienced gridlock, and its current major political issues have nothing to do with enlargement. The case for a pause after the 2004 and 2007 enlargements is undeniable. EU27 will have to settle down, and sort out the constitutional imbroglio. However the plausible time horizon for any next major enlargement is many years ahead, maybe 2015, with various transitional arrangements pushing the real date in important respects beyond 2020 (e.g. for the labour market). The vague idea of ‘absorption capacity’ is better deconstructed into more precise and objective components such as the capacity of the EU’s internal market, labour market, budget, eurozone and institutional system to absorb new member states, society’s capacity to absorb immigration and the EU’s capacity for assuring its strategic security. All these issues can be discussed, but they are not static matters. Changes in public opinion may be expected to follow from new realities. The dynamics of enhancing capacities for change deserve priority attention. The ‘final frontiers’ proposition (presumably to the exclusion of both Turkey and Ukraine at the least) is a thoroughly bad idea, since there are well-established outer limits in any case to the map of Europe (e.g. Council of Europe membership) and to EU membership as in the Treaty of Rome. It would be a strategic blunder for the EU now to invent a new irreversible dividing line within this map between ‘real Europe’ and an imagined ‘other’ (uncivilised?) Europe beyond. The term ‘absorption capacity’ should be dropped from use in official texts, unless deconstructed into objective elements. Otherwise it is giving the impression of some pseudo-scientific and static reality, and plays into the hands of populist political rhetoric.

№216. From Lisbon to Deauville: Practicalities of the Lisbon treaty revision(s)

Author(s): Piotr Maciej Kaczyński,Peadar ó Broin / Language(s): English

It has only been one year since the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force and already there is a stack of pending issues requiring primary law change in the EU. The Franco-German Deauville Declaration of 18 October 2010 is probably the most politically prominent of them all, yet it is not the first, nor will it be the last in a long, incremental process of constant treaty revision similar to the national process of amending national constitutions. All of these proposals have one feature in common: none of them is an overarching treaty change and each one is designed in such a way that amends only one element of the system. This, in theory, should avoid the need to submit the change to public referenda in the EU as part of the ratification process. This paper explores the political difficulties of treaty reform in the context of five pending revisions. It first looks at the Deauville Declaration and its translation into political and legal reality. The second part is dedicated to the four other treaty revisions on the European agenda. Finally, it focuses on some of the potential problems in the ratification phase.

The Media in-between the Civil Society and the State, May, 1998

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

The present analysis draws on the empirical findings of a public opinion poll carried out by the Center for the Study of Democracy in May, 1998. It aims at defining the degrees of mass media impact on the Bulgarian society. The emphasis was laid on the ways the relationship has been sustained and regulated between the fourth power and the state. The media independence of the variety of state structures proves a distinctive feature of how developed a civil society is.

Vrednovanje rada sudija u Bosni i Hercegovini

Author(s): Božidarka Dodik / Language(s): Bosnian

U Bosni i Hercegovini primjenjuje se formalni model vrednovanja rada sudija čija su osnovna pravila i parametri utvrđeni podzakonskim aktima, a kriteriji za ocjenjivanje su u određenoj mjeri usklađeni sa evropskim standardima s obzirom da uključuju i kvantitativne i kvalitativne pokazatelje, te predstavljaju dobru polaznu osnovu za uspostavljanje adekvatnog sistema vrednovanja rada sudija. Međutim, odstupanje od Minimalnih standarda uočljivo je na više razina: prvo, nedostaju zakonom uređena i definirana osnovna pravila iz oblasti vrednovanja rada sudija, a postojeći zakonski okvir na nivou entiteta, odnosno Distrikta Brčko, nije harmoniziran. Pri tome, učestalo vrednovanje rada sudija (u FBiH ) odstupa od preporuka iz Minimalnih standarda s obzirom da to predstavlja svojevrstan pritisak kojim se ugrožava sudijska neovisnost. Dalje, primjetno je da su standardi koji se odnose na godišnju normu izuzetno zahtjevni i ne uvažavaju čak ni zakonom propisana prava sudija na odsustva s posla, što ima za posljedicu usmjeravanje sudijskog rada na kvantitet, tj. na broj riješenih predmeta, a na uštrb kvaliteta, pri čemu se gubi i motivacija za radom na složenijim predmetima. Također, odsustvo gradacije prilikom prebačaja godišnje norme djeluje destimulirajuće, pa je upitno ostvarenje cilja iz Minimalnih standarda koji se odnosi na očuvanje kvaliteta sudija u profesionalnom smislu i općenito na poboljšanje kvaliteta usluga koje pravosudni sistem treba da pruži građanima. Pored toga, kriteriji kvaliteta sudskih odluka i odnosa prema radu zasnovani su na statističkim pokazateljima, a oni nisu dovoljni za realnu i adekvatnu ocjenu kvaliteta rada sudije, pa je evidentna potreba za dopunom postojećih parametara koji bi uključivali i druge aspekte od značaja za vrednovanje kvaliteta, poput uvjerljivosti argumentacije, sposobnosti pravilnog rješavanja pravnih i činjeničnih pitanja, pravilne primjene zakona, sposobnosti rješavanja obimnih i kompleksnih predmeta i dr. Pri tome bi parametri odnosa prema radu koji se tiču postupanja sudija u određenim rokovima, morali uvažiti i priliv predmeta, odnosno obim posla koji uslovljava mogućnost ili nemogućnost postupanja u zadatom vremenskom okviru. Tek ukoliko bi se postojeći kriteriji dopunili u navedenom pravcu, moglo bi se smatrati da je zadovoljena preporuka Minimalnih standarda koja se odnosi na potrebu postojanja raznolikih i sveobuhvatnih kriterija (kvalitativnih i kvantitativnih), a koji zaista omogućuju punu i suštinku ocjenu rada sudije. Isto tako, značajno je zapaziti da ne postoje mjere u cilju korigiranja i otklanjanja posljedica lošeg sudijskog rada osim disciplinske odgovornosti, koja ne mora nužno postići efekte u poboljšanju kvaliteta rada sudije koji je ocijenjen negativno. Naposlijetku, u pogledu dodatnih aktivnosti sudija, odnosno, njihovog angažmana u poslovima koji su važni kako za poboljšanje kvaliteta rada pravosuđa u cjelini, tako i za promociju pravosuđa, primjetno je da postojeći Kriteriji ne prepoznaju značaj takvog sudijskog djelovanja. Iz svega slijedi da je potrebno korigirati i dopuniti postojeći sistem vrednovanja rada sudija u BiH u pravcu njegovog usklađivanja sa Minimalnim standardima, čime bi se uspostavio pravilniji odnos u vrednovanju kvantiteta i kvaliteta sudijskog rada, te u znatno većoj mjeri postigli oni ciljevi kojima teže moderni pravosudni sistemi: unapređenje efikasnosti pravosudnog sistema, očuvanje kvaliteta sudija u profesionalnom smislu, sa ciljem boljeg služenja građanima, razvijanje vještina kod sudija, uključujući i dodatnu obuku ukoliko ishod vrednovanja rada pokaže da je to neophodno, sprečavanje lošeg rada pravosudnog sistema, veća motiviranost i zadovoljstvo sudija izazvano sve boljim obavljanjem profesionalnih zaduženja i konačno, bolje upravljačke i liderske sposobnosti pripadnika pravosuđa a posredno, veća odgovornost pravosuđa i veći stepen povjerenja javnosti u pravosudni sistem.

Doprinos Visokog saveta sudstva (ne)zavisnosti pravosuđa u Republici Srbiji

Author(s): Đorđe Marković / Language(s): Serbian

An independent judiciary is one of the most important pillars of the constitutional structure in any modern state. To achieve this independence it is crucial to find a suitable mechanism for the appointment of judges in order to reduce the influence of the executive branch of the government to the minimum. Comparative point of view shows that a common and magical solution do not exist. Several models have proved as very good, and one of them leaves the choice of appointment to the particular body or organ sui generis, which has different names in different countries . The Serbian Constitution of 2006 introduced a body called the High Judicial Council, which plays an important role in the selection of judges. Judicial reform has been conducted in Serbia since 2008, during which a number of large omissions have been made. This will have a fatal consequence on the Serbian legal system in the upcoming years, if not decades. In addition to the Ministry of Justice, the key players in this legal confusion are the High Judicial Council and the Constitutional Court. We have tried to draw attention to the most serious mistakes that these two bodies have made in recent years, and to propose some solutions that could contribute to remedy the situation in the Serbian judiciary.

Uloga organizacija civilnog društva u praćenju provedbe Strategije za reformu sektora pravde u Bosni i Hercegovini

Author(s): Elma Demir / Language(s): Bosnian

Izgradnja političkog sistema zasnovanog na vladavini zakona i zaštiti ljudskih prava zahtijeva uspostavljanje mehanizama participatorne demokratije koji stvaraju uslove za uključivanje građana i organizacija civilnog društva u donošenje odluka, zakona, strategija i javnih politika. Ovaj način participatornog kreiranja politika prepoznala je i Evropska unija (EU) deklarišući ga kao sredstvo postizanja transparentnosti prema javnosti i sredstvo koje omogućava neposredan pristup građanima u procesu donošenja javnih politika, čiji glas se još uvijek ne čuje u Bosni i Hercegovini. Kako su organizacije civilnog društva, po načelu supsidijarnosti, jedan od ključnih agenata inoviranja društvenih rješenja njihovo uključivanje u rad državnih institucija u razvijenim demokratijama Zapadne Evrope i u SAD-ma pokazalo je da može značajno uticati na inovaciju i učinkovitost javnih programa. Pored toga, kako organizacije civilnog društva često imaju bolji pristup informacijama na terenu od državnih organa, zbog svoje stalne lokalne prisutnosti, one imaju bolji uvid u stvarno stanje u zajednicama i probleme ciljnih grupa. Takođe, ove organizacije su mobilnije i mogu brže i efikasnije reagovati zbog svoje nezavisnosti i manje administracije.

Migration and Women Empowerment in the Western Balkan countries

Author(s): Edlira Narazani,Isilda Mara,Sanela Bašić,Ana Stojilovska / Language(s): English

In the last twenty years, Albania has been often associated with migration. Starting with only 127.639 emigrants in 1990, the stock of Albanian emigrants reached almost a million and a half in 2010 which means 45.4% of Albanian population. The Albanian migration in the beginning of the migration cycle (1990) was mainly male-led with a strong tendency of increased female migration in the following years. Main destination countries of Albanian migrants are Greece and Italy.

№239. A New Framework for Euro-Med Cooperation on Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Support

Author(s): Rym Ayadi,Antonio Fanelli / Language(s): English

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are the driving force behind economic development in the Mediterranean. They perform an essential roleas providers of employment and innovation opportunities and act as key players for regional and local development and social cohesion.

№263. Stepping up Growth Policies

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

The eurozone is in recession and will show negative growth in 2012; GDP will fall sharply in Greece and Portugal, and there is substantial risk that Spain and Italy will follow suit (the Commission’s recent forecasts seem overly optimistic and complacent; the IMF is more downbeat). But fiscal policies are uniformly restrictive throughout the eurozone and much of the Union, and the hopes that fiscal consolidation could spur growth by improving household and business confidence are not materialising. In reality, domestic demand has been hit too hard by fiscal consolidation, and investment throughout the Union remains well below pre-crisis levels.

№288. Principles of a Two-Tier European Deposit (Re-)Insurance System

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

There is general agreement that banking supervision and resolution have to be organised at the same level. It is often argued, however, that there is no need to tackle deposit insurance because it is too politically sensitive.

№302. The Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure and Germany: When is a surplus an “imbalance”?

Author(s): Matthias Busse,Daniel Gros / Language(s): English

The Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure (MIP) was largely designed to prevent another boom/bust cycle as occurred in Spain and Ireland. But now, with the release by the European Commission on November 13th of its latest Alert Mechanism Report (AMR), which was introduced with the European Semester, this procedure is being used to address a surplus (that of Germany), which is widely perceived as constituting aproblem for the euro area’s recovery.

№304. The New European Framework for Managing Bank Crises

Author(s): Jacopo Carmassi,Ginevra Bruzzone,Stefano Micossi / Language(s): English

The proposals under discussion for a Single Banking Resolution Regulation establishing a centralised mechanism for countries participating in the Single Supervisory Mechanism and a Resolution Directive are generally well designed and coherent. Yet there is a need to streamline the procedures for deciding the start of resolution and managing the subsequent action, which now entail much overlap in the powers attributed to the institutions involved (the Commission, the Single Resolution Board and the European Central Bank).

№307. REACH: A killer whale for SMEs?

Author(s): Lorna Schrefler,Jacques Pelkmans,Ineke Gubbels / Language(s): English

REACH is a very demanding system for any business either large or small, yet right from the startone of the more serious concerns was whether and how SMEs could cope with the Regulation. After all, some 27,600 companies in EU chemistry are SMEs (95% of all firms). Seven years downthe line, many of these fears are materialising.

№70 Statistics on Loss of Nationality in the EU

Author(s): Maarten Peter Vink,Ngo Chun Luk / Language(s): English

Within the European Union (EU), much progress has been made over the past years with regard to the collection of comparable and reliable information on the regulations with regard to the acquisition and loss of nationality in the Member States of the EU. The ILEC project provides much-needed additional information on the regulation and administrative practices on involuntary loss of nationality in the EU. While EU and international law provide important normative standards for the evaluation of these regulations and practices, in order to understand their practical relevance it is also important to have an insight in how many people are affected by such rules and practices.

LGBTI teme u osnovnim školama?

Author(s): Jasmina Čaušević,Fatima Biličević / Language(s): Bosnian

Analiza koja je pred Vama predstavlja nastavak rada vezanog za analizu školskih udžbenika na kojem Fondacija CURE radi već duže vrijeme. Naš rad se konkretno nadovezuje na analizu LGBTI sadržaja u udžbenicima za gimnazije i srednje medicinske škole, pod nazivom „O čemu šutimo kada šutimo o pravima LGBTI osoba u udžbenicima“, autorice Lamije Begagić, koja je izdata 2016. godine u saradnji Fondacije CURE, Državnog tajništva Sjedinjenih Američkih Država i Sarajevskog otvorenog centra. U ovoj analizi u fokusu je bilo 40 udžbenika koji su se koristili u osnovnim školama u Kantonu Sarajevo u školskoj 2016./2017. godini za predmete: BHS jezik i književnost (Čitanke), Moja okolina, Društvo, Biologija, Vjeronauk i Zdravi životni stilovi. Osim analize postojećeg stanja, doprinos analize ogleda se, konkretno, u prijedlozima za izmjene i dopune određenih sadržaja u korist raznovrsnijeg pristupa temama vezanim za različite rodne i spolne identitete i seksualne orijentacije. Tokom rada na prijedlozima za izmjene postojećih sadržaja, koje smo označile kao problematične, trudile smo se da ni u jednom trenutku ne izađemo iz planom i programom predviđenih tema u okviru nastavnih jedinica za osnovne škole u Federaciji Bosne i Hercegovine.

Koliko djeca i mladi znaju o nasilju!

Author(s): Berina Meheljić / Language(s): Bosnian

Fondacija CURE je u sklopu edukativne inicijative „Upoznaj svoja prava i žensku istoriju (herstory), osnaži se i aktiviraj!“ koja je uz financijsku podršku od strane CFD Švicarske feminističke organizacije uradila istraživanje o tome koliko su mladi ljudi u BiH upoznati sa problemom nasilja, sa oblicima nasilja koji postoje, te o postojanju SOS telefona za žrtve koje su preživjele nasilje i zakona u BiH koji štite od nasilja i kažnjavaju počinitelje. Države kreiraju zakone, programe i sigurne kuće za žene koje odluče prestati trpiti nasilje i u mogućnosti su izaći iz situacije nasilja. Razvijenije države imaju organizovane sigurne kuće i organizacije za konzultacije nasilnika koji su se opredjelili, što zbog sankcija što zbog stvarne posvećenosti izlječenju od nasilnog ponašanja, potražiti stručnu pomoć. U današnje vrijeme svakodnevno se susrećemo sa problemom nasilja, posebno kada je riječ o vršnjačkom nasilju. Pored toga što je nasilje nad ženama izraženo, sve je veći broj mladih djevojaka i muškaraca koji se skoro svakodnevno susreću sa nekim od oblika nasilja.

Prednosti i slabosti novog sistema vrednovanja: iskustva sudija nakon prve godine, prijedlozi za izmjene i dopune

Author(s): Nives Abdagić / Language(s): Bosnian

Visoko sudsko i tužilačko vijeće BiH je u 2018. godini donijelo nove Kriterije za ocjenjivanje rada sudija u BiH (Kritreriji). Oni se imaju primijeniti na ocjenjivanje rada sudija za 2019. godinu i dalje. Kriteriji su u pravosudnoj zajednici dočekani s značajnim kritikama o čemu se govorilo i na Stručnoj raspravi o vrednovanju rada sudija i tužilaca u BiH u organizaciji Centra za javno pravo i Pravnog fakulteta Sarajevo, održanoj 02. novembra 2018. godine. Nakon prve godine ocjenjivanja sudija po novim Kriterijima vrijeme je da se saberu prva iskustva, da se identificiraju sporne tačke, te da se pokušaju dati prijedlozi za njihovo unapređenje. Ovim prilogom ću obraditi nekoliko uočenih problema radi nastavka stručne rasprave o vrednovanju rada sudija i tužilaca u BiH koju kontinuirano organizira Centar za javno pravo.

The State of Democracy in North Macedonia in the Times of the Covid-19 Pandemic

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

Barometrul electoral al municipiului Caransebeș

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

The survey was conducted on September 3-6, 2020 on 808 adults living in the city. He measured the confidence of the candidates for mayor, the voting intentions, the expectations of the future mayor, the degree of involvement of the mayor’s office in various administrative issues, the appreciation of national political leaders.