A Generation in Distress: Perspectives of Young People in Bulgaria and Southeast Europe

Author(s): Magdalena Preshlenova / Language(s): English / Issue: 05-06/2016

The current socio-political and economic environment places Europe’s youth in a burdensome position. The financial crisis from the past decade, as well as the remnants of the political transitions after the fall of communism in Southeast Europe, have spelled some of the worst conditions for young people in historic terms, particularly in this region.Youth unemployment is unprecedentedly high. The education system seems to fail in providing young people with the skills and knowledge to succeed. Governments are perceived as vastly detached from the issues relevant to their youngest constituencies. Political apathy is rampant. In the present environment, perspectives of young people are increasingly important, as they signal the urgent areas of action and can navigate social research and government policy. The present paper provides an overview of the current attitudes among young people in Bulgaria and Southeast Europe based on previous research and personal observation, filling some of the existing gaps in common perceptions of young citizens.

A GLIMPSE INTO THE R&D PERFORMANCE AT EUROPEAN UNION LEVEL

Author(s): Alina Georgeta Ailincă / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2017

The persistent uncertainty after the global economic crisis together with EU diffuse perspective challenges the possibilities of boosting regional and global economic growth. The confidence in EU as an innovation-driven regional economy has to be renewed: the base points of economic life must be restored, fresh educational approaches are needed and the competences, that are a precondition for success, must be brought back or reconstruct. Thus, research and development (R&D) public and private policies must play a key role in efforts to create wellbeing and sustainable growth at EU member countries. A large number of studies have been conducted in order to evaluate (directly or/and indirectly) the performance of R&D on society but there is still a lack of broadly acceptable and rigorous applicable methodologies for R&D performance assessments. In this sense, on the grounds of some Eurostat and OECD indicators, the expected results of this article are intended to contribute to a better understanding of the R&D performance on overall EU economy and on some EU member countries.

A HISTORICAL/POLITICAL JUSTIFICATION FOR THE NEED FOR MULTICULTURAL CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION AND EDUCATORS: THE CASE OF TURKEY AND THE EUROPEAN UNION

Author(s): Raşit Çelik / Language(s): English / Issue: 9/2016

Citizenship education, with its focus on equality, human rights and social justice for all, has become one of the central instruments for improving civic knowledge among world citizens and for supporting the development of more democratic states based on the rule of law. Like many other nations, the Turkish Republic, a country in negotiation with the European Union for possible membership, has placed great emphasis on citizenship education since the time of its foundation. This study takes on the question of whether Turkey provides adequate citizenship education as it is understood in and framed by the European Union’s education and training strategic plan, known as Education and Training 2020 – particularly in light of its focus on promoting multiculturalism and appreciation for diversity in an increasingly heterogeneous society. To this end, the study first provides some background information on the general status of citizenship education in Europe. This is followed by a description of the current framework as it is implemented in Turkey, which has historically included a homogenizing aspect, stressing unity rather than diversity. Finally, some recommendations are made concerning why Turkey needs further development in terms of a multicultural perspective on citizenship education, including the education of multiculturally competent teachers.

A lengyel elnökség - „Európa lelkiismeret furdalása?”

Author(s): Katalin Szokolay / Language(s): Hungarian / Publication Year: 0

A liquid Europe?

Author(s): Daniel Gros / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2011

Is the euro-zone stepping back from the brink? This might just be possible, because the emerging outlines of a new framework to resolve the ongoing sovereign debt crisis contain a key component that was missing so far. Indeed, that component’s absence was behind this summer’s spreading financial crisis, which moved beyond small, peripheral countries like Greece, Ireland and Portugal to strike systemically important countries like Italy and Spain.

A logistics system in management of flows in the area of agribusiness

Author(s): Maria Nowicka-Skowron,Joanna Nowakowska-Grunt,Anna Brzozowska / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2017

Today, the subject of management in Polish agribusiness needs to be looked at in a more comprehensive way. With Poland’s accession to the European Union, it is necessary to implement the solutions defined by the Common Agricultural Policy in agribusiness, whereas entrepreneurs from rural areas need to give more attention to issues connected with logistics and the process of management. This paper consider the problems of logistics management in the area of agribusiness. It has been pointed out that new paradigms that continuously appear in this area pose a huge challenge both for theoreticians and practitioners. Aiming to achieve a synergy effect and added value for activities that involve movement processes in agribusiness, both decision-makers and those managing farms and rural areas should consider and implement the right principles and solutions that will allow them to achieve this goal.

A marriage of convenience or an amicable divorce: Metaphorical blends in the debates on Brexit

Author(s): Sanja Berberović,Mersina Mujagić / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2017

The paper investigates the interaction of conceptual blending and conceptual metaphor in producing figurative creativity in discourse. The phenomenon of figurative creativity is defined by Kövecses (2005) as creativity arising through the cognitive mechanisms of metonymy, metaphor, and blending. Specifically, the paper examines the use of creative figurative language in the British public discourse on the topic on Brexit. The aim of this paper is to show that conventional metaphors can be creatively stretched through conceptual blending, producing instances of creative figurative language. Specifically, applying blending theory, we will analyse innovative conceptual blends, motivated by the conventional MARRIAGE/DIVORCE metaphor. In addition, the paper also examines the way in which creative figurative language produced in metaphorical blends provides discourse coherence at intertextual and intratextual levels.

A method of increasing the number of tourists in Romania: Sibiu – European capital of culture

Author(s): Gabriela Cecilia Stănciulescu,Aurora Costina Lincă,Adrian Cătălin Voinilă / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 35/2016

The title of European Capital of Culture could help immensely a city and its surrounding region from cultural, social and economic point of view. Cultural activity in the city is gaining momentum and new categories of tourists are attracted here. To determine if being a cultural capital influenced or not the growth and/or decrease trend as regards the number of tourists that came to Sibiu in a consecutive period of 23 years, the starting point was that this event had a major impact on tourists. The present paper is a quantitative research based on the number of Romanian and foreign tourists accommodated in structures of tourist receptions with functions of tourist accommodation. The conclusions of this article respond to these questions: Being a European Capital of Culture attracts or not more tourists than usual? The increase in the number of tourists was proportional with the effort of the authorities involved in the project?

A new approach to policy evaluation in the European Union

Author(s): Paulina Kubera / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2017

The significant role of the European Union in diffusion of evaluation in Europe is widely acknowledged (Stern, 2009). Although evaluation has a long-standing tradition in the EU, and in particular within the European Commission, in recent years one can observe the process of its expansion, diversification and institutionalisation.The aim of the paper is to explore the new developments in evaluation policy in the EU, which can be characterised, among others, by strengthening the links between ex ante and ex post impact evaluations and thus closing the policy cycle, where ex post evaluation feeds into ex ante assessment of new public actions. Hence, the problem of utilisation of evaluation findings is discussed. The scope of evaluation performed at the EU level has also been extended from expenditure to regulatory instruments. Moreover, there has been a shift from evaluating merely projects and programmes to evaluating policies and aggregated activities. To this end, a literature and documentary review on evaluation theory and practice have been conducted, as well as the analysis of the normative provisions that are applied to guide the practice of evaluation in the EU.

A new paradigm for sharing transition experience within the EU’s contested democracy support?

Author(s): Miriam Lexmann / Language(s): English / Issue: 3-4/2016

More than a decade after the completion of the democratic transition of the Visegrad Four countries, crowned by their membership of the EU, it is legitimate to ask whether the concept of “transition experience sharing” is still relevant to either the EU’s democracy support programs or the Visegrad Four ODA1 programs. This paper seeks to provide a basic empirical account of some of the fundamental processes of transition sharing while describing its core trends. It also makes recommendations, addressed partly at the V4 governments, but mainly at the respective EU institutions, on how features of “transition experience sharing” could be incorporated into democracy support schemes, thereby tailoring them in response to actual needs.

A new Visegrad Group in the new European Union - possibilities and opportunities for development

Author(s): Mariusz Bocian,Patrycja Bukalska / Language(s): English,Polish / Publication Year: 2003

The Visegrad Group has fulfilled the tasks it was set when established. It seems unjustified, therefore, to ponder the need for it to function further. However, it is advisable to lay out new tasks, suitable for the group's operation in the new European reality - following EU accession of Visegrad countries in May 2004.

A Peculiar Case of Monitoring. Minority Rights in Romania as Seen Through the Lens of the ACFC and the COMEX

Author(s): András Bethlendi,Tibor Toró / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2018

Romania submitted its state report to the Framework Convention on the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) and the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages (ECRML ) roughly at the same time, however, the evaluation reports of the two bodies took rather different turns. The paper analyzes these two documents comparatively, and contrasts them to the earlier evaluation reports as well. The comparison highlights several textual differences and sheds light on the attitude of the two evaluation committees. The argument of the paper can be summarized in three points: 1) the two reports interpret differently many aspects of minority rights in Romania, and seemingly only in the case of the FCNM did the input of minority NGOs make a difference; 2) the usability of the two reports depends on the context in which one wants to use them: the FCNM report has more of an agenda setting effect, while the ECRML focuses on legally more accurate recommendations; 3) the technical and standardized approach of the Committee of Experts of the ECRML is not always suitable to describe the holistic situation of minority languages in a country.

A POSSIBLE EURO-ATLANTIC COMPREHENSIVE MARITIME SECURITY MODEL

Author(s): Valentin Catalin Vlad / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

This article aims to identify the existence, relevance and opportunity of a theoretical security through cooperation model based on the main concepts and theories of the security communities and the appreciation of universally recognized individual and collective values and freedom, in order ultimately to prove the relevance and opportunity of such a comprehensive maritime security model that could be adopted and developed at Euro-Atlantic maritime space as part of the complex process of ensuring regional and international maritime security.The adoption of a comprehensive maritime security through cooperation model centered on ensuring individual and collective security, stability and prosperity is the key element for the legitimacy, credibility and efficiency of the Euro-Atlantic maritime strategies in relation to international treaties, challenges and threats to international maritime security and last but not least with the peculiarities and characteristics of international maritime basins.

A POSSIBLE SOLUTION: A SYNERGIC PONTIC-MEDITERRANEAN CONTINUUM

Author(s): Grigore Alexandrescu / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2009

During the evolution of the whole European civilization, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea have been tightly connected not only by waters, but also by their peoples’ common fate. It has determined the scene to generate a synergic effect in the Euriasan and Eurafrican relation. Therefore, on both shores, there have been achieved confluences sheltering the civilizations' essences developing in this part of the world and building some indisputable systems of values. Today, guiding ourselves after the history’s lessons, EU may stimulate the achievement of a synergic continuum from the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea, for providing a larger and more flexible dialogue framework, one that should give coherence and substance to the policies addressing the area. This mechanism may work for turning into dynamic the current regional cooperation process, by an intensified dialogue which should increase the trust of the states from these three continents.

A quarter-century of independent Ukraine. Dimensions of transformation

Author(s): Tadeusz A. Olszański / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2017

On 24 August 1991, the Supreme Council of the Ukrainian SSR proclaimed independence, and on 1 December the same year, the Ukrainian people ratified that proclamation in a referendum. The new Ukrainian state had some very important assets, such as the peaceful path that led to its independence, the fact that its territory was uncontested and its civilian administration was established. They downside, which determined Ukraine’s fundamental weaknesses, was that like the other former Soviet republics, it had been part of the Soviet state and had no central state bodies of its own, such as a general staff, a bank of issue, or most of the necessary ministries. After nearly a quarter century of peaceful development, interrupted by the outbreak of the war in 2014, Ukraine is still weak, but at the same time it has consolidated internally and internationally, demonstrated its capacity to withstand armed aggression, and is actively looking for its place in the world. The country’s greatest success has been to raise a new generation of ‘natural-born citizens’ of Ukraine, while its greatest failure has been to succumb to the dramatic population decline with irreversible consequences, and to allow the impoverishment of the lower strata of society, typical for all the post-Soviet states. The present paper is not a history of independent Ukraine, but an attempt to present the main mechanisms by which the former Soviet republic has transformed itself into an independent state with a market economy. It is therefore mainly focused on internal developments in Ukraine.

A Quintessential Lesson from European Union Integration to African Union

Author(s): Endris Mekonnen Faris,Hasan Korkut / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2016

The African Union -a multipurpose cooperation platform which most believe inspired by the European Union- came to exist to transform the continents fate into a prosperous one. European Union unprecedentedly becomes the crucial factor to speed up the Europe’s integration. European Union is an economic community and was not meant, first, a political one. Hence European Union can be a quintessential lesson for the African Union if the later understands the formers achievement came because of the exclusive emphasis given to the economic approach. The paper empirically argues that economic integration leads to an outright continental political unity. Accordingly the continent’s integration can only be achieved when economic approach is given prior emphasis. The political approach is a default which by nature follows the achievements gained from economic approach.The African Union -a multipurpose cooperation platform which most believe inspired by the European Union- came to exist to transform the continents fate into a prosperous one. European Union unprecedentedly becomes the crucial factor to speed up the Europe’s integration. European Union is an economic community and was not meant, first, a political one. Hence European Union can be a quintessential lesson for the African Union if the later understands the formers achievement came because of the exclusive emphasis given to the economic approach. The paper empirically argues that economic integration leads to an outright continental political unity. Accordingly the continent’s integration can only be achieved when economic approach is given prior emphasis. The political approach is a default which by nature follows the achievements gained from economic approach.

A Renewed Political Deal for Sustainable Growth within the Eurozone and the EU

An open letter to the President of the European Council

Author(s): Richard E. Baldwin,Giuliano Amato,Stefano Micossi,Daniel Gros,Pier Carlo Padoan / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2010

Under current policies, the European Union will only be able to pull itself out of low growth and high unemployment very slowly – too slowly to exclude dangerous economic and political assaults on the Union’s continuing cohesion and viability. What is needed is a substantial increase in the EU output growth rate, which has been persistently low for too long a time. With low growth, sovereign debt sustainability in a number of member states will remain uncertain, possibly leading to renewed strains in financial markets and rising spreads that will aggravate the costs of budgetary consolidation.

A REVIEW OF THE FIRST NINE YEARS OF POLAND’S MEMBERSHIP IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Author(s): Hakan Samur / Language(s): English / Issue: 6/2013

The aim of European Union membership has topped Poland’s agenda since the 1990s based on both historical and real reasons. The accession to the EU which occurred in May 2004 has had many positive and negative economic, political and social impacts on Poland within the last nine years. The first period of the country’s membership has been shaped by the pressure of the global economic crisis and also includes the important years in which initial experience was gathered. These years will determine the future trajectory of development for the country. Besides general economic, regional, and political impacts, in this article we will try to explain the impacts of EU membership on Poland in terms of its more specific facets such as migration and public opinion of the EU.

A SHIELD FOR A NEW EQUILIBRIUM

Author(s): Gheorghe Văduva / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2010

Unfortunately, the Theatre Missile Shield (TMD), also known as missile shield, cannot be seen only in itself, as a beneficial system for everybody, but especially as a European strategic safety solution, and meantime as a component of the US National Missile Defence (NMD). We consider such a shield is a must, as the ballistic missiles, created and located in silos, submarines, strategic bombers, or other vectors (although they are, in themselves, vectors carrying different types of loads, including the nuclear ones) threat everybody, including the ones owning them. This new anti-missile shield is related with the power relations and it is also related with a complicated and very sensitive security architecture, based on a moving and vulnerable equilibrium. A TMD is necessary, both for the United States, and for its strategic partners, and also for NATO and its European partners. However, achieving, expanding or improving any anti-missile system, as well any other offensive missile system (in fact, all missiles are offensive!) raises many problems. Even the current American TMD, which is meant to be a consonant and even integrated one, with a possible Alliance TMD, raises enough problems. Besides costs and more or less vehement Russia’s reactions, although the system does not aim the offensive missiles of the Russian Federation, the future US anti-missile shield, which will be operational in 2015, wants to be – and it is – a strategic stability factor, for strategic equilibrium.

A slack-based measure of agricultural efficiency in the European Union countries

Author(s): Kristína Kočišová,Beata Gavurova,Anna Kotásková / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2018

The main aim of this study is to examine the relative efficiency of agriculture in the European Union using Data Envelopment Analysis for the period 2005- 2015. We have examined the relative efficiency using non-radial and non-oriented slacks-based model (SBM) under the assumption of a variable return to scale. We have looked for causes of inefficiency and have come up with the recommendations how to change input and output variable to reach the efficiency frontier. The results show that, on average, the European Union agricultural sector has been performing efficiently, and its development could be considered as stable. After taking into account the size of the economies in form of gross domestic product in market prices, we can say, that the efficiency was positively affected mainly by the development in large countries. By examining the optimal values for the variables used in the SBM model, it has been found that on average for the movement on the efficiency frontier it is necessary to reduce both inputs (labour and utilised agricultural area) and simultaneously increase both outputs (animal and crop production).