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The survey used the method of the face-to-face interview. Field work was conducted between March 27 - April 16, 1999. Public sector employees rate corruption among the five most important national problems. By significance corruption measures up to the chief social and economic problems confronted by our society.
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Turkey’s domestic and foreign policy after the failed coup raises concerns for the European Union and the United States. Current developments in Turkey increase the political costs of Western leaders’ closer cooperation with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. At the same time, Turkey accuses its allies of hypocrisy and a lack of understanding. Thus, relations between Turkey and its Western allies remain at an impasse, which could force Turkish decision-makers to look for alternative solutions in the political and security spheres. This constitutes a challenge for the EU and the United States, especially in the face of a deterioration of relations with Russia and the migrant crisis.
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Pred vama se nalazi publikacija koja je rezultat realizacije projekta Jačanje uloge profesionalnih udruženja u oblasti pravosuđa u Bosni i Hercegovini - JUP BiH. Projekat je podržala Vlada Velike Britanije, a realizovala ga je Asocijacija za demokratske inicijative (ADI) Sarajevo, tokom četrnaest mjeseci. Cilj projekta bio je jačanje profesionalnih udruženja u oblasti pravosuđa (udruženja sudija, tužilaca, advokata, notara i udruženje medijatora), kao organizacija civilnog društva, koje trebaju aktivnije učestvovati u procesima reforme pravosuđa i uključiti se u šire društvene trendove. Organizacija ADI Sarajevo, doprinijela je jačanju kapaciteta profesionalnih udruženja u oblastima pravde i pravosuđa tako što je, u sklopu ovog projekta, organizovala edukativne programe za predstavnike profesionalnih udruženja, ali i zajednički rad predstavnika u radnim grupama. Jedanaest bosanskohercegovačkih profesionalnih udruženja, koje djeluju u oblasti pravosuđa, delegirali su svog predstavnika/cu. Delegirani predstavnici/ce udruženja su činili fokalnu radnu grupu. Članovi/ce fokalne radne grupe pohađali/e su ciklus od četiri tematska treninga i imali/e su četiri radna sastanka na kojima su raspravljali o aktuelnim pitanjima u oblasti pravosuđa, i to radeći u tri tematske radne grupe, koje su se bavile pitanjima vezanim za sadržaj i implementaciju zakona o maloljetničkoj delinkvenciji, zakona o advokatima i notarima, te zakona o stečajnom postupku. Pravac pri realizaciji procesa izgradnje kapaciteta išao je od pojedinačnih članova/ca ka njihovim udruženjima i od profesionalizacije udruženja, kao organizacija civilnog društva, ka njihovoj zagovaračkoj ulozi na nivou praktične politike...
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On 12 December 2015 in Paris, and for the first time in almost 20 years, the world’s countries, some 195 in total, reached a brokered deal with the objective to prevent irreversible climate change. Two key provisions of the agreement are its global scope, requiring all 195 countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and the marked absence of an endpoint within the treaty. These provisions help create a system of coordination of global efforts against climate change, ending the EU’s isolation on the issue. This in turn will reduce the negative consequences of its climate change policy on the competitiveness of the overall European and Polish economies.
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The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) submits this parallel report to the Human Rights Committee reporting country-specific information on issues affecting Roma in Serbia that raise questions under the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR). The present report describes the current situation regarding serious human rights abuses of Roma in Serbia – school segregation, ethnic discrimination and lack of birth registration. The ERRC respectfully submits its written comments concerning Serbia for consideration by the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR) at its Concluding Observations of the 119th Session, which will be held from 6 to 29 March 2017. The ERRC has undertaken regular monitoring of the human rights situation of Roma in Serbia and this report reflects the current priorities in our work in Serbia. According to current official estimates, Roma in Serbia make up approximately 2.05% of the total population or 147,604 Roma. This makes Roma the second largest minority after Hungarians. However, a verified and accurate count remains elusive. Unofficial sources suggest that the number of Roma in Serbia is significantly higher, ranging between 250,000 to 500,000. In addition to the autochthonous groups, an estimated to 50,000 Roma fled during and after the conflict in Kosovo to Serbia; only half of whom registered as internally displaced persons (IDPs). However, it is not known if all of them remained in Serbia or left for destinations in Western Europe. Furthermore, thousands of Roma have been returned to Serbia from Western European countries in the last years as failed asylum seekers; including Roma who were originally from Kosovo. Roma are the youngest ethnic group in Serbia. The average age is 27.5 years, compared to 40.2 years among the general Serbian population. According to UNICEF, the primary school completion rate for non-Roma children is 94.5% and the transition rate to secondary school is 96.5%, while for Roma children the primary school completion rate is considerably lower - 63%, while the numbers for secondary school for Roma youngsters is even lower - 55.5%. Illiteracy rates range between age groups from 13.7% amongst adolescents to 57.2% among the elderly. Romani women are extremely disadvantaged when it comes to education achievements; illiteracy is estimated to reach up to 80%.
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The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) and Praxis respectfully submit their written comments concerning Serbia for consideration by the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) at its Concluding Observations of the 74th Session, which will be held from 16 January to 3 February 2017. The ERRC and Praxis have undertaken regular monitoring of the human rights situation of Roma in Serbia and this report reflects the current priorities in our work in Serbia. According to current official estimates, Roma in Serbia make up approximately 2.05% of the total population or 147,604 Roma. This makes Roma the second largest minority after Hungarians. However, a verified and accurate count remains elusive. Unofficial sources suggest that the number of Roma in Serbia is significantly higher, ranging between 250,000 to 500,000. In addition to the autochthonous groups, approximately 4,000 –50,000 Roma fled during and after the conflict in Kosovo to Serbia; only half of whom registered as internally displaced persons (IDPs). However, it is not known if all of them remained in Serbia or left for destinationsin Western Europe. Furthermore, thousands of Roma have been returned to Serbia from Western Europeancountries in the last years as failed asylum seekers; including Roma who were originally from Kosovo.Roma are the youngest ethnic group in Serbia. The average age is 27.5 years, compared to 40.2 years among the general Serbian population. According to UNICEF, the primary school completion rate for non-Roma children is 94.5% and the transition rate to secondary school is 96.5%, while for Roma children the primary school completion rate considerably lower - 63%, while the numbers for secondary school for Roma youngsters is even lower - 55.5%. Illiteracy rates range between age groups from 13.7% amongst adolescents to 57.2% among the elderly. Romani women are extremely disadvantaged when it comes to education achievements; illiteracy is estimated to reach up to 80%.
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1. The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) respectfully submits written comments concerning Romania for consideration by the Committee Against Torture at its 54th Session. The ERRC is an international public interest law organisation engaging in a range of activities aimed at combating anti-Romani racism and human rights abuse of Roma, in particular strategic litigation, international advocacy, research and policy development, and human rights training. Since its establishment in 1996, the ERRC has endeavoured to provide Roma with the tools necessary to combat discrimination and achieve equal access to justice, education, housing, health care, and public services. 2. Regular monitoring of the human rights situation of Roma in Romania has been undertaken by the ERRC and other NGOs. The analysis of the Romanian legal framework is informed by our extended litigation experience in both domestic and international forums. 3. After a brief overview of anti-Roma attitudes in Romania, this submission follows the order in the List of Issues Prior to Reporting. While the issues highlighted are often of a general interest, the ERRC is convinced that they have a disproportionate impact on Roma, given Romania’s history of discrimination against and exploitation of Roma, as well as enduring stereotypes and hostility towards them. The present document does not aim to address all issues of relevance to the implementation of the Convention or its provisions in Romania, nor is it a comprehensive summary of all human rights issues facing Roma in Romania. 4. According to current unofficial estimates, Roma in Romania make up approximately 9% of the population (approximately 1,850,000). However, a verified and accurate count remains elusive. According to the final results of the 2011 Census of the Population and Households published on 4 July 2013 by the National Statistics Institute, Romania had a total population of 20.12 million. Among the 18.88 million respondents who self-reported their ethnicity, 621,600 were Roma (3.3%, an increase from 2.46% in the 2002 census). 5. Deeply entrenched anti-Roma attitudes can be vividly seen in the annual surveys carried out by the National Council for Combating Discrimination (NCCD): in 20052 61% of respondents thought that Roma were a source of shame for Romania, while 52% of respondents went further to say that Roma should not be allowed to travel outside the country. These attitudes have not improved much: in 20133 48% of respondents said that they did not want a Roma work colleague, 41% would not want a Roma neighbour, and 38% would not want any Roma in their municipality. Public authorities are not insulated from these wide-spread and pernicious attitudes; in the absence of robust safeguards these attitudes may translate into violations of the Convention. 6. In recent years international monitoring bodies have expressed particular concern about the rise in anti-Roma rhetoric and racism in Romania. For instance, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) noted in its 2014 report that “Stigmatising statements against Roma are common in the political discourse, encounter little criticism and are echoed by the press, the audiovisual media and on the Internet. No effective mechanism is in place to sanction politicians and political parties which promote racism and discrimination.” Similarly, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (“CERD”) stated in its 2010 Concluding Observations on Romania that it was “concerned at reports of the spread of racial stereotyping and hate speech aimed at persons belonging to minorities, particularly Roma, by certain publications, media outlets, political parties and certain politicians”. 7. CERD also expressed its concern regarding “the excessive use of force, ill-treatment and abuse of authority by police and law enforcement officers against persons belonging to minority groups, and Roma in particular”. 8. The climate of impunity for hate speech, stigmatisation, and discrimination is compounded by the absence of a robust framework to address anti-Roma violence, in particular violence perpetrated by the police. Again according to ECRI, as of 2014 “No significant steps have been taken to ensure compliance with the principle of non-discrimination by the police or to enquire as to the reasons why no complaints have been lodged against police officers”.
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The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) and Chiricli respectfully submit written comments concerning Ukraine for consideration by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) at its 52nd Session from 28th April to 23rd May 2014. Regular monitoring of the human rights situation of Roma in Ukraine has been undertaken by the ERRC and Chiricli, and the work of both organisations is reflected in this submission. The present document does not aim to address all issues relevant to the implementation of the Covenant or its provisions in Ukraine, nor is the document a comprehensive summary of all human rights issues facing Roma in Ukraine. With this submission, the ERRC and Chiricli aim to present the results of research in several areas of relevance to the Covenant in order to complement the information provided in the State Report. The information reflects the current priorities of the submitting organisations in their work in Ukraine. According to the 2001 census, the most recent census data, the population of Ukraine is about 45,453,000 people, among them 47,587 Roma. However, unofficial estimates suggest that the number of Roma in Ukraine is between 120,000 and 400,000. Nationwide, comprehensive data on the socio-economic situation of the Roma in Ukraine do not exist. While nationwide statistics are in general based on the census results, the majority of Roma – for reasons that should be clear from what follows – do not disclose their identity in census-taking which creates a serious obstacle for the production of reliable data. Roma in Ukraine face everyday discrimination and social exclusion. Available data, often collected by civil society organisations, indicate that many Romani communities in Ukraine live in conditions of extreme poverty, often in segregated settlements with little or no access to services such as the education system, health system and other essential services. A number of overarching issues and developments have an impact on the enjoyment of all economic, social and cultural rights by Roma in Ukraine. These include the Strategy for the Protection and Integration of the Roma national minority into Ukrainian society up to 2020 and the National Action Plan on Roma Inclusion, both adopted in 2013 as well as recently-introduced anti-discrimination legislation. Other major issues of concerns also addressed in this submission are the lack of personal documents and the consequences thereof when trying to access essential services, the lack of comprehensive or reliable ethnic data, and particular obstacles faced by Roma in Ukraine in relation to accessing education and housing.
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Javni organi Bosne i Hercegovine (BiH) ne slijede međunarodne prakse i standarde kada je riječ o objavljivanju informacija od javnog značaja na vlastitim službenim web-prezentacijama. Iako se trenutna praksa objavljivanja informacija ne može u cijelosti ocijeniti kao netransparentna, zabrinjavajući nedostatak transparentnosti javlja se u segmentu koji se tiče informacija o budžetu, operativnih informacija i dijelom informacija o organizacijskoj strukturi institucije. Drugim riječima, ključne informacije o radu institucija BiH još uvijek nisu dostupne javnosti, što upućuje na njihovu “zatvorenost” i nespremnost preuzimanja proaktivne uloge u osiguravanju pristupa informacijama koje se nalaze u njihovom posjedu.
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The state and its institutions are the biggest producers, collectors and users of various types of data. Besides personal data, contained in public registers and health records, data of importance to the wider public is also collected, such as data on the state of the environment, economic trends, meteorological and other data. In the past, data of importance to the public was mostly unavailable. In cases where it was available, it was extremely difficult to find and use. Thanks to technological development and the relatively easy and inexpensive opening up of data on the Internet, but also more pronounced public requests for more transparent, accountable and efficient governance, governments worldwide committed to policies of opening data held by public institutions. Examples include websites such as US government’s Data.gov and Usa.gov, or the UK government’s Data.gov.uk and the European Union’s Open Data Portal, all of which provide educational, health, transport, environmental and other data. All of this has led to the rapid growth in use of open public data, in the private and non-government sectors alike. Software applications enable access to data on the Internet or on mobile devices and data is used to improve public services, initiate new commercial projects or enhance transparency of government. Some examples of websites specialized in processing, publishing and further use of open data are OpenSpending.org, which currently holds more than 700 datasets on public spending in 66 countries, or OpenCongress.org which enables monitoring of the work of the US Congress. Although the publication of open public data is a pronounced world trend and the potential of open data has been recognized in the region, such practice has not truly taken hold in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite NGO initiatives to open up public data, public institutions, with a few exceptions, mostly do not allow access to data on the Internet or via mobile technology. In order to prevent BiH seriously falling back in the area of proactive disclosure of such data, which would negatively impact all sectors of society, it is necessary to start a wider public discussion on opening up data held by public institutions. This policy memo aims to contribute to such a discussion.
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Zakoni o slobodi pristupa informacijama (ZOSPI) u BiH trebaju se mijenjati. To potvrđuju brojne analize i rasprave, koje već godinama ukazuju na manjkavosti sadašnjeg državnog i entitetskih zakona. Između ostalog, žalbeni postupak u slučaju kada nadležno javno tijelo odbije pristup informaciji trenutno nije dovoljno definiran zakonima. Iako se ZOSPI-ji primjenjuju kao lex specialis, brojni zakoni koji su kasnije usvojeni u praksi ograničili su pristup informacijama. Test javnog interesa, koji predviđaju sva tri zakona, arbitrarno se primjenjuje u praksi, a pristup informacijama često se neosnovano odbija koristeći zakonom definirane izuzetke kao razlog. Istovremeno, pokrenuta procedura za izmjenu postojećeg državnog zakona početkom 2013. godine, aktualizirala je raspravu o neophodnosti utvrđivanja balansa u sadašnjem zakonodavstvu između prava na pristup informacijama i prava na privatnost, a u skladu s međunarodnim standardima. U debati o pravu na pristup informacijama u BiH manje je pažnje posvećeno proaktivnom objavljivanju informacija u posjedu javnih vlasti. Ovaj policy memorandum ističe razloge zbog kojih bi se ovaj princip trebao ozbiljnije razmotriti i primijeniti u BiH, posebno u svjetlu nove inicijative za usklađivanje ZOSPI-ja na državnom nivou sa Konvencijom o pristupu službenim dokumentima Vijeća Evrope.
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Consisting of extremely violent and seemingly random events, the phenomenon of homicides is often considered a sign of social pathology and thus the spatial dimension that it can acquire through the various processes that lead to its territorial rooting is lost sight of. Our research is focused on discovering the geographical dimensions of this phenomenon within the Romanian rural spaces. The choice of the rural area is not accidental: between 2011 and 2020 more than 62.5% of homicides were recorded in this environment, which, according to the official statistics of the 2021 census, amounts to only 47.8% of the total population. Noticing the spatial differentiation of the phenomenon allows, on the one hand, to support the construction of public prevention policies, and on the other hand, it allows the initiation of a reflection on the efficiency of the geographical distribution of the means available to the institutions charged with the administration of various operational aspects related to homicides.
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Romania stands out as having one of the EU’s least developed systems of online public services, which contrasts with its extensive telecommunications infrastructure offering very fast and cheap access to the network. This is due both to the policy of the governments, which until 2019 did not show much interest in the digitisation process of the country or failed to propose a comprehensive programme for its implementation, and to the resistance of the public, who were distrustful of the e-government solutions offered. However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a breakthrough: on one hand, it spurred the authorities to introduce legal changes and deploy new technological solutions that had hitherto been postponed, and on the other, it forced Romanian society to use public digital services.
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This article aims to explore sustainable development pathways in the housing sector of post-communist countries from the former Eastern Bloc, in the context of the ongoing growth of major urban centers, contemporary changes and socio-economic transformations within cities. To establish the limits of this brief research, we will examine sustainable development through social, economic, political and demographic aspects. Additionally, to enhance our understanding of sustainable housing development, we will apply a multidisciplinary approach to two case studies: Romania and France. By adopting this multidisciplinary perspective, we will compile and analyze the key events along a timeline that underlie major paradigm shifts in each researched domain. Comparing these events in terms of temporality and intensity will provide insights into the parameters under which sustainable housing developments should evolve.
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Political influence on public administration is as old as administration itself. Given that civil servants are the ones who implement government policies, having control over them means controlling the institutions that execute political power and implement policies. This control also opens opportunities for rewarding loyalists and achieving political interests. When reduced to a minimum, such political manoeuvre is less likely to have a lasting impact on an administration’s functioning, but when it becomes overwhelming, a state apparatus can be completely captured by transient political actors, in the service of interests other than public.
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Public administration reform in Serbia, having entered a new stage with the endorsement of the Public Administration Reform Strategy and its Action Plan for implementation, aims, inter alia, at establishing a harmonised and merit-based civil service system and at improving human resource management. With endorsement of the PAR Strategy, Serbia defined its strategic framework and direction of a broader public administration reform, which encompasses all levels of governance. The Strategy defines the principles of the reform process emphasising decentralisation, depolitic isation, professionalisation, rationalisation and modernisation of public administration.
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For over 15 years, the Western Balkan (WB) countries have undergone democratisation and transition processes, embarking onto deep structural, economic and social reforms to modernise their societies and improve the lives of their citizens. The reform processes are reinvigorated by the aspiration of these countries to become members of the European Union, and they are framed to a large extent by the EU integration process. Good governance lies at the heart of the European integration project, while a public administration that supports good governance needs to be professional, reliable and predictable, open and transparent, efficient and effective, and accountable to its citizens.
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Direct communication of foreign development cooperation (FDC) and humanitarian aid by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic (MFA) and the allocation of the relevant budget is a necessary condition for maintaining the declining support for its financing from public budgets: the absence of communication is a bigger problem than its quality, a quick analysis of the current sample of media outputs arouses positive or neutral sentiments. Solidarity narratives may be implicit, but pragmatic arguments do not work for the majority of the Czech, skeptical public. The key to positive messages seems to be to show the specific impact of Czech aid on the basic needs of active, self-sufficient recipients as well as the expertise and financial supervision of Czech entities. A number of modified and newly identified narratives and attitudes towards Czech development aid need to be tested in focus groups and subsequent representative surveys. The main tools are primarily television and news servers. The MFA needs to systematically insert the government's position into the insufficient information and supplement it with expertise from the OECD international network of development communicators.
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The brochure in front of you is the result of the Center for Free Elections and Democracy project »Efficient municipal manager and active and informed citizens - a step forward towards more developed municipalities«. The main goal of the mentioned project is, on the one hand, to improve the role of the municipal manager, and on the other hand, to raise the awareness of citizens about the importance of issues such as, for example, local economic development and efficient management of local self-government units.
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The document Regulating the legal position of migrants in irregular status and access to the right to work and the right to education was created as a result of one of the activities on the project Guidelines for Migrants - a guide through the labyrinth, which aims to provide migrants with support in regulating their legal status and to ensure access to appropriate education and employment in the Republic of Serbia (RS) in accordance with their legal status. Project activities are divided into three groups and include: 1) direct support activities for migrants and migrant children; 2) advocacy activities (policies related to the legal and strategic framework of Serbia that protects the rights of migrants); 3) awareness-raising activities (local campaigns on the rights of migrants to employment and education).
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