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This is a next, annual installment in a series, published regularly since 1978, of overviews of Belgian politics in a given year. This 2004 overview discusses the main topics & issues that preoccupied the government of Guy Verhofstadt, formed in a three-party coalition -- Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten ([VLD] Flemish Liberals and Democrats), Socialistische Partij Anders ([SP.A] Socialist Party Differently), & Sociaal, Progressief, Internationaal, Regionalistisch, Integraal-democratisch en Toekomstgericht ([Spirit]Social, Progressive, International, Regional, Integral-Democratic, and Future Justice) -- following the national election in May 2003: (1) immigrants' voting rights, (2) the controversy over Zaventem airport expansion requested by the German shipping company DHL, (3) redistricting/splitting of the Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde electoral district, (4) unemployment compensation, family policy, tax restructuring, & other social & fiscal issues pertaining to the 2005 budget, (5) environmental policy, (6) the implications of the regional & EU elections of 13 June 2004, (7) public safety & defense matters, (8) regional government/jurisdiction & civil service reforms & other matters of home policy, & (9) internal party politics. Z. Dubiel

"The European Union is today a major player in many policy areas, going from classic economic fields as competition policy, agriculture and fisheries policy to new emergent fields as environmental policy, arterial intelligence policy, security and foreign policy and criminal justice policy. These policies comes with an increasing level of EU regulation, having also a substantive impact on the harmonization of national policies and regulations. This expansion of EU competence naturally also places new demands on their enforcement, especially when it comes to investigations with the aim of imposing punitive administrative and/or criminal sanctions. In this expanded version of his valedictory lecture Prof. Vervaele is assessing 1) to what extent the EU and its Member States have a policy on punitive enforcement in the internal market and in the Area of Freedom Security and Justice and 2) how this policy translates into the harmonization of substantive administrative and criminal law and procedural law at the national level and into the elaboration of administrative and judicial cooperation instruments and the setting up of European enforcement agencies. The assessment includes to what extent this policy takes account of the human rights obligations. Vervaele concludes with a plea for a European model for punitive law enforcement with an increased alignment between the administrative enforcement tools in the internal market and the criminal enforcement tools in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice. In this model the national enforcement authorities are build in under a network cooperation scheme."--

The ecologist (green) party, Agalev, & the radical right-wing party, Vlaams Blok, have often been considered each others' antipodes on the Belgium political spectrum in their attitudes toward immigrant rights, Flemish & Belgian nationalism, materialistic vs postmaterialistic values, & environmental policy. Using data from 2,619 Flemish voters after the 1991 general elections, attitudes & sociodemographic characteristics of these parties are analyzed in a global logistic regression model, using the electorates of all other parties as a reference category. It is found that young urban non-Catholics are overrepresented in the electorates of both parties; however, Agalev voters tend to be well-educated & have a high occupational status, whereas Vlaams voters are more likely to have little education & a low (blue-collar) occupational status. Controlling for social characteristics, these attitudinal variables show significant opposite net effects on the electoral choice. Agalev & Vlaams Blok each received about 10% of the votes, supporting Swyngedouw's thesis (1986 [see abstract 86Q8012]) about the emergence of two cleavages, the universalistic-particularistic & postmaterialistic-materialistic. 3 Tables. Adapted from the source document.

The international environmental system consists of numerous organizations and hundreds of multilateral treaties that focus on different environmental issues. For decades, there is fierce criticism of the effectiveness and efficiency of this system because of a lack of a clear vision; overlapping and sometimes conflicting mandates and activities by insufficient coordination; weak implementation and enforcement; and conflicts with other international policy systems (notably trade). Although the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) mandate is to coordinate milieuge-related activities of the United Nations, it is severely limited by an inadequate and indescribable reliable budget, weak legitimate status and the overlap of the mandate of UNEP those of other international organizations. In the past 40 years, dozens of proposals developed by states, UN commissions and academics for a UN or World Environment Organisation (WEO/UNEO). This would have sufficient authority and budget should have to better coordinate environmental system. Adapted from the source document.

THE STUDY OF CORRUPTION IS PURSUED ALONG ECOLOGICAL LINES, FOCUSING ON THE INTERRELATIONSHIP OF POLITICS & ADMINISTRATION. IF POLITICS IS DEFINED IN TERMS OF VALUES, POWER, & PUBLIC POLICY, THEN AN ADMINISTRATOR MAY BE CONSIDERED A 'POLITICIAN' IN MANY RESPECTS, ALTHOUGH HE IS OPERATING IN A MORE STRUCTURED CONTEXT & SUBJECT TO DIFFERENT NORMS (ADMINISTRATIVE OUTPUT-CULTURE, VS POLITICIAN'S INPUT-CULTURE). WHETHER CORRUPTION IS DEFINED AS THE VIOLATION OF NORMS, AS SELF-INTERESTED BEHAVIOR, OR AS A TRANSACTION, THE VARIOUS FORMS OF CORRUPTION MAY BE EXPLAINED BY THE CONFUSION & OVERLAP OF POLITICS & ADMINISTRATION. OFFICIAL POSITIONS MAY SERVE AS SPOILS, USED AS POLITICAL RESOURCE, OR CORRUPT LOYALITIES MAY GUIDE AN ADMINISTRATOR'S BEHAVIOR; THE LATTER MAY BE RELATED TO THE INFORMAL ORGANIZATION WITHIN THE BUREAUCRACY OR TO THE SOCIAL & POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT. IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, INTERNAL BUREAUCRATIC COMPETITION & ENVIRONMENTAL NEEDS FOR CORRUPT INFLUENCE ON PUBLIC POLICY ARE ESPECIALLY STRONG BECAUSE OF SOCIAL CONFLICTS, DISRUPTIVE CONTACT BETWEEN TRADITIONAL & WESTERN NORMS & ROLES, & BECAUSE OF AN INCREASING IMPACT OF THE NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION UPON THE CULTURALLY DISTANT LOCAL COMMUNITIES. CULTURAL CONFUSION & POLITICAL EXCLUSION OF MANY GROUPS LEAVE CORRUPTION AS THE ONLY EFFECTIVE MEANS TO INFLUENCE PUBLIC POLICY AT THE OUTPUT STAGE. MODIFIED HA.

The author introduces the article by describing why the term Jihad-terrorism shouldn't be used (it's not an ideology, but a method; the term hammers on an intrinsic link between Islam and violence). The Belgian international attitude stresses that a wrong perception within European policy will actually lead to an anti-Western radicalization, and that terminology is part of that. The article continues with four EU anti-terror strategies: proactive: prevention and protection; reactive: prosecution and response. Regarding suppression of radicalization and recruitment, three factors are mentioned: facilitating factors within a globalized world (travel and communication, money operations, internet availability); an anti-western enemy perception; structural environmental factors, the so-called root causes (social circumstances, democratic imperfection, modernization badly directed, economic and political perspectives, unsolved conflicts, lack of education). Two additional principles for Belgium: 1) fundamental rights and freedoms; 2) suppression of Jihad-terrorism in cooperation with Muslim countries. References. O. van Zijl

This book is about the role and impact of future explorations
in the Dutch government landscape. It presents
a diverse range of future explorations and thus shows the broad
instruments that advisory councils and public knowledge institutions
have developed to deliver future-proof information.
The contributions in this publication are from eleven public knowledge institutes
and advisory boards that carry out future research themselves
and publishing: the Advisory Council for Science, Technology and
Innovation (awti), the Central Bureau for Statistics (cbs),
the Genetic Modification Committee (cogem), the Central
Planning Bureau (cpb), the Royal Dutch Meteorological
Institute (knmi), the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL),
the Rathenau Institute, the National Institute for Public Health
and Environment (rivm), the Social and Cultural Planning Office (scp), the
Foundation for the Future of Technology (stt) 1 and the Scientific
Council for Government Policy (wrr). On the basis of
recent explorations of the future, per chapter as a case
be elaborated will be different methods and techniques
are presented that they use to get a grip on the
future. Here insight is given into the way in which
future explorations find their way to the Dutch
political decision-making and the impact they have. - Dit boek gaat over de rol en de impact van toekomstverkenningen
in het Nederlandse overheidslandschap. Het presenteert
een divers palet aan toekomstverkenningen en toont zo het brede
instrumentarium dat adviesraden en publieke kennisinstellingen
hebben ontwikkeld om toekomstbestendige informatie te leveren.
De bijdragen in deze publicatie zijn van elf publieke kennisinstellingen
en adviesraden die zelf toekomstonderzoek uitvoeren
en publiceren: de Adviesraad voor Wetenschap, Technologie en
Innovatie (awti), het Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (cbs),
de Commissie Genetische Modificatie (cogem), het Centraal
Planbureau (cpb), het Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch
Instituut (knmi), het Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving (pbl),
het Rathenau Instituut, het Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid
en Milieu (rivm), het Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau (scp), de
Stichting Toekomstbeeld der Techniek (stt)1 en de Wetenschappelijke
Raad voor het Regeringsbeleid (wrr). Aan de hand van
recente toekomstverkenningen, die per hoofdstuk als casus
worden uitgewerkt, zullen verschillende methoden en technieken
worden gepresenteerd die men inzet om grip te krijgen op de
toekomst. Er wordt hierbij inzicht gegeven in de wijze waarop
toekomstverkenningen hun weg vinden naar de Nederlandse
politieke besluitvorming en de impact die ze hebben.