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The EU crisis has brought about fundamental impacts on the constitutional framework of the EU governance. The internationalization of EU law, the strengthening of the intergovernmental form of decision making with the crucial role of the European Council and the corresponding weakening of parliamentary bodies can be seen as symptoms of a shift of the EU towards an executive form of federal governance. However, this trend may not be interpreted simply as a 'return' of the sovereign state as the key actor within the European polity, as it might be according to traditional theories of emergency powers. The decision making is de facto relocated from the political level to the level of administration. Thus, instead of de-parliamentarization, we can speak about de-politization or a reconfiguration of the political. The crucial role here - even in decisions of summits of the European Council and the Euro Council - is played by administrative bodies, particulary those of the Council Secretariat and the Commission's services. While the economic crisis is (hopefully) already overcome, the overcoming of the crisis of democracy is not in sight. Adapted from the source document.

This paper analyses the perception of the new member states of the EU (the 2004 and 2007 entrants) by the old member states' representatives. The text utilizes an updated version of image theory and it is based on 24 interviews with diplomats from permanent representations of the old member states in Brussels. It argues that the mutual perception between the EU member states has an impact on coalition building and thus also on the decision-making process of the EU. Although the newcomers are perceived positively in general terms, there are several differences between them in terms of their activities and behaviour at the EU level as well as in the cultural area. The paper therefore divides the newcomers into groups according to the image that is ascribed to them (the four general images are those of a close ally, a passive ally, a distant ally, and a detached ally). Adapted from the source document.

Analysis of elections to the bodies of self-governing regions in the Slovak Republic Elections are an essential part of any democratic country. With the establishment of self-governing regions, the first elections to the bodies of higher territorial units took place in Slovakia in 2001. Through them, voters can influence decisions at the regional level and be fully involved in decision-making processes. Only through elections is it possible to ensure the full participation of the population in decision-making on regional policy, which is ensured by the second level of regional self-government. The aim of the article is to analyze the constitutional regulation of regional elections in the Slovak Republic, to analyze all regional elections held since 2001 with a focus on voters participation, causes of non-participation and certain specifics that result from individual elections. Last but not least, the aim is to assess the participation of independent candidates and their growing popularity among voters. URL: https://vsas.fvs.upjs.sk/