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The Crucifix in the Public School Classroom in European Court RulingsLautsi v. Italy was an important court case that was brought before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The subsequent ruling on 3 November 2009 noted that the display of religious symbols (i.e. the crucifix in Italian public school classrooms) is contrary to Article 2 of the 1st Protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights. This decision, which went against Italy, is in line with other judgments in similar cases, and seems to be promoting the European public school as a place of confessional neutrality, where the goal is to cultivate secular values of a democratic society in pupils.The European Court of Human Rights thus clearly supports the idea and principles of secularism and the impartiality of the state. However, the ruling did not impose any obligation to undertake adequate legal solutions or verify the existing law, leaving each member state a level of freedom to make opinions and final decisions on their own. The Lautsi v. Italy judgment had an indirect influence on the entire public service sphere, of which the public school is just one link of a chain. Yet Italy filed an appeal and the case was referred to the Court's Grand Chamber. Its hearing is to be held on 30 June 2010. The legal ramifications of this ruling therefore remain an important debate in Europe.

The Crucifix in the Public School Classroom in European Court RulingsLautsi v. Italy was an important court case that was brought before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The subsequent ruling on 3 November 2009 noted that the display of religious symbols (i.e. the crucifix in Italian public school classrooms) is contrary to Article 2 of the 1st Protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights. This decision, which went against Italy, is in line with other judgments in similar cases, and seems to be promoting the European public school as a place of confessional neutrality, where the goal is to cultivate secular values of a democratic society in pupils.The European Court of Human Rights thus clearly supports the idea and principles of secularism and the impartiality of the state. However, the ruling did not impose any obligation to undertake adequate legal solutions or verify the existing law, leaving each member state a level of freedom to make opinions and final decisions on their own. The Lautsi v. Italy judgment had an indirect influence on the entire public service sphere, of which the public school is just one link of a chain. Yet Italy filed an appeal and the case was referred to the Court's Grand Chamber. Its hearing is to be held on 30 June 2010. The legal ramifications of this ruling therefore remain an important debate in Europe.

Belgium has been a federal state since 1993, divided into linguistic communities, regions and language regions. The cultural, religious, ethnic and linguistic differences of the inhabitants of Belgium led to the adoption of the federal structure of the state. The federal parliament consists of two chambers. The composition of the Senate reflects the diversity of Belgium. The ethnic and linguistic distinctiveness of the Belgians are also included in the electoral system of the federal parliament of Belgium. Worthy of note is the pioneering attitude of Belgium with regard to the introduction of mandatory voting throughout the country in 1893 and electronic voting in the early 1990s.

Zeitgeist in the Machine or Humanities in the NetThe essay offers a reflection on transformations of contemporary culture in the context of technological revolution and rapid development of cyber reality. It deals particularly with the limits of humanistic cognition. The article provides a critical analysis of contemporary condition of knowledge and academic activities. Nevertheless, crucial function of humanities is recognized on the normative level. To prove his points, author introduces the idea of humanistic management and compares historical developments in various cultural backgrounds.