Suchergebnisse

"In this article the author addresses the question of the ontology of power and rule-setting in the international monetary system. By distinguishing between two dimensions of monetary power - autonomy and influence - he offers an innovative approach towards power in the international monetary system. Within this context he examines and analyses different developments, outlining a diffusion of power among states as well as between states and non-state actors rather in the dimension of autonomy than in the dimension of influence. The author introduces the concept of leaderless diffusion, meaning that leadership in the system has been more scattered than relocated. He argues that a power shift has taken place from few very powerful states towards a growing number of autonomous actors, especially when it comes to rule-setting abilities within the monetary system. Furthermore, he outlines that on the level of governance, a distinction should be made between the individual state and the global system and thus offers an elaborated approach towards understanding monetary and economic power in the 21st century." (author's abstract)

The paper achieves an analysis of some issues concerning the changes in the Romanian public administration in the context of integration into the European Union. The most important processes approach Europeanization and its theoretical and practical mechanisms. Concerning the Romanian public administration, the analysis starts with the reform process, on local and national level. The paper reveals the main laws and rules as well as the principles expressed in the administrative change: actuality and continuity, openness and transparency, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness. The paper also achieves a brief analysis of the reform strategies in view of complying with the European Administrative Space.

Croatian membership in the EU is subject to the fulfilment of the legal and political obligations laid down in, among other places, the SAA, the Stability and Association Agreement. The implementation of the SAA depends on the definition of its position in the constitutional system of the Republic of Croatia, including the ability for its provisions to be directly applied in EU and in Croatian courts, the legal status of the bodies provided for in the SAA, and the legal position and legal standing of the decisions taken by these bodies. The implementation of constitutional changes is necessary for full membership of the EU, and some changes are also necessary even for implementation of the SAA. These are provisions that provide the legal basis for membership in the EU, including the definition of the manner of making use of state sovereignty, provisions that define in detail the legal status of international law and European primary and secondary law in the internal legal system of the EU, and provisions that adapt the constitutional organisation of the Republic of Croatia to the conditions of associate or full membership of the EU, optimise the functions of the institutions of state authority that will have to work in new conditions. In an evaluation of the fulfilment of the conditions for membership in the EU, the criterion for evaluation of the extent to which the legal system is adjusted will not be only the contents of the legal standards, but also the political, economic and social matters that are governed by these legal standards.

The paper approaches a topic of high actuality concerning the professionalisation of public management, process that could lead to setting up a corps of civil servants, substantiated on meritocratic criteria, political equidistance. In the context of knowledge-based society, the paper presents the organisational perspective and integrates New Public Management in the practice of the public organizations. The evolution from Weberian bureaucracy to New Public Management creates the matrix as basis for structuring in service training strategies of the civil servants as well as for the transfer of knowledge specified in those strategies. The context of the knowledge-based society provides the possibility to describe a structure of the training strategies adapted to the needs and ideals.

This paper analyses the EU tax system and its main components qua conditions for the accession of the Croatia to the European Union as well as the current degree of adjustment of Croatian taxation regulations with the corresponding regulations in the EU. As a result of this analysis,
proposals for further procedures on the part of the creators of taxation policy in Croatia are made. After the tax reforms started in the 1990s, after the achievement of independence, the Croatian tax system was comparable with the tax systems of EU member countries. All the essential taxes correspond conceptually to the same kinds of taxes in EU countries. However, there is still space for further adjustment, above all in connection with value added tax, and it is desirable that this should be carried out as soon as possible. However, adjustments in the area of profit tax and adjustments of some rates of excise duties should be put off until the moment when they will have to be done for the sake of joining the Union, because the maintenance of the current situation, which is not in line with the provisions of European regulations, but nevertheless not in contravention of general rules regulating the area of taxation, is in the interests of
Croatia. In the area of the taxation of income no adjustment or coordination is needed, for members are allowed to settle the taxation of income in their countries independently, as long as the fundamental principles of the single market are not threatened (the free movement of goods, people, services and capital).

Since the establishment of the partnership principle within EU regional policy in 1988, the role of cities in the European multi-level governance system has been progressively strengthened. Today, the cities of Europe are central actors with key functions in the implementation of EU regional policy. In parallel to the associated cross-border cooperation, the explicit recognition of local and regional self-government in the European basic treaties (Treaty of Lisbon, Pact of Amsterdam) politically strengthened the role of cities in the European multi-level governance system. This made it officially possible for European municipalities to cooperate with the European Commission and representatives of member states to draw up strategic position papers for future legislative initiatives. At the same time the establishment of macro-regions introduced a framework for the sectoral and geographical adaptation of policies to suit the regions in question. A key role in cross-border cooperation was thus assigned to the cities in the macro-regions. If European cities actively pursue these opportunities they have a chance to establish themselves as the fourth level in the European multi-level governance system and to strengthen their position within the national states and the European institutional framework. The adaptation of intra-state structures is seen as the most important precondition for the municipalities to be able to better express their interests as actors in the political multi-level governance system and thus to gain more influence in the EU. The City of Munich provides an example of how urban policy is, however, often slow to grasp the opportunities offered by the Urban Agenda and macro-regional strategies for European cities.

This chapter presents the successive stages to make changes in the Polish development policy after 1989. The national administration reform of 1990 in the Third Commonwealth of Poland restored the local government after 40 years of non-existence during the time of Polish People's Republic (1944-1989) that was a satellite state of the Soviet Union after the Second World War. Another reform took place in 1998 as a part of preparations for the country's membership in the European Union (EU) from 2004. Currently developed strategic documents are suggesting the use of the "polarization and diffusion model of the development." The authors also discuss the regional policy currently implemented in Poland, which was designed in years 2009-2014. The process of creation of new policy includes plans to reform the policy instruments and to update the strategic framework. Conclusions highlight a need for a clearer division of powers between the center and regional governments and the importance of strengthening the financial basis and institutional capacity building.

"After the end of the Cold War, the conscript army was abolished in a majority of the European Union Member States and beyond. Unlike these countries, Germany maintained the conscript system for its armed forces for some 50 years after the founding of the Federal Republic, and for more than two decades after the end of the Cold War and the unification of the two German states. When in January 2011 the last cohort of German conscripts entered the Bundeswehr, following a government decision to reform the armed forces, refocus it on new security requirements and remodel it into an all-volunteer force, this move marked the beginning of a dramatic change in policy. Not only had the major political forces in the country for decades refused to discuss any replacement of conscription with a volunteer recruitment system, but so had the German public. For many years after unification, a majority of citizens was not in favor of abolishing the conscript system. Although, politically speaking, the newly initiated reforms do not completely abolish the conscription process, suspension of the military draft means exactly this in terms of consequences - and political observers no longer foresee a roll-back to the traditional system. This chapter explores the root causes of the delayed adaptation to a new recruitment system in Germany. Furthermore, it analyses the more comprehensive reform process in which suspension of the draft is embedded. It also gives an outlook on the issues and challenges that the German armed forces will have to face concerning recruitment and training in the near future." (author's abstract)

The authors are part of a growing international movement who are committed to developing a wider understanding of dementia and the associated needs of those with the various conditions that fall under the broad umbrella of this diagnosis. As can be seen from the various contributions in this edited collection, this needs to also embrace an understanding of the demands and situations of those caring for people with dementia. In an increasingly globalised world this book aims to provide a comparative understanding of the delivery and organization of dementia services in various European states. We have brought together academics and practitioners from various parts of Europe and from a range of disciplines to contribute to this book.

The objective of this work is to determine the extent of the conformity of the Croatian energy sector with the conditions for membership in the EU. According to a comparative analysis an identification is made of the state of affairs in the energy sector in the EU, in the Republic of Croatia and in the applicant countries, the level at which the conditions for membership are fulfilled and the necessary measures that have to be implemented during the reform. The main conclusion is that the legal system itself in the area of the Croatian energy system is already mainly harmonised with the EU system. However, concrete application of the rules departs from the
way rules are applied in the EU. Since these rules obtain their final form only during application, and the manner of interpretation and application is much harder to change than the rules themselves, particular attention needs devoting to practice in the process of adjustment.