Suchergebnisse

This article deals with the Europeanization of the German parliament as a difficult process of finding a relationship between the German government (Bundesregierung), upper chamber (Bundesrat) & lower chamber (Bundestag) concerning EU-related affairs. One of the results of the recent process of Europeanization is the loss of influence of parliaments in EU member countries. The decision-making process within the Council of the EU can hardly be followed by parliaments & parliamentary committees. This has led to adaptation processes within the polities of EU member countries. This article follows the development of EC & EU-related institutions & committees in both chambers of the German parliament, as well as agreements & changes to the German constitutions adopted in order to assure that the parliament would not lose its influence in EU-related affairs during the period from 1957 to 2006. The conclusion is that there were differences between both chambers of parliament in the way they tried to secure their interests. However, both chambers partly lost their influence although they changed their structures & negotiated new agreements trying to secure their positions. Adapted from the source document.

The main goals of the transformed military-political bloc in Burma are to create an "Asian democracy" in the country and to continue in its control of its economic and political life. For this purpose, it adopted a new constitution, organized general elections, and established the current national and state parliaments and the new government. The main pillars of its actual power are the office of the president, the parliaments, the army and the pro-government Union Solidarity and Development Party. Meanwhile, the democratic opposition movement is weak and fragmented. Also the ethnic minorities' movement is unable to create a common political platform on the national level. In this situation, it is hard to expect radical changes in the political development in Burma. The domination of the transformed military-political bloc will thus continue. Adapted from the source document.

A pre-election analysis is going to describe the role of self-candidates in the 2006 Czech parliamentary election. The article is focused on the basic characteristics of ballots. The various ballots are compared from different views -- the number of candidates, the demographic representation, the role of local political authorities, & the candidacy of former parliament members. Adapted from the source document.

The EU enlargement process is a vital part of European integration. Previous research into EU enlargement aimed especially at the process itself or at the approaches of member states or EU institutions towards enlargement. We focus on political parties and their positions towards future enlargement of the EU. Comparing the opinions of the CDU and CSU on EU enlargement, we try to find out whether these two parties can be, at a European level, considered as one homogeneous actor and whether the CDU and CSU's declaratory opinions are consistent with the parties' MEP voting. Analysis thus deals both with the programme documents and statements of relevant politicians and with roll call votes in the European parliament. Adapted from the source document.

The purpose of this case study is to explore the application of the code of conduct for lobbyists as one possible modern instrument of lobbying regulation. The reason why the code of conduct was selected out of the other regulatory means is the fact that codes represent the essential principle of lobby regulation in the European Parliament & the European Commission. Therefore the primary objective of this work is to evaluate the attitude of the EU member states towards this particular regulatory instrument. However, the research illustrates that the application of the code has not been extended in the member countries yet. The authorities decided to apply the code only in Lithuania & France. In addition to this, the possibility of introducing the code has been discussed in Ireland. Adapted from the source document.

This text analyses the development of internal procedures within the European Parliament through modifications to the Rules of Procedure, & how this impacts the legislative powers of the institution. The work assumes that the treaty revisions must be studied in a wider context to fully understand its real impact on European institutions & the EU as a whole. For a complete understanding of the European Parliament's legislative role in the EU, it is not enough to chart formal increases to its powers in treaties; it is necessary to examine how these formal changes in law & treaties are reflected in the Parliament's internal reforms. The aim of the text is to examine revisions to the EP Rules of Procedure, provide its analysis in historical sequence & to verify the hypothesis that the Rules of Procedure present an instrument through which this European institution can maximize its potential in the legislative sphere. Adapted from the source document.

This paper describes the support of non-parliamentary actors in the local elections in the Czech Republic. The article primarily analyzes the statistical data of the Czech Statistical Office. The term non-parliamentary actor is very general because of different structures of these actors, their divergent goals, & ideological foundations. These actors are not represented in the House of Deputies (lower chamber) of the Czech Parliament. Non-parliamentary actors do not represent a coherent group. The article shows their support in municipalities. They have stable support in many municipalities at the local electoral level. We can consider non-parliamentary actors as parties of a limited regional support: they have strong influence at the municipal level & nearly no influence in the Parliamentary elections. Non-parliamentary actors acquire more than 20% votes in regional centers such as Karlovy Vary, Liberec, Zlin, Olomouc, Hradec Kralove. 5 Tables, 4 Maps, 4 References. Adapted from the source document.

The paper analyzes the candidate selection procedure in Czech political parties before the elections to the European Parliament. It focuses on the four main Czech political parties: CSSD, KDU-CSL, KSCM & ODS. First, selection procedures are described. The description is based on the analysis of written documents (party statutes & statutes governing candidate selection procedures). Second, the article analyzes candidate selections by applying the classification framework set by Gideon Rahat & Reuven Hazan. This framework emphasizes four dimensions of candidate selection methods: candidacy, party electorates, decentralization, & voting/appointment systems. The findings from the analysis of written documents are compared with the results from a questionnaire survey conducted among the candidates. Candidate selection in CSSD & ODS was centralized in the hands of the narrow central executive & candidacy was limited to party members. On the other hand, candidate selection in KDU-CSL & KSCM was more decentralized, with final decisions taken by widely representative central party bodies. Tables, Figures, References. Adapted from the source document.

This paper seeks to find out to what extent the process of EU accession has influenced legal regulations concerning the creation & functioning of social & political actors. Through the analysis of various statutes & changes made to them, the paper tries to determine the role the EU plays in amending assembly legislation. The actors under scrutiny include political parties, professional organizations, labor unions, & civil society organizations. The paper concludes that the most influenced field of actors was the area of chambers of professionals which was obliged to conform to requirements for the free movement of people & services in the European Union in order to comply with European law. The Czech Republic was quite leisurely in their harmonization of statutes, with the majority of them passed just before accession to the EU. An interesting part of the problem concerns the question of political party membership, which is still reserved only for Czech citizens. However, European citizenship, with its voting rights to the European Parliament & local magistrates, is arguably going to push slowly for change even in this domain. Adapted from the source document.