Suchergebnisse

The position of women on the European labor market continues to be unstable. In order to make the opportunities for both genders equal at the EU level, appropriate regulations have been adopted since its beginnings. The first regulations focused on the issue of discrimination, aiming at a policy of anti-discrimination. The range of regulations in this area has gradually expanded to become an important part of EU policy. Any improvement in the situation is as- sessed in terms of increased competitiveness, innovativeness and economic growth. EU regulations and programs to promote gender equality, including those aimed at improving the situation of women on the labor market have now become a significant field of the Community's activities. Progress there is already noticeable, although it continues to call for further commitment and cooperation on many levels.

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are one of the indicators in the assessment of whether the state operates on the principles of a civic society. NGOs are also a crucial element of public life as they cover an extensive area of activity. At the level of local communities they effectively promote their development as organizations that are close to the citizens. In the European Union they are an expression of public opinion. After WWII both the political and legal circumstances in Poland did not favor their development. An observable improvement began during the transition period at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s. The number of NGOs considerably increased at that time. Although the number of newly registered NGOs has been consistently decreasing since 2003, as has Poles' interest in voluntary work, Polish NGOs are in quite good condition compared to their counterparts in other states of Central and Eastern Europe.

Agriculture is a peculiar sector of the economy that requires support from the state. Its spontaneous transformation is not effective enough, therefore a number of mechanisms are applied to stimulate advantageous structural transformation both at EU and national levels. The agricultural system of West European states is based on the family farm. Although Community law does not define a family farm, different systems provide various measures applied in order to protect family farms, e.g. by means of controlling agricultural land trade. The paper presents the legal and institutional solutions applied in this respect in France, Germany and Denmark. These states have not been randomly selected, as they are the main competitors for Polish agriculture in the Community market, and they have succeeded in establishing an agrarian structure. Against the background of their experience, Polish legal solutions are presented and assessed. The responsibilities of the Agricultural Property Agency are presented in detail; its principal task apart from the management of State Treasury property is to shape agrarian structure.

The issues of poverty, famine and malnutrition mainly concern underdeveloped regions. Yet in recent years the proportion of the population threatened with poverty and social exclusion has been growing not only in these regions but also in developed areas, including the EU. The issue of poverty is additionally related to demography. In this context, the aging population of West European countries is worrisome, as the elderly are one of the groups particularly threatened by poverty, and their number continues to grow. Appreciating the gravity of this issue, the European Commission considers the fight against poverty to be one of the basic five directions established in the Europe 2020 strategic document.

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are one of the indicators in the assessment of whether the state operates on the principles of a civic society. NGOs are also a crucial element of public life as they cover an extensive area of activity. At the level of local communities they effectively promote their development as organizations that are close to the citizens. In the European Union they are an expression of public opinion. After WWII both the political and legal circumstances in Poland did not favor their development. An observable improvement began during the transition period at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s. The number of NGOs considerably increased at that time. Although the number of newly registered NGOs has been consistently decreasing since 2003, as has Poles' interest in voluntary work, Polish NGOs are in quite good condition compared to their counterparts in other states of Central and Eastern Europe.

Poland joined the European Union on 1 May 2004. Article 4 of the Act concerning the conditions of accession determined that any new Member States from the date of accession as a Member State with a derogation for the purposes of Article 139 shall apply TFEU, participates in the Economic and Monetary Union. This means for Poland in the long term the need to take over the community preservation euros. The complicated process of adaptation let best demonstrated when it is split into its stages: first, the phase of the fulfillment of economic health conditions, secondly, the amplifier phase information to show the company the potential consequences of euro membership, and, thirdly, the fixing of a date for accession to the third stage of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The economic and legal conditions are laid down in the convergence criteria must all EU Member States fulfill before joining the third stage of EMU. These are set out in the Treaty. Adapted from the source document.

The paper presents the issue of the varied standards o f living in the European Union. The first part of the paper discusses theoretical matters concerning the measurement of various dimensions of the quality o f life examined by the European Union (EU-SILC, EQLS) and an international organization HelpAge International (GAWI). The second, fundamental part of the paper analyzes selected objective and subjective indicators, such as equivalent levels o f disposable income (Gini coefficient), the situation o f households in different countries as well as the quality of life o f senior citizens (aged 60 plus). The third part o f the paper is an analysis of the assessment of the threat o f poverty and social exclusion in the European Union. ; W artykule przedstawiono problematykę zróżnicowania poziomu życia mieszkańców Unii Europejskiej. W pierwszej części zaprezentowano zagadnienia teoretyczne dotyczące mierzenia różnych wymiarów jakości życia w ramach badań prowadzonych przez Unię Europejską (EU-SILC, EQLS) oraz międzynarodową organizację HelpAge Intermational (GAWI). W drugiej zasadniczej części artykułu analizie poddano wybrane obiektywne i subiektywne wskaźniki: poziomu ekwiwalentnych dochodów do dyspozycji (współczynnik Giniego), sytuacji gospodarstw domowych w poszczególnych państwach, a także jakości życia mieszkańców w wieku 60 lat i więcej. Trzecia część artykułu przedstawia analizę oceny poziomu zagrożenia ubóstwem i wykluczeniem społecznym w Unii Europejskiej.

Die Diskussion in unserem Nachbarland Polen über den Beitritt zur EU-Gemeinschaftswährung Euro hat sich in den vergangenen Monaten zugespitzt. Polen verpflichtete sich beim EU-Beitritt 2004, der Eurozone beizutreten - sobald die entsprechenden Bedingungen erfülle sind. Die Eurokrise verschlechterte aber die Rahmenbedingungen dafür drastisch; die Unsicherheiten über den richtigen währungspolitischen Weg nehmen in Warschau zu. Die aktuelle polnische Eurodebatte hat eine wirtschaftliche und eine politische Dimension. Die Beiträge in diesem Forum zeigten die ökonomischen und finanzwirtschaftlichen Pro- und Kontra-Argumente. Jedoch spielen politische Überlegungen eine zentrale Rolle in der Debatte um den Eurobeitritt. Diese werden ebenfalls aufgelistet. Polen will damit seine Rolle im EU-Entscheidungsprozess stärken. Es befürchtet, ohne Zugehörigkeit zur Eurozone bei zentralen wirtschaftspolitischen Entscheidungen in der EU an den Rand gedrängt zu werden. Deshalb ist die Zeit reif, über einen Zeitplan des Beitritts Polens zur Eurozone zu debattieren. (WeltTrends / SWP)