Evaluation of Public Administration Reforms in Macedonia

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Public Administration Reforms (PAR) is a very popular topic of discussion among the politicians and political analysts, the ordinary people as well as the academic (research) community in South Eastern Europe (SEE). Politicians talk about (advertise) PAR in their electoral campaigns, international (external) political actors donate funds, evaluate the progress with PAR and publish relevant reports, academics analyze the effects and advocate further efforts, while the media keep the issue in the spotlight. PAR has become the latest buzz-word in SEE politics, superseding earlier such concepts like market-reforms, human and minority rights, etc. If anything, public administration reforms are not an area suffering from lack of attention.

Social Policy in Macedonia: Progress with EU Approximation

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Social issues are closely linked to economic performance and governance quality in one society. And while in transition countries social problems rarely receive the attention that economic ones do, the European Union through the Lisbon Agenda clearly linked economic growth with social issues. Social dialogue, social inclusion and several other concepts which entered the vocabulary of policy-makers are product of EU developments in social policy. Macedonian aspirations to join the EU place an obligation to follow EU trends in social policy, social policy is part of negotiating Chapter 19, and adjust to EU legislative and operational standards in this area. EU requirements are good ‘excuse’ to look into the social sphere of Macedonian society, on which two decades of political and economic transition left deep marks. This brief looks and evaluates the current status quo in Macedonian social sphere and notes the progress that Macedonia made in reforming its social policy according to EU standards. Noting the recent outburst of media stories about socially disadvantaged and vulnerable groups suffering exclusion and crime, this is also an effort to incite public debate on the state of social policy in Macedonia and encourage further efforts for improving the social services to citizens.

Wastewater Issue: High Time for Better Management – The Case of Macedonia

Author(s): Karolina Pendovska / Language(s): English

Globally increased industrial production, intense agriculture activities and household consumption in the last century have led to increased use of water resources. This in turn has increased the rate of production of wastewater, polluting the nearby recipients (surface waters and groundwaters). The well‐being of Earth’s natural water resources has been seriously threatened. Sustainable use of water resources and their protection, water quality and targets for achieving safe drinking water supply and basic sanitation have become more promptly addressed in the international and regional legal instruments. Reactions on the diminishing of future water resources quantity and quality are emerging on European Union (EU) level too, calling out for “water to be one of the main issues on the political agenda and integrated into all policies.”

Follow up – Macedonia and IPA Funds – guidelines for Civil Society Organizations & expectations for the future

Author(s): Sonja Zuber / Language(s): English

In 2009, Analytica published the report Macedonia’s lagging behind in efficient usage of EU funds (IPA, Framework Programmes). In 2009 the country was still just getting to know all the complex procedures and labyrinths that the EU funding represents. The conclusion was that: “…the overall feeling is that compared to Croatia and Turkey, Macedonia is lagging behind in terms of IPA usage. Institutional capacity has been a persistent problem and there have not been sufficient trainings of the private sector in the past years either, which adds to the situation Macedonia is in.” It can be said that several important occurrences happened since the IPA funding was established in 2007. Even though Macedonia’s integration is in a limbo at the moment due to the Greek veto over the name dispute, the funds flow each year towards the capacity building of the county and the state, private and civil sectors. The process of the reforms does not stop and the better the country is prepared for the negotiation process the smoother it will run once it starts. Therefore the country should strive to full usage of the numerous EU funds that are open for the Macedonia’s institutions, private and civil sector.

Analýza české právní úpravy osvojení dítěte gayi, lesbami a bisexuálními lidmi ve světle práva Evropské unie a Evropské úmluvy o lidských právech a základních svobodách

Author(s): Jan Wintr / Language(s): Czech

Doporučení vyplývající z legislativní analýzy: jak se bránit kyberšikaně

Author(s): Eva Ondřejová / Language(s): Czech

Doporučení vyplývající z legislativní analýzy: kyberšikana

Author(s): Eva Fialová / Language(s): Czech

Age diversity and age discrimination in the Czech Republic: overview

Author(s): Klára Cozlová / Language(s): English

In the Czech Republic, 45 - 65 years old people comprise over a quarter of the entire population and their employment plays a key role in the country’s economy. The data presented here is based on the official national statistics, which are typically classified by age. Unfortunately, the age categories are not consistent across all types of data. In comparison to the EU, the employment intensity in the Czech Republic is slightly higher than average. The employment rate of the working age cohort 15 - 64 years was 65.2 % (as of 2009). The employment rate of 20-64 years old was 70.7% (while the average rate in the EU was 68.8 %). [...]

Career - Family - Equal Opportunities

Author(s): Věra Kuchařová,Štěpán Jurajda,Daniel Münich,Kateřina Machovcová,Sylva Ettlerová,Olga Nešporová,Kamila Svobodová,Kateřina Machovcová / Language(s): English

Dear reader, The following pages provide the results of various studies concerning the position of women and men in the Czech labour market. The analyses were carried out as a part of the EU Equal project “Fifty - fifty: Equal Opportunities for Women and Men” coordinated by Gender Studies, o.p.s, and co-financed by the EU European Social Fund and the Czech Republic state budget. Each study focuses on a topic that had received very modest coverage in earlier research or had not been explored at all. The first paper is a summary of qualitative and quantitative studies carried out by the Research Institute for Labour and Social Affairs team headed by Věra Kuchařová. The team’s objective was to find out the possibilities parents have in juggling childcare and work responsibilities and the potential constraints or sources of discrimination that can make the parents’ situation difficult. They looked at the issue from both the mothers’ perspective and that of the employers. The main focus was on finding out to what extent the parents draw their sick child leave and claim their maternity/parental leave entitlement, which are the basic measures enabling parents to balance their personal and professional lives. One of the main findings is the fact that the facilities allowing people to balance their personal and professional lives are used much less in the Czech Republic than in the vast majority of western countries. In the Czech Republic, the range of the flexible work arrangement possibilities used is narrower and can usually be summed up in three options: reduced working hours, part-time work and flexible working hours. However, they are usually not offered systematically, they do not fall within internal company guidelines and are used solely on an individual agreement basis. In the Czech Republic, it is still mostly women who take parental leave to provide care for children and ensure other forms of full-time childcare. It is rather exceptional to see a father on parental leave, with men representing about 1% of all persons drawing the parental benefit. The reason can be financial (as men have statistically higher salaries), but it can also lie in the unsupportive attitude on the part of the employers who expect that the working hours arrangement facilities should be primarily used by women. [...]

Maternity Leave, or Parental Time? Seven Czech Mothers on Their Experience with Working and Raising Children in Different EU Countries

Author(s): Kateřina Jonášová,Pavla Frýdlová,Lucie Svobodová,Mirka Bendix-Beranová,Barbora Šindelářová,Viola Parente-Čapková,Zuzana Jürgensová,Zuzana Loubet del Bayle,Hana Schenk / Language(s): English

How to harmonise family and work? How to build a career without losing the chance of a family? In the Czech Republic this dilemma is more poignant than in other EU countries. Its model, where a woman’ s right to a long maternity leave is not supplemented by her right to preschool childcare or to an alternative work arrangement, is outdated in the European context. The lack of preschool facilities prevents thousands of women from returning to work and fathers from participating more in care. Seven Czech mothers with long-term experience from other EU countries, namely Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway and Sweden, shared stories about their encounters with different types of preschool facilities, with returning back to work and with various patterns of maternity and parental leave, which in those countries is not considered vacation, rather a time designated to both parents. For most women in the Czech Republic becoming a mother means entering a vicious circle. The time a Czech woman spends at home with her child is the longest of all countries in Europe. And it is unique even worldwide. Statistics show that most Czech mothers of one child stay at home for three years, which has a very deep impact on both their professional and personal lives (let alone the alternative where two children in a row keep the woman at home for up to eight years). [...]

Stereotype-Free: Choose Your Career Freely. Activities for Elementary School Projects

Author(s): Jitka Kolářová,Anna Babanová,Jitka Hausenblasová,Tereza Krobová,Irena Smetáčková / Language(s): English

Dear readers, we are presenting you with a methodology “cookbook“ which you can use to organize career counselling projects which promote equal opportunities for girls and boys. The goal of this publication is to broaden the range of jobs and education programmes girls and boys consider as their potential career options. We hope to liberate the imagination of young people from the constraints of the traditional division of jobs into jobs for men and jobs for women. The idea that everybody deserves opportunities to put their unique talents to use and to dream freely and without regard to stereotypes about men’s and women’s social roles is fundamental to this book. Studies on decision-making among Czech students show that rather than evaluating their skills and abilities, girls and boys tend to use gender stereotypes to help them choose their future careers (see Jarkovská et al. 2010, Smetáčková 2006, 2007). To reverse this trend, a two-pronged strategy is needed; we have to strengthen career guidance as well as build awareness about the power of gender stereotypes. Better career choices will not only improve the opportunities of girls and boys for self-realization; well considered career choices will also bring employers truly competent workers. With this publication we hope to promote critical thinking and to help people understand how gender stereotypes affect us. Stereotypes can play a positive role in the society – they organize the world for easier orientation. However, we should use them consciously so that we can actually decide whether we want to act according to their dictate or not. We see education as a process of broadening our horizons and learning about the important questions we face in today’s world (such as the issue of the position of men and women in today’s Europe). At the same time, education should always provide space for students to discover their own ways. To meet this goal, our book includes activities to help students reflect on gender stereotypes and to defend their own perspectives. In other words, we seek to facilitate equality between women and men. Our book corresponds with current government strategies and ministerial policy documents (Government Priorities and Procedures to Promote Equality between Women and Men, Ministry of Education Priorities and Procedures to Promote Equal Opportunities for Men and Women). The materials in this book are aimed at elementary school teachers although they can also be used at secondary schools, children’s clubs and other educational institutions for children and youth. Activity descriptions are supplemented by arguments clarifying the fundamental connections between work, career and gender stereotypes. Most of the activities have been field-tested in seminars with real students and have been adjusted for teachers with different backgrounds so that they could use the activities regardless of knowledge of gender studies. We hope that our ideas will help to make your school projects more encouraging for students to see their careers free of gender stereotypes, useful and inspiring. We are interested in hearing from you!

Kariéra – rodina – rovné příležitosti: Výzkumy postavení žen a mužů na trhu práce

Author(s): Štěpán Jurajda,Věra Kuchařová,Kateřina Machovcová,Sylva Ettlerová,Olga Nešporová,Kamila Svobodová,Daniel Münich,Kateřina Machovcová / Language(s): Czech

Institutions for the Execution of Criminal Sanctions for Minors

Author(s): Ivan Kuzminović,Ljiljana Palibrk / Language(s): English

Over the past ten years, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia (HCHRS) has conducted dozens of visits to prisons in Serbia, with the aim of making an assessment of the human rights conditions for imprisoned and detained citizens. Since 2001, the HCHRS has visited all 28 institutions for the execution of criminal sanctions, many of which several times. In a vast number of reports, the HCHRS has conducted analyses and noted non-compliance with solutions prescribed by national legislature and international law on the one hand, and with common practices in the system of execution of criminal sanctions on the other. During the first visits to prisons in 2001, it was determined that human rights conditions were extremely poor. At that time, there were around 6,500 convicted and imprisoned persons in Serbia. Ten years later, resulting from vast efforts by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations (OSCE, UN, CoE), but that of the state as well, the human rights conditions in prisons have been significantly improved, primarily when the decreasing practice of torture and introduction of new (contemporary) legal solutions in the field of criminal sanctions are concerned. The implementation of the institute of alternative execution of criminal sanctions has finally begun in 2011. It includes the possibility of serving a sentence in home confinement (with or without electronic monitoring) for persons serving prison sentences of up to one year, or the conversion of the prison sentence to community work. However, the number of sentenced and detained persons in prison has nearly doubled over the same period of time.

Prison System in Serbia in 2011 – KPZ Niš, KPZ Sremska Mitrovica, KPZ Zabela

Author(s): Ivan Kuzminović,Ljiljana Palibrk / Language(s): English

Serbia’s system for the execution of criminal sanctions has undergone multiple transformations over the past ten years. Since 1991, the prison system has a record of an increasing number of detainees and prisoners, which is the result of a more strict court policy. This occurrence was particularly pronounced as of 2003. Before 2003, the number of detained persons in the Republic of Serbia was steadily between 5,000 and 6,000; whereas afterwards the growth rate of the prison population amounted to more than 10%, so that today, the total increase as compared to the mentioned year surpasses 60%.

HELSINŠKE SVESKE №30: Zatvori u Srbiji 2010 - Praćenje reforme zatvorskog sistema

Author(s): Marija Jelić,Gordana Lukić-Samardžija,Ljiljana Palibrk,Ivan Kuzminović / Language(s): Serbian

Unapređivanje krivičnopravnog sistema, kao preduslov za izgradnju boljeg i bezbednijeg društva, jedan je od najvažnijih aspekata reforme pravosuđa koja se u Srbiji sprovodi poslednjih godina. Osim nesumnjivog značaja za zajednicu, posmatran u kontekstu ljudske bezbednosti ovaj segment reforme dodatno dobija na važnosti, jer je neminovno vezan za globalne procese i međunarodni pravni poredak. U isto vreme, i postupanje sa prestupnicima i zatvorenicima koji se nalaze na izdržavanju kazne, podleže brojnim zakonima i pravilima, konvencijama i drugim dokumentima koji se baziraju, kako na specifi čnoj unutrašnjoj i međunarodnoj legislativi, tako i na konceptu ljudskih prava. Imajući to u vidu, Helsinški odbor za ljudska prava je već 2002. godine počeo sa monitoringom zatvora u Srbiji, najpre kroz jednogodišnji projekat kojim je obuhvaćeno 13 zatvora, a potom kroz trogodišnji (2003-2006) regionalni projekat „Prevencija torture-podrška rehabilitaciji žrtava torture“, tokom koga je vršen kontinuirani monitoring svih zatvora u zemlji.

Komparativni pregled „Izvještaja Evropske komisije za BiH za 2015. godinu“ i „Alternativnog izvještaja o napretku BiH 2015“ Inicijative za monitoring evropskih integracija Bosne i Hercegovine

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bosnian

Kao i prethodne dvije godine, Inicijativa za monitoring evropskih integracija BiH objavila je Alternativni izvještaj o napretku BiH za 2015. godinu,1 u kome se predstavlja pregled napretka Bosne i Hercegovine u ispunjavanju Političkih kriterija (poglavlje 2. u Izvještaju koji objavljuje Evropska komisija) u 2015. godini iz perspektive skoro 30 bh. organizacija civilnog društva koje djeluju na poljima ljudskih prava, političke odgovornosti i vladavine prava. Ovaj dokument predstavlja uporedni pregled izvještaja Evropske komisije i Alternativnog izvještaja, kakav je urađen i prethodnih godina. Cilj komparativne analize je da ustanovi u kojoj mjeri je Evropska komisija u svojim zaključcima i preporukama uzela u obzir preporuke i nalaze organizacija civilnog društva; te da utvrdi koje su podudarnosti i razilaženja ova dva izvještaja. [...]

Comparative Overview of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Progress Report 2015 by the European Commission and the Alternative Progress Report for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2015 by the Initiative for Monitoring the European Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

As in the previous two years, the Initiative for Monitoring the EU Integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina published the 2015 Alternative Progress Report1 that presents an overview of progress Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has made in 2015 in completing the Political Criteria (Chapter 2 in the Progress Report of the European Commission) from the perspective of almost 30 civil society organizations in BiH that operate in the spheres of human rights, political accountability, and the rule of law. This document presents a comparative overview of the European Commission’s Report and the Alternative Report, like the one produced last year. The aim of the comparative overview is to determine to what extent the European Commission, in its conclusions and recommendations, acknowledged the recommendations and conclusions of civil society organizations; and to determine similarities and differences between these two reports. [...]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The Confucius Institutes (CIs) are non-profit educational institutions funded by the Chinese government, with the stated purpose of promoting Chinese language and culture. Since the launch of the Confucius Institutes programme in 2004, the large-scale initiative has been described as a Chinese “soft power” success. The Confucius Institutes have secured a number of partnerships with universities in 146 countries around the world, including in NATO member states. In 2017, there were 525 Confucius Institutes at colleges and universities, as well as 1,113 Confucius classrooms at primary and secondary schools. The CI initiative takes on a number of measures that differentiate it from other cultural institutions, particularly in the way the CIs become a structural unit of a host university and employ a double directorship system. However, the motives behind this large-scale initiative and the procedures of installation in host countries have attracted criticism, in particular the lack of transparency concerning the university contracts, hiring policies and financial aspects. Moreover, reports of self-censorship on sensitive political and historical topics (such as Tibet, Taiwan, or the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989) by both Chinese teachers and local university professors have raised concerns about intellectual freedom. Several scandals in 2014 involving instances on censorship cast light on the hard-line approach applied by the previous Director General, and the tight control exerted by the CI’s governing body Hanban and the Chinese Ministry of Education. The controversy resulted in the non-renewal of CI contracts in several universities in the US and Europe and greatly contributed to the perception of CIs as an instrument of Chinese influence.

The ‘Food-Energy-Water’ Nexus in Central Asia: Regional Implications of and the International Response to the Crises in Tajikistan

Author(s): Matteo Fumagalli / Language(s): English

Most of the spotlight on Central Asia continues to be on its potential role in guaranteeing Europe’s energy security by helping to diversify its energy supplies. This legitimate although increasingly exclusive focus risks overshadowing one of the most urgent issues that the region’s populations face: food security. Food security refers here to both physical and economical access to food and food supplies. To be sure, food security in Central Asia is not to be understood as a standalone challenge. The current food crisis in the region cannot be understood unless located in the broader nexus that encompasses food, water and, indeed, energy (gas and oil). It is only by understanding how the three dimensions of this nexus are entangled that a long-term, concerted and sustained strategy can be developed and applied.

O čemu šutimo kada šutimo o pravima LGBTI osoba u udžbenicima

Author(s): Lamija Begagić / Language(s): Bosnian

Analiza sadržaja udžbenika za osnovne i srednje škole učestala je tema istraživanja posljednjih desetak godina, a rezultat toga je nekoliko izuzetno korisnih studija, istraživanja i izvještaja, mahom dostupnih na internetu. Ističući principe obrazovanja za otvoreno društvo po kojima ono mora biti javno dobro te njegovati interkulturalizam, socijalnu pravdu i poštivati ljudska prava, istraživačice i istraživači su u svojim analizama najčešće primjerima dokazivali upravo suprotno: da školski udžbenici obiluju stereotipima, podržavaju dominantne predrasude te vrše diskriminaciju Drugih. Oni Drugi kojima se izričito bavilo istraživanje Udruženja Q, kao i izvještaj Damira Banovića, jesu pripadnice i pripadnici LGBTI populacije, a to je ujedno i predmet naše analize nastavnih sadržaja u srednjoškolskim udžbenicima odobrenim za upotrebu u nastavi u Kantonu Sarajevo u školskoj 2015/2016. godini.