scholarly journals Adaptation to EUTR Requirements: Insights from Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1665
Author(s):  
Maja Radosavljević ◽  
Mauro Masiero ◽  
Todora Rogelja ◽  
Branko Glavonjić
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Monitoring Systems ◽  
National Forest ◽  
Illegal Logging ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Forest Policies ◽  
Balkan Countries ◽  
Illegal Activities ◽  
Forest Act

Eight years after the European Union Timber Regulation (EUTR) came into force, its effectiveness is still unsatisfactory due to deficient and uneven implementation among member states. In addition, some Western Balkan countries have poor legality monitoring systems, increasing the risk of trade in illegally harvested timber. Regardless of this, no recent work has analyzed the adaptation of national forest policies to the EUTR obligations. Our study aims to contribute to the understanding of EUTR implementation by analyzing the adaptation of policies of the Western Balkan countries (Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia) to the EUTR. Qualitative content analysis was conducted on 22 policy documents from Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia. Documents were coded using coding categories derived from EUTR. Our results point out that none of the analyzed countries have a policy to directly address illegal logging or prevention of illegal activities. As EU members, Slovenia and Croatia has implemented EUTR through laws. The Slovenian Forest Act addresses all EUTR obligations, while Croatian Law on EUTR Implementation does not directly address the obligation of legality. This obligation is addressed by the Law on Forests. As Serbia is not an EU member, it did not implement EUTR. Nevertheless, Serbian Law on Forests addresses all EUTR obligations, but has some discrepancies regarding Traceability obligation. With ongoing discourses on Green Deal policies and the increasing focus on “deforestation-free” commodities, stricter implementation might be expected of EUTR at EU level. Most countries would probably have to build capacities for EUTR implementation and become more transparent and responsible concerning information availability. To successfully implement EUTR, an increased number of checks as well as stricter fines will be needed.

scholarly journals 21ST CENTURY SKILLS IN THE CONTEXT OF LIFE QUALITY

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 322
Author(s):  
Inga Zeide ◽  
Indra Odiņa
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
European Union ◽  
21St Century ◽  
21St Century Skills ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
The Relationship

The article addresses comparative qualitative content analysis as a part of the grounded theory research to explore the relationship between English language proficiency of economically active adults and their quality of life. Using comparative qualitative content analysis of the policy documents in respect of lifelong learning as main data collection method, the authors of the article aim to identify the relationship between the 21st century skills and indicators of life quality by comparing the sources that define the 21st century skills and analysing them in the context of the “8+1” dimensions of life quality offered by the European Union. The following research questions have been proposed: how 21st century skills are defined in the policy documents and how they relate to the quality of human life. The analysis of European Parliament, Council of the European Union, Word Economic Forum and Eurostat policies, models, strategies and their implementation in respect of lifelong learning reveals existing gaps and points at the urgent need in profiling the development of human skills to enhance human well-being and life quality in Europe. Besides, developing new skills and improving existing ones can be a tool for improving the quality of life in the future, whereas the dimensions of life quality can serve as a prerequisite for skills development.  

scholarly journals The Rise of Right-Wing Extremism in European Union

2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-57
Author(s):  
Ljupcho Stevkovski
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Young People ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Living Standards ◽  
Radical Right ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Balkan Countries ◽  
The Right ◽  
Right Wing Extremism

It is a fact that in the European Union there is a strengthening of right-wing extremism, radical right movement, populism and nationalism. The consequences of the economic crisis, such as a decline in living standards, losing of jobs, rising unemployment especially among young people, undoubtedly goes in favor of strengthening the right-wing extremism. In the research, forms of manifestation will be covered of this dangerous phenomenon and response of the institutions. Western Balkan countries, as a result of right-wing extremism, are especially sensitive region on possible consequences that might occur, since there are several unresolved political problems, which can very easily turn into a new cycle of conflicts, if European integration processes get delayed indefinitely.

Lobbying against sugar taxation in the European Union: Analysing the lobbying arguments and tactics of stakeholders in the food and drink industries

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 565-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arsenios Tselengidis ◽  
Per-Olof Östergren
Keyword(s):  
Trade Unions ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Stakeholder Analysis ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Political Activity ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Corporate Political Activity ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases ◽  
Food And Drink

Aims: This study investigates the lobbying actors of the food and drink industry (FDI), their web lobbying arguments used in the sugar taxation debate and the tactics deployed when facing legislative restrictions on their products to curb the burden of non-communicable diseases in Europe. Methods: A stakeholder analysis was performed to identify the FDI’s actors lobbying against sugar taxation within the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health during December 2015. Qualitative content analysis was applied to assess the FDI’s web lobbying claims related to three main concepts (sugar as a product, sugar’s association with non-communicable diseases and sugar taxation), guided by a framework for corporate political activity. Results: The web site content of a front organization and six FDI lobbyists was analysed. Some new strategies emerged alongside known corporate strategies (‘questioning the effectiveness of regulation and promoting benefits of a withdrawal’, ‘promoting sugar’s good traits and shift the blame away from it’ and ‘establishing relationships with trade unions’). The lobby tactics were similar to those previously applied by the tobacco industry in Europe, although the argument that sugar is a natural ingredient in many foods was unique to the FDI. Conclusions: The observed tactics and arguments presented by the FDI in opposition to sugar taxation have striking similarities with those previously used by the tobacco industry. An improved understanding of the stakeholders’ mandate and resources and their most important tactics will strengthen the position of public health experts when debating sugar taxation with the FDI, which may contribute to improving population health.

scholarly journals Unia Europejska wobec Bałkanów Zachodnich w kontekście kryzysu migracyjnego w latach 2015‑2019

Politeja ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3(66)) ◽  
pp. 157-169
Author(s):  
Wawrzyniec Banach
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Regional Security ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Balkan Countries ◽  
Research Goal ◽  
Accession Process ◽  
Migration Crisis ◽  
The Eu

European Union towards Western Balkans in the Context of Migration Crisis 2015‑2019 The aim of the article is to analyse the actions taken by the European Union towards the Western Balkans in the context of the migration crisis. The study assumes that the migration crisis was an important factor accelerating the accession process of the Western Balkan countries to the European Union. In order to fulfil the research goal, an analysis of sources (European Union documents) was conducted. The paper uses elements of the theory of the regional security complex as a theoretical framework. Firstly, the activities of the European Union before the migration crisis are discussed. Next, the paper focuses on presenting the course of the crisis on the Western Balkan route. The further part of the study discusses the actions taken by the EU towards the countries of the Western Balkans in response to the migration crisis.

scholarly journals An analysis of the policies of Information and Communication Technologies for Agriculture in Mali

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 100-117
Author(s):  
Macire Kante ◽  
Patrick Ndayizigamiye
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Production Areas ◽  
National Framework

To harness the potential of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), developing countries need to develop national ICT policies that will serve as a framework for integrating ICTs at all levels of society. In the absence of that, different actors often engage in various actions for the same beneficiaries and in pursuit of the same objectives. That raises the need to define a national framework for the promotion and application of ICTs in the various production areas, particularly agricultural ones. It is for that reason that this study examined through qualitative methods (policy documents and semi-structured interviews) the national policy of Mali on the use of ICTs in agriculture. Data was analysed using the Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) method with the aid of NVIVO 12 software. The results showed that the country has two policy documents that articulate the country’s strategy towards the use of ICTs in the agricultural sector, that is, the Agricultural Orientation Law and the National Strategy for the Development of the Digital Economy. Further examination revealed that that these two policy documents are neither appropriate nor coherent in today's Malian landscape. This has resulted in an underutilisation of digital tools by agricultural extension officers which led to the low agricultural productivity in the country. This study recommended therefore the recasting of both documents to take into account the reported observations

scholarly journals Discursive Representations of Education for Sustainable Development in Policy Documents by English Medium Instruction Schools in Estonia and Norway

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-66
Author(s):  
Oleksandr Kapranov
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Constructivist Approach ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Discursive Strategies ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Discursive Representations

Abstract This article introduces and discusses a study that aims at illuminating discursive representations of education for sustainable development (henceforth – ESD) by means of compiling and analysing a corpus of policy documents written by English medium instruction (EMI) secondary schools in Estonia and Norway, respectively. Informed by the constructivist approach (Foucault, 1981), discursive representations of ESD in the study were operationalised as discursive strategies that were employed in naming, referring to, and providing an evaluative perspective to ESD-related topics. In this study, the corpus of policy documents published by EMI secondary schools in Estonia and Norway was collected in order to analyse discursive representations of ESD by means of applying a qualitative content analysis. The results of the analysis indicated that the discursive representations of ESD were similarly construed in policy documents written and communicated by EMI secondary schools in Estonia and Norway. Those findings were further discussed in the article in conjunction with their didactic implications.

scholarly journals Doing Frontiers: On the Performativity of the European Border and Migration Regime

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1-2016) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Tobias Heinze ◽  
Sebastian Illigens Sebastian Illigens ◽  
Michael Pollok
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
European Identity ◽  
European Security ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
Security Discourse ◽  
Subject Categories ◽  
Multidimensional Matrix ◽  
And Migration

Determining European territory is a delicate endeavor. A definite borderline is hard to identify. Instead, European security discourse spans a space with conditional qualities: open for some, impervious for many. Referring to Judith Butler's theory, this constribution’s aim is to disclose performative forces that create corresponding subject-categories. Particularly, expert-driven legislation on migration and the militarization of the security discourse is relevant. It is possible to reconstruct a multidimensional matrix of intelligibility. For this, relevant policy documents are analyzed by conducting a qualitative content analysis. This contribution allows to critically question foundational dimensions of European identity constituted by regulatory and exclusive practices at the borders.

scholarly journals SOLIDARITY CHECK IN TIMES OF COVID-19. ANALYSIS OF THE EU APPROACH TOWARDS ITS CLOSEST NEIGHBOURS WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON MONTENEGRO

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Đurić ◽  
Bojana Lalatović
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Complex Structure ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Governance System ◽  
Member States ◽  
Balkan Countries ◽  
The Eu

Solidarity as one of the cornerstone values of the European Union has been once again seated on the red chair and intensively discussed within the European Union and broader. After the economic recession and migrant crisis that marked the last two decades, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has once again harshly tested the fundamental objectives and values of the European Union and the responsiveness and effectiveness of its governance system on many fronts. In April, 2020 several EU Member States were among the worst affected countries worldwide and this situation soon became similar in their closest neighbourhood. It put a huge pressure on the EU to act faster, while at the same time placing this sui generis community to the test that led to revealing its strengths and weaknesses. As it happened in the previous crises, the Union launched policies and various programmes that were meant to lessen the burden of the Member States and aspiring countries caused by the crises. The objectives of the mentioned soft law instruments that the EU adopted during the COVID-19 crisis has been not only to show that EU law is equipped to react to health and economic crises rapidly but to deliver its support in terms of solidarity to its Member States and its closest neighbours facing the unprecedented health and economic crisis. This article will explore the value and implication of the solidarity principle in times of Covid-19 in its various manifestations. A special focus will be on the financial and material aspects of the EU instruments created to combat the negative consequences of the pandemic and their further impact on shaping the solidarity principle within the EU system. While examining the character and types of these mechanisms a special focus will be placed on those available to Western Balkan countries, whereas Montenegro as the “fast runner” in the EU integration process will be taken as a case study for the purpose of more detailed analyses. One of the major conclusions of the paper will be that although the speed of the EU reactions due to highly complex structure of decision making was not always satisfying for all the actors concerned, the EU once again has shown that it is reliable and that it treats the Western Balkan countries as privileged partners all for the sake of ending pandemic and launching the socio-economic recovery of the Western Balkans. Analytical and comparative methods will be dominantly relied upon throughout the paper. This will allow the authors to draw the main conclusions of the paper and assess the degree of solidarity as well as the effectiveness of the existing EU instruments that are available to Montenegro and aimed at diminishing negative consequences of the crisis.

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