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New Realities and Old Temptations

Balkaninsight.com - Fri, 28/07/2017 - 12:42
Amidst the high summer heat, we look at how the EU is dealing with authoritarian challenges, the myths and realities or Russia’s presence in the Balkans and much more, including interesting places to discover during the holiday season. 
Categories: Balkan News

Croatian Taxi Drivers Block Airports in Anti-Uber Protest

Balkaninsight.com - Fri, 28/07/2017 - 12:41
Angry about being undercut by the taxi service app Uber, Croatian taxi drivers blocked or hindered access to airports in Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik on Friday.
Categories: Balkan News

Opinion - Establishment, operation and use of the Schengen Information System (SIS) in the field of border checks - PE 605.920v03-00 - Committee on Foreign Affairs

OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment, operation and use of the Schengen Information System (SIS) in the field of border checks, amending Regulation (EU) No 515/2014 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1987/2006
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Hilde Vautmans

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP
Categories: Europäische Union

Opinion - Use of the Schengen Information System for the return of illegally staying third-country nationals - PE 605.921v02-00 - Committee on Foreign Affairs

OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the use of the Schengen Information System for the return of illegally staying third-country nationals
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Hilde Vautmans

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP
Categories: Europäische Union

Opinion - Establishment, operation and use of the Schengen Information System (SIS) in the field of border checks - PE 605.920v03-00 - Committee on Foreign Affairs

OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment, operation and use of the Schengen Information System (SIS) in the field of border checks, amending Regulation (EU) No 515/2014 and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1987/2006
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Hilde Vautmans

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP
Categories: European Union

Opinion - Use of the Schengen Information System for the return of illegally staying third-country nationals - PE 605.921v02-00 - Committee on Foreign Affairs

OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the use of the Schengen Information System for the return of illegally staying third-country nationals
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Hilde Vautmans

Source : © European Union, 2017 - EP
Categories: European Union

Judicial Activism and the Fight Against Institutionalized Corruption

Foreign Policy Blogs - Fri, 28/07/2017 - 12:30

Dilma Rousseff was impeached last year as the elected President of Brazil. The divide between her supporters and her opponents led to some of the largest political demonstrations in the country’s history. Michel Temer, who replaced President Rousseff, was suspected of being complicit in corrupt practices as well, and has recently been investigated and charged but still holds his position as President. Former popular President Inacio ‘Lula’ da Silva who was set to run again for Rousseff’s PT party was convicted recently under a corruption probe, and sentenced to ten years in prison.

Actions against corrupt practices coming out of the Petrobras scandal have placed many of Brazil’s political class under legal review. The judicial activists who had the courage and ability to go after corruption in the country have exposed the structural and institutional infestation of corruption in Brazil. While Brazil is not unique in being mired in corruption, the actions by some in its judiciary and government came from the anger of the people and the desire to end waste that had consistently burdened the citizens of Brazil.

The character of corruption is that once it takes hold, it is almost impossible to get rid of in any meaningful way. Because deep corruption is often embedded in the top tier of an organization, the practices to get ahead and be successful permeates the entire administrative structure from the top down. This makes it impossible to grow as an honest agent in that structure without acquiescing in some way to the new infected culture. Working against those practices often means coming from the outside and pairing with internal agents.

Such individuals often assume a great risk to their career in exposing the problems within their organization, and in most cases those whistle-blowers lose in the greater scheme of repairing or replacing corrupt agents in those organizations. Embedded corruption, often one that came with the creation of an agency is even more of a challenge, as the institutions and structures within are formed around a tradition of corrupt practices. When analyzing the challenge the judicial activists in Brazil had to confront in institutions that were built on generations of corrupt practices, it was shown that issues were present in most established control structures with many politicians and business leaders from many political parties in Brazil being found linked in their investigations.

Brazilians in many ways had no choice but to demand accountability, and it was evident that most of their political leaders were not in the moral position to pursue change. Fighting against corrupt practices was the only way to turn power and just policies back towards helping the average person in Brazil. Voting for political parties that have been tarnished by corrupt practices is the worst approach as it institutionalizes and legitimizes their illegal activity.

With no political betters, the courage and strength of Brazil’s judicial inquirers were placed in the position to investigate and apply legal solutions when most Brazilians likely assumed this possibility did not exist. Beyond abrupt revolutionary movements, removing corrupt practices is almost impossible. Even some of the least corrupt societies have trouble challenging institutionalized corrupt practices.

Brazil may just be fortunate to have a few who are able to change their country by reducing corruption via a positive and legitimate judicial approach, perhaps for the first time in their history.

The post Judicial Activism and the Fight Against Institutionalized Corruption appeared first on Foreign Policy Blogs.

Miből él Milošević özvegye? Kérdezzék Putyint?

Balkáni Mozaik Blog - Fri, 28/07/2017 - 12:26

Tizenöt éve él Moszkvában Slobodan Milošević özvegye, Mirjana Marković és a fia Marko. Marija lánya Montenegróba költözött, vele 14 éve nem találkozott. Néhány napja nyílt levélben válaszolt a szerb médiában az utóbbi időben megjelent találgatásokra, hogy miből is él az orosz fővárosban, és mi lett a 90-es években felhalmozott hatalmas vagyonnal?

                                                   A Milosević család

2003-ban úgy gondolták, hogy talán tíz napra utaznak Moszkvába, azóta sok év eltelt, közben 2008-ban politikai menedékjogot kaptak, és bár szeretné, ha visszatérhetne Szerbiába, tudja, hogy arra soha nem lesz lehetősége, és nemcsak azért, mert letartóztatási parancs van ellene is és a fia ellen is. A 75 éves özvegyet hátfájás kínozza, porckorongsérve van, ezek miatt szinte soha nem hagyja el a házat, könyvet, könyveket ír. Férje egykori párttársaival sem tartja a kapcsolatot, ők nem keresik a társaságát.

„Mindent, amit mondhatnék, már leírtam a könyveimben. Az igazságot. Aki elhiszi, elhiszi, aki nem, nem. Az életem hátralévő részét nem fogom azzal tölteni, hogy bizonyítsam mi igaz és mi hazugság...” 

És hogy hol és hogyan él Moszkvában Mira Marković? Ha hinni lehet(ne) Dragan Antićnak, a család közeli barátjának, akkor az özvegy az 58 ezer dináros nyugdíjából (kb. 620 dollár) él, amit minden hónapban kap Belgrádból. 

Nehéz ezt elképzelni a világ egyik legdrágább városában. Szerényen él, mondja a barát, ami akkor sem fog változni, ha az Európai Unió tanácsa feloldja a Milosević család vagyonának 2000-ben történt zárolását.

„Mit gondolnak, hogy arra kell neki pénz, hogy a Louis Vuittonnál, vagy a Pradanál vásároljon? Ez hülyeség”- mondta Antić. 

Egyesek mégis megkérdezik, hogy ha másra nem, de a 300 négyzetméteres lakásra, élelemre költeni kell a drága Moszkvában. Erre azt válaszolta: „Milyen lakás? Nincs neki lakása. Hogy amiben lakik kié, arról kérdezzék Putyint.”

Mira Marković Moszkva elővárosában, Barvikhaban él. Itt a lakások ára 5 és 15 ezer euró között van négyzetméterenként, az 1000 négyzetméternél nagyobb villákat kb. 20 millió euróért árulják. A luxusnegyedet a moszkvaiak csak úgy emlegetik, mint a „diktatórikus szemét ártalmatlanítására szolgáló lerakat.” 2015-ben ott lakott az egykori ukrán elnök, Viktor Janukovics is, de nyújtottak luxusmenedéket Askar Akayev kirgiz elnöknek és a fiának, akik 2005 óta élnek itt, és Aslan Abashidze elnöknek, az Abház Grúz Köztársaság vezetőjének. 1998-ig élt itt a törökországi kurdok vezetője Abdula Ödzsalan is, őt azonban kiutasították, Afrikában küldték, végül 1999-gen átadták a törököknek.

                                                           Barvikha

Barvikhaban van az ország legexkluzivabb bevásárlóközpontja a Lakceri village, ahol kb. százezer négyzetméteren a világ legnagyobb és legdrágább cégei árusitják termékeiket: Gucci, Armani, Ralph Lauren, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, Tiffany, Bentley, Ferrari-Maserati, Lamborghini...

A szerbiai közvéleményt még mindig foglalkoztatja, hogy mi lett a 90-es években állítólag felhalmozott hatalmas vagyonnal? Az özvegy szerint akkor sem volt vagyonuk és neki most sincs semmije a nyugdíján, és az önéletrajzi könyvének bevételén túl. Ha szükséges, akkor a fia támogatja. Az életvitelüket ismerve ez kevéssé hihető, Milošević egykori ügyvédje, Toma Fila sem ezt mondja:

„Tudom, hogy sok pénz, millió eurók mentek Ciprusra. De mindet elköltötték a szankciók ellensúlyozására, még egy amerikai helikoptert is vásároltak abból a pénzből. Ha most még van valami abból a pénzből külföldön, akkor arról Markót kell megkérdezni, mert ha valaki elvitte, akkor az ő volt. Személy szerint nem hiszem, hogy van belőle valami is.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Categories: Nyugat-Balkán

Debate: Hotspots in North Africa? Paris takes the initiative

Eurotopics.net - Fri, 28/07/2017 - 12:25
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday announced plans to set up hotspots in Libya as early as this summer, before retracting the statement just a few hours later. The security situation in the country precludes such a move, the Elysée announced, adding that feasibility studies would be carried out for Libya's border region with Niger and Chad. Europe's commentators weigh up the pros and cons of Macron's initiative.
Categories: European Union

Debate: Should diesel and petrol cars be banned?

Eurotopics.net - Fri, 28/07/2017 - 12:25
One country after another is making moves to ensure that diesel and petrol engines become a thing of the past: Paris, Madrid, Athens and Helsinki plan to ban their production by 2025, with London following suit in 2040. In Germany the cartel scandal that has hit the automotive industry has added fuel to the debate. But commentators see bans as the wrong approach for various reasons.
Categories: European Union

Debate: US sanctions against Europe's energy policy?

Eurotopics.net - Fri, 28/07/2017 - 12:25
The US Senate has followed the lead of the House of Representatives and approved by a large majority new sanctions against Russia. The corresponding legislation will now be presented to US President Donald Trump for signing. The EU Commission has threatened to react with countermeasures if Trump signs the measure into law. Europe's commentators view the developments with concern.
Categories: European Union

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