The Evidentiary Effects of Authentic Acts in the Member States of the European Union, in the Context of Successions

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Evidentiary Effects of Authentic Acts in the Member States of the European Union, in the Context of Successions DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES POLICY DEPARTMENT C: CITIZENS' RIGHTS AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS LEGAL AFFAIRS The evidentiary effects of authentic acts in the Member States of the European Union, in the context of successions STUDY Abstract The EU Succession Regulation (Regulation 650/2012) allows for cross-border circulation of authentic instruments in a matter of succession. Authentic instruments are documents created by authorised authorities which benefit from certain evidential advantages. As this Regulation does not harmonise Member State substantive laws or procedures concerning succession the laws relating to the domestic evidentiary effects of succession authentic instruments remain diverse. Article 59 of the Succession Regulation requires the Member States party to the Regulation to give succession authentic instruments the evidentiary effects they would enjoy in their Member State of origin. The only limits on this obligation being public policy or the irreconcilability of the authentic instrument with a court decision, court settlement or another authentic instrument. This study, which was commissioned by the Policy Department for Citizen's Rights and Constitutional Affairs of the European Parliament upon request of the Committee on Legal Affairs, provides an information resource for legal practitioners concerning the evidentiary effects of succession authentic instruments in the 25 Member States bound by the Succession Regulation. It also makes recommendations for best practice. PE 556.935 EN ABOUT THE PUBLICATION This research paper was requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs and commissioned, supervised and published by the Policy Department for Citizen's Rights and Constitutional Affairs. Policy departments provide independent expertise, both in-house and externally, to support EP committees and other parliamentary bodies in shaping legislation and exercising democratic scrutiny over EU external and internal policies. To contact the Policy Department for Citizen's Rights and Constitutional Affairs or to subscribe to its newsletter please write to: [email protected] Research Administrator Responsible Céline CHATEAU Policy Department C: Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs European Parliament B-1047 Brussels E-mail: [email protected] Editorial assistant Ms. Lucia-Cristina ACHIHAEI AUTHORS Professor Paul BEAUMONT, University of Aberdeen Dr Jonathan FITCHEN, University of Aberdeen Jayne HOLLIDAY LLM, University of Aberdeen LINGUISTIC VERSIONS Original: EN Manuscript completed in March 2016 © European Union, 2016 This document is available on the internet at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/supporting-analyses DISCLAIMER The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament. Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorized, provided the source is acknowledged and the publisher is given prior notice and sent a copy. The evidentiary effects of authentic acts in the Member States of the European Union, in the context of successions ________________________________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 14 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 15 Background 15 Aim of the project 16 Recommendations 17 1. GENERAL INFORMATION 18 1.1. The scope and operation of the Succession Regulation 18 1.2. The legal nature and operation of an authentic instrument in the context of succession 19 1.3. The role of the authentic instrument in the transmission of evidence via Article 59 of the Succession Regulation 22 2. METHODOLOGY 23 2.1. Phase One 23 2.2. Phase Two 23 2.3. Phase Three 25 3. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RESEARCH 26 3.1. Comparative analysis 26 3.2. Comparative Findings 28 3.3. Convergences and Divergences 29 3.4. Similarities of notarial role 29 3.5. Similarities of law: evidential presumptions concerning authentic instruments 32 3.6. On the location of challenges to the succession authentic instrument and incidental proceedings provided by the Succession Regulation 34 3.7. Public Policy a similar or dissimilar concept? 35 3.8. Differences 39 4. FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS 51 4.1. Publicity 51 4.2. Clarifying the meaning of "Acceptance" in Article 59 of the Succession Regulation 51 4.3. The Annex 2 Standard Form 51 4.4. Promoting the widest use of the Annex 2 Standard Form 52 4.5. The completion of a useful Annex 2 Standard Form 52 4.6. Reducing unnecessary costs and delay: legalisation 52 4.7. Reviewing the Succession Regulation 52 3 Policy Department C: Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs __________________________________________________________________________________________ APPENDIX I: AUTHORITIES AND LEGAL PROFESSIONALS WITH COMPETENCE IN MATTERS OF SUCCESSION, OTHER THAN A JUDICIAL AUTHORITY, AS DEFINED IN ARTICLE 3(2) 54 APPENDIX II: COUNTRY PROFILES 55 AUSTRIA 55 The Austrian legal system 55 The concept of an authentic instrument in Austria 55 Evidentiary effects of domestic authentic instruments in Austrian law 56 Disputing the validity of the authentic instrument 56 The use of authentic instruments in domestic Austrian succession law 57 The Private International Law implications of the European Union’s Succession Regulation 650/2012 and Implementing Regulation 1329/2014 58 Austria is the Member State of origin: obligations concerning domestic succession authentic instruments 58 Austria is the Member State addressed: foreign succession authentic instruments 60 Austrian public policy 61 Incompatible Authentic instruments 61 BELGIUM 63 The Belgian Legal System 63 The Concept of an Authentic Instrument in Belgium 63 Evidentiary effects of domestic authentic instruments in Belgian law 64 Disputing the validity of an authentic instrument 65 The use of authentic instruments in domestic Belgian succession law 66 The Private International Law implications of the European Union’s Succession Regulation 650/2012 and Implementing Regulation 1329/2014. 67 Belgium is the Member State of origin: obligations concerning domestic succession authentic instruments 67 Belgium is the Member State addressed: foreign succession authentic instruments 69 Belgian public policy 70 Incompatible Authentic instruments 71 BULGARIA 72 The Bulgarian legal system 72 The concept of an authentic instrument in Bulgaria 72 Evidentiary effects of domestic authentic instruments in Bulgarian law 73 Disputing the validity of the authentic instrument 73 4 The evidentiary effects of authentic acts in the Member States of the European Union, in the context of successions ________________________________________________________________________________________ The use of authentic instruments in domestic Bulgarian succession law 74 The Private International Law implications of the European Union’s Succession Regulation 650/2012 and Implementing Regulation 1329/2014 75 Bulgaria is the Member State of origin: obligations concering domestic succession authentic instruments 75 Bulgaria is the Member State addressed: foreign succession authentic instruments 76 Bulgarian public policy 77 Incompatible Authentic instruments 78 CROATIA 79 The Croatian legal system 79 The concept of an authentic instrument in Croatia 79 Evidentiary effects of domestic authentic instruments in Croatian law 80 Disputing the validity of the authentic instrument 80 The use of authentic instruments in domestic Croatian succession law 81 The Private International Law implications of the European Union’s Succession Regulation 650/2012 and Implementing Regulation 1329/2014 82 Croatia is the Member State of origin: obligations concerning domestic succession authentic instruments. 82 Croatia is the Member State addressed: foreign succession authentic instruments 84 Croatian public policy 85 Incompatible Authentic instruments 85 CYPRUS 86 The legal system in Cyprus 86 The concept of an authentic instrument in the Republic of Cyprus 87 Evidentiary effects of domestic authentic instruments in Republic of Cyprus law 87 The use of authentic instruments in domestic Republic of Cyprus succession law 87 The Private International Law implications of the European Union Succession Regulation 650/2012 and Implementing Regulation 1329/2014 88 Republic of Cyprus is the Member State addressed – foreign succession authentic instruments 88 Republic of Cyprus Public Policy 88 Incompatible Authentic Instruments 89 5 Policy Department C: Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs __________________________________________________________________________________________ CZECH REPUBLIC 90 The legal system in the Czech Republic 90 The concept of an authentic instrument in the Czech Republic 90 Evidentiary effects of domestic authentic instruments in Czech law 91 Disputing the validity of the authentic instrument 91 The use of authentic instruments in domestic Czech succession law 92 The Private International Law implications of the European Union’s Succession Regulation 650/2012 and Implementing Regulation 1329/2014 93 The Czech Republic is the Member State of origin: obligations concerning domestic succession authentic instruments 93 The Czech Republic is the Member State addressed: foreign succession authentic instruments 95 The public policy of the Czech Republic 96 Incompatible Authentic instruments 97 ESTONIA 98 The Estonian legal system 98 The concept of an authentic instrument in Estonia 98 Evidentiary effects of domestic authentic instruments in Estonian law 99 Disputing
Recommended publications
  • License Agreement for Panasonic Mobile Softphone
    Either of the following agreements shall apply depending on the user’s residence. Refer and agree to the applicable agreement. (1) END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT For the users located anywhere other than the countries listed in the (2) “Mobile Application End-User Licence Agreement for European Residents”. (2) Mobile Application End-User Licence Agreement for European Residents For the users in Austria, Bulgaria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, Turkey or Republic of Ireland. (1) END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT IMPORTANT-READ CAREFULLY: This End User License Agreement (“Agreement”) is a legal agreement between you (either as a natural or legal person) and Panasonic Corporation (hereinafter called the “Company") for use of the mobile softphone software (“SOFTWARE”). By accepting the terms and conditions of this Agreement and installing the Software or exercising your rights to make and use copies of the SOFTWARE (as may be provided for below), you agree to be bound by terms of this Agreement. If you do not agree to the terms of this Agreement, do not accept these terms and conditions and delete the SOFTWARE. For the limited warranty pertaining to your jurisdiction, please refer to the section LIMITED WARRANTY. You represent that you have full power, capacity and authority to enter into and accept the terms and conditions of this Agreement. If you are accepting on behalf of your employer, company or another entity, you warrant and represent that you have full legal authority to bind your employer, company or such entity to this Agreement, or that a person with such authority has accepted the terms and conditions of this Agreement prior to using the SOFTWARE as described in this paragraph.
    [Show full text]
  • IA09 Bulgaria
    Chapter Bulgaria Kina Chuturkova Borislav Boyanov & Co. Georgitsa Petkova 1 Arbitration Agreements number of arbitrators and rules for formation of the arbitral tribunal; procedural rules, rules of evidence; and 1.1 What, if any, are the legal requirements of an arbitration agreement under the laws of Bulgaria? special confidentiality requirements The following legal requirements of an arbitration agreement 1.4 What has been the approach of the national courts to the ("AA") are provided for by the Bulgarian law: enforcement of arbitration agreements? The parties to the AA must have legal capacity to enter into contracts. In principle, national courts are not prevented from hearing a The AA must refer to disputes stemming from or connected dispute with respect to which the parties have entered into an AA. to a specific legal relationship/s. The general agreement that However, if the defendant raises an objection that the dispute the parties shall submit all disputes between them to should be submitted to arbitration the national court shall be obliged arbitration shall be null and void. to examine the validity of the AA and terminate the case before it. The AA may concern disputes which may arise in future or Should the court finds that the AA is null and void or invalid or non- which have already arisen. enforceable, it shall continue the examination of the case. The AA can be related to disputes on the subject of a contract or non-contractual legal relations. 1.5 What has been the approach of the national courts to the The AA must be in writing.
    [Show full text]
  • Standing Committee on the Law of Patents
    E SCP/ 20 /3 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH DATE: NOVEMBER 15 , 201 3 Standing Committee on the Law of Patents Twentieth Session Geneva, January 27 to 31, 2014 EXCEPTIONS AND LIMITATIONS TO PATENT RIGHTS: PRIVATE AND/OR NON-COMMERCIAL USE Document prepared by the Secretariat INTRODUCTION 1. At its nineteenth session, held from February 25 to 28, 2013, the Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) agreed that, in relation to the topic “exceptions and limitations to patent rights”, the Secretariat would prepare, inter alia , a document, based on input received from Member States, on how the following five exceptions and limitations were implemented in Member States, without evaluating the effectiveness of those exceptions and limitations: private and/or non-commercial use; experimental use and/or scientific research; preparation of medicines; prior use; use of articles on foreign vessels, aircrafts and land vehicles. The document should also cover practical challenges encountered by Member States in implementing them. 2. Pursuant to the above decision, the Secretariat invited Member States and Reg ional Patent Offices, through Note C.8076, to submit information to the Internat ional Bureau add itional to , or updat ing, the information contained in their responses to the questionnaire on exceptions and limitations to patent rights on the above five exceptions and limitations. In addition, Member States and Regional Patent Offices which had not yet submitted their responses to the quest ionnaire were inv ited to do so . 3. Accordingly, this document provides information on how exceptions and limitations regarding private and/or non-commercial use have been implemented in Member States.
    [Show full text]
  • 2018 Bulgaria
    MONITORING OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS’ RECOMMENDATION CM/REC (2010)5 ON MEASURES TO COMBAT DISCRIMINATION ON GROUNDS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR GENDER IDENTITY REPORT ON THE REPUBLIC BULGARIA WRITTEN BY: DENITSA LYUBENOVA - ATTORNEY-AT-LAW DENIZA GEORGIEVA Report on the Republic of Bulgaria Background Information 1 Executive Summary 2 RECOMMENDATIONS 5 Purpose of the Report 10 Political System and Demographics 11 Methodology 11 1. Right to life, security and protection from violence 15 “Hate crimes” and other hate-motivated incidents 15 Hate speech 19 2. Freedom of association 19 3. Freedom of expression and peaceful assembly 20 4. Right to respect for private and family life 21 Right to respect for private and family life of same-sex families 21 Right to respect for private and family life of trans and intersex people 28 5. Employment 29 6. Education 31 7. Health 34 8. Housing 38 9. Sports 39 10. Right to seek asylum 40 11. National Human Rights Structures 42 12. Discrimination on multiple grounds 43 Report on the Republic of Bulgaria Background Information In 2010 the Committee of Ministers of Council of Europe adopted the Recommendation on measures to combat discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity1, recognizing that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons have been for centuries exposed and are still subjected to homophobia, transphobia and other forms of discrimination and social exclusion. This significant document aims to recall that human rights are universal and should guarantee the equal dignity of all human beings and the enjoyment of rights and freedoms of all individuals without discrimination on any ground, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics.
    [Show full text]
  • Opinion on the Draft Law on Preventing and Combating Domestic Violence of Ukraine
    Warsaw, 31 July 2013 Opinion-Nr.: DV-UKR/232/2013 (AlC) www.legislationline.org OPINION ON THE DRAFT LAW ON PREVENTING AND COMBATING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OF UKRAINE based on English translations of the draft law and other selected legal texts provided by the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights Ulica Miodowa 10 PL-00-251 Warsaw ph. +48 22 520 06 00 fax. +48 22 520 0605 OSCE/ODIHR Opinion on the draft Law on Preventing and Combating Domestic Violence in Ukraine TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................3 II. SCOPE OF REVIEW ...............................................................................................................3 III. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................4 IV. ANALYSIS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .......................................................................7 1. International Documents on Preventing and Combating Domestic violence ......................7 2. General Comments ..............................................................................................................9 3. Definitions under Articles 1 and 3 of the Draft Law .........................................................10 4. Grounds for Taking Measures for Preventing and Combating Domestic Violence ..........15 5. Rights of Victims of Domestic Violence ...........................................................................16
    [Show full text]
  • Deliverable 1.1.3 Project Management Handbook (Εγχειρίδιο Διαχείρισης Έργου)
    Deliverable 1.1.3 Project Management Handbook (Εγχειρίδιο Διαχείρισης Έργου) in the framework of the project “Remote Healthcare Service Provision” with acronym “RemoteCARE” within the Cooperation Programme INTERREG V – A Greece – Bulgaria 2014 – 2020 Thessaloniki, May 2020 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 3 1.1. The Programme “Greece-Bulgaria 2014 - 2020” ............................................................... 3 1.2. Scope of the project “REMOTECARE” .................................................................................. 10 1.3. “REMOTECARE” Partnership ................................................................................................. 13 1.4. Partnership Responsibilities & Partners Tasks............................................................... 14 2. Project Management Approach for the project “REMOTECARE” ..................................... 18 2.1 Project Management Methodologies ........................................................................................ 18 2.2 Phases Project Management ........................................................................................................ 21 2.3 “REMOTECARE”’s Project Management Approach ............................................................. 25 3. Management plan on the Scope of the project ........................................................................ 28 4. Milestones .............................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Rare and Threatened Plants in the Black Sea Coastal Area Between Cape Midia (Romania) and Cape Kaliakra (Bulgaria)
    34 (1): 37- 43 (2010) Original Scientifi c Paper Rare and threatened plants in the Black Sea coastal area between Cape Midia (Romania) and Cape Kaliakra (Bulgaria) Marius Făgăraş1, Paulina Anastasiu2 and Negrean Gavril2 1 Ovidius University Constanta, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, 124 Mamaia Blvd., 900527, Constanta, Romania, 2 University of Bucharest, Faculty of Biology, 1-3 Aleea Portocalelor, 060101, Bucharest, Romania ABSTRACT: A list of the rare and threatened vascular plants from the terrestrial coastal zone of Dobrogea between Cape Midia (Romania) and Cape Kaliakra (Bulgaria) are given in the paper. Some considerations regarding the Red Data categories from the Romanian Red List and the Red Data Book of Republic of Bulgaria are also provided. A special attention is paid to plant species protected by the national legislations of Romania and Bulgaria and by the international legislation regarding the conservation of wild fl ora. We report from studied area Minuartia bilykiana as new taxa for the Bulgarian fl ora. A lot of local endemic, regional endemic (for Dobrogea) and Balkan endemic taxa from studied area are mentioned in the paper. Key words: rare plants, threatened plants, coastal zone, Black Sea, Dobrogea. Received 08 September 2009 Revision Accepted 02 June 2010 UDK 581.55 ; 502.211(262.5.04)(498+497.2) INTRODUCTION Due to the expansion of the tourist resorts and of the abusive construction in the beach area, the plant diversity Th e coastal area of the Black Sea between Cape Midia in the Romanian southern coast (Cape Midia – Vama (Romania) and Cape Kaliakra (Bulgaria) is a well delineated Veche) has known a strong decline over the past 20 years.
    [Show full text]
  • Demokratiereport
    THE KAS DEMOCRACY REPORT 2008 MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY VOLUME II PUBLISHER Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V. EDITORS Karsten Grabow Christian E. Rieck www.kas.de © 2008 Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e. V. Sankt Augustin / Berlin All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, without written permission of the publisher. Layout: Switsch Kommunikationsdesign, Cologne Typesetting: workstation gmbh, Bonn This publication was printed with financial support of the Federal Republic of Germany. Printed in Germany. All contributions in this volume reflect the opinion of their authors, not necessarily that of the KAS, unless otherwise stated. ISBN: 978-3-940955-25-8 CONTENTS 3 | PREFACE 5 | INTRODUCTION: OBJECTIVES, METHOD AND STUDY DESIGN 13 | COUNTRY REPORTS BY REGION 15 | AFRICA 17 | NIGERIA 33 | SENEGAL 43 | ASIA 45 | CHINA 59 | GEORGIA 72 | MALAYSIA 82 | PHILIPPINES 94 | THAILAND 101 | EUROPE 103 | BULGARIA 116 | POLAND 126 | RUSSIA 135 | UKRAINE 143 | LATIN AMERICA 145 | BOLIVIA 155 | BRAZIL 165 | VENEZUELA 177 | MIDDLE EAST 179 | EGYPT 189 | TURKEY 199 | ANALYSIS: MEDIA AND MEDIA FREEDOM – DEVELOPMENTS AND TRENDS 214 | PROMOTING FREE MEDIA: THE MEDIA PROGRAMME OF THE KONRAD-ADENAUER-STIFTUNG 222 | APPENDIX: QUESTIONNAIRE 227| CONTRIBUTORS 3 PREFACE The KAS Democracy Report describes the state of key democracy sectors in partner countries of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. With the publication of the first three volumes, Media and Democracy (2005), Rule of Law (2006), and Parties and Democracy (2007) the first cycle of the series was completed. This year, the cycle starts again with a study on the media, although the selection of countries differs to some extent from that of 2005.
    [Show full text]
  • Bulgaria 103
    Bulgaria 103 BULGARIA 1. GENERAL INFORMATION ON MEDIA AND MEDIA USE The official statistics show that Bulgaria’s national literacy rate is high. All people over 15 years Literacy and who are able to read and write are defined as ‘literate’. According to Bulgaria’s latest census in education 2001 the literacy rate is 98.2 per cent. That includes 98.7 per cent of its male and 97.7 per cent of its female citizens. Generally the illiterate people are members of the Romany ethnic group who have dropped out of school at an early stage. According to a survey by the Ministry of Education, 57 per cent of the children who have dropped out of school indicated lack of finance as the main problem. However, it is hard to believe this is the only reason for their dropping out since 53 per cent of the children who regularly attend school also face financial problems. Seventy per cent of those who have stopped attending school define themselves as Roma, 15 per cent as Bulgarians and 11 per cent as of Turkish ethnicity. Half of them drop out of school between the ages of 10 and 15, 8 per cent before reaching the age of 10, and 44 per cent after turning 15. One of the fundamental reasons for their failure to attend school is their family. Surveys indicate that 72 per cent of parents have done nothing after discovering their children were not going to school. Research on media consumption shows that TV, radio and newspapers are the preferred media Media landscape sources.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Thesis
    This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from the King’s Research Portal at https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/ Geographies of transition heritage, identity and tourism in post-socialist Bulgaria Naumov, Nikola Sotirov Awarding institution: King's College London The copyright of this thesis rests with the author and no quotation from it or information derived from it may be published without proper acknowledgement. END USER LICENCE AGREEMENT Unless another licence is stated on the immediately following page this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work Under the following conditions: Attribution: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Non Commercial: You may not use this work for commercial purposes. No Derivative Works - You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work. Any of these conditions can be waived if you receive permission from the author. Your fair dealings and other rights are in no way affected by the above. Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 06. Oct. 2021 GEOGRAPHIES OF TRANSITION: HERITAGE, IDENTITY AND TOURISM IN POST-SOCIALIST BULGARIA A THESIS SUBMITTED BY Nikola Sotirov Naumov BSc MBA MSc IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY 21 MAY 2018 KING’S COLLEGE LONDON Abstract In 1989 the fall of the Soviet Union brought new economic, socio-cultural and political realities to many Eastern European states, which were faced with a long and difficult period of transition.
    [Show full text]
  • Legal Aspects of European Forest Sustainable Development
    IUFRO Division 6: Social, Economic, Information and Policy Sciences Research Group 6.13.00: Forest Law and Environmental Legislation Legal Aspects of European Forest Sustainable Development Proceedings of the 11 th International Symposium Zvolen, Slovakia Editors Rastislav Šulek, Peter Herbst and Franz Schmithüsen Faculty of Forestry, Department of Forest Economics and Management Technical University in Zvolen 2010 IMPRESSUM Rastislav Šulek, Peter Herbst, Franz Schmithüsen (Editors) Legal Aspects of European Forest Sustainable Development Proceedings of the 11 th International Symposium, Zvolen, Slovakia The authors are fully responsible for the content of their articles included in the proceedings Published by: Faculty of Forestry, Department of Forest Economics and Management, Technical University in Zvolen, Slovak Republic Layout and design by: Rastislav Šulek Copy Right: Editors and Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen ISBN: 978-80-228-2210-7 2 PREFACE 6.13.00 - the forest law and environmental legislation research group in IUFRO (International Union of Forest Research Organizations (cf. www.iufro.org)) has been operating world-wide over decades now. Main emphasis has been on documentation, dissemination and critical analysis of developments in forest law and environmental legislation, foremost in Central and Eastern European countries, not only, but in particular such with economies in transition. This within the unit's general and foremost objective, i. e. to foster exchange of information amongst researchers and practitioners active in the domain of forest law and environmental legislation, and to permanently review the state of the subject, thereby setting priorities concerning research and practice. A number of publications have been produced, proving how this unit meets its high standards.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 2. Initiatives for the Adoption of the Special Law on Religion – History, Political Contexts, and Critics
    Chapter 2. Initiatives for the adoption of the Special Law on Religion – History, Political Contexts, and Critics Research objectives and methodology In recent years, discussions concerning the adoption of a special law on religion and religious organizations have been activated in public and political fields. Since 2014, this initiative is openly supported by the State Agency on Religious Affairs (hereinafter “SARI) which operates under the Prime Minister apparatus. This issue was also actively discussed by the Human Rights and Civic Integration Committee of the Parliament in 2018-2019 within the working group on the issues of religious freedom. It should be mentioned that, the adoption of the special law on religion is part of the political agenda since the 90s and was subject to political discussions in various periods. In all cases, initiatives for the adoption of such law was taken by the lobbyists of dominant religious organization and conservative groups and revealed interests of hierarchizing and controlling of religious organizations. However, as adoption of special law creates high risks of interference in religious freedom, of hierarchizing religious organizations and discrimination of small religious groups, initiatives were always followed by the strong criticism from civil and religious organizations. It is noteworthy, that none of the authoritative international organizations which have a mandate of monitoring and protection of religious freedom in member states, recommended the adoption of such law. The below document studies international practice related to the laws on religious organizations in light of the international standards of freedom of religion. The given chapter of the report reviews and analysis special laws on freedom of religion and religious organizations in Europe and Post-Soviet states and examines them within the international standards of freedom of religion.
    [Show full text]