European Integration: New Prospects
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Tenth Annual International Academic Conference on European Integration EUROPEAN INTEGRATION: NEW PROSPECTS Tenth annual international academic conference on European integration EUROPEAN INTEGRATION: NEW PROSPECTS ©2015 University American College Skopje Treta makedonska brigada No. 60, 1000 Skopje, Macedonia www.uacs.edu.mk For the publisher. Prof. Dr. Marjan Bojadziev, Rector Tenth annual international academic conference on European integration EUROPEAN INTEGRATION: NEW PROSPECTS Skopje, Thursday 21 May 2015 Editors: Prof. Dr. Ivan Dodovski Prof. Dr. Robert C. Hudson Program Committee: Prof. Dr. Mihail Arandarenko, University of Belgrade Dr. Desislava Ljubomirova Boshnakova, New Bulgarian University, Sofia Prof. Dr. Jeremy Cripps, University of Findlay, USA Prof. Dr. Ivan Dodovski, University American College Skopje Prof. Dr. Robert C. Hudson, University of Derby, UK Prof. Dr. Mehmet Zeki Ibrahimgil, Gazi University, Ankara Prof. Dr. Stevo Pendarovski, University American College Skopje Prof. Dr. Marjan Petreski, University American College Skopje Prof. Dr. Nebojša Ranđelović, University of Niš Prof. Dr. Miodraga Stefanovska, University American College Skopje Prof. Dr. Charalampos Tsardanidis, Institute of International Economic Relations, Athens Dr. Jaka Vadnjal, GEA College for Entrepreneurship, Ljubljana Prof. Dr. Johan G. Wissema, Delft University of Technology Proof reading: Prof. Dr. Robert C. Hudson Design & Layout: UACS EUROPEAN INTEGRATION: NEW PROSPECTS Edited by: Ivan Dodovski Robert C. Hudson Skopje, 2015 European Integration: New Prospects Table of Contents Robert C. Hudson and Ivan Dodovski Introduction ................................................................................................... 7 CURRENT DILEMMAS CONFRONTING THE COMMON EUROPEAN HOME: UNITY AND DIVERSITY, PEACE, PROSPERITY AND CULTURE Jeremy Cripps Celebrating European Diversity: Interpretations in Religion, Language, Culture and Education ............................................................................... 21 Zlat R. Milovanovic Multilingualism and Monolingualism in the Institutions of the European Union ............................................................................. 37 Robert C. Hudson Current Dilemmas Confronting European Security in the Wake of the Ukrainian Conflict ........................................................................... 55 Ljupcho Stevkovski and Dushko Stojanovski The Current Situation Concerning Illegal Migration in the Balkans ............................................................................................ 81 Violeta Bakalchev, Manas Bakalchev and Mitko Hadzi Pulja From Transition to Integration: New Prospects for the European Home............................................................................. 95 ICT EUROPE: INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION Ivana Stojanovska, Marjana Vaneva and Biljana Stojcevska E‐Inclusion: The Digital Divide and ICT Acceptance among Elderly People in Macedonia Compared with Bulgaria and Romania ............................. 119 Stevo Pendarovski, Veno Pachovski and Marko Andonov The Promise of E‐Democracy and the Internet: Myths about Digital Agoras ................................................................................ 133 Ganka Cvetanova, Veno Pachovski and Irena Bojadzievska The Engagement Initiative of EU Citizens and Digital Platforms for Open Policy Making in Finland, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Macedonia ............................................................................ 153 Nikola Radunović Wireless Montenegro: A Free Internet Service for Citizens or Just a Government Project toward the European Accession Process? ............. 173 LEGAL EUROPE AND BEYOND: FROM TRANSITION TO INTEGRATION THROUGH LEGISLATION AND PRACTICE Krum Efremov, Jasmina Majstoroska and Ilijana Petrovska The South East Europe 2020 Strategy: Integration through Trade and Investment ....................................................................................... 195 Kimo Cavdar, Jasmina Dimitrieva and Zoran Sapurik European Standards and Principles in the Law on Mediation in the Republic of Macedonia in view of the European Directive 2008/52/EC on Cross Border Mediation .......................................................................... 211 Daniele Del Bianco and Marina Andeva Cross Border Cooperation in Europe: Experience, Tools and Practice .... 225 About the Authors .............................................................................................. 241 7 Robert C. Hudson, Ivan Dodovski: Introduction European Integration: New Prospects Introduction Robert C. Hudson and Ivan Dodovski This volume is made up of selection of carefully selected peer‐reviewed papers originally presented at the 10th international conference entitled: “European Integration: New Prospects” which was held in Skopje on 21 May 2015. The papers were written against the background of a number of serious issues confronting Europe at the time; particularly, issues affecting the economy, migration and security. Whilst some EU member states seemed to be slowly emerging from the global economic crisis, which had had such a deep impact on Europe since 2008, concerns remained over how to achieve economic growth and create jobs in order to build social cohesion. There were concerns too over rising unemployment, especially amongst European youth and the rise of extremism throughout the continent which could impact on social cohesion and stability in the face of economic austerity. One particular question remained over whether or not enlargement would provide a solution to many of Europe’s problems or if it would engender further problems; whilst aspirant countries from South Eastern Europe needed to be fully aware of the hurdles that they would have to go through if they were to create and sustain true civil societies – prerequisites for EU‐membership status. There would also be a need too for greater regional cooperation, especially in South Eastern Europe and the need to settle cross‐border disputes in a further bid to usher in greater political stability and economic development and to attract foreign direct investment. Meanwhile, Europe was confronted with new security concerns: such as the annexation of Crimea by Russia and the simmering conflict in Eastern Ukraine. The situation had been exacerbated by the rise of ISIS or Daesh, which had led not only to an increase in terrorist threats at the heart of Europe, but had also begun to impact on continuing conflicts in countries such as Syria and Iraq. These conflicts would in turn lead to steadily increasing flows of migration into South Eastern and Central Europe throughout the summer of 2015, in what would prove to be the worst refugee crisis in Europe since the end of the Second World War. Growing tension arose between concepts of European open societies on the one hand and Fortress Europe on the other. This could impact 8 European Integration: New Prospects on cross border cooperation which would be set against the closing of frontiers and threaten the continued existence of the Schengen agreement of 1995. These are some of the issues addressed in this book which are of great importance to those western Balkan countries which are aspiring to become EU member states in the not too distant future. As such our book is made up of twelve chapters and divided into three parts. The first part concerns “Current Dilemmas Confronting the Common European Home: Unity and Diversity, Prosperity and Culture”. The Second part concentrates on “ICT Europe: Inclusion and Exclusion” and the third part is dedicated to “Legal Europe and Beyond: From Transition to Integration through Legislation and Practice”. Part One: Current Dilemmas Confronting the Common European Home: Unity and Diversity, Prosperity and Culture European unity and diversity is not a recent innovation and the idea of celebrating European unity has been with us across the centuries, though it has often been brought about by force in the past. In the opening chapter of the first part of this book on Current Dilemmas Confronting the Common European Home, Jeremy Cripps makes it clear from the start that the international university community should play a leading role in the move toward celebrating greater unity and diversity in Europe in a bid to strengthen current and future aspirations for peace and development. He particularly highlights the role that can be played by academics in the humanities and the liberal arts in this process. In this carefully constructed and articulately expressed analysis, Cripps considers four key areas which lie at the heart of developing much more successful integration across Europe; these are: religious tolerance, the roles of culture and education, and the use of language. Recognizing that there are twenty‐four working languages in the European Union, the author acknowledges that this might only serve to hinder communication, to say nothing of considering the implications of cost to the EU member states. By contrast, a unified language system might be the best way forward, as indeed the great powers of the past and present have resorted to the use of a single language, starting with the Roman Empire. Indeed, the author takes us back to the Antonine period of the Roman Empire, as his starting point, seeing the Antonines as the early masters of European diversity. In this thoughtful and provoking essay, the author takes his reader through a wide range of different societies and cultures, and a raft of cultural, historical