Referendums on Eu Matters
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Load more
Recommended publications
-
The Voting Systems in the Council of the EU and the Bundesrat – What Do They Tell Us About European Federalism? by Jacek Czaputowicz and Marcin Kleinowski
ISSN: 2036-5438 The voting systems in the Council of the EU and the Bundesrat – What do they tell us about European Federalism? by Jacek Czaputowicz and Marcin Kleinowski Perspectives on Federalism, Vol. 10, issue 1, 2018 Except where otherwise noted content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons 2.5 Italy License E -174 Abstract The Treaty of Lisbon introduced a new system of weighted votes in the Council, which radically departs from the principles on which the distribution of votes between the Member States of the EU was based for more than half a century. At the same time, the system of double majority is fundamentally different from the assumptions on which voting systems in federal states are based, including in the Bundesrat. Systems used in federal states are usually based on a compromise between the equality of states, and the equality of citizens. Consequently, in the Nice system, smaller Member States in the EU had relatively greater power compared to their populations than smaller federal units in the German Bundesrat. The results presented in this paper indicate that the Lisbon system of voting in the Council differs significantly from voting systems in federal states. Key-words Council of the European Union, Bundesrat, voting power, Nice voting system, double majority voting system Except where otherwise noted content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons 2.5 Italy License E -175 1. Introduction Is the European Union evolving towards a federal system? Evidence speaking for the European Union being similar to a federation includes: EU institutions taking over competences previously held by states; the principle of supremacy of European law and its direct effect in national law; and cooperation between federal institutions and the constituent units in executing various tasks.I What speaks against this thesis is: the lack of a European constitution; of the right to impose taxes; as well as the fact that states retain their membership in international organisations, such as the UN. -
Slovenian Minority in Austria Tereza Smejkalová1
Slovenian minority in Austria Tereza Smejkalová1 Abstract: This paper will analyse the issue of the Slovenian minority in Austria and focus on its history, development and contemporary concerns as well as attitudes on both sides of this disputed subject. It also stresses the importance of tolerance, democracy and the respect of people’s values, which should be part of the contemporary world and especially of the European Union. If the language and culture of a minority are not adequately respected, the European Union should be concerned and act accordingly. However, in the case of the Slovenian minority this does not occur. Keywords: Slovenia, minority, language policy, and bilingual signposts The autochthonous Slovenian ethnic minority, which is a remnant of former Slavic groups that populated the entire south and east of today’s Austria, now lives in the south Austrian provinces of Carinthia and Styria. Although this minority has had its rights guaranteed by two international treaties – the Saint Germain Peace Treaty of 1919 and the Austrian State Treaty of 1955 – and European conventions, Austria has failed to fully implement them. The Slovenian minority in Styria is not even officially recognised, while ethnic Slovenians in Carinthia have had to fight for every benefit that should have been taken for granted. This status is also indisputably linked to the fact that the former head of the Freedom Party, who has been criticised for his xenophobic and racist statements, is currently the governor of Carinthia. Jorg Haider used the so-called bilingual signpost dispute (“Ortstafelsturm”) in the pre-elections campaign in the summer of 2006 and his actions have dramatically worsened the tensions between the two neighbouring countries. -
Majority Voting in the EU: Beneficial Or Just Equally Harmful Elizabeth Degori Scripps College
Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union Volume 2008 Article 7 February 2012 Majority Voting in the EU: Beneficial or Just Equally Harmful Elizabeth DeGori Scripps College Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/urceu Part of the Constitutional Law Commons, Election Law Commons, European Law Commons, and the Legislation Commons Recommended Citation DeGori, Elizabeth (2008) "Majority Voting in the EU: Beneficial or Just Equally Harmful," Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union: Vol. 2008, Article 7. DOI: 10.5642/urceu.200801.07 Available at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/urceu/vol2008/iss1/7 This Chapter is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Claremont at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union by an authorized administrator of Scholarship @ Claremont. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union 55 5 MAJORITY VOTING IN THE EU: BENEFICIAL OR JUST EQUALLY HARMFUL Elizabeth OeGori ABSTRACT Passing legislation on the basis of unanimity in the Council of Ministers has become increasingly difficult, but creating a fair voting system for a qualified majority is arguably even harder. After providing a small amount of background on the system of Qualified MajorityVoting (QMV) itself, I discuss the desired qualities in a just decision rule; the effects of enlargem ent on such a system; and the current debate between small and large states. In order to do so, I consider the differential effects of using voting weights directly proportional to the populations of member states as opposed to alternative bases. -
Direct Democracy an Overview of the International IDEA Handbook © International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 2008
Direct Democracy An Overview of the International IDEA Handbook © International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 2008 International IDEA publications are independent of specific national or political interests. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of International IDEA, its Board or its Council members. The map presented in this publication does not imply on the part of the Institute any judgement on the legal status of any territory or the endorsement of such boundaries, nor does the placement or size of any country or territory reflect the political view of the Institute. The map is created for this publication in order to add clarity to the text. Applications for permission to reproduce or translate all or any part of this publication should be made to: International IDEA SE -103 34 Stockholm Sweden International IDEA encourages dissemination of its work and will promptly respond to requests for permission to reproduce or translate its publications. Cover design by: Helena Lunding Map design: Kristina Schollin-Borg Graphic design by: Bulls Graphics AB Printed by: Bulls Graphics AB ISBN: 978-91-85724-54-3 Contents 1. Introduction: the instruments of direct democracy 4 2. When the authorities call a referendum 5 Procedural aspects 9 Timing 10 The ballot text 11 The campaign: organization and regulation 11 Voting qualifications, mechanisms and rules 12 Conclusions 13 3. When citizens take the initiative: design and political considerations 14 Design aspects 15 Restrictions and procedures 16 Conclusions 18 4. Agenda initiatives: when citizens can get a proposal on the legislative agenda 19 Conclusions 21 5. -
The United Nations' Political Aversion to the European Microstates
UN-WELCOME: The United Nations’ Political Aversion to the European Microstates -- A Thesis -- Submitted to the University of Michigan, in partial fulfillment for the degree of HONORS BACHELOR OF ARTS Department Of Political Science Stephen R. Snyder MARCH 2010 “Elephants… hate the mouse worst of living creatures, and if they see one merely touch the fodder placed in their stall they refuse it with disgust.” -Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, 77 AD Acknowledgments Though only one name can appear on the author’s line, there are many people whose support and help made this thesis possible and without whom, I would be nowhere. First, I must thank my family. As a child, my mother and father would try to stump me with a difficult math and geography question before tucking me into bed each night (and a few times they succeeded!). Thank you for giving birth to my fascination in all things international. Without you, none of this would have been possible. Second, I must thank a set of distinguished professors. Professor Mika LaVaque-Manty, thank you for giving me a chance to prove myself, even though I was a sophomore and studying abroad did not fit with the traditional path of thesis writers; thank you again for encouraging us all to think outside the box. My adviser, Professor Jenna Bednar, thank you for your enthusiastic interest in my thesis and having the vision to see what needed to be accentuated to pull a strong thesis out from the weeds. Professor Andrei Markovits, thank you for your commitment to your students’ work; I still believe in those words of the Moroccan scholar and will always appreciate your frank advice. -
2Nd Report by the Republic of Austria
Strasbourg, 1 December 2006 ACFC/SR/II(2006)008 [English only] SECOND REPORT SUBMITTED BY AUSTRIA PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 25, PARAGRAPH 1 OF THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATIONAL MINORITIES Received on 1 December 2006 ACFC/SR/II(2006)008 TABLE OF CONTENTS PART I...................................................................................................................................5 I.1. General Remarks..............................................................................................................5 I.2. Comments on the Questions and the Resolution of the Council of Europe ........................7 PART II ...............................................................................................................................17 II.1. The Situation of the National Minorities in Austria .......................................................17 II.1.1. The History of the National Minorities .......................................................................18 The Croat minority in Burgenland ........................................................................................18 The Slovene minority ...........................................................................................................19 The Hungarian minority .......................................................................................................21 The Czech minority..............................................................................................................21 The Slovak minority.............................................................................................................22 -
Professionalization of Green Parties?
Professionalization of Green parties? Analyzing and explaining changes in the external political approach of the Dutch political party GroenLinks Lotte Melenhorst (0712019) Supervisor: Dr. A. S. Zaslove 5 September 2012 Abstract There is a relatively small body of research regarding the ideological and organizational changes of Green parties. What has been lacking so far is an analysis of the way Green parties present them- selves to the outside world, which is especially interesting because it can be expected to strongly influence the image of these parties. The project shows that the Dutch Green party ‘GroenLinks’ has become more professional regarding their ‘external political approach’ – regarding ideological, or- ganizational as well as strategic presentation – during their 20 years of existence. This research pro- ject challenges the core idea of the so-called ‘threshold-approach’, that major organizational changes appear when a party is getting into government. What turns out to be at least as interesting is the ‘anticipatory’ adaptations parties go through once they have formulated government participation as an important party goal. Until now, scholars have felt that Green parties are transforming, but they have not been able to point at the core of the changes that have taken place. Organizational and ideological changes have been investigated separately, whereas in the case of Green parties organi- zation and ideology are closely interrelated. In this thesis it is argued that the external political ap- proach of GroenLinks, which used to be a typical New Left Green party but that lacks governmental experience, has become more professional, due to initiatives of various within-party actors who of- ten responded to developments outside the party. -
Charles University in Prague Faculty of Social Sciences Institut of Economic Studies
Charles University in Prague Faculty of Social Sciences Institut of Economic Studies Three Essays on Operations Research in Political Economy Dissertation Thesis DoleˇzelPavel Academic year 2011/2012 2 3 Abstract Thesis consists of three essays dealing with the exact methods of opera- tions research, mainly the mathematical optimization, used on the issues of political economy. The first two essays deal with the concept of the efficiency of weighted voting games (systems), the third essay is more practical and in- troduces three electoral methods that could be used in the real elections in order to minimize the level of disproportionality. The first essay deals with estimating the efficiency of weighted voting games using our own heuristic algorithm. We show the preciseness of our results in terms of probabilityand we apply the proposed algorithm to the efficiency of several institutions of the European Union, especially to the efficiency of the qualified majority rule used in the Council of the EU both under the Lisbon treaty and under the Treaty of Nice. The second essay provides a theoretical analysis of the efficiency of weighted voting games with focus on the maximal and minimal attainable efficiency given the quota and the number of voters. We present a proof of a theorem which enables us to find the efficiency maxima and minima in linear time and some corollaries of this theorem providing some further knowledge on the structure of the efficiency as a function of quota and number of voters. The third essay introduces three methods of convert- ing votes into seats within the elections to the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament which are designed to minimize the level of disproportion- ality. -
The Low Countries. Jaargang 11
The Low Countries. Jaargang 11 bron The Low Countries. Jaargang 11. Stichting Ons Erfdeel, Rekkem 2003 Zie voor verantwoording: http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/_low001200301_01/colofon.php © 2011 dbnl i.s.m. 10 Always the Same H2O Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands hovers above the water, with a little help from her subjects, during the floods in Gelderland, 1926. Photo courtesy of Spaarnestad Fotoarchief. Luigem (West Flanders), 28 September 1918. Photo by Antony / © SOFAM Belgium 2003. The Low Countries. Jaargang 11 11 Foreword ριστον μν δωρ - Water is best. (Pindar) Water. There's too much of it, or too little. It's too salty, or too sweet. It wells up from the ground, carves itself a way through the land, and then it's called a river or a stream. It descends from the heavens in a variety of forms - as dew or hail, to mention just the extremes. And then, of course, there is the all-encompassing water which we call the sea, and which reminds us of the beginning of all things. The English once labelled the Netherlands across the North Sea ‘this indigested vomit of the sea’. But the Dutch went to work on that vomit, systematically and stubbornly: ‘... their tireless hands manufactured this land, / drained it and trained it and planed it and planned’ (James Brockway). As God's subcontractors they gradually became experts in living apart together. Look carefully at the first photo. The water has struck again. We're talking 1926. Gelderland. The small, stocky woman visiting the stricken province is Queen Wilhelmina. Without turning a hair she allows herself to be carried over the waters. -
The Use and Design of Referendums an International Idea Working Paper *
N. º 4, Segundo Semestre 2007 ISSN: 1659-2069 THE USE AND DESIGN OF REFERENDUMS AN INTERNATIONAL IDEA WORKING PAPER * Andrew Ellis ** [email protected] Nota del Consejo Editorial Abstract: Introduces an International IDEA working paper on referendum and direct democracy as result of an investigation carried out in Europe and Latin America. It analyzes matters such as the use of direct democracy and its impact in representative democracy, as well as the adoption of the referendum mechanism, referenda types, matters of situations where a referendum can take place, participation thresholds, financial controls, the writing of the question to be consulted, etc.. Key words: Direct democracy / Referendum / Popular consultation / Plebiscite / Latin America / Democracy. Resumen: Presenta un ensayo práctico de IDEA Internacional sobre el referéndum y la democracia directa producto de un trabajo investigativo realizado en Europa y América Latina. Analiza temas como el uso de institutos de democracia directa y su impacto en la democracia representativa, la adopción del mecanismo del referéndum, los tipos de referéndum, los temas o situaciones en que un referéndum puede ser celebrado, los umbrales de participación, los controles financieros, la redacción de la pregunta a consultar, etc. Palabras claves: Democracia directa / Referéndum / Consulta popular / América Latina / Democracia. * Dissertation presented at "Seminary of reflection on the importance and use of mechanisms of direct democracy in democratic systems", celebrated on May 25th, 2007, at San José, Costa Rica and organized by International IDEA and the Electoral Supreme Tribunal of the Republic of Costa Rica. This Working Paper is part of a process of debate and does not necessarily represent a policy position of International IDEA. -
Download Journal Sample (PDF)
2018 Geograph Autumn Vol 103 Party 3 AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL • 125 years of the Geographical Association • Twenty-five years of progress in physical geography • Geographies of mobility • Local practices in Fairtrade’s global system Geography Vol 103 Part 3 Autumn 2018 © Geography 2018 Geography Editorial Policy and Vision Geography is the Geographical Association’s flagship journal and reflects the thriving and dynamic nature of the discipline. The journal serves the ‘disciplinary community’ including academics working in geography departments in higher education institutions across the globe together with specialist teachers of the subject in schools, academies and colleges. Our role is to help ‘recontextualise’ the discipline for educational purposes. To do this, we enable readers to keep in touch with the discipline, which can be challenging but also immensely rewarding. Likewise, it is beneficial for university academics to keep in touch with the school subject and its changing educational context. Geography contributes to this process by stimulating dialogue and debate about the essential character and contribution of geography in the UK and internationally. The journal spans the breadth of human and physical geography and encourages debate about curriculum development and other pedagogical issues. The Editorial Collective welcomes articles that: • provide scholarly summaries and interpretations of current research and debates about particular aspects of geography, geography as a whole or geographical education • explore the implications -
The Rise of Kremlin-Friendly Populism in the Netherlands
CICERO FOUNDATION GREAT DEBATE PAPER No. 18/04 June 2018 THE RISE OF KREMLIN-FRIENDLY POPULISM IN THE NETHERLANDS MARCEL H. VAN HERPEN Director The Cicero Foundation Cicero Foundation Great Debate Paper No. 18/04 © Marcel H. Van Herpen, 2018. ISBN/EAN 978-90-75759-17-4 All rights reserved The Cicero Foundation is an independent pro-Atlantic and pro-EU think tank, founded in Maastricht in 1992. www.cicerofoundation.org The views expressed in Cicero Foundation Great Debate Papers do not necessarily express the opinion of the Cicero Foundation, but they are considered interesting and thought-provoking enough to be published. Permission to make digital or hard copies of any information contained in these web publications is granted for personal use, without fee and without formal request. Full citation and copyright notice must appear on the first page. Copies may not be made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage. 2 The Rise of Kremlin-Friendly Populism in the Netherlands Marcel H. Van Herpen EARLY POPULISM AND THE MURDERS OF FORTUYN AND VAN GOGH The Netherlands is known as a tolerant and liberal country, where extremist ideas – rightwing or leftwing – don’t have much impact. After the Second World War extreme right or populist parties played only a marginal role in Dutch politics. There were some small fringe movements, such as the Farmers’ Party ( Boerenpartij ), led by the maverick “Boer Koekoek,” which, in 1967, won 7 seats in parliament. In 1981 this party lost its parliamentary representation and another party emerged, the extreme right Center Party ( Centrum Partij ), led by Hans Janmaat.