Serbia: Political lessons we learn from Serbia
Serbia - a war-torn country of 7.2 million people racked by broken economy and soaring unemployment and inflation. Just last year, the World Bank ranked the former Yugoslav territory 91st among countries surveyed on its annual report of ‘Doing Business’ assessment. That was the state of affairs inherited by the Generation X politician who became Serbia's newest prime minister. Yet in less than 14 months' he has made tough choices, reversed a record deficit of 7 percent GDP of the economy to near-break-even, and achieved economic growth. Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, 45, took office in April 2014. Despite flooding that affected the country after his inauguration, he quickly worked with the parliament to institute economic reforms, including cutting pensions and public-employee wages and raising taxes. He pushed through laws allowing a flexible workplace and focused on attracting foreign investment. His actions quickly paid off and the results have been stellar. The country's GDP is forecast to grow next year. Serbia is currently in negotiations to join the European Union.
San Marino: Big steps for small countries
The fifty-three Member States of the Region have a large and diverse population. This diversity also exists in terms of health inequalities. To achieve health equity, WHO/Europe works with countries in key areas such as the social determinants of health: the conditions in which people are born, grow up, live, work and age. Action across all government sectors is needed to address factors affecting health and well-being on a daily basis. In July 2014 WHO/Europe had the first meeting for smaller countries to help them achieve health equity. Representatives from eight small countries in the Region came to San Marino to discuss implementation of the Health 2020 vision. Representatives from Andorra, Cyprus, Iceland, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro and San Marino attended. WHO Regional Director for Europe, said that small countries, with populations of less than 1 million, adapt quickly, and implement policies effectively. Choosing the right policies has a great potential to achieve social and political cohesion. See also: www.euro.who.int/en/countries/san-marino/news/news/news?root_node_selection=75602
Russia: Putin vows to strengthen Russian military
President Vladimir Putin said, ‘Russia needs a mighty military to fend off threats near its borders’ in a stance that reflects soaring tensions with the West over the crisis in Ukraine. The Russian leader, whose approval ratings reached an all-time high this month despite a bruising recession, said a ‘powerful army equipped with modern weapons is the guarantor of sovereignty and territorial integrity of Russia.’ Speaking at a Kremlin meeting with graduates of Russian military academies, Putin also vowed to continue a sweeping military modernisation effort that envisions the purchase of large numbers of new weapons. Despite oil-rich Russia now being in a recession Putin plans to spend 22 trillion roubles to give the armed forces dozens of ships, hundreds of new planes and missiles and thousands of tanks and other weapons. Putin added that Russia has no aggressive intentions and aims to ‘settle any disputes exclusively by political means with respect to international law and interests of other nations.’
Romania: Fake bank notes; Central Bank moves from loss to profit
Romania’s Central Bank experienced 2,631 banknote forgeries in 2014, more than double the previous year. 2,400 were found in circulation while the rest were seized by police during raids. The total value of the forged local currency notes was over the equivalent of EUR 55,000. During the same period the Romanian National Bank recorded a profit of EUR 251 million last year, after a loss of EUR 282 million in 2013. The Central Bank’s net assets totaled EUR 3.4 billion, up 25.8% compared to 2013 See also : www.romania-insider.com/fake-romanian-banknotes-double-one-year/151718/
Portugal: First national Roma survey released
The Portuguese Roma Gypsies have little formal education, marry young, mainly work in fairs, though many are unemployed and get basic social security benefits, a study published this week has revealed. This, is the first national study of the Roma community. They interviewed almost 1,600 Gypsies throughout Portugal last year. The study co-ordinator said there were three large groups. One is composed of youths under 34 years with different levels of schooling, many of them have never worked and many live with their families. A second group is 45 years or older ‘living in very deficient conditions with greater vulnerability’. The last group has people of an active age with families or in a stable situation, with ages of between 24 and 35 years, many have had four years of school. This group has a larger number of workers, mainly people who travel from fair to fair as employees. They are more open and have non-Roma friends and their networks are less closed.
Poland: Gay community - a shift in attitudes
The Polish city of Gdansk, on the country's Pomeranian coast, is famous for several reasons. World War II is widely regarded as having started here in 1939,as did the Solidarity workers' movement of the 1980s. Recently the first ‘gay rights’ march in the region took place there, attracting about 1,000 participants. Even two years ago, such a march in this city would have been unthinkable. At that time, Poland’s most famous native icon, Lech Walesa, founder of the Solidarity movement, said on TV that ‘gays had no right to impose their will on the Polish majority. ‘Nor should they play a prominent role in Polish politics’, he added. Attitudes are changing, in part because the Catholic Church's influence is shrinking in Poland and more Poles are declaring themselves to be homosexual. With the opening of borders after joining the European Union things have changed, especially for the youth. LGBT characters being featured in popular TV series makes a difference in social acceptance.
Netherlands: Government ordered to cut greenhouse gas emissions
A Dutch court has ordered the government to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25% by 2020, in a case environmentalists hope will set a precedent for other countries. Campaigners brought the case on behalf of almost 900 Dutch citizens. They argued that the government had a legal obligation to protect its citizens from the dangers of climate change. Government lawyers did not immediately comment on the ruling at the court in The Hague. Jasper Teulings from Greenpeace called it a ‘landmark case’. ‘It shifts the whole debate. Other cases are being brought in Belgium and the Philippines. This is the start of a wave of climate litigation. In terms of practical implementation, the government has already agreed to close coal-fired plants, increase the use of windmills and solar energy and drastically reduce gas extractions in the north of the country. The court case puts pressure on the government to speed up the process in order to meet the targets and become more energy-efficient within the next five years. The judgment is legally binding and based on ‘Tort Law’ - a general and universal concept which essentially refers to a duty to refrain from causing harm.
Montenegro: Calls for increased political accountability
The sixth meeting of the EU-Montenegro Civil Society Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) in Brussels, held a lively debate on the transparency and inclusiveness of Montenegro's accession process to the EU. The situation concerning disability policy and recent developments on social dialogue in the country were also discussed. The JCC called on the EU to increase its financial support aimed at strengthening and supporting the professionalism and independence of the media. Urgent action is also needed to ensure the rights of people with disabilities. While acknowledging that some positive steps had been taken towards promoting the integration of people with disabilities, the JCC stressed it was important to translate good intentions into real, efficient and timely action on the ground. JCC members noted with deep concern that access for people with disabilities to a majority of state and local institutions, such as schools, hospitals, social welfare centres, and even the Parliament and courts, was still extremely difficult.
Monaco: Law enforcement system to be envied
Law enforcement in Monaco is provided by an armed national police. It has the largest police force and police presence in the world on both a per-capita and per-area basis. Its police includes a specialist unit which operates patrol and surveillance boats. There is also a militarised bodyguard unit for the Prince and his palace called the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince, well-equipped with modern weapons. There is also a well-trained Corps des Sapeurs-Pompiers, which provides an extensive civil defence service in support of law enforcement, in addition to its fire and rescue services. A member of INTERPOL, Monaco enjoys the world's lowest crime rates.
Moldova: PM announces resignation amid fraud allegations
Last week you were asked to pray against corruption and fraud in Moldova . This week the prime minister of Moldova, Chiril Gaburici, announced his resignation a day after the prosecution questioned him on his fraudulent high-school and university diplomas. Gaburici, a pro-European businessman and candidate of the Liberal Democratic Party, became Prime Minister five months ago in February and came into the governing position claiming to be a manager not a politician and saying that the country had to change its political system. With his resignation move, he wants to ensure that the authorities will carry out an objective and transparent investigation into his credentials. Earlier, he had called on the state prosecutor and the head of the central bank to resign for failure to act effectively over the disappearance of one billion US dollars from three Moldovan banks. Gaburici expressed regret that questions on his studies had become ‘an instrument of a political game’, making no comments on the contents of the allegations.