Radiofrequency spectre as a good of public interest

U radu se analiziraju pravna priroda i pravno uređenje radiofrekvencijskog spektra u pravnom sustavu Republike Hrvatske. Rad počinje tehničkim prikazom radiofrekvencijskog spektra i povijesnim prikazom njegova korištenja u komunikacijske svrhe. U nastavku se u kratkim crtama prikazuju međunarodni sustav harmoniziranja korištenja radiofrekvencijskog spektra te sustav harmoniziranja i reguliranja na razini Europske unije. Rad se nastavlja prikazom određivanja i reguliranja radiofrekvencijskog spektra u pravnom sustavu Republike Hrvatske, te se pokušava odgovoriti na pitanje kojoj vrsti dobara od javnog interesa u hrvatskom pravu pripada radiofrekvencijski spektar.In this paper., the legal nature and regulation of radiofrequency spectrum in the legal system of the Republic of Croatia are analysed. Firstly, there is a technical overview of the radiofrequency spectrum and a historical overview of is use for the purposes of communication. Then, briefly, the international system of harmonising the use of radiofrequency spectrum and the system of harmonising and regulation at the EU level are described. Then, an overview of the determination and regulation of the radiofrequency spectrum in the legal system of the Republic of Croatia follows as does an attempt to provide answers to the question of what types of goods of public interest in Croatia belong to the radiofrequency spectrum

Radiofrequency spectre as a good of public interest

U radu se analiziraju pravna priroda i pravno uređenje radiofrekvencijskog spektra u pravnom sustavu Republike Hrvatske. Rad počinje tehničkim prikazom radiofrekvencijskog spektra i povijesnim prikazom njegova korištenja u komunikacijske svrhe. U nastavku se u kratkim crtama prikazuju međunarodni sustav harmoniziranja korištenja radiofrekvencijskog spektra te sustav harmoniziranja i reguliranja na razini Europske unije. Rad se nastavlja prikazom određivanja i reguliranja radiofrekvencijskog spektra u pravnom sustavu Republike Hrvatske, te se pokušava odgovoriti na pitanje kojoj vrsti dobara od javnog interesa u hrvatskom pravu pripada radiofrekvencijski spektar.In this paper., the legal nature and regulation of radiofrequency spectrum in the legal system of the Republic of Croatia are analysed. Firstly, there is a technical overview of the radiofrequency spectrum and a historical overview of is use for the purposes of communication. Then, briefly, the international system of harmonising the use of radiofrequency spectrum and the system of harmonising and regulation at the EU level are described. Then, an overview of the determination and regulation of the radiofrequency spectrum in the legal system of the Republic of Croatia follows as does an attempt to provide answers to the question of what types of goods of public interest in Croatia belong to the radiofrequency spectrum

Mapping Digital Media: Croatia

The Mapping Digital Media project examines the global opportunities and risks created by the transition from traditional to digital media. Covering 60 countries, the project examines how these changes affect the core democratic service that any media system should provide: news about political, economic, and social affairs.Croatia is well ahead of the curve. Experimental broadcasting via digital signals began in 2002 and the last analog television signals were switched off in September 2011. The country has the highest free-to-air digital terrestrial coverage in Europe, exceeding 99 percent of national territory, and it is the main television platform for the majority of the population.Television remains the dominant medium for both information and entertainment. However, the internet is the most trusted medium for news and information. Radio has experienced a marginal decline in listenership, but print media have been hit hardest by the globaleconomic downturn and audience migration online.In the final analysis, this report finds that policy has been responsive to digitization and that the process has done much to democratize and pluralize Croatian media. It has not yet, however, neutralized the power of dominant media organizations, or indeed the influence wielded by political elites and advertisers. There is also evidence that in response to digitization, journalism across sectors has become increasingly tabloid and oriented towards soft news, and there are uncertainties as regards the sustainability of public interest media

Revolutionary Ideas for Radio Regulation

Radio technology is the key to rapid broadband development that reaches even geographically remote areas of the world. To get needed, radical changes in radio regulation, much more attention should be directed toward central issues of constitutional law. Historical experience and centuries of conversation about fundamental political choices has created knowledge that can revolutionize radio regulation. Bringing this knowledge to life in the field of radio regulation involves asking three questions. First, what is a good separation and balance of powers in radio regulation? Second, how should radio regulation be geographically configured? Third, how should radio regulation understand and respect personal freedom and equality? Asking these questions does not call forth a pre-determined answer, nor is discussion of them within the competence of only a small group of radio technology experts. Asking these questions points to the truths and the process that offers the best hope for revolutionizing radio regulation and creating a better life for everyone.spectrum, radio, regulation, communication, wireless, broadband, institutional design, separation of powers, federalism, rights

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN THE BALKANS - from Weberian bureaucracy to New Public Management

The current volume reproduces papers presented in the Workshop which was organized in Athens, in February 2010 by the European Public Law Organization (EPLO) and the Faculty of Public Administration – National School of Political Studies and Public Administration (NSPSPA), Bucharest. The workshop entitled “Public Administration in the Balkans – from Weberian bureaucracy to New Public Management†has aimed to reveal relevant aspects on the developments of national public administrations in some Balkan states related to the traditional or actual models of the administrative organization. The organizers have proposed to approach theoretical and practical aspects focusing on Weberian bureaucracy and New Public Management (NPM). In this context, the general framework of debates was based both on specificity of public administration in the Balkan states and the European integration process, particularly the enlargement of the European Administrative Space to the Balkan area. As shown by a profound analysis in the papers, the characteristics of the public administrations are moreover diverse and get closer to the developments of the public administrations in Europe, such as the Mediterranean ones (Greece, Cyprus etc.) or those of the states in transition (Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Serbia etc.). The interactions with different intensities between Weberianism and New Public Management emphasise, generally, the characteristics of “a new Weberian state†(NWS) for the Balkan states (Pollitt and Bouckaert, 2004, Meneguzzo et al, 2010), revealing a higher NPM impact (Cyprus, Greece, Croatia etc.) or a lower one (Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia etc.). NWS represents a metaphor describing a model that co-opts the passive elements of NPM, but on a Weberian foundation (Pollitt and Bouckaert, 2004, Brown, 1978). The fact that the Balkan states belong more or less explicit to NWS triggers their position in post-NPM era, thus the state remaining an important actor, able to facilitate the public-private dialogue and to sustain the processes for enhancing the effectiveness of public services and administration. The public administration reforms in the Balkan states have targeted one or several European models of national administrations. Even if the concepts on reform comprise visible differences, the tradition, geo-political specificity, human and material resources have determined similarities and common characteristics, which could be emphasized in the development and actual status of administration in the Balkan states. At the same time, the administrative reforms have already introduced elements that enable the administrations in the Balkan states to get closer to the features of “public governanceâ€. Herewith we refer mainly to participating in decision-making, introducing the elements of “neo-corporatism†governance etc. The capacity of adaptation and openness represent a valuable feature of the Balkan administrations, most of them holding systemic connections of low intensity, thus being far away from what we call “strong administrationâ€, found especially in the European developed states. Recent studies support the above ideas, referring to “main drivers of public administration modernizationâ€, placing most Balkan states in the “very low†or “medium†area (Demmke et al., 2006). When referring to open government or ethics, the same studies place the Balkan states under the heading “very high influenceâ€. Based on the above assertions, the papers emphasize concrete issues that could be synthesized in some large categories: - Balkan public administrations between tradition and modernity; - National experiences on the impact of the administrative reforms in Balkan states; - Myth or reality in considering “a Balkan model of public administrationâ€; - Administrative convergence and dynamics as support of the evolution towards a certain model; - Assessing relevant case studies on enforcing NPM in local governance. It is also worth to mention that the approach of the participants in the workshop has been marked by the institutional innovations and trends in European governance, the debates concerning the model and characteristics of the European administration etc. The workshop was organized within the framework of Jean Monnet project “South-Eastern European developments on the administrative convergence and enlargement of the European Administrative Space in Balkan states†with the financial support of the European Community.public administration, balkans, bureaucracy, New Public Management, South-Eastern European Administrative Space

An analysis of regulatory frameworks for wireless communications, societal concerns and risk: the case of radio frequency (RF) allocation and licensing.

This thesis analyses how and why culture and geography influence the allocation and licensing of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum in different nations. Based on a broad study of 235 countries, an inter-disciplinary approach is used to explore regulatory frameworks and attitudes toward risk. In addition, detailed case studies of the UK, France, the US and Ecuador provide deeper insights into the main contrasting regulatory styles. Three alternative sociological theories are used to analyse and explain the results for both the in-depth and broad brush studies. The Cultural Theory of Mary Douglas and co-workers is first used to categorise countries in terms of perceptual filters. The empirical findings indicate some countries to be apparently exceptional in their behaviour. The theory of Bounded Rationality is used to investigate and explain these apparent irrationalities. Finally, Rational Field Theory shows how beliefs and values guide administrations in their RF regulation. A number of key factors are found to dominate and patterns emerge. The European RF harmonisation is unique. Following European unification, wireless regulation is divided into two major camps (the EU and the US), which differ in their risk concerns, approach to top-down mandated standards, allocation of RF spectrum to licence-exempt bands and type approval process. The adoption of cellular and TV standards around the world reflects geopolitical and colonial influence. The language of a country is a significant indicator of its analogue TV standard. Interestingly, the longitude of a country to a fair extent defines RF allocation: Africa and West Asia follow Europe, whereas the Americas approximate the US. RF regulation and risk tolerability differ between tropical and non-tropical climates. The collectivised/centralised versus the individualised/market-based rationalities result in different regulatory frameworks and contrasting societal and risk concerns. The success of the top-down European GSM and the bottom-up Wi-Fi standards reveal how the central- planning and market-based approaches have thrived. Attitudes to RF human hazards and spurious emissions levels reveal that the US, Canada and Japan are more tolerant of these risks than Europe. Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK and USA encourage technological innovation. A practical benefit of this study is that it will give regulators more freedom to choose a rational RF licensing protocol, by better understanding the possibly self-imposed boundaries of cultural and geographical factors which are currently shaping allocation. Academically, there is utility in undertaking a cultural and geographic analysis of a topic that is mostly the domain of engineering, economic and legal analysts

Safety, Quality and Processing of Fruits and Vegetables

Nowadays, one of the main objectives of the fruit and vegetable industry is to develop innovative novel products with high quality, safety, and optimal nutritional characteristics in order to respond, with efficiency, to increasing consumer expectations. Various unconventional technologies (e.g., pulsed electric field, pulsed light, ultrasound, high pressure, and microwave drying) have emerged and enable the processing of fruits and vegetables in a way that increases their stability while preserving their thermolabile nutrients, flavour, texture, and overall quality. Some of these technologies can also be used for waste and byproduct valorisation. The application of fast noninvasive methods for process control is of great importance for the fruit and vegetable industry. The following Special Issue “Safety, Quality, and Processing of Fruits and Vegetables” consists of 11 papers which represent a high-value contribution to the existing knowledge on safety aspects, quality evaluation, and emerging processing technologies for fruits and vegetables

The politics of DTT policy-making in Bulgaria: the significance of path dependencies and institutional characteristics

This thesis examines the politics of the policy process concerning the introduction of digital terrestrial television (DTT) in Bulgaria. Bulgaria is an Eastern European post-communist country and a member of the European Union (EU) since 2007. The policy of digitalisation of terrestrial broadcasting is studied from a domestic perspective that focuses on the relevance of the national institutional structures and their response to internal and external (notably EU) influences. The thesis relies primarily on the ‘new institutionalist’ theoretical approach to examine how historical path dependencies and state capacities have enabled or disabled certain types of behaviour by public and private actors which have in turn shaped the policy process. In this respect, the role of the EU is seen as refracted through the prism of domestic arrangements, capacities and interests. The thesis demonstrates that the weak institutional capacities of the Bulgarian state, political patronage, clientelism and cronyism, failed to ensure a clear, fair and transparent DTT switchover policy. Sectoral broadcasting characteristics including the prominence of pay-for platforms and small market size contributed to this result, yet the thesis argues that the extent of their impact has been determined by structural characteristics within which the desion-making process has taken place. The thesis shows that far from genuine public interest objectives - such as increased media plurality, a stronger role for PSB, more competition within and between platforms, and efficient use of spectrum - the DTT transition in the country has served to reinforce path-dependencies and historical continuities. This last point has been observed in relation to digital television policies in Western countries, such as Britain and the USA (Galperin, 2004a) and Sweden and Spain (Suarez Cantel, 2011: 318). More research is needed to confirm or not this conclusion in relation to other (post-communist) countries and other sectors

A Tale of Reciprocity: Minority Foundations in Greece and Turkey

The word most frequently uttered by Greece and Turkey with regard to their Muslim1 and non-Muslim minorities, respectively, is most probably ‘reciprocity.’ For more than half a century, in both countries, virtually all administrations,irrespective of their political leanings and ideological base, resorted to the good old ‘reciprocity argument’ to legitimize their laws, policies, and practices restricting the minority rights of Muslim and non-Muslim communities. Both states have for decades justified their policies on the basis of a theory that argues that Article 45 of the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne provided the legal basis for reciprocity. Deliberately distorting a crystal-clear provision, which simply confers parallel obligations on Greece and Turkey for the protection of the Muslim and non-Muslim minorities, respectively, both states have for decades held their own citizens hostage, pitting them against each other in the name of defeating the other in foreign policy. Disregarding the objections of international lawyers and institutions that the reciprocity principle does not apply to human rights treaties and that states cannot condition the protection of the fundamental rights of their citizens on the policies of other states, both Greece and Turkey have successfully manipulated their national public opinion into believing in the legitimacy of treating minorities as lesser citizens. This report analyzes the implications of reciprocity policies on the day-to-day lives of Muslim and non-Muslim minorities in Greece and Turkey, specifically their impact on the community foundations2 belonging to these minorities. With a specific focus on the property and self-management issues of Muslim and non-Muslim community foundations in Greece and Turkey, the report situates the issue in its historical context and trace the evolution of the ‘community foundation issue’ from Lausanne to the present day. Drawing similarities and differences between the laws, policies, and practices of Greek and Turkish states vis-à-vis their minority foundations, the report critically assesses the progress made to this day as well as identify the outstanding issues