Food Quality and Food Safety in Hungarian Dairy Farms

In Hungary the introduction of quality assurance and food safety systems have achieved considerable results in the middle of the food-supply chain (i.e. in companies of food industry and trade sector), but in the ends of the chain (in agriculture and catering sector) there are still several problems. This article and our presentation wish to show a general overview on the Hungarian milk sector, to describe the present situation of the Hungarian dairy farms and try to explore and examine the main difficulties of the building-up process, installation and operation of HACCP System in the Hungarian fresh milk producing sector and, furthermore its opportunities and threats, too. We also give a short description of the Hungarian dairy sector, the main Hungarian and EU quality standards of fresh milk and the main regulations of milk quality in Hungary and the European Union. In the final part of our article we wish to present a cost-benefit calculation model calculated for the Józsefmajor Experimental and Demonstration Farm, (a demonstration farm of the Szent István University) where the HACCP System was installed in the last year, and also to determine the strengths and weaknesses and some practical experiences of installation and operation of the system. The situation outlined in our paper is not unique, it can be applied to the greatest proportion of Hungarian dairy farms.food safety, milk production, milk quality, HACCP System, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

The OSCE in Unabated Decline

This paper assesses the situation and prospects of the OSCE (Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) in light of the experience of the past few years and the ambitions the organisation set itself in its reform agenda. The analysis argues that, irrespective of how banal it may be, in the absence of a fundamental change in the attitude of the participating states it is highly unlikely for the OSCE to regain the role it once had. Either it continues to lose its relevance or at best muddles through as it has done since the mid-1990s. The relative decline of the OSCE has been due primarily to objective factors. The European security agenda moved away from the traditional areas in which the organisation had a comparative advantage. This resulted in the need to adapt to changed circumstances and to the emergence of an imbalance between the various fields of the OSCE’s activity. Many current concerns the OSCE must address are related to governance and state-building. If the participating states cannot agree on the domestic agenda to pursue and their disagreement also results in efforts to spread their preferred model of socio-political order there is no chance for unity among the 56 participating states and thus political disputes will prevail. The problem of belated institutional adaptation is secondary to these factors. Hence, it does not induce processes that can compensate for the shortcomings in building a political consensus

Subregional co-operation in East-Central Europe: the Visegrad Group and the Central European Free Trade Agreement

'Der Beitrag analysiert die Entwicklung, den gegenwärtigen Stand und die Zukunft der Visegrad-Gruppe, eines der erfolgreichsten Foren für subregionale Kooperation in Ostmitteleuropa. Das Fehlen formalisierter institutioneller Strukturen hat ein flexibles, für Änderungen offenes Arrangement hervorgebracht. Gleichzeitig war es damit anfällig für Störungen, die mit einer stärker institutionalisierten Struktur vermieden werden hätten können. Während das vorrangige Ziel in den 1990er Jahren darin bestanden hatte, das Erbe der Vergangenheit zu beseitigen, einen Beitrag zur Auflösung des Warschauer Paktes und zum Rückzug der sowjetischen Truppen aus der Region zu leisten sowie die 'Rückkehr' der Länder nach Europa zu koordinieren, stehen heute die Integration in die EU, Hilfe bei der demokratischen Konsolidierung der Post-Meciar-Slowakei und pragmatische Zusammenarbeit in verschiedenen Bereichen im Vordergrund. Offen bleibt, ob die Gruppe nach einem EU-Beitritt noch Zukunft hat. Der Autor ist der Ansicht, dass sich das Zentraleuropäische Freihandelsabkommen nach der EU-Erweiterung erübrigen wird, während die Visegrad-Gruppe auch danach noch Restaufgaben zu erfüllen haben wird.' (Autorenreferat)'The paper analysis the evolution, current state and prospects of the Visegrad group, one of the more successful sub-regional co-operation frameworks of East-central Europe. The absence of formalized institutional structures made the arrangement flexible and thus adaptable to changes. At the same time it has been prone to spoilers that could have been avoided in case more established institutional structure had been established. Whereas in the early 1990s its prime objective was to eliminate the remnants of the past, contribute to the termination of the Warsaw Treaty and the withdrawal of the Soviet troops from the region and co-ordinate the countries' 'return to Europe', nowadays it strives to foster EU integration, help the post-Meciar democratic consolidation and development of Slovakia and carry out pragmatic co-operation in different areas. It is open to question whether the group could have a new life after the participating countries' upcoming EU accession. The author is of the view that whereas the Central European Free Trade Agreement will have to wind up when EU enlargement occurs, there is hope to continue the Visegrad group with a residual political agenda beyond it.' (author's abstract

The fourth wave of democratization: A comparative analysis of Tunisia and Egypt

In the years following the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, Tunisia and Egypt began the process of creating a new government and constitution made by the people and for the people. However, their differing democratic outcomes begs the question of what factors led Tunisia to become a democracy and Egypt to remain stagnant. This thesis analyzes the democratic transition process through a side-by-side comparison of Tunisia and Egypt in the years since the Arab Spring. It will explore the thin lines between the military, economy, and social movements that all affect the state-building process. It will argue that Tunisia has achieved democracy through its strong secular coalitions and ability to create consensus with Islamist groups, a true model for the region, while the role of the military in politics in Egypt has proved fatal for their transition

The perceived social and economic impacts of brewpubs in neighborhoods of the Greater Cincinnati region.

Master of Regional and Community PlanningDepartment of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community PlanningHuston GibsonAs communities continue to grow and change, planners are tasked with finding ideas, solutions, and innovation to support renewal, social equity, and economic sustainability. Today Breweries are being hailed as a catalyst for economic development and urban renewal through their efforts in revitalizing large industrial buildings and being community gathering spaces. With investigation of community and economic change in urban neighborhoods through the lenses of breweries, we can learn how breweries have impacted the neighborhoods surrounding them. This pilot study examines the current conditions and perceptions of community members of three neighborhoods in the Greater Cincinnati Region to examine if there is a positive perception of brewpubs within urban neighborhoods

Competitiveness of Hungarian agricultural enterprises at different farm types

Nine years has passed since the EU accession, thus, it is possible to make an objective evaluation about the impacts of the accession. Several reviews were made in this topic, but most of them made their assessment at macroeconomic level. This research focuses on the impacts of accession at farm level, using the data of the EU Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) database. The main goals of this research were to explore the impacts of the accession on different farm sizes and types of farming and to find which types of farming were the ‘winners’ or the ‘losers’ of the accession. For the research, the primary data of the Hungarian FADN database were used (between the years 2002 and 2009) created by the Hungarian Research Institute of Agricultural Economics. Based on the domestic and international sources, the ROE ratio was chosen as a top-indicator for measuring profitability, and was used during the further examinations. Based on the research results I show how the profitability of different farm types and farm sizes have been changed and which farm types and sizes may be considered more and less successful since the date of EU accessio