Book review: Christianity and human rights. Perspectives from Hungary. Edited by András Koltay

Christianity has played a crucial role in building and maintaining civilisation and cultures in Europe until this very day. People living on the continent share the legacy of antiquity and Christianity in balance, while respecting the values of religion and still maintaining neutrality in their constitutional systems. This causes the question to stand, whether Christianity still is a part of European culture, and if so, in what religious, political or cultural ways. All these questions are examined in the volume, which incorporates 16 studies of various authors. Essays show clearly that not only the merge of different cultures, disputes of interests, the connection between law and religion, but also and mainly the ideas of Christianity are all special legal theories and questions waiting to be examined. Even though the various academics contributing to this volume have their own individual concepts and different views, most of the studies concentrate on problems and questions of basic freedoms, such as human dignity, freedom of speech and religious freedom. As it is stated by the Editor in the foreword, all 16 studies are written in English by academics from different research institutes all over Hungary, also easily accessible internationally, inviting researchers to contribute to this international scientific debate

Vajdaság az európai területi együttműködésben : a Duna Stratégia

The aim of the study is to present the position and possibilities of Vojvodina in the European territorial cooperation with special focus on the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. Firstly, I examine the external relations of Vojvodina. I analyse the institutionalisation and the future of the DKMT Euroregion and the Banat-Triplex Confinium EGTC from the aspect Vojvodina, because these cooperations are significant component of the European integration process. The European territorial cohesion includes all the cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperations and democratic local and regional structures, forming under the identity of the EU Danube Strategy. This macro-regional strategy covers parts of 8 EU countries and 6 non EU countries (include Serbia) and faces numerous specific challenges: big socioeconomic disparities, underdeveloped potential of the Danube waterway, a unique environment threatened by pollution –to name just a few. Accordingly, there is a need for a stronger than usual cooperation dimension and for an integrated cooperative response across borders. Finally, I summarise how the Danube Strategy can achieve greater effect and reveal how macro-regional cooperation can help tackle local problems in Vojvodina, providing alternative solutions to problems stemming from legal and institutional differences of the border regions

Vajdaság az európai területi együttműködésben : a Duna Stratégia

The aim of the study is to present the position and possibilities of Vojvodina in the European territorial cooperation with special focus on the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. Firstly, I examine the external relations of Vojvodina. I analyse the institutionalisation and the future of the DKMT Euroregion and the Banat-Triplex Confinium EGTC from the aspect Vojvodina, because these cooperations are significant component of the European integration process. The European territorial cohesion includes all the cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperations and democratic local and regional structures, forming under the identity of the EU Danube Strategy. This macro-regional strategy covers parts of 8 EU countries and 6 non EU countries (include Serbia) and faces numerous specific challenges: big socioeconomic disparities, underdeveloped potential of the Danube waterway, a unique environment threatened by pollution –to name just a few. Accordingly, there is a need for a stronger than usual cooperation dimension and for an integrated cooperative response across borders. Finally, I summarise how the Danube Strategy can achieve greater effect and reveal how macro-regional cooperation can help tackle local problems in Vojvodina, providing alternative solutions to problems stemming from legal and institutional differences of the border regions

A határ menti együttműködések jogi és közigazgatási háttere, az együttműködés továbbfejlesztésének lehetséges irányai = The Legal and Administrative Aspects of the Cross-Border Cooperation in Hungary

A kutatás során végzett vizsgálat azt támasztja alá, hogy a határ menti együttműködés intézményesült formája (eurorégió) keretében koordinálható társadalmi-gazdasági együttműködés gyorsabb kohéziós fejlődést tesz lehetővé, növeli a határ menti versenyképességet és foglalkoztatást. A keleti bővítés a magyarországi eurorégiók számára is új feladatokat és kihívásokat jelent a határ menti területek fejlesztése és menedzselése terén. A keleti és déli határok mentén megszerveződött eurorégiók a jövőben felértékelődnek az EU szomszédságpolitikájában s Magyarország nemzetpolitikai szerepvállalásában. A kutatási program keretében kérdőíves felmérésre és mélyinterjúk készítésére került sor a Magyarország határain működő eurorégiókban és munkaközösségekben. Az együttműködések sikere decentralizált, helyi és regionális partnerségek kiépítésével erősíthető. Az intézmények operatív szintű kapcsolatainak fejlődéséhez elengedhetetlen, hogy a felek hasonló jogkörökkel (politikai, pénzügyi, jogi) legyenek felruházva. A legtöbb szomszédunknál a középszint vagy hiányzik, vagy ha létezik is, kevés kompetenciával rendelkezik, inkább dekoncentrált jellegű, semmint önkormányzati. Az EGTC önkéntes jellegéből következően azonban az egységesülő Európában, illetve Magyarországon még a belső határok mentén sem garantált a jogi személyiséggel felruházott ?európai területi együttműködési csoportosulások? alkalmazásával a határ menti régiók Európájának létrejötte. | In summing up the ongoing processes on the external borders of Hungary, it can be stated that despite the need to improve their activities, financial support and information, these cross-border bodies are positive factors in the development of cross-border co-operation. The findings of the research show that a coordinated and integrated developmental strategy for cross-border areas can be achieved through fundamentally institutionalised Euroregions. This is the prerequisite for regular co-operation. In order to improve economic competitiveness and solve shared cross-border problems jointly on both the local and regional levels, Euroregional Strategies are indispensable. In the course of the research, we polled the leaders to elicit their views on how the changes of social characteristics and teritorial charasteristcs should be taken into account in the socio-political development of their Euroregion. The new legal instrument, the EGTC is an attempt to overcome the legal and administrative barriers often associated with territorial co-operation in Hungary. Having assessed the surveys we can state that it is essential that local and regional authorities have the necessary powers and administrative budgetary resources to play their natural role of promoting and managing competitiveness and innovation and cohesion policies for the benefit of regional and local development