European Union Democracy Promotion and its impact on Civil Society in Central Asia

After a period of relatively small activity in this region, in 2007, the European Union offered a strategy for Central Asia. This strategy addressed many issues, including democratic deficit and human rights violations. The main obstacles to the implementation of the strategy are autocratic tendencies and corruption, the influence of neighbors strongly leaning towards autocracy and the post-Soviet legacy. Additionally, the EU’s activity is overshadowed by the US and has minimal capacity for pursuing its own policy toward Central Asia. Another problem is the fact that after implementing this EU strategy toward Central Asia there are no new initiatives which contribute to more visible European activity in that region

CEFTA as a Proven Path to Accession to the European Union

This article constitutes an attempt to assess the main effects of the implementation of CEFTA on the functioning of its member states as well as their further integration as Member States of the EU. It also presents the main provisions of the modernized CEFTA 2006, and the current problems related to implementation of the agreement. It also discusses the opportunities and prospects for Croatia, as a former CEFTA member state, upon its scheduled accession to the EU in July 2013. This article is intended as an introduction to further and deeper analysis in this area.Poniższy artykuł stanowi próbę przybliżenia głównych efektów funkcjonowania państwa w ramach struktur ugrupowania CEFTA oraz dalszej integracji gospodarczej jako członka Unii Europejskiej. Przedstawia główne postanowienia zmodyfikowanej umowy CEFTA 2006 i bieżących problemów związanych z realizacją współpracy w ramach powyższego porozumienia. Ukazuje analizę i dalszą perspektywę wybranych aspektów makroekonomicznych Chorwacji, członka CEFTA w przededniu przystąpienia do struktur UE w lipcu 2013 r. Artykuł ten jest wstępem do dalszych pogłębionych badań w tym zakresie

Company development and Polish integration within the EU –Examplified by analysis of the agri-food industry in the Voivodship of Łódź

This paper attempts to assess the effort to develop agri-food sector companies in the Voivodship of Lodz between 1998 and 2012. It was based on data of production dynamics and scale of investment, financed mainly through EU pre-accession and structural funds. Initially, during this period, the agri-food industry in Lodz, after its systemic transformation, found itself in a state of recession. Despite this, the financing of investment through EU funds (from the SAPARD Programme and the structural funds, ‘Improvement of Processing and Marketing of the Agri-food Sector’ within SPO 2004-2006 and the activities ‘Increasing Basic Value Added of Agri and Forestry Production’) had a positive impact on the adjustment of the agro-food sector to the homogenous market of the EU within adherence to sanitary, hygienic and quality standards. The implemented investments in this sector boosted the level of company advancement, even though it was innovation based on imitation, through which companies implemented modern solutions and technologies previously applied by companies from the EU-15, it still enabled the achievement of technical advancement close to the EU leaders.Preparation and printing funded by the National Agency for Research and Development under project “Kreator Innowacyjności – wparcie dla Przedsiębiorczości akademickiej