Regional integration and free-trade agreements in the Balkans: opportunities, obstacles and policy issues

The Balkan states are engaged in a complex and contradictory process of simultaneous regional integration and disintegration. The main instrument of regional integration has been a network of bilateral Free Trade Agreements which the Balkan countries have adopted under the guidance of the Stability Pact for South East Europe, and more recently the extension of the CEFTA free trade area to the region. The bilateral FTAs have been criticised for creating a ‘spaghetti bowl’ of differentiated trade relations, and creating risks of trade deflection and trade diversion. At the same time other arrangements, including the contractual relations of individual countries with the EU, cut across the region and fragment their mutual trade relations. Moreover, Croatia is likely to become an EU member within the next few years, at which point it will suspend its trade agreements with the non-member Balkan states. Therefore, soon after having established a new mechanism of integration, the region will once again be split apart, leaving a rump association of five or six poverty-stricken and politically unstable countries to pursue the vision of regional cooperation. This paper focuses on the prospects for regional integration among these remaining countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia. It explores the patterns of their mutual trade, and the opportunities and obstacles to increasing trade between them.     

自侦案件“以事立案”模式论析

检察机关在自侦案件中应当摒弃“以人立案”的做法,并采取“以事立案”的模式,才能符合职务犯罪发案的客观规律,避免初查和侦查工作在衔接关系上的错位,并对自侦工作产生积极的促进效果和作用。要实现从“以人立案”到“以事立案”模式的转变,需要正确处理好立案与破案、立案与撤案和撤案与错案的关系。     

论案件事实的“重建”方法

侦查阶段查明和认定的案件事实,是运用证据“重建”的法律中规定的案件事实,“重建”的案件事实是对客观事实的虚拟性再现。“重建”案件事实的方法主要有:搜集材料,识别案件的事实特征;分析案情,在思维上建构案件事实;查证核实,重新评价建构的案件事实;完善证据,确认案件事实。     

构建民事再审立案审查程序的思考

民事再审立案审查程序包括申诉复查案件的立案受理 (即立卷 )、审查、通知驳回或裁定再审三个主要环节 ,它与再审程序共同构成了我国完整意义上的民事审判监督程序。近年来 ,随着民事审判监督制度和审判方式改革的深入以及再审案件立审分立制度的推行 ,民事再审立案审查程序三个主要环节上存在的问题逐渐暴露出来。为此 ,应当反思和完善民事再审立案审查程序的基本原则 ,并从申诉复查案件立案受理条件、审查组织形式、审查方式、审查期限、再审立案标准、再审立案审批程序、诉讼文书样式等方面来考虑民事再审立案审查程序的构建。     

案例指导制度下的法律推理及其规则

与制定法传统下的法律推理不同,案例指导制度下的法律推理由法律规则、指导性案例、案件事实以及判决结论四个要素构成。在这种思维模式中,由于对待决案件与指导性案例作出是否同案的判断以及如何形成同判是整个法律推理的论证重点,判定两者是否属于相同案件以及如何作出相同判决的方法自然成为这种法律推理的核心方法。案例指导制度下法律推理的规则主要包括：基本参照规则、实现同案同判的认识规则、断定同案的判断规则、形成同判的约束规则、回归规则以及指导性案例选编的编写规则。上述推理形式和推理规则的系统作用是案例指导制度下法律推理得以正确进行的基础和保障。     

Motherless case in paternity testing

In paternity test using the DNA evidence, the analysis of the deficient case that the DNA profiles of mother or alleged father are not available is different from that of the trio case analyzed routinely. However, the motherless case that the genotypes of mother is not available has been requested and analyzed like the trio case. In this paper, we compared the motherless case and the trio case through the mean exclusion chance describing the probability of exclusion for a genetic marker system and the distribution of the probability of paternity calculated using the three current methods. We have also shown a case which can be falsely discriminated if it were requested in the analysis of the motherless case, and conclude that the analysis of the motherless case should be carefully conducted and the level for the discrimination should be different from that of the trio case.     

案例指导制度的特色、难题与前景

与两大法系判例制度比较,案例指导制度有鲜明的国情和时代特色,其中最核心的特点是承载司法管理职能和以行政化方式运行。这使案例指导制度内含着难以化解的逻辑难题:统一司法与司法创新、司法多样性及适用案例要旨的冲突;立法权威与指导性案例实践效力的冲突;司法行政化的弱化与强化之困;实施控制措施内部化的硬性与脆性共存;指导性案例与司法解释混同之虞;指导性案例质量与效益不确定等,这些难题加大了推进案例指导的难度,妨碍案例指导制度的落实。减弱现行案例指导的刚性,建立更好地平衡约束和尊重司法自由裁量权为核心的、符合案例作用规律的、更柔性的案例作用机制,有利于案例指导制度走的更好。     

Different Mechanisms of Decapitation: Three Classic and One Unique Case History

Abstract: Three classic cases and one exceptional case are reported. The unique case of decapitation took place in a traffic accident, while the others were seen after homicide, vehicle‐assisted suicide, and after long‐jump hanging. Thorough scene examinations were performed, and photographs from the scene were available in all cases. Through the autopsy of each case, the mechanism for the decapitation in each case was revealed. The severance lines were through the neck and the cervical vertebral column, except for in the motor vehicle accident case, where the base of skull was fractured. This case was also unusual as the mechanism was blunt force. In the homicide case, the mechanism was the use of a knife combined with a saw, while in the two last cases, a ligature made the cut through the neck. The different mechanisms in these decapitations are suggested.     

Hybrid Texts and Uniform Law? The Multilingual Case Law of the Court of Justice of the European Union

The case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) is shaped by the language in which it is drafted—i.e. French. However, because French is rarely the mother tongue of those drafting that case law, the texts produced are often stilted and awkward. In addition, those drafting such case law are constrained in their use of language and style of writing (owing to pressures of technology and in order to reinforce the rule of law). These factors have led to the development of a ‘Court French’ which necessarily shapes the case law produced and has implications for its development, particularly insofar as it inevitably leads to a type of precedent in that case law. That case law also undergoes many permutations of translation into and out of up to 23 different languages. The resultant texts that make up the case law are hybrid in nature—consisting of a blend of cultural and linguistic patterns, constrained by a rigid formulistic drafting style and put through many permutations of translation. The present paper investigates the production of the Court’s multilingual case law and considers whether the hybrid nature of that case law can actually aid the presentation (and thus the development) of a ‘uniform’ EU case law.     

Natural Law: Alive and Kicking? A Look at the Constitutional Morality of Sexual Privacy in Ireland

Abstract. This article discusses the role of moral argument in the Constitutional case law of the Irish courts. It looks at the debate on the constitutional morality of sexuality in four major cases: a 1973 case protecting the right to use contraceptives; a 1984 case which upholds discrimination against gay men; a 1987 case limiting access to abortion information; and a 1992 case which finds a limited right to abortion in the Constitution. These cases show the role of the courts in contributing to a debate on political morality, both proposing new visions of political morality, and elaborating on the requirements of the current one.     

Case reports of suicide with an electric drill

In this report, three cases of suicide by an electric power drill are described. In the first case, a man aged 51 was found with four penetrating wounds of the head and chest. The second case involves a 56-year-old man who suffered a penetrating craniocerebral injury and the third case involves a 53-year-old man who suffered one head injury and two chest injuries. In the first two cases, the victims were found dead. In the third case, the victim survived his injuries for 28 hours. The case histories and the post-mortem examinations revealed no evidence of homicide.     

建立我国案例指导制度的困境和出路——以刑事案例为例

案例指导制度是一项既区别于英美法系判例法制度又不同于大陆法系判例制度的中国特色产物,是我国司法观念变革与制度变革相结合的一项新制度,是一种能够体现中国特色、并顺应世界两大法系逐渐融合发展大趋势的制度变革措施。本文指出了消除相关障碍是建构案例指导制度的前提,论证了案例指导制度在我国建构的必要性和可行性,同时从指导案例的选择标准与要求、指导性案例的产生程序、案例指导制度的监督机制、案例指导制度的修缮机制等四个角度,提出了构建刑事案例指导制度的具体路径。     

论侦查认识的客体

侦查认识是一种特殊的历史认识，查明案件事实真相是侦查认识的目的，因此，案件事实是侦查认识的客体，案件事实可以解构为“案件的客观事实”、“案件材料反映的事实”和“查明的案件事实”三种形态。案件的客观事实是侦查认识的本原客体，案件材料反映的事实是侦查认识的中介客体。查明的案件事实是侦查认识的结果客体。     

告密、良心自由与现代合法性的困境——法哲学视野中的告密者难题

告密者案件不是一般意义的疑难案件，而是一个“根本性的疑难案件”，其中不仅牵涉到法律解释的争议，也牵涉到对法律合法性的争议。德国法院对告密者案件的真实裁决是审慎严谨的，比起哈特的方案，这些裁决更合于法律实证主义忠于法律的宗旨。拉德布鲁赫和富勒对这个案件的建议都比哈特方案更好，哈特方案并不能回避恶法非法的问题。纳粹统治时期司法沦为犯罪工具，法官丧失良心自由，这是现代社会真实的合法性困境。     

医疗事故赔偿纠纷与医疗服务合同纠纷案件的比较

由于目前实际存在着医疗事故赔偿和人身损害赔偿的双重标准,于是在医疗纠纷诉讼案件中,患者可以选择医疗服务合同纠纷作为诉讼案由,以回避医疗事故技术鉴定和医疗事故赔偿标准。虽然根据法律的规定患者有选择案由的主动权,但在诉讼中究竟选择侵权之诉还是违约之诉,仍要具体情况具体分析。     

刑事立案程序的独立性质疑

我国的刑事立案程序立法中存在着严重的弊端 ,其程序的独立性值得质疑。现行立法的不合理导致侦查机关在立案之前适用强制措施和侦查手段的不准确性 ,也促成了司法实践中“不破不立”的现象。建议取消立案程序 ,代之以相对简化的案件登记制度 ,将立案程序纳入大侦查的阶段之中 ,这样既可以解决初查行为的法律定性问题 ,也使法律规范更便于操作     

索赔人能否根据租约下的履约保函扣押担保人的船舶——the“Catur Samudra”案介绍

介绍新加坡高等法院有关船舶扣押的重要判例the＂Catur Samudra＂案。此案法官认为,索赔人在租约履约保函下的请求不是可以扣船的海事请求,因此,索赔人不能扣押担保人的船舶。从此案出发,简要讨论国际公约和主要国家立法关于索赔人可以扣押船舶的海事请求的范围。     

One Family,One Judge,No Continuances

Continuances are a source of delay in juvenile dependency cases that may increase the length of time a child is in care. The current study builds upon an emerging body of research examining the effectiveness of the one family, one judge model in improving case efficiency. The study first examines the expectation that continuances delay case processing, then examines whether the implementation of a one family, one judge model of judicial oversight reduces continuances. Results reveal that continuances delay case events up to the adjudication hearing, but do not delay time to permanency. Although implementation of the one family, one judge model did not reduce continuances, there was a relationship between the number of judicial officers per case and number of continuances. When there is only one judicial officer per case, the majority of cases have no or only one continuance. Every two judicial officers added to the case result in one additional continuance. These findings indicate that judicial continuity can be an effective way to improve case efficiency.     

不作为的诈骗罪与不当得利的界分

刑民分界是近年来我国法学研究中的一个热点问题。在实践中，多数案件都可以明确地界定为刑事案件或者民事案件。但是，对于那些处于刑事和民事边缘“模糊地带”的案件应当如何处理，是司法机关面临的一个难题。