Bridging borders through institution-building: the EGTC as a facilitator of institutional integration in cross-border regions

This article examines cross-border integration at the sub-state level in the frame of a European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC). The EGTC is a supranational and directly applicable EU legal instrument that regulates the creation of cross-border ‘associations' with legal personality between public authorities. Thus, it represents a policy tool that can have an effect on the institutional frame of cross-border cooperation and potentially enhance cross-border institutional integration at the sub-state level. The aim of this article is to examine the potential effect of this EU instrument on cross-border institutional integration by studying the institutional architecture of selected EGTCs. This is done on the basis of an analytical grid that defines elements of a possible integration process based on an institutional-oriented approach. This analytical grid is applied to four case studies: the Eurométropole Lille-Kortrijk-Tournai, the EGTC Ister-Granum, the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion and the European Region Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino. The empirical analysis shows that despite the considerable improvement of the legal basis for cooperation, the possible effect of the EGTC for further institutional cross-border integration is still rather limited due to a narrow design of institutions and a low level of actor involvement.     

思想政治教育视域下的青年价值观教育

青年是民族的希望，国家的未来，是中国社会主义事业的建设者、接班人。面对多元化价值观念的影响，引导青年坚定集体主义观念，需要青年价值观教育尊重社会发展的时代特点，遵循思想政治教育的客观规律，以贴合青年生理、心理实际的方法，来全面提升青年价值观教育的实效。     

关于加强社区青年思想政治工作的探讨

共青团加强社区青年思想政治工作就是要处理好工作的基本方式和基本内容问题。基本方式就是要做到培养社区理念与发展青年创造性相结合、强化服务与积极引导相结合、正面激励与社区救济相结合、团属工作和社会统筹相结合、项目实施和社会效益相结合、传统手段与现代工具相结合。基本内容就是要将党的基本路线方针政策与社会实际情况相结合、光荣传统与个人生活价值相结合、提高青年生活素质与社会服务相结合、参与创新与正确认识事物相结合。以便满足社区青年思想政治工作可持续发展的要求。     

高校专职团干部工作和心态综述与思考

高校团的专职干部群体人数众多,由于地区状况差异和各高校具体情况不同,他们的工作现状和心态多种多样.当前,高校团干部在工作、学习和生活中存在诸多实际问题和困难.高校及有关部门应对此给予足够重视,并从实际行动上理解、关心团干部,更好地支持高校共青团工作.     

To be continued . . . Syntheses and trends in follow-up of quality assurance in West European higher education

The authors report on West European trends in follow-up arrangements of national quality assurance procedures. They argue that external quality assurance ought to adopt a broader conception of quality than is now often the case. Next, the general public ought to have a guarantee that external quality assurance is valid (through meta-evaluation) and has consequences (through follow-up arrangements). Follow-up currently is not well developed in many European countries in a formal sense, but is receiving more attention as external quality assurance is maturing. Finally, the authors link national quality assurance to the European dimension; an international network could fulfil important functions in making quality assurance transparent and credible across Europe. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Legal influences on local education powers in the Netherlands: A European and international dimension?

One of the most striking recent developments in education in the Netherlands is the shift of powers from the central national level to the local level for several education policy fields, most notably for the policies aimed at reducing social and education disadvantages and those aimed at the integration of non-nationals into Dutch society. In this article, the influences from European and international law on this Dutch development are being discussed. The conclusion is that there must be a European influence on the contents of national policy matters as such in a general manner, but that the legislation influence stays behind in development.     

论青少年思想政治工作进网络的必要性及途径

网络技术的迅速发展与普及,拓展了新时期青少年思想政治工作的渠道和手段,为加强和改进思想政治工作带来了前所未有的机遇和挑战。要把握时代的脉搏,充分重视和利用信息网络技术,把思想政治工作同网络更好地结合起来,建立高素质的网上思想政治工作队伍,加强校园网的软硬件建设,建立完善的规章制度,使青少年思想政治工作提高实效性,扩大覆盖面,增强影响力,把青少年思想政治工作提高到一个新的水平。     

东亚共同体:路径、机制与挑战

基于东亚金融危机的体制性原因,东亚一体化提上了议事日程,应该说,这是区域合作的政治构想。然而,作为政治构想的东亚一体化是一种"经济增长型政治"的意图,它走出了一条与欧盟完全不同的路径。首先,在欧洲,以"欧洲人"为核心的欧洲主义成为地域统合的原动力,可是,东亚经济统合缺乏"欧洲人"那种主体性意识,这是一种地域结构性的差异。其次,东盟"10+3"模式是东亚共同体的推进机制,然而,与欧盟比较,东亚缺少一个既有共同政治基础、又有法律约束力的推进机构。再次,冷战从欧洲全面退却,但是,在东亚,"冷战"呈进攻态势,"亚洲主义"成为东亚一体化进程中难以跨越的障碍。最后,文章指出,应以自由贸易协定推进东亚机构建设,以机构推进东亚一体化进程,并推动东亚共同的经济政治制度建设。     

欧洲福利国家公共服务对我国的启示

在欧洲有着悠久历史并给各国人民带来了幸福美好生活的社会福利制度和公共服务,从高福利开始逐步造成了各国家的高税收,继而导致生产的高成本、社会的高失业率和国家竞争力的减弱,如何在不过于影响人民现有福利水平前提下走出这个怪圈,已经成为欧盟与各成员国政府公共服务改革与创新的一项主要议程。欧盟福利国家的经验启示是:我国社会公共服务要量力而行,社会保障服务要以救援为主,社会保险应引导自助为主,社会保险基金管理应选择市场化为主。     

欧洲金融刑事侦查的战略和战术

文章介绍了欧洲各国金融刑事侦查的主要战略:揭露非法收入的资金管理,目的是阻止犯罪企业在市场地位的巩固或者削弱其所在领域的影响力和控制力;还介绍了两种金融侦查战术:绘制犯罪企业的金融构成图;了解犯罪资金的相关金融管理,包括偿付和交易两种形式。