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Reduction of poverty or social exclusion belongs to the priorities of the EU countries defined in the Europe 2020 Strategy. This priority was defined as being interrelated with the priorities focused on employment and education. Numbers of people living in poverty varied between the EU countries, which also varied in the progress towards achieving their national targets concerning poverty reduction. The aim of the paper was to assess the EU countries with respect to the prevalence of poverty and its determinants in the context of the priorities of the Europe 2020 Strategy. Two methods were used to meet the aim of the paper – the correlation analysis and the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), including also the Malmquist Index. Results of the DEA revealed that all EU countries were not assessed as being fully efficient. A number of efficient countries first declined between the years 2008-2010, then it started to increase and reached the maximum value in 2017. Between the years 2010-2014, 11 countries improved their productivity, but between the years 2017-2019, improvement was identified only for five countries. Results of correlation analysis confirmed the importance of policies focused on households’ incomes and employment for the successful reduction of poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on understanding the emergence of child marriage as a practice that grossly violates human and children’s rights of girls and boys, threatens their well-being and prevents them from reaching their full potential. The first section analyzes the causes and consequences of child marriages and presents available data on the prevalence of this phenomenon in the region. Based on the available research in Europe, which indicates an increased prevalence of the phenomenon in the Roma community, and taking into account the lack of domestic research and literature on the topic, this paper presents the results of a qualitative study aimed at gaining insight into the personal experience of adult Roma women associated with their entry into marriage before the age of eighteen. The data were collected by semi-structured interview method and analyzed by the framework analysis procedure. The results of the research coincide with the available knowledge in this field, but also additionally articulate the interplay of various factors from the level of the girls and parents themselves to the level of norms in the Roma community. Consequently, the public policy framework is also discussed, and activities aimed at preventing the practice of child marriage in the education system and activities within the community aimed at providing support to young people, but also at changing the norms which support this practice, have been proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate to what extent the European Court of Justice (ECJ) decides strategically on preliminary references in matters of access to social benefits by economically inactive EU migrants, and to what extent national courts decide to comply with ECJ preliminary rulings in these issues. In doing so, this paper attempted to contribute to a better understanding of judiciaries' impact on public policy through the EU preliminary reference procedures. Knowing that the field of social policy is highly conflictladen, this paper assumes that the ECJ activity in this area will largely reflect a strategic balancing between deeper EU integration through case law and respect for national (fiscal) interests and competences. The paper draws on an intergovernmental, rational-choice theoretical perspective and applies it in a case study on Germany, where three cases (Dano C-333/13, Alimanovic C-67/15 and García-Nieto C-299/14) regarding the access to social benefits (i.e. special non-contributory benefits) have recently been referred to the ECJ. To draw conclusions, the author traces political circumstances, previous ECJ case law, ECJ reasoning in the case studies and final verdicts by national courts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses 134 policies which address lifelong learning policies (LLL policies) in nine countries involved in the project Policies Supporting Young Adults in their Life Course: A Comparative Perspective of Lifelong Learning and Inclusion in Education and Work in Europe (YOUNG_ADULLLT, HORIZON 2020). The analysis is based on three theoretical concepts - cultural political economy, life course theory and governance. The objective of the analysis is to determine the ways in which the LLL policies for youth are formulated and implemented in educational, economic and social sectors. The analysis shows the differences between the countries with regard to the stated goals that are a result of different social and economic circumstances. Policy formulation policies range from centralized to decentralized. The objectives of policies are threefold - educational, economic and social, with their representation varying from country to country. The levels and mechanisms of lifelong learning coordination also show the differences between countries with regard to centrally managed localism, laissez faire and democratic localism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper attempts to deal with the institute of maintenance of adults (spouses, extramarital partners, and same-sex partners). After introductory remarks on the fundamental features of the institute of maintenance, the author clarifies the difference between maintenance as an institute of family law and maintenance as regulated in civil law regulations. A special focus of the paper is a comparative analysis of the legal solutions laid down in the Principles of European Family Law (a non-binding legal document issued by the Commission on European Family Law) and the legal solutions in Irish family law legislation, compared to the Croatian solutions. In the final part of the paper, the author presents the results of the research, and the conclusions drawn from the study of the legal regulation of maintenance of adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper starts from the thesis that the institutional and economic efficiency of a state i.e. society depend on its historical heritage (path dependence), strategic interactions and the international surrounding. Estonia and Slovenia are considered to be not only economically, but also institutionally assertive and relatively successful post-communist states i.e. new member states of the European Union. However, they have developed two completely different — in some important aspects even diametrically opposite — regulatory rules and different political and social arrangements. The paper particularly emphasises the ideological and strategic significance of the élites and their infl uence on the course of reforms and transitions, and on the form of capitalism at the end of the transition. It can be claimed that the political élite in Estonia encouraged the formation of the state that is close to the liberal-minimalist model, while Slovenia is close to the corporatist model of welfare. With regard to including the former into the liberal-market economies (LME) and the latter into the coordinated market economies (CME), certain specific features and local modifi cations should be pointed out. In both cases, some dysfunctional consequences ensued, and they represent a new challenge to the élites, at the same time serving as the test of their credibility and competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from the different traditions with regard to performing public services (services of general interest), the continental-European and the Anglo-Saxon ones, the paper determines basic characteristics of public services. Special attention is paid to the evolution of the concept of public services and their basic characteristics and classification, the protection of public interest and the special role of the public authorities with regard to the services of general interest. The paper analyses the evolution of the concept of "services of general interest" that has been developed within the European Union, and that has been stimulated by the release of several European Union documents (Announcements from 1996 and 2001, the Green Paper from 2003 and White Paper from 2004). The significance of this concept lies in the fact that it reflects the main conflict related to the development of the so-called European Model of Society, which attempts to reconcile the demands resulting from the welfare state on the one hand, with making provisions for the uninterrupted functioning of the common market on the other. Basic elements for the development of the concept of social services of general interest are proposed, attempting to point out to their specificities with regard to the category of economic services of general interest. Special attention is given to the critical analysis of the judicial practice of the European Court of Justice with regard to social services that this Court has issued decisions on. Due to specificities of social services, their special treatment in the process of reform that those services are undergoing is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, political leaders throughout Europe are facing a real paradox. On the one hand, Europeans want them to find solutions to the major problems confronting our societies. On the other hand, people increasingly distrust institutions and politics or are simply not interested in them. The problem is acknowledged by national parliaments and governments alike. It is particularly acute at the level of the European Union. Many people are losing confidence in a poorly understood and complex system to deliver the policies that they want. The Union is often seen as remote and at the same time too intrusive. The Irish ‘no’ highlights the impact of these problems on many people. This was reflected not only in the final outcome of the referendum, but also in the low turnout and quality of the debate which preceded it. Yet people also expect the Union to take the lead in seizing the opportunities of globalisation for economic and human development, and in responding to environmental challenges, unemployment, concerns over food safety, crime and regional conflicts. They expect the Union to act as visibly as national governments. Democratic institutions and the representatives of the people, at both national and European levels, can and must try to connect Europe with its citizens. This is the starting condition for more effective and relevant policies. The Commission identified the reform of European governance as one of its four strategic objectives in early 2000. Political developments since then have highlighted that the Union faces a double challenge: there is not only a need for urgent action to adapt governance under the existing treaties, but also for a broader debate on the future of Europe. The White Paper proposes opening up the policy-making process to get more people and organisations involved in shaping and delivering ELI policy. It promotes greater openness, accountability and responsibility for all those involved. This should help people to see how Member States, by acting together within the Union, are able to tackle their concerns more effectively. Having been passed in July 2001, this document attracted comments by many participants within public consultations, and the realisation of the principles laid down in it was one of the four crucial determinants of the European Commission activity in the period between 2000 and 2004. The White Paper on European Governance represents one of the foundations of the contemporary development of the European governance models, which is the reason why we are publishing its translation here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the paper, the author compares the legislation that regulates the Croatian pension insurance system with the obligations from acquis communitaire in the context of the harmonisation of the legislation in the process of the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union (EU). The author is not merely limited to the formal adjustment of the Croatian legislation with acquis communitaire, but also questions the adjustment of the Croatian pension system with the European social model which is applied in the pension system area, and which derives from acquis communitaire, as well as the practice in Western European countries. In the concluding part, the author determined the adjustment of the legislation that regulates the Croatian pension system with acquis communitaire, but also points out that a part of this system is not adjusted to the European social model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of paper is one of the Assistance Programmes in the area of social security. The Social Institution Support Programme (SISP) has started with its preliminary activities in 2004, and it was finished at the beginning of 2008. The programme was intended for CARDS members — states from South East Europe, and it comprises the areas of pension insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance and family benefits. The aim of the Programme is a preparation for co-ordination of social security schemes in the region of South East Europe, which co-ordination will later be extended to all Members States. Another aim of the Programme is the adjustment of social security schemes to the European standards. During the Programme, 62 activities have been undertaken, among them two Ministerial Conferences, three Summer schools for social security, the publication of Glossary of Social Security Terms on national languages, installation of the SISP website within the website of Council of Europe, establishment of social security expert network and organisation of national trainings with the aim of educating civil and public servants who will deal with the co-ordination matters in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]