International Democracy Watch

By Ms. Jelena Pia-Comella* 

The principle of the "responsibility to protect" (RtoP) was first enunciated in the Report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS), set up by the Canadian Government in December 2001. 

by Camila Lopez Badra  

It has been more than five years since the Argentine NGO "Democracia Global" started the campaign to create a Latin American and Carribean Criminal Court Against Transnational Organized Crime (COPLA, for its acronym in Spanish). Thanks to the restless endeavor of the NGO, this campaign now has over 3000 signatures, including those of academics, politicians and parlamentarians from all around the globe. 

By Andrea Cofelice

With the publication of An Agenda for Peace (1992), An Agenda for Development (1994) and An Agenda for Democratisation (1996), the then-UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali launched an ambitious program to reform the United Nations, in order to strengthen, democratise and adapt the Organisation’s structure and working methods to the changed international context, marked by the end of the Cold War. What remains nowadays of that “reform afflatus”? What are the initiatives undertaken and the unresolved issues?

by Lucio Levi

The globalisation process has eroded state sovereignty, producing a contradiction between market and civil society dynamics (that tend to become global) and resistance from nation-states (that remain national). In other words, markets have gained the upper hand over politics. Two opposing projects are confronting with each other in the challenge to govern globalisation: the federalist, which advocates the globalisation of political power and democracy, and the nationalist that pursues the return to the nation-states. 

More and more issues have a global dimension that requires global cooperation. At the UN and other international fora, governments come together to negotiate and decide on policies that have a global impact. The bodies of the UN and international organizations are occupied by officials who are appointed by the executive branches of national governments. In view of their growing importance of international organizations and their decisions, this is no longer sufficient.

A Special European Plan for Sustainable Development and Employment financed by additional own resources of the EU budget coming from taxes on financial transactions (FTT), CO2 emissions (Carbon-Tax) and a loan in Euro Project bonds, in order to create new jobs (especially for youths) in the strategic sectors of the green economy, the safeguard of Europe's natural, historical, artistic and cultural heritage, and of research, innovation and permanent training.

by Lorenzo Spiller

Since pollution cannot be stopped at state borders, a bad pollution management policy in Latvia may potentially affect environment and ecosystems in the UK, Poland and Sweden. This is the main reason why global citizens and international organisations have to obey the imperative to come together and urge local, regional and national governments to act at a continental and global level.

Executive Training Seminar

European University Institute, Fiesole, 16 – 18 November 2016

What budget, resources, fiscal and borrowing powers for the EU?

University of Florence – Polo di Scienze Sociali, Florence, 12-13 November 2015