After 12 years of isolation, the relations between Brussels and Minsk have been thawing starting in the last year. One of the components of the policy of re-engagement is the new initiative adopted by the EU called Eastern Partnership (EaP). This thesis sought to answer following question: what were the main reasons for the change in the EU policy towards Belarus after 2008? In order to answer the research question I formulated two hypotheses. The first hypothesis argues that while the EU has acted according to the normative power expectations up until 2008, after that date a more pragmatic approach in the foreign policy has been at work. The second hypothesis explains this change by the increasing influence of Eastern European countries in realm of decision-making processes within the EU, which resulted in a reformed EU foreign policy towards Belarus.These hypotheses are tested in a qualitative case study of the launching of the Eastern Partnership initiative, seen as the most important instrument that defines the new policy of EU. I will focus on the process of decision–making in regards to the adoption of the new initiative towards the Eastern European countries, using the rational actor model and the theory of formal leadership. The results of the paper point out that the main reason for changing the EU foreign policy towards Belarus were connected to pragmatic interests in the economic and energy areas, which weakened the EU normative claims. However, EU values are still counted as political conditionality has recently re-entered the agenda. Thus, the current foreign policy is two-fold: based on rational model of acting and normative power. Moreover, the EaP is the result of the strengthened position of Eastern European countries in terms of the power hierarchy among EU members, with Poland, and the Baltic States playing an increasingly larger role.

Kazakhstan: Mortality in European context (comparison with selected European countries and nationalities) Abstract The aim of this diploma thesis is to anylized mortality rates in Kazakhstan and compared it with selected European countries. In the begining of the thesis is brief outline of history and development of ethnic composition in this Central Asian Republic. Another section contains a comparison of the economic and social conditions in Kazakhstan with two selected European countries - the Czech Republic and Sweden. The thesis continues with comparison and development of the most important mortality indicators in the three above mentioned countries. One of the used criteria summarizes findings from the comparison of mortality backgrounds of three selected European minorities living in Kazakhstan (Germans, Russians and Ukrainians) with their country of origin. This comparison shows a big difference for German nationality, for Russians and Ukrainians the differences are minimal. The concept of avoidable mortality was also used for comparison mortality conditions in selected countries. The results show a low level of health care system in Kazakhstan. The analysis shows a clear gap in Kazakhstan levels of mortality in comparison with selected European countries and nations. Keywords: Kazakhstan, The...

Only one third of the French SMEs are going abroad. However, this option can be an opportunity for the enterprises to extend their growth. The Chinese market is often designated to be the best place to invest. Nevertheless, it is far from France geographically and culturally. Russia and Central/Eastern Europe represent for French SMEs huge and frequently unknown markets, closed to France with all the benefice of their accession to the European Union. These regions have economic and demographic potentials because of their singular history. The study of these countries will show the possible market development in which the French companies and specially SMEs have competences and know-how highly valuable in these markets. Furthermore, the European and French incentives for SMEs and the support of different organizations are additional assets to facilitate the internationalization.

With regard to European Union joining, Romania and Eastern European region have much more attention of the rest of the world. Romania became a phenomenon of Balkan Peninsula during last five years. The aim of the thesis is to describe economic development of Romania before its admission to European Communities and summarize its current economic position in the Union. A part of the thesis is devoted to romanian market environment and assesses especially its attractivity in consideration of the Czech republic.

本研究試圖探討中東歐國家由中央集權計劃經濟轉型為市場經濟之後，對其效率及生產力之影響。本研究針對1980至2000年的歐洲國家，採用資料包絡分析法(DEA)與大邊界法(Grand Frontier)畫出所有樣本的單一效率邊界並計算其整體技術效率、純技術效率、規模效率值。 新興主權國家的整體技術效率、純技術效率、規模效率值在經濟轉型後均降低，顯示經濟轉型後的新興主權國家的確有經濟效率低落的狀況，尤其在經濟轉型初期市場不健全、經濟體質不良使資源配置不佳。傳統工業國家的整體技術效率及純技術效率在經濟轉型後較高，規模效率經濟轉型後降低。傳統工業國家於經濟轉型後整體技術效率、純技術效率及規模效率顯著的高於轉型國家、新興主權國家。 Malmquist生產力指數分析，結果顯示傳統工業國家在經濟轉型後顯示生產力有進步，而生產力成長主要貢獻是技術進步(innovation)，但傳統工業國家技術效率變動則呈現退步現象，進一步分析原因主要是由於規模效率變動退步所致。另外選擇1993年及2000年進行比較，結果發現傳統工業國家與新興國家的生產力均退步，主要原因是技術效率變動退步，但技術有進步。

Tuberculosis - re-established problem of European population Abstract The main objective of this study is to collect data and to provide information about current tuberculosis burden on European population and to capture the most important trends in development of spreading the infection in the European region in the period 1995-2010. A typology of the countries of the European region is performed on the base of main features of tuberculosis morbidity and mortality in the period 2008-2010. Detailed analysis of level of tuberculosis morbidity and mortality for each region was based on available data. The study also presents the plans of major world and European organizations to eliminate spread of tuberculosis.

The study deals with the Sino-Romanian political, diplomatic, economic, technological and cultural ties from the very beginning in 1880, to this day. It precisely attempts to illustrate how, following Romania's bitter transition to democracy in 1989 and during its process of Westernisation and presence in a global context for internationalisation, the Sino-Romanian bilateral relationship has undoubtedly deteriorated, in comparison to the period prior to the revolution when the two countries’ constantly expanding bilateral political and economic partnership, as well as their public support, enabled Bucharest to attenuate the Soviet economic pressure, to improve its autonomous policy towards the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and to undergo processes that resulted in the Romanian Communist Party sharing brotherly relations with the Communist Party of China in the 1970s. The research investigated the Romanian anti-communist revolution of December 1989 as the watershed for the Sino-Romanian relationship as, in the wake of those events, China embarked on the road of becoming a global superpower while the government in Bucharest, struggling economically, politically and socially to cope with the reverberations of the regime change, utterly disregarded the Asian capital’s economic and military potential as well as diplomatic influence in the international arena, and eventually turned its eyes to the West. The work emphasised that, when compared to other CEECs trade with China, Romania only ranked 5th, preceded by Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, suggesting that previous academic research - that placed emphasis on the traditional friendly relations which the two countries have shared since the 1960s and that has yielded, beginning with the 2000s, to a steady development of the Sino- Romanian pragmatic cooperation - and statements of (former) diplomats or experts working in the field - that tend to overemphasise the outcomes of the bilateral ties between Romania and China in the 2000s - are either too optimistic, or unfounded. The research established that the lessening of the Sino-Romanian collaboration after 1989 resides in Bucharest leadership’s inefficiency in developing a strategic partnership with Beijing subsequent to Romania’s accession to NATO (2004) and the EU (2007) and in their hesitation in capitalising on the rising Chinese economic presence in CEE since the beginning of the new millennium.:I. Introduction II. Historical background and Sino-Romanian earliest ties III. Sino-Romanian relations 1949-1969 IV. Sino-Romanian relations 1969-1989 V. Sino-Romanian relations 1989-2004 VI. Sino-Romanian relations 2004-2016 VII. Conclusion Annexes Bibliography

Kazakhstan: Mortality in european context (comparison with selected european countries and nationalities) Abstract The aim of this diploma thesis is to compare mortality rates in Kazakhstan with selected European countries. The first part discusses literature, available data sources and a list of indicators. The thesis deals with brief outline of history and development of ethnic composition in this Central Asian republic. Another section contains a comparison of the economic and social conditions in Kazakhstan with two selected European countries - the Czech Republic and Sweden. The thesis continues with comparison and development of the most important mortality indicators in the three above mentioned countries. The last chapter summarizes findings from the comparison of mortality backgrounds of three selected European minorities living in Kazakhstan (Germans, Russians and Ukrainians) with their country of origin. The analysis of above mentioned factors shows a clear gap in Kazakhstan levels of mortality in comparison with selected European countries. A Comparison of mortality of European minorities living in the territory of Kazakhstan with their countries of origin shows a big difference for German nationality, for Russians and Ukrainians the differences are minimal. Keywords: Kazakhstan, European...

Thesis title: Contemporary populism in Europe This thesis maps the development of populism across Europe and investigates its manifestations and core elements in its complexity, which is the groundwork for analysis of populist party, movement or individual. Populism is not considered solely as the relieving strategy meant to maximize the voter's votes by comprehensible, straightforward and hardly feasible promises. Without this attitude in mind, we would hardly be able to put some reason behind the populist boom, which we had chance to witness during the last decade. Therefore this thesis considers populism as the ideological construct, the way politicians present themselves, the rhetorics, the mastered political style or the structure, which provides the foundations of programme documents of political movements and parties. It would be a mistake to a priori consider it as some kind of purely negative phenomenon, but more of as the reflection of various and continuously changing demands of European electorates. Desperation, which mainstream parties evoke in their voters, is toxic and continues to spread across all society classes. This creates a space for various populists to dominate. Thus while tracking their activities, specific kind of critical thinking is necessary, because populists...

By using the cross-sectional data from the World Bank Enterprise Survey, this dissertation selects a sample of over 3000 firms from 16 Central and Eastern European countries during the 2008 financial crisis, to assess (1) How effective priori classifications are to identify financially constrained and unconstrained firms in times of economic recession (2) What the main robust determinants are at the firm and country-level that affect SMEs' degree of financing obstacles (3) What experiences and lessons we can learn from 2008 crisis to combat with 2020 and future emerging recession. Our evidence indicates that during the economic crisis happened in 2008, size, industry, ownership and EU dummy are useful priori classifications while distinguishing firms' different degree to financing troubles, although some of other priori classifications appeared on other literature are ineffective. Smaller firms, foreign-owned and firms in manufacturing are more likely to report the financing trouble and have less access to formal sources of finance. However, government-owned firms and firms with adequate educated workers are less likely to be financially constraint. The result confirms that economic freedom, financial market and trade integration all have a significant relationship with SMEs' access to finance. For...