Budapest, Two Parts As One City

Yurttas Journal Entry 8/4/2014

Yesterday, we left Vienna and traveled to Budapest, Hungary, our fifth stop before the last. Our last stop is Prague and then we are heading home. 

Today we are exploring political, cultural, and ethnic diversity in Hungary and the impacts of Eastern/Central European politics. Hungary is a homogeneous nation, 93% being Hungarian. This was not the case however before 1920. Hungary was much more diverse with thirteen nationalities, some being German and Jewish people. 

The World War I was very costly to Hungary, it lost significant portions of its territories and her ethnic Hungarian population. Sadly, today, most Hungarians are against immigration and refugees from other countries, especially from certain nationalities. Rights of minorities are strained. There are anti-Semitic sentiments and aggression against Romani (Gypsies) which constitute the largest minority group in Hungary.  In a study done recently, 60% of Hungarians said they were against Pirezian immigration, a fictional ethnic group.

Hungary was on the side of Nazi's during World War 2 and a large population of Jews were prosecuted. After World War 2, Hungary was ruled by a Soviet style communism. Everyone had to learn Russian at the time, but today no one speaks Russian as a reaction. Hungary has an aging population and widening gap between the rich and the poor. It is dependent on Russia for energy. Being a landlocked country is a big disadvantage to Hungary economically.

It has been 10 years since Hungary joined the EU. Despite of that Hungary economically is not yet in the right place. Because Turkey was with the West during Cold War, Hungary thinks Turkey is a Western country. Hungary also believes that Turkey is an important country and it is a mistake for the EU to refuse Turkey on the basis of not being a Western country.

Yurttas Journal Entry 8/5/2014

Second day in Budapest, we are learning about the political system and political attitudes in Hungary. Hungarian system is similar to German chancellor government. Prime Minister and his cabinet form the executive office. The Prime Minister is the most powerful executive.  Parliament has little influence on governing, but shares the legislative powers with the government. The ruling party is  the conservative Fidesz. There are two larger opposition parties, Hungarian Socialist Party and Jobbik. Jobbik is an extremist party, on the far right. Fidesz seems to be open to EU policiesö but can be confrontational and wouldn't hesitate to pick fights with the EU as the voting record shows. 

After the collapse of communism, the regime change was smooth during 1989-1990. Hungary wanted to have a political system like Germany or Austria, but the foundations were not there at the time for such a change. Middle class, basic foundation for democracy, was not existent. EU membership and investments helped to promote the middle class. Germany is very important to Hungarian economy. Hungary is a subcontractor to Germany. 

Hungary wants to remain a good ally to the US as long as the US invests politically and economically in Hungary. The support for the US however is wavering in Hungary and the EU due to decreasing investments, scandals and not so popular US foreign policies. One interesting fact is that Hungary is the second least religious country next to Czech Republic.

Yurttas Journal Entry 8/6/2014

Last day in Budapest, we learned more about EU/Hungary relationship. Relationship of Hungary with the EU is bittersweet after ten years. During last ten years, the countries that were accepted to the EU were less developed than older member states, mostly Warsaw Pact countries. They needed a period of preparation, association with the EU, before being fully implemented into the EU economic system in order to thrive and compete successfully. In that sense Hungary may be considered a trend-setter in establishing market economy and democratic rights among Central/Eastern European countries. 

The change that took place in Hungary had three dimensions, economic, political, and social.  Economic change involved changing from state-controlled to market economy and from state-owned to private owned businesses. The Soviet style communism was abandoned and democratization took place. Political power was no longer in one position, but democratic institutions with checks and balances were established. Social change took place in form of investing in the people and creating opportunities for them to learn modern skills to be able to compete in the European job market. 

Budapest is much more different than rest of the country, more westernized, like Istanbul to the rest of Turkey. Hungarians believe that they have been empowered by being a part of the EU. Half of the population express happiness for being in the EU. Past negative experiences with the West during the Soviet era do not seem to resonate with Hungarians any longer. Although, recent actions of Putin may cause some to fear that it could again happen. A new constitution has been rewritten and approved by a two-thirds majority. Victor Orban, the Prime Minister, wants to walk in the foot steps of Vladimir Putin and came out and said that he wanted to create an  "illiberal democracy." Hungary is moving closer to Russians again. Orban's government cannot sustain its current route however. This experiment would either result with a political collapse or Hungary's leaving the EU.

Budapest and Prague are great cities

Hey guys,

Prague is great city.  There is a lot of history associated with it. Today is bittersweet as we had our last day of academic lectures. I have learned a lot from being abroad. I have learned new things that will carry on in life.

Here are some photos I have from Prague :

And some photos I have from Budapest :

I will have more pics up when I get back home on Sunday.

Vienna, in the hearth of Europe

Yurttas Journal Entry 7/30/2014

First day in Vienna, we are visiting Haus der Europaeschen Union (House of EU) in Austria. They are the voice of Austria in EU. They brief the media, report back to Brussels on political, economic, and social developments in Austria. They provide information across Austria in partnership with national and local authorities, social partners, and NGO's. 

After 20 years of membership in EU, only 44% of Austrians say that EU membership has been beneficial to them. 35% of Austrians find that EU membership has not been beneficial and the rest of the population seem to have neutral feelings toward the EU membership. According to the Austrian respresentative, EU should be more involved in world affairs, not militarily per say but more diplomatically. EU enlargement and unification is one of the most peaceful international achievements in history. 

EU involvement in world conflicts may provide similar peaceful and diplomatic solutions. One major issue that they have to deal with is the economy and youth unemployment. A second major issue is in the foreign policy area that is engagement in neighboring countries that are in turmoil, such as Ukraine. Enlargement of EU seems to be a foreign policy success in stabilizing neighboring countries and creating peace.This enlargement however is not going to be extended to Turkey, a candidate country. Turkey is too different and a contender for power. Germany doesn't want to share that power.

Yurttas Journal Entry 8/1/2014

Today our visits and lectures further explore Austria and EU relations. Austria has joined EU in 1995, but many questions and worries remain in the minds of Austrians. Average citizen sees EU as behemoth of regulation. People percieve that excessive regulation interrupts people’s lives. It is difficult to convince an average citizen that EU is good. Austria is a neutral country.

EU military plans concern neutral countries like Sweden or Austria. These countries worry about getting drawn into conflicts that they don’t want because of EU membership. Austria is a gateway to west from neighboring countries. Vienna is the capital of the "Danube-Europe." Therefore, immiggration is an issue.

In Germany, there is a GPA requirement to be eligible for enrollment to medical school. In Austria, there is no such requirement and this attracts students to Austrian schools. Many immigrants come to find jobs. Immigrants are resistent to learning German. This creates difficulties in integrating the immigrant families into Austrian society. For the immigrants, it is difficult to find jobs if they are not competent in German. 

Unlike the US, the education system has turned blind eye to educating immigrant children on learning the language and integrating. In the US, the school system offers ESL, English as a Second Language, classes to the children of immigrant families. Turkey has a large young population, therefore there is a large immigration to EU for jobs from Turkey. Turkish immigrants are proud of their culture and resist to such integration.

Here are some photos from Vienna:

Poznan, next to Germany and Russia

Yurttas Journal Entry 7/28/2014

We are in Poznan, Poland, today. We are going to stay in Poznan only one day. Year 2014 is a special year for Poland. It is the 25th anniversary of Poland's independence after the collapse of Warsaw Pact in 1989, the 15th anniversary of joining NATO, and also the 10th anniversary of joining EU. July 28, 2014, also marks the 100th year anniversary of the beginning of  World War I (1914-1918). 

Poland like Turkey is in the center of the East and the West but gradually moving towards the West. Poles believe that they are in the Eastern periphery of the Western World and want to play a role in defending the Western ideals and civilization. Germany and Poland have had peaceful coexistence for centuries except during World War II and have reconciled their differences after the collapse of the Warsaw Pact. 

Poles feel that they belong to the West, but they also love their neighbors, the Russian society and their culture. Both Russians and Poles have experienced state oppression in the past. Poles consider the USA as one of their best allies in the West. After the collapse of communism in Poland, Poles had two main objectives in the foreign policy area: Joining NATO and EU. Both are accomplished today. As a result of these accomplishments, Poland has had access to the Europian funds and demonstrated economic growth.

New infrastructure such as airports, railroads, highways have been built and Poland became more visible and influential in the world. GDP per capita has increased from 48% in 2003 to 68% in 2013 after joining EU. Unemployment has gone down from 20% in 2003 to 13% in 2013. Exports and foreign investments in Poland have tripled from 2003 to 2014. Poland sees Ukraine as an important potential economic partner and therefore wants a democratic Ukraine and feels that the problems in Ukraine may spill over to Poland. Integration of Poland to EU has been a story of success.

Nice two days in Poznan, Poland

Hi y'all

Finally got good internet again. Sorry these blogs are getting behind.

We had nice two days in Poznan Poland:

Berlin has been a blast

Hi Y'all,

Berlin has been a blast it is one of those cities for me that once you visit you don't want to leave

Here are some select photos :

Berlin, learning and enjoying in the hearth of Europe

Yurttas Journal Entry 7/21/2014

Today was a very important day as it was our first lecture in Berlin. We started with CIFE, the Center International de Formation Europeenne. CIFE is a non-profit international organization that is funded by EU but academically independent from EU. In the first part of the 20th Century, the hegemonic wars among European countries were self-destructive. Europe had to integrate to end wars.

Europe had to implement coercive diplomacy instead of relying on the strongest country solve their problems. Winston Churchill stressed the importance of forgiveness and moving forward as a whole. Churchill believed that there could  be no Europe without fully revived France and Germany although he suggested that Britain should be a sponsor not a member of integrated Europe. Iron Curtain limited the integration of Europe. 

Coal and steel were very important to the nation states to defend themselves. Initial integration started with coal and steel with the expectation that this would draw more areas of integration. The integration plan was established on May 9th, 1950, and on this day each year Europeans celebrate peace and unity. EU's mission as a civilian power is to promote peace and stability among its members and in the world. It would be impossible to have peace internationally without peace among its own member states. 

Reichstag is the new German Parliament building. Germany has a federal parliamentary system. Federal chancellor is the head of government and the role of the chancellor is comparable to prime minister in other parliamentary democracies such as Turkey. Germany has a multi-party system, therefore it is very difficult for one party to win the majority. Germany is run by coalition governments in most of the time. The thing that amazed me is that even though Angela Merkel’s party won last years election in a landslide, she had to form a coalition. Currently there are no other coalition governments in EU. Germany is one of the most powerful countries. Understanding German government is one way we can understand relations among EU nations. European Commission acts an an executive branch and provides intense checks and balances for EU. European Commission represents the interests of Europe as a whole as opposed to interests of individual countries.

Yurttas Journal Entry 7/22/2014

On our second day in Berlin, we discussed EU as an international actor. EU has a large internal market that provides a strong structure to build on. EU is an economic union. It is not set up as a military union. Each member state is in charge of its own military. As EU expands, the differences among member states widens as well. These differences create challenges that test the economic and military strength of relationships among the member countries. 

Two important EU institutions are: the European Commission and the Council of European Union. These two institutions are the two heads of legislature. European Commission oversees that all member states implement EU laws. European Council is an assembly of heads of member states. The leaders decide on general political direction and major initiatives.

There are standing committees. Economic and Social Committee writes proposals and reports for economic and social development in EU. European External Action Service deals with foreign affairs such as international and regional demands, military officers, commission staff.  European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution and together with the European Council and the European Commission, functions as the legislative power of EU. 

Bundestag is the constitutional and legislative body of Germany. Representative of Germany in Brussels reports to Bundestag regularly to inform them about EU issues and gets their feedback. German laws require that the government and Bundestag must receive every EU project. German government officials are heavily involved in EU affairs and tightly coordinate with EU to accomplish their goals.

Yurttas Journal Entry 7/23/2014

Our third day in Berlin started with the question of what breeds patriotism or democracy? During recent EU elections far-left, and far-right nationalist parties gained grounds at the expense of the federalist groups. The results worry some about the future of EU. EU's structure is set up in a way that EU's intrests as a whole and the national interests of the member countries are both protected. 

EU Commission represents the interests as a whole. Press Department's role is to anounce new proposals that are on the table through media. Communication Department works with the Press Department and prepares educational materials for the general public. Administrative Department provides internal assistance. Political Department covers policy areas and get recommendations from general public, civil society organizations, professional organizations, think tanks.

One of the most debated proposals on the table is the privatization of water resources. Germany has the largest population of any EU country but majority of Germans don't feel that EU represents them and feel that EU policies are too abstract in nature to appeal to multiple countries. Nevertheless Germany is the most powerful country within EU. The common blief is that the national governments can often accomplish better than EU.  Two sets of laws, German and EU, seem to be too confusing for a typical German citizen. On the foreign policy front, EU faces with the problem of Ukraine and Russia. It is harder for EU to implement sanctions against Russia than the US, because EU is in economic partnership with Russia.

Yurttas Journal Entry 7/24/2014

Today's discussions were on the economic dimensions of EU. EU budget is designed and manged on a 7 year basis called the financial perspective. With this budget, community institutions are funded, cohesion is promoted, and agriculture is stabilized. Cohesion policy serves to promote convergence competiveness, employment, territorial cooperation. EU doesn't levy taxes, such as income, sales, etc. Its main resources for funding come from agricuktural duties and sugar levies, value added taxes, VAT, at a rate of 0.3%, and a standard percentage levied on the GNI of each EU country at a minimum rate of 0.74%. 

Spending appropriations serve two big headings, mainly regional development and agricultural and rural developments. EU countries have common currency. With the idea of one market one curency as suggested by France, common currency promotes growth by avoiding currency exchange losses, counterweighs US dollar in reserves and energy money. However, Euro is not an optimum currency yet for several reasons: In Eurozone, open and flexible markets are not yet being fully integrated, problems with flexible real wage adjustment rates, no cross border supply swigs mobility, no fiscal federalism (tiny EU budget), etc.

Germany’s European Policy is to coordinate European politics with the German Federal Government. It is important for Germany to have permanent representation in Brussels to monitor EU Commission's initiatives and to report back to Berlin. Germany involves all relevant ministeris of the federal government to review the proposals, to prepare negotiating documents, to keep the general policy guidelines set by the Federal Chancellary. 

SOLVIT is a body funded by the European Commission to find rapid and pragmatic solution for problems that citizens and businesses might encounter when EU law is not applied correctly by national authorities. In 2013, SOLVIT Germany had 95% resolution rate for problems associated with VAT reimbursement for businesses, helps married couples obtain residence cards in other countries child benefits for people moving to other EU countries.

Yurttas Journal Entry 7/25/2014

Fifth day in Berlin, we are wrapping up Germany visit. We learned that EU has an information website called EurActiv.com. This is an independent media portal fully dedicated to EU affairs. People use EurActiv to brief others on media throughout the EU. It is free of charge, anybody can access the information online. There are videos online, panel discussions with real people in offices. They produce some print material, some reporting, big and small reports. Journalists from different countries can collect information and research on EU topics.

BlogActiv is a personal blog site where anyone can sign up for free and talk with others, publish work through it, exchange content. EurActiv has issue based categories, more focused on current controversial issues; may organize speakers or experts and audiences on specific issues, provides reports to allow discussions of specific issues. EurActive communicates and reaches to others through the media network on specific issues going on. 

In the last EU elections in June 2014, the voter turnout was not as expected. The voters were not mobilized despite of discussion of issues through EurActive media network. There was a slight increase in the voter turnout. For the first time the voter turnout was stabilized instead of decreasing election after election.