A Legal Analysis Of Ngos And European Civil Society

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A Legal Analysis of NGOs and European Civil Society

Author : Piotr Staszczyk
Publisher : Kluwer Law International B.V.
ISBN 13 : 9403512520
Total Pages : 471 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (35 download)

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Book Synopsis A Legal Analysis of NGOs and European Civil Society by : Piotr Staszczyk

Download or read book A Legal Analysis of NGOs and European Civil Society written by Piotr Staszczyk and published by Kluwer Law International B.V.. This book was released on 2019-06-26 with total page 471 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Amid widespread awareness and discussion of “the democratic deficit” and “shrinking civil space,” the role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) becomes increasingly important. Yet the precise legal status of such bodies is ill-defined. Here, for the first time, is a thorough commentary and analysis of the position of NGOs and European civil society in the European Union (EU) constitutional system, bringing to the fore existing and desirable means of public participation in EU lawmaking. Recognizing that NGOs have historically been designed to meet the ends of civil society, the analysis focuses on the following topics and issues: means in EU law of advocating for the collective interests of civil society; unofficial means of influencing the EU institutions; access to documents and the European Citizens’ Initiative as means of exerting pressure on EU legislation; relations between the EU institutions and NGOs, including lobbying activities; bringing actions in the common good before courts and other institutions; the special role of NGOs in environmental protection; complaints to the Commission and the European Ombudsman; EU funding for NGOs; and transboundary philanthropy. Drawing on a broad spectrum of sources of law, including CJEU case law and relevant legal literature, the book offers insightful proposals leading to the democratization of the EU’s internal procedures that will allow enhanced cooperation of civil society representatives across national borders. In its thorough examination of legal tools that can respond to the “democratic deficit,” this book makes a distinctive contribution to the public debate on the future of the European Union, especially in the context of emerging threats to further integration. It will prove of great value not only to civil activists, academics and policymakers but also to everyone interested in European integration and affordance for social participation.

Civil Society and Legitimate European Governance

Author : Stijn Smismans
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1847200192
Total Pages : 348 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (472 download)

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Book Synopsis Civil Society and Legitimate European Governance by : Stijn Smismans

Download or read book Civil Society and Legitimate European Governance written by Stijn Smismans and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Smismans gathers a fine selection of papers. The book gains particular authority from its interdisciplinary approach. Ulrike Ehling, European Law Journal This book explores the concept of civil society , which over recent years has been revived and introduced into the institutional debate within the EU. Significantly, EU institutions themselves have made reference to civil society and, on an academic plane, it has been argued that the debate on the legitimacy of European governance should value the role of civil society organisations. Bringing together lawyers and political scientists, the book studies the role of civil society organisations in the multi-level context of European governance. Civil Society and Legitimate European Governance bridges the distance between normative suggestions, legal instruments and empirical analysis. Providing original contributions to the research on European governance, this book will appeal to all scholars and students with an interest in European integration and European institutions.

Civil Society in Europe

Author : Tymen J. van der Ploeg
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108161731
Total Pages : 605 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (81 download)

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Book Synopsis Civil Society in Europe by : Tymen J. van der Ploeg

Download or read book Civil Society in Europe written by Tymen J. van der Ploeg and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-06-01 with total page 605 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The regulation of civil society provides the framework under which those organisations can most effectively provide services in education, health, social services, housing, development aid and so on. Civil Society in Europe identifies common principles of civil society law in two ways. First, the approaches of the Council of Europe and the European Union are explored. Next, civil society regulation in twelve domestic legal systems are investigated on a broad range of substantive areas of law including internal organisation, registration, external supervision, public benefit organisations and international activities. From these, the authors distill a set of minimum norms and optimal conditions under which civil society can deliver its aims most effectively. This book is essential reading for policymakers and legislators across Europe and beyond.

Governance and European Civil Society

Author : Acar Kutay
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317808398
Total Pages : 244 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (178 download)

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Book Synopsis Governance and European Civil Society by : Acar Kutay

Download or read book Governance and European Civil Society written by Acar Kutay and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-02-24 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides a critical analysis of the European Union’s approach to ‘governance’, focusing on the way in which civil society is incorporated within the EU decision-making process and arguing that it is not conducive to the democratisation of EU governance. Using a governmentality approach, Kutay demonstrates that civic actors are not incorporated into EU decision-making processes as they are; rather, they are formed, manipulated and guided by political programming. The author explains how this acts to prescribe and construct particular types of subjectivities, thereby limiting and constraining the types of participation that might emerge as part of European civil society and the process of political participation. Governance and European Civil Society will be of interest to students and scholars of European Union politics, global governance, civil society and democracy, Central and East European studies and political and international theory.

Transnational Activism in the UN and the EU

Author : Jutta Joachim
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134063881
Total Pages : 201 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (34 download)

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Book Synopsis Transnational Activism in the UN and the EU by : Jutta Joachim

Download or read book Transnational Activism in the UN and the EU written by Jutta Joachim and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2008-11-04 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comparing non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the United Nations and the European Union across a range of different issue areas, this volume examines how the choice of venue and institution affects the strategies of NGOs. Despite significant differences with respect to their scope, membership as well as their institutional rules, the authors find that the UN and the EU have surprisingly similar effects on civil society organizations and regulate access in such a way that it significantly constrains the agency of NGOs. Highlights include: A comprehensive outline of the volume’s main research questions, situated within the existing literature on the topic Eight case studies of NGO involvement in the UN and the EU across a range of different areas, including human rights, the environment, socio-economic and security issues A theoretically grounded summary of case study findings, challenging the findings of previous studies regarding the power of NGOs A discussion of the finding’s implications for the broader literature, as well as for studies relating to the EU and the UN in particular Transnational Activism in the UN and the EU will be of interest to students and scholars of International Relations, European Studies, and Global Politics. Jutta Joachim is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Hannover, Germany. Birgit Locher is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Political Science at the University of Tübingen, Germany.

European Civil Society and Human Rights Advocacy

Author : Markus Thiel
Publisher : University of Pennsylvania Press
ISBN 13 : 081229422X
Total Pages : 204 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (122 download)

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Book Synopsis European Civil Society and Human Rights Advocacy by : Markus Thiel

Download or read book European Civil Society and Human Rights Advocacy written by Markus Thiel and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2017-07-31 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Adherence to basic human rights norms has become an expected feature of states throughout the world. In Europe, the promotion and protection of human rights through national governments has been enhanced by the diversity of intergovernmental organizations committed to this cause. The latest addition to the continent's rights organizations arrived ten years ago when, based on the EU's Lisbon Treaty, the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) was created as a functional institution to highlight and improve human rights within EU member states. In contrast to other regulatory agencies in the EU, the FRA provides a research-based advisory function for EU institutions and legislation and performs a public-diplomacy function in promoting fundamental rights across EU member states. The linking of civil society with internal rights policies has yet produced very little scholarship. Markus Thiel's European Civil Society and Human Rights Advocacy not only fills this vacuum: it also offers a timely analysis in the context of Europe's proliferating human rights challenges, like the current refugee crises and the nationalist responses that geopolitical changes have provoked. European Civil Society and Human Rights Advocacy examines the interaction between the FRA and hundreds of transnational civil society organizations working with and on behalf of vulnerable populations in EU member states and probes the high normative standards of human rights attainment and transnational participatory governance in the EU. Thiel surveys how networking among civil society organizations takes place, to what extent they are able to set the agenda or insert themselves into EU decision-making procedures, and how they are able to exploit the opportunity structure presented by the FRA's institutionalization of a voice for civil society. Thiel draws conclusions for the larger issues of human rights promotion, transnational citizenship, and participatory governance in the region, reflecting broadly and critically on the legitimacy of EU human rights norms through a political sociology perspective.

Beyond Networks - Interlocutory Coalitions, the European and Global Legal Orders

Author : Gianluca Sgueo
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 331928875X
Total Pages : 192 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (192 download)

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Book Synopsis Beyond Networks - Interlocutory Coalitions, the European and Global Legal Orders by : Gianluca Sgueo

Download or read book Beyond Networks - Interlocutory Coalitions, the European and Global Legal Orders written by Gianluca Sgueo and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-04-06 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores the activism promoted by organised networks of civil society actors in opening up possibilities for more democratic supranational governance. It examines the positive and negative impact that such networks of civil society actors – named “interlocutory coalitions” – may have on the convergence of principles of administrative governance across the European legal system and other supranational legal systems. The book takes two main controversial aspects into account: the first relates to the convergence between administrative rules pertaining to different supranational regulatory systems. Traditionally, the spread of methods of administrative governance has been depicted primarily against the background of the interactions between the domestic and the supranational arena, both from a top-down and bottom-up perspective. However, the exploration of interactions occurring at the supranational level between legal regimes is still not grounded on adequate empirical evidence. The second controversial aspect considered in this book consists of the role of civil society actors operating at the supranational level. In its discussion of the first aspect, the book focuses on the relations between the European administrative law and the administrative principles of law pertaining to other supranational regulatory regimes and regulators, including the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization, the United Nations, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Asian Development Bank, and the Council of Europe. The examination of the second aspect involves the exploration of the still little examined, but crucial, role of civil society organised networks in shaping global administrative law. These “interlocutory coalitions” include NGOs, think tanks, foundations, universities, and occasionally activists with no formal connections to civil society organisations. The book describes such interlocutory coalitions as drivers of harmonized principles of participatory democracy at the European and global levels. However, interlocutory coalitions show a number of tensions (e.g. the governability of coalitions, the competition among them) that may hamper the impact they have on the reconfiguration of individuals’ rights, entitlements and responsibilities in the global arena.

NGOs in International Law

Author : Pierre-Marie Dupuy
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1848441339
Total Pages : 289 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (484 download)

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Book Synopsis NGOs in International Law by : Pierre-Marie Dupuy

Download or read book NGOs in International Law written by Pierre-Marie Dupuy and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2008-01-01 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The essays are persuasive and well-written and, all in all, the book makes an indelible contribution to the legal discourse surrounding this subject. Although the essays are presented with sufficient detail and structure for legal specialists, it would be extremely useful for lobbying practitioners. It is equally essential reading for larger NGOs who wish to improve existing partnership efforts as well as smaller NGOs in developing countries who would like to know more about the policy considerations underpinning current limitations to the NGO s role. Akima Paul, Vienna Online Journal on International Constitutional Law The increasing importance of NGOs has forced international institutions to pay attention to issues of participation and transparency. This excellent book provides comprehensive and insightful analyses of how international bodies accommodate NGOs and their concerns. It forthrightly addresses the uncertain legal status of NGOs in international law. Edith Brown Weiss, Georgetown University Law Center, US No one can deny the significance that NGOs have at the international level, or the dynamism some of them have shown in promoting change, whether in the context of the International Criminal Court or the environment, etc. This is a lively and well-informed account of the wide range of NGOs at the international level, their continuing search for status and (what is more important) access, and also of the abuses sometimes involved, e.g. with servile NGOs in the human rights field. This collection provides an important source of information about an important source of influence on our lives. James Crawford, Cambridge University, UK A timely and useful book that highlights the multi-faceted role of NGOs on the international scene and the rules and practices which have been designed to this end. Laurence Boisson de Chazournes, University of Geneva, Switzerland This book offers a refreshing and well-informed approach to the contentious issues of the role, legal status and consequences of NGOs in international law. The authors provide insightful and high quality analyses of the theories, applications and realities of NGO participation in a wide range of international activity. Robert McCorquodale, University of Nottingham, UK This is a timely and important contribution. It assists in our understanding of developments that have theoretical and practical implications for the changing international legal order. Philippe Sands, University College London, UK The increasing role that NGOs play at different levels of legal relevance from treaty-making to rule implementation, and from support to judges to aid delivery calls for reconsideration of the international legal status of those organizations. This book shows that the degree of flexibility currently enjoyed by NGOs in fields as varied as human rights, the environment and the European Union development cooperation policy constitutes the best arena for all actors involved, with the consequences that the instances where more strict regulation of NGOs participation is desirable are very limited. With each chapter focusing on a different modality of NGO participation in international affairs (from formalised legal statuses to informal ways of dealing with issues of international relevance), this book will be of great interest to academics specialised in international law, political scientists, international officials working for both international organisations and non-governmental organisations, and legal practitioners (legal counsels of international organisations, lawyers and judges).

NGOs in China and Europe

Author : Dr Yuwen Li
Publisher : Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN 13 : 1409497526
Total Pages : 551 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (94 download)

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Book Synopsis NGOs in China and Europe by : Dr Yuwen Li

Download or read book NGOs in China and Europe written by Dr Yuwen Li and published by Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. This book was released on 2013-02-28 with total page 551 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume presents a comparison of the experiences of NGOs in China and Europe. The chapters on China contain the most comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of various types of NGOs currently active in the country. The contributions on foreign NGOs in China, non-governmental think tanks, public interest legal organizations, labour related NGOs and charity organizations, are the first in English to discuss successful experiences as well as the difficulties they face in the post-Mao era. The European studies draw examples from countries where the experiences of NGOs are at various stages of development. The section on NGOs in Central and Eastern Europe examines the rapid expansion of civil society and their pivotal role in promoting political change and building democracy in a transitional society, as well as the challenges they confront in advancing a strong civil society. Those chapters on NGOs' experiences in Western European countries, especially in the Netherlands and the UK, provide insightful information and examination of the most contentious issues concerning NGOs' accountability, governance and relationship with the government.

The Legal Status of International Non-Governmental Organizations

Author : Rephael Harel Ben-Ari
Publisher : Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
ISBN 13 : 9004254374
Total Pages : 217 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (42 download)

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Book Synopsis The Legal Status of International Non-Governmental Organizations by : Rephael Harel Ben-Ari

Download or read book The Legal Status of International Non-Governmental Organizations written by Rephael Harel Ben-Ari and published by Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. This book was released on 2013-08-08 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The discourse regarding the legal status of international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) is not new; in fact, it has already progressed throughout the last 100 years. However, most of the proposals to grant official status to INGOs, or to otherwise regulate their cross-border activity, are relatively unknown to international lawyers. A perusal of these initiatives against their unique historical background will prove highly significant in dissecting the complexities involved in formulating a comprehensive scheme for the regulation of INGOs. Innovatively, this work outlines and evaluates the sequence of attempts to propose a formal status for INGOs. It demonstrates how this historical contextual analysis provides an invaluable perspective that is essential for the informed review of contemporary schemes and theoretical trends, relevant to the consideration of the status of INGOs. Unfortunately, most contemporary writers and activists who deal with the normative aspects of INGO activity neglect this crucial perspective.

NGOs in China and Europe

Author : Yuwen Li
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317087607
Total Pages : 468 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis NGOs in China and Europe by : Yuwen Li

Download or read book NGOs in China and Europe written by Yuwen Li and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-05-06 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume presents a comparison of the experiences of NGOs in China and Europe. The chapters on China contain the most comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of various types of NGOs currently active in the country. The contributions on foreign NGOs in China, non-governmental think tanks, public interest legal organizations, labour related NGOs and charity organizations, are the first in English to discuss successful experiences as well as the difficulties they face in the post-Mao era. The European studies draw examples from countries where the experiences of NGOs are at various stages of development. The section on NGOs in Central and Eastern Europe examines the rapid expansion of civil society and their pivotal role in promoting political change and building democracy in a transitional society, as well as the challenges they confront in advancing a strong civil society. Those chapters on NGOs' experiences in Western European countries, especially in the Netherlands and the UK, provide insightful information and examination of the most contentious issues concerning NGOs' accountability, governance and relationship with the government.

The New Politics of European Civil Society

Author : Ulrike Liebert
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1136865209
Total Pages : 258 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (368 download)

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Book Synopsis The New Politics of European Civil Society by : Ulrike Liebert

Download or read book The New Politics of European Civil Society written by Ulrike Liebert and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-08-21 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past two decades, civil society has played a pivotal role in Europe, from the demise of Communist rule to the reunification of Europe, followed by the expansion of the single market to the reconstitution of democracy in the enlarged European Union. European civil society has emerged as a social space between EU governance and the citizens of the member states, populated by non-state agents claiming to represent, speak for or participate on behalf of the most varied social constituencies in EU decision making. This book consolidates European civil society research by re-viewing its conceptual, normative and empirical-analytical foundations. With contributors from political science to sociology to law, it captures the evolving practices of European civil society that stretch across the national (local), the European and the global realm. Developing an analytical framework that highlights the interplay between civil society building and polity building from above as well as from below, within the legal and institutional framework of the EU, they examine whether and how civil society can contribute to making democracy work in normative democratic theoretical perspectives. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of civil society, European politics, political science and sociology.

EU Civil Society

Author : Sara Kalm
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 1137500727
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (375 download)

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Book Synopsis EU Civil Society by : Sara Kalm

Download or read book EU Civil Society written by Sara Kalm and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-04-29 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume provides a novel and relational sociological approach to the study of EU civil society. It focuses on the interactions and interrelations between civil society actors and the forms of capital that structure the fields and sub-fields of EU civil society, through new and important empirical studies on organized EU civil society.

Non-Governmental Organisations in International Law

Author : Anna-Karin Lindblom
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521850889
Total Pages : 604 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (58 download)

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Book Synopsis Non-Governmental Organisations in International Law by : Anna-Karin Lindblom

Download or read book Non-Governmental Organisations in International Law written by Anna-Karin Lindblom and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 604 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Even when governments have no democratic basis, they are regarded as the sole representatives of their populations on the international plane and take important decisions on their behalf. It is therefore important that other voices can be heard in international fora alongside governments. NGOs have an increasingly important legal and political role and use several different avenues for their work, such as lodging cases before international courts and other bodies and participating in international meetings and conferences. This book explores these possibilities for the participation of NGOs in international law.

Civil Society and Activism in Europe

Author : William A. Maloney
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1136996974
Total Pages : 341 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (369 download)

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Book Synopsis Civil Society and Activism in Europe by : William A. Maloney

Download or read book Civil Society and Activism in Europe written by William A. Maloney and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-04-05 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the role of civil society organizations in several advanced European democracies: Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Specifically the book focuses on how voluntary organizations contribute to civic and democratic health and assesses the impact of different organizational types on social capital. Building on Citizenship and Involvement in European Democracies and Social Capital and Associations in Europe (2007), this volume seeks to widen and deepen the analysis by introducing new data on activists and combining it with the organizational data and the population data. It evaluates the impact of the organizational context on individual activity profiles and attitudes and values of activists and provides a unique assessment on the contribution that voluntary associations make to civil and democratic society. Part One deals with the consequences of associational involvement for several attitudinal and behavioural orientations and Part Two expands the scope of the effects of voluntary associations towards European attitudes. This book is essential reading for students and scholars of civil society, democracy, political participation, politics and sociology.

Their Members' Voice

Author : Meike Rodekamp
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3658022132
Total Pages : 290 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (58 download)

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Book Synopsis Their Members' Voice by : Meike Rodekamp

Download or read book Their Members' Voice written by Meike Rodekamp and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-06-17 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The role of civil society organisations in Brussels is debated. Some view them as representatives of their members and thus as legitimising agents for policy-making in the European Union. Others see them as being elitist and out of touch with their membership bases, therefore ill-suited to promote democracy at the EU level. Taking civil society organisations in the EU’s external relations as an example, Meike Rodekamp submits these controversial views to a reality check. Interviews with representatives of civil society organisations in Brussels and their member organisations in the EU show that the Brussels offices have not lost contact with their members. However, member organisations differ substantially in their participation in internal decision-making processes, which raises doubts about the legitimacy gains through civil society participation in EU policy-making.

Civil Society in Europe: Minimum Norms and Optimum Conditions of Its Regulation

Author : Tymen J. Van der Ploeg
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781108163170
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (631 download)

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Book Synopsis Civil Society in Europe: Minimum Norms and Optimum Conditions of Its Regulation by : Tymen J. Van der Ploeg

Download or read book Civil Society in Europe: Minimum Norms and Optimum Conditions of Its Regulation written by Tymen J. Van der Ploeg and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The regulation of civil society provides the framework under which those organisations can most effectively provide services in education, health, social services, housing, development aid and so on. Civil Society in Europe identifies common principles of civil society law in two ways. First, the approaches of the Council of Europe and the European Union are explored. Next civil society regulation in twelve domestic legal systems are investigated on a broad range of substantive areas of law including internal organisation, registration, external supervision, public benefit organisations and international activities. From these, the authors distill a set of minimum norms and optimal conditions under which civil society can deliver its aims most effectively. This book is essential reading for policymakers and legislators across Europe and beyond.