Evaluation of Montenero Governance and Economic Reforms on the Way to Essay

Evaluation of Montenero Governance and Economic Reforms on the Way to EU Membership - Essay Example This essay presents a comprehensive analysis of modern political and economic developments in Montenegro, which is pursuing its further ties with the EU. Montenegro’s conclusion of its Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) negotiation with the European Commission will pave the way for eventual integration with he European Common market . The tiny nation of just 620,000 has done so ahead of Serbia whose European ambitions have been stalled with its refusal to cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Montenegro looks poised to follow Croatia and Macedonia in actively negotiating accession negotiations. Greater political stability was achieved with the democratic elections held in September in the year 2006 after the narrow win in the referendum in May, with just 55.5% of voters giving a go signal for independence. Djukanovic, with his party in power has even greater leverage to pursue governance reforms in line with democratic principles as one of the main prerequisites into entering the European Union. Held in a fee and fair manner and in line with international standards, the parliamentary elections placed Montenegro was seen favorably by the international community in its capacity to address political reforms and implement them. In terms of legislation, Montenegro has strengthened its anti-corruption drive. Key legislations for improved public procurement and conflict of interest legislation are set to be passed and the Law on Free Access to Information was signed (par 10). Also for the first time as a signal towards greater Montenegro accountability, 1,692 public officials submitted reports on their income and property (par10). Djukanovic in an interview published in the New York Times said that his government managed to pass 140 laws and many more regulations in his past term as Prime Minister, with focus on reforms on the economy, education and administration. As to criticisms that implementation has been slow, he said that the "effects of this reform job will be witnessed only after 5 years" To further cement its legal democratic framework, Montenegro has to craft a

Environmental Pollution Scenario - Phoenix Area Essay

Environmental Pollution Scenario - Phoenix Area - Essay Example The essay "Environmental Pollution Scenario - Phoenix Area" discovers Environmental Pollution Scenario. Sustainability can only be ensured if all involved stakeholders are on board when decisions are taken and implemented. In order to take and keep all involved stakeholders on board, it would be necessary to keep their interests in view when taking and implementing such decisions. A total of seven measures have been proposed in order to deal with the pollution based problems faced by Phoenix, Arizona. However, not all of the proposed solutions are implementable within the constrained budget of $18 million. Therefore, only four of the proposed measures will be implemented in full swing while the remaining budget will be kept in place to cover contingencies such as escalation in costs or need for increased commitment. This proposal seeks to implement. The total cost for these measures adds up to $14.7 million and thus leaves $3.3 million for contingency measures. The first measure for pollution reduction will concentrate on encouraging alternative transportation measures in order to reduce the load on roads and to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels. The recent spike in car usage to commute around Phoenix is a major contributor to pollution in and around the district. Alternatively the focus could have been shifted to pollution control for point sources but these sources represent pollution creation that is comparable to the use of fossil fuels in vehicles. The inertia posed in point control would be too large.... Alternatively the focus could have been shifted to pollution control for point sources but these sources represent pollution creation that is comparable to the use of fossil fuels in vehicles (Newman & J., 1999). Furthermore, the inertia posed by affected businesses in point control would be too large to amount to something substantial. Hence, it was decided to vie for encouraging alternative transportation arrangements through a pervasive campaign based on public contact making. The next measure to reduce pollution is the promotion of fuel efficient cars. The contention here is to reduce the amount of fossil fuels being consumed in vehicles being used around Phoenix. In this fashion the amount of emissions produced by vehicles will reduce thus leading to reduced contribution for the greenhouse effect. In order to facilitate the transition to more fuel efficient vehicles, people buying more fuel efficient vehicles could be provided subsidies such as reduced taxes on fuel efficient ve hicles, reduced gasoline rates etc. There may be initial opposition from certain automobile dealers who deal with large gas guzzling vehicles but over time this is expected to subside. Moreover, the initial opposition to fuel efficient vehicles is expected to be insignificant compared to opposition for other measures (Nagurney, 2000). Also it is expected that automobile dealers will switch over to selling more fuel efficient vehicles once market demand for these vehicles rises. The third measure being planned is the development of green spaces or urban forestry in and around Phoenix in order to serve as natural barriers and filters for the pollution being produced. In addition the development of urban forested areas will ensure that the heat island effect is