"This paper analyses the cooperation established between Slovenian public servants and diplomats and their European counterparts during their country's term in office as presidency of the EU in the first half of 2008. The findings are based on a survey conducted among 667 Slovenian public servants, experts and diplomats directly involved in the policy-making process during Slovenia's Presidency."--Editor.

This book draws attention to selected aspects of the Central European reality and discusses interesting subjects related to the political, economic and social landscape of the region, which are in a continuous process of transformation. The book will be a useful source of knowledge, as Central Europe is still considered to be an “undiscovered island” in the “changeable waters” of contemporary international relations.

Since 2010 the European Union has been plagued by crises of democracy and the rule of law, which have been spreading from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), catching many by surprise. This book argues that the professed success of the 2004 big bang enlargement mirrored the Potemkin villages erected in the new Member States on their accession to Europe. Slovenia is a prime example. Since its independence and throughout the accession process, Slovenia has been portrayed as the poster child of the 'New Europe'. This book claims that the widely shared narrative of the Slovenian EU dream is a myth. In many ways, Slovenia has fared even worse than its contemporary, constitutionally-backsliding, CEE counterparts. The book's discussion of the depth and breadth of the democratic crises in Slovenia should contribute to a critical intellectual awakening and better comprehension of the real causes of the present crises across the other CEE Member States, which threaten the viability of the EU and Council of Europe projects. It is only on the basis of this improved understanding that the crises can be appropriately addressed at national, transnational and supranational levels.

The success of an EU Presidency depends closely on the cooperation it achieves with other actors in the European political arena. This paper analyses the cooperation established between Slovenian public servants and diplomats and their European counterparts during their country's term in office as Presidency of the EU in the first half of 2008. The findings are based on a survey conducted among 667 Slovenian public servants, experts and diplomats directly involved in the policy-making process during Slovenia's Presidency. It looks into the nature, frequency and importance (as rated by Slovenes themselves) of formal and informal cooperation and contacts of Slovenian public servants, experts and diplomats with officials of the Council Secretariat and European Commission as well as national representatives of the other member states. The analysis distinguishes between responses by capital- and Brussels-based staff and also reflects the views of traditional diplomats at Slovenian diplomatic and consular representations. The paper analyses their perception on the cooperation established in selected policy fields in which the Presidency assumed different roles: organizer, broker, leader and national representative.

Beginning in 1983/84 published in 3 vols., with expansion to 6 vols. by 2007/2008: vol. 1--Organization descriptions and cross references; vol. 2--Geographic volume: international organization participation; vol. 3--Subject volume; vol. 4--Bibliography and resources; vol. 5--Statistics, visualizations and patterns; vol. 6--Who's who in international organizations. (From year to year some slight variations in naming of the volumes).

An index to translations issued by the United States Joint Publications Research Service (JPRS).

Indexes the Times, Sunday times and magazine, Times literary supplement, Times educational supplement, Times educational supplement Scotland, and the Times higher education supplement.