On the basis of this conference, attended by all Foreign Ministers of the republics of former Yugoslavia, renowned representatives of the American federal administration and, of course, scientists and experts from all over the world, the publishing house Annales published the work: BUFON, M. et al. (Ed.) The Western Balkans: A European Challenge (627 pp., COBISS.SI-ID 228996608) in 2006. In this monograph, the programme leader in cooperation with members of the programme team, who have, through the research work conducted in investigation of the problems and potentials of contact areas, earned a substantial reputation in the framework of the Commission on Political Geography of the International Geographical Union IGU (dr. Anton Gosar succeeded dr. Andree' Louis Sanguin from the Paris-Sorbonne University as Chairman of the Commission), concentrated on the case of South-Eastern Europe as one of the most prominent cases of European contact areas where the potential conflict situation is replaced by a potential coexistence and presents a particular challenge to the construction of the European model 'unity in diversity'. In the introductory (BUFON, M., GOSAR, A., NURKOVIĆ, S., SANGUIN, A.L. Introduction: the Western Balkans - a European Challenge, pp. 11-28, COBISS.SI-ID 1190099) and other essays (BUFON. M. South-Eastern Europe and Bosnia and Herzegovina between Fragmentation and Integration: a European Challenge in the Governance of Convergence and Divergence Processes, pp. 123-144, COBISS.SI-ID 1190355), contributed by other program team members, special emphasis is placed on the fact that the very solution to the problem of South-Eastern Europe between its fragmentation and conflictuality, will most likely present an exemplary model in testing the efficiency of the new European integration paradigm. The extensive coverage of this work was further enhanced by the publication of the introductory paragraph in the Paris journal "Courrier de la Planete" and its related website.
B.01 Organiser of a scientific meeting
COBISS.SI-ID: COBISS.SI-IDMore than one hundred delegates from all over Europe and the USA, Canada and Australia attended the conference. For the first time in the history of “travelling” conferences ICML, this conference took place outside Western Europe. Undoubtedly, the conference presents and exceptional achievement to Slovenian science in the field of minorities and has contributed also to enhanced cooperation between Slovenian scientists active in the framework of institutions in Slovenia, abroad and in European institutions such as EBLUL.
B.01 Organiser of a scientific meeting
In the framework of the project, the programme leader, in cooperation with other researchers of the University of Primorska and other Slovenian universities, was assigned by competent Slovenian ministries and offices to cooperate and direct the expert group in charge of formulating the premises and development strategies on existing and future forms of Slovenia’s institutional regional cross-border cooperation with the neighbouring regions in Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia. Within this project also an extensive study was drawn up and submitted to the client, describing the advantages and weaknesses of Slovenian border areas and the forms of cross-border cooperation between Slovenia and its neighbouring states. Slovenian government was advised to avail itself of the options offered by the new European instrument EGTC in the formulation of a wider interregional “political space”, which would include formulation of general strategies of interregional cross-border integration and for which funding would be provided by the European Goal 3. The government was also suggested to ensure the formation of local cross-border connections following the example of European “Euroregions” along German borders, which could implement wider strategies more efficiently and also on a more equal footing in terms of the neighbouring regions that are too large for Slovenian conditions.
D.01 Chairing over/coordinating (international and national) projects
Substantial socio-economic relevance is also displayed by other applications of research results of the programme group’s different target research projects, its cooperation with the economic sector and the wider social environment, especially in the Primorska region through implementing several public opinion polls for the Public Opinion Centre UP ZRS, chaired by a member of the programme group, dr. Mateja Sedmak. Among the surveys conducted by this Centre, the following are of particular importance: Nasilje v družinah v Sloveniji (COBISS.SI-ID 1091539) [Domestic Violence in Slovenia], Odnos prebivalcev Obale do naravnega okolja (COBISS.SI-ID 25123421) [The Attitude of the Population of the Littoral towards the Environment], Ženske v slovenski vojski (COBISS.SI-ID 1102803) [Women in Slovenian Armed Forces]. Another important application of this Centre is a survey conducted upon assignment of the research programme leader in all border municipalities of the Republic of Slovenia and will contribute to determining the effects of Slovenia’s entry into the Schengen area on the development possibilities of Slovenian border areas and on further development of the common Slovenian cultural space. All the public opinion polls have enabled preparation of extensive final reports and reports providing the platform for the director to implement corresponding development projects and plans.
The conference took place from July 10-23, 2006 in Portorož. The many international participants at the conference were introduced to the results of the programme group’s research work by dr. Milan Bufon (Borderlands and European Integration, COBISS.SI-ID 1225939), dr. Anton Gosar (Population Geography of the Alps-Adriatic Region, COBISS.SI-ID 1225427), dr. Rada Cossutta (Appearance of Interference in Karst and Istrian-Slovene Areas, COBISS.SI-ID 1226451), dr. Anja Zalta (Diversity of European Islam, COBISS.SI-ID 1223635; Turkey, Islam and European Identity, COBISS.SI-ID 1223891) and dr. Goran Filipi (Romanic and Croatian Linguistic Image of Istria, COBISS.SI-ID 1226707). The results of the research, its planning and international cooperation within the scope of the programme topic, thus supplied solid support for the development of new forms of knowledge dissemination within the domestic and international professional environment. Moreover, these topics provided the program group members with the possibility to launch new interdisciplinary and interuniversity study programmes (e.g. joint study programme of the 3rd cycle "Management of Diversity", developed in cooperation with the Universities of Graz and Bologna). The assertion of topics related to social and spatial convergence and divergence, dealt with and developed by members of the programme group in Europe and beyond, has contributed to the development of other important forms of international recognition, such as, for example, the offer by a distinguished reference publishing house ABC-Clio made to the programme leader to edit an extensive publication in three volumes on the topic of border conflictuality.
F.18 Transfer of new know-how to direct users (seminars, fora, conferences)
On the basis of this conference, attended by all Foreign Ministers of the republics of former Yugoslavia, renowned representatives of the American federal administration and, of course, scientists and experts from all over the world, the publishing house Annales published the work: BUFON, M. et al. (Ed.) The Western Balkans: A European Challenge (627 pp., COBISS.SI-ID 228996608) in 2006. In this monograph, the programme leader in cooperation with members of the programme team, who have, through the research work conducted in investigation of the problems and potentials of contact areas, earned a substantial reputation in the framework of the Commission on Political Geography of the International Geographical Union IGU (dr. Anton Gosar succeeded dr. Andree' Louis Sanguin from the Paris-Sorbonne University as Chairman of the Commission), concentrated on the case of South-Eastern Europe as one of the most prominent cases of European contact areas where the potential conflict situation is replaced by a potential coexistence and presents a particular challenge to the construction of the European model 'unity in diversity'. In the introductory (BUFON, M., GOSAR, A., NURKOVIĆ, S., SANGUIN, A.L. Introduction: the Western Balkans - a European Challenge, pp. 11-28, COBISS.SI-ID 1190099) and other essays (BUFON. M. South-Eastern Europe and Bosnia and Herzegovina between Fragmentation and Integration: a European Challenge in the Governance of Convergence and Divergence Processes, pp. 123-144, COBISS.SI-ID 1190355), contributed by other program team members, special emphasis is placed on the fact that the very solution to the problem of South-Eastern Europe between its fragmentation and conflictuality, will most likely present an exemplary model in testing the efficiency of the new European integration paradigm. The extensive coverage of this work was further enhanced by the publication of the introductory paragraph in the Paris journal "Courrier de la Planete" and its related website.
B.01 Organiser of a scientific meeting