Volume 74 (2014)

ISSN (print edition): 1854-3839
ISSN (online edition): 2464-0077

Contents: PDF

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Meta Ahtik

Financial Transaction Tax

Davek na finančne transakcije

Synopsis: Financial transaction tax has been proposed already by Keynes; however it has been introduced only in some individual countries and not globally, which would reduce possibilities for tax evasion. Nevertheless, the topic gained importance during the recent financial crisis – the tax is supposed to reduce risky activities of the financial industry and fill the budgets with the means for alleviating the consequences of the crisis, largely caused by the financial industry. Proposal of the European Commission is therefore the first concrete proposal that addresses a wider economic area. This paper investigates economic, theoretical rationale for the introduction of a financial transaction tax and studies its structure and consequences in several European countries: United Kingdom, France, Italy and Sweden. Special emphasis is given to the proposal of the European Commission that would, in case it is confirmed, apply also to Slovenia, although some concerns have arisen recently, weather Slovenia should introduce the tax or not.

Key words: taxation, financial transaction tax, European Union, financial markets.

Full text (in Slovenian with English summary): PDF

Cite as: Ahtik, Meta: Davek na finančne transakcije,
in: Zbornik znanstvenih razprav, 74 (2014), pp. 7–30, URL: http://www.pf.uni-lj.si/media/zzr2014_ahtik.pdf.

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Miha Hafner

The little Grey Cells and the large Grey areas: The Brain as the Source of Evidence in Criminal law

Male sive celice in velika siva polja: možgani kot dokazni vir v kazenskem pravu

Synopsis: The increasing use of neuroscience-based evidence in criminal courts raises many questions in evidentiary criminal law. The first grey area is connected to the limited probative value of such material that is intertwined with the numerous limitations of modern methods of neuroimaging and their speculative nature. The use of structural brain images in criminal procedure can be considered admissible in Slovenian law, despite the deep intrusion into one’s privacy. The accused and the witness can be subjected to the neuroimaging procedure even against their will. However, the opposite can be said about approaches that use neuroscience as an interrogation tool. Due to the privilege against self-incrimination and the ban of the use of medical interventions and agents, such methods are deemed inadmissible in criminal procedure, since they gain testimonial evidence by circumventing the interrogated person’s will to testify.

Key words: brain, neuroscience, evidentiary criminal law, neuroimaging, fMRI, testimonial evidence, privilege against self-incrimination, right to silence.

Full text (in Slovenian with English summary): PDF

Cite as: Hafner, Miha: Male sive celice in velika siva polja: možgani kot dokazni vir v kazenskem pravu,
in: Zbornik znanstvenih razprav, 74 (2014), pp. 31–58, URL: http://www.pf.uni-lj.si/media/zzr2014_hafner.pdf.

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Igor Kaučič

Constitutional Restrictions and Prohibitions of the legislative Referendum

Ustavne omejitve in prepovedi zakonodajnega referenduma

Synopsis: With the amendment of article 90 of the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia, following the model of comparable European states, Slovenia too introduced restrictions and prohibitions on the legislative referendum. A legislative referendum can no longer be called for laws pertaining to emergency measures to ensure the defence of the state, security, or the elimination of the consequences of natural disasters; financial and budgetary laws as well as the law adopted for the implementation of the state budget; laws ratifying international treaties; and laws eliminating unconstitutionality in the field of human rights and fundamental freedoms or any other unconstitutionality. Delaying the adoption of such laws, and their rejection in a referendum in particular, would represent a serious hindrance for the functioning of the state and the execution of its fundamental functions – especially in adopting urgent legislative measures. Restrictions and prohibitions of referendum decision-making are characteristic of those systems where the referendum may be demanded by the voters. In systems where the referendum is in the hands of the parliamentary majority, the need for express prohibitions is considerably smaller, if not redundant, since the parliament independently decides on the appropriateness of a referendum decision-making on such laws.

Key words: direct democracy, legislative referendum, referendum restrictions and prohibitions, emergency measures, tax, financial and budgetary laws, international treaties, human rights and freedoms, elimination of unconstitutionality.

Full text (in Slovenian with English summary): PDF

Cite as: Kaučič, Igor: Ustavne omejitve in prepovedi zakonodajnega referenduma,
in: Zbornik znanstvenih razprav, 74 (2014), pp. 59–92, URL: http://www.pf.uni-lj.si/media/zzr2014_kaucic.pdf.

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Neža Pogorelčnik

The Development of Provisional Measures in European Civil Procedural law

Razvoj ureditve ukrepov zavarovanja v evropskem civilnem procesnem pravu

Synopsis: The question of protecting claims is old; probably it arose shortly after first debts were made. But still the new problems arise constantly at this field, especially when there is an international element involved in the legal relationship in dispute. At the level of the European Union this field has been subject to the regulation for many years, the latest one could be found in Regulation (EU) No. 1215/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2012 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters, which shall apply from 10 January 2015. With the overview of major changes the article tries to show the development of the subject and its influence on the positions of the creditors and debtors.

Key words: provisional measures, interim order, Brussels I Regulation, Regulation No. 1215/2012, jurisdiction, recognition and enforcement.

Full text (in Slovenian with English summary): PDF

Cite as: Pogorelčnik, Neža: Razvoj ureditve ukrepov zavarovanja v evropskem civilnem procesnem pravu,
in: Zbornik znanstvenih razprav, 74 (2014), pp. 93–116, URL: http://www.pf.uni-lj.si/media/zzr2014_pogorelcnik.pdf.

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Aleš Završnik, Pia Levičnik

Privacy After Snowden: Theoretical Developments and Public Opinion Perceptions of Privacy in Slovenia

Zasebnost po Snowdnu: novejša pojmovanja zasebnosti in odnos javnosti do le-te v Sloveniji

Synopsis: The article analyses recent theorizing of privacy arising from new technologies that allow constant and ubiquitous monitoring of our communication and movement. The theoretical part analyses Helen Nissenbaum’s theory of contextual integrity of privacy and pluralistic understanding of privacy by Daniel Solove. The empirical part presents the results of an online survey on the Slovenian public perceptions of privacy that includes questions on types and frequency of victimizations relating to the right to privacy; self-reported privacy violations; concern for the protection of one’s own privacy; perception of primary privacy offenders; the value of privacy; attitude towards data retention in public telecommunication networks; and acquaintance with the Information Commissioner of RS. Despite growing distrust of large internet corporations and – after Edward Snowden’s revelations – Intelligence agencies, the findings indicate a low degree of awareness and care for the protection of personal data.

Key words: privacy, personal data protection law, public opinion survey, Internet, social networking, Snowden, intelligence, Information Commissioner, data protection authority (DPA), data retention, mosaic theory, Slovenia.

Full text (in Slovenian with English summary): PDF

Cite as: Završnik, Aleš, Levičnik, Pia: Zasebnost po Snowdnu: novejša pojmovanja zasebnosti in odnos javnosti do le-te v Sloveniji,
in: Zbornik znanstvenih razprav, 74 (2014), pp. 117–153, URL: http://www.pf.uni-lj.si/media/zzr2014_zavrsnik_levicnik.pdf.

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Sabina Zgaga

Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes: Protection of Human Rights at the International Criminal Court

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes: zaščita človekovih pravic v postopku pred Mednarodnim kazenskim sodiščem

Synopsis:

International criminal law has been long focusing on providing criminal responsibility to perpetrators of international crimes and preventing their impunity, but it also has to provide fair trial at the same time. In connection to this an issue arises, whether the legality of the procedure has to be ensured by external supervision. That became especially relevant with the establishment of a permanent International Criminal Court (the ICC). This paper therefore tries to verify the hypothesis that the Rome Statute includes all the regular mechanisms for protection of the defendant’s rights, but the external supervision is still required. The paper firstly discussed the existing possibility of protection of the defendant’s rights in the ICC − means of invoking or sanctioning violations of these rights through legal remedies, criminal, civil and tort liability or inadmissibility of evidence. Second part of the paper includes thoughts on possibility of the ICC joining the existing universal, regional or national supervisory mechanisms.

Key words: Rome Statute, exclusion of inadmissible evidence, rights of the accused, procedural violation, criminal responsibility, tort liability, immunity, human rights.

Full text (in Slovenian with English summary): PDF

Cite as: Zgaga, Sabina: Quis custodiet ipsos custodes: zaščita človekovih pravic v postopku pred Mednarodnim kazenskim sodiščem,
in: Zbornik znanstvenih razprav, 74 (2014), pp. 117–153, URL: http://www.pf.uni-lj.si/media/zzr2014_zgaga.pdf.

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Zbornik znanstvenih razprav, Volume 74 (2014), was published with the financial assistance of the Slovenian Research Agency.