Testing popular VaR models in EU new member and candidate states

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saša Žiković

2007-12-01

Full Text Available The impact of allowing banks to calculate their capital requirement based on their internal VaR models, and the impact of regulation changes on banks in transitional countries has not been well studied. This paper examines whether VaR models that are created and suited for developed markets apply to the volatile stock markets of EU new member and candidate states (Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and Turkey. Nine popular VaR models are tested on five stock indexes from EU new member and candidate states. Backtesting results show that VaR models commonly used in developed stock markets are not well suited for measuring market risk in these markets. Presented findings bear very important implications that have to be addressed by regulators and risk practitioners operating in EU new member andcandidate states. Risk managers have to start thinking outside the frames set by their parent companies or else investors present in these markets may find themselves in serious trouble, dealing with losses that they have not been expecting. National regulators have to take into consideration that simplistic VaR models that are widely used in some developed countries are not well suited for these illiquid and developing stock markets.

The Global Health Policies of the EU and its Member States: A Common Vision?

Science.gov (United States)

Steurs, Lies; Van de Pas, Remco; Delputte, Sarah; Orbie, Jan

2018-01-01

Background: This article assesses the global health policies of the European Union (EU) and those of its individual member states. So far EU and public health scholars have paid little heed to this, despite the large budgets involved in this area. While the European Commission has attempted to define the ‘EU role in Global Health’ in 2010, member states are active in the domain of global health as well. Therefore, this article raises the question to what extent a common ‘EU’ vision on global health exists. Methods: This is examined through a comparative framing analysis of the global health policy documents of the European Commission and five EU member states (France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and Denmark). The analysis is informed by a two-layered typology, distinguishing global health from international health and four ‘global health frames,’ namely social justice, security, investment and charity. Results: The findings show that the concept of ‘global health’ has not gained ground the same way within European policy documents. Consequently, there are also differences in how health is being framed. While the European Commission, Belgium, and Denmark clearly support a social justice frame, the global health strategies of the United Kingdom, Germany, and France put an additional focus on the security and investment frames. Conclusion: There are different understandings of global/international health as well as different framings within relevant documents of the EU and its member states. Therefore, the existence of an ‘EU’ vision on global health is questionable. Further research is needed on how this impacts on policy implementation. PMID:29764107

Competitors or collaborators: a comparison of commercial diplomacy policies and practices of EU member states.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stadman, A.; Ruel, Hubertus Johannes Maria; Ruel, H.J.M.

2012-01-01

Commercial diplomacy within the EU is currently a matter for the individual EU member states (MS). This results in different policies and practices. But to what extent do they really differ? This chapter presents the results of a comparative study on EU MS commercial diplomacy policies and

Multidimensional Welfare Comparisons of EU Member States Before, During, and After the Financial Crisis: A Dominance Approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hussain, M. Azhar; Siersbæk, Nikolaj; Østerdal, Lars Peter

How did the financial crisis affect population welfare in EU member states in key dimensions such as income, health, and education? Using EU-SILC data, we seek to answer this question by way of first order dominance comparisons between countries and over time. The novel feature of our study...... is that we perform welfare comparisons on the basis of multi-level multidimensional ordinal data. We nd that the countries most often dominated are southern and eastern European member states, and the dominant countries are mostly northern and western European member states. However, for most country...

Member States must apply most favoured nation treatment under EU law

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Groot, I.M.

2014-01-01

According to case law from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), a Member State is not obliged to enact most favoured nation treatment if a tax treaty prescribes a certain type of tax treatment (bilateral most favoured nation treatment). In this article, the author discusses whether EU

Costs and Benefits to EU Member States of 2030 Climate and Energy Targets - February 2014

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

Costs and Benefits to EU Member States of 2030 Climate and Energy Targets is based on analyses using the POLES-Enerdata model and presents an overview of the main European energy and climate policies: reduction of CO_2 emissions, development of renewable energies, and promotion of energy efficiency. The report looks forward to 2030 and beyond to evaluate possible targets and the goal of maintaining global temperature rise to 2 deg. C. This publication was produced by Enerdata's Global Energy Forecasting team, including the modelling and scenario analysis, within the framework of an external service contract to the UK's Department of Energy and Climate Change. This project looks ahead to 2030. To do this, scenarios were developed using the POLES-Enerdata model, a world energy-economy model that fully describes the energy system and associated GHG emissions. This report analyses the costs and benefits to all EU Member States under different scenarios of the level and type of EU targets defined within a 2030 climate and energy framework. Scenarios include progressively more stringent GHG targets in 2030 (40%, 50%, and 60% reductions compared to 1990), alternative assumptions on access to international credits (0%, 5% and 10% of 1990 emissions), the addition of RES burden shares by Member State, accelerated CCS commercial availability and reduced renewables learning rates. These are the sensitivities commissioned as part of this report; however, they are not a comprehensive range covering all possible outcomes that could arise in reality. What are the costs and benefits to Member States under different scenarios of the level and type of EU targets? The analysis assesses the benefits of different scenarios to improved air quality and health, diversity of energy supply, and reduced costs of meeting longer term emission reduction targets (notably the EU's commitment to reduce emissions by 80-95% by 2050). Relying on more low-carbon, domestic, or diversified sources of

Inflation persistence: is it similar in the new EU member states and the euro area members?

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Franta, Michal; Saxa, Branislav; Šmídková, K.

-, 25/2008 (2008), s. 1-35 Grant - others:Česká národní banka(CZ) B4/2003 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70850503 Keywords : inflation persistence * new EU member states * new hybrid Phillips curve Subject RIV: AH - Economics http://ies.fsv.cuni.cz/default/file/download/id/9070

Inflation persistence in new EU member states: is it different than in the euro area members?

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Franta, Michal; Saxa, Branislav; Šmídková, Kateřina

-, č. 10 (2007), s. 1-37 ISSN 1803-2397 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70850503 Keywords : inflation persistence * new hybrid Phillips curve * new EU member states Subject RIV: AH - Economics http://www.cnb.cz/m2export/sites/www.cnb.cz/en/research/research_publications/cnb_wp/download/cnbwp_2007_10.pdf

EU MEMBER STATES AND FISCAL DECENTRALIZATION– EMPIRICAL COMPARISON

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Žan Oplotnik

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of an article is to compare systems of fiscal decentralization in EU member states according to selected quantitative criteria and European Charter of Local Self-Government principles. The results show that a higher number of lower levels of government usually indicate a greater share of local finance within the total public finance, however, this finding does not confirm the inverse link. Even though the structure of expenditures in EU countries is similar, the shares of funds for the implementation of individual tasks differ significantly. On average, the countries allocate most funds to education, social security, healthcare, administration and political systems, with only a quarter of the countries recording the same or higher amounts of revenues than expenditures. Most of the countries still cover the existing deficit either through transfers from the central to lower levels of government or through equalization schemes or borrowing, which otherwise represents a departure from one of the basic principles of the Charter, which stipulates that financial resources must be commensurate with the responsibilities of local self-government.

Vaccination policies of immigrants in the EU/EEA Member States-the measles immunization example.

Science.gov (United States)

Bica, Mihai A; Clemens, Ralf

2018-06-01

In 2015-16, the European Union/European Economic Area Member States (EU/EEA MSs) experienced an unprecedented volume and rate of migration, posing serious challenges to existing national immunization systems and strategies and raising the questions of where, when and who to vaccinate. We assessed existing strategies for vaccinating immigrant populations in the EU/EEA using measles as an example of the most important vaccine-preventable diseases. In this cross-sectional study, conducted from March to May 2016, an electronic questionnaire was sent to the Heads of National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) or equivalent policy-making bodies in each of the 31 EU/EEA Member States. Responses were entered into a structured database and validated by survey responders for final analysis. Validated responses from all 31 EU/EEA NITAGs or equivalents showed that there is no common measles immunization policy for European immigrants. Policies vary widely from no policy at all (9 of 31, 29%) to vaccination of all comers (2 of 31, 6%), or vaccination of selected cohorts based on vaccination history (17 of 31, 55%) or serum antibody analysis (2 of 31, 6%). Further, the operational responsibilities for immigrant vaccination and documentation methods are not unified within the EU/EEA region. With some notable exceptions immunization policies to contain spread of infectious diseases through migration are either non-existent or vary widely between countries in the EU/EEA. With freedom of movement within the EU/EEA there ought to be harmonization and a common EU/EEA vaccination strategy to replace national policies for immigrant populations.

BUILDING AN EU MEMBER STATE THROUGH DEMOCRACY PROMOTION: THE CASE OF CROATIA'S PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sonja Grimm

2013-01-01

Full Text Available This contribution studies the process of building an EU member state through democracy promotion in the case of Croatia with a special focus on two reform initiatives in the field of Public Administration Reform (PAR. Croatia’s experience is representative of intense efforts of the international community to overcome the consequences of violent state dissolution and civil war. The EU in particular has assisted post-conflict democratization with diplomatic initiatives, the provision of aid, and political conditionality. The Croatian political elite showed great willingness to implement democratic reforms, while at the same time remaining critical of what they viewed as ‘too much’ external interference in domestic state affairs. Based on 30 interviews with Croatian officials, Croatian civil society actors, members of the EU delegation and other representatives of the International donor community, we empirically assess progress and setbacks in Croatia’s public administration reform and explain why some reform initiatives have been successfully implemented while others are still pending.

Distinct and yet not Separate: Revisiting the Welfare Models in the EU New Member States

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Helena Tendera-Właszczuk

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Objective: The objective of this paper is to evaluate the welfare state models in the EU countries and to start the discussion if the new member states (NMS, i.e. those EU member states that joined the EU in 2004/2007, fit the Sapir typology (Nordic model, Continental model, Anglo-Saxon model, Mediterranean model. The second objective is to examine the labour market situation, reduction of poverty and social inequalities in the EU countries. The third one is to open the issue if the public spending can be managed both justly and effectively. Research Design & Methods: The linear regression function and correlation has been used to present effectiveness of social expenditures to reduce poverty, as well as evidence that public spending can be managed both justly and effectively. Findings: This paper demonstrates more similarities can be drawn across the NMS and the EU-15 than within the NMS and EU-15, respectively. The typology of welfare state models is applied to the NMS and their effectiveness is tested. Accordingly, we classify the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Cyprus as countries of the Nordic model; Hungary, Slovakia and Malta as the Continental model; Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia as the Anglo-Saxon model and, finally, Poland, Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria as the Mediterranean model. Implications & Recommendations: Recent data suggest that the global crisis has caused an increase in the level of poverty and social spending in the EU countries. However, this is just a temporary situation and it does reflect the solutions of models. Contribution & Value Added: The NMS tend to be examined as a separate group of countries that – as the literature suggests – depict different qualities of the welfare models than those pursued in the EU-15.

2003-2004 ACADEMIC TRAINING PROGRAMME (Renewable) Energy Policy in the EU Members States and the Accession States

CERN Multimedia

Françoise Benz

2003-01-01

13, 14, 15, 16, 17 October 2003 2003-2004 ACADEMIC TRAINING PROGRAMME LECTURE SERIES Main Auditorium bldg. 500 (Renewable) Energy Policy in the EU Members States and the Accession States D. Reiche / Free University of Berlin, D The aim of this lecture is to discuss the transformation of the energy sectors in the EU with the main focus on obstacles and success conditions for renewable energy sources. Besides the EU-15 and the ten states which will join the EU in 2004, Bulgaria and Romania which will probably join in 2007 as well as Turkey are analysed. The factors which influence renewable energy development are described as the path dependencies/starting positions in energy policy (natural conditions for the RES, availability of fossil resources, use of nuclear power), the instruments for promoting renewable energies (as feed-in tariffs or quota obligations), the economic (level of energy prices, for example), technological (i.e. grid capacity), and cognitive environment.

Convergence of the EU Member States towards the EMU requirements, 1986 to 1993

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guldager, Peter

1997-01-01

that between 1986 and 1990 France, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom progressed substantially towards convergence. Some backsliding, however, occured between the years 1991 to 1993. The performance of Greece deteriorated, while that of the other EU Member States remained largely stationary...

The Impact of EU Financial Crisis and the EU Member States Measures taken to Leave Recession

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simona Moagăr-Poladian

2009-10-01

Full Text Available This paper is focussed on the financial packages and fiscal stimuli measures taken by EU as a group and by each EU country for supporting hard-hit sectors like automotive industry, tourism and construction. The economic crisis from 2008-2009 has led to a sharp decrease of investment climate and a massive contraction of economic activity. This means a sharp decrease of capacity utilisation that had led in time to an excessive unemployment especially in the most hit sectors. The financial rescue measures of EU are comprised in European Economic Recovery Plan (EERP. Measures approved are different from country to country, depending by the political support and the strategy chosen by the government. The EU's response to support the real economy during the economic crisis has been taken very fast and well-organized in certain countries and industries. By contrary, some Member States' recovery measures has been approved late and the rescue strategy wasn’t enough achieved. This has led to a deepening of financial instability and unemployment.

The Foreign Policies of European Union Member States

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Foreign Policies of EU Member States provides a clear and current overview of the motivations and outcomes of EU Member States regarding their foreign policy-making within and beyond the EU. It provides an in-depth analysis of intra-EU policy-making and sheds light, in an innovative and understan......Foreign Policies of EU Member States provides a clear and current overview of the motivations and outcomes of EU Member States regarding their foreign policy-making within and beyond the EU. It provides an in-depth analysis of intra-EU policy-making and sheds light, in an innovative...... prerogative exercised by all EU Member States is to construct their own foreign policies on everything from trade and defence with the rest of the world. This combination of clarity, thematic structure and empirical case studies make this an ideal textbook for all upper-level students of European foreign...

COORDINATES OF THE FISCAL POLICY IN THE MEMBER STATES OF EU

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DOBROTĂ GABRIELA

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Regardless of the mode how is regarded the fiscal policy – a fundamental tool in the procurement of public funds, element determinant of economic growth, a means of influence of the consumption, saving or investments, it remains an important component of the general policy of the state, which can exert influences and also at the level of other states. Tax systems used by Member States of the European Union may become similar or different as a result of centralized or decentralized decisions, ie by mimicking successful practices in taxation or adapt to emerging standards. Each member state shall establish the coordinates of its own tax system, which creates the premises for tax competition. Important is the fact that it must be fair and transparent, otherwise being registered negative effects both in terms of the tax base and in that of revenues. Tax competition in the European Union is normal, observing that tax reforms are common especially after the entry of the new Member States. In this paper we performed analysis it refers to tax competition manifested in direct taxes, tax side testing of the European Union member states. Should be noted that tax competition manifestation occurs in the field of indirect taxes (which we will study done in future research, trying to look for the answer to "competition or tax harmonization in the EU".

STATE AID AND COMPETITIVENESS COMPOSED INDICATORS FOR ROMANIA AND SLECTED EU MEMBER STATES. A COMPARATIVE ANALISYS

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DODESCU D.B. ANCA

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Despite the proclaimed revival of the industrial policy, state aid granted by the EU still remain at a concerning low level. This may be explained by EU’s unique institutional achitecture, that allows the European Commission to monitor and restrict state aid related activities in the member states. Relying on 2007 –2013 statistical data published by Eurostat, AMECO and OCDE data bases, the main purpose of this paper refers to determining the corelation between state aid authorised by the European Comission for Romania and some selected member states and their competitiveness level, in the period 2007 – 2013. Even if the member states government would know which industry of company should br supported, the actual allocation of the public fund is strongly influenced by legitime interests. Therefor, state aid allocation is usualy dependent on political considerations and on the negotiation power of the involved parties, rather than on economic objectives. The main purose of this paper is the following: firstly to determine the relation State Ais – Competitiveness, analysing the cases of Romania, Germany, France, Austria and Poland between 2007 and 2013; and secondly t determine if there is a measurable impact at national level, and to identify new growth possibilities of state aid efficiency. Our main hypothesys is analysed with the help of an original system consisting in competitiveness agregated indicators and their corespondents from the state aid field, and the results obtained are graphicaly presented. This paper is based on the research for the PhD thesis entitled Competition versus competitineness. State aid impact in Romania in the context of EU integration context

Financial integration of stock markets among new EU member states and the euro area

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Babecký, Jan; Komárek, L.; Komárková, Z.

-, č. 849 (2008), s. 1-27 ISSN 0083-7350 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70850503 Keywords : stock markets * convergence * new EU member states Subject RIV: AH - Economics http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/ research /papers/twerp_849.pdf

FDI and Intra-industry Trade in the Automotive Industry in the New EU Member States

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Ambroziak Łukasz

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the extent to which foreign direct investment (FDI influenced intra-industry trade (IIT in automotive products in six New EU Member States (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia in the 1995–2014 period. Changes in IIT intensity are analysed using the Grubel-Lloyd indices. To examine the IIT pattern, IIT indices are divided into two types of trade: IIT in vertically differentiated products (low and high quality VIIT and IIT in horizontally differentiated products (HIIT. The research indicates that IIT in automotive products allowed manufacturers and consumers from the new EU Member States to benefit more from international trade. FDI inflow to the automotive sector of the NMS has been a key factor shaping IIT in automotive products.

Tax reforms in EU Member States - Tax policy challenges for economic growth and fiscal sustainability – 2012 Report

OpenAIRE

European Commission

2012-01-01

The 2012 edition of the report ‘Tax reforms in EU Member States’ intends to contribute to the tax policy debate in the EU. Following the successful 2011 edition, the report consists of two parts: i) a short analysis of tax revenue data and an overview of recent tax reforms in Member States, and ii) a discussion of selected up-to-date tax policy topics in the form of two analytical chapters. The first analytical chapter focuses on the economic implications and policy challenges of the EU VAT s...

THE ECONOMIC CRISIS IMPACT ON PUBLIC EXPENDITURES IN EU NEW MEMBER STATES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabau-Popa Diana Claudia

2012-07-01

Full Text Available This article analyzes the main trends of public expenditures in the New Member States 12 in the last decade. We develop a synthetic analysis of the total public expenditures and also an analytical inquiry of major categories of public expenditures according to COFOG. Based on data provided by Eurostat from 2000 to 2010 we try to capture the impact of global financial crisis on the major trends of the public expenditures for new member states. Our purpose is to reveal a global view of the state of public expenditures in this group of EU countries and also we try to make a comparison between Romania and these countries considering that the stance of public finance is quite similar to the new member states. The major findings of this study are the high increase of the public expenditures for all the countries especially in 2009, due to a huge increase of the social protection expenditures. In this context we underline some correlations between the public expenditures evolution and economic growth.

Strategies of the 'gree­n' member states in EU environmental pol­icy-making

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liefferink, D.; Andersen, M. S.

2002-01-01

and strategies of the ‘green’ member states after the accession of Sweden, Finland and Austria are analysed. It is concluded, among other things, that differences in strategies of articulating environmentally progressive positions in the EU may seriously thwart effective alliance-building between the ‘leaders......’. Denmark is identified as the most activist ‘green’ member state. In Sweden and Austria, pragmatism now prevails. The Netherlands and Finland have the most constructive approach. Germany has largely abandoned its activism of the 1980s in favour of more defensive tendencies. Because of its political...... and economic impact, the role of Germany is crucial among the ‘green’ member states....

Study on Environmental Fiscal Reform Potential in 14 EU Member States: Main Report & Appendices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hogg, Dominic; Andersen, Mikael Skou; Elliott, Timothy

2015-01-01

Environment Agency between 2010 and 2013 on the potential for environmental fiscal reform in four EU Member States affected by the economic crisis. As with the last study for the European Commission, the intention of this study is to indicate where this potential may lie, and to demonstrate the order...

Secession and EU Membership - Is an EU member state secessionist territory automatically within EU after archiving its independence or have to reapply for membership?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Spiro Paço

2015-07-01

To answer to this question I will analyses the possible past experiences in secessionist territory getting membership in international organization like UN. The Vienna Convention on Succession of States in Respect of Treaties is a good material to use in case of succession but the fact that is not in force and not signed by the greatest part of EU member state make it only advisory and not binding.

The paradox of EU enlargement and member states' policies: Dilemmas and challenges: The case of Portugal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neves Santos Miguel

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The paper addresses the issue of EU enlargement with its dual nature: of an intra-EU process, related to the consolidation of a democratic-peace based on collective security, and an external process, involving EU foreign policy and impact on relations with other major global players. Although enlargement is a multidimensional process that combines different perspectives - candidate countries' enlargement politics, member states' politics/policy, EU enlargement politics and external global impact - the paper focuses on Member States policies towards enlargement by looking at the case of Portugal, in particular in relation with the Big Bang Eastern enlargement, and aims at explaining the paradox of Portugal's strong political support to enlargement while it was one of the main potential losers in terms of economic interests. A 'foreign policy analysis' framework is adopted in order to understand the process of decision-making and the interaction between the domestic and the EU levels. The argument put forward is that an exclusive constructivist approach does not provide a satisfactory explanation, as there was also rationalist-interest logic at play. The Portuguese policy towards enlargement was determined not only by the 'solidaritysimilarity' logic, dominant in the formal political discourse but also by the consideration of long-term interests in the EU related to the preservation of the strategic alliance with Germany. The overall systemic impact of enlargement tends to weaken the EU as it presents a major paradox functioning as a double-edged sword. While it has a positive impact by contributing to the enhancement of the EU international profile as it grows in size raising expectations about its potential global role, it also leads to greater heterogeneity, undermining the EU cohesion and its ability to act together with a single voice becoming a robust global player, thus frustrating the expectations raised in the first place.

Succession of States in the EU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Martini

2014-09-01

Full Text Available A specter is haunting Europe – the specter of separatism. Scotland, Catalonia, Flanders, South Tyrol – all these regions have separatist movements pursuing independence from their current National State. The breakup of an EU Member State no longer seems impossible. To date, it is unclear what impact this would have on the EU membership of the new entities (with consequences for the character of citizenship, voting rights in the council, number of MEPs etc. that emerge from the old States. The common rules of Public International Law governing the succession of States are insufficient in the case of a succession of States in the EU. Although the Treaties do not provide for such a situation and the past 60 years of European history offer only a few and not really persuasive precedents, the nature of the EU as a joint association of sovereign States (“Staatenverbund” demands a special approach: A separated State will neither be automatically excluded from the EU nor will it automatically become a new Member State.

Public Attitudes towards Monetary Integration in Seven New Member States of the EU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szőcs Csongor-Ernő

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Existing work on euro support has provided insights into the dynamics of preferences, but most of these studies focus on older member states that already form an integral part of the Eurozone. This article inquires into public attitudes towards monetary integration in new member states of the EU: Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria and Lithuania. Focusing on the cross-sectional variation of preferences, it applies multilevel logit regression to test three perspectives – economic, conceptual and political – using individual-level survey data and NUTS-2 regional statistical data from seven countries for 2013. One of its novel findings is that beliefs such as the one that European Monetary Union (EMU adherence will cause a spiral in economic inflation are powerful disincentives to euro support in these countries.

Geographic Data as Personal Data in Four EU Member States

Science.gov (United States)

de Jong, A. J.; van Loenen, B.; Zevenbergen, J. A.

2016-06-01

The EU Directive 95/46/EC on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data aims at harmonising data protection legislation in the European Union. This should promote the free flow of products and services within the EU. This research found a wide variety of interpretations of the application of data protection legislation to geographic data. The variety was found among the different EU Member States, the different stakeholders and the different types of geographic data. In the Netherlands, the Data Protection Authority (DPA) states that panoramic images of streets are considered personal data. While Dutch case law judges that the data protection legislation does not apply if certain features are blurred and no link to an address is provided. The topographic datasets studied in the case studies do not contain personal data, according to the Dutch DPA, while the German DPA and the Belgian DPA judge that topographic maps of a large scale can contain personal data, and impose conditions on the processing of topographic maps. The UK DPA does consider this data outside of the scope of legal definition of personal data. The patchwork of differences in data protection legislation can be harmonised by using a traffic light model. This model focuses on the context in which the processing of the data takes place and has four categories of data: (1) sensitive personal data, (2) personal data, (3), data that can possibly lead to identification, and (4) non-personal data. For some geographic data, for example factual data that does not reveal sensitive information about a person, can be categorised in the third category giving room to opening up data under the INSPIRE Directive.

Assessment of non-cost barriers to renewable energy growth in EU Member States - AEON

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2010-05-15

The accelerated deployment of renewable energy technologies has become a major priority for public policy makers across the globe. In the last two decades, most of the debate concerning the promotion of renewables was focused on the financial support schemes and on improving grid access conditions for renewable electricity. Of course, these are crucial issues which will continue to deserve serious attention in the future. However, during the last few years, the importance of tackling non-financial and non-technical barriers to renewable electricity, heat and transport has gained the attention of many policy analysts. In June 2009, Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources, entered into force. The articles 13, 14 and 16 of the Directive contain a number of requirements for Member States to address or remove non-cost barriers to the increased deployment of renewable energy sources. This study presents among others an overview of these barriers in all EU Member States; their history, their impact on renewable energy deployment and suggestions for policy solutions, where feasible. Separate studies were carried out for 27 EU-countries and made available in a zip-file.

Long-run real exchange rate determinants : Evidence from eight new EU member states, 1993–2003

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Candelon, B.; Kool, C.J.M.; Raabe, K.; Veen, van A.P. (Tom)

2007-01-01

In this paper, we estimate bilateral equilibrium real exchange rates for a group of eight new EU member states against the euro, using new and sophisticated panel-cointegration techniques. We document a stable significant positive link between productivity levels and the corresponding real exchange

Member State Foreign Policy towards EU Military Operations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rodt, Annemarie Peen

2017-01-01

Over the past decade the European Union has undertaken military operations in Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, twice in the Democratic Republic of Congo, jointly in the Central African Republic and Chad, both in and off the coast of Somalia and most recently in Mali. Ongoing discussions in Brussels...... suggest that another operation in CAR may be underway shortly. The EU’s military endeavours are particularly interesting to this enquiry, as they suggest a radical change in the cohort of member states’ foreign policy towards the Union, which until the turn of the Millennium had been considered by its MS......, amongst others, as a predominantly ‘civilian power’. The significance of such a change merits a chapter that delves deeper into MS foreign policy specifically related to EU military operations.The rationale for this research is to further unpack intra-EU foreign policy and its effect on the external...

The European PV market evaluation for potential investors - actual information on the 15 EU member state countries and Switzerland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurdziel, M.

2004-01-01

The EU has ambitious targets for the introduction of PV. According to the white book of the European Commission, the target for 2010 is to install 3000 MWp. In the following the European PV markets of the 15 EU member state countries and Switzerland are presented and evaluated for potential investors. (author)

Implementation in Poland of the EU Legislation on VTMIS and Reporting Formalities for Ships Operating to or from Ports of the EU Member States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrzej Krolikowski

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Article presents the EU legislation on Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Information System (VTMIS and reporting formalities for ships operating to or from ports of the EU Member States, principles of its implementation in Poland and technical investments made in order to build the Polish National Maritime Safety System to ensure safety and security of shipping and economic activities inside the Polish maritime areas and meeting the requirements of these regulations.

Romania - New E.U. Member State, A New Phase of Its Transition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marius PROFIROIU

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Ever since Romania started its transition in the 1990s, it consistently scored poorly in various comparative performance assessments aimed at rating developing countries. In this paper we analyze whether Romania has managed to overcome the transition period or not, by pointing out both the drawbacks as well as the progress that has been made over the transition period, but most of all since our accession to the European Union in 2007. We discuss the concept of good governance for a new EU member state, by focusing on the state of public governance in Romania, but also addressing the other two important actors in the society, the private sector and the civil society.

Joint responsibility between the EU and Member States for non-performance of obligations under multilateral environmental agreements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nollkaemper, A.; Morgera, E.

2012-01-01

This chapter explores the basis and manifestations of joint responsibility between the European Union (EU) and its Member States for non-performance of obligations contained in multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). Joint responsibility has often been advanced as an attractive solution where

Joint Responsibility between the EU and Member States for Non-Performance of Obligations under Multilateral Environmental Agreements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nollkaemper, A.

2011-01-01

This chapter explores the basis and manifestations of joint responsibility between the European Union (EU) and its Member States for non-performance of obligations contained in multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). Joint responsibility has often been advanced as an attractive solution where

EU-China Trade Partnership: Strategic Importance of Central and Eastern European Members

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Loredana Jitaru

2016-01-01

the increase of Chinese investment in Europe. This paper aims to analyze trade flows betweenChina and the EU member states in Central and Eastern Europe in the framework of the EU-Chinatrade partnership and how these countries can be considered a strategic partner in EU-Chinatrade relations.

Implementing SDG 15.3 on Land Degradation Neutrality in the EU and EU Member States

Science.gov (United States)

Wunder, Stephanie; Starke, Sue Martina; Frelih-Larsen, Ana; Kaphengst, Timo

2017-04-01

The continuing degradation of land and soils is a severe threat to the provision of ecosystem services and economic development. Sustainable use of land and soils are therefore an integral part of the "Agenda 2030" with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets adopted by the UNGeneral Assembly in September 2015. The SDGs provide new opportunities for an ambitious and integrated environmental policy worldwide and in the EU. Among the many relevant targets that directly or indirectly address soils (such as goals on zero hunger, well being, clean energy, climate change, water and sustainable cities), target 15.3 that aims to achieve "a land degradation-neutral world" by 2030 is the most relevant. The concept of "Land Degradation Neutrality" (LDN) is not only about halting the loss of healthy and fertile land, but also actively reversing degradation by restoring land in order to counterbal-ance losses that cannot be avoided. It is a very ambitious target but due to a lack of balancing mechanisms for degradation and restoration in most countries also a new concept. Land Degra-dation Neutrality therefore both needs a scientific conceptual framework as well as a political debate about its implementation and development of instruments. In the EU and its Member States, this debate can also serve as a catalyst to revive the discussion on a common soil policy in Europe after the withdrawal of the proposal for a soil framework directive in 2014. To analyze options for the implementation of target 15.3 in Germany and Europe the research project "Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals on Soils in Germany" (http://ecologic.eu/12876) is currently carried out by the Ecologic Institute on behalf of the Ger-man Environment Agency (UBA) and the German Federal Environment Ministry (BMUB). The project will run until spring 2017 and the session "European Environmental Policies and Sustainability" at the EGU will be an ideal opportunity to present the final

State of Diabetes Self-Management Education in the European Union Member States and Non-EU Countries: The Diabetes Literacy Project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henna Riemenschneider

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Diabetes self-management education (DSME is considered essential for improving the prevention and care of diabetes through empowering patients to increase agency in their own health and care processes. However, existing evidence regarding DSME in the EU Member States (EU MS is insufficient to develop an EU-wide strategy. Objectives. This study presents the state of DSME in the 28 EU MS and contrasts it with 3 non-EU countries with comparable Human Development Index score: Israel, Taiwan, and the USA (ITU. Because type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM disproportionately affects minority and low-income groups, we paid particular attention to health literacy aspects of DSME for vulnerable populations. Methods. Data from multiple stakeholders involved in diabetes care were collected from Feb 2014 to Jan 2015 using an online Diabetes Literacy Survey (DLS. Of the 379 respondents (249 from EU MS and 130 from ITU, most were people with diabetes (33% in the EU MS, 15% in ITU and care providers (47% and 72%. These data were supplemented by an expert survey (ES administered to 30 key informants. Results. Access to DSME varies greatly in the EU MS: an average of 29% (range 21% to 50% of respondents report DSME programs are tailored for people with limited literacy, educational attainment, and language skills versus 63% in ITU. More than half of adult T2DM patients and children/adolescents participate in DSME in EU MS; in ITU, participation of T1DM patients and older people is lower. Prioritization of DSME (6.1 ± 2.8 out of 10 and the level of satisfaction with the current state of DSME (5.0 ± 2.4 out of 10 in the EU MS were comparable with ITU. Conclusion. Variation in availability and organization of DSME in the EU MS presents a clear rationale for developing an EU-wide diabetes strategy to improve treatment and care for people with diabetes.

Evaluation of the implementation of radiation protection measures for aircrew in EU member states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thierfeldt, S.; Haider, C.; Hans, P.; Kaleve, M.; Neuenfeldt, F.

2009-01-01

An evaluation of the implementation of radiation protection measures for aircrew in EU Member States has recently been performed in a study sponsored by the European Commission. A comprehensive database has been gathered using questionnaires for civil aviation authorities, aircraft operators and radiation protection authorities in each country. The study has revealed the following results: all countries within the scope of this study where aircrew might receive annual doses >1 mSv have implemented appropriate legislation. The treatment of limits or constraints (action levels) for annual doses of 1, 6, 20 mSv could be an area where clear guidance by the European Commission might be needed. The way in which doses are determined might also be treated in a more harmonised way in the EU, including the transfer of dose data of freelancers or crew members working for other airlines. The establishment of the European Aviation Safety Agency leads to a gradual shift in responsibilities from the national civil aviation authorities towards this centralised European agency. Currently, however, tracking of doses for aircrew still lies with national bodies. (authors)

THE IMPACT OF FISCAL AND BUDGETARY POLICIES ON THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE IN THE EU MEMBER STATES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ALEXANDRU DRONCA

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The tax system is one of the main tools by which a State exercises sovereignty through the collection, allocation and redistribution of revenues in a given territory. This paper aims to highlight how the characteristics of tax systems, in the Member States of the European Union, affect the unemployment rate. To achieve this goal, indicators for the 28 Member States of the European Union for the period 2004-2012 where used in the study. Starting with an analysis of panel data models, developed using a range of indicators specific for tax systems (budget revenues, budget expenditures, public investment, direct taxes, indirect taxes and social contributions,as exogenous variables and the unemployment rate, as an endogenous variable. The results show that the fiscal and budgetary policies of EU Member States can play a positive role in reducing unemployment, provided that their application and use will meet certain standards and performance criteria and do not harm business.

The Functions of Constitutional Identity Performed in the Context of Constitutionalization of the EU Order and Europeanization of the Legal Orders of EU Member States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Belov Martin

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This article provides an analysis of the functions performed by constitutional identity in constitutional discourses of both the EU and its Member States, in the context of emerging post-Westphalian and supranational constitutionalism. The analysis tries to demonstrate that constitutional identity may serve as one of the key normative ideologies, legitimation strategies and ordering schemes of EU constitutionalism. It reasserts through functional analysis the suitability of constitutional identity for organizing and explaining multiple constitutional orders in a non-hierarchical and inclusive way.

Availability of safety relevant specialists for operation and supervision of nuclear power plants in the new EU member states; Verfuegbarkeit sicherheitsrelevanter Fachkraefte fuer Betrieb und Aufsicht von Kernkraftwerken in den EU-Mitgliedslaendern

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Glaubitz, Dietmar; Dagbjartsson, Sigurdur; Wenzel, Herbert [Fichtner Management Beratung AG, Stuttgart (Germany)

2009-07-01

On behalf of the European commission the availability of safety relevant specialists for operation and supervision of nuclear power plants in the new EU member states was investigated. Based on information of the NPP operators and the authorities in the EU member states the authors studied the age distribution of the skilled personnel, the possibilities for long-term availability of an adequate number of experts, securing of qualification and the contribution of universities for competence preservation. Recommendations concern the cooperation of universities and NOO operators in the fields of education, training and systematic programs at the key players (training on the job).

Development of a new categorization system for pesticides exposure to support harmonized reporting between EU Member States.

Science.gov (United States)

Settimi, Laura; Orford, Rob; Davanzo, Franca; Hague, Charlotte; Desel, Herbert; Pelclova, Daniela; Dragelyte, Gabija; Mathieu-Nolf, Monique; Adams, Richard; Duarte-Davidson, Raquel

2016-05-01

European legislation requires reporting from Member States on acute poisoning incidents involving pesticides. However, standard rules for data collection and reporting have not yet been set out. The new categorization system presented in this paper is aimed at enabling Member States to gather comparable data and provide standard reporting on pesticide poisoning exposures. European Regulations providing separate official categorization of biocidal and plant protection pesticides, were used as a basis to build up a unified pesticide categorization and coding system. Data on selected pesticide exposures collected by Poison Control Centres in six EU countries were reviewed, categorized and reported according to the proposed system. The resulting pesticide categorization system has two dimensions. The first part identifies the main category of use, i.e. biocide/plant protection pesticide/unknown, and the secondary category of use, e.g. Rodenticides, Insecticides and acaricides. The second part of the system is organized into two levels: level one identifies chemical grouping, e.g. Coumarins, Pyrethrins/pyrethroids, while level two identifies the active compound by using its Chemical Abstract Service Registry Number. The system was used to provide a unified categorization to compare exposures to plant protection and biocidal Rodenticides and Pyrethrins/pyrethroids Insecticides and acaricides identified by six EU member states. The developed pesticide categorization system was successfully applied to data extracted from different databases and was able to make the required information comparable. The data reported filling in common templates containing a pre-ordinate list of active compounds categorized according the proposed system, highlighted different capabilities in data collection and recording, showing that some of the collaborating centres were not able to distinguish between main categories of pesticide products or provide information on active compounds. The

DISTRIBUTION ASPECTS OF THE DIRECT PAYMENTS BETWEEN EU MEMBER STATES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gina FINTINERU

2012-01-01

Full Text Available EC proposals concerning CAP reform for 2014-2020 try to cope both with the wide variety of agricultural systems and economic structures of the 27 EU MS but also with current global challenges that agriculture has to face: food security and poverty reduction, climate changes or biodiversity loss. This article aims to analyse the proposed measures consistency with the current situation of Romanian agriculture. Distribution aspects of the direct payments between Member States are concerned. The data are originated in FADN and Eurostat statistics, and a non parametric approach is used in order to better understand the correlation between the direct payments proposed for 2014 -2020 and some socio economic criteria.The paper provides a brief analysis of the existing research concerning the distributional aspects (studies and statistics and contributes to the debate by examining if the proposed redistribution is a consistent and coherent answer to the future challenges the agriculture has to meet in the future and to the targeted equity criteria.

MIGRATION RELATED RESTRICTIONS BY THE EU MEMBER STATES IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE 2015 REFUGEE “CRISIS” IN EUROPE: WHAT DID WE LEARN?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lyra Jakulevičienė

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The article explores the actual and potential negative effects of selected restrictive measures undertaken by the European Union Member States on the protection of asylum seekers and refugees in Europe and its near vicinity, and the lessons learned from the post-2015 migration and refugee ‘crisis’ in the EU. The article aims to provide a legal assessment of these measures and their consequences from the perspective of international and EU law. The selected restrictive measures employed by the Member States in relation to or post-2015 refugee ‘crisis’ that are analysed in the article, relate to restrictions in the area of border controls: reintroduction of Schengen control at EU internal borders; physical barriers built along the borders of EU Member States and closure of external borders; other restrictions through legislative changes related to fast-track procedures and the increased use of detention. The research demonstrates that the restrictive measures analysed have already caused and will raise concerns resulting in legal actions at national, as well as European courts, the latter being far less favourable to accepting the arguments of “unexpected migration flow”, protection of national security or public order as justification for such measures. The article suggests that the lessons learned from the post-2015 refugee ‘crisis’ have been limited, and restrictive tendencies continue, including new trends in the upcoming revision of EU asylum legislation.

Migration from New EU Member Countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pytlikova, Mariola

2007-01-01

The main purpose of the paper is to give predictions of the migration potential from the 7 new EU member countries to the EEA/EU-13 countries. Being able to analyze 'real' migration behavior from these particular countries over the period 1990-2000 helps me to avoid problems related to (double) o...

An overview of the EU Member States support schemes for the promotion of renewable energy sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poullikkas, Andreas; Kourtis, George; Hadjipaschalis, Ioannis [Electricity Authority of Cyprus, P.O. Box 24506, 1399 Nicosia (Cyprus)

2012-07-01

In this work, an overview of the European Union (EU) Member States support schemes for the promotion of renewable energy sources (RES) is provided. In particular, the status of the electricity generation capacity as well as the RES mixture in the Member States is described. Moreover, the different support schemes such as, investment support, feed-in tariffs (FiTs), tradable green certificates, and fiscal and financial measures which the Member States have adopted for the promotion of RES technologies are discussed in detail. Some Member States are implementing a single support scheme for the promotion of RES for power generation (RES-E), e.g., seven Member States use FiTs, or implement a hybrid support scheme by combining all or some of the four categories of the RES-E supporting schemes. Although, these support schemes have increased the penetration of the RES-E technologies in the Member States, still there is a long way in order to achieve the 2020 target. The reason for this may be that the way these schemes have been used so far, i.e., either as single support schemes or in combination of FiTs or tradable green certificates with investment support and fiscal and financial measures, has been ineffective. A more effective combination could be a hybrid scheme consisting of FiTs with tradable green certificates measures, as in the case of Italy and United Kingdom, that will increase the RES-E penetration and eliminate the possible technical problems which will arise from this increased penetration and have an effect in the stability of the power system.

Greenhouse gas emission accounting for EU member states from 1991 to 2012

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Su, Meirong; Pauleit, Stephan; Yin, Xuemei; Zheng, Ying; Chen, Shaoqing; Xu, Chao

2016-01-01

Highlights: • GHG emissions for the EU28 during 1991–2012 are accounted. • The EU28 are classified into four groups based on GHG emission structure. • It can facilitate classified management of GHG emissions. • The EU case shows the common but differentiated principle in emission reduction. - Abstract: Collectively, the EU is among the world’s largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters, though remarkable decreases in GHG emissions have been observed in recent years. In this work the GHG emissions for the 28 EU member states between 1991 and 2012 are accounted for and compared according to the inventory method of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The structure of GHG emissions at a national level, their distribution between countries, and trends across the period are then analyzed. National emission sources and sinks are decomposed for each country to elucidate the contribution of each sector (energy, industrial processes, solvents and other product use, agriculture, land use/land-use change and forestry, and waste) to the national totals. Germany was the largest emitter, with net emissions totaling 939 Tg CO_2 equivalent in 2012, 60% more than the UK and 89% more than France, the second and third biggest emitters, respectively. The energy sector and agriculture were found to be the largest sources of emissions in most countries. Four quadrants were established to compare countries’ performance in emission intensity, carbon removal rate, and net reduction rate of GHG emissions. Slovenia, Portugal, Sweden, and Finland were located in Quadrant II as they displayed relatively low emission intensities and high carbon removal rates. Conversely, Hungary, Greece, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, and Poland were located in Quadrant IV because of their relatively high emission intensities and low carbon removal rates. Some suggestions for integrating the annual results and the trends both within and among countries into national and regional emissions

A method for the correction of the feed-in tariff price for cogeneration based on a comparison between Croatia and EU Member States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uran, Vedran; Krajcar, Slavko

2009-01-01

The European Commission has adopted Directive 2004/8/EC on the promotion of cogeneration, which the EU Member States, as well as candidates including Croatia, were obliged to accept. Among other terms and conditions, the Directive requires certain support mechanisms, such as feed-in tariff prices and premiums added to market electricity prices. In this paper, the cost effectiveness of selling electricity at the feed-in tariff prices in the selected EU Member States is compared to selling it on the European electricity market, with or without premiums. The results of this comparison will indicate whether correction of the Croatian feed-in tariff price to a higher value would be justified. The cost effectiveness ratio of a cogeneration unit upgraded with mean reverting and jump diffusion processes is used for comparison. At the end of this paper, a method is suggested for the correction of feed-in tariff prices, with examples of corrected prices for the years 2008 and 2009. Such corrections have been proven to be justified and are compared to the feed-in tariff prices in most of the selected EU Member States.

The Impact of Financial and Economic Crisis on EU-27 Member States’ Balance of Payments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simona Moagăr-Poladian

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The object of the present article is to analyze the impact of 2008 financial and economic crisis on the evolution of balance of payment of EU-27 member states. Specifically, the analyzed period is between the years 2006-2011. The article is structured in the following parts: (1 the analysis of the evolution of the current account and capital account balance in the EU27 with non-EU states, (2 the identification of the main factors of disparities and asymmetries between the Euro area member states concerning current account balance and international investment position; (3 the role of TARGET2 system in financing of current account deficits of the peripheral countries of Euro area, and capital flight from these states to other Euro area countries perceived as less risky by investors.

Analyzing the environmental and resource pressures from European energy activity: A comparative study of EU member states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

García-Álvarez, María Teresa; Moreno, Blanca; Soares, Isabel

2016-01-01

Sustainable development and environmental protection are key concepts in the European energy policy. The Europe 2020 Strategy establishes the necessity of reducing environmental pressure and resource consumption to increase sustainable development in the EU. In this context, the aim of this paper is to develop an Environmental and Resource Pressure Aggregated Index that considers these two dimensions. This index provides information about the achievement of the targets in the member states as well as the achieved effects of the environmental policies on energy policy and sustainable development. Therefore, it would help policy-makers to plan future policy actions. The results show that, among EU countries, Portugal, Latvia, Italy, Austria and France have low environmental and resource pressure. Recommendations are made for member states with the worst results (Estonia, Poland, Cyprus, Czech Republic and Luxembourg) in order to improve their actions in climate change and energy policy. - Highlights: • An aggregated index about environmental protection in energy policy is obtained. • It aggregates environmental and resource pressures dimensions. • Portugal, Latvia, Italy, Austria and France have the best results. • Reinforcing policies are necessary in Estonia, Poland, Cyprus and Czech Republic.

Public Integrity, Economic Freedom and Governance Performance. A Comparative Study for the EU Member States and Acceding Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ani MATEI

2010-11-01

Full Text Available The studies concerning the impact of corruption on the effectiveness of governance are numerous, valorising profound approaches, based on criteria and standards related to good governance, organizational behaviour. The concepts and mechanisms specific for econometrics and statistics provide the quantitative support for qualitative analyses, substantiating public policies, in view to assure effectiveness in performance measurement. For EU Member States and acceding countries, the level of development and social organization determines specific ethical behaviours. In this context, the current paper aims a comparative economic and social evaluation of the correlations between corruption, performance and economic freedom in the states mentioned, following the various significant stages of the EU enlargement. The working hypotheses turn into consideration the following issues:# Corruption holds national specific character and the statistic, econometric or sociologic analyses reveal that it is stable during time.# The climate of economic freedom and the intensity of corruption influence powerfully the economic performance.# The EU membership, “seniority” in EU, regional context determine different attitudes and perceptions on the corruption phenomena.# For the newer EU states or the acceding countries, the strategies of integrity have mimetic character and the National Integrity Systems have structured powerful connections aimed at determining an action focused on public integrity.In the analyses achieved, the EU is approached globally, at least from statistic point of view, and the conclusions aim situations specific to the groups of states that have been or will be the beneficiaries of the EU enlargement. The quantitative analyses use both own results of the researches carried out by the authors and public results of World Bank or Heritage Foundation, as well as results of authorities responsible for national statistics. The paper uses the

Are the EU Member States Ready for the New Union Customs Code: Emerging Legal Issues On the National Level

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valantiejus Gediminas

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In 2016, the European Union has launched a new and ambitious project for the future regulation of international trade in the European Union and the rules of its taxation: since the 1 May 2016, the new Union Customs Code (UCC has entered into force. It revokes the old Community Customs Code (CCC, which was applied since 1992, and passed in the form of EU regulation sets brand-new rules for the application of Common Customs Tariff and calculation of customs duties (tariffs in all the EU Member States. It is oriented to the creation of the paperless environment for the formalisation of international trade operations (full electronic declaration of customs procedures and ensuring of a more uniform administration of customs duties in the tax and customs authorities of the Member States in the European Union. Therefore, the article raises and seeks to answer the problematic question whether the Member States of the European Union themselves are ready to implement these ambitious goals and does the actual practice of the Member States support that (considering the practice of the Republic of Lithuania. The research, which is based on the analysis of case law in the Republic of Lithuania (case study of recent tax disputes between the taxpayers and customs authorities that arose immediately before and after the entry into force of the UCC, leads to the conclusion that many problematic areas that may negatively impact the functioning of the new Customs Code remain and must be improved, including an adoption of new legislative solutions.

Long-term labour productivity and GDP projections for the EU25 Member States : a production function framework

OpenAIRE

Carone, Giuseppe; Denis, Cécile; Mc Morrow, Kieran; Mourre, Gilles; Röger, Werner

2006-01-01

This paper presents the results of long run labour productivity and GDP growth rate projections (until 2050) for each of the 25 EU Member States and provides a detailed overview of the forecast methodology used. These projections were undertaken in order to provide an internationally comparable macroeconomic framework against which to assess the potential economic and fiscal effects of ageing populations. The projections presented in this paper, using a common production function methodology ...

Long-term labour productivity and GDP projections for the EU25 Member States : a production function framework

OpenAIRE

Carone, Giuseppe; Denis, Cécile; Mc Morrow, Kieran; Mourre, Gilles; Röger, Werner

2006-01-01

This paper presents the results of long run labour productivity and GDP growth rate projections (until 2050) for each of the 25 EU Member States and provides a detailed overview of the forecast methodology used. These projections were undertaken in order to provide an internationally comparable macroeconomic framework against which to assess the potential economic and fiscal effects of ageing populations. The projections presented in this paper, using a common production function methodol...

Economic disparities between EU states and regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ion CIUREA

2010-05-01

Full Text Available EU has 27 Member States representing a community and a market of 493million citizens, which creates further economic and social disparities between thestates and their 271 regions. In a region in four, the GDP (gross domestic product percapita is 75% below the average for the EU-27. Based on the concepts of solidarity andcohesion, regional policy of the European Union favors reducing structural disparitiesbetween EU regions, the balanced development of the community and promoting aneffective equality of opportunity between people. Over the past 50 years, Europeancooperation has helped build highways, sewage plants, bridges, laboratories forbiotechnology. She helped to revive urban areas and neglected activities, throughcountless projects in the poorest regions of the Union.. Two key values: solidarity andcohesion, underlying these projects and the regional policy of the European Union. Theeconomic, social and territorial cohesion will always be at the heart of Europe Strategy2020, a key mechanism for achieving the priorities for a smart growth, sustainable andinclusive in the Member States and regions.

Comparing pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement policies in Croatia to the European Union Member States.

Science.gov (United States)

Vogler, Sabine; Habl, Claudia; Bogut, Martina; Voncina, Luka

2011-04-15

To perform a comparative analysis of the pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement systems in Croatia and the 27 European Union (EU) Member States. Knowledge about the pharmaceutical systems in Croatia and the 27 EU Member States was acquired by literature review and primary research with stakeholders. Pharmaceutical prices are controlled at all levels in Croatia, which is also the case in 21 EU Member States. Like many EU countries, Croatia also applies external price referencing, i.e., compares prices with other countries. While the wholesale remuneration by a statutorily regulated linear mark-up is applied in Croatia and in several EU countries, the pharmacy compensation for dispensing reimbursable medicines in the form of a flat rate service fee in Croatia is rare among EU countries, which usually apply a linear or regressive pharmacy mark-up scheme. Like in most EU countries, the Croatian Social Insurance reimburses specific medicines at 100%, whereas patients are charged co-payments for other reimbursable medicines. Criteria for reimbursement include the medicine's importance from the public health perspective, its therapeutic value, and relative effectiveness. In Croatia and in many EU Member States, reimbursement is based on a reference price system. The Croatian pharmaceutical system is similar to those in the EU Member States. Key policies, like external price referencing and reference price systems, which have increasingly been introduced in EU countries are also applied in Croatia and serve the same purpose: to ensure access to medicines while containing public pharmaceutical expenditure.

Comparative analysis of government debt in the European Union's member states, 2000-2013

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Talpoş Ioan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents a detailed comparative analysis of the evolution of government debt stocks in the E.U. Member States at the end of the period 31.12.2000-31.12.2013 from the point of view of the share of these debts in the GDP, with a focus on six groups of the E.U. Member States (E.U.-28 countries, E.U.-27 countries, Euro area-18 countries, Euro area-17 countries, Non Euro area-10 countries, Non Euro area-11 countries, on the E.U. Member States with a government debt stock share above or below 60% of the GDP at 31.12.2013, on the Member States which recorded very large deviations of the government debt stocks and of those stocks' shares in PIB in the analyzed period or which recorded a decrease in government debt stock shares in PIB - and, separately, on Romania as well.

New legal requirements for submission of product information to poisons centres in EU member states.

Science.gov (United States)

de Groot, Ronald; Brekelmans, Pieter; Desel, Herbert; de Vries, Irma

2018-01-01

In the past eight years, the European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT) has been intensively involved in a European Commission led process to develop EU legislation on the information of hazardous products that companies have to notify to EU Poisons Centres (or equivalent "appointed bodies"). As a result of this process, the Commission adopted Regulation (EU) No 2017/542, amending the CLP Regulation by adding an Annex on harmonised product submission requirements. Harmonised mixture information requirements: Detailed and consistent information on the composition of the hazardous product will become available to EU Poisons Centres (PC). The information will be submitted by companies to PCs (or equivalent "appointed bodies") using a web-based software application or in-house software. Two new important features are introduced. Firstly, to be able to rapidly identify the product formula, a Unique Formula Identifier (UFI) on the product label links to the submitted information. Secondly, for better comparability of reports on poisonings between EU member states, a harmonised Product Categorisation System will specify the intended use of a product. Rapid product identification and availability of detailed composition information will lead to timely and adequate medical intervention. This may lead to considerable reduction in healthcare costs. Additionally, for companies trading across the EU, costs of submission of this information will be reduced significantly. Next steps: From 2017, an implementation period has started, consisting of a three-year period for stakeholders to implement the new requirements, followed by a gradual applicability for consumer products (2020), professional products (2021) and industrial use-only products (2024). Technical tools to generate the electronic format and the UFI together with guidance documents are expected to be made available by the end of 2017 by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Guidance on

Comparing pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement policies in Croatia to the European Union Member States

Science.gov (United States)

Vogler, Sabine; Habl, Claudia; Bogut, Martina; Vončina, Luka

2011-01-01

Aim To perform a comparative analysis of the pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement systems in Croatia and the 27 European Union (EU) Member States. Methods Knowledge about the pharmaceutical systems in Croatia and the 27 EU Member States was acquired by literature review and primary research with stakeholders. Results Pharmaceutical prices are controlled at all levels in Croatia, which is also the case in 21 EU Member States. Like many EU countries, Croatia also applies external price referencing, ie, compares prices with other countries. While the wholesale remuneration by a statutorily regulated linear mark-up is applied in Croatia and in several EU countries, the pharmacy compensation for dispensing reimbursable medicines in the form of a flat rate service fee in Croatia is rare among EU countries, which usually apply a linear or regressive pharmacy mark-up scheme. Like in most EU countries, the Croatian Social Insurance reimburses specific medicines at 100%, whereas patients are charged co-payments for other reimbursable medicines. Criteria for reimbursement include the medicine’s importance from the public health perspective, its therapeutic value, and relative effectiveness. In Croatia and in many EU Member States, reimbursement is based on a reference price system. Conclusion The Croatian pharmaceutical system is similar to those in the EU Member States. Key policies, like external price referencing and reference price systems, which have increasingly been introduced in EU countries are also applied in Croatia and serve the same purpose: to ensure access to medicines while containing public pharmaceutical expenditure. PMID:21495202

An overview of Compassionate Use Programs in the European Union member states.

Science.gov (United States)

Balasubramanian, Gayathri; Morampudi, Suman; Chhabra, Pankdeep; Gowda, Arun; Zomorodi, Behsad

2016-11-01

The past decade witnessed rapid development of novel drugs and therapeutic biological agents. The marketing authorization for novel therapies is often time consuming and distressing for patients. Earlier clinical trials were the only way to access new drugs under development. However, not every patient meets the enrolment criteria, and participation is difficult for patients with life-threatening, long-lasting or seriously debilitating diseases like rare diseases. Early access programs like "Compassionate Use Program (CUP)" have generated alternative channels for such patients. The European Medical Agency provides regulations and recommendations for compassionate use, upon which every European Union (EU) member state has developed its own rules and regulations. Despite previous reviews and studies, the available information is limited and gaps exist. This literature review explores CUP in 28 EU member states. Data was collected through literature review and use of country-specific search terms from the healthcare domain. Data sources were not limited to databases and articles published in journals, but also included grey literature. The results implied that CUP was present in 20 EU member states (71%). Of 28 EU states, 18 (∼64%) had nationalized regulations and processes were well-defined. Overall, this review identified CUP and its current status and legislation in 28 EU member states. The established legislation for CUP in the EU member states suggest their willingness to adopt processes that facilitate earlier and better access to new medicines. Further research and periodic reviews are warranted to understand the contemporary and future regulatory trends in early access programs.

DETERMINANTS OF INTRA-INDUSTRY TRADE OF THE NEW MEMBER STATES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katarzyna Sledziewska

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The paper aims to analyze the determinants of intra-industry trade (IIT = simultaneous export and import of similar goods produced in one industry of the New Member States (NMS defined as 14 countries accessing the EU in the years 2004 and 2007. In our empirical analysis we use panel data with variables controlling for membership of these countries in the EU. Though the time series contain the years before the EU enlargement, we mainly focus on the period since the EU-Eastern enlargement (2004-2013. We estimate the determinants for EU members and NMS what permits us to find out, whether the changes in trade specialization differ between the old and the new EU members. We expect more intensive IIT as a proof of progress of economic integration of the NMS in the framework of the EU membership. Moreover, we examine additional impact of regionalism on IIT that represents the EU Common Commercial Policy (CCP impact.

THE SEPARATION OF POWERS IN THE CONSTITUTIONS OF THE EU MEMBER STATES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silviu Gabriel BARBU

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study consists of realizing and offering an overview of the manner in which the principle of separation of powers is consecrated in the constitutions of the EU member states. We thereby aim to prove that there is no direct relationship between the form of government of a state, the expressis verbis constitutional regulation of the principle of separation of powers in the state and its effective observance, for the existence of the last fact being necessary the simultaneous concurrence of more social, economic and political factors at the level of the society as a whole. Also, we aim to offer a perspective as realistic and comprehensive as possible regarding what does the principle of separation of powers imply, mostly from a legal point of view, as well as about the implications that its respecting or lack of it, as the case, does have at the level of a society. Eventually, we hope to provide a relevant academic study regarding the subject of both great topicality and theoretical and practical interest regarding the fundamentals and especially the operating mode of the principle of separation of powers, a study which could serve, if it shall be taken into consideration by the political plan of the state, to the substantiation of some responsible decisions in the ongoing act of exercising the power.

The regulatory framework of accounting and accounting standard-setting bodies in the European Union member states

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivana Mamić-Sačer

2015-12-01

Full Text Available One of the principal features of accounting in the 21st century is harmonisation and stanardisation. Regulation of the European Parliament and European Council No. 1606/2002 harmonizes financial reporting for certain companies in the EU. However, national accounting principles are of great importance for financial reporting. The main purpose of this research was to investigate the application of generally accepted accounting principles, the regulatory accounting framework and the standard-setting bodies of EU member states. The analysis of these accounting issues was conducted with respect to all 28 EU member states. The results indicate that EU member states regulate their principal accounting issues through separate accounting acts or implement those issues in companies acts. Some EU member states do not have national accounting standards, the national accounting principles being incorporated in companies acts and accounting acts. Nevertheless, national accounting standard-setting bodies are governmental organisations in almost half the member states.

The EU internal market - a stake or a tool in European-Russian gas relations. The case of new member states gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loskot-Stachota, Agata; Ramsay, William C.

2011-06-01

Since 2010 we have observed a new quality in EU energy policy. It is related to the European Commission's more or less direct engagement in the bilateral gas relations of a part of the new member states - Poland, Bulgaria and Lithuania - with Russia. Although the long term outcome of this activity of the EC is as yet unclear it seems to be important for several reasons. Firstly it might increase the possibilities of the enforcement of the EU's directives liberalising the internal gas market and specifically their implementation in individual gas agreements with suppliers from third countries (Gazprom). The consistency and determination of the EC in this field may be decisive for the future direction and depth of the liberalization of the EU gas market. Furthermore, present developments may lead to an increase in EU and specifically EC competence in the field of energy policy, especially its external dimension. So what lessons can we draw from recent Commission activities on the following issues: - Implementing EU gas market 2. and 3. liberalization packages and their main provisions - EU energy policy and its external dimension - recent developments and the EU's role - EU-Russia gas relations - where Russian and EU interests diverge. (authors)

Renewable energies in the EU-Accession States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reiche, Danyel

2006-01-01

The aim of this article is to discuss obstacles and success conditions for renewable energy sources in the EU-Accession States and to compare them with the framework in the EU-15. Besides the ten states which will join the EU in 2004, Bulgaria and Romania which will probably join in 2007 as well as Turkey are analysed. Most of these countries have had a century-long tradition in the utilisation of RES, primarily in biomass and hydropower. However, the communist regimes were convinced of the superiority of large-scale systems and converted the energy sectors into centralised units. Due to this dominating belief system more decentralised applications such as installations using renewable energies had to close. One crucial driving force for future renewable energy development in the Accession States comes from the stipulations set by the EU. The EU-Directive on the promotion of electricity produced from RES gives the new EU-members targets for their RES-development until 2010. Due to the Directive many Accession States have already begun to pay more attention to the topic and to introduce more systematic policies. Six of the Accession States have introduced minimum tariffs which were one of the main success conditions (besides a stable and sound investment programme as well as favourable background conditions) in the leading wind energy countries Germany and Spain. Beside the external pressure by the EU and other international obligations other driving forces such as the path dependencies in the national energy policies (degree of coal, oil and gas exploitation, nuclear power use, import dependency), the political support schemes for renewable energies, possibilities of obtaining external financial support and the cognitive environment are discussed. Finally similarities and differences between EU-15 and Accession States are worked out

Scientific collaboration between 'old' and 'new' member states

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Makkonen, Teemu; Mitze, Timo Friedel

2016-01-01

following the two enlargement waves 2004 and 2007 has significantly increased the co-publication intensity of the new member states with other member countries. The empirical results based on data collected from the Web of Science database and Difference-in-Difference estimations point towards a conclusion...... that joining the EU indeed has had an additional positive impact on the co-publication intensity between the new and old member states and, in particular, between the new member states themselves. These results give tentative support for the successfulness of the EU’s science policies in achieving a common...

Prospects for renewable electricity in the new EU Member States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uyterlinde, M.A.; De Vries, H.J.; Barbu, A.D.

2006-02-01

The scope of this paper is to provide a brief overview of the overall context in which investments in RES-E will take place in short to medium term in the New Member States (NMS) of the EU and to present some preliminary results of a quantitative analysis on the potentials for various RES-E technologies to be deployed in the region in short to medium term as well as their cost. The main findings of this research suggest that factors likely to influence any future, large-scale deployment of RES-E technologies in the NMS include the choice of market strategy by the NMS governments and the energy business community in the European energy market, the ability to elaborate sound local energy plans integrated into a wider context for regional development, the investment climate and the degree to which new renewable ventures can contribute to creating new employment. With respect to the potential for RES-E electricity generation in the NMS, preliminary model results suggest that within the period 2005-2010, the NMS could provide a substantial contribution to the European commitments to increase the share of renewable energy sources in the fuel mix. While biomass and hydro (large and small) seem to be readily deployable in the region, other technologies can make it to the market too

Non-ETS emission targets for 2030. Indication of emission targets for the Netherlands and other EU Member States under the European Effort Sharing Decision

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verdonk, M.; Hof, A.

2013-10-15

As European Member States are making progress towards their 2020 targets in the Effort Sharing Decision, the attention of policymakers is shifting to a framework beyond 2020. The European Commission launched a discussion with its Green Paper on a possible policy framework for 2030. This PBL Note aims to contribute to that discussion by analysing the effects of various assumptions on Member States' non-ETS emission targets for 2030. The effort sharing of the current European target for 2020 has resulted in an emission target of +20% relative to 2005 levels for the least wealthy Member State and -20% for the three wealthiest Member States. The targets for all other Member States were determined based on per-capita income levels of 2005. For possible non-ETS targets for 2030, we assumed a Europe-wide emission reduction target of 40% for 2030, compared to 1990 levels. This target is considered by the European Commission as the most cost-efficient to achieve a low-carbon economy by 2050. The 2030 target was split into a target for emissions covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) and one for emissions that are not covered by the ETS (non-ETS). According to our estimations, European non-ETS emissions need to be reduced by around 30% by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. We distributed the non-ETS reduction target of 30% over the Member States by using similar effort sharing principles that are applied in the EU Effort Sharing Decision for 2020, but with different targets assumed for the least wealthy Member State. We also took recent per-capita income levels into account. However, we did not take into account the costs and effects of emission reductions on GDP. This PBL Note analyses two possible scenarios that differ in the target assumed for the least wealthy Member State, in order to assess the effects of differing assumptions on the 2030 non-ETS targets. These scenarios should be considered as 'what if' scenarios and not as political positions

When the grace period is over: Assessing the new Member States' compliance with EU requirements for oil stockholding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tosun, Jale

2011-01-01

The accumulation of appropriate emergency stocks of crude oil and petroleum products has been at the heart of the European Commission's efforts to increase the security of supply. This study investigates how effectively the 'new' Member States comply with the requirements of Council Directive 2006/67/EC, which imposes the obligation to maintain minimum stocks of crude oil and/or petroleum products. The empirical focus of this analysis is not only motivated by the practical relevance of this issue, but also by the fact that eleven of the twelve new Member States were given grace periods between one and seven years to bring their national stockholding arrangements in line with the European requirements. The granting of extended deadlines raises the question whether this instrument indeed facilitates the transposition process. The empirical findings show that except for Latvia, compliance with the EU stockholding requirements is generally very good. A more detailed analysis of the Latvian case highlights that the transposition delays principally stem from budgetary constraints. More generally, the individual new Member States' capacity to cope with the financial burdens and the degree of adjustment pressure determine the variation in oil stock levels. - Highlights: → Compliance with Council Directive 2006/67/EC is generally very good in the new Member States. → Solely Latvia faces difficulties in developing adequate oil stock levels. → Latvia's insufficient compliance can be attributed to severe budgetary constraints. → Financial capacity and adjustment pressure determine cross-country variation in stock levels.

'A Sense of Urgency': The EU, EU Member States and the Recognition of the Palestinian State

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Martins, Bruno Oliveira

2015-01-01

In the aftermath of the July-August 2014 war in Gaza, the Swedish government officially recognized the State of Palestine. This decision triggered a cascade of resolutions adopted in national parliaments of European Union member states and, eventually, led to the adoption of a European Parliament...

Legal constraints on EU Member States as primary law makers : a case study of the proposed permanent safeguard clause on free movement of persons in the EU negotiating framework for Turkey's accession

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tezcan, Narin

2015-01-01

Do Member States of the EU have a free hand in drafting Accession Treaties, or are there legal constraints on their primary law making function in this context? That is the central question this thesis addresses. It argues that such constraints do exist, and tries to identify them, thereby hoping to

Assessment of national waste generation in EU Member States’ efficiency

OpenAIRE

Halkos, George; Petrou, Kleoniki Natalia

2018-01-01

Waste generation and management may be considered as either a by-product of economic actions or even used as input to economic activity like energy recovery. Every country produces different amounts of municipal solid waste (MSW) and with different composition. This paper deals with the efficiency of 28 EU Member States for the years 2008, 2010 and 2012 by employing Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and by using eight parameters, namely waste generation, employment rate, capital formation, GDP,...

Delivery 7 Report on the impact of conflicts/synergies and policy proposals for implementing the EU Action Plan in member states

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beck, Anne-Marie Tyroll; Michelsen, Johannes

This report on “Implementing the European Organic Action Plan in EU member states - stakeholders’ perceptions of implementation problems and coping strategies” recapitulates the results of a series of national workshops undertaken in winter/spring 2007. It brings together very different views...... and perceptions on organic action plans and possible evaluation methodologies and can be seen as ORGAP’s stakeholder oriented or public oriented step....

Migration from the new EU member countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Louise Møller; Lund Thomsen, Trine

2012-01-01

investigates the potentials, limitations and conflicts of interests that are connected with temporary employment of Eastern European migrant workers within the unskilled labour sectors seen from the perspective of Danish labour market actors; politicians, labour marked unions, Danish employers, Danish......During the past four years more than 52.500 Eastern European EU citizens have worked and lived in Denmark. Migrant workers from the new EU countries are characterized by a high degree of mobility, flexibility and eagerness in terms of working and adapting to working conditions. Poorer socioeconomic...... and working conditions in their home countries as well as being of another cultural background than their Danish colleagues brings with it many challenges. This article examines the consequences of low-skilled labour migration to Denmark from the new EU member countries in Eastern Europe. The article...

Switzerland: What does the EURATOM Directive imply for a non-EU-Member State?; Schweiz: was bedeutet die EURATOM-Richtlinie fuer ein Nicht-EG-Land?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeschki, W. [Hauptabt. fuer die Sicherheit der Kernanlagen (HSK), Villigen (Switzerland). Abt. Strahlenschutz und Notfallplanung; Stoll, E. [Hauptabt. fuer die Sicherheit der Kernanlagen (HSK), Villigen (Switzerland). Sektion Radiologischer Arbeitsschutz

1997-12-31

Member States of the EU are obliged to transform the Directive and its legal and administrative provisions into national laws by 13 March 2000. Switzerland is not a Member State, and hence is not obliged to provide for harmonisation of its legal regime with the European provisions, but there are reasons advocating consideration of the European Basic Standards and appropriate necessary action at the national level. The contribution here explains relevant aspects and the impacts on the radiation protection regime in Switzerland. (orig./CB) [Deutsch] Die Mitgliedstaaten der EU sind aufgefordert, bis zum 13. Maerz 2000 die erforderlichen Rechts- und Verwaltungsvorschriften zu schaffen, um der Richtlinie 96/29 EURATOM nachzukommen. Die Schweiz gehoert derzeit nicht zur EG. Sie muss daher ihre Strahlenschutz-Gesetzgebung nicht nach der EG-Richtlinie ausrichten. Dennoch gibt es Gruende, dass sich die Schweiz mit der Richtlinie auseinandersetzt. Die Bedeutung fuer den Strahlenschutz in der Schweiz wird im Folgenden erlaeutert. (orig.)

State of the Low-Carbon Energy Union: Assessing the EU's progress towards its 2030 and 2050 climate objectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spencer, Thomas; Pierfederici, Roberta; Sartor, Oliver; Berghmans, Nicolas; Samadi, Sascha; Fischedick, Manfred; Knoop, Katharina; Pye, Steve; Criqui, Patrick; Mathy, Sandrine; Capros, Pantelis; Fragkos, Panagiotis; Bukowski, Maciej; Sniegocki, Aleksander; Virdis, Maria Rosa; Gaeta, Maria; Pollier, Karine; Cassisa, Cyril

2016-11-01

Rather than examining aggregate emissions trends, this study delves deep into the dynamics affecting each sector of the EU energy system. It examines the structural changes taking place in power production, transport, buildings and industry, and benchmarks these with the changes required to reach the 2030 and 2050 targets. In so doing it aims to influence both the ambition and direction of future policy decisions, both at Member State and EU level. In order to assess the adequacy of the EU and its Member States policies with the 2030 and 2050 decarbonization objectives, this study goes beyond the aggregate GHG emissions or energy use figures and analyse the underlying drivers of emission changes, following a sectoral approach (power generation, buildings, industry, and transport). Historical trends of emission drivers are compared with the required long-term deep decarbonization pathways, which provide sectoral 'benchmarks' or 'corridors' against which to analyse the rate and direction of historical change for each Member State and the EU in aggregate. This approach allows the identification of the necessary structural changes in the energy system and policy interventions to reach deep decarbonization, and therefore the comparison with the current policy programs at European and Member State level. The EU has made significant progress in the structural decarbonization of its energy system. However, despite of this progress, the EU is currently 'off-track' to achieve its objectives by 2030 and 2050. First, the rate of change is insufficient across a large number of the indicators assessed. Second, too much of the change in aggregate emissions has been driven by cyclical effects rather than structural decarbonization, notably the impact of the financial crisis and subsequent slow recovery. Third, long-term decarbonization options, for example to decarbonize industrial processes and materials, are not being adequately prepared. While some policies under the EU's 2030

Business oriented EU human cell and tissue product legislation will adversely impact Member States' health care systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Pirnay, Jean-Paul; Vanderkelen, Alain; De Vos, Daniel; Draye, Jean-Pierre; Rose, Thomas; Ceulemans, Carl; Ectors, Nadine; Huys, Isabelle; Jennes, Serge; Verbeken, Gilbert

2013-12-01

The transplantation of conventional human cell and tissue grafts, such as heart valve replacements and skin for severely burnt patients, has saved many lives over the last decades. The late eighties saw the emergence of tissue engineering with the focus on the development of biological substitutes that restore or improve tissue function. In the nineties, at the height of the tissue engineering hype, industry incited policymakers to create a European regulatory environment, which would facilitate the emergence of a strong single market for tissue engineered products and their starting materials (human cells and tissues). In this paper we analyze the elaboration process of this new European Union (EU) human cell and tissue product regulatory regime-i.e. the EU Cell and Tissue Directives (EUCTDs) and the Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product (ATMP) Regulation and evaluate its impact on Member States' health care systems. We demonstrate that the successful lobbying on key areas of regulatory and policy processes by industry, in congruence with Europe's risk aversion and urge to promote growth and jobs, led to excessively business oriented legislation. Expensive industry oriented requirements were introduced and contentious social and ethical issues were excluded. We found indications that this new EU safety and health legislation will adversely impact Member States' health care systems; since 30 December 2012 (the end of the ATMP transitional period) there is a clear threat to the sustainability of some lifesaving and established ATMPs that were provided by public health institutions and small and medium-sized enterprises under the frame of the EUCTDs. In the light of the current economic crisis it is not clear how social security systems will cope with the inflation of costs associated with this new regulatory regime and how priorities will be set with regard to reimbursement decisions. We argue that the ATMP Regulation should urgently be revised to focus on delivering

Family Benefits In Member States Of The European Union: A Comparative Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stănescu Simona Maria

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The article intends to be a screening of family benefits in the 28 Member States of the European Union (EU and to contribute to the research of shared trends with respect to family approach in these countries. Four types of family benefits including eight distinctive categories are analysed: child-benefit, child care allowances, child-raising allowances, and other benefits (birth and adoption grants, allowance for single parents, special allowances for children with disabilities, advance payments for maintenance and other allowances. The paper is based on primary and secondary analysis of 28 sets of national data provided through the European Union's Mutual Information System on Social Protection (MISSOC. Three categories of member states are considered: founder member states of the EU, other “old” member states, and the new Central and Eastern ones. Chronological development of national regulations with impact on family benefits is analysed in connection with the moment of becoming a member state. Various forms of family benefits legislation and their main subjects of interest are further researched. The last part of the article looks at the coverage of family benefits. Seven member states operate in this respect based on regulations adopted before EU accession. Belgium, Finland, and Lithuania have the “most preserved” family regulations per category of member states. The first three topics of family regulations are: child, family, and allowance / benefit. The most frequently provided family benefits are: birth and adoption grants, and special allowance for children with disabilities. All eight family benefits are provided in France, Finland, Hungary, and Slovenia. Only two types of family benefits are available in Ireland, Spain, and Cyprus.

THE ECONOMIC STRUCTURES IN THE ROMANIAN REGIONS AND COUNTIES AND THE EU MEMBER STATES. COMPARATIVE ANALYSES.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marioara, IORDAN

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Bridging the gap between countries, and thus decresing poverty, is the greatest challenge of European countries in the context of the European social cohesion. The risk of future economic difficulties caused by the size of budget deficits is beared by the funds to be allocated to social inclusion in the EU and the EU member countries. They will be concerned in the post-crisis period with aligning the requirements of progress, of poverty reduction, but also of ensuring the sustainability of public finances. For Romania, cohesion is particularly important as most regions show significant differences as compared to the EU average and the national average. This group also includes the South Muntenia Region, which has many advantages for faster progress and to be able to exploit the opportunities offered by the implementation of the Europe 2020 strategy.

Job Search Strategies and Labour Market Outcomes of Young Recent Migrants from Central & Eastern Europe in EU15 Member States

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leschke, Janine; Weiss, Silvana

regulation and institutional settings and language and cultural proximity among others which in turn might impact on the importance and role of social networks in labour market outcomes. Our analysis shows that in all European country clusters recent NMS13 migrants more often found their current job through......This paper examines the use of social networks and its impact on the qualitative labour market integration of young recent EU migrants from Central and Eastern European member states to EU15 countries as well as Switzerland and Norway. The literature points to both positive and negative impacts...... of social networks on migrant workers’ outcomes. Social networks can facilitate access to employers and information on labour regulation and rights and thereby improve the quantitative and qualitative labour market outcomes of migrant workers. On the other hand, social networks can also contribute...

A comparative analysis of Serbia and the EU member states in the context of networked readiness index values

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soldić-Aleksić Jasna

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays it is generally accepted that information and communication technologies (ICT are important drivers and ‘enabling’ technologies that have a broad impact on many sectors of the economy and social life. Therefore, measuring the level of ICT development, their economic and social impact, and the country’s readiness to use them are of great importance. In this paper we present the conceptual framework of the Networked Readiness Index (NRI proposed by the World Economic Forum, and analyse the relative position of Serbia and its ‘distance’ from the EU member states in the domain of NRI indicator variables. For this purpose we have applied the Kohonen Self-Organizing Map (the SOM algorithm, which provides the visual image, as a virtual map, of observed countries and their groupings. The resulting SOM map indicates that in the complex NRI space, Serbia is located in a group of EU states that includes Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic. In comparison to other countries, this group shows the poorest performance in the NRI landscape. In addition, our empirical analysis points to the areas in which policy intervention can boost the impact of ICT on Serbian economic development and growth. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 179005

Legal frameworks and key concepts regulating diversion and treatment of mentally disordered offenders in European Union member states.

Science.gov (United States)

Dressing, Harald; Salize, Hans Joachim; Gordon, Harvey

2007-10-01

There is only limited research on the various legal regulations governing assessment, placement and treatment of mentally ill offenders in European Union member states (EU-member states). To provide a structured description and cross-boundary comparison of legal frameworks regulating diversion and treatment of mentally disordered offenders in EU-member states before the extension in May 2004. A special focus is on the concept of criminal responsibility. Information on legislation and practice concerning the assessment, placement and treatment of mentally ill offenders was gathered by means of a detailed, structured questionnaire which was filled in by national experts. The legal regulations relevant for forensic psychiatry in EU-member states are outlined. Definitions of mental disorders given within these acts are introduced and compared with ICD-10 diagnoses. Finally the application of the concept of criminal responsibility by the law and in routine practice is presented. Legal frameworks for the processing and placement of mentally disordered offenders varied markedly across EU-member states. Since May 2004 the European Union has expanded to 25 member states and in January 2007 it will reach 27. With increasing mobility across Europe, the need for increasing trans-national co-operation is becoming apparent in which great variation in legal tradition pertains.

The new economic governance in the EU Member States. Macroeconomic results and statistical correlations for Romania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirela Cristea

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In the current economic context of economic and financial crisis, many European countries are facing with fundamental issues and trends that are unsustainable on the long term. In these circumstances, we have developed the present study which analyzes the EU strategies for establishing a new economic governance for all Member States. We present the perspective of Romania’s macroeconomic stability in the European context, in its process for accession to the EMU, through the nominal and real convergence criteria. On this background, we make a statistical study on the direction of causality relation between GDP and the main factors of the influence at the macroeconomic level. Reviving growth, as predicted by Romanian institutions, would produce major benefits to act extensively through coherent policies to balance the money market, the labor market and the fiscal framework

A 'sense of urgency': The EU, the EU member states and the recognition of the Palestinian state

OpenAIRE

Martins, Bruno Oliveira

2015-01-01

In the aftermath of the July-August 2014 war in Gaza, the Swedish government officially recognized the State of Palestine. This decision triggered a cascade of resolutions adopted in national parliaments of European Union member states and, eventually, led to the adoption of a European Parliament resolution supporting in principle the recognition of Palestinian statehood. Understood collectively, these efforts constitute a multifaceted European attempt to break with the status quo of the Isra...

Geographic data as personal data in four EU member states

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Jong, A.-J.; van Loenen, B.; Zevenbergen, J.A.; Halounova, L.; Li, S.; Safár, V.; Tomková, M.; Rapant, P.; Brázdil, K.; Shi, W.; Anton, F.; Liu, Y.; Stein, A.; Cheng, T.; Pettit, C.; Li, Q.-Q.; Sester, M.; Mostafavi, M.A.; Madden, M.; Tong, X.; Brovelli, M.A.; Haekyong, K.; Kawashima, H.; Coltekin, A.

2016-01-01

The EU Directive 95/46/EC on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data aims at harmonising data protection legislation in the European Union. This should promote the free flow of products and services within the EU. This

State aid in the EU law and national law

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Divljak Drago

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Due to emphasized negative implications, state aid in contemporary law is more and more the subject of legal rules of supra-national and international law, and consequently it is more and more frequently the subject of national laws. The systems of state aid are based on the principle of general non-allowedness of state aid, which is relativised with wide exceptions and the form of allowed and conditionally allowed forms of state aid. In the EU law, a complex and differentiated system of legal regime on state aid is created aimed at preventing the Member States to protect or promote their companies at the expense or harm of competition within the EU. Compared to the regulations that refer to subsidies and that are created at the international level, within the WTO, these regulations are much more detailed and they cover a wide spectrum of different forms of state aid. National laws are accepting the EU concept as a novelty, which is valid in particular for countries in the process of the EU integrations. This has been done in our law as well by enacting of the Law on state aid control. This Law regulates general conditions for granting, granting control, and utilization of state assistance, with the essential objective to establish and provide for competitive market conditions and introduction of order in the field that has not been regulated previously. At the same time, this means a successful fulfillment of the obligations related to pre-accession harmonization of this field, which is a necessary pre-condition for accession of our country into this group of countries since the EU standards and requirements have been fully observed with the above-mentioned Law.

Tax changes in the EU-13 during the recent financial crisis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nika Šimurina

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to identify tax changes during the recent financial crisis across EU-13 member states. The recent financial and fiscal crises have changed taxation trends in a large number of EU member states. The member states have been hit differently by the crisis depending mostly on the different degree of macroeconomic imbalances in the economy. Therefore policy responses varied among them and were strongly connected with macroeconomic and fiscal conditions. The tax systems in the EU-13 are transparent, neutral, and straightforward, though not necessarily efficient. In terms of the tax structure, most EU-15 member states raise roughly equal shares of tax revenues from direct taxes, indirect taxes, and social contributions, while the EU-13 member states often display a substantially lower share of direct taxes in total tax revenues. The paper includes theoretical background, comparison of present differences among the taxation systems of the EU-13 member states, and advantages and disadvantages of different types of taxes.

EU cash in climate clash. How the EU funding plans are shaping up to fuel climate change. Comparative analysis of the 2007-2013 structural funding allocations for energy and transport in the new member states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koneeny, M.

2007-04-01

Between 2007 and 2013 the European Union will invest 177 billion euros in the ten central and eastern European member states via its Structural and Cohesion Funds. CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe have analysed the draft plans for the use of the funds which are the subject of current negotiations between the European Commission and the member states. Our analysis shows that there is only little funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy despite the enormous potentials in the CEE countries. In the transport sector, the majority of the funds is to be spent on roads and motorways. Public transport, which emits three times less carbon dioxide than cars but has suffered from chronic under-investment, is to receive only weak and inconsistent support. Unless these funding plans are significantly changed in the current negotiations, EU funding is on course to deliver increased greenhouse gas emissions. CEE Bankwatch Network and Friends of the Earth Europe call on decision-makers to prevent seven more years and billions of euros being lost to energy-intensive development. EU action on climate change now and in the future must not be undermined

CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING REGULATIONS ON FINANCIAL MARKETS IN THE CONDITIONS OF ROMANIA AS A EU MEMBER STATE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ALEXANDRU CRISTIAN DOBRE

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Financial markets are increasingly becoming an area of major interest to the European Union in its efforts to achieve competitive global development levels similar to those of the United States. The Lisbon Agenda is a testimony to this, although the latest assessments are not at all optimistic about the achievement of the target as expected for 2010. To meet its objectives, the EU has generated a comprehensive package of regulatory initiatives, composed of directives and regulations that translate its policies into the field. The paper aims at a careful review of all of them. Approximation of investment and capital markets is made from the two major chapters of Community policies whose freedom of movement within the internal market is a fundamental desideratum of the European Union: the free movement of capital and freedom of movement of services. Financial markets are an integral part of European capital under current conditions, so development regulation helps European Union member states achieve their financial goals. At the same time, by imposing these regulations, we observe the European Union's intention to act as a starter of systems to bring to the development of states and not to leave behind the countries that are in difficulty, through a rigorous and transparent regulation of the financial markets.

Mutual Recognition of Financial Penalties between the EU Member States. Critical Observations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Minodora Ioana Rusu

2010-07-01

Full Text Available According to the special Romanian law, one of the forms of judicial assistance in criminal matters recognized in the relations between the EU member states is, among others, the one referringto the cooperation in applying the principle of mutual recognition of financial penalties. The European normative act that establishes the general cooperation norms in this matter is the Council’sDecision Frame 2005/214/JAI on February 24, 2005 on the application of the principle of mutual recognition of financial penalties. This European normative act has been transposed in the internallegislation through Law no.302/2004, according to the international judicial cooperation in criminal matters, with the subsequent amendments and completions, the latter being represented by Lawno.222/2008. The amendments and completions instituted by the abovementioned normative act establish the procedure of transmitting the decision, the procedures for recognition and execution ofsuch a decision by the competent Romanian judicial authorities, the grounds of non recognition and non execution, the definition of used terms, as well as other aspects referring to the recognition andexecution of such decisions. Commenting refers to a number of provisions in the law under both European and domestic in the special law, comments aimed in particular the replacement of terms ofrecognition or non-performance reasons, the procedure of identification of persons convicted when they are evade the enforcement of financial obligations and failure to transpose into national law of subsequent changes to European law.

EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN ON THE LABOUR MARKET – THE GENDER PAY GAP WITHIN THE EU MEMBER STATES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oana Ancuţa Stângaciu

2013-12-01

Full Text Available The actions taken for the promotion of the equality of opportunity between men and women and for eliminating the direct or the indirect discrimination apply to the field of employment as well as to the field of education, health, culture, information and the participation in the decision making process. Starting from one of the objectives of the Strategy for the equality of opportunity, being aware of the real situation of women participation compared to men participation to the economical and social life, this analysis offers a perspective on the equality of opportunity between men and women in the field of employment, seen based on the statistical data. Thus, in order to quantify this phenomenon using methods specific to the statistical analysis, we used the gender pay gap indicator pertaining to the EU member states per total economy, as well as per economical activities, and the research results show that on the EU level there are still significant gender pay gaps.

Determinants of State Intervention: Evidence for the EU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simona-Gabriela MAŞCA

2011-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the paper is to analyze the determinants of State intervention upon the social and economic life, and to grasp their implications in terms of public policy. The problem of State interventionism is a current one, and over time it has been under the influence of certain factors such as interstate differences, economic and social crises, political governance of the country, regional policy and globalization. The challenges that the current economic crisis brings in terms of State interventionism, are also presented. Some indicators that quantify the extent of State intervention through public expenditures are analyzed for the EU member countries (1995- 2010 in order to capture the general trends in their evolution and the peculiarities of their structure. The empirical analysis, based on a panel econometric model, aims to establish the relevance held by the main determinants for the degree of State intervention in budgetary expenditure, for the EU countries. The possibilities for an increasing State interference during the crisis, related with the withdrawal of the State once the crisis would be overcome, are valued with reference to the significant determinants of the interference policy derived from empirical analysis.

Exploring Determinant Factors of Differences Between Governmental Accounting And National Accounts Budgetary Balances in EU Member States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susana Margarida JORGE

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Framed by the earnings management ap-proach, this paper addresses the relationship be-tween budgetary balances according to Govern-mental Accounting (GA and National Accounts (NA, exploring factors that may explain both the materiality and diversity of the adjustments required when translating data from one into the other. Using data from Excessive Defcits Proce-dure reporting for all EU member states from 2007 to 2010, the analysis confrms that GA-NA adjustments refect conceptual differences be-tween the two systems, namely concerning rec-ognition criteria. Regarding potential factors ex-plaining adjustments, while none of the economic policy variables considered was found relevant in explaining either diversity or materiality, all tech-nical accounting variables analyzed explained materiality, although only GA accounting basis explained diversity.The research shows that changing GA re-porting basis into accruals reduces adjustments’ materiality and diversity. Therefore, in order to improve the quality of Government Finance Statistics (GFS, it is highly recommendable to achieve a GA system harmonized across Eu-rope, such as IPSASs or EPSASs, allowing only very few options and imposing the accrual basis in both budgetary and fnancial systems. Also relevant is the need to strengthen the role of con-trol and auditing in the GA reporting process (by Supreme Audit Institutions and external private frms, in order to avoid accounting discretion.

Member States in Top Gear. Opportunities for national policies to reduce GHG emissions in transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Essen, H.; Den Boer, E.; Warringa, G.

2012-10-15

National sustainable transport policies in EU Member States are compared, with a focus on both current legislation and long-term climate policy. The study is input for the conference 'Keep moving, towards sustainable mobility' to be held in Rotterdam, October 11, 2012, and organised by the European Environmental and Sustainable Development Advisory Councils (EEAC) and the Dutch Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli). The study reviews the main trends in transport and climate policy in EU Member States, for ten of which an in-depth analysis of relevant policies was also performed.

Carbon pricing in the EU: Evaluation of different EU ETS reform options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brink, Corjan; Vollebergh, Herman R.J.; Werf, Edwin van der

2016-01-01

This paper studies various options to support allowance prices in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), such as adjusting the cap, an auction reserve price, and fixed and variable carbon taxes in addition to the EU ETS. We use a dynamic computable general equilibrium model that explicitly allows for allowance banking and for a detailed cost-effectiveness analysis at the EU Member State level. We find that tightening the cap provides an ad hoc solution to the fundamental issue of the robustness of the effective carbon price, while introducing a price component to the ETS brings structural carbon price support in times of negative demand shocks for emission allowances. These price-based policies still benefit from the intertemporal flexibility through the banking provision in the EU ETS by re-allocating emissions over time with stronger emission reductions in early years and emission increases in later years. A higher emission price has a larger negative impact on the new Member States' economies than on other Member States. Furthermore, introducing a carbon tax in addition to the EU ETS decreases the price of allowances, resulting in welfare gains for net buyers of allowances while net sellers are worse off. - Highlights: • We analyse reform options for European Union Emission Trading System (EU ETS) with a CGE model. • Variable carbon tax and auction reserve price support carbon price at least cost. • Price-based reforms decrease early emissions but increase later emissions through banking. • New Member States' economies are affected more than others by higher CO_2 prices. • Lower allowance prices due to a carbon tax are unfavourable to net sellers of allowances.

Measuring Russia’s Snag on the Fabric of the EU’s International Society: The Impact of the East-West Cleavage upon the Cohesion amongst the EU Member States vis-à-vis Russia

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Caterina Carta

2011-05-01

Full Text Available This article explores Russia’s impact upon the cohesion of the European Union International Society (EUIS. The analysis proceeds from a systematic categorisation of Member States’ positions towards Russia, using an ‘‘index of friendliness towards Russia’’ based on various indicators. This index allows us to analyse the relative positions of Member States towards the Eastern neighbour and to order them along an ideal continuum which goes from ‘‘normative adamant’’ to ‘‘normative docile’’. By taking a broad perspective of the different national attitudes, this article offers an innovative approach to the key question of EU-Russian relations. Existing cleavages and social differences among the members bear an important divisive effect on the development of the EUIS. The present analysis explores adherence to norms deriving from the widely accepted institutions of sovereignty and the market. While there is no doubt that these institutions boast complete devotion on behalf of EU Member States (MSs, translation into both common language and action proves to be hindered by social differences among members. The difference among the preferences of Member States towards Russia is then compared to the preferences expressed by the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs during the 6th legislature. The analysis of MEPs’ voting behaviours towards Russia explores whether there is a coincidence between the positions of the MSs and those of the MEPs, as representatives of the EU’s societies.

The European Court of Justice and the National Interests of the European Union’s Member States

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Тетяна Комарова

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the research of CJEU’s practice concerning the interpretation of national interests of the European Union’s Member States in resolving disputes submitted for its consideration. Analyzed decisions of the CJEU allows to trace its position on the matter and the evolution of practices regarding the balance between different interests – the interests of the Union and the States. Also in article there are analyzed actual problems of the modern European Union law (human rights, free enterprise, etc., its institutional system and direct the judicial authorities in the EU. For modern evolution of the EU it is highly important to have orientation not only on common interests of the EU but on interests of members states. In the late jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union there is a tendency of retreating from strict practice of favoring only to interests of the EU and interpreting interests of members states in order to find the balance between two types of interest especially after amendments of Lisbon treaty. In the context of this research it should be noted that the Court of Justice of the European Union during interpretation of national interests of member states uses the principle of self-restriction in interpretation of law. Herewith the Court quite flexible uses this principle and this leads to appearance of new highly important precedents.  It should be underlined that the Court has a negative to the application of acte claire doctrine because of some risk of been bound to act only in one direction without taking into consideration any possible changes of judicial practice in future. The conclusion is made that for the strengthening of European integration it is highly important not only the jurisprudence of the Court, but the activity of constitutional courts of member states and also their parliaments, which under Lisbon treaty got a lot of democratic competences. Exactly the cooperation of

Comparative Analysis of Minimum Income Guaranteed Schemes within the Member States of the European Union

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Simona Maria Stănescu

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The commitment of the European Union (EU Member States towards accomplishing the commonly agreed goals (1997 European Employment Strategy, Lisbon 2000, and Europe 2020 is supported by a continuous assessment of domestic social policy tendencies. From this perspective, the main goal of the paper is to comparatively analyse the last safety net for the most vulnerable people. The screening of guaranteed minimum resources provides an overview of the applicable statutory basis, schemes in place, types of social benefits concerned, financing and organisation mechanisms, eligibility conditions, duration and time limits. As methodology, the article uses the MISSOC database, and due to the current lack of comparable information, recommendations for further harmonisation are included. 20 of the EU member states follow the minimum income guaranteed (MIG regulations adopted already during the pre-accession period and updated after the accession phase. Seven types of domestic regulations are in force, among which the most frequent ones are acts and laws (ten countries. Common concepts used are social, and assistance. Provided allowances are mainly focused on elderly people, unemployment benefits, pensions, allowances supporting various house related costs, and benefits for disabled people. In line with 2007, 2010, and 2014 data, the financing of guaranteed minimum resources continues to remain mainly central with a shift in 2014 towards mixed financing (both central and local. The management in 2014 continues to be mainly centrally organised but the local stakeholders are also empowered. The residency is the most frequent eligibility condition. No nationality is required in 24 EU member states, for all allowances (21 countries or for particular ones (three countries. 17 member states require no age conditions. Unlimited guaranteed minimum resources were provided in 2014 as long as the eligibility criteria were met in 23 EU member states.

GENERAL OVERWIEV ON EU ECONOMY

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NICOLETA GEORGETA PANAIT

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The impact of the international economic crisis on new EU member states has proven to be more severe than the first estimates of the economic analysts. The situation is different for each Member State, the nature and the dimension of the challenges faced are not identical, and the pace of reform is not the same. The economic crisis has prompted intense and sustained action by the EU's national governments, the European Central Bank and the Commission. All have been working closely together to support growth and employment, ensure financial stability, and put in place a better governance system for the future. Sustainable development in the future is the common responsibility of all Member States and EU institutions, because our economies are closely interlinked, and the EU economic governance now reconfigured to provide more effective responses at the policy level, to give a good reaction to the present and the future challenges.

State aid for the adequacy of production in EU competition law

OpenAIRE

Domazet, Siniša

2017-01-01

State aid is essentially inadmissible in EU competition law. The paper deals with state aid for the adequacy of production. Research has shown that if the conditions contained in the guidelines on state aid for environmental protection and energy for the period 2014-2020 are fulfilled, this form of state aid will be permitted. It has been established that there is no practice of the European Commission in connection with this form of state aid. Recommendation to the Member States is to carry ...

HORIZONTAL OBJECTIVES OF EU PROGRAMMES AND THE SOCIO-CULTURAL CONTEXT FOR EAP MEMBERS

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Irina Teodora MANOLESCU

2016-10-01

Full Text Available As the Eastern Partnership (EaP was founded in 2009, between European Union (EU and six countries from Eastern Europe, its main goal was to create adequate conditions for economic integration, social and regional development of the EaP country members. Based on the same principles as the EU was built, international law and fundamental values (e.g. human rights, freedom, democracy, rule of law, sustainable development and also good governance, the EaP was regularly analysed and renewed (once every two years in order to better respond to the needs of Eastern European countries. Even so, while the economic context was especially considered, there are still some actions to be undertaken with regards to socio-cultural factors. Therefore the aim of the paper is to analyse the socio-cultural context of the six Eastern European EaP members (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine in order to make recommendations regarding their absorption capacity when integrating the horizontal EU objectives into the funding neighbourhood instruments. Our main research question is: what is the right approach for developing operational funding programmes (individual/bilateral or partnership/multilateral participations for EaP members: is it by maintaining the EU horizontal objective or by adapting these objectives from the beginning considering the socio-cultural context?

Macroeconomic sources of foreign exchange risk in new EU members

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kocenda, Evzen; Poghosyan, Tigran

2009-01-01

We address the issue of foreign exchange risk and its macroeconomic determinants in several new EU members. We derive the observable macroeconomic factors-consumption and inflation-using the Stochastic discount factor (SDF) approach. The joint distribution of excess returns in the foreign exchange

The impact of new member states on EU environmental policy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Mikael Skou

1996-01-01

The fourth enlargement of the EU, with Sweden, Finland and Austria, which took effect on 1 January 1995, is by many expected to have a positive impact on the environmental policy dimension of the Union, which has been under strain since the Rio Summit in 1992.......The fourth enlargement of the EU, with Sweden, Finland and Austria, which took effect on 1 January 1995, is by many expected to have a positive impact on the environmental policy dimension of the Union, which has been under strain since the Rio Summit in 1992....

The uneven impact of the European Employment Strategy on member states' employment policies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simonsen, Mikkel Mailand

2008-01-01

policies to varying degrees, but that the impact, generally speaking, has been limited. In the article, the author examines the impact of the strategy as a result of peer pressure and key actors' strategic use of the strategy and shows how these mechanisms work. Factors that can explain why greater impact......In the mid-1990s, EU member states decided to coordinate their national employment policies through a common European Employment Strategy (EES). Building on a systematic comparative study of four member states, the author argues that the strategy has influenced the member states' employment...

Tax cooperation among member states of European Union and Directive on administrative cooperation in the field of taxation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josimovski Aleksandar G.

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Countries have possibility to choose between several alternatives for cooperation in international tax matters at global level. They can decide not to cooperate or provide some form of tax cooperation. Because of harmful tax competition among countries and efforts of international organizations, all countries in the world are oblidged to comply with one of multiple alternatives for tax cooperation. Situation in European Union (hereinafter EU is specific. EU is not country or classic international organization. By the reason of its successful functioning, EU has need for tax cooperation. EU has attempted to harmonise tax policies of member states, but member states did not approve that. Only indirect taxes are harmonized on EU level, direct taxes are harmonized only to the point necessarily for functioning of single market. That is why tax cooperation instruments are so important. Object of this paper are procedures and measures, stipulated by the most important instrument in the field of tax cooperation enacted by institutions of EU, its development and status in international tax law. Regulatives and directives in field of tax cooperation in the EU are 'pioneers' in tax matters. EU instruments provide standards which are subsequently accepted by several international organizations - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD and United Nations (UN. Our purpose is to present positive and negative aspects of tax cooperation in the EU. In time of crisis efficient tax cooperation provides higher revenues for the member states, on the other hand, taxpayers and tax administrations have increased expenses as result of tax cooperation which are not fairly distributed.

EU trade in the time of financial crisis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fojtíková, L.

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The paper is focused on the European Union (EU trade and trade policy in the time of global financial and economic crisis. The analysis of the EU exports and imports points out that the financial crisis has had a negative impact on the intra as well as on the extra-EU trade in the period 2007-2009, but differences among the EU member states have existed. Although the EU tries to support trade development in the world and remove barriers to trade, some protectionist tendencies were recorded in the time of the economic crisis. The last part of the paper gives emphasis to the EU trade policy and some trade measures which have been taken in the EU and its member states to support trade development or vice versa, to protect domestic industries. The results of the analysis show that, although some protectionist tendencies have been recorded both in extra and intra-EU trade, trade relations which are provided among member states are of significant importance all the time.

OpenLaws.eu

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wass, C.; Dini, P.; Eiser, T.; Heistracher, T.J.; Lampoltshammer, T.J.; Marcon, G.; Sageder, C.; Tsiavos, P.; Winkels, R.; Schweighofer, E.; Kummer, F.; Hötzendorfer, W.

2013-01-01

The OPENLAWS.eu project aims to linking existing laws, cases and legal literature throughout the EU and member states and potentially worldwide and at adding new user-friendly functionality for a higher productivity. Furthermore, the project should make it possible to easily publish new legal

Turkey’s Population Dynamics As A Candidate Country For EU Membership

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Harun Uçak

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Literally, it has been accepted that one of the major obstacles to Turkey’s EU membership is in population term. There has not been any enlargement process as large as Turkey’s population as a single state in EU history before. The enlargement in 2004 which includes 10 states involved 74 million people as whole member states while Turkey’s population is 72 million inhabitants in 2007 data which is only lower than Germany’s population in all EU member states. Thus, Turkey's accession would be different from previous enlargements because of the combined impact of high population. This study compares the population dynamics, working conditions, minimum wage rates and main macroeconomic indicators between Turkey and EU member states. Turkey has young generations compared to EU countries. In the comparison of age groups proportion in total population, 0-19 age group %21,9 in EU 27 and %36,5 in Turkey, 20-39 age group is %28 in EU 27 and %34,3 in Turkey, 40-59 age group is %27,9 in EU and %20,9 in Turkey, 60 and above age group is %22,1 in EU and %9,5 in Turkey. Thus, population dynamics of Turkey could make a contribution to offsetting the ageing of EU 27 societies if the membership would occur in the future. However, minimum wage rates in Turkey are lower than many EU member states but generally higher than EU member states located in Central and Eastern Europe. Thus, immigration possibilities from Turkey can be expected to Western European Countries, but not the same direction to Central and Eastern Europe Countries. Furthermore, the process in macroeconomic indicators will be a determinant in immigration expectations while Turkey’s GDP has been grown faster than EU level recently.

REFORM OF RULES ON EU VAT

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Maria Zenovia GRIGORE

2018-05-01

Full Text Available In January 2018 the EU has released two proposal designed to simplify the VAT system, specifically around reduced rates, and to reduce compliance costs of smaller businesses in respect of VAT. The EU's common rules on VAT rates do not treat Member States equally. More than 250 exemptions allow several Member States much more flexibility in setting VAT rates than others. While these derogations are due to expire once the reformed VAT system comes into place, the rates proposal will ensure that all Member States have the same flexibility and a uniform structure in which to set their own VAT rates. The second proposal is designed to make trading in other EU member states easier for smaller businesses. Currently, small businesses may benefit from generous thresholds in their state of establishment, but zero thresholds exist for nonestablished businesses, meaning higher compliance costs. The intended proposals will provide simplification measures (around invoicing, record keeping etc. for businesses with a turnover not exceeding €2 million and will allow member states to apply thresholds to non-established businesses with a turnover not exceeding €100,000.

The EU Arbitration Convention : An evaluating assessment of the governance and functioning of the EU Arbitration Convention

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pit, Harm Mark

2017-01-01

The EU Arbitration Convention An evaluating assessment of the governance and functioning of the EU Arbitration Convention Summary for non-experts The EU Arbitration Convention is a convention between EU Member States to eliminate double taxation arising from – for tax purposes – transfer pricing

Should the EU climate policy framework be reformed?

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David ELLISON

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Though to-date the European Union (EU has played the most significant leadership role in international negotiations to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG emissions, the emission-reducing performance of individual EU Member states has for many been less than stellar. Several EU15 Member states continue to raise rather than lower emissions. Analysing the most successful policy instruments, this paper argues EU policy efforts could benefit from three important innovations. The following strategies – the adoption of an EU-wide FIT (feed-in tariff, an EU-wide carbon tax and more flexibility in the trading of carbon credits – could significantly improve emission reductions, their relative cost-efficiency and spread burden-sharing more evenly across technologies and Member states. This raises important questions, both about the effectiveness of EU and Kyoto-style commitments, as well as the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS. The commitment strategy, and in particular the EU ETS mechanism, have had the smallest impact on emission reductions. The proposed set of strategies could make a far greater contribution to future EU efforts and potentially lock in the impressive progress already made. Such a policy shift, if successful, would also greatly enhance the EU’s already significant credibility and bargaining power in international climate negotiations.

Analysis of Member State RED implementation. Final Report (Task 2)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peters, D.; Alberici, S.; Toop, G. [Ecofys, Utrecht (Netherlands); Kretschmer, B. [Institute for European Environmental Policy IEEP, London (United Kingdom)

2012-12-15

This report describes the way EU Member States have transposed the sustainability and chain of custody requirements for biofuels as laid down in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and Fuel Quality Directive (FQD). In the assessment of Member States' implementation, the report mainly focuses on effectiveness and administrative burden. Have Member States transposed the Directives in such a way that compliance with the sustainability criteria can be ensured as effectively as possible? To what extent does the Member States' implementation lead to unnecessary administrative burden for economic operators in the (bio)fuel supply chain? The report focuses specifically on the transposition of the sustainability and chain of custody requirements, not on the target for renewables on transport. This means that for example the double counting provision is not included as part of the scope of this report. This report starts with an introduction covering the implementation of the Renewable Energy (and Fuel Quality) Directive into national legislation, the methodology by which Member States were assessed against effectiveness and administrative burden and the categorisation of Member State's national systems for RED-implementation (Chapter 1). The report continues with a high level description of each Member State system assessed (Chapter 2). Following this, the report includes analysis of the Member States on the effectiveness and administrative burden of a number of key ('major') measures (Chapter 3). The final chapter presents the conclusions and recommendations (Chapter 4)

Integrating resource efficiency and EU State aid. An evaluation of resource efficiency considerations in the current EU State aid framework

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bennink, D.; Faber, J.; Smit, M. [CE Delft, Delft (Netherlands); Goba, V. [SIA Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian Environment ELLE, Tallinn (Estonia); Miller, K.; Williams, E. [AEA Technology plc, London (United Kingdom)

2012-10-15

This study, for the European Commission, analyses the issues that need to be addressed in the revision of the EU State aid framework to ensure that they do not hinder environmental, resource efficiency and sustainable development goals. In some cases, State aid can be considered an environmentally harmful subsidy (EHS). The study analyses (1) the extent to which the Environmental Aid Guidelines (EAG) need to be changed to take into account recent European environmental policy developments; (2) existing and potential resource efficiency considerations in a) the Regional Aid Guidelines; b) the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Guidelines and c) the Agriculture and Forestry Guidelines; assesses cases and schemes using these guidelines to identify whether resource efficiency considerations are taken into account. The study also considers the social, environmental and economic impacts of these cases and schemes. It develops recommendations for the review of the EAG and a number of horizontal guidelines. One of the conclusions of the analysis is that the way in which multiple objectives and impacts are balanced, when deciding to approve state aid, is unclear. Also, EU member states are not required to provide information on certain types of (estimated) impacts. To guarantee that multiple objectives and impacts are sufficiently balanced, it is recommended that the State aid framework prescribes that applicants identify social, economic and environmental objectives and impacts and describe how these are taken into account in the procedure of balancing multiple (conflicting) objectives. Objectives and impacts should be quantified as much as possible, for example by making use of the method of external cost calculation laid down in 'the Handbook on estimation of external costs in the transport Sector'. The results of the study are used by the European Commission as an input for evaluating and improving the EU State aid framework.

Integrating resource efficiency and EU State aid. An evaluation of resource efficiency considerations in the current EU State aid framework

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bennink, D.; Faber, J.; Smit, M. [CE Delft, Delft (Netherlands); Goba, V. [SIA Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian Environment ELLE, Tallinn (Estonia); Miller, K.; Williams, E. [AEA Technology plc, London (United Kingdom)

2012-10-15

This study, for the European Commission, analyses the issues that need to be addressed in the revision of the EU State aid framework to ensure that they do not hinder environmental, resource efficiency and sustainable development goals. In some cases, State aid can be considered an environmentally harmful subsidy (EHS). The study analyses (1) the extent to which the Environmental Aid Guidelines (EAG) need to be changed to take into account recent European environmental policy developments; (2) existing and potential resource efficiency considerations in a) the Regional Aid Guidelines; b) the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Guidelines and c) the Agriculture and Forestry Guidelines; assesses cases and schemes using these guidelines to identify whether resource efficiency considerations are taken into account. The study also considers the social, environmental and economic impacts of these cases and schemes. It develops recommendations for the review of the EAG and a number of horizontal guidelines. One of the conclusions of the analysis is that the way in which multiple objectives and impacts are balanced, when deciding to approve state aid, is unclear. Also, EU member states are not required to provide information on certain types of (estimated) impacts. To guarantee that multiple objectives and impacts are sufficiently balanced, it is recommended that the State aid framework prescribes that applicants identify social, economic and environmental objectives and impacts and describe how these are taken into account in the procedure of balancing multiple (conflicting) objectives. Objectives and impacts should be quantified as much as possible, for example by making use of the method of external cost calculation laid down in 'the Handbook on estimation of external costs in the transport Sector'. The results of the study are used by the European Commission as an input for evaluating and improving the EU State aid framework.

Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in South East European Countries and New Member States of European Union Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bardhyl Dauti

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This paper accounts for the main determinants of Foreign Direct Investment flows to 5-SEEC and the 10-New Member States of the EU countries by using an augmented Gravity Model. The study takes into account country specific institutional factors that determine foreign investors’ decisions from 14 core European Union countries to invest into SEE-5 and EU-NMS-10 countries. From the results of the study we find that gravity factors and institutional related determinants like control of corruption, political stability, bilateral FDI agreement, WTO membership and transition progress appear to significantly determine inward FDI flows from core EU countries to host economies of South East European region and new European Union member states.

The Redistributive Impact of Restrictive Measures on EU Members: Winners and Losers from Imposing Sanctions on Russia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Giumelli, Francesco

2017-01-01

EU sanctions on Russia created concerns among its members. It is well known that sanctions impose a cost on their targets as well as on the senders, as lamented by European governments, but the costs of EU sanctions on its members have not been fully explored. This article intends to fill this gap

Paradigms for EU Law and the Limits of Delegation. The Case of EU Agencies

OpenAIRE

Simoncini Marta

2017-01-01

This article questions the idea that the EU is a pure regulatory power based on supranational delegation of competence from the Member States. It claims the insufficiency of this single paradigm to explain the developments of EU law and the need to integrate it with recognition of the constitutional foundations of EU law.

The harmonization of banking legislation in the EU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shkëlqesa Çitaku

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This paper attempts to assess the current legislation of banking in the European Union. The process of unification in Europe is also followed by efforts to harmonize and unify the laws of the member states. In the field of banking industry the precondition for harmonization of laws is the integration of internal market with the free movement of capital. The regulation and supervision of banks in EU still remains fragmented. European member states still have diverse regulations concerning the role of the state. The European Commission has the important function of proposing EU legislation on financial services including banks and ensuring that EU law is properly applied throughout the EU. Banks are considered as a key industry enabling all the economic activities via depositing, crediting and arranging of payments. A number of secondary legislation has been adopted by the EU institutions to harmonize the national banking law of Member States. The principles and objectives set by the European Commission Treaty depend on four EU freedoms with the aim of effective and open market including banks. Therefore it was a continuous process of harmonization of national banking regulation via secondary law since the 70’s.

Comparative Price Levels of New EU Member Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taušer Josef

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This article analyzes comparative price levels of 10 new EU member countries from Central, East, and South-East Europe and discusses their main determinants. A comparison of comparative price levels is logically followed by a comparison of relative GDP per capita in purchasing power parities. Further, the Balassa-Samuelson efect is theoretically explained and empirically tested using a sample of EU27 countries (excluding Luxemburg. The results of simple regression analysis confrm that diferences in comparative price levels can be explained by the diferences in relative GDP per capita in purchasing power parities. Besides the Balassa-Samuelson efect there are, however, many other factors that have an impact on comparative price levels. Tey are related to the lower competitiveness of domestic companies on international markets as the result of such factors as a lower quality of production, inefcient organizational structures and management styles, insufcient marketing and business skills, or a poor approach to international distribution channels.

A multi-level analysis of the EU linking directive process: the controversial connection between EU and global climate policy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flaam, Karoline Haegstad

2007-10-15

Despite initial scepticism in the EU towards the Kyoto Protocol's project mechanisms (the CDM and JI), the 'Linking Directive' was adopted in October 2004, connecting the EU emissions trading scheme with the project mechanisms. Not only was the Linking Directive settled remarkably quickly, the decision-making process also left a more liberal text, with fewer restrictions on the use of the project mechanisms, as compared to the initial directive proposal. This report examines possible explanations to this puzzle, evaluating whether Member State preferences, EU institutions or external influence from the climate regime best can contribute to understanding the process. On the basis of the analysis of written sources stemming from the decision-making process, as well as seven in-depth interviews, the report finds that Member State preferences were the main driver in the Linking Directive process. This gives support to the intergovernmentalist mantra, that Member States are the main decision-makers in the EU. It also challenges much recent research claiming that EU policy-making is increasingly being taken out of the hands of the nation-state and into supranational actors such as the Commission and the European Parliament. (author). 41 refs., figs., tabs

A multi-level analysis of the EU linking directive process: the controversial connection between EU and global climate policy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flaam, Karoline Haegstad

2007-10-15

Despite initial scepticism in the EU towards the Kyoto Protocol's project mechanisms (the CDM and JI), the 'Linking Directive' was adopted in October 2004, connecting the EU emissions trading scheme with the project mechanisms. Not only was the Linking Directive settled remarkably quickly, the decision-making process also left a more liberal text, with fewer restrictions on the use of the project mechanisms, as compared to the initial directive proposal. This report examines possible explanations to this puzzle, evaluating whether Member State preferences, EU institutions or external influence from the climate regime best can contribute to understanding the process. On the basis of the analysis of written sources stemming from the decision-making process, as well as seven in-depth interviews, the report finds that Member State preferences were the main driver in the Linking Directive process. This gives support to the intergovernmentalist mantra, that Member States are the main decision-makers in the EU. It also challenges much recent research claiming that EU policy-making is increasingly being taken out of the hands of the nation-state and into supranational actors such as the Commission and the European Parliament. (author). 41 refs., figs., tabs

Boundaries of Welfare between the EU and Member States during the ‘Great Recession’

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

de la Porte, Caroline; Pochet, Philippe

2014-01-01

-state reform changes over time in line with socio-economic conditions as well as shifting political-party governmental coalitions in the Council. We argue that in particular the economically oriented actors, including the European Central Bank, have been successful in the context of the Great Recession. More...... recently, social priorities around notions such as social investment are becoming more central in the EU debate on economic and social policy....

Macroeconomic sources of foreign exchange risk in new EU members

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kočenda, Evžen; Poghosyan, T.

2009-01-01

Roč. 33, č. 11 (2009), s. 2164-2173 ISSN 0378-4266 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA402/08/1376; GA MŠk LC542 Institutional research plan: CEZ:MSM0021620846 Keywords : foreign exchange risk * time-varying risk premium * Stochastic discount factor * new EU member countries Subject RIV: AH - Economics Impact factor: 1.908, year: 2009

The expanding EU

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zank, Wolfgang

In this paper I try to explore whether the EU can go on expanding and thereby become culturally ever more diversified, and at the same retain its stability. The answer is, in principle, affirmative. Europe has always been much diversified, and therefore it is not possible to define a European...... identity in terms of particular cultural traditions. However, in spite of their diversity, the EU-member countries are united by their adherence to the principles of democracy, rule by law and human rights. Countries which do not share this basic consensus would not be accepted as members, nor is it likely...... that they would apply for it. An essential part is the willingness of member states to accept a reduction of national sovereignty on some important policy fields. The EU project is basically about lifting the principles of democracy and rule by law on the international level, most and foremost among the member...

Electricity imports from outside the Community in the EC Internal Market in electricity. Commercial policy of the EC, a subject matter of the EU internal electricity market Directive, or within national law-making competence of the EU member states?; Stromimporte aus Drittstaaten im EG-Binnenmarkt fuer Energie. Handelspolitik der EG, Gegenstand der Binnenmarkt-Richtlinien oder eigene Regelungszustaendigkeit der Mitgliedstaaten?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gundel, J. [Freie Univ. Berlin (Germany). Inst. fuer Voelkerrecht, Euoparecht und Auslaendisches Oeffentliches Recht

2000-07-01

The author analyses in great depth the applicable laws and regulations as well as the Treaty of Rome in connection with the question of whether the implementation of the EU IEM Directive and the deregulation of electricity markets of EU member states really weakened the legal position of EC member states vis a vis non-member states to the extent that Community members have no means to defend themselves against dumping practices of electricity traders from outside the Community. The concluding statement of the legal analysis is that the EC member states do have the right to use the legal provisions governing competitive electricity trade inside the Community as well in dealing with traders from outside the Community. (orig./CB) [German] Der Beitrag untersucht die Frage, ob die Herstellung des Binnenmarkts fuer Elektrizitaet tatsaechlich dazu gefuehrt hat, dass Importeure aus Drittstaaten von den Mitgliedstaaten der Gemeinschaft in keiner Weise mehr beschraenkt werden koennen. Eine genauere Untersuchung der einschlaegigen Bestimmungen des EGV und des Sekundaerrechts ergibt ein differenziertes Bild; in jedem Fall sind die Mitgliedstaaten berechtigt, Beschraenkungen, die die Binnenmarkt-Richtlinien im Verhaeltnis zwischen den Mitgliedstaaten zulassen, auch im Verhaeltnis zu Drittstaaten anzuwenden. (orig./CB)

Paradigms for EU Law and the Limits of Delegation. The Case of EU Agencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simoncini Marta

2017-11-01

Full Text Available This article questions the idea that the EU is a pure regulatory power based on supranational delegation of competence from the Member States. It claims the insufficiency of this single paradigm to explain the developments of EU law and the need to integrate it with recognition of the constitutional foundations of EU law.

The Analysis of the Evolution of Tax Revenues in EU Member States during 2009-2013

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cornelia Elena Tureac

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The state budget is a financial plan at the macroeconomic level, and it is designed as a set of accounts of the nation, which reflects the current year and next year projections on all economic agents in the country / region. The size of the public sector varies significantly from one Member State to another, which means that the financial resources available to the public sector differ substantially at the European Union level. The paper includes an analysis of the evolution of the main indicators corresponding to public financial resources at EU level achieved between January 2009 - December 2012 or December 2013, where data processing was available. The information was taken from the Eurostat statistics database. The research methodology used in this work was done by the use of indicators: the share of total public revenue in GDP; the share of taxes in GDP of production and imports; the share of current taxes on income, wealth etc. in GDP; the share of social security contributions in GDP. In the analysis there were considered, of the total financial resources of government, only the taxes levied on production and imports, current taxes on income, wealth etc. and social security contributions. In conclusion, the share of government revenues in GDP increases, but there are states where it decreases, such as Estonia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Germany and Sweden. The public financial resources share in GDP at the level of the Eurozone was always higher in relation to the entire European Union, but always keeping the difference around 0.8 to 0.9 percentage points. France recorded the highest share of social security contributions in GDP (18.8% in 2009 and 19.4% in 2013 while Denmark has the lowest share of these financial resources in GDP, i.e. only 1.9% in 2009 and 1.8% in 2013.

The Sustanability of Public Finance in New Members States of European Union

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrian INCEU

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The issue of public finance sustainability is very important for all EU member states in the actual context after the economic crisis. This article makes an analysis of the sustainability of public finances for the new member states (which joined EU in 2004 and 2007. Firstly, we try to analyze the impact of the economic crisis on public finances sustainability. The sustainability of public finances can be reflected through the level of public debt and budget deficit for a country. For this reason the article presents the evolution of budget deficits for NMS 12 before and after the recent economic crisis. Based on the econometric regression the correlation between economic growth rate (indicator used for measuring the economic evolution and the budget deficit is revealed. Results for Romania and NMS 12 are quite similar; fact that tells us that the status of public finances is following the same trend in Romania as in the NMS 12.

EU citizenship and direct taxation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

E.W. Ros (Erik)

2017-01-01

markdownabstractThe main question addressed in this study is: _How has the concept of EU citizenship influenced the legal autonomy of Member States; most notably in the field of direct taxation and are the implications of that influence on the tax autonomy of Member States acceptable?_

Classification of the European Union member states according to the relative level of sustainable development.

Science.gov (United States)

Anna, Bluszcz

Nowadays methods of measurement and assessment of the level of sustained development at the international, national and regional level are a current research problem, which requires multi-dimensional analysis. The relative assessment of the sustainability level of the European Union member states and the comparative analysis of the position of Poland relative to other countries was the aim of the conducted studies in the article. EU member states were treated as objects in the multi-dimensional space. Dimensions of space were specified by ten diagnostic variables describing the sustainability level of UE countries in three dimensions, i.e., social, economic and environmental. Because the compiled statistical data were expressed in different units of measure, taxonomic methods were used for building an aggregated measure to assess the level of sustainable development of EU member states, which through normalisation of variables enabled the comparative analysis between countries. Methodology of studies consisted of eight stages, which included, among others: defining data matrices, calculating the variability coefficient for all variables, which variability coefficient was under 10 %, division of variables into stimulants and destimulants, selection of the method of variable normalisation, developing matrices of normalised data, selection of the formula and calculating the aggregated indicator of the relative level of sustainable development of the EU countries, calculating partial development indicators for three studies dimensions: social, economic and environmental and the classification of the EU countries according to the relative level of sustainable development. Statistical date were collected based on the Polish Central Statistical Office publication.

Income inequality in the EU: How do member states contribute?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Papatheodorou, C.; Pavlopoulos, D.

2014-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the structure of overall inequality in the EU-15 by investigating the extent to which total inequality is attributed to inequality between or within the individual countries. Also, the paper examines whether the contribution of between-country and

Some impacts of the EU accession on the new member states’ agriculture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Judit KISS

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The main aim of the paper is to analyse the impact of the EU accession on the New Member States’ agriculture with special regard to production, employment, farmers’ income and intra-EU trade in agricultural goods on the basis of the latest statistical data of Eurostat. According to our findings, accession has provided incentives to agricultural production and to utilize natural endowments (mainly agricultural land; however, agricultural employment decrease could not be halted. Nevertheless, the economic situation of the farmers improved due to increasing incomes. Though the enlarged EU provided markets for the NMS agricultural products, the competition on their domestic markets increased significantly, resulting in massive import penetration. Consequently, most of the NMS agricultural trade balance deteriorated considerably. Concerning future prospects, it highly depends on the reformulation of the Common Agricultural Policy, the new budget of the EU and the domestic economic and agricultural situation of the NMS.

Competence-building in foreign subsidiaries: the case of new EU member states

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Filippov, S.; Duysters, G.M.

2011-01-01

This article examines patterns of competence-building in foreign subsidiaries located in new member states of the European Union. Among the theoretical foundations of this paper are the concepts of dynamic capabilities and subsidiary-specific advantages. We consider subsidiary competences as a

Competence building in foreign subsidiaries : The case of new EU member states

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Filippov, S.; Duijsters, G.M.

2011-01-01

This article examines patterns of competence-building in foreign subsidiaries located in new member states of the European Union. Among the theoretical foundations of this paper are the concepts of dynamic capabilities and subsidiary-specific advantages. We consider subsidiary competences as a

Monitoring and evaluation of policy instruments to support renewable electricity in EU Member States. Summary; Monitoring und Bewertung der Foerderinstrumente fuer Erneuerbare Energien in EU Mitgliedsstaaten. Kurzfassung

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ragwitz, M.; Held, A. [Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Systemtechnik und Innovationsforschung (ISI), Karlsruhe (Germany); Resch, G.; Faber, T.; Huber, C.; Haas, R. [Technische Univ. Wien (AT). Energy Economics Group (EEG)

2006-09-15

Policy strategies for the promotion of electricity from renewable energy sources differ significantly among the Member States of the European Union with respect to the amount of additional installed capacity as well as concerning the country-specific support costs. The present report aims to assess the effectiveness and the economic efficiency of the support policies in the EU based on both historical experiences and prospective model-based analysis. The main message of the investigation is that the most effective policy instruments tend to be cost-efficient at the same time. In particular, feed-in tariff systems were identified as a successful instrument for supporting renewable energies in terms of effectiveness and efficiency, whereas quota systems still have to prove themselves in practice. (orig.) [German] Bezueglich des Erfolges bei der Foerderung erneuerbarer Energietraeger im Stromsektor bestehen deutliche Unterschiede zwischen den Mitgliedsstaaten der Europaeischen Union. Dies betrifft sowohl den Zubau an installierter Kapazitaet als auch die laenderspezifischen Foerderkosten des Ausbaus. In diesem Projekt erfolgte eine vergleichende Betrachtung der Wirksamkeit und der oekonomischen Effizienz der Foerderpolitiken in den Laendern der EU basierend auf historischen Erfahrungen als auch auf prospektiven modellbasierten Analysen. Es zeigt sich, dass die wirksamsten Systeme auch haeufig die kostenguenstigsten sind. Insbesondere wird ersichtlich, dass garantierte Einspeisetarife ein sehr erfolgreiches Instrumentarium zur Foerderung erneuerbarer Energien im Stromsektor darstellen, nicht allein bezueglich des generierten Marktwachstums sondern auch im Hinblick auf die oekonomische Effizienz, wogegen Quotensysteme ihre Praxistauglichkeit bezogen auf die genannten Kriterien noch nachweisen muessen. (orig.)

European regulation model for herbal medicine: The assessment of the EU monograph and the safety and efficacy evaluation in marketing authorization or registration in Member States.

Science.gov (United States)

Qu, Liping; Zou, Wenjun; Wang, YiTao; Wang, Mei

2018-03-15

The European Union (EU) has created a regulatory framework for herbal medicinal products (HMPs) since the enforcement of Directive 2004/24/EC. Substantial achievements have been made, with 1719 traditional use marketing registrations (TURs) and 859 well-established use marketing authorizations (WEU-MAs) for HMPs granted by the end of 2016. Apparently, the European regulation model has worked out well and in that the essential feature is the use of EU herbal monographs into those granted WEU-MAs and TURs. A systematic analysis of the European regulation model for HMPs and the EU herbal monograph's part of this model are undertaken to assist understanding of the EU legislation particularly for interested parties those from outside EU area, and afterwards, to help in decision-making in the HMPs registration in European market for pharmaceutical companies, as well as in the establishment of legislation in countries with strong traditional use of herbal remedies. A search of PubMed, ScienceDirect, the European Medicines Agency website and the Heads of Medicines Agencies website was conducted (up to December 2017), and the available information on regulation of HMPs in the EU was collected. The evaluation of applications by National Competent Authorities (NCAs) at a national level together with the assessment of EU monographs by the Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC) at the European level constitute the European regulation framework for HMPs. As the scientific opinion about the safety and efficacy of HMPs from HMPC, the EU herbal monographs have been given a constitutional-based meaning to the TURs and WEU-MAs of HMPs and play a supportive function in the marketing procedure in Member States. The European framework has provided a powerful regulation model for harmonization of scientific assessment and facilitation of product marketing. For the pharmaceutical industries particularly those outside the EU, optimal use of the EU herbal monograph in their marketing

The 'primacy' and 'direct effect' of EU international agreements

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gáspár-Szilágyi, Szilárd

2015-01-01

The rules on invoking EU norms before the Court of Justice and Member State courts are at the core of EU constitutional law. International agreements binding on the EU form an integral part of EU law and have primacy over inconsistent secondary EU legislation. Moreover, they also have primacy over...

CONVERGENCE AND DIVERGENCE IN EUROPEAN UNION: EVIDENCE FOR BETA CONVERGENCE AMONG NEW EU MEMBER STATES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ioana Sorina Mihuț

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract: Convergence may be considered a central issue of the current economic literature, and not only, concentrating upon income distribution within different economies, but also focusing on different aspects of polarity and inequality that characterize especially the emerging economies. Testing convergence within economies may serve as a useful instrument for the validation of the economic growth models. While convergence was considered a defining element of the neoclassical growth models, the majority of the new endogenous growth models argue in favour of divergence across different economies. Testing convergence among European Union is even more challenging due to the high degree of heterogeneity that characterizes these economies. The recent accessions with ten new countries in 2004 and with another two in 2007 were considered only the first step towards assuring a sustainable convergence and finally adopting a common currency-the euro. A series of empirical studies concentrated upon testing convergence among EU, using as benchmark the real convergence quantified by the level of GDP/capita as an indicator for the living standards of every economy. The most popular approach rely on Beta and Sigma convergence, the first one being and indicator of the GDP/capita dispersion between different economies, and the later one being an estimator of the reverse relationship between GDP/capita and its initial level. The main purpose of this paper is to test Beta converge among the new EU member states, in order to obtained more information about the fact whether the poor countries are trying to catch-up with the more developed one. Also Beta convergence indicator embodies useful information about conditional and un-conditional convergence, two leading hypothesis within the neoclassical and endogenous growth models. For Beta convergence hypothesis to be valid it should be taken into consideration a ”catch-up” mechanism over a longer period of time

Development and localisation of casemix applications for inpatient hospital activity in EU member states.

Science.gov (United States)

Wiley, M M

1999-01-01

The successful infiltration of casemix techniques across geographical, systemic and cultural boundaries provides an interesting and timely example of the translation of research evidence into health policy development. This paper explores the specifics of this policy development by reviewing the application of casemix techniques within the acute hospital systems of European Union member states. The fact that experimentation with or application of casemix measures can be reported for the majority of European Union member states would suggest that the deployment of these measures can be expected to continue to expand within these health systems into the new millennium.

Governing EU employment policy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Eva; Triantafillou, Peter; Damgaard, Bodil

2015-01-01

In the European Union (EU), employment policy is a prerogative of the member states. Therefore the EU's ability to govern in this area depends on its capability to involve national governments and relevant stakeholders in a collaborative effort to formulate and implement shared policy objectives....... of collaboration, the implementation phase mainly consists in the less demanding forms of cooperation and coordination....

EU enlargement and new member countries' involvement in the exchange rates system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vlatka Bilas

2005-08-01

Full Text Available For each country, joining the union is a unique process, considering advantages and disadvantages which a country can thus obtain. In order to fulfill conditions for the EU accession, transition countries must achieve different convergence criteria. Expansion of the EU brings along many challenges including coordination of policies and conducting a common monetary policy. After joining the EU new members are expected to have a minimum of two years of participation in the Exchange Rate Mechanism 2 before accepting euro. ERM2 can be a flexible and efficient framework for the determination of a appropriate level of irrevocable exchange rate fixing according to euro, as well as for achieving macroeconomic stability. Even though, considering demands for complete abolition of capital controls and high capital mobility, fixed exchange rate with fluctuation margins of ±15% is to become sensitive to the capital movements and speculative attacks.

Using Patent Development, Education Policy and Research and Development Expenditure Policy to Increase Technological Competitiveness of Small European Union Member States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ferraro Simona

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative will open new trade routes between China and the European Union (EU and increase competition pressures on smaller EU member states. This article ranks where states like Estonia stand internationally in terms of innovativeness (and consequent competitiveness by conducting an econometric study of patent development, education policy and research and development (R&D expenditure policy. The authors claim that small member states such as Estonia should follow the example of countries such as Germany and adopt policies which focus more on increased public spending on R&D and innovation in public universities of science and technology, and raise support for high tech startups with a strong focus on international patenting. Member States must go further and subsidise R&D activities by focusing, inter alia, on filing of foreign patents such as triadic patents.

Strategic partitioning of emissions allowances in the EU ETS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boehringer, Christoph (Carl von Ossietzky Univ. Oldenburg (Germany)); Rosendahl, Knut Einar (Research Dept., Statistics Norway, Oslo (Norway))

2008-07-01

The EU ETS opens up for strategic partitioning of emissions allowances by the Member States. In this paper we examine the potential effects of such strategic behavior on quota prices and abatement costs. We show that although marginal abatement costs in the sectors outside the EU ETS become quite differentiated, the effects on the quota price and total abatement costs are small. More abatement, however, takes place in the old Member States that are importers of allowances, compared to the cost-effective outcome. Single countries can nevertheless significantly affect the outcome of the EU ETS by exploiting their market power

Enhanced Economic Governance in the EU: Alternative to a Political Union?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kawecka-Wyrzykowska Elżbieta

2014-10-01

Full Text Available In reaction to the sharp deterioration of fiscal positions and a sovereign debt crisis in the majority of EU member states, EU leaders have been strengthening the EU economic governance framework, in particular for the eurozone member states. This has been reflected mainly through a reinforcement of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP within the so-called six-pack and through the recent adoption of the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union (TSCG.

The impact of the crisis on earnings and income distribution in the EU

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Beer, P.

2012-01-01

Although the economic crisis that started in 2008 hit all EU member states hard, the impact of the crisis on employment, unemployment, earnings and inequality varied considerably. This paper analyses the variation in the consequences of the crisis among the member states of the EU. First, it

U.S.-EU Cooperation Against Terrorism

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Archick, Kristin

2005-01-01

The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks gave new momentum to European Union (EU) initiatives to improve law enforcement cooperation against terrorism both among its 25 member states and with the United States...

U.S.-EU Cooperation Against Terrorism

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Archick, Kristin

2006-01-01

The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks gave new momentum to European Union (EU) initiatives to improve law enforcement cooperation against terrorism both among its 25 member states and with the United States...

The innovation of EU environmental policy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

actors involved. The seven case-study chapters, written from a variety of perspectives, focus on such topics as the impact of formal and informal institutional factors on policy innovation, the potential influence of new members on EU environmental policy-making, the role of cross-national networks...... and alliances, the shifting balance between leader and laggard members, and the ongoing problem integrating the environment into other policy fields. The book also draws on theoretical approaches ranging from institutional to policy network analyses and examines such pertinent contemporary issues as packaging......Inspired by the recent accession of three environmentally progressive member states to the European Union (EU), this book explores the process of environmental policy innovation in the EU, the forces behind the introduction of new issues and policy approaches, and the roles played by the major...

EU Member State Enforcement of Mixed Agreements and Access to Justice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gáspár-Szilágyi, Szilárd

2013-01-01

or the European Union, given that: firstly, they cannot pursue litigation under the agreements’ dispute resolution system if the foreign body risks interpreting the agreement, which also forms part of EU law; secondly, they cannot rely on these agreements before the Court. This article argues that a rethinking...

Cost effects of international trade in meeting EU renewable electricity targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voogt, M.H.; Uyterlinde, M.A.

2006-01-01

The European market for renewable electricity received a major stimulus from the adoption of the Directive on the Promotion of Renewable Electricity. The Directive specifies the indicative targets for electricity supply from renewable energy sources (RES-E) to be reached in European Union (EU) Member States in the year 2010. It also requires Member States to certify the origin of their renewable electricity production. This article presents a first EU-wide quantitative evaluation of the effects of meeting the targets, using an EU-wide system for tradable green certificates (TGC). We calculate the equilibrium price of green certificates and identify which countries are likely to export or import certificates. Cost advantages of participating in such an EU-wide trading scheme are determined for each of the Member States. Moreover, we identify which choice of technologies results in meeting targets at least costs. Results are obtained from a model that quantifies the effects of achieving the RES-E targets in the EU with and without trade. The article provides a brief insight in this model as well as the methodology that was used to specify cost potential curves for renewable electricity in each of the 15 EU Member States. Model calculations show that within the EU-wide TGC system, the total production costs of the last option needed to satisfy the overall EU RES-E target equals 9.2 eurocent/kWh. Assuming that the production price of electricity on the European power market would equal 3 eurocent/kWh in the year 2010, the indicative green certificate price equals 6.2 eurocent/kWh. We conclude that implementation of an EU-wide TGC system is a cost-efficient way of stimulating renewable electricity supply

Budget Deficit And Public Debt - The Great Challenges For The Eu Member States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lupu, Iulia

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The financial crises had a strong impact on the public finance sectors from European countries. Even if in 2007 they started from relative good fiscal positions, the public debt and the budgetary deficits considerably deteriorated and registered historic values in European Union. With all measures taken to stimulate the economy, is a very favourable scenario to return at the taxes level from 2007. The aggregate numbers regarding the deficit and public debt incline to disguise the different evolutions of the European Union member states. The strong deterioration of fiscal indicators is caused by the automat effect of the economic productivity and also by measures taken by the governments of the member states. The past experiences can help to evaluate the fiscal measures that must be adopted in order to reduce the public debt and the deficit, without having an universal solution for all countries. Very important is the existing context for the implementation of adopted measures.

The "New Politics" of EU's Eastern Enlargement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zank, Wolfgang

The paper gives an overview of EU's eastern enlargement and draws some theoretical conclusions. In particular, it stresses the point that the EU member states in the process of enlargement have entered a phase of "new politics", characterised by multilateralism, conditionality, help and binding...

Procedure of preliminary decision as a supranational judicial keynote of the European Union member states

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Delia Magherescu

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The procedure of preliminary decision has been for a long time agreed unanimously both by doctrine and jurisprudence and considered as a keynote in developing notional law systems of the European Communities. In the national frame, it is similarly with submitting unconstitutional exception, regulated in several national jurisdictions of the EU Member States. The current paper aims at providing some argues based on a jurisprudence frame of the procedure of preliminary decision made by the Court of Justice of the European Union, as being directory for the national EU Member States’ courts of justice. It also focuses on the judicial issues whose solution is needed in order for the national justice to solve the cases they were invested with.

What factors influence smoking prevalence and smoke free policy enactment across the European Union Member States.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilze Bogdanovica

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Smoking prevention should be a primary public health priority for all governments, and effective preventive policies have been identified for decades. The heterogeneity of smoking prevalence between European Union (EU Member States therefore reflects, at least in part, a failure by governments to prioritise public health over tobacco industry or possibly other financial interests, and hence potentially government corruption. The aims of this study were to test the hypothesis that smoking prevalence is higher in countries with high levels of public sector corruption, and explore the ecological association between smoking prevalence and a range of other national characteristics in current EU Member States. METHODS: Ecological data from 27 EU Member States were used to estimate univariate and multivariate correlations between smoking prevalence and the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, and a range of other national characteristics including economic development, social inclusion, quality of life and importance of religion. We also explored the association between the Corruption Perceptions Index and measures of the extent to which smoke-free policies have been enacted and are enforced. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, smoking prevalence was significantly higher in countries with higher scores for corruption, material deprivation, and gender inequality; and lower in countries with higher per capita Gross Domestic Product, social spending, life satisfaction and human development scores. In multivariate analysis, only the corruption perception index was independently related to smoking prevalence. Exposure to tobacco smoke in the workplace was also correlated with corruption, independently from smoking prevalence, but not with the measures of national smoke-free policy implementation. CONCLUSIONS: Corruption appears to be an important risk factor for failure of national tobacco control activity in EU countries, and

What Factors Influence Smoking Prevalence and Smoke Free Policy Enactment across the European Union Member States

Science.gov (United States)

Bogdanovica, Ilze; McNeill, Ann; Murray, Rachael; Britton, John

2011-01-01

Background Smoking prevention should be a primary public health priority for all governments, and effective preventive policies have been identified for decades. The heterogeneity of smoking prevalence between European Union (EU) Member States therefore reflects, at least in part, a failure by governments to prioritise public health over tobacco industry or possibly other financial interests, and hence potentially government corruption. The aims of this study were to test the hypothesis that smoking prevalence is higher in countries with high levels of public sector corruption, and explore the ecological association between smoking prevalence and a range of other national characteristics in current EU Member States. Methods Ecological data from 27 EU Member States were used to estimate univariate and multivariate correlations between smoking prevalence and the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, and a range of other national characteristics including economic development, social inclusion, quality of life and importance of religion. We also explored the association between the Corruption Perceptions Index and measures of the extent to which smoke-free policies have been enacted and are enforced. Results In univariate analysis, smoking prevalence was significantly higher in countries with higher scores for corruption, material deprivation, and gender inequality; and lower in countries with higher per capita Gross Domestic Product, social spending, life satisfaction and human development scores. In multivariate analysis, only the corruption perception index was independently related to smoking prevalence. Exposure to tobacco smoke in the workplace was also correlated with corruption, independently from smoking prevalence, but not with the measures of national smoke-free policy implementation. Conclusions Corruption appears to be an important risk factor for failure of national tobacco control activity in EU countries, and the extent to which key

Europeanization of National Public Spheres? Cross-National Media Debates about the EU's Socio-Economic Strategy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Porte, Caroline de la; van Dalen, Arjen

2016-01-01

This paper studies the Europeanization of media coverage of the European Union's (EU) socio-economic strategy, which is a crucial building block for developing a European Public Sphere. As the EU level increasingly influences public policy in member states, there should correspondingly be a more...... intense and visible media debate with attention for EU-level and cross-national policies and developments. On the basis of a content analysis (2000–2010) in Denmark, France, Poland and the UK, we find that media attention for the EU's growth and jobs strategy is limited, that it does not increase over...... in terms of benchmarking and reporting on criticism and advice to member states. This criticism is more often diffuse than aimed at specific member states. Therefore, we conclude that media coverage of the EU's socio-economic strategy is Europeanized, but that it remains a debate by and for EU...

Ukraine Between The EU And The CES In Global Instability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Svitlana Radzievska

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The article reviews functioning and development of the European Union (EU and the Common Economic Space (CES in the global instability and substantiates the equal significance of Ukraine’s integration with these regional associations in today’s environment. This conclusion is based upon the current state of Ukraine’s trade and economic relations with the countries taking part in these integration associations, and the probability of: 1 the EU’s abstaining from admitting new members until the EU structure improves, or admitting new members while changing the mechanism of interaction within the EU and setting more stringent admission criteria, 2 changes in the terms of trade of Ukraine with the CES member states due to its transformation into the Eurasian Economic Community (EEC.

News and campaign dynamics in EU 27

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Vreese, C.; Schuck, A.; Maier, M.; Stengel, K.; Haubold, V.; Süß, K.; Tenscher, J.

2009-01-01

The presentation provides an introduction to the media content analysis of the European election campaign conducted in the 27 EU member states in the 3 weeks leading up to the June 2009 elections. The analysis is an integral part of the PIREDEU project (www.piredeu.eu): Providing an Infrastructure

Assessing gas transit risks: Russia vs. the EU

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Coq, Chloé; Paltseva, Elena

2012-01-01

This paper proposes a Transit Risk Index (TRI) designed to assess the riskiness of pipeline gas imports and to study the effect of introducing new gas routes. TRI controls for gas dependency, transit route diversification, political risks of transit, pipeline rupture probability, and the balance of power between supplying and consuming countries along the transit route. Evaluating TRI for the EU-Russia gas trade, we show that the introduction of the Nord Stream pipeline would further widen already large disparities in gas risk exposure across the EU Member States. The gas risk exposure of the Member States served by Nord Stream would decline. In contrast, EU countries not connected to Nord Stream, but sharing other Russian gas transit routes with the Nord Stream countries, would face greater gas risk exposure. We discuss the implications of our analysis for the design of the common energy policy in the EU.

Lobbyism and CO2 Trade in the EU

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svendsen, Gert Tinggaard

2002-01-01

Has the EU Directive Proposal on CO2 trade been influenced by lobbyism and can it be improved? After hypothesizing how the EU may be vulnerable to lobbyism and why industrial groups have a strong incentive to lobby for favourable environmental regulation, we turn to empirical evidence concerning...... design. Here, it is possible to measure lobbyism as the difference in proposed design between the Green Paper (before lobbyism) and the final Directive Proposal (after lobbyism). Overall we suggest that this lobbyism affected the design of the EU CO2 market in favour of small-sized and well......-organised industrial interest groups at the expense of the EU tax payers. Most critically, allocation of permits and enforcement issues are to be dealt with at the member state level rather than the supranational level allowing member states to favour their domestic industries. A likely market breakdown means less...

Implementation - More than Monitoring and Enforcement: Evidence from the Implementation of the 1989 Municipal Waste Incineration Directive (89/429/EEC) in Four Member States

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schucht, Simone; Bültman, Alexandra; Eames, Malcolm; Lulofs, Kristiaan R.D.

2000-01-01

Researchers and policy-makers accept that implementation decisively influences the effectiveness of European (EU) environmental policy. Some Member States lead the development of EU policy and implement Directives with little problem. Others follow a variety of compliance (or non-compliance) paths.

Phosphorus flows and balances of the European Union Member States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dijk, Kimo C. van, E-mail: kimo.vandijk@wur.nl [Department of Soil Quality, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen (Netherlands); Lesschen, Jan Peter, E-mail: janpeter.lesschen@wur.nl [Department of Soil Quality, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen (Netherlands); Oenema, Oene, E-mail: oene.oenema@wur.nl [Department of Soil Quality, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen (Netherlands); Alterra, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen (Netherlands)

2016-01-15

Global society faces serious “phosphorus challenges” given the scarcity, essentiality, unequal global distribution and, at the same time, regional excess of phosphorus (P). Phosphorus flow studies can be used to analyze these challenges, providing insight into how society (re)uses and loses phosphorus, identifying potential solutions. Phosphorus flows were analyzed in detail for EU-27 and its Member States. To quantify food system and non-food flows, country specific data and historical context were considered. The sectors covered were crop production (CP), animal production (AP), food processing (FP), non-food production (NF) and consumption (HC). The results show that the EU-27 imported 2392 Gg P in 2005, half of which accumulated in agricultural soils (924 Gg) and half was lost as waste (1217 Gg). Net accumulation was 4.9 kg P/ha/year ranging between + 23.2 (Belgium) and − 2.8 (Slovakia). From the system losses, 54% was lost from HC in diverse waste flows and 28% from FP, mainly through incinerated slaughter residues. The largest HC losses (655 Gg) were wastewater (55%), food waste (27%), and pet excreta (11%). Phosphorus recycling rates were 73% in AP, 29% in FP, 21% in HC and ~ 0% in NF. The phosphorus use efficiencies showed that, relative to sector input, about 70% was taken up by crops (CP), 24% was retained in animals (AP), 52% was contained in food products (FP), 76% was stored in non-food materials (NF), and 21% was recycled (HC). Although wide-ranging variation between countries, generally phosphorus use in EU-27 was characterized by relatively (1) large dependency on (primary) imports, (2) long-term accumulation in agricultural soils, especially in west European countries, (3) leaky losses throughout entire society, especially emissions to the environment and sequestered waste, (4) little recycling with the exception of manure, and (5) low use efficiencies, because of aforementioned issues, providing ample opportunities for improvement

Phosphorus flows and balances of the European Union Member States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dijk, Kimo C. van; Lesschen, Jan Peter; Oenema, Oene

2016-01-01

Global society faces serious “phosphorus challenges” given the scarcity, essentiality, unequal global distribution and, at the same time, regional excess of phosphorus (P). Phosphorus flow studies can be used to analyze these challenges, providing insight into how society (re)uses and loses phosphorus, identifying potential solutions. Phosphorus flows were analyzed in detail for EU-27 and its Member States. To quantify food system and non-food flows, country specific data and historical context were considered. The sectors covered were crop production (CP), animal production (AP), food processing (FP), non-food production (NF) and consumption (HC). The results show that the EU-27 imported 2392 Gg P in 2005, half of which accumulated in agricultural soils (924 Gg) and half was lost as waste (1217 Gg). Net accumulation was 4.9 kg P/ha/year ranging between + 23.2 (Belgium) and − 2.8 (Slovakia). From the system losses, 54% was lost from HC in diverse waste flows and 28% from FP, mainly through incinerated slaughter residues. The largest HC losses (655 Gg) were wastewater (55%), food waste (27%), and pet excreta (11%). Phosphorus recycling rates were 73% in AP, 29% in FP, 21% in HC and ~ 0% in NF. The phosphorus use efficiencies showed that, relative to sector input, about 70% was taken up by crops (CP), 24% was retained in animals (AP), 52% was contained in food products (FP), 76% was stored in non-food materials (NF), and 21% was recycled (HC). Although wide-ranging variation between countries, generally phosphorus use in EU-27 was characterized by relatively (1) large dependency on (primary) imports, (2) long-term accumulation in agricultural soils, especially in west European countries, (3) leaky losses throughout entire society, especially emissions to the environment and sequestered waste, (4) little recycling with the exception of manure, and (5) low use efficiencies, because of aforementioned issues, providing ample opportunities for improvement

Econometric Assessment of the Degree of Economic Convergence between Member States of the European Union

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Mădălina OPRIȚESCU

2017-11-01

Full Text Available One of the important objectives of the European Union is to support economic growth based on economic, social and territorial cohesion between Member States. Due to the accession of relatively poor countries to the European Union, maintaining cohesion is and will remain a major challenge, with cohesion policy having to support the reduction of imbalances between the old Member States and also support the development of less developed regions. One of the main measures adopted by the European authorities emphasizes the importance of increasing the degree of economic convergence between Member States by promoting a common market along with an economic and monetary union. In addition, increasing productivity and convergence within the EU are the foundations of the Lisbon Strategy and remain an important pillar of the Europe 2020 Growth Strategy.

THE REFUGEES AND THE ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE EU STATES: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura DIACONU (MAXIM

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, one of the major concerns of the EU leaders is how to cope with the large inflows of refugees that are coming from the Arab region, because of the prolonged conflicts and civil wars. While some EU leaders consider that this is a humanitarian crisis and the member states should act accordingly, others consider that these people are migrants and not refugees. From the economic perspective, the opinions are also divided. Some analysts see this large influx of refugees as an opportunity for the economic and social environment, while others consider that the refugees can negatively influence the well-being of the host countries. In the present paper we investigate the impact of the refugees’ inflows on the economic growth and development of the EU countries. In order to reach this purpose, our arguments are based on a multidisciplinary analysis of the specialised literature and of the empirical investigations.

Brussels without Muscles? Exploring the EU's Management of its Gas Relationship with Russia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harriman, David

2010-03-01

In many respects, the EU is a strong player on the world stage, for example, in trade, climate change issues and crisis management. In its relationship with Russia over gas supply, however, the EU's political capacity remains limited. Part of the problem lies in the lack of EU unity, but this is more a symptom than an actual cause. A key explanation is the interplay between external and internal factors. The external factors - that is the EU's and Russia's conflicting interests and the structure of the political system - reinforce the EU's internal problems. This is an effect of that the gas issue falls under different policy areas (energy, foreign relations and security policy) within which the European Commission and the member states have different responsibilities. Another problem is that energy is the Commission's responsibility, but the real competence lies with the member states. The current multipolar structure of European politics reduces the scope for cooperation that favours the EU as a whole - in this case its energy security. The fact that the Commission and member states, and the member states among themselves, have different views on energy policy vis-a-vis Russia exacerbates these circumstances. Other key factors are the lack of transparency and competition in the gas sector (which suits both the Russian company Gazprom and large EU companies) and the unbalanced dependence of EU countries on Russian gas. Relations between France, Germany and Russia are also important. Germany and France are key players for the EU's energy security, and their support for the gas pipeline Nord Stream, their resistance to unbundling in the gas sector and their relatively warm relations with Russia have not strengthened the EU's position in its gas relationship with Russia. Besides, the Lisbon Treaty increases France's and Germany's powers inside the EU. Combined with the conflicting interests of the EU nd Russia, the structure of European politics, and different views

The EU as an actor at the WTO: its strengths and weaknesses throughout history

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosana GARCIANDÍA GARMENDIA

2012-06-01

Full Text Available During the last decade, many reforms took place in the European Union legal and policy framework. Some of those reforms were motivated by the participation of the European Union and its member States in the World Trade Organization. This paper aims to analyze the role of the European Union as an actor in that organization, paying special attention to its mixed legal nature – EU and Member States. With that purpose, the evolution of the relationship between the EU member States and the EU itself as simultaneous actors at the WTO is studied. The division of competences is also reviewed. Finally, the analysis of the EU position in different negotiation rounds (Uruguay, Doha for the agricultural sector is reviewed as an example of the evolution in the protection of European interests. The paper shows that some changes in the Treaty of Lisbon have strengthened the legal framework for the EU to be heard with a unique voice in the WTO

EU Energy Policy in a Supply-constrained World

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Jong, J.; Van der Linde, C.

2008-10-01

Energy is quickly becoming an issue of integration and disintegration of the EU and will perhaps turn out to be the ultimate litmus test of political and economic unity in the EU, as energy issues are increasingly intertwined with wider security issues on the continent. Very often, economic issues are elevated to the political-strategic level, serving a different agenda than merely contributing to the energy policy agenda of the EU. The challenges to the EU and its member states in the energy sector are many: some issues are part of the wider geopolitical and geo-economic agenda, but some are also the product of the new EU that emerged after the fall of the Berlin Wall. The enlargement with member states that are asymmetrically dependent on oil and gas supplies mainly from Russia has further emphasised the growth of structural energy import dependency. Moreover, the new member states did not have the benefit of introducing the energy 'acquis', i.e. liberalisation, in a period of ample supply and relatively low prices. From 2004 onwards, energy has become tighter and more politicised. It was these developments that also uncovered the calculated risk of the old member states to embark on liberalisation without putting a crisis management policy into place. With the increasing worries about the security of supply and the asymmetric exposure of Eastern Europe to a single supplier, energy security issues also began to dominate the internal policy debates both in energy and in external relations. The new developments require the EU member states to consider how and to what extent their external energy policies should also be merged into a more EU-wide approach, if they can agree on the common risks that need to be averted and the common benefits gained, and if and how a crisis mechanism for fuels other than oil is needed to manage the perceived increased security of supply risks. Moreover, they should also consider the internal market design they set out to implement and

The role of human resources on the economy: A study of the Balkan EU member states

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vuković Darko B.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper we analyze the impact of the quality of human capital on the main economic indicators of South-Eastern Europe countries [SEE] at the NUTS 2 level. The subjects of this research are the human capital indicators of regional competitiveness. The quality of human capital depends largely on the age structure of the population and the quality of education. Those regions, which have the highest percentage of the working-age population and highly educated people, are able to achieve higher productivity and gain a competitive advantage over other regions. As main indicators of the quality of human capital we identified: population; persons aged 25-64 with tertiary education attainment; students in tertiary education and participation of adults aged 25-64 in education and training and human resources in science and technology. As main economic indicators, we identified: regional gross domestic product; employment and income of households. The aim of this paper is to determine whether there is a correlation between the indicators of the quality of human capital and economic indicators. As a main methodology we have used the correlation coefficient which shows interdependence of the analyzed indicators. As part of our analysis, we consider only EU member states that belong to the SEE countries: Slovenia, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece. We conclude that in all countries there is a high multiple correlation coefficient between the indicators human resources in science and technology, number of students and employment. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 47007 III

Consequences of EU air quality directives for spatial development plans in various EU countries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koelemeijer, R.B.A.; Blom, W.F.; Bouwman, A.A.; Hammingh, P.; Backes, C.W.

2005-01-01

Over the past few years, the highest Dutch court of justice has rejected many building plans for new homes, roads and businesses because of reasons related to EU air quality limit values. This has made it clear that detailed impact assessments are necessary to having plans approved for permits, and that failure to achieve limit values can be a reason to reject a plan. An investigation to see whether such issues have also played a role in other EU countries has proven the contrary. Only a few similar court cases have taken place in other countries, while air quality limit values are breached in other EU countries as well. The reason is that the Netherlands has implemented the first EU Daughter Directive in a relatively strict manner in comparison to other countries, in particular: Adopting a strict legal coupling of air quality and spatial planning policies, with many types of plans being subject to an air quality impact assessment; Perceiving limit values as absolute limit values, whereas in many other countries a need to meet a limit value is weighted with other interests in granting permits; Applying limit values to the whole country. Although this application is, in principle, valid for all EU member states, some member states apply limit values only to locations where people can be exposed; Since air quality assessment is detailed in the Netherlands, many locations are appointed where air quality limit values are breached. Clearly, the role of limit values in granting permits for plans differs considerably among the EU countries, while the underlying EU legislation is the same, and while limit values are breached in other countries as well [nl

Intra-EU Direct Investment and Enlargement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Festa Andrea

2015-03-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the determinants of the intra-EU direct investment (IDI into the New Member States (NMS using a panel dataset of bilateral capital flows for the period 1993-2013. It is found out by using a simple gravity model that EU membership is the most important determinant. Unlike previous studies including non-EU countries, the distance is insignificant, which is caused by proximity of these countries to one another. A separate analysis focused on subgroups of accession countries gives some evidence that even when size of their economy, distance, institutional quality and EU accession are taken into account, Central European countries receive more IDI than the Baltic and the Balkan states. On the contrary to that, the analysis restricted to the Balkan countries which have joined the EU shows the inexistence of a negative Balkans effect in attracting foreign investment. This finding is relevant because previous studies demonstrate a persistent negative Balkans effect for non-EU Balkan countries and suggests a crucial impact of the EU accession in determining the intra-EU capital flows.

Understanding the DNA of EU's GDPR

OpenAIRE

Editorial Team, IndraStra Global

2018-01-01

On May 25, 2018, a new data protection regulation touted as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Regulation (European Union - EU) 2016/689, will come into force in the European Union (EU) and its 28 Member States. It will replace the 1995 EU Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC. The GDPR will have a significant impact in protecting the data and digital footprint of users of apps and another digital platform. It will provide significant new data privacy protections for individuals res...

Developing 2050 decarbonization strategies in the EU: Insights on good practice from national experiences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sartor, Oliver; Donat, Lena; Duwe, Matthias; Umpfenbach, Katharina

2017-01-01

There is increasing recognition that achieving deep cuts to GHG emissions requires a close link between long term strategic planning and short term policy action. Long term decarbonization strategies are important at a technical level, because they can help countries to identify concrete and feasible pathways to decarbonization, based on their national particularities, and then to determine their implications for immediate policies and measures. They can also serve an important social and political function, by facilitating a concrete and analytically based discussion between national stakeholders about what long-term decarbonization implies. Article 4.19 called on Parties to the Paris Agreement to develop long term low emissions development strategies, and decision 1/CP21 invites Parties to present them ahead of 2020. To implement this requirement across all 28 EU countries, the EU is in the process of agreeing minimum requirements and guidelines under a draft new governance regulation for the EU's Energy Union project. Unfortunately, early drafts of this document contain too little detail on what these strategies should include, or how member states should go about developing them. This is a concern, not only for the quality of climate governance in the EU, but also in terms of the potentially negative signal the EU may send under the Paris process, if many of its member states are incapable of producing robust and credible 2050 decarbonization strategies. A small number of EU member states have already developed their own 2050 decarbonization strategies and plans. This study - which was jointly undertaken by IDDRI in France and Ecologic in Germany - highlights some important lessons that can be learned from recent experiences with 2050 decarbonization strategies in selected EU countries. It builds on experiences in a small group of EU member states to highlight some examples of good practice when it comes to long term decarbonization strategy development. If the

EU COMPARISON OF VAT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MARIA ZENOVIA GRIGORE

2012-05-01

Full Text Available VAT is one of the newest tools of the global economy and is widely adopted in most of the countries. For EU Member States is required not only the existence of VAT, but also that its main characteristics to be uniformly implemented. This should facilitate intra-Community transactions, but in practice does not as there are many local variations which can lead to costly errors and penalties. The objective of this paper is to collate data about the main characteristics of VAT in EU Member States and to highlight the key differences between them. This survey shows that there continue to be opportunities and risks for businesses trading cross border, as a result of differences in application of Community legislation on VAT. This led to the necessity of VAT reform. On this basis, the Commission adopted on the end of the last year a Communication on the future of VAT. This sets out the fundamental characteristics that must underlie the new VAT regime, and priority actions needed to create a simpler, more efficient and more robust VAT system in the EU.

The future of FDI in south eastern European countries: Messages from new EU member states

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Penev Slavica

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper looks at the interlinking of inward FDI, EU accession, and transition-related structural reform processes, and identifies the largest lags of SEE-6 countries in EU accession and transition processes, whose removal would have a positive impact on inward FDI. The analysis is based on EBRD Transition Indicators, the World Bank Doing Business Index, and the World Bank Governance Index. We find an obvious correlation of inward FDI, transition, and EU accession processes of NMS-10 countries and claim that SEE-6 countries will broadly follow the same pattern: their relative position as FDI recipients will gradually improve along with the progress of EU accession and transition processes. The analysis identifies the following main gaps of the SEE-6 in these processes: (i in terms of economic system development - enterprise restructuring and governance, and sectoral reforms in energy, infrastructure, capital markets, and private equity; (ii in terms of the governance of economy and society at large - regulatory quality and rule of law; and (iii in terms of the business environment - dealing with construction permits, enforcing contracts, and registering property. Progress in narrowing down these gaps would mean a step forward in EU accession and transition, and consequently an improvement of SEE-6 countries’ positions as locations for inward FDI.

ANALYSIS OF BUDGET DEFICIT IN THE CANDIDATE COUNTRIES FOR EU MEMBERSHIP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danijela Despotović

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The problems of deficit and debt are the traditional drivers of the recession in the past. Due to the high impact of the budget deficit to increase in indebtedness and deterioration of a macroeconomic performance, the European Union in Maastricht Treaty and later in the Pact of Stability and Growth strictly defined fiscal criteria which the member states should adhere to. Fiscal criteria are particularly important when it comes to candidate countries for EU membership. The aim of this paper is that, through theoretical and empirical basis perform a comparative analysis of the budget deficit in EU countries and candidates for membership in the EU, to rank the 34 countries according to the criteria of public finances and to show the causality between the candidate countries for membership of the EU and EU member states.

EU agricultural domestic support in GTAP

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boulanger, Pierre; Philippidis, George; Jensen, Hans Grinsted

The engagement of JRC IPTS in the GTAP contributing team to the EU domestic support has opened up the opportunity to use the CATS database when compiling EU domestic support payments by member state, which are subsequently calibrated into the GTAP database. To maintain consistency, the GTAP version...... 9 includes EU domestic support which follows the approach adopted in the previous releases (Jensen, 2009, 2010). The difference is for pillar 1 support for which the CATS data are used (in previous GTAP database releases, pillar 1 support was based on EAGF financial reports). All together EU...

Allocating organisational level funding on the basis of Research Performance Based assessments, a comparative analysis of the EU Member States in international perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jonkers, K.; Zacharewicz, T.; Lepori, B.; Reale, E.

2016-07-01

The paper analyses the extent to which RPBF allocation mechanisms are being implemented in Europe. To do so, this study builds on a novel set of data on project and organisational level funding developed for the European Commission, which identifies funding allocation mechanisms in each of the EU-28 Member States. This approach allows to compare the scope of RPBF systems across European countries.Further, the paper build on an in-depth analysis of RPBF implementation in 28 European countries, which comes to a classification of different types of RPBF implementation around three characteristics, i.e. a) the way research performance is measured and b) the type of link between performance assessment and allocation of resources. The analysis furthermore identifies a number of good practices while highlighting the potential for adverse effects of RPBF systems in research systems at different stages of development. (Author)

Business interest of Gazprom in the EU-27 in 2007

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meijknecht, J.

2008-04-01

Gazprom is an important supplier of gas to the EU. Liberalisation of the EU gas market has also influenced the gas relations with Russia and the way the Russian Gas company Gazprom is securing its interest in this internal EU market. From a relationship of bilateral gas contracts with EU member states and their companies before gas market liberalisation, a new approach to secure its market share is beginning to evolve. The positioning of Gazprom in the EU market has raised concerns of EU policy makers. There is some trepidation that the investment strategy of Gazprom in the EU gas market will lead to a position of market dominance in an increasingly import dependent EU market. The discussion on Gazprom's market strategy needs to be fed with factual information on its activities and it is exactly what this new report is providing because information on the activities of Gazprom in the various member states' gas sector was incomplete. In this factual report in Dutch, the author presents a comprehensive oversight and characterisation of Gazprom's downstream assets in the EU-27. Through four layers - long-term contracts, company stakes, asset swaps and political support - a detailed insight is given in Gazprom's downstream activities in the EU-27. [nl

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THE DIGESTIVE DISEASES ACROSS THE EU MEMBER STATES. THE COSTS ANALYSIS IN CHOLECYSTECTOMY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Uivaroşan Diana

2015-07-01

Full Text Available United European Gastroenterology provide wide studies and researches on the economic impact of the digestive diseases across the countries that are members of the European Union, very useful in planning health services, in making the case for investment in research where there are clear gaps in knowledge, and in reflecting the economic differences across the EU member states in the funding available to support health services. These studies reflect that there are important disparities in the accessibility to high-quality healthcare even among the industrialized countries. Out of all the digestive diseases, the gallstone disease is one of the most common and expensive of the health problems, in industrialized countries, like those of the European Union are. In general, symptomatic or complicated gallstone disease is treated by cholecystectomy, with surgical removal of the gallbladder. The advent of laparoscopic cholecystectomy has revolutionized the management of the gallstone disease, causing an increase in the rate of cholecystectomies. This study represents an analysis of the hospitalization costs involved by two surgical treatment options: laparoscopic cholecystectomy and open cholecystectomy. The investigation of the costs was done according to the type of intervention chosen and comprised the direct costs of hospitalization, including diagnostic tests and general expenses of medical assistance, pharmaceutical and medical supplies. The results are based on the analysis of the costs of cholecystectomies in the surgical department of the Emergency County Hospital Oradea for the year 2014 (781 cases. The average cost per hospitalized patient was 1.970 RON, lower in patients with laparoscopic cholecystectomy (1.579 RON. The average cost per patient with open cholecystectomy was 55% higher than for laparoscopic surgery (2.442 RON. Even if the laparoscopic operation cost is higher because of the equipment it uses, the reduction of the number of

Colorectal cancer screening in countries of European Council outside of the EU-28.

Science.gov (United States)

Altobelli, Emma; D'Aloisio, Francesco; Angeletti, Paolo Matteo

2016-05-28

To provide an update on colorectal cancer (CRC) screening programmes in non-European Union (EU)-28 Council of Europe member states as of December 2015. The mission of the Council of Europe is to protect and promote human rights in its 47 member countries. Its 19 non-EU member states are Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Republic of Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, FYR of Macedonia, Turkey, and Ukraine (EU-19). The main data source were GLOBOCAN, IARC, WHO, EUCAN, NORDCAN, ENCR, volume X of the CI5, the ministerial and Public Health Agency websites of the individual countries, PubMed, EMBASE, registries of some websites and the www.cochranelibrary.com, Scopus, www.clinicaltrials.gov, www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu, Research gate, Google and data extracted from screening programme results. Our results show that epidemiological data quality varies broadly between EU-28 and EU-19 countries. In terms of incidence, only 30% of EU-19 countries rank high in data quality as opposed to 86% of EU-28 states. The same applies to mortality data, since 52% of EU-19 countries as against all EU-28 countries are found in the high ranks. Assessment of the method of collection of incidence data showed that only 32% of EU-19 countries are found in the top three quality classes as against 89% of EU-28 countries. For the mortality data, 63% of EU-19 countries are found in the highest ranks as opposed to all EU-28 member states. Interestingly, comparison of neighbouring countries offering regional screening shows, for instance, that incidence and mortality rates are respectively 38.9 and 13.0 in Norway and 29.2 and 10.9 in Sweden, whereas in Finland, where a national organised programme is available, they are respectively 23.5 and 9.3. Cancer screening should be viewed as a key health care tool, also because investing in screening protects the weakest in

Measuring performance in off-patent drug markets: a methodological framework and empirical evidence from twelve EU Member States.

Science.gov (United States)

Kanavos, Panos

2014-11-01

This paper develops a methodological framework to help evaluate the performance of generic pharmaceutical policies post-patent expiry or after loss of exclusivity in non-tendering settings, comprising five indicators (generic availability, time delay to and speed of generic entry, number of generic competitors, price developments, and generic volume share evolution) and proposes a series of metrics to evaluate performance. The paper subsequently tests this framework across twelve EU Member States (MS) by using IMS data on 101 patent expired molecules over the 1998-2010 period. Results indicate that significant variation exists in generic market entry, price competition and generic penetration across the study countries. Size of a geographical market is not a predictor of generic market entry intensity or price decline. Regardless of geographic or product market size, many off patent molecules lack generic competitors two years after loss of exclusivity. The ranges in each of the five proposed indicators suggest, first, that there are numerous factors--including institutional ones--contributing to the success of generic entry, price decline and market penetration and, second, MS should seek a combination of supply and demand-side policies in order to maximise cost-savings from generics. Overall, there seems to be considerable potential for faster generic entry, uptake and greater generic competition, particularly for molecules at the lower end of the market. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Developments in Education and International Migrations in New Member States of the EU

OpenAIRE

Kultalahti, Olli

2013-01-01

The paper examines the development of education systems and international migrations in selected new Member States. The countries are Estonia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The paper focuses on various elements in the development of education systems making people able to cope with competition on global labour markets. The outcomes of these developments largely regulate the supply of labour and consequently its international demand. Some statistics on international migration and integratio...

Pressure-induced valence change and moderate heavy fermion state in Eu-compounds

Science.gov (United States)

Honda, Fuminori; Okauchi, Keigo; Sato, Yoshiki; Nakamura, Ai; Akamine, Hiromu; Ashitomi, Yosuke; Hedo, Masato; Nakama, Takao; Takeuchi, Tetsuya; Valenta, Jaroslav; Prchal, Jiri; Sechovský, Vladimir; Aoki, Dai; Ōnuki, Yoshichika

2018-05-01

A pressure-induced valence transition has attracted much attention in Eu-compounds. Among them, EuRh2Si2, EuNi2Ge2, and EuCo2Ge2 reveal the valence transition around 1, 2, and 3 GPa, respectively. We have succeeded in growing single crystals of EuT2X2 (T: transition metal, X: Si, Ge) and studied electronic properties under pressure. EuRh2Si2 indicates a first-order valence transition between 1 and 2 GPa, with a large and prominent hysteresis in the electrical resistivity. At higher pressures, the first-order valence transition changes to a cross-over regime with an intermediate valence state. Tuning of the valence state with pressure is reflected in a drastic change of the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity in EuRh2Si2 single crystals. Effect of pressure on the valence states on EuRh2Si2, EuIr2Si2, EuNi2Ge2, and EuCo2Ge2, as well as an isostructural related compound EuGa4, are reviewed.

Pension reform in the European periphery: the role of EU reform advocacy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stepan, M.; Anderson, K.A.

2014-01-01

SUMMARY: This paper analyzes the impact of international reform advocacy on national pension reforms. We analyze European Union (EU) reform advocacy in two EU member states: Greece and Hungary. Although the EU has articulated a fairly coherent template for sustainable pensions, its use of soft

The EU - 2030 Energy and Climate Framework - the View of the WEC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ulreich, S.

2013-01-01

The EU is about to define its new 2030 energy and climate framework. The European MCs of the WEC made recently a questionnaire about this new agenda, that coincides largely with the responses of EU member states to the 2030-consultation. The presentation will summarize the survey and the member states contributions to the consultation. Furthermore it will sketch the ongoing discussions and briefly introduce the future work of the WEC Europe on this topic.(author)

Argumentative patterns in the European Union directives : An effective tool to foster compliance by the Member States

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Andone, C.; Coman-Kund, F.

This paper provides an account of the arguments advanced by the European Union (EU) legislator in the preamble of directives adopted for harmonization in the internal market, and assesses them as to their potential at convincing the Member States to implement the directive at issue. We show what

Status of implementation and organization of cancer screening in The European Union Member States-Summary results from the second European screening report.

Science.gov (United States)

Basu, Partha; Ponti, Antonio; Anttila, Ahti; Ronco, Guglielmo; Senore, Carlo; Vale, Diama Bhadra; Segnan, Nereo; Tomatis, Mariano; Soerjomataram, Isabelle; Primic Žakelj, Maja; Dillner, Joakim; Elfström, Klara Miriam; Lönnberg, Stefan; Sankaranarayanan, Rengaswamy

2018-01-01

The second report on the implementation status of cancer screening in European Union (EU) was published in 2017. The report described the implementation status, protocols and organization (updated till 2016) and invitation coverage (for index year 2013) of breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening in the EU. Experts in screening programme monitoring (N = 80) from the EU Member States having access to requisite information in their respective countries provided data on breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening through online questionnaires. Data was collected for screening performed in the framework of publicly mandated programmes only. Filled in questionnaires were received from 26 Member States for all three sites and from one Member State for breast cancer only. Substantial improvement in screening implementation using population-based approach was documented. Among the age-eligible women, 94.7% were residents of Member States implementing or planning population-based breast cancer screening in 2016, compared to 91.6% in 2007. The corresponding figures for cervical cancer screening were 72.3 and 51.3% in 2016 and 2007, respectively. Most significant improvement was documented for colorectal cancer screening with roll-out ongoing or completed in 17 Member States in 2016, compared to only five in 2007. So the access to population-based screening increased to 72.4% of the age-eligible populations in 2016 as opposed to only 42.6% in 2007. The invitation coverage was highly variable, ranging from 0.2-111% for breast cancer, 7.6-105% for cervical cancer and 1.8-127% for colorectal cancer in the target populations. In spite of the considerable progress, much work remains to be done to achieve optimal effectiveness. Continued monitoring, regular feedbacks and periodic reporting are needed to ensure the desired impacts of the programmes. © 2017 UICC.

A COMPARATIVE ANALISYS ON THE TRADITIONAL FOOD PRODUCTS IN EU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teodora Mihaela Tarcza

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper is intent on highlighting the differences between traditional food products registered in every member state of the EU. The legislative system protecting the 'peculiar, endemic', food products was first introduced in the EU in 1992 and it was implemented in the then - member states.The countries that adhered to the EU in the following years underwent a preparation phase in terms of legislation in order to educate the producers and consumers regarding these regulations.Therefore, some countries have a history of over twenty years in recognizing and registering traditional food products(TFP, whereas newly - entered EU member states have an experience of less than ten years.This can be one of the many reasons underlying the significant discrepancy in the number of traditional food products registered in every EU member state.Throughout the paper we intend to analyse and highlight the number of traditional food products registered in the European Union’ s database– DOORdatabase– by every EU member state, and also provide an overview of their status in the EU.Moreover, throughout the paper we will answer questions such as„ Why does France have 255 traditional food products registered, whereas countries like Romania and Bulgaria only 4 ? “aiming to justify these differences but also present the evolution of the supply of traditional food products over time.To achieve the objectives of our research, we have covered vast literature and we have processed a series of secondary data that were put at our disposal by the databases of the European Commission, the agricultural sector.The results of our research are interesting, and the graphs will help better visualize and understand the status of the supply of traditional food products from a quantitative point of view countrywide.The identified elements as influencing factors in the quantitative supply of traditional food products and their grouping in a series of criteria tantamount to

Enhanced flexibility in the EU's 2030 effort sharing agreement: issues and options - Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sartor, Oliver; Bart, Istvan; Cochran, Ian; Tuerk, Andreas

2015-04-01

The sectors which are not covered by the European carbon market account for around 60% of the EU's GHG emissions. The European Council has set a target to reduce emissions in these sectors by -30% vs. 2005 levels by 2030. Given the way this target is allocated, there is a risk that EU Member States may fail to achieve their national goals by reducing abatement domestically, while others will undertake too little abatement and avoid needing to begin a low-carbon transition in these sectors. This paper therefore proposes a new design for a European financing mechanism to catalyse action in low-income Member States while ensuring that all Member States comply with the EU targets. (authors)

Strategic partitioning of emission allowances under the EU Emission Trading Scheme

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boehringer, Christoph [Univ. of Oldenburg, Department of Economics, and Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) (Germany); Rosendahl, Knut Einar [Statistics Norway, Research Department, Pob. 8131 Dep., N-0033 Oslo (Norway)

2009-08-15

The EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) is breaking new ground in the experience with emission trading regimes across multiple jurisdictions. Since the EU ETS covers only some industries, it implies a hybrid emission control scheme where EU member states must apply complementary domestic emissions regulation for the non-trading sectors of their economies in order to comply with their national emission reduction targets. The EU ETS thus opens up for strategic partitioning of national emissions budgets by the member states between trading and non-trading sectors. In this paper we examine the potential effects of such strategic behavior on compliance cost and emissions prices. We show that concerns on efficiency losses from strategic partitioning are misplaced. In turn, our analysis implicitly indicates significant political economy forces behind EU climate policy, as both cost-effective and strategically motivated partitioning of national emission budgets are far off from the actual break-down between trading and non-trading sectors. (author)

The need and necessity of an EU-wide renewable energy target for 2030. Discussion paper

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De Vos, R.; Winkel, T.; Klessmann, C. [Ecofys Netherlands, Utrecht (Netherlands)

2013-04-15

In 2020, some leading EU energy and climate policies will expire. At present, the EU and its Member States are discussing the design of a post-2020 policy portfolio. In a discussion paper commissioned by the European Copper Institute, Ecofys shows that an EU-wide renewable energy target is a necessary part of a 2030 portfolio. The paper analyses, in detail, two realistic policy portfolio options for renewable energy, target-setting in particular: one 'decarbonisation-only' EU target with voluntary national targets for renewable energy, and one that includes an EU-wide renewable energy target, broken down into binding national targets. The analysis shows that the latter option, when supported by appropriate and improved EU and Member States' policies and measures, is most suitable in facilitating a European low-carbon economy.

Ukraine, Russia and the EU: linked by gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furfari, Samuele

2014-01-01

The Ukrainian crisis serves as a reminder just how much Ukraine plays a determining role for the European Union in energy matters, being the funnel through which most of Russian gas has to pass to reach Western Europe. One inevitable conclusion is already obvious: Russia and the EU are intimately linked and Moscow is as dependent on the EU for foreign exchange as is the EU on Russia for its gas. Nevertheless, the absence of stability in Ukraine constitutes a permanent threat to supplies to member states of the EU, especially Germany. (author)

Cooperative and competitive policies in the EU : The European Siamese twin?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lejour, A.M.

1995-01-01

With the completion of the internal market many possibilities for the EU member states to protect their markets against imports are restricted or even eliminated. This gives, however, member states the incentive to use other policy instruments. This paper analyzes the effect of liberalizing trade

Soft law in EU Competition Law and its judicial reception in member states : A theoretical perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Georgieva, Z.R.

2015-01-01

This work draws from accounts on the nature and legal effects of soft law instruments in EU and international law with the ultimate aim to construct a theoretical framework for recognition of EU competition soft law—guidelines, communications, notices, and the like—in the judicial discourse of

Assessing the quality of corporate social responsibility reports: the case of reporting practices in selected European Union member states.

Science.gov (United States)

Hąbek, Patrycja; Wolniak, Radosław

The organization may communicate its engagement in sustainability and may presents results achieved in this field by creating and publishing corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports. Today, we can observe a growing number of companies issuing such reports as a part of their annual reports or as stand-alone CSR reports. Despite the increase in the number of such reports their quality is different. CSR reports do not always provide complete data that readers desire, which in turn intensifies the problem with the evaluation and comparison of the organization's results achieved in this scope. Differences also occur between reporting models used in different EU countries caused by, inter alia, differently applied EU legislation on the disclosure of non-financial information in different Member States. This paper is one of the first attempts to perform a quantitative and qualitative analysis of corporate sustainability reporting practices in several European Union countries. The purpose of this article is to present the current state of CSR reporting practices in selected EU Member States and identify the differences in the quality and level of this kind of practices, taking into account the mandatory and voluntary model of disclosure. The study included separate CSR reports as well as annual reports with CSR sections and integrated reports published in 2012 in six selected EU Member States. The authors have used a specific evaluation tool in the examination of the individual reports. The assessment questionnaire consists of seventeen criteria grouped into two categories (relevance and credibility of information). In order to assess the quality of examined reports, the authors aggregated the indicators related with the reporting practices. The findings show that the quality level of the studied reports is generally low. Referring to its components, the relevance of the information provided in the assessed reports is at the higher level than its credibility. The

Conceptual and Institutional Aspects of EU Energy Policy (1990-2014

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yury V. Borovskiy

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Ideological and institutional framework of the European energy policy, which is still work in progress, is crucial to the EU as it faces new political and economic challenges related to the recent Ukrainian crisis. Even if key energy policy issues are still decided by member states as the EU only seeks to speak with one voice in energy matters externally, much progress has been made over the last two decades in terms of the EU's energy policy formulation and institutional development. The Lisbon Treaty made the energy policy a sphere of "shared competence" of EU institutions and member states. The European Commission's numerous policy documents ("White" and "Green books" 1995, 2000 and 2006 provided a basis for the development of an integrated energy market. Substantial progress has been achieved in the area of energy policy harmonization between the EU and neighboring countries (Energy Charter Treaty, European Energy Community. The Union's key energy policy areas also included supply diversification (trans-European energy networks, development of unconventional energy production, climate change and energy efficiency. Over the last decade climate changes has become a cornerstone of EU energy policy and is regarded by the EU as key to moderating energy demand and reducing import dependency.

Trade Union Cooperation in the EU: Views Among Swedish Trade Unions and Their Members

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bengt Furåker

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This article compares views among Swedish trade unions with those of their members regarding cross-national union cooperation in Europe or the EU. Data are derived from two different surveys, one among trade unions in 2010–2011 and the other among employees in 2006. It turns out that trade unions are generally more affirmative than their members to transnational union cooperation. In the employee survey, differences appear between members of the three peak-level organizations—the LO (manual workers, the TCO (white-collar workers, and Saco (professionals. However, controlling for education, these differences cannot be verified statistically. Higher education—which above all Saco members have—is linked to more positive attitudes toward transnational union cooperation. The gap between the organizations and their affiliates concerning engagement in European issues appears to be larger in the LO than in Saco, with the TCO somewhere in the middle.

Brussels without Muscles? Exploring the EU's Management of its Gas Relationship with Russia.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harriman, David

2010-03-15

In many respects, the EU is a strong player on the world stage, for example, in trade, climate change issues and crisis management. In its relationship with Russia over gas supply, however, the EU's political capacity remains limited. Part of the problem lies in the lack of EU unity, but this is more a symptom than an actual cause. A key explanation is the interplay between external and internal factors. The external factors - that is the EU's and Russia's conflicting interests and the structure of the political system - reinforce the EU's internal problems. This is an effect of that the gas issue falls under different policy areas (energy, foreign relations and security policy) within which the European Commission and the member states have different responsibilities. Another problem is that energy is the Commission's responsibility, but the real competence lies with the member states. The current multipolar structure of European politics reduces the scope for cooperation that favours the EU as a whole - in this case its energy security. The fact that the Commission and member states, and the member states among themselves, have different views on energy policy vis-a-vis Russia exacerbates these circumstances. Other key factors are the lack of transparency and competition in the gas sector (which suits both the Russian company Gazprom and large EU companies) and the unbalanced dependence of EU countries on Russian gas. Relations between France, Germany and Russia are also important. Germany and France are key players for the EU's energy security, and their support for the gas pipeline Nord Stream, their resistance to unbundling in the gas sector and their relatively warm relations with Russia have not strengthened the EU's position in its gas relationship with Russia. Besides, the Lisbon Treaty increases France's and Germany's powers inside the EU. Combined with the conflicting interests of the EU nd Russia, the

A Ten-Year Rule to guide the allocation of EU emission allowances

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahman, Markus; Burtraw, Dallas; Kruger, Joseph; Zetterberg, Lars

2007-01-01

Member States in the European Union (EU) are responsible for National Allocation Plans governing the initial distribution of emission allowances in the CO 2 Emission Trading System, including rules governing allocations to installations that close and to new entrants. The European Commission has provided guidelines to discourage the use of allocation methodologies that provide incentives affecting firms' compliance behavior, for example by rewarding one type of compliance investment over another. We find that the treatment of closures and new entrants by Member States is inconsistent with the general guidelines provided by the EU. We propose stronger EU guidance regarding closures and new entrants, a more precise compensation criterion on which to justify free allocations, and a Ten-Year Rule as a component of future EU policy that can guide a transition from current practice to an approach that places greater weight on efficiency

Fermi Surface Properties of Eu-Divalent and Eu-Trivalent Electronic States with the AuCu3-type Cubic Structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, Ai; Takeuchi, Tetsuya; Tatetsu, Yasutomi; Maehira, Takahiro; Hedo, Masato; Nakama, Takao; Ōnuki, Yoshichika; Harima, Hisatomo

2015-01-01

The electronic states in EuBi 3 and EuPd 3 are known to be Eu-divalent and Eu- trivalent, respectively, from the previous studies using polycrystal samples. In the present study, we succeeded in growing high-quality single crystals, and carried out the de Haas-van Alphen (dHvA) measurements and energy band calculations to clarify the Fermi surface properties

EU coordination of national social security in multiple cross border situations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cremers, J.

2011-01-01

The coordination of the national social security is one of the crucial fields of cooperation between EU Member States. The coordination is based on the principle of application of one legislation at a time in cases of employment being executed in one or more than one Member State. Persons moving

How EU Employment Rights are Experienced in Different-Sized Enterprises and Why It Matters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Copeland, P.; ter Haar, B.; Ales, E.; Basenghi, F.; Bromwich, W.; Senatori, I.

2016-01-01

This paper analyses the experiences of employees in different-sized employment units for 10 EU member states in three EU policy areas. Each of the policy areas represents a different EU governance tool: directives (health and safety); education and training (the Open Method of Communication); and

Budgetary cash flows in the EU and their impact on national budget liquidity: the case of Slovenia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanja Markovič Hribernik

2005-12-01

Full Text Available On May 1, 2004 ten new states joined the EU. At the same time, budgetary cash flow mechanisms between the EU budget (as the central subject and national budgets were established. Despite the fact that all the rules are clear and known in advance - stipulated by the EU directives and regulations - there are some uncertainties, which may have an important effect on the liquidity as well as on the budgetary cash flows in new member states. The greatest problem for the liquidity of new member states’ budgets is posed by the time lags between inflows and outflows of EU funds. These lags are mainly because of delayed payments from the EU budget and problems with some member state’s absorption capacity. This article deals with the dynamics and the scale of budgetary cash flows between the Slovenian budget and the EU budget until 2006. A couple of likely scenarios are presented, which could happen in case of delayed payments of European funds. Consequently, both an unexpected state budget liquidity deficit and an additional burden arising from interest on delayed payments to the Brussels are possible for Slovenia.

The Paramountcy of EU Law Over National Law The Extent to which Lyon’s Statements Reflect on the Relationship between EU and Domestic Law within the UK and Candidate States such as Albania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erbi Ago

2015-03-01

Full Text Available As we live in a world that is becoming ever more globalized, it is unavoidable to consider the effect supranational entities and globalization itself have on the national sovereignty of the state. The EU is probably the most well-known example of a supranational entity and as such it cannot help but bring about a number of sides regarding its power over its members. There are many that would claim the EU has undermined national sovereignty, especially when it comes to the legal sphere. The issue at hand has been addressed by scholars such as Dr. Anne Lyon and this paper is a direct analysis of her statement regarding paramountcy. In summation, Lyon has stated that EU law has undermined national law. This has happened due to a number of reasons, one of which is the passing of a parliamentary Act intending to prioritize EU law. At this point, shall they need to provide otherwise, it is quite an argument to claim whether they could give effect to national law instead. Therefore, it has become necessary to consider the extent to which these statements reflect the relationship between EU law and ‘domestic’ laws within the UK and try and apply to the legal future of candidate states, such as Albania. This paper analyzes the two parts of Lyon’s argument, namely the paramountcy and parliamentary aspects of the issue, while also aiming to provide a framework on which future candidate states such as Albania can work on in order to achieve a more efficient assimilation into the EU legal system together with the forewarnings necessary shall they wish the opposite.

EU CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diana Popa

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with the EU aid concerning to improved the economic situation from developing countries. Therefore, the aim of this research is to identify how EU states contribute to helping poor countries, members of the World Trade Organization. For the beginning, we define the EU’position before, during and after the Doha Round – a round of WTO multilateral trade negotiations. Moreover, we analyse the development dimension, focusing on countries „marginalized” until early of XXI century in terms of international trade, because this represents the idea-axis of the Doha Round. In this context, the EU – one of the leading global commercial players and a key member of the institution mentioned above – has set several objectives to achieve the basic goal of negotiations and several ways to support developing countries. To conclude, we propose to define the key points of the European aid for least developed and developing countries.

The First Steps Towards Harmonizing Public Sector Accounting for European Union Member States

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pontoppidan, Caroline Aggestam; Alijarde, Isabel Brusca

2016-01-01

This paper analyses the process that led the European Commission to the decision to develop European Public Sector Accounting Standards (EPSAS) for harmonizing public sector accounting practices within the European Union. The paper finds that there was limited scope in terms of stakeholder...... participation in the public consultation that served as a basis for the decision. In addition, the decision to adopt EPSAS for EU member states raises questions on the relationship between regional and global governance in the area of public sector accounting....

The Fiscal Impact of EU Immigration on the Universalistic Welfare State

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Martinsen, Dorte Sindbjerg; Rotger, Gabriel Pons

Are inclusive welfare states compatible with free movement of people? For long the nexus between immigration and the welfare state has been perceived as fragile or even unsustainable. In this paper, we examine the fiscal impact of European Union (EU) immigration on the universalistic, tax...... on the December 31st of each year between 2002 and 2013, we analyse EU citizens’ contribution to and consumption of welfare benefits, in order to research the evolution of net fiscal contribution to the welfare state over a long time span. We find that EU immigrants made a significant positive net contribution...

THE IMPACT OF EU ENLARGEMENT ON THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfred E. Kellermann

2004-10-01

Full Text Available EU Enlargement is a consequence of the success story of the creation of the European Communities, as many applicant countries were attracted to the new legal order based on the rule of law, rather than to an order or disorder based on the rule of politics. As from May 1st 2004, the EU enlargement, unprecedented in its size, marks a historic milestone for the European Union and its Member States, and also for the whole continent. Given this new context, the EU has to find and define new cooperation partnerships with its neighbours. A major partner, not to be neglected in this new policy is by all means Russia. The first Summit between the enlarged EU and Russia held in Moscow on 21 May 2004 was the first high-level meeting of the 25 EU and Russia following the successful conclusion of negotiations between the European Commission and Russia on the extension of the EU-Russia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA to the ten new EU Member States. The Summit calls for the reinforcement of EU-Russia relations via the creation of Four Common Spaces: a common economic space (with specific reference to environment and energy; a common space of Freedom, Security and Justice; a field of external security; as well as a space of research and education including culture. The next step will be to define shared priorities and concrete measures for each of the Four Common Spaces in a mutually agreed Action Plan.

Turkey's EU Quest and Political Cleavages under AKP

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rahigh-Aghsan, Ali

2011-01-01

This article analyses the extent to which the rise of political Islam (Note 1) in Turkey has triggered an intense and polarized debate about the principle eligibility of Turkey to be a full European Union (EU) member state. The Justice and Development Party’s (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi......) The overall political targets of political Islam in Turkey seems less compatible with the traditional Turkish EU quest than formerly (2) The Turkish political Islamic turnaround is contributing to a climate of increasing scepticism in Europe, and presents significant obstacles to EU accession. As a result...

The Process Architecture of EU Territorial Cohesion Policy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreas Faludi

2010-08-01

Full Text Available When preparing the European Spatial Development Perspective (ESDP, Member States were supported by the European Commission but denied the EU a competence in the matter. Currently, the Treaty of Lisbon identifies territorial cohesion as a competence shared between the Union and the Member States. This paper is about the process architecture of territorial cohesion policy. In the past, this architecture resembled the Open Method of Coordination (OMC which the White Paper on European Governance praised, but only in areas where there was no EU competence. This reflected zero-sum thinking which may continue even under the Lisbon Treaty. After all, for as long as territorial cohesion was not a competence, voluntary cooperation as practiced in the ESDP process was pursued in this way. However, the practice of EU policies, even in areas where there is an EU competence, often exhibits features of the OMC. Surprisingly effective innovations hold the promise of rendering institutions of decision making comprehensible and democratically accountable. In the EU as a functioning polity decision making is thus at least part deliberative so that actors’ preferences are transformed by the force of the better argument. This brings into focus the socialisation of the deliberators into epistemic communities. Largely an informal process, this is reminiscent of European spatial planning having been characterised as a learning process.

EU Action against Climate Change. EU emissions trading. An open scheme promoting global innovation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

The European Union is committed to global efforts to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from human activities that threaten to cause serious disruption to the world's climate. Building on the innovative mechanisms set up under the Kyoto Protocol to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - joint implementation, the clean development mechanism and international emissions trading - the EU has developed the largest company-level scheme for trading in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), making it the world leader in this emerging market. The emissions trading scheme started in the 25 EU Member States on 1 January 2005

The Foreign Fighters Phenomenon in the EU – Profiles, Threats & Policies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bibi van Ginkel

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Despite the widespread media attention for foreign fighters in Europe, very little is known about the phenomenon itself, something also evidenced by the lack of a single foreign fighter definition across the EU. In a study commissioned by the Netherlands National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV, ICCT addresses this gap by analysing not only the numbers and characteristics of foreign fighters across the EU, but also how the Union and Member States assess the threat of foreign fighters as well as their policy responses regarding security, preventive and legislative measures. The Report also outlines a series of policy options aimed both at the EU and its Member States. Findings include: Of a total estimated 3,922 – 4,294 foreign fighters from EU Member States, around 30% have returned to their home countries. A majority of around 2,838 foreign fighters come from just four countries: Belgium, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, with Belgium having the highest per-capita FF contingent. There is no clear-cut profile of a European foreign fighter. Data indicates that a majority originate from metropolitan areas, with many coming from the same neighbourhoods, that an average of 17% are female, and that the percentage of converts among foreign fighters ranges from 6% to 23%. The radicalisation process of foreign fighters is reported to be short and often involves circles of friends radicalising as a group and deciding to leave jointly for Syria and Iraq. EU1 In analysing the policies of Member States in response to the foreign fighter phenomenon, the authors recommend that strategies be implemented which encompass a suitable, proportional, context-specific and effective mix of policy responses, taken from a toolbox of security, legislative, and preventive measures. Their analysis reveals that, while many Member States have already bolstered security and legislative policy measures, a larger focus needs to be put on preventive

An electric mandate. The EU procedure for harmonising cross-border network codes for electricity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jevnaker, Torbjoerg

2012-07-01

The research question addressed in this report is why the EU procedure for developing network codes for electricity was enacted in its particular form. Passed by the EU in 2009, European organisations partly outside of the formal EU structure were given a mandate to make rules that would apply across the EU. This was puzzling given the observed resistance on part of the member states to let go of national control over energy issues. Drawing on institutionalist perspectives, the analysis shows that the procedure would not have been passed without support from and compromise among the Commission, European Parliament and the member states in Council; that parts of the procedure imitated existing practices within related policy areas; that horizontal and vertical specialization within the nation-states along with a Commission actively promoting transnational cooperation changed the feedback mechanisms, which changed the direction of European energy market regulation; and finally, that the new actors played an active role vis-a-vis EU bodies as the latter were legislating on the procedure. (Author)

Acquisition of the ownership of agricultural lands in Hungary, taking the EU's and other countries' law into consideration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szilágyi János E.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The present article concentrates on the acquisition of ownership (and in some respects: use of agricultural and forestry lands, especially as to the cross-border aspects. One of the hypotheses of the article is that the above mentioned issue is a topical question almost all around the world. Nevertheless, the article focuses on a European aspect of the cross-border acquisition, namely the new land law rules of the EU's Member States having joined the European Union in 2004 and 2007. In 2014 and 2015, the European Commission had assessed the land law of these Member States (i.e. Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and initiated infringement procedures against these countries at the Court of Justice of the European Union. Besides the regulation of these new Member States of the EU, the present article deals with the legislation of other Member States as well as the provisions of non-EU states. The article gives substantial consideration to phenomena such as sovereignty, land-hunger or soil degradation which may exercise significant influence on the land law of a state.

EU Presidencies between Politics and Administration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nedergaard, Peter; Jensen, Mads Dagnis

This book offers the first comprehensive analysis since the Lisbon Treaty came into force of the EU Presidency on national administrations in the member states of Poland, Denmark and Cyprus before, during and after the so- called ‘Trio Presidency’. Placing the practical issues facing officials...

NEW TENDENCIES REGARDING SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IN THE MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION: – A BRIEF INSIDE AND OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE –

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JONE-ITXARO ELIZONDO

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Sexual orientation discrimination has been recently outlined within the Plenary Session of the European Parliament that took place in Brussels, on 24th May 2012 as a priority in the fight against discrimination of all kind, making a “call on EU member states to consider giving access to cohabitation, registered partnerships or marriage to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT people”. Taking this statement as a starting point, this paper aims first to briefly analyse the European Union’s legislation defending sexual orientation discrimination and its limits. After that, a comparison between the Spanish and Romanian legislations will be made, choosing thus two countries within the EU that have very different paths and views in this matter, finally assessing the recent Tribunal Constitucional judgment regarding the constitutionality of same-sex marriage. In the same line our analysis will also focus on giving an overview of the EU panorama focusing on those countries that have extreme and opposite views about the matter. This study would not be complete without taking into account the contrary situation that is taking place in certain non-Member States of EU such as: Ukraine, Russia or Moldova. This fact was also highlighted by the European Parliament in the last Plenary Session saying that “in the European Union [and in other European states, referring to the recent situations occurred in Ukraine, Russian Federation or Moldova], the fundamental rights of LGBT people are not yet fully upheld”.

Economic, environmental and international trade effects of the EU Directive on energy tax harmonization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kohlhaas, Michael; Schumacher, Katja; Diekmann, Jochen; Schumacher, Dieter; Carmes, Martin

2005-01-01

In October 2003, the European Union introduced a Directive, which widens the scope of the EU's minimum taxation system from mineral oils to all energy products including coal, natural gas and electricity. It aims at reducing distortions that currently exist between Member States as well as between energy products. In addition, it increases previous minimum tax rates and thus the incentive to use energy more efficiently. The Directive will lead to changes in the energy tax schemes in a number of countries, in particular some southern Member Countries (Greece, Spain, Portugal) and most of the new Member States. In this paper, we analyze the effects of the EU energy tax harmonization with GTAP-E, a computable general equilibrium model. Particular focus is placed on the Eastern European countries, which became new members of the EU in May 2004. We investigate the effects of the tax harmonization on overall economic growth and sectoral development. Special attention is paid to international trade in order to analyze if competitiveness concerns, which have been forwarded in the context of energy taxation are valid. Furthermore, the effect on energy consumption and emissions and thus the contribution to the EU's climate change targets is analyzed

Financial Integration into EU: The Romanian Case

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ibrahim Bozkurt

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to investigate the determinants of integration between stock market of Romania and other stock markets of European Union (EU countries. Correlations between the stock returns represent the level of integration between the stock markets. Empirical analysis are performed with daily stock returns of 24 EU members including Romania for 2002-2012 period using panel data gravity models and correlations are investigated. Findings reveal that the following factors have significant and robust effects on the financial integration process of Romania with other 23 EU members; (i EU membership, (ii bilateral trade, (iii GDP per capita, (iv 2012 sovereign debt crisis and (v East European location. The results emphasize that intensifying economic relations with EU members can contribute the integration of Romanian stock market with other EU members. designed & hoste

An Assessment of EU 2020 Strategy: Too Far to Reach?

Science.gov (United States)

Colak, Mehmet Selman; Ege, Aylin

2013-01-01

In 2010, EU adopted a new growth strategy which includes three growth priorities and five headline targets to be reached by 2020. The aim of this paper is to investigate the current performance of the EU member and candidate states in achieving these growth priorities and the overall strategy target by allocating the headline targets into the…

EU environmental state aid policy: wide implications, narrow participation?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flaam, Karoline

2008-11-15

This article investigates the 2008 reform of the EU's environmental state aid guidelines, with an eye to determining the degree of external pressure and lobbyism towards environmental state aid policies. What is found is a strikingly low level of external pressure on the policy-field, not least on the part of the private sector. In fact, EU environmental state aid policy is largely the making of a few Commission officials, without much external 'interference'. The article discusses possible reasons for this, and asks whether state aid policy-making might be marked less by clear and established interests and utility maximising, and more by actors constrained by complexity and bounded rationality. (author). refs.,tab

Report on modelling the macroeconomic competitiveness impacts of EU climate change policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

This report details the results of a study carried out by Oxford Economics on the macroeconomic impacts of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) on competitiveness in different sectors and different Member States. An economic model was used to assess the impacts of carbon pricing, building on previous work that looked at the effects on the UK economy. The model was used to estimate the impact on competitiveness and output associated with various carbon prices and assumptions for the proposed third EU ETS trading period (2013-2023) by sector for all countries. The model covered 30 sectors for each of the 27 EU Member states plus the USA, Japan and China. The report describes the EU model methodology (direct cost effects, second-round cost effects, cost effects without substitution, cost effects after substitution, pass through to prices, and output effects) and the key results in terms of: impacts of carbon-reduction policies unilateral EU action, sectoral impacts, electricity generation sector only; the non-power sector in the ETS; global action; developed world action; and a summary across all scenarios. The three annexes set out the UK Energy Industry Model (UKEIM), model equations for the EU-wide model and modelling assumptions for electricity generation

National Constitutional Avenues for Further EU Integration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Besselink, L.F.M.; Claes, M.; Imamovic, Š.; Reestman, J.H.

2014-01-01

This study investigates national constitutional limits to further EU integration and explores ways to overcome them. It includes an in-depth examination of the constitutional systems of 12 Member States (Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the

Further development of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in Germany and the European Union under consideration of experiences in other EU Member States; Weiterentwicklung des Emissionshandels - national und auf EU-Ebene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wartmann, S; Klaus, S; Scharte, M; Harnisch, J [Ecofys GmbH, Nuernberg (Germany); Heilmann, S; Bertenrath, R [FiFo Koeln (Germany)

2008-02-15

The study analyses options for further development of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) after 2012. The first analysis focuses on the effects of the EU-ETS on companies, power prices, competitiveness and employment. It is followed by an analysis of overlaps or lacking coverage regarding the climate policies EU-ETS, Eco-Tax (Oekosteuer) resp. Energy Tax, the Renewable Energy Sources Act and the Combined Heat and Powert Act. These instruments are analysed with regards to their coherence. As a next step, the national allocation plans of France, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Poland are evaluated and recommendations are developed. Best practice recommendations for further developing the EU-ETS after 2012 both at the European and the national level are developed from the comparison of these European national allocation plans. Finally, design features of certificate systems relevant for international linking of such systems are addressed. In the analysis such design features are identified and approaches for problems potentially arising when certificate systems are linked, are developed. (orig.)

EU membership and the press: An analysis of the Brussels correspondents from the new member states

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lecheler, S.

2008-01-01

In light of the 2004 and 2007 enlargement of the European Union with 12 new member states we need to reconsider what we know about the Brussels press corps. Brussels journalists play a pivotal role in the European integration process. They act as agents of Europeanization, wedged between complex

The role of the European Union in private law relations of organizations operating in the internal electricity or gas market in medium and small size Member States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nechvátal, Ivan; Pilavachi, Petros A.; Kakaras, Emmanuel

2012-01-01

This paper studies European Union (EU) legislation on private law relations for organizations operating in the internal electricity and gas market in medium and small size Member States. It consists of the analysis of both the EU primary (Treaties) and secondary (directives and regulations) legislation. A survey was sent to organizations operating in the internal energy market in four Member States: Greece, Czech Republic, Finland, and Malta. Through the survey, the paper identifies problematic areas of current EU legislation and compares them with new legislation applied as from 3 March 2011 (third liberalization package). It looks into all important EU energy legislation on private law relations of organizations operating in the internal energy market such as unbundling, procurement, procedural law, duties related to information and other legislation on energy contracts. The study concludes that, despite some small problems, the energy liberalization including the third liberalization legislative package progresses in a correct manner. There are nearly no problems in the access to the transmission and distribution systems. The functioning of the gas market is considered as the most important problem. - Highlights: ► European Union legislation on private law relations was studied. ► Organizations operating in the electricity and gas market were considered. ► A survey was sent to organizations in four Member States. ► Despite some problems, the energy liberalization advances correctly. ► The gas market is considered as the most important problem.

Growing Significance of EU Institutions in Promotion of Inter-regional policies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ella V. Ermakova

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article explores the variety of tools and vehicles applied within the EU to expand the prerogative of the regions of the EU member states. The author uses as an example the inter-regional policies in Belgium in respect of the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region. The author analyzes the mechanisms of promotion of external regional relations in Belgium as a means of addressing different problems both on national and all-European level, supporting the arguments and conclusions by examples of relevant EU initiatives. The article details the activities of the EU Regional Committee (RC, the EU advisory body with the powers of political initiative, upholding the principle ofsubsidarity in the implementation of the EU member states' regional policies. The involvement of the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region in the activities of EU RC is described and summarized. As a case study, the article deals with Belgium's rotating six months presidency in the EUin 2010 when the country, which was going through a severe political crisis with no federal government in place, was represented by the two regions. The special focus of the article is on the strategic EU program "Europe2020" and its implementation by the regions of Belgium. There is an account of the initiatives undertaken by the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region within the framework of this program outlining the interaction of the two regions. The author provides a comprehensive analysis of the involvement of the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region with various EU institutions describing how each party achieves the promotion of its regional interests. Within this context, it is a noteworthy development that the Flemish Region is participating in the international program "Pact 2020" on energy all by its own. The article features quotations by Flemish and Walloon political figures which serve as an illustration of the prevailing attitudes in the Belgian society to the process of

NEW AND FUTURE MEMBER STATES: ROMANIA’S ROLE IN THE EU-27

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mugur Isărescu

2005-10-01

Full Text Available The logic of history urges me to believe that the enlargement process,pondered over thoroughly, will no longer be stopped. Therefore, talking today about Romania's role in a EU with 27 countries cannot be an action against history's mainstream. On the contrary, I consider this action natural and necessary.In a multipolar world, characterized by an increasing competition among the big blocks of countries, Europe is condemned to a continuation of the deepening of integration, unless it wants to turn itself into a museum of civilization, good only for future entertainment of American, Japanese, Chinese and, why not, Indian tourists.

Stalking als Straftatbestand : Neue Tendenzen in den EU-Mitgliedstaaten

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Aa, Suzanne; Bachman, Roland; Ortiz-Müller, Wolf

2017-01-01

Article 34 of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence obliges signatory states to criminalize stalking. This article provides an inventory of criminal anti-stalking legislation in the 28 EU Member States in order to see whether they

Reluctant to Learn? The Use of Evaluation to Improve EU Cohesion Policy Implementation in Polish and Spanish Regions

Science.gov (United States)

Wojtowicz, Dominika Maria; Kupiec, Tomasz

2018-01-01

For many European Union (EU) member states, the Cohesion Policy (CP) was the channel through which the practice of evaluation was transmitted into domestic administration. Studies have shown that the EU member countries differ in terms of their evaluation capacity and activity. None of those studies, however, addresses regional governments, which…

The Future of the European Union is Closely Related to a Stronger Economic Cooperation between Member States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andreea Drăgoi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Since the onset of the crisis in the euro area, the EU has implemented a series of measures to respond to the major economic challenges and support the efforts to boost growth and create jobs in the Member States. In October 2012, EU leaders have decided that in order to overcome the challenges brought by the sovereign debt crisis is necessary to establish a closer economic cooperation between European countries. Our paper aims to analyze the main measures taken at European level to converge toward this goal, aiming to highlight the extent to which they are "successful steps" leading to the creation of banking, fiscal and economic union in Europe.

Approximated EU GHG inventory: Early estimates for 2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herold, A. [Oeko-Institut (Oeko), Freiburg (Germany); Fernandez, R. [European Environment Agency (EEA), Copenhagen (Denmark)

2012-10-15

The objective of this report is to provide an early estimate of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the EU-15 and EU-27 for the year 2011. The official submission of 2011 data to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will occur in 2013. In recent years, the EEA and its European Topic Centre on Air Pollution and Climate Change Mitigation have developed a methodology to estimate GHG emissions using a bottom up approach - based on data or estimates for individual countries, sectors and gases - to derive EU GHG estimates in the preceding year (t-1). For transparency, this report shows the country-level GHG estimates from which the EU estimates have been derived. The 2011 estimates are based on the latest activity data available at country level and assume no change in emission factors or methodologies as compared to the official 2012 submissions to UNFCCC (which relate to emissions in 2010). Some Member States estimate and publish their own early estimates of GHG emissions for the preceding year. Where such estimates exist they are clearly referenced in this report in order to ensure complete transparency regarding the different GHG estimates available. Member State early estimates were also used for quality assurance and quality control of the EEA's GHG early estimates for 2011. Finally, the EEA has also used the early estimates of 2011 GHG emissions produced by EEA member countries to assess progress towards the Kyoto targets in its annual trends and projections report (due to be published alongside the present report). In that report, the EEA's early estimates for 2011 were only used for countries that lack their own early estimates to track progress towards national and EU targets. (LN)

Approximated EU GHG inventory: Early estimates for 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herold, A.; Busche, J.; Hermann, H.; Joerss, W.; Scheffler, M. (OEko-Institut, Freiburg (Germany))

2011-10-15

The objective of this report is to provide an early estimate of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the EU-15 and EU-27 for the year 2010. The official submission of 2010 data to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will occur in 2012. In recent years, the EEA and its European Topic Centre on Air Pollution and Climate Change Mitigation have developed a methodology to estimate GHG emissions using a bottom up approach - based on data or estimates for individual countries, sectors and gases - to derive EU GHG estimates in the preceding year (t-1). For transparency, this report shows the country-level GHG estimates from which the EU estimates have been derived. The 2010 estimates are based on the latest activity data available at country level and assume no change in emission factors or methodologies as compared to the official 2011 submissions to UNFCCC (which re-late to emissions in 2009). Some Member States estimate and publish their own early estimates of GHG emissions for the preceding year. Where such estimates exist they are clearly referenced in this report in order to ensure complete transparency regarding the different GHG estimates available. Member State early estimates were also used for quality assurance and quality control of the EEA's GHG early estimates for 2010. Finally, EEA has also used the early estimates of 2010 GHG emissions produced by EEA member countries to assess progress towards the Kyoto targets in its annual trends and projections report (due to be published alongside the present report). In that report, the EEA's early estimates for 2010 were only used for countries that lack their own early estimates to track progress towards national and EU targets. (Author)

Experimentation with e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid: a cross-sectional study in 28 European Union member states.

Science.gov (United States)

Filippidis, Filippos T; Laverty, Anthony A; Vardavas, Constantine I

2016-10-06

To describe patterns of experimentation with electronic cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid, their self-reported impact on smoking cessation and to identify factors associated with self-reported successful quit attempts within the European Union (EU). A cross-sectional study. 28 European Union member states. We analysed data from wave 82.4 of the Special Eurobarometer survey, collected in December 2014 from all 28 EU member states. The total sample size was n=27 801 individuals aged ≥15 years; however, our analyses were conducted in different subgroups with sample sizes ranging from n=470 to n=9363. Data on e-cigarette experimentation and its self-reported impact on smoking cessation were collected. Logistic regression models were used to assess factors associated with experimentation of e-cigarettes as cessation aids and with successful quitting. Logistic regression was also used to assess changes in the use of e-cigarettes as cessation aids between 2012 (using data from wave 77.1 of the Eurobarometer) and 2014 in each member state. E-cigarettes were often experimented with as a cessation aid, especially among younger smokers (OR=5.29) and those who reported financial difficulties (OR=1.33). In total, 10.6% of those who had ever attempted to quit smoking and 27.4% of those who did so using a cessation aid had experimented with e-cigarettes as a cessation aid. Among those who had used e-cigarettes as a cessation aid, those with higher education were more likely to have been successful in quitting (OR=2.23). There was great variation in trends of use of e-cigarette as a cessation aid between member states. Experimentation with e-cigarettes as a potential cessation aid at a population level has increased throughout the EU in recent years, and certain population groups are more likely to experiment with them as cessation aids. Research on the potential population impact of these trends is imperatively needed. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For

EU Climate Policy Tracker 2011. Main report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoehne, N.; Geurts, F.; Teckenburg, E.; Blok, K.; Becker, D. [Ecofys, Utrecht (Netherlands)

2011-11-15

Limiting the rise in the average global temperature to 2C has been the EU goal since 1996, and in December 2010 the UN recognised the need to consider a 1.5C limit. Avoiding overshooting these levels will require massive emissions reductions - in the order of 80-95% for industrialised countries, like those in the EU. The next ten years are crucial in establishing whether society will be able to make this transition, or whether temperature increase limits will be irreversibly missed. Last year, the European Union Climate Policy Tracker (EU CPT) investigated each member state's implementation of policy and legislation, and rated their progress towards a 2050 vision of deep decarbonisation using renewable energy. The uniquely developed rating scheme, modelled on appliance efficiency labels (A-G), gave an indication of how member states were doing compared to a 'low-carbon policy package'. The average score was an 'E', indicating that the level of effort needed to treble, to be on a pace to reach the 2050 vision. However, aggregating best practices across sectors and countries doubled the score - meaning that the tools are already at hand for major improvements across Europe. This report builds on last year's EU CPT by giving an update on action in member states, and an indicative trend in the rating, as well as adding a new section on EU policy. The addition of an EU section is appropriate, with the Commission having produced a roadmap on a low-carbon economy by 2050, a transport white paper, and with another roadmap for 2050 focused on energy anticipated by the end of 2011. This report seeks to answer the question of whether these and other related initiatives are sufficient to help Europe reach its low-carbon goals. When interpreting the results of this report, it is important to understand that the goal underlying the vision here is not the same as the one in the European Commission's 'low-carbon economy' roadmap

ENHANCING EU-TAIWAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION AGREEMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chung-hung Cho

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The EU’s 2015 new trade strategy: Trade for all: toward a more responsible trade and investment policy, highlights its key role in keeping markets open worldwide and lists the Asia-Pacific region as the priority party for signing Regional Trade Arrangements (RTAs with the EU. The new strategy allows the EU and its member states to initiate talks on economic cooperation agreement (ECA with Taiwan. This article takes the EU-Asia interregional cooperation as a case study while exploring the role of Taiwan in the region. The first section describes the shift in EU’s trade policies and the special features of the types of interregionalism between the EU and Asia. The second section explores the bilateral trade relations. The third section evaluates the opportunities and the internal and external challenges and limitations of an EU-Taiwan ECA, emphasizing the factor of mainland China. The final section provides conclusions on the influence of an EU-Taiwan ECA on the relations of EUTaiwan considering economic and non-economic factor

Exporting EU Liberalism Eastwards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lynn M. Tesser

2009-07-01

Full Text Available There is much more to liberalism in the post communist context than has been acknowledged. A sizeable effort has indeed emerged to transplant a relatively coherent liberal ideology to the region, one exported not merely through the conditionality of international financial institutions, but also through the conditionality and socialization of organizations like the NATO, OSCE, EU, and the Council of Europe. ‘EU liberalism’ includes the ‘standard’ liberal emphasis on individual rights, the rule of law, constitutional democracy, freedom, and market economics as well as support for minority rights, and a seemingly schizophrenic emphasis on economic integration that involves, first bringing down borders for the free movement of people, goods, capital, and services between member states, and second, market regulation to diminish the social downsides of capitalism. This paper outlines EU liberalism’s emergence and its application to Central and East European countries.

Toward Post-Sovereign Environmental Governance? Politics, Scale, and EU Water Framework Directive

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Corey Johnson

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The EU Water Framework Directive (EUWFD of 2000 requires that all EU member states "protect, enhance and restore" rivers to attain good surface water quality by 2015. To achieve this mandate, member states divide themselves into watershed basins (River Basin Districts for the purposes of monitoring and remediation, even if those districts cross international borders. This paper examines three key elements of the rescaling of governance along watershed lines. First, I draw on a cross section of literatures on territoriality of the state and the changing regulation of nature to argue that analyses of the EU tend to privilege the nation-state as an ontological starting point. Second, the EUWFD as a rescaling of environmental gCorey Johnsonvernance is explored. The third element of the paper considers the relationship between the de- and re-territorialisation of environmental governance on the one hand, and the changing character of sovereignty in the EU on the other. On this basis, the paper argues that the EUWFD represents a hybrid form of territoriality that is changing the political geography of the European Union and that the redrawing of political-administrative scales along physical geographical lines provides evidence of the emergence of a new, non-nested scalar politics of governance in Europe.

Of Policy Entrepreneurship, bandwagoning and free-riding : EU member states and multilateral cooperation frameworks for Europe's southern neighbourhood

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schumacher, T.; Bouris, D.; Olszewska, M.

2016-01-01

Over the past 25 years the EU and NATO have displayed considerable agency and thus influence as far as the development of institutionalised collective cooperation and/or foreign policy frameworks towards Europe’s southern neighbourhood is concerned. Against this backdrop, this article puts EU and

DUBNA: Member States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

The political upheaval in what was the Soviet Union was reflected in an Extraordinary Plenipotentiaries Committee of Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) Member States, held in Dubna, near Moscow, on 10-13 December, with representatives of eleven sovereign republics of the former Soviet State taking part

GRAPHICAL ANALYSIS OF LAFFER'S THEORY FOR EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER STATES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LILIANA BUNESCU

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Most times the current situation of one or another country depends on the historical development of own tax system. A practical question of any governance is to determine the optimal taxation rate level, bringing to the state the highest tax revenues. A good place to start is with what is popularly known as the Laffer curve. This paper aims to determine in graphical terms the level where European economies ranks by using Laffer curve based on the data series provided by the European Commission and the World Bank. Graphical analysis of Laffer's theory can emphasize only the positioning on one or another side of point for maximum tax revenues, a position that can influence fiscal policy decisions. Conclusions at European Union level are simple. Value of taxation rate for fiscal optimal point varies from one Member State to another, from 48.9% in Denmark to 28% in Romania, with an average of 37.1% for the EU-27.

Banking and Fiscal Unions in the EU: What is More Relevant?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna N. Tsibulina

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The article deals with financial system structures in the eurozone member states, linkages between banking sectors and fiscal solvency of states and EU initiatives towards improving frameworks to prevent and if necessary to deal with crises in the future. The global economic and financial crisis has revealed a close interrelation between banks problems and sovereigns in the EU. The instruments which were used by national governments in order to save systemically important banks forced the EU to revise approaches to bank supervision and establish new mechanisms for banks' restructuring. At the same time sovereign debt crises in a number of member-states, on the one hand, showed lack of an effective EU-wide system of control over a fiscal discipline and, on the other hand raised questions about lack of any system of fiscal transfers to countries hit by a negative shock. The New Banking and Fiscal unions have been designed to withshand those challenges. The author analyses problems which might be solved with the help of the new instruments established within theabove mentioned unions. At the same time far from all initiatives aimed at achieving greater fiscal consolidation might turn out to be effective when dealing with systemic problems in times of a crisis.

The emerging EU quality of care policy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vollaard, Hans; van de Bovenkamp, Hester M.; Vrangbæk, Karsten

2013-01-01

initiatives regarding the quality systems of the Member States and the quality of services, this paper shows how the depth of EU interference has increased from sharing information to standardization and even to the first signs of enforcement. We argue that at this stage, reflection on the feasibility...

The Eastern Partnership and the EU-Turkey Energy Relations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Demiryol Tolga

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This article discusses the prospects and challenges of energy cooperation between the European Union (EU and Turkey within the context of the Eastern Partnership (EaP. Part of the EaP agenda is to advance energy cooperation between the EU and the partner states, particularly regarding the diversification of import routes. As an energy corridor between the EU and the hydrocarbon-rich Caspian states, Turkey is a strategic asset for European energy security. Turkey also has economic ties and political capital in the Caspian region that can help the EU reach out to its eastern partners. Despite robust incentives for cooperation, however, the EU-Turkey energy partnership has so far failed to meet mutual expectations. This article argues that this is primarily due to the inability of the two actors to credibly commit to regional energy cooperation. Commitment problem stems from two factors. First, the predominance of national energy interests over communal ones undermines credible commitment. The variation in energy needs of Member States prevents the EU from acting in unison in external energy policy. Similarly, Turkey also prioritizes its own energy security, particularly in its relations with suppliers, which undermines cooperation with the EU. Second, the EU and Turkey hold divergent perspectives on the potential political payoffs of energy cooperation. Turkish decision makers are convinced that energy cooperation warrants palpable progress in Turkey’s accession while most EU actors appear hesitant to establish a direct connection between energy and accession.

EU Failing FAO Challenge to Improve Global Food Security.

Science.gov (United States)

Smyth, Stuart J; Phillips, Peter W B; Kerr, William A

2016-07-01

The announcement that the European Union (EU) had reached an agreement allowing Member States (MS) to ban genetically modified (GM) crops confirms that the EU has chosen to ignore the food security challenge issued to the world by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2009. The FAO suggests that agricultural biotechnology has a central role in meeting the food security challenge. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tendances Carbone no. 87 'EU ETS and Kyoto credits: from an efficient use to a burst bubble'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stephan, Nicolas; Bellassen, Valentin

2014-01-01

Among the publications of CDC Climat Research, 'Tendances Carbone' bulletin specifically studies the developments of the European market for CO 2 allowances. This issue addresses the following points: - Back-loading: the EU Parliament and the Council adopted the Back-loading proposal, respectively, on 10 December and 16 December. On 8 January, Member states agreed on rules to remove up to 900 million permits from 2014-2016. - Free allocations: on 18 December, the EU Commission adopted a first commission decision on free allocation of emission allowances by Member States for phase III. 23% of 2013 free allowances have been allocated. - 2030 target: The EU Commission will publish on 22. January a paper which should include and emission reduction goal for 2030 and a section on the structural reform of the EU ETS

Biomass supply in EU27 from 2010 to 2030

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panoutsou, Calliope; Eleftheriadis, John; Nikolaou, Anastasia

2009-01-01

With biomass staying high in the EU political agenda and most of the recent documents acknowledging that it has the potential to make a very significant contribution to reaching the 20% target [], the issue of supply in terms of feedstock types, availability constraints and costs in different Member States is set to determine the future technology uptake and market deployment prospects. This paper is based on one of the initial studies, 'Bioenergy's role in the EU market. A view of developments until 2020', and presents a structured review for EU biomass resources, aiming to map technical potentials and provide detailed information on availability, costs and future trends for biomass potentials of different residual feedstocks in EU27. (author)

Potential Significance of the EU Water Framework Directive to China

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Lars Skov Andersen; Martin Griffiths

2009-01-01

The European Union Water Framework Directive (EU WFD) is a unique piece of legislation, which may be of great significance to on - going reforms of the water sector in China. First and foremost it unites 27 European mem- ber states behind a common goal, which is "to achieve good chemical and ecological status" of all water bodies across the EU. Other significant characteristics of the EU WFD are that (1) it sets a clear timeframe with a number of time - bound actions for member states to achieve the goal, hut leaves it to member states to achieve this goal in a decent- ralised process, which makes allowance for the different socio - economic conditions, (2) it defines the river basin as the management unit for water thus departing with the traditional fragmented management by administrative units and it appoints a single competent authority for water management within each fiver basin, thus facilitating resolution of sector conflicts, (3) it requires a financial and economic analysis of the costs of implementing the EU WFD to enable deci- sion makers to assess whether the required improvements are affordable to government and to the population within the fiver basin, and (4) it requires a structured process for information and consultation with stakeholders and the public throughout the planning and implementation process.

Subsidiarity and proportionality in the shaping of EU law on the protection of the environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dudaš Atila I.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The principle of subsidiarity was introduced into the primary sources of EU law by the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, as a norm of general application, in order to determine whether the Union can take action in areas that do not fall under its exclusive competence, that is in areas that could be governed both by the acts of the EU and that of the member states. The principle of subsidiarity is based on the undisputedly appropriate idea that the citizens' needs ought to be addressed at the level closest to them. It allows the Union to take action if and insofar the objectives of the proposed measure cannot be sufficiently achieved by action of member states, taking into account its scale and expected effects, while they could clearly be achieved more efficiently by measures of the Union. Even if the conditions of the use of competence based on the principle of subsidiarity are met, it is limited by the principle of proportionality, according to which the institutions of the EU may take action only within the confines of the objectives laid out in the primary sources of EU law. In concrete cases, however, the principle of subsidiarity is as a rule subject to differing interpretations, creating a constant field for confronting standpoints of the Commission and that of the member states. Yet, the number of cases in which the Court of Justice has decided on the application of principle of subsidiarity is very small (around twenty so far, in which the Court demonstrated that it will not lightly overturn an EU action on the ground that it is not in compliance with the principle of subsidiarity. The Protocol on the Application of Principles of Subsidiarity and Proportionality, introduced by and attached to the Amsterdam Treaty, and taken over by the Lisbon Treaty, sets out a procedure in which the national assemblies of the member states gain right to give reasoned opinion as to why they consider that a legislative proposal of the Commission does not comply

Tendances Carbone no. 107. Re-calibrating the EU ETS: in search of a long term price signal to drive investments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jalard, Matthieu; Alberola, Emilie

2015-11-01

Among the publications of I4CE, 'Tendances Carbone' bulletin specifically studies the developments of the European market for CO 2 allowances. Beside some statistical figures about energy production/consumption and carbon markets, this issue specifically addresses the following points: - EU ETS - revision: on 26 October, European Ministers expressed their views on the proposed revision of the EU ETS for Phase IV, stressing their concerns about the possible application of the Cross Sectoral Correction Factor. - EU ETS - revision: A group of Member States, including the UK and France are in favor of a tiered approach as a way to target free allocation to the most exposed sectors. - EU ETS - revision: On 28 October, a group of Member States including Poland stated that unanimity should be requested to raise the level of ambition

Active animal health surveillance in European Union Member States: gaps and opportunities.

Science.gov (United States)

Bisdorff, B; Schauer, B; Taylor, N; Rodríguez-Prieto, V; Comin, A; Brouwer, A; Dórea, F; Drewe, J; Hoinville, L; Lindberg, A; Martinez Avilés, M; Martínez-López, B; Peyre, M; Pinto Ferreira, J; Rushton, J; VAN Schaik, G; Stärk, K D C; Staubach, C; Vicente-Rubiano, M; Witteveen, G; Pfeiffer, D; Häsler, B

2017-03-01

Animal health surveillance enables the detection and control of animal diseases including zoonoses. Under the EU-FP7 project RISKSUR, a survey was conducted in 11 EU Member States and Switzerland to describe active surveillance components in 2011 managed by the public or private sector and identify gaps and opportunities. Information was collected about hazard, target population, geographical focus, legal obligation, management, surveillance design, risk-based sampling, and multi-hazard surveillance. Two countries were excluded due to incompleteness of data. Most of the 664 components targeted cattle (26·7%), pigs (17·5%) or poultry (16·0%). The most common surveillance objectives were demonstrating freedom from disease (43·8%) and case detection (26·8%). Over half of components applied risk-based sampling (57·1%), but mainly focused on a single population stratum (targeted risk-based) rather than differentiating between risk levels of different strata (stratified risk-based). About a third of components were multi-hazard (37·3%). Both risk-based sampling and multi-hazard surveillance were used more frequently in privately funded components. The study identified several gaps (e.g. lack of systematic documentation, inconsistent application of terminology) and opportunities (e.g. stratified risk-based sampling). The greater flexibility provided by the new EU Animal Health Law means that systematic evaluation of surveillance alternatives will be required to optimize cost-effectiveness.

Fairness and cost-effectiveness of CO2 emission reduction targets in the European Union member states. An analysis based on scenario studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kram, T.; Ybema, J.R.; Vos, D.

1997-06-01

The Member States of the European Union (EU) have agreed upon a common position in the international negotiations on the limitation of greenhouse gas emissions. The total commitment of the EU is the result of differentiated emission targets for the individual Member States. In this study the results of 4 recent scenario studies on CO2 emission reduction are used to assess the fairness and the cost-effectiveness of the differentiated targets. Here, fairness is measured by the average cost per capita in a country to reach the emission target. Cost-effectiveness is based on the marginal cost of emission reduction. It is noted that there are limitations in the comparability of the country results. Further, the coverage of the EU Member States is not complete in all 4 studies. Robust conclusions could thus not be drawn for all countries. Nonetheless, there are strong indications that the efforts to achieve the emission reduction targets are not evenly distributed. Based on the results the countries can be divided into four groups with different burdens to achieve reduction of CO2 emissions: (a) countries that will probably be faced with above average burdens: Sweden, Italy and the Netherlands; (b) countries that will presumably be faced with above average burdens but for which limited information is available: Austria and Denmark; (c) countries that will probably be faced with average burdens or for which the relative efforts are indistinct: Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Finland and Luxembourg; and (d) countries that will probably be faced with below average burdens: United Kingdom, France, Spain, Ireland and Greece. 1 fig., 12 tabs., 6 refs

Will the EU Clinical Trials Regulation Support the Innovative Industry in Bringing New Medicines Faster to Patients?

Science.gov (United States)

Atzor, Sabine; Gokhale, Surendra; Doherty, Michael

2013-04-01

A perspective from the innovative industry is provided in this article about the long awaited legal proposal for a Clinical Trial Regulation ("Proposal"), adopted in July 2012. With this Proposal, the European Commission reacted to a call by all stakeholders for more harmonization and streamlining of the provisions for conducting clinical trials in the EU. Discrepant approaches between Member States, a failure to respect legal timelines, and a lack of formal coordination mechanisms within and between Member States have resulted in an increased workload for the industry and contributed to a decline in Europe's attractiveness as a place to carry out research and development. The Proposal introduces a concept whereby the sponsor makes a single submission of the clinical trial application dossier to an EU portal, which is followed by a single assessment based on cooperation between Member States. A possibility for the sponsor to choose a 'reporting Member State' to take the lead on key aspects of the assessment is expected to support excellence building and work sharing of Competent Authorities in the EU. The Proposal respects the fact that certain aspects need to be reviewed nationally. The new process aims to lead to a single decision per clinical trial per concerned Member State. The rules are built on the principle of strict adherence to timelines for authorization. The timelines are ambitious but at the same time competitive, as the process builds in mechanisms that strengthen compliance. The rules have been designed to encourage sponsors to file complete submission packages, since any substantial modification to a trial would lead to delays in its commencement. Sponsors need to streamline their internal processes accordingly. In the end, streamlining is an effort that needs to be accepted by all parties involved. The Proposal does not detail how Member States organize the involvement of different bodies, such as Competent Authorities and Ethics Committees

PROBLEMS AND DEVELOPMENTS IN THE EU TAX SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CHIRCULESCU MARIA FELICIA

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper we conducted a brief analysis of the tax system in Romania compared to other EU Member States, taking into account the main characteristics of tax systems in terms of direct taxation, indirect taxation, and social contributions to the achievement of budgetary revenues. Studies show that taxation Member States of the European Union in recent years has been marked by increasing tax burden by implementing measures aimed in particular indirect tax increases, but nevertheless there were a number of changes at the level of direct taxation and social contributions.

Challenges of a common climate policy. An analysis of the development of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aufenanger, Vanessa

2012-01-01

The emissions trading scheme (EU ETS) adopted by the European Union in 2003 was a new instrument for the EU and its Member States. It is one of the most important strategies of achieving the EU's greenhouse gas reduction target under the Kyoto Protocol. This book analyses the policy cycle of the EU ETS Directive, focusing on the crucial implementation phase. The revised EU ETS Directive of 2009 includes significant changes for greater ecological effectiveness, changes that were unlikely to have been adopted in 2003. It is evident that the experiences of the first phase influenced not only the second implementation phase but also the revision. The intensive learning process that took place on all levels was necessary to overcome institutional constraints so that the EU ETS could be successfully established and further developed. The EU ETS policy-making is a good example to demonstrate that output legitimacy challenges input legitimacy. With the centralisation of the EU ETS in 2013 it is likely to become a more effective system; however, the legislators from the Member States may lose influence. This problem will have to be addressed.

Differences and similarities between the EU and non-EU citizens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iris Dhamo

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Initially, the European Union had a purely economic connotation, as his intent was the free movement of factors of production, in order to create a competitive internal market and achieving a rational distribution of resources. For this reason, the individual was seen simply as a worker and for this purpose the first aspects that are disciplined within the EU are those contained in this sphere. In the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community (EEC, the freedom of free movement was reserved for only a few special categories of workers, who were active subjects economically, since what resulted essential at the time was the creation of an internal market. Later the Maastricht Treaty, on one side marks the transition from the EEC to the EU, on the other presents for the first time the "European citizenship", making the free movement an autonomous right of every citizen belonging to a Member State. In this way the free movement is exercised not only for the economic purposes of the Treaties. In December 2000 the Charter of Fundamental Rights or the Charter of Nice was compiled and signed, which defines that the EU seeks to promote a balanced development and ensures free movement of persons, goods, services and capital, and also the freedom of residence. Main objective of this manuscript is an analysis of the differences and similarities between the EU and non-EU citizens.

Harmonisation of legislation and standards: views from a member State's perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Susanna, A.

2002-01-01

Surely everyone will agree that harmonisation of legislation and standards should be a must for any science based branch of knowledge; this holds in particular for radiation protection with its manifold social implications. Probably, most will also recognise that radiation protection is characterised all over the world by standards that are well harmonised at a high degree, particularly in comparison with other science based branches of knowledge. For this, ICRP certainly deserves unreserved praise because the authoritative body of experts making up the Commission has been able over the years to elaborate a set of recommendations that the majority of other experts in the world recognise as being state of the art or, in other words, the best on the basis of the scientific information available at a given time. Besides, we must not forget the important role that other International Organisations play in this respect, among which the role of IAEA together with NEA, WHO etc is foremost; indeed, as soon as new basic recommendations are published by ICRP these bodies start a meritorious work of preparing standards, based on ICRP recommendations, in order to help Member States to have an updated and harmonised radiation protection legislation. In Europe, this harmonisation role is played by the organs of the European Union; in this respect, it is well known that within the Union harmonisation takes a binding nature, because standards recommended by the EU are usually issued as directives that Member States have an obligation to transpose in their national legislation. It is also well known that the last Euratom directives no. 29 of the 1996 and no 43 of 1997 were to be transposed by May 2000 into national legislation by member States

The EU's Convergence Dilemma

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Notermans Ton

2015-02-01

Full Text Available As economic stagnation continues to mark the EU in the fifth year of the euro zone crisis, political support for integration is waning. The European Parliament elections of 2014 returned a hitherto unparalleled number of Eurosceptic MEPs, with EU-critical parties becoming the largest ones in several Member States. Much of this Euroscepticism is driven by economic polarisation between core and peripheral countries. While an increasing number of voters in the northwestern creditor countries resent having to foot the bill for what they consider economic mismanagement in the periphery, voters in peripheral countries increasingly rebel against what they deem to be an economically catastrophic Diktat from Germany and its allies. Continued political support for European integration will hinge on successful income convergence in the EU but the current dilemma is that such policies might not be politically feasible. Periods of rapid convergence would seem to suggest that success depends on two main policy strategies. First, a monetary policy that promotes credit for productive purposes, leaves inflation control to other instruments, and employs selective credit rationing to prevent asset booms. Second, a vertical industrial policy prioritising selected industrial sectors. The first policy conflicts with the present framework of euro zone monetary policy, but that framework was only installed in the first place because many peripheral countries were desperately in search of an external constraint on domestic distributional conflict. Industrial policies, in turn, require a sufficient degree of state autonomy from business elites in order to be effective, but it is highly questionable whether most states in the EU possess such autonomy. Though there are, as yet hesitant, signs of a reorientation of both monetary and cohesion policy in the EU, the question of the institutional and political preconditions for their successful implementation has been largely

Challenges of the Banking Integration Process in the Case of the New EU Member States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan Chirlean

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The creation of the single European market represents a 50 years long process which aimsat developing the most advanced economy in the world. In order to achieve this, political actions mustbe accompanied by economical and juridical changes in order to stimulate and foster the creation ofthe single European market. A key component of this process is represented by the integration of thefinancial sector. While several component of it have registered major transformations andachievements in the integration process, one of the least integrated parts is represented by theEuropean banking sector. Most of the European economies are funded directly through the bankingsector, thus the integration of this sector represents a major benchmarks in the European integrationprocess. This problem becomes more complex in the context of the European Union enlargement to27 member states. Thus, the aim of this paper is to underline the progresses achieved by the bankingsectors of the European Union new member states from Central and Eastern Europe in theirintegration process. In order to achieve this we will use an empirical analysis based on the Law of OnePrice, which will underline the progress made by the banking sectors of the panel countries: Poland,Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. The results of the research will providean overview of the main achievements registered by these countries, while also underling hownational particularities of these sectors affect their integration.

MODERN APPROACHES ON DEFINING FOOD QUALITY ON THE EU MARKET

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Sebastian Chirimbu

2013-03-01

Full Text Available This paper seeks to prove that, on the EU food market, foodstuff quality presently has a very active complex dynamic dimension determined by the current consumer – agricultural and food industry relationship, apart from its technical dimension as derived from quality standards. This relationship comes as the result of the deep transformation that the food market has undergone in EU member states following the target-oriented action of the European Union aimed at solving the historical food-related issue of its members. Understanding the phenomena characteristic of the current food demand-supply relationship on the EU agricultural and food market and the way this market functions is very important for Romania’s integration in the European Union. This relevance derives both from economic aspects that these phenomena imply and social implications for everyday life.

Multi-Omics Research Trends in Sepsis: A Bibliometric, Comparative Analysis Between the United States, the European Union 28 Member States, and China.

Science.gov (United States)

Evangelatos, Nikolaos; Satyamoorthy, Kapaettu; Levidou, Georgia; Bauer, Pia; Brand, Helmut; Kouskouti, Christina; Lehrach, Hans; Brand, Angela

2018-03-01

"-Omics" research is in transition with the recent rise of multi-omics technology platforms. Integration of "-omics" and multi-omics research is of high priority in sepsis, a heterogeneous syndrome that is widely recognized as a global health burden and a priority biomedical funding field. We report here an original study on bibliometric trends in the use of "-omics" technologies, and multi-omics approaches in particular, in sepsis research in three (supra)national settings, the United States, the European Union 28 Member States (EU-28), and China. Using a 5-year longitudinal bibliometric study design from 2011 to 2015, we analyzed the sepsis-related research articles in English language that included at least one or multi-omics technologies in publicly available form in Medline (free full texts). We found that the United States has had the lead (almost one-third of publications) in the inclusion of an "-omics" or multi-omics technology in sepsis within the study period. However, both China and the EU-28 displayed a significant increase in the number of publications that employed one or more types of "-omics" research (p < 0.005), while the EU-28 displayed a significant increase especially in multi-omics research articles in sepsis (p < 0.05). Notably, more than half of the multi-omics research studies in the sepsis knowledge domain had a university or government/state funding source. Among the multi-omics research publications in sepsis, the combination of genomics and transcriptomics was the most frequent (40.5%), followed by genomics and proteomics (20.4%). We suggest that the lead of the United States in the field of "-omics" and multi-omics research in sepsis is likely at stake, with both the EU-28 and China rapidly increasing their research capacity. Moreover, "triple omics" that combine genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics analyses appear to be uncommon in sepsis, and yet much needed for triangulation of systems science data. These observations

Discussing the democratic deficit: effects of media and interpersonal communication on satisfaction with EU democracy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Desmet, P.; van Spanje, J.; de Vreese, C.H.

2015-01-01

The perception of a democratic deficit in the European Union (EU) is widespread. In which circumstances is this perception affected by mass media and interpersonal communication? To answer this question, we analyze data from representative samples of citizens in 21 EU member states (N = 22,806) and

Doorkeepers and Gatecrashers: EU Enlargement and Negotiation Strategies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brücker, Herbert; Schröder, Philipp; Weise, Christian

2004-01-01

This paper discusses the eastward enlargement process of the EU in the framework of a simple war of attrition bargaining game. Both players -- the existing EU members and the applicants -- benefit from enlargement, yet for the applicants, reform to the acquis is costly, while the EU prefers subst...... the benefits for new members are all effective negotiation strategies for the EU that have been applied in the process....

Data Resource Profile: The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC).

Science.gov (United States)

Arora, Vishal S; Karanikolos, Marina; Clair, Amy; Reeves, Aaron; Stuckler, David; McKee, Martin

2015-04-01

Social and economic policies are inextricably linked with population health outcomes in Europe, yet few datasets are able to fully explore and compare this relationship across European countries. The European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) survey aims to address this gap using microdata on income, living conditions and health. EU-SILC contains both cross-sectional and longitudinal elements, with nationally representative samples of individuals 16 years and older in 28 European Union member states as well as Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. Data collection began in 2003 in Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Greece, Luxembourg and Austria, with subsequent expansion across Europe. By 2011, all 28 EU member states, plus three others, were included in the dataset. Although EU-SILC is administered by Eurostat, the data are output-harmonized so that countries are required to collect specified data items but are free to determine sampling strategies for data collection purposes. EU-SILC covers approximately 500,000 European residents for its cross-sectional survey annually. Whereas aggregated data from EU-SILC are publicly available [http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/income-and-living-conditions/data/main-tables], microdata are only available to research organizations subject to approval by Eurostat. Please refer to [http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/microdata/eu_silc] for further information regarding microdata access. © The Author 2015; all rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association.

Migration processes in SCO member states

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Valentina Sergeevna Antonyuk

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The article concerns modern state and development of migration processes in SCO member states. As a main method of research statistical analysis was applied. The article shows that migration streams between SCO member states are rather intensive, and the problem of labor migration becomes more and more urgent. The countries of consuming and supplying of labour force are clearly differentiated in the region. For some countries, labor export is the key sector of economy. At the same time, interstate relations between SCO member states sometimes are rather disputed. The most urgent factors causing the development of migration processes in the region were determined. Among them, thefactor of growing outflows from China isespecially noted. It is noted that migration processes are discussed by SCO member states nowadays in terms of illegal migration and international criminality connected with it. It means that the question of labor migration is a real problem. It is indicated that the creation of a specific joint commission on migration policy affiliated with the Council of Foreign Ministers of SCO member states is the necessary condition of effective interaction in migration questions within the framework of Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Correlates of self-reported exposure to advertising of tobacco products and electronic cigarettes across 28 European Union member states

Science.gov (United States)

Filippidis, Filippos T; Laverty, Anthony A; Fernandez, Esteve; Mons, Ute; Tigova, Olena; Vardavas, Constantine I

2017-01-01

Background Despite advertising bans in most European Union (EU) member states, outlets for promotion of tobacco products and especially e-cigarettes still exist. This study aimed to assess the correlates of self-reported exposure to tobacco products and e-cigarettee advertising in the EU. Methods We analysed data from wave 82.4 of the Eurobarometer survey (November–December 2014), collected through interviews in 28 EU member states (n=27 801 aged ≥15 years) and data on bans of tobacco advertising extracted from the Tobacco Control Scale (TCS, 2013). We used multilevel logistic regression to assess sociodemographic correlates of self-reported exposure to any tobacco and e-cigarette advertisements. Results 40% and 41.5% of the respondents reported having seen any e-cigarette and tobacco product advertisement respectively within the past year. Current smokers, males, younger respondents, those with financial difficulties, people who had tried e-cigarettes and daily internet users were more likely to report having seen an e-cigarette and a tobacco product advertisement. Respondents in countries with more comprehensive advertising bans were less likely to self-report exposure to any tobacco advertisements (OR 0.87; 95% CI 0.79 to 0.96 for one-unit increase in TCS advertising score), but not e-cigarette advertisements (OR 1.08; 95% CI 0.95 to 1.22). Conclusion Ten years after ratification of the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control, self-reported exposure to tobacco and e-cigarette advertising in the EU is higher in e-cigarette and tobacco users, as well as those with internet access. The implementation of the Tobacco Products Directive may result in significant changes in e-cigarette advertising, therefore improved monitoring of advertising exposure is required in the coming years. PMID:28607098

Correlates of self-reported exposure to advertising of tobacco products and electronic cigarettes across 28 European Union member states.

Science.gov (United States)

Filippidis, Filippos T; Laverty, Anthony A; Fernandez, Esteve; Mons, Ute; Tigova, Olena; Vardavas, Constantine I

2017-12-01

Despite advertising bans in most European Union (EU) member states, outlets for promotion of tobacco products and especially e-cigarettes still exist. This study aimed to assess the correlates of self-reported exposure to tobacco products and e-cigarettee advertising in the EU. We analysed data from wave 82.4 of the Eurobarometer survey (November-December 2014), collected through interviews in 28 EU member states (n=27 801 aged ≥15 years) and data on bans of tobacco advertising extracted from the Tobacco Control Scale (TCS, 2013). We used multilevel logistic regression to assess sociodemographic correlates of self-reported exposure to any tobacco and e-cigarette advertisements. 40% and 41.5% of the respondents reported having seen any e-cigarette and tobacco product advertisement respectively within the past year. Current smokers, males, younger respondents, those with financial difficulties, people who had tried e-cigarettes and daily internet users were more likely to report having seen an e-cigarette and a tobacco product advertisement. Respondents in countries with more comprehensive advertising bans were less likely to self-report exposure to any tobacco advertisements (OR 0.87; 95% CI 0.79 to 0.96 for one-unit increase in TCS advertising score), but not e-cigarette advertisements (OR 1.08; 95% CI 0.95 to 1.22). Ten years after ratification of the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control, self-reported exposure to tobacco and e-cigarette advertising in the EU is higher in e-cigarette and tobacco users, as well as those with internet access. The implementation of the Tobacco Products Directive may result in significant changes in e-cigarette advertising, therefore improved monitoring of advertising exposure is required in the coming years. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Gas supplies from EC member states to customers in the Federal Republic of Germany; Gaslieferungen aus EG-Mitgliedstaaten an Abnehmer in der Bundesrepublik

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lukes, R. [Forschungsstelle Recht und Technik, Muenchen (Germany)

2000-12-01

After implementation of the EU Internal Gas Market Directive in Germany, marketers from EU member states are increasingly interested in entering the German natural gas market. In addition to the legal and competition aspects arising analogous to the internal market in electrity, as e.g. third party access to pipelines, management of physical transactions and use-of-pipeline pricing, natural gas trading of suppliers from EU member states in the German market has to be reviewed also from the angle of section 3 of the EnWG (German act for reform of the energy industry law), in which provisions are set forth governing and defining the case of energy supply to third parties, marketers being obliged to apply for a licence. The legal requirements and the various aspects to be considered are explained in detail. (Orig./CB) [German] Nach Ablauf der Umsetzungsfrist der Gas-Binnenmarktrichtlinie interessieren sich nunmehr auch GVU aus anderen Mitgliedstaaten fuer Gaslieferungen an Abnehmer in der Bundesrepublik. Allerdings tritt neben den beim Strom schon haeufig eroerterten Problemen von Netzzugang, Leitungskapazitaet, Nutzungsentgelt usw. die Frage auf, ob Gasversorgungsunternehmen (GVU) aus anderen Mitgliedstaaten bei Gaslieferungen an Abnehmer in der Bundesrepublik eine Energieversorgung anderer aufnehmen und deshalb der behoerdlichen Genehmigung nach Paragraph 3 EnWG beduerfen. Die Rechtslage wird analysiert. (orig./CB)

The EU regulation of nanomaterials - Smoother or harder : The precautionary tool chest as the basis for better regulating nanomaterials

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gellert, Raphaël; Mantovani, Eugenio; de Hert, Paul; Dolez, P.I.

2015-01-01

The EU regulatory framework on nanomaterials falls mainly within the shared competence of the EU and of its member states. This means that the sources of the regu- lation of nanomaterials are found primarily in the law promulgated in Brussels,. The EU regulatory toolbox in- cludes directives and

COMPETITION AND REGULATION IN THE EU ENERGY MARKET

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Havriş

2009-12-01

Full Text Available When prices are high and public service obligations are not properly fulfilled, consumers wonder if they obtain what they need from the market. In electricity and gas markets of the EU Member States, apart from the persistence of high, non-transparent regulated prices, a number of shortcomings have been identified by the European Commission, such as a less than optimal network use for energy transmission, a lack of coordination and cooperation across borders by transmission system operators and national authorities, and a lack of transparent and simple procedures for dealing with consumers’ complaints. These are the main elements of the infringement proceedings that the European Commission decided to launch on 25 June 2009 against 25 Member States for non–compliance with certain Community provisions in the Second Internal Energy Market Package, which entered into force on 1 July 2007. Quite emblematic is the fact that it occurred the same day as the adoption of the Third Internal Energy Market Package aiming to ensure a proper functioning of the EU energy market. We intend to analyse what has happened in the recent years at the EU level in order to liberalise and remove the significant remaining obstacles to competition in the energy market.

Housing of old age households in 10 EU countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skak, Morten

2008-01-01

The paper is an extract of a study under the DEMHOW (Demographic Change and Housing Wealth) project financed by the under the EU Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, which investigates the ways in which, across member states, demographic change and housing wealth...

The Quality of Life of Employees in EU Member States. Issues Related to the Nature and Organization of Work

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CRISTINA LEOVARIDIS

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The quality of life of employees has become one of the main concerns of European employment policies in the last ten years, with the strategies that were developed taking into account the new emerging risks related to the changes in the way work is organized (flexible work arrangements, increased work intensity in order to meet deadlines, increased share of highly skilled non-manual workers, etc.. The article presents a comparative analysis between member states with respect to the quality of the life of employees, from the point of view of the nature and organization of work, focusing on one of the negative effects of overworking, especially in non-manual occupations in new member states, which has increased in incidence in the last years: stress.

Key indicators for tracking 2030 strategies towards decarbonization in the EU: which indicators, why and what process for using them?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sartor, Oliver

2016-09-01

Decarbonizing national economies will require significant structural transformations of national energy systems and a number of emissions intensive sectors. Policy makers will therefore need to identify a comprehensive and coherent set of goals for each key aspect of the transition and monitor progress towards achieving these goals using indicators. But which specific goals and indicators should they focus on? And how can we be sure that the approach is consistent with achieving deep transformation change? This paper attempts to answer this question. This question is particularly relevant for current policy debate in Europe, where EU Member States have agreed to develop a set of 'key indicators' to track progress towards decarbonization as part of the new Energy Union governance mechanism. The EU is currently in the process of developing a 'new governance mechanism' to ensure the effective implementation of the EU's Energy Union project and the achievement of the EU's targets under the 2030 Climate and Energy Framework. The new governance mechanism will have far- reaching consequences for the way that the EU and its Member States plan, monitor and coordinate on energy and climate policy post-2020. Key indicators will have a crucial role to play in this mechanism. The purpose of indicators for climate and energy policy is to monitor progress towards EU climate and energy goals. However, since the bulk of policy action towards these goals generally takes place at the Member State level, these goals must also be adopted at Member State level for the indicators to track the success of policy implementation. For this, the goals that indicators track need to be included in national climate and energy plans. The EU has proposed to make this the case for some EU goals contained in the Energy Union project, but not for other ones. A closer integration of European indictors and national plans and targets set by Member States is needed. A singular use of indicators only to

The evolution of emissions trading in the EU. Tensions between national trading schemes and the proposed EU directive

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boemare, Catherine; Quirion, Philippe; Sorrell, Steve

2003-12-01

The EU is pioneering the development of greenhouse gas emissions trading, but there is a tension between the 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' evolution of trading schemes. While the Commission is introducing a European emissions trading scheme (EU ETS) in 2005, several member states have already introduced negotiated agreements that include trading arrangements. Typically, these national schemes have a wider scope than the proposed EU directive and allow firms to use relative rather than absolute targets. The coexistence of 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' trading schemes may create some complex problems of policy interaction. This paper explores the potential interactions between the EU ETS and the negotiated agreements in France and UK and uses these to illustrate some important generic issues. The paper first describes the proposed EU directive, outlines the UK and French policies and compares their main features to the EU ETS. It then discusses how the national and European policies may interact in practice. Four issues are highlighted, namely, double regulation, double counting of emission reductions, equivalence of effort and linking trading schemes. The paper concludes with some recommendations for the future development of UK and French climate policy

Evaluation of progress under the EU National Emission Ceilings Directive. Progress towards EU air quality objectives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-10-15

The objective of this report was to assess to what extent the NEC Directive's environmental and health objectives concerning acidification, eutrophication and ground-level ozone exposure for the year 2010 have been achieved. The main basis for the assessment is the emission inventory data officially reported by Member States. The analysis was conducted by using the same scientific methods of 2001 (original knowledge) and 2010 (present knowledge) that support European air pollution abatement policies. The original knowledge consisted of modelling concentrations and exposure using the older Lagrangian EMEP model (utilising a 150 x 150 km{sup 2} grid for the computation of grid-average S and N depositions and ground-level ozone concentrations, together with the 1998 European critical load database for assessing the risk of acidification and eutrophication). The assessment performed on the basis of present knowledge used the current Eulerian EMEP model on a 50 x 50 km{sup 2} grid for the computation of ecosystem-specific depositions and ground-level ozone concentrations, in combination with the 2008 European critical loads database. When assessing progress using original knowledge, the NEC Directive's interim environmental acidification objective has been met in almost all grid cells, while the eutrophication objective - provided in a footnote within the NEC Directive and which was formulated on the European Union area as a whole - has been met both for the EU-15 and the EU-27 regions as a whole. If, in contrast, the eutrophication objective had been required to be met in individual grid cells (as for acidification) or in individual Member States, it would be exceeded in many grid cells and in 11 Member States. While acidification has been markedly reduced, eutrophication is now recognised as a major environmental problem in Europe, especially in the context of its potential adverse impacts on biodiversity. An assessment using present knowledge indicates that

The state of Europe's environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lavoux, Th.; Desaunay, C.

2007-01-01

The deterioration of the world's environment, and in particular the ever greater likelihood of global warming, is the subject of an increasing number of studies. But what is known about the environmental situation in Europe? Despite the political impasse that the European Union is currently in, what are the individual member states doing about the environment? The EU's policy on the environment dates back to 1973, and is remarkable as one of the few areas where the member states appear to accept restrictive agreements unanimously and try afterwards to respect them. Furthermore, the activities of the European Environment Agency seem not to attract the criticisms levelled at most other EU institutions. As Thierry Lavoux explains in this article, the EU's measures have made it possible to stop using both lead in petroleum products and chlorofluorocarbons. The latest challenge for the member states is to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases (especially by meeting the Kyoto criteria) at the same time that emissions generated by the transport and construction sectors are growing steadily. In addition, he stresses, the member states need to be concerned by threats to their ecosystems from urban sprawl, massive use of pesticides and irrigation, and over-fishing... Lastly, says Thierry Lavoux, the EU members must quickly apply their minds to ways of making their agriculture more sustainable and limiting their production of toxic chemicals. (author)

Sharing Powers Within Exclusive Competences: Rethinking EU Antitrust Law Enforcement

OpenAIRE

Van Cleynenbreugel, Pieter

2016-01-01

Although the establishment of competition rules forms part of the EU’s exclusive competences, the application and enforcement of those rules has always been shared consistently between the EU and its Member States.The sharing of enforcement powers is conceptualised traditionally as a delegation of the exercise of exclusively conferred competences. The Court of Justice of the European Union’s case law in the context of EU antitrust law enforcement nevertheless raises profound questions as to t...

Tendances Carbone no. 101. Will anybody dare resuscitating the EU ETS?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schleicher, Stefan

2015-04-01

Among the publications of CDC Climat Research, 'Tendances Carbone' bulletin specifically studies the developments of the European market for CO 2 allowances. Beside some statistical figures about energy production/consumption and carbon markets, this issue specifically addresses the following points: - EU ETS - MSR timetable: The first Trilogue meeting between EU institutions took place on 30 March. The second is scheduled on 5 May. The Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States approved an implementation of the MSR in 2021. - EU's INDC: On 6 March, the EU Environment Council approved the EU's intended nationally determined contribution to achieve at least 40% domestic reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. - Consultations: On 26 March, the EU Commission launched two parallel consultations running until 18 June on the development of 2030 climate and energy policies in the sectors not covered by the EU ETS

RESOURCES AND LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY OF FOOD INDUSTRY IN MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION IN THE CONTEXT OF COMPETITIVENESS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katarzyna Łukiewska

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Labour resources are an important factor in competitiveness of the sector. The aim of the study was to evaluate the spatial concentration of labour resources, performance advantages and cost-price advantages that are associated with the work factor in the food industry in the European Union in 2010–2012. The results indicate that the greatest concentration of labour resources exists in Germany, France, Italy and Poland. The biggest performance advantage was observed in the old EU countries, mainly in Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. Diff erences in labour productivity in the food industry, the new EU countries, in relation to the old member states, are getting smaller. The most signifi cant cost-price advantage was observed in Ireland and the Netherlands, and many of the new EU countries, which compensated for the lack of performance advantages of lower labour costs. These include Poland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary and Romania.

Attitudes to Agricultural Policy and Farming Futures in the Context of the 2003 CAP Reform: A Comparison of Farmers in Selected Established and New Member States

Science.gov (United States)

Gorton, Matthew; Douarin, Elodie; Davidova, Sophia; Latruffe, Laure

2008-01-01

Farmers' attitudes, to agricultural production, diversification and policy support, and behavioural intentions in five Member States of the EU (France, Lithuania, Slovakia, Sweden, England) are analysed comparatively. Groups of farmers with similarly held attitudes are identified using cluster analysis to investigate whether differences in…

EU joint investigation teams: Political ambitions and police practices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Block, L.; Hufnagel, S.; Harfield, C.; Bronitt, S.

2011-01-01

Since 1997 there exists strong political will in the European Union (EU) to use Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) to foster police cooperation in criminal investigations. For most Member States the legal basis to establish JITs became available in 2004. However, as yet, only around 40 JITs have been

Institutional support of learning from accidents: some obstacles to getting a useful community-wide database in the EU

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hedlund, Frank Huess; Andersen, Henning Boje

Union’s Major Accident Reporting System (MARS), which is created in conjunction with the EU regulatory instruments to prevent major industrial accidents, the Seveso-directive. We review some of the general requirements that a successful reporting system must meet and suggest that MARS may not live up...... to the noble intentions behind its creation. Our case example is a simple methanol tank storage installation which we believe can be found in most if not all EU member states. We demonstrate that the data in some of the Short Reports in MARS have a number of serious shortcomings. Causes are not identified...... and lessons learned are left blank. We argue that there are substantial opportunities foregone in the EU system that provides institutional support to learning from past experience. Over the course of 22 years the EU database has only accumulated about 600 Short Reports for all its member states. We consider...

How the European Parliament's participation in international relations affects the deep tissue of the EU's power structures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eckes, C.

2014-01-01

The European Parliament’s (EP) public refusal to consent to several international agreements gives EU citizens a voice in international relations, which, with all its flaws, draws on a source of democratic legitimation that is independent and separate from the EU member states. These acts of

How the European Parliament's participation in international relations affects the deep tissue of the EU's power structures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eckes, C.

2014-01-01

The European Parliament’s public refusal to consent to several international agreements gives EU citizens a voice in international relations, which, with all its flaws, draws on a source of democratic legitimation that is independent and separate from the EU Member States. These acts of contestation

EU policies on car emissions and fuel quality. Reducing the climate impact from road transport

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Christensen, Anne Raaum; Gulbrandsen, Lars H.

2012-07-01

Transport is the second biggest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the EU, and contributes about one-quarter of the EU's total emissions of CO{sub 2}. Significant reductions in GHG emissions from transport are required if the EU is to achieve its long-term climate goals. This report examines the making and implementation of two of the regulations the EU has put in place to lower emissions from the transport sector: the EU's revised Fuel Quality Directive (Directive 2009/30/EC) and the cars/CO{sub 2} regulation (Regulation (EC) 443/2009). It was found that the relevance of various theories of policymaking in the EU varies with different policy phases. A policy-network understanding of EU policymaking is strengthened when assessing the policy-initiation phase. The Commission played a key role in this phase and drafted legislation in close collaboration with the car and oil refining industries. An intergovernmentalist understanding of EU policy-making is strengthened when assessing the decision-making phase. In this phase, member states defending the interests of their domestic industries had strong influence, but the European Parliament played an important role in this phase too, employing its power in the co-decision procedure. Finally, the implementation process is best understood as a multi-level governance process in which several actors and institutions - notably the Commission, member states, industries, and NGOs - influenced the process. (Author)

The European Climate Change Programme. EU Action against Climate Change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

The European Union has long been committed to international efforts to tackle climate change and felt the duty to set an example through robust policy-making at home. At European level a comprehensive package of policy measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has been initiated through the European Climate Change Programme (ECCP). Each of the 25 EU Member States has also put in place its own domestic actions that build on the ECCP measures or complement them. The European Commission established the ECCP in 2000 to help identify the most environmentally effective and most cost-effective policies and measures that can be taken at European level to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The immediate goal is to help ensure that the EU meets its target for reducing emissions under the Kyoto Protocol. This requires the 15 countries that were EU members before 2004 to cut their combined emissions of greenhouse gases to 8% below the 1990 level by 2012

(Inefficiency of EU Common Foreign and Security Policy: Ukraine, Brexit, Trump and beyond

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Filipec Ondřej

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The main aim of this article is to explore and analyze key determinants of EU Common Foreign and Security Policy efficiency. For this purpose a 3C analytical approach is used, exploring EU foreign and security policy consistency, capacities and the dimension of cooperation. Article analyzes both horizontal and vertical, consistency of EU Foreign and Security policy especially with connection to Ukraine crises and diverging interests of EU member states. EU capacities are explored with main focus on military spending and challenges related to limited spending. EU military decline is put in contrast with new emerging regional powers. In the area of cooperation article is dedicated mainly to ineffective partnership with Turkey, cold attitude of Trump administration towards Europe and the implications of Brexit for EU foreign and security policy.

Vybrané aspekty vzniku "Charty EU: Standardní podmínky svobody sdělovacích prostředků v celé EU"

OpenAIRE

Melíšková, Iva

2015-01-01

The bachelor thesis Selected aspects of "the EU Charter: Standard terms of media freedom in the EU" is about selected influences which shaped the media environment in the European Union's member states. Firstly, it defines the tradition of freedom of speech in Europe as well as the role of certain institutions of the European Union, Council of Europe and international players which supports the freedom of speech. Some parts are dedicated to the media policy of the European Union and certain r...

Technical support for an enabling policy framework for carbon dioxide capture and geological storage. Task 3. Incentivising CO2 capture and storage in the EU

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Coninck, H.; Groenenberg, H.

2007-03-01

To date CO2 capture and storage (CCS) is not deployed at a commercial scale, and a range of policy instruments could be used to provide adequate incentives for large scale deployment of CCS in the European Union. Five groups of incentives are discussed: (1) the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (weak and strong version); (2) Member-State-based public financial support through investment support, feed-in subsidies or a CO2 price guarantee; (3) an EU-level low-carbon portfolio standard with tradable certificates; (4) an EU-wide CCS obligation for all new fossil-fuel-based power capacity, and (5) public-private partnerships for realizing a CO2 pipeline infrastructure. The nature of the policy, mainly in case the scale of the instrument matters and much public financial is involved, determines whether it will be implemented by the EU or at the Member-State level. Support for CCS projects at the Member-State level, however, will require amendment of the Community Guidelines for State Aid for Environmental Protection

Transatlantic Cooperation in Space: Eu-Canada Free Trade Agreement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luise Weber-Steinhaus

2014-12-01

Full Text Available National governments are keenly aware of the need for investment in space. Canada, as a formal cooperating state in the European Space Agency (ESA, and Germany, as a leading member state of ESA, are interlinked in Europe’s space endeavours. Beyond ESA, Germany and Canada additionally have a strong history of bilateral cooperation on a range of space projects. This paper discusses the novel interdependencies between clear national and now supranational space policies, using the examples of the Canada-European Union (EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA. The agreement covers most aspects of the EU-Canada bilateral economic relationship and includes space. The paper focuses on international space policies, strategic bilateral co-operation, and technical accomplishments. It takes a closer look at German-Canadian collaboration in space programs and offers some reflection on the effect of both the EU and ESA’S transatlantic involvement in space.

The International Obligations of the European Union and its Member States with regard to Economic Relations with Israeli Settlements, CNCD, FIDH, 71 p.

OpenAIRE

Dubuisson, François

2014-01-01

The report will demonstrate that under existing international law the EU and its member states have the obligation to refrain from any form of trade or economic relations with Israeli companies established or conducting activities in Palestinian territories. This obligation arises from customary principles that govern States’ international responsibilities and set out the consequences, for third States, of serious breaches of peremptory norms of international law. We will first describe how t...

(DeCentralization of Public Procurement at the Local Level in the EU

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Boštjan BREZOVNIK

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The so-called decentralization of public procurement in EU Member States is accepted as the most suitable design of the public procurement system, often justifi ed by greater economic effi ciency and by the possibility of boosting the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, which act on the public procurement market as providers of goods, services and works. Despite the existence of highly decentralized public procurement systems which refl ect the decentralization of administrative systems, especially after the recession, there is a stronger tendency for centralization of public procurement in the EU. The so-called aggregation of demand by contracting authorities can be done in order to achieve economies of scale, including lower prices and transaction costs as well as to improve and professionalize the management of procurement procedures (as highlighted in the Directive 2014/24/EU by the European Parliament and the EU Council. However, even in the context of public procurement centralization, local contracting authorities (i.e., public administration authorities and organizations in Member States should be provided with a suffi ciently wide range of possible (centralized organizational structures and contractual (vertical and horizontal public-public partnerships which will allow them to select the most suitable and most economically effective organizational structure for the execution of public procurement.

Osobennosti jenergeticheskoj strategii ES v Baltijskom regione [The features of EU energy strategy in the Baltic region

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Kretinin Gannady

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This article analyses the issues of EU energy policy in the 1990s-the beginning of the 2000s in order to identify the features of energy supply and energy safety of the Baltic region countries. The research and practical significance of the work lies in the stepwise description of actions taken by EU leaders and EU member states in order to formulate a common European energy policy. The 2004 EU enlargement posed the problem of taking into account the features of energy supply of Eastern European countries and, especially, the Baltic States. The energy industries of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, as well as other Eastern European and CIS countries, are closely related to the energy industry of the Russian Federation. Trying to allow for this circumstance, EU leaders and energy structures took a number of organizational measures aimed, on the one hand, at an increase in energy independence of new members of the EU and, on the other hand, at taking into account the recent trends in the energy market development. The research shows that most of the initiatives do not take into account the perspective and interests of Russia, which has a strong presence in the energy market. The analysis conducted will help the assessment of prospects of further development of the Baltic States' energy industry and its interaction with that of the Russian Federation.

Does the new EU-BSS improve radon protection in Austria?; Wird durch die neue EU-BSS der Radonschutz in Oesterreich verbessert?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ringer, W. [AGES, Linz (Austria). Oesterreichische Fachstelle fuer Radon; Haider, W. [Bundesministerium fuer Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Umwelt und Wasserwirtschaft, Wien (Austria). Abt. Strahlenschutz

2015-07-01

The new Council Directive 2013/59/EURATOM regarding radiation protection (EU-BSS) contains comprehensive regulations regarding radon protection in dwellings, in public buildings, and at workplaces for the first time. Key elements are the specification of a reference level of maximum 300 Bq/m{sup 3}, the establishment of a national radon action plan, and a more comprehensive regulation of radon protection at workplaces and public buildings. The radon action plan shall contain strategies and measures regarding for example the estimation of the distribution of indoor radon concentrations, the mapping of radon, the radon risk communication strategy, the assignment of responsibilities, and regular reviews of the action plan. The new EU-BSS often requires only the establishment of strategies and the specification of measures, leaving the precise content of the strategies and measures to the member states. This gives the member states flexibility for the implementation of the EU-BSS into national legislation and allows to account for specific national experiences and circumstances. This contribution discusses and evaluates - based on the existing regulations concerning radon protection in Austria - the effectiveness of different new measures and regulations with respect to reducing the radon risk in Austria. Furthermore, their feasibility and practicability in terms of administrative and financial effort will be discussed. Thus, efficient new measures which lead to an improvement of the current radon control system will be identified.

Issues and options with regard to the renewables target in the context of the 2030 EU Climate and Energy Package

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spencer, Thomas; Colombier, Michel; Ribera, Teresa

2014-01-01

The renewables target in the current package has leveraged significant growth in renewables. The share of renewables in final energy consumption increased from 9.7% in 2007 to 13% in 2011; in electricity from 15.8% to 21.7%. Unit costs have fallen as well. However, the renewables targets have also generated significant conflict. The synthetic indicator used to distribute EU targets (GDP/capita) has meant that some Member States must make significant efforts, in the final analysis possibly in excess of their economic potential and preferences. Top-down targets have unleashed policy innovation and capacity expansion in Member States; but in some cases effective appropriation in Member States' policy approaches has lagged behind. Nonetheless, there are still strong arguments for a framework for renewables in the future package. Firstly, these technologies will be vital to any long-term, decarbonization scenario. Secondly, there are still significant cost cuts that must be achieved in many renewables technologies, via technological and systemic learning driven by controlled capacity expansion and enhanced R and D. Thirdly, coordinating policy and infrastructure planning, as well as market integration and state aid policy all require that we have a clear idea of the direction of the EU energy mix and Member State policy efforts. In this context, this paper explores options to include renewables in the 2030 climate and energy package. These include binding, top-down targets, non-binding targets, and binding, bottom-up targets negotiated within an EU framework. Whatever approach is taken to the options discussed in the paper, it appears that a key role of the 2030 package should be to strengthen planning and policy processes within Member States, and in turn its integration at EU level. (authors)

SOME COORDINATES CONCERNING TAXATION IN THE EU CANDIDATE COUNTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CARMEN COMANICIU

2015-10-01

Full Text Available For accession to European Union, tax area is of particular importance, because it recognizes the impact of taxation on economic growth and development, and indirect taxation significantly contributes to the formation of the EU budget resources. Without prejudice to the fiscal sovereignty of Member States, EU tax policy strategy aims establishing a framework that eliminate the tax obstacles that may affect cross-border economic activity, identify the actions on preventing and combating tax evasion, improve collaboration between tax administrations. Without claiming an exhaustive approach, through issues highlighted in this article, we will identify both the similarities and the particularities of taxation from Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey, and also manner in which taxation of the 5 EU candidate countries meets the requirements on the fiscal coordination and fiscal harmonization from EU tax policy perspective.

Theoretical principles and practice of EU regional policy monitoring

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Viktoriia Olіinyk

2014-09-01

Full Text Available The paper explores the practice of monitoring and evaluating regional development policy in the European Union, as well as impact thereof on key indicators of economic and social development both in separate regions and in the EU as a whole. The authors analyzed developments in the regional policy monitoring practice, while also identified peculiarities characteristic of the monitoring process regarding implementation of development programmes and determined main stages of evaluation. The paper specifies basic difficulties in setting up the system of monitoring and evaluating achievement of objectives and coordination of regional programmes. The authors described major disparity in economic and social development of the EU Member States under their development programmes as well as determined main indicators of EU regional disparities. Principles, instruments and mechanisms for monitoring EU regional policy were also defined. The paper analyzes changes in the EU regional development paradigm focusing on the priorities for concentrating financial resources and instruments in terms of cohesion policy

Designing planning and reporting for good governance of the EU's post-2020 climate and energy goals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sartor, Oliver; Colombier, Michel; Spencer, Thomas

2015-10-01

The European Union has agreed climate and energy goals for 2030. These objectives include, among others: reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40%; increase the share of renewable energy to at least 27% of total final energy consumption; improve the efficiency of energy consumption by at least 27-30%. But while the targets are clear, what remains less clear is how the EU is to ensure that they are collectively achieved by its 28 Member States and how the actions Member States take to meet their goals by 2030 can be made consistent with Europe's more ambitious, climate objectives to reduce emissions by 80-95% by 2050. This paper puts forward a proposal for a new European Energy Union 'governance mechanism' that attempts to answer these questions, taking into account the priorities of different Member States in the current European context. The EU's 2020 Climate and Energy Package could assign legally-binding national targets to Member States for different aspects of their energy systems, such as for renewable energy, because these targets, although ambitious, remained at the margins of the national energy mix. But as the low-carbon transition makes progress, the changes required to national energy mixes become more fundamental and structural, and national competencies become increasingly important in defining the strategic direction of the energy sector and decarbonization strategies. However, it is also crucial that Member State's nationally determined strategies are consistent with the EU's overarching climate and energy goals, both to 2030 and 2050, and that their progress on key areas of EU relevance and competency can be effectively monitored. Doing this will require a more nuanced approach to governing EU climate policy than the two extremes that are currently presented in the debate: either a) a set of top-down, legally binding targets for all aspects of Energy Union, or b) a harmonised but ultimately very weak planning and reporting instrument with no

Magnetic properties and effect of pressure on the electronic state of EuCo2Ge2

Science.gov (United States)

Ashitomi, Y.; Kakihana, M.; Honda, F.; Nakamura, A.; Aoki, D.; Uwatoko, Y.; Nakashima, M.; Amako, Y.; Takeuchi, T.; Kida, T.; Tahara, T.; Hagiwara, M.; Haga, Y.; Hedo, M.; Nakama, T.; Ōnuki, Y.

2018-05-01

EuCo2Ge2 with the tetragonal structure is a Eu-divalent antiferromagnet with the Néel temperature TN = 23 K. The magnetic easy-axis corresponds to the [100] direction (a-axis), while the [001] direction (c-axis) is a hard-axis. The magnetization for H∥ [ 100 ] indicates a metamagnetic transition at 25 kOe and saturates above 75 kOe. On the other hand, the hard-axis magnetization increases approximately linearly and saturates above 110 kOe. The magnetic phase diagram was constructed. A characteristic feature in EuCo2Ge2 is known as a valence transition under pressure, from Eu 2+δ to Eu 3 - δ ‧(δ, δ ‧ electronic state is changed into a moderate heavy fermion state and approaches the nearly trivalent electronic state.

Discourses of State identity and Post-Lisbon National Foreign Policy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Henrik

2014-01-01

The political system of the EU and its member states is frequently seen as postWestphalian within constructivist-inspired research. This is based on the view that political authority and legitimacy are to be found both at the EU level and the national level with no clear borders between them....... The question raised in this article is how the member states conceive of themselves as foreign policy actors in this situation where they are both politically embedded in EU foreign policy structures and, in most cases, formally able to act outside the EU structures in the field of foreign policy. The overall...... argument is that a pertinent answer to this question can be provided by looking at how (or whether) state identity is articulated in relation to the EU. The paper first presents theoretical considerations relating to discursive articulations of state identity in an EU context. The relevance...

The Impact of the Financial and Economic Crisis on EU's FDI

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Agnes Ghibuțiu

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Following a five-year period of uninterrupted growth and reaching a historical peak in 2007, world foreign direct investment flows (FDI declined in 2008, in large part as a result of the global financial and economic crisis. The European Union (EU as a major source and recipient of FDI flows in the world has been particularly badly hit, reflecting the close economic relationship which exists between the EU and the rest of the world, on the one hand, and among the Member States, on the other hand. The paper analyses the impact of the current crisis on EU's FDI inflows and outflows, in terms of dynamics and volume, as well as the short term and long-term prospects for FDI. Special attention is devoted to disentangling the transmission channels of the crisis, the key features of the FDI downturn and its underlying factors. The empirical investigation relies on UNCTAD data for tracing the evolution of FDI flows at the European level as compared to worldwide trends, while Eurostat data are used to highlight the impact of the crisis on intra-EU FDI flows. Whenever possible, a distinctive analysis is carried out for the old and new EU Member States. The paper is organized around six sections. Its findings reveal, inter alia, that notwithstanding the sharp fall in total FDI flows in 2008, the EU maintains its position as a global leader in terms of FDI flows. However, it will take quite a long time until recovering from the negative effects of the present crisis in terms of investments. Besides, the EU is not likely to be the driving force behind the next wave of FDI surge in the world as this role will be taken over by emerging economies like China, India and Brazilia.

EU Exports to the World: Overview of the effects on employment and income

OpenAIRE

RUEDA CANTUCHE JOSE; SOUSA Nuno

2016-01-01

As trade agreements create the conditions for an increase in EU exports they also foster more and better job opportunities for European citizens. From 1995 to 2011 the number of jobs in the EU that were supported by exports of goods and services to the rest of the world increased by 67% to reach around 31 million. These represented 1 in 7 jobs across the 27 EU Member States (up from 1 in 11 jobs in 1995). They tended to be high-skilled and were on average better paid. • In o...

Capital mobility in the panel GMM framework: Evidence from EU members

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Natalya Ketenci

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the level of international capital mobility in European Union members under the Feldstein and Horioka (1980 hypothesis. The validity of the Feldstein-Horioka puzzle is investigated taking into account the impact of the global financial crisis employing the generalized method of moments (GMM estimation technique developed by Hansen (1982. In general, the world countries with time have a tendency to a higher level of capital market openness. According to Feldstein and Horioka (1980, a higher saving-investment correlation is related to lower capital mobility. In this paper, panel data for 27 European countries were used for the period of 1995-2013 on the quarterly basis. The empirical results provide evidence of high capital mobility in EU members, obtaining a low value of a saving retention coefficient. The results of estimations indicate significant dependence of investments on its past values. It is found that the global financial crisis had a deeply negative impact on investment rates in 2007 and for the general period of 2007-2013. The empirical results indicate that the level of capital mobility increased during the global financial crisis, 2007-2013. Thus decrease in investments and increase in the international capital mobility level of European countries during the period of the global financial crisis of 2007-2013, taking into account high risk in the international market, indicates a reallocation of capital from international to regional markets.

EU Emission Trading - better job second time around?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schleich, Joachim |; Betz, Regina; Rogge, Karoline |

2007-01-01

The EU Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) for CO 2 -emissions from energy and industry installations reflects a paradigm shift towards market-based instruments for environmental policy in the EU. The centerpieces of the EU ETS are National Allocation Plans (NAPs), which individual Member States (MS) design for each phase. NAPs state the total quantity of allowances available in each period (ET-budget) and determine how MS allocate allowances to individual installations. The NAPs thus govern investments and innovation in energy efficient technologies and the energy sector. In terms of distribution, they predetermine winners and losers. In this paper we analyze and evaluate 25 NAPs submitted to the European Commission (EC) for phase 2 (2008-2012) of the EU ETS. At the macro level, we assess whether the submitted ET-budgets are stringent, and whether they imply a cost-efficient split of the required emission reductions between the EU ETS sectors (energy and industry) and the remaining sectors (transportation, tertiary and households). Comparing the submitted ET-budgets with those already approved by the EC suggests that the EC's decisions significantly improved the effectiveness and economic efficiency of the EU ETS. But given the high share of Kyoto Mechanisms companies are allowed to use, the EU ETS is unlikely to require substantial emission reductions within the EU. At the micro level, we assess (across countries and phases) the allocation methods for existing and new installations, for closures and for clean technologies. A comparison of the NAPs for the second phase and the first phase (2005-2007) provides insights into the (limited) adaptability and flexibility of the scheme. The findings provide guidance for the future design of the EU ETS and applications to other sectors and regions

Energy Vulnerability and EU-Russia Energy Relations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edward Hunter Christie

2009-08-01

Full Text Available The concept of energy vulnerability is reviewed and discussed with a focus on Russia’s foreign energy relations, in particular those with European countries. A definition and a conceptual framework for quantifying energy vulnerability are proposed in the context of a review of recent research on energy vulnerability indices. In particular it is suggested that source country diversification should be reflected using the expected shortfall measure used in financial economics, rather than the Herfindahl-Hirschman or Shannon-Wiener indices, and that the former should then enter a calibrated function in order to yield expected economic loss. The issues of asymmetric failure probabilities and accidental versus intentional supply disruptions are then discussed with examples of recent Russian actions. Energy vulnerability measurement and modelling should ultimately inform policy. In particular, member states should legislate that no energy infrastructure project by one or more member states may increase the energy vulnerability of another member state. Additionally, European environmental policies, notably the EU ETS, should be amended so as to account for induced changes in energy vulnerability. Finally, member states should increase the level of transparency and disclosure with respect to gas import statistics and gas supply contracts.

Considerations on Cattle Stock and Cow Fresh Milk Production in the EU Countries

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Agatha Popescu

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The paper aimed to analyze the evolution of cattle stock and cow milk production in order to point out the main trends and differences between the EU-27 member states in the period 2004-2008. The data collected from FAO Stat, 2010 have been processed calculating the fixed basis index, average annual rhythm index and also the share of each EU state in cow milk production at the EU and world level.The main trends in the EU concerning cow milk sector are the continuous decrease in cattle stock, the increase of cow milk yield under the conditions of keeping a constant milk production and also milk production per capita. In 2008, the EU-27 was raising 90,478 thou cattle, and produced 149,388 thou tons cow fresh milk. The EU -27 is placed on the 5th position for number of cattle and on the 1st position for cow milk production, producing 25.8 % of world production. The largest milk producers in the EU-27 are Germany, France, United Kingdom, Poland, Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Romania and Denmark, whose contribution to the EU productions is 82.82 %.

The development of environmental management system in Serbia and Montenegro as part of the EU accession

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zdravković Dušan S.

2004-01-01

Full Text Available Environmental protection is one of the top priorities of the EU. The EU regulates this area both within the Union and internationally. Also, the regulations concerning environmental protection in the EU to a certain extent exceed the national level. The EU environmental legislation imposes a number of challenges to membership candidates. Legal heritage of the EU is very extensive, complex and costly, and environmental problems are much more important in the EU membership candidates than in the member states. Therefore, it is of great importance for transitional countries such as Serbia and Montenegro to participate in the EU Stabilization and Association Process as well as in the WTO accession process.

FINANCING DEMOCRACY OR CORRUPTION? POLITICAL PARTY FINANCING IN THE EU’ S SOUTHEASTERN AND EASTERN MEMBER STATES

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Ada-Iuliana POPESCU

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Fighting public-sector corruption has become a priority for most governments and international organizations. The public sector is the source of many benefits. Realizing improper private gains from these benefits has long been the core definition of corruption. As the public sector grows and expands its activities, the complexity of its activities also increases. The opportunities for improper private gains grow, too. Therefore, not surprisingly, the EU admits that the public sector, including political parties and public administrations, are especially vulnerable to corruption. Political parties, for instance, depend on the funding destined for their capability to win elections and otherwise to influence public policies. In turn, this dependency creates opportunities for a variety of corrupt activities. Ensuring that campaign funding promotes democracy and not corruption requires well-crafted, vigorously enforced laws. This article analyzes the legal framework of political party financing in the Eastern and South-eastern European EU member states, in order to assess how well it works in preventing political party corruption.

POST-CRIMEAN TWISTER: RUSSIA, THE EU AND THE LAW OF SANCTIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PAUL KALINICHENKO

2017-01-01

Full Text Available EU-Russia relations have never been simple. On the one hand, these two international actors have common values and interests. On the other, they have a conflictual relationship, which has become particularly acute after the Ukrainian crisis that started in 2014. After Ukrainian crisis, the EU and Russia have entered a new era. Unfortunately, it is an era of brinkmanship. This brinkmanship is marked, prima facie, by mutual sanctions. After 20 years of partnership and good neighborliness it sounds illogically, but it is a reality. The strategic nature of the EU-Russia partnership has been placed in doubt. The aim of this article is to show that the “war of sanctions,” which has frozen official contacts and negotiations have not achieved anything. This crisis can only be overcome through dialogue. However, at the moment, the main critics of the EU sanctions amongst EU Member States are too weak to convince the other members to lift them. The article concerns the modern legal aspects and modern legal circumstances surrounding EU-Russia relations in the light of recent events and the deterioration of relations between Russia and the EU in general. In this framework, an account is given of the EU’s reaction to the Ukrainian conflict in the context of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy and of the EU restrictive measures as well as in the context of the Russian countersanctions. A special attention is paid to the EU Court of Justice case-law in the field of the restrictive measures.

ANDREEA NICOLĂESCU, The Work-Life Balance in Current EU Labour Market Policies

OpenAIRE

CRISTINA LEOVARIDIS

2011-01-01

A work-life balance is one of the factors that increases an employee's individual satisfaction, leading to higher economic performance, an aspect that is found in most EU strategic documents dealing with the labour market. Focusing on gender differences, the article carries out a comparative analysis of the situation in EU Member States, on several dimensions: working time, flexible work arrangements, providing opportunities for assuming different domestic responsibilities etc.

EU climate policy up to 2020. An economic impact assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boehringer, Christoph [Department of Economics, University of Oldenburg (Germany); Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) Mannheim (Germany); Loeschel, Andreas [Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) Mannheim (Germany); Moslener, Ulf [KfW Development Bank, Frankfurt (Germany); Rutherford, Thomas F. [Center for Energy Policy and Economy (CEPE), ETH Zuerich (Switzerland)

2009-07-01

In its fight against climate change the EU is committed to reducing its overall greenhouse gas emissions to at least 20% below 1990 levels by 2020. To meet this commitment, the EU builds on segmented market regulation with an EU-wide cap-and-trade system for emissions from energy-intensive installations (ETS sectors) and additional measures by each EU Member State covering emission sources outside the cap-and-trade system (the non-ETS sector). Furthermore, the EU has launched additional policy measures such as renewable energy subsidies in order to promote compliance with the climate policy target. Basic economic reasoning suggests that emission market segmentation and overlapping regulation can create substantial excess costs if we focus only on the climate policy target. In this paper, we evaluate the economic impacts of EU climate policy based on numerical simulations with a computable general equilibrium model of international trade and energy use. Our results highlight the importance of initial market distortions and imperfections as well as alternative baseline projections for the appropriate assessment of EU compliance cost. (author)

EU climate policy up to 2020: An economic impact assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boehringer, Christoph, E-mail: boehringer@uni-oldenburg.d [Department of Economics, University of Oldenburg (Germany); Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) Mannheim (Germany); Loeschel, Andreas [Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) Mannheim (Germany); Moslener, Ulf [KfW Development Bank, Frankfurt (Germany); Rutherford, Thomas F. [Center for Energy Policy and Economy (CEPE), ETH Zuerich (Switzerland)

2009-07-01

In its fight against climate change the EU is committed to reducing its overall greenhouse gas emissions to at least 20% below 1990 levels by 2020. To meet this commitment, the EU builds on segmented market regulation with an EU-wide cap-and-trade system for emissions from energy-intensive installations (ETS sectors) and additional measures by each EU Member State covering emission sources outside the cap-and-trade system (the non-ETS sector). Furthermore, the EU has launched additional policy measures such as renewable energy subsidies in order to promote compliance with the climate policy target. Basic economic reasoning suggests that emission market segmentation and overlapping regulation can create substantial excess costs if we focus only on the climate policy target. In this paper, we evaluate the economic impacts of EU climate policy based on numerical simulations with a computable general equilibrium model of international trade and energy use. Our results highlight the importance of initial market distortions and imperfections as well as alternative baseline projections for the appropriate assessment of EU compliance cost.

EU climate policy up to 2020. An economic impact assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boehringer, Christoph; Loeschel, Andreas; Moslener, Ulf; Rutherford, Thomas F.

2009-01-01

In its fight against climate change the EU is committed to reducing its overall greenhouse gas emissions to at least 20% below 1990 levels by 2020. To meet this commitment, the EU builds on segmented market regulation with an EU-wide cap-and-trade system for emissions from energy-intensive installations (ETS sectors) and additional measures by each EU Member State covering emission sources outside the cap-and-trade system (the non-ETS sector). Furthermore, the EU has launched additional policy measures such as renewable energy subsidies in order to promote compliance with the climate policy target. Basic economic reasoning suggests that emission market segmentation and overlapping regulation can create substantial excess costs if we focus only on the climate policy target. In this paper, we evaluate the economic impacts of EU climate policy based on numerical simulations with a computable general equilibrium model of international trade and energy use. Our results highlight the importance of initial market distortions and imperfections as well as alternative baseline projections for the appropriate assessment of EU compliance cost. (author)

Economic Impacts of the 1997 EU Energy Tax: Simulations with Three EU-Wide Models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jansen, H.; Klaassen, G.

2000-01-01

In March 1997 the European Commission adopted a proposal that increases existing minimum levels of taxation on mineral oils by around 10 to 25% and introduces excises for other energy products. This paper analyses the macroeconomic impacts of the proposal. It employs three models: HERMES, GEM-E3, and E3ME. All models confirm that the proposal will have positive macroeconomic impacts when the tax revenues are used to reduce social security contributions paid by employers. For the EU as a whole, both GDP and employment are expected to be higher and CO2 emissions are 0.9 to 1.6 percent lower. The positive EU-wide effects can be observed in practically all member states. The sector impacts are modest, with the energy sector expected to face the most negative impacts. Differences between model results are due to the model type (general equilibrium or macro-econometric), the EU countries covered and the way tax exemptions were handled. Crucial assumptions to obtain the 'double dividend' are the modelling of the labour market and the impacts on EU external trade. The sensitivity of the results for the use of tax revenues, tax exemptions and tax rate increases is assessed. 21 refs

Census taking in the Western Balkans : a challenging and often controversial task on the way to EU membership

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoh, Anna-Lena

2016-01-01

On the road towards EU enlargement, potential member states need to comply with the EU acquis communautaire. Chapter 18 of the acquis foresees the conduct of a population census by enlargement countries. This has proven to be more challenging in the post-war environment of the former Yugoslavia than

Energy poverty policies in the EU: A critical perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouzarovski, Stefan; Petrova, Saska; Sarlamanov, Robert

2012-01-01

Once confined to the UK context – where it was struggling to receive political recognition for years – the concept of energy (or fuel) poverty is slowly entering the EU's agenda, where it has crept into a number of regulatory documents and policy proposals. Using evidence gathered from an international workshop and semi-structured interviews with decision-makers, experts and advocacy activists in Brussels and Sofia, this paper explores the adoption of policies aimed at addressing energy poverty within (i) the organisational context of the EU; and (ii) national state institutions in Bulgaria – a member state facing considerable problems at the energy affordability – social inequality nexus. While the former are largely nascent and poorly co-ordinated, the latter have already been implemented de jure to a significant extent. However, many unresolved issues surrounding their de facto implementation remain. At the same time, national policy makers remain largely unaware of the existence of direct energy poverty related initiatives at the EU level. - Highlights: ► This paper explores the adoption of energy poverty policies within the EU and Bulgaria. ► We establish the existence of a range of nascent efforts to address the issue at EU level. ► Bulgaria has been good at implementing EU energy poverty relevant directives. ► However, policy makers speak a different language when it comes to direct energy poverty action.

THE ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF ACCESSIBILITY IN CONSTITUTION OF STATE BUDGET REVENUE IN ROMANIA AND IN THE OTHER MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CHIRCULESCU MARIA FELICIA

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The work is topical even though there have been many concerns over the time of the importance of revenues collected from excises at the level of the state budget in Romania and in other EU Member States. Due to the complex nature of the revenue generation to the state budget, the attempt to find the best modality of realizing the revenues to the state budget has not yet come to a solution. Regarding the objective of the paper, it is the exposition of the excise duty role in the constitution of the state budget revenues for the period 2010-2016 for Romania and for the period 2010-2015 for the European Union. The results of the excise tax analysis in establishing the state budget revenues in Romania for the period 2010- 2016 indicate that although in absolute terms the revenues realized to the state budget from excises increased by ROL 9,343.9 million, however, the influence generated in the gross domestic product If the level of excise duties in GDP was 317% at the level of 2016, this share was 3.37%. At European Union level, the share of excise tax in the average tax revenue is low (1.1%, but as it results from the content of the work in 2015 in Estonia there was a 13.2% level of the excise tax rate in the tax revenues, Well above the EU average, followed by Luxembourg (6.8% and Ireland (6.2%.

Language, copyright and geographic segmentation in the EU Digital Single Market for music and film

OpenAIRE

Estrella Gomez Herrera; Bertin Martens

2015-01-01

The EU seeks to create a seamless online Digital Single Market for media products such as digital music and film. The territoriality of the copyright regime is often perceived as an obstacle that induces geographical segmentation. This paper provides empirical evidence on the extent of market segmentation in the EU on the supply and demand side and measures the contribution of several drivers of this market segmentation. We use data from the Apple iTunes country stores in 27 EU Member States ...

Participation in EU decision making: Implications for the Hungarian political institutions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Takàcs, T.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/304822582

2009-01-01

Amongst the main concerns that preceded the European Union’s all time biggest enlargement of 2004 was whether the new Member States would smoothly integrate into the EU decision-making procedures. The worrying speculations of how the difference between the interest, political- and negotiation

IAEA-EU Joint Action Partnership in Improving Nuclear Security

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-12-01

infrastructure related to nuclear and other radioactive material to enable the country to fulfil its national and international obligations; (ii) Nuclear security measures for nuclear and other radioactive material in use, storage and transport and their related facilities; (iii) State's capabilities for dealing with nuclear and radioactive material out of control of national regulatory control. The programme - with a combined budget for the first four EU Joint Actions of about Euro 22 million (implementation period January 2005-December 2011) - covers 88 potential beneficiary States and includes both Member States and non-Member States of the IAEA. These funds have been appropriated in response to a growing need for tighter control of nuclear and radioactive material and a better understanding of how to implement policies and procedures to ensure that effective nuclear security measures are in place. An additional region was added to each Action, with Central Asia, South-eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and South-East Asia being covered by EU Joint Action IV in 2008. A Contribution Agreement for EU Council Decision V was signed in November 2010 under which the European Commission contributed nearly Euro 10 million to the Nuclear Security Fund (NSF). EU Council Division V expands the reach of the programme to States in the Gulf, South America, the Caribbean and Middle America region, with 126 States eligible for support worldwide.

EU Security of Gas Supplies: Solidarity Runs Through the Pipeline

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoun, Marie-Claire; Rutten, Daan

2016-05-01

The ongoing efforts to lessen the European Union's (EU) vulnerability to gas shortages by adopting internal measures were triggered by the Ukrainian gas disputes of 2006 and 2009. The latter deprived several EU Member States of 20% of their gas supplies (30% of imports) for 14 days in the middle of winter due to tensions with Russia. This prompted Member States in 2010 to adopt a Regulation for the Security of Gas Supply, replacing the skeletal 2004 Directive. Since 2014, tensions have increased significantly between the EU and Russia, the block's main gas supplier. Although this has not led to any gas supply disruptions in Europe, and this time Ukraine has been able to revert to reverse flows, national production and storage withdrawals to replace the Russian gas flows, there remains a perceived elevated risk of gas supply disruptions to the EU, especially by certain Member States. This led the European Commission (EC) to publish its first-ever European Energy Security Strategy in May 2014, which was followed by the Gas Stress Tests of October 2014. In February 2015, the EC published its Energy Union Strategy Framework, which was strongly motivated by energy security concerns. In that context, the EC announced a series of proposals for its gas and electricity markets in 2016 and 2017, among which was the 'Sustainable Energy Security Package' (hereafter: Package). This Package, published in February 2016, consists of four proposals. Two of them have a legislative nature, namely a Regulation for Security of Gas Supply and a Decision on Intergovernmental Agreements on energy. The two non-legislative proposals are strategy papers dealing respectively with LNG and Gas Storage, and Heating and Cooling. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the proposed Regulation and to offer considerations on some of its provisions, in particular on the move from the national to the regional level of cooperation and on the legislative formalization of solidarity. (author)

Fossil fuel subsidies and the new EU Climate and Energy Governance Mechanism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sartor, Oliver; Spencer, Thomas

2016-07-01

There is currently no dedicated process to track the extent of fossil fuel subsidies, nor to ensure that Member States phase them out. This situation is inconsistent with the European Union's stated decarbonization and energy efficiency dimensions under the Energy Union. The EU is therefore in need of an alternative process for tracking and ensuring the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies by the Member States. The new Energy Union governance mechanism presents an opportunity for creating this alternative. Providing the right price signals is essential part of the policy mix that is needed to achieve Europe's climate policy goals. Phasing out fossil fuel subsidies in the EU is an important part of aligning energy prices with the EU's climate and energy goals. Depending on how they are measured, combined fossil fuel subsidies in the EU range from 39 to over euro 200 billion per annum (European Commission, 2014). They therefore constitute a significant source of incoherence between the EU's climate mitigation and fiscal policies for energy. However, there has recently been mixed progress in addressing fossil fuel subsidies in Europe. For instance, under the Europe 2020 Strategy, Member States had committed to begin developing plans for phasing out fossil fuel subsidies by 2020. Progress on implementing these plans was supposed to be monitored under the European Semester. However, the decision was taken to remove the focus on energy and fossil fuel subsidies from the European Semester in 2015. As yet, no new system for governing the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies has been advanced, leaving the question of fossil fuel subsidy reform in limbo. The advent of the EU's Energy Union project creates an opportunity for putting the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies back on track in Europe. This could be done by including requirements for national goal setting on specific kinds of fossil fuel subsidies in a dedicated sub-section of the National Climate and Energy Plans

Exploring the EU ETS beyond 2020. A first assessment of the EU Commission's proposal for Phase IV of the EU ETS (2021-2030). COPEC Research Program: the Coordination of EU Policies on Energy and CO2 with the EU ETS by 2030

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jalard, Matthieu; Alberola, Emilie; Afriat, Marion; Vaidyula, Manasvini; Dahan, Lara; Cail, Sylvain; Cassisa, Cyril; Keramidas, Kimon; Coussy, Paula; Portenart, Philomene

2015-11-01

This report, written in partnership with I4CE and IFPen, provides the first complete and comprehensive assessment of the EU Commission's proposal and its coherence with the 2030 Framework for Climate and Energy policies, demonstrating that: 1 - Re-calibrating the EU ETS requires considering its interactions with complementary climate and energy policies by 2030. Interactions between different policies may induce additional costs vis-a-vis an optimal transition to a low-carbon economy. 2 - Introducing the Market Stability Reserve is necessary to support the ambition of the EU ETS. Guaranteeing MSR effectiveness calls for a governing framework to be established before 2030. 3 - The free allocation mechanism for Phase IV requires more flexible and targeted allocation to sectors most exposed to carbon leakage risk. 4 - Expanding the EU ETS scope with the inclusion of the road transport sector may not necessarily be the most cost-effective way to achieve the GHG 2030 target. 5 - Considering the large scale of ETS auction revenues by 2030, the use of ETS proceeds by the European Commission and by Member States constitutes an increasingly relevant funding source to support decarbonization efforts in non-ETS sectors and to finance R and D in low carbon technologies

The Euro Zone Crisis and Differentiation in the European Union: a Threat to the Goals of the EU or an Instrument of Managing the Divergence of National Interests?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vilpišauskas Ramūnas

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This article discusses the institutional evolution of the European Union (EU in reacting to the euro zone crisis and the new forms of differentiation in the EU. It presents and elaborates several arguments. First, despite calls to complete the creation of the “genuine Economic and Monetary Union“ and to make a step towards federal structure of the Union with single currency and single central budget used to react to asymmetric shocks, most decisions actually agreed upon by member states since the start of the crisis can be seen as attempts to avoid exactly such a scenario. Second, although the divide between the “Northern“ and “Southern“ groups of the EU member states seems attractive in its simplicity, it is a gross simplification of the current situation and hides important differences of member state preferences within each of the groupings. Third, it is also too simplistic to see the membership in the euro zone as the main characteristic defining the state of differentiation in the EU. As it is discussed in the text, both euro zone member states and EU countries outside the euro zone participate in different initiatives of integration and show different national preferences. Finally, the text concludes with a formulation of the main policy dilemmas for Lithuania in terms of ongoing process of complex differentiation and taking into account the prospect of joining the euro zone in 2015.

ANDREEA NICOLĂESCU, The Work-Life Balance in Current EU Labour Market Policies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CRISTINA LEOVARIDIS

2011-01-01

Full Text Available A work-life balance is one of the factors that increases an employee's individual satisfaction, leading to higher economic performance, an aspect that is found in most EU strategic documents dealing with the labour market. Focusing on gender differences, the article carries out a comparative analysis of the situation in EU Member States, on several dimensions: working time, flexible work arrangements, providing opportunities for assuming different domestic responsibilities etc.

Trade Union Practices in the EU and Latvia: Experience for Eastern Partnership Countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stacenko Sergejs

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The article will show major dimensions in the experience of EU Member States that could be shared with the Eastern Partnership (EaP countries. The framework of the study is the EU concept of trade unions in social dialogue and social partnership in the public sector. This study outlines the concept of social dialogue as a core element of industrial relations and will focus on industrial relations specifically in the public sector.

Inequality, Poverty, and Material Deprivation in New and Old Members of European Union

Science.gov (United States)

Matković, Teo; Šućur, Zoran; Zrinščak, Siniša

2007-01-01

Aim To analyze the main indicators of income inequality, objective and subjective poverty, material deprivation, and the role of public social transfers in the reduction of poverty in 15 old and 10 new member states of the European Union (EU), undergoing post-communist socio-economic transition, as well as in Croatia, a candidate EU country. Method Objective poverty rates, poverty reduction rates, poverty thresholds in purchasing power standards (PPS), total social expenditure, inequality indicators, and risks of poverty according to demographics were calculated using the data from the Eurostat databases (in particular, Household Budget Survey). For Croatia, Central Bureau of Statistics first releases on poverty indicators were used, as well as database of the Ministry of Finance (social expenditure). Subjective poverty rates and non-monetary deprivation index were calculated using the European Quality of Life Survey, which was carried out in 2003 in EU countries and in 2006 in Croatia. Results According to the indicators of income inequality and objective poverty, there was a divide among old EU member states (EU15), with UK, Ireland and South European countries having higher and Continental and Nordic countries lower indicators of inequality and poverty. Among new member states (NMS10), Baltic countries and Poland had the highest and Slovenia and the Czech Republic the lowest indicators of inequality and poverty. In all EU15 countries, except Greece, subjective poverty rates were lower than objective ones, whereas in all NMS10 countries the levels of subjective poverty were much higher than those of objective poverty. With some exceptions, NMS10 countries had low or even decreasing social expenditures. The share of respondents who were deprived of more than 50% of items was 6 times higher in the NMS10 than in the EU15 countries. When standard of living was measured by income inequality, relative poverty rates, poverty reduction rates, total social protection

Raman spectroscopic study of the oxidation state of Eu in molten LiCl-KCl

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Seung; Yun, Jong-Il [KAIST, Daejeon(Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

Spectroscopy can provide high reliability for the quantitative analysis of such system. The molar absorptivity of Eu(II) at 325 nm is reported as about 1645 M{sup -1}cm{sup -1}, which is too high to apply to higher concentration. A high-temperature Raman spectroscopy has been set and employed for analyzing the molecular structure and coordination complex and investigating the oxidation state of europium in molten LiCl-KCl. Europium can be present in divalent state while many other lanthanides exist in trivalent state. The thermodynamic properties of europium ions have been studied using electrochemical methods, spectroscopic methods, and EPR technique. Although there has been discrepancy of the reduced amount of europium in previous works, the majority of Eu(III) is thought to be reduced to Eu(II) in molten LiCl-KCl spontaneously at relatively low concentration (< 7.5 × 10{sup -4} M). Raman spectroscopy was employed to investigate the oxidation state of EuClx in LiCl-KCl at 500 .deg. C. The Raman scattering results suggest the majority of trivalent europium is reduced to divalent state with the composition change by vaporization. The Raman bands show highly asymmetric structure, quite different from regular octahedral structure.

Firm performance and employment in the EU emissions trading scheme: An empirical assessment for Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anger, Niels; Oberndorfer, Ulrich

2008-01-01

This paper empirically investigates the role of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) for firm performance and employment in Germany. We provide an overview of relative allowance allocation within the EU ETS as well as an econometric analysis for a large sample of German firms covered by the scheme in order to assess the impacts of EU emissions regulation on both firm revenues and employment. The dataset indicates that the EU ETS was in an overall long position in 2005, although allowance allocation was very heterogeneous across member states. Our econometric analysis suggests that, within the first phase of the EU ETS, relative allowance allocation did not have a significant impact on firm performance and employment of regulated German firms

EU Energy Law and Policy Issues. Volume 3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Delvaux, B.; Hunt, M.; Talus, K. (eds.)

2011-12-15

This third volume of EU Energy Law and Policy Issues presents an overview of some of the most recent developments taking place in the EU energy sector at a time when the Third Energy Package is likely to be or has been implemented in the EU Member States. In this respect, the reader will find a number of contributions which offer detailed and critical views on some of the main issues tackled by the Third Energy Package. Aside from this, the relationship between sector specific regulation and the rules of general competition law is examined in the second section of the book. This part also contains particular contributions on access regimes in gas and electricity markets as well as an innovating analysis on the methods for allocating allowances under the EU Emissions trading scheme and the interaction of such methods with EU state aid rules. Just like the previous volumes of the book, section III offers a deep insight into the external aspects of EU energy policy. Accordingly, the role of the Lisbon Treaty in promoting EU energy policy in the international arena is scrutinized in addition to the most recent evolutions on the topical issue of the Energy Charter Treaty. This section is completed with a daring contribution about the need to adopt a comprehensive theory of legal harmonization between the EU and third partners, which is presented using the specific case of the EU-Russia Energy Dialogue. Last but not least, some fundamental issues regarding the environmental aspects of EU Energy policy undergo an in-depth study in the final section of the book. Not only is the legal regime of energy efficiency in energy-related products examined, but also the issue of carbon constraining policies under WTO law. Finally, the electricity's industry viewpoint on the 2020 targets rounds off this third volume of EU Energy Law and Policy Issues with judicious comments.

EU Energy Law and Policy Issues. Volume 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delvaux, B.; Hunt, M.; Talus, K.

2011-12-01

This third volume of EU Energy Law and Policy Issues presents an overview of some of the most recent developments taking place in the EU energy sector at a time when the Third Energy Package is likely to be or has been implemented in the EU Member States. In this respect, the reader will find a number of contributions which offer detailed and critical views on some of the main issues tackled by the Third Energy Package. Aside from this, the relationship between sector specific regulation and the rules of general competition law is examined in the second section of the book. This part also contains particular contributions on access regimes in gas and electricity markets as well as an innovating analysis on the methods for allocating allowances under the EU Emissions trading scheme and the interaction of such methods with EU state aid rules. Just like the previous volumes of the book, section III offers a deep insight into the external aspects of EU energy policy. Accordingly, the role of the Lisbon Treaty in promoting EU energy policy in the international arena is scrutinized in addition to the most recent evolutions on the topical issue of the Energy Charter Treaty. This section is completed with a daring contribution about the need to adopt a comprehensive theory of legal harmonization between the EU and third partners, which is presented using the specific case of the EU-Russia Energy Dialogue. Last but not least, some fundamental issues regarding the environmental aspects of EU Energy policy undergo an in-depth study in the final section of the book. Not only is the legal regime of energy efficiency in energy-related products examined, but also the issue of carbon constraining policies under WTO law. Finally, the electricity's industry viewpoint on the 2020 targets rounds off this third volume of EU Energy Law and Policy Issues with judicious comments.

Implementation - more than monitoring and enforcement: evidence from the implementation of the 1989 municipal waste incineration directive (89/429/EEC) in four member states

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schucht, S. [CERNA, Centre d' Economie Industrielle, Ecole Nationale Superieure des Mines de Paris, 75 - Paris (France); Bultmann, A. [UFZ-Center for Environmental Research (Germany); Eames, M. [Sussex Univ., Brighton (United Kingdom). Science Policy Research Unit; Lulofs, K. [Twente Univ.-CSTM, Enschede (Netherlands)

2000-12-01

Researchers and policy-makers accept that implementation decisively influences the effectiveness of European (EU) environmental policy. Some Member States lead the development of EU policy and implement Directives with little problem. Others follow a variety of compliance (or non-compliance) paths. Implementation gaps and policy failures are prevalent. Policy outcomes often differ radically between even neighbouring Member States. What are the reasons for these differences? Why do Member States follow different compliance paths? Why do implementation gaps and policy failures occur? What factors can explain the different policy outcomes achieved? Is it only 'classical' implementation variables i.e. the monitoring and enforcement actions of public authorities that count? What lessons can we draw for the future? This paper addresses these questions through a comparative analysis of the implementation of the European Directive on the reduction of air pollution from existing municipal waste incineration plants (89/429/EEC) in Germany, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom: four neighbouring Member States that exhibit quite divergent compliance paths and policy outcomes. Monitoring and enforcement are found to have only limited explanatory power. In practice national contextual variables, such as: public and political environmental awareness; interactions both with environmental and non-environmental policies; regulatory anticipation and uncertainty; the degree of autonomy and scope of regulatory agencies; and, industrial and market structure of the regulated industry, must also be considered. The article is structured as follows. Section two presents the emission standards imposed by the Directive, briefly summarises the transposition of the Directive into national legislation and presents the compliance paths of the four countries. In sections three to six the specific implementation processes in the four countries are described, focusing on factors

Use of Free/Libre Open Source Software in Sepsis "-Omics" Research: A Bibliometric, Comparative Analysis Among the United States, EU-28 Member States, and China.

Science.gov (United States)

Evangelatos, Nikolaos; Satyamourthy, Kapaettu; Levidou, Georgia; Brand, Helmut; Bauer, Pia; Kouskouti, Christina; Brand, Angela

2018-05-01

"-Omics" systems sciences are at the epicenter of personalized medicine and public health, and drivers of knowledge-based biotechnology innovation. Bioinformatics, a core component of omics research, is one of the disciplines that first employed Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS), and thus provided a fertile ground for its further development. Understanding the use and characteristics of FLOSS deployed in the omics field is valuable for future innovation strategies, policy and funding priorities. We conducted a bibliometric, longitudinal study of the use of FLOSS in sepsis omics research from 2011 to 2015 in the United States, EU-28 and China. Because sepsis is an interdisciplinary field at the intersection of multiple omics technologies and medical specialties, it was chosen as a model innovation ecosystem for this empirical analysis, which used publicly available data. Despite development of and competition from proprietary commercial software, scholars in omics continue to employ FLOSS routinely, and independent of the type of omics technology they work with. The number of articles using FLOSS increased significantly over time in the EU-28, as opposed to the United States and China (R = 0.96, p = 0.004). Furthermore, in an era where sharing of knowledge is being strongly advocated and promoted by public agencies and social institutions, we discuss possible correlations between the use of FLOSS and various funding sources in omics research. These observations and analyses provide new insights into the use of FLOSS in sepsis omics research across three (supra)national regions. Further benchmarking studies are warranted for FLOSS trends in other omics fields and geographical settings. These could, in time, lead to the development of new composite innovation and technology use metrics in omics systems sciences and bioinformatics communities.

EU Enlargement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Peder J.; Pytlikova, Mariola

We look at migration flows from 8 Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) to 5 Nordic countries over the years 1985 - 2005 and we can exploit a natural experiment that arose from the fact that while Sweden opened its labour market from the day one of the 2004 EU enlargement, the other Nordic...... countries chose a transition period in relation to the "new" EU members. We employ a differences-in-differences estimator in our analysis. The results show that the estimated effect of the opening of Swedish labour market in 2004 on migration is insignificantly different from zero. Further, we...... are interested in the overall effect of the "EU entry" on migration. Therefore we look at migration flows from CEECs during the first round EU enlargement towards CEECs in 2004 and compare them with migration flows from Bulgaria and Romania. We again used a DD estimator in our analysis. The estimated effect...

Competence and Human Resource Development in Multinational Companies in Three European Union Member States: A Comparative Analysis between Austria, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. CEDEFOP Panorama Series.

Science.gov (United States)

Markowitsch, Jorg; Kollinger, Iris; Warmerdam, John; Moerel, Hans; Konrad, John; Burell, Catherine; Guile, David

A comparative analysis of human resources development and management in the subsidiaries of three multinational companies (Xerox, Glaxo Wellcome, and AXA Nordstern Colonia) was conducted in these three European Union (EU) member states: Austria, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Case studies were used, focusing on competence needs and…

The EU in Geneva: The Diplomatic Representation of a System of Governance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caterina Carta

2013-07-01

Full Text Available The European Union (EU diplomatic system can be conceived as representative of a system of governance, and, through this, of its constitutive independent units. The way in which the EU's political system is represented through diplomatic practices is telling of two interrelated aspects of the EU's international actorness. First, it reveals the link between the foreign policy of a non-state actor and sheds light on the division of competences that characterises the EU's foreign policy-making system. Second, it highlights the complex institutional and organisational features of a non-state diplomatic system. This article locates the puzzle of EU diplomatic activity in the general debate about changes in the institution of diplomacy. Secondly, it explains how post-Lisbon institutional arrangements have been translated into practice in two multilateral delegations: the delegation to the UN and the mission to the WTO in Geneva. It finally draws some preliminary conclusions. The article concludes that beyond competition over the attribution of competences in the EU’s diplomatic governance, different ideas coexist about what ‘locating the EU in the international scene’ means. Pursuing a ‘single voice’ by unifying forms of external representation is not necessarily perceived as the most convenient strategy envisaged by all EU actors. While institutional actors tend to believe that coherence and strength may descend from a more unified system of representation, the member states tend to believe that, in certain circumstances, differentiation could increase the EU’s strength.

Report on the structure of ownership in the financial sector across the EU

OpenAIRE

Michal Jurek

2013-01-01

The purpose of this report is to analyse the structure of ownership in the financial sector in the selected old (France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom) and new (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland) EU Member States. This subject is particularly important to the proper understanding of the scale and scope of the process of financialisation in the EU countries. General objective of the report is the investigation and evaluation of the evolution of the structure of ownership...

The concept of family in the EU free movement law

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janićijević Dejan

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the concepts of spouse, civil partner and partner in European Union (EU law, particularly in regulations referring to the free movement of persons, criticizing the unharmonized approach to defining family in this context. It argues that the narrow interpretation of the term spouse could lead to discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. Likewise, grounding free movement rights of civil partners on host state recognition of such partnerships could lead to the same result, which is not compatible with the equality principle in the EU law. The position of unmarried or unregistered partners is also considered; in particular, the paper analyses the requirement to duly attest durability of the relationship and its impact on the same-sex partners wishing to immigrate to a Member State. The author holds that it is necessary to reconsider the law in this area and adjust it to the EU's efforts to eliminate discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

State of implementation of directive 2013/59/Euratom regarding radon protection in selected member states of the European Union; Stand der Umsetzung der Richtlinie 2013/59/Euratom hinsichtlich des Radonschutzes in ausgewaehlten Mitgliedstaaten der EU

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hurst, Stephanie [Saechsisches Staatsministerium fuer Umwelt und Landwirtschaft (Germany)

2015-07-01

Directive 2013/59/Euratom came 6th February 2014 into force. The member states have to implement the directive into national legislation until 6th of February 2018. According to different legal structures in the member states legislation will be comparable with regards to content, but may be implemented in different legal areas. Additionally the different current experience regarding radon regulation as well as different expertise with all aspects of radon protection will affect the implementation. Activities for implementation started in many member states, but at present it is not possible to make a mandatory statement for any member state, which modifications will come until 2018. On the other hand it is assumed that member states who have engaged themselves with radon protection issues since many years will not change their plans basically until 2018. The member states mentioned in the following text are chosen exemplary. A comprehensive compilation of the situation in all member states of the European Union was not possible. The inclusion of Switzerland resulted from the fact, that this European country is basically orientating its radon regulations on the international state of the art and international (also European) legislation.

Compatibility of the IFRS for Small and Medium-sized Entities and the new EU-Accounting Directive

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gerrit Kaufhold

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The new EU-Accounting Directive of 26 June 2013 (DIRECTIVE 2013/34/EU has the intention to harmonize the accounting and financial reporting of enterprises in the European Union. “Think small first” is the central principle in the new EU-Accounting Directive and the new regulations have to be adopted in the laws of European member states by 20 July 2015. The International Financial Reporting Standard for Small and Medium-sized Entities (IFRS for SMEs was published in 2009 by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB. The IASB intended to create simplified international financial reporting standards for the special needs of smaller and medium-sized enterprise. The IASB completed in May 2015 a comprehensive review of the IFRS for SMEs and made amendments to the Standard. The revised version of the IFRS for SMEs will be issued in the last quarter of 2015. The aim of the paper is to analyze the compatibility of the IFRS for SMEs and the new EU- Accounting Directive and the problems in connection with the harmonization of the European accounting legislation especially in Germany. Based on the results of the research most of the former incompatibilities could be removed, but the remaining complexity of the IFRS for SMEs and the lack of an option for the member states to adopt the IFRS for SMEs as an accounting and reporting standard besides or instead their local accounting principles will prevent the wide use of the IFRS for SMEs in Germany and in other member states of the European Union.

Barriers to the EU Single Services Market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ol'ga V. Biryukova

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The EU has the most developed liberalization mechanism in services trade within the framework of an economic bloc. The system of supranational institutions, which decisions are binding upon member states, contributes to a high level of liberalization of trade in services in the EU. However, the creation of a single market for services hasn't completed at all. The reasons are following: not all basic principles for single market are fully applied, and a service is a very specific object for international trade. Financial-economic crisis caused a new wave of protectionism in different countries, which has reflected in the preservation of old and the emergence of new barriers to trade in services within the EU. Integration of services in the Union is accompanied by important trade initiatives at the multilateral level. In the World Trade Organization EU countries negotiate a new agreement on trade in services, and offer provisions which providing transparency, deepening liberalization and investor protection for foreign investors in the market, will also complement and foster the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP EU - USA. Russia is only the fourth among most important partners of the EU in trade in services. At the same time the European Union remains a key Russian partner in trade in services and in goods. There is a considerable potential for growth in this sphere for both partners.

EU nuclear policy towards countries in Central and Eastern Europe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunter, L.

1998-01-01

The European Union has undergone many changes over the last decade as a result of both internal and external pressures. Two successive enlargements have raised the number of Member States to fifteen. Two major Treaty reforms the Single Act and the Treaty on European Union have radically modified the EU's institutional and political framework.(author)

The EU Renewables Directive-What is the fuss about trading?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toke, David

2008-01-01

Considerable argument about trading in green electricity certificates (GECs) preceded the publication of the proposed EU Renewables Directive in early 2008. The proposed Directive set a binding target of 20 per cent of EU energy to be derived from renewable energy by 2020 broken down into targets for each member state. Those arguing for trade in green certificates, called certificates of guaranteed origin (GO), included major electricity companies. However, the idea of mandatory trading was opposed by the main renewable energy industry lobby groups. The proposed Directive limited trading in accordance with the demands of the renewables industry pressure groups. Analysis suggests that if member states were forced to trade to achieve a mandatory target of 20 per cent target, then GEC prices would rise to high levels because the demand for tradeable certificates would be much higher than their supply. Trading is unlikely to improve the prospects for meeting the targets. A system of nationally based 'feed-in tariff' systems would not face the problems of uncertain certificate prices faced by compulsory trading in GECs

Inequality, poverty, and material deprivation in new and old members of the European Union.

Science.gov (United States)

Matković, Teo; Sucur, Zoran; Zrinscak, Sinsa

2007-10-01

To analyze the main indicators of income inequality, objective and subjective poverty, material deprivation, and the role of public social transfers in the reduction of poverty in 15 old and 10 new member states of the European Union (EU), undergoing post-communist socio-economic transition, as well as in Croatia, a candidate EU country. Objective poverty rates, poverty reduction rates, poverty thresholds in purchasing power standards (PPS), total social expenditure, inequality indicators, and risks of poverty according to demographics were calculated using the data from the Eurostat databases, in particular, Household Budget Survey. For Croatia, Central Bureau of Statistics first releases on poverty indicators were used, as well as database of the Ministry of Finance (social expenditure). Subjective poverty rates and non-monetary deprivation index were calculated using the European Quality of Life Survey, which was carried out in 2003 in EU countries and in 2006 in Croatia. According to the indicators of income inequality and objective poverty, there was a divide among old EU member states (EU15), with UK, Ireland and South European countries having higher and Continental and Nordic countries lower indicators of inequality and poverty. Among new member states (NMS10), Baltic countries and Poland had the highest and Slovenia and the Czech Republic the lowest indicators of inequality and poverty. In all EU15 countries, except Greece, subjective poverty rates were lower than objective ones, whereas in all NMS10 countries the levels of subjective poverty were much higher than those of objective poverty. With some exceptions, NMS10 countries had low or even decreasing social expenditures. The share of respondents who were deprived of more than 50% of items was 6 times higher in the NMS10 than in the EU15 countries. When standard of living was measured by income inequality, relative poverty rates, poverty reduction rates, total social protection expenditures, and non

Methodological proposal for territorial distribution of the percentage reduction in gross inland energy consumption according to the EU energy policy strategic goal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tolon-Becerra, A.; Lastra-Bravo, X.; Botta, G.F.

2010-01-01

A 20% reduction in the consumption of energy is one of the main goals of the European Union's (EU) 20/20/20 Energy Strategy. But the uniform application of this overall goal to all of the countries is neither fair nor equitable, as it does not take into consideration the characteristics of the energy system in each Member State. This article therefore proposes a nonlinear distribution methodology with objective, dynamic goals for reducing gross inland energy consumption, according to the context and characteristics of each member state. We hope it will open discussion on how these overall goals can be weighted. Then we analyse the situation of the energy indicators related to energy efficiency in the reference year (2005) used by the EU for reaching its goal of reducing the gross inland consumption by 20% by 2020, and its progress from 1996 to 2007. Finally, the methodology proposed is applied to the year 2020 on the NUTS0 territorial level, that is, to members of the EU, according to the EUROSTAT Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS). Weighting is done based on energy intensity, per capita gross inland consumption and per capita energy intensity in two scenarios, the EU-15 and EU-27.

151Eu nuclear resonant inelastic scattering of Eu3Pd20Ge6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tsutsui, S.; Yoda, Y.; Kobayashi, Y.; Higashitaniguchi, S.; Seto, M.; Kitagawa, J.; Takabatake, T.

2010-01-01

151 Eu nuclear resonant inelastic scattering of Eu 3 Pd 20 Ge 6 . The Eu partial phonon density of states (DOS) in Eu 3 Pd 20 Ge 6 are investigated using 151 Eu nuclear resonance inelastic scattering (NRIS). 151 Eu NRIS was carried out at BL09XU of SPring-8. Significant temperature dependence was found in the partial phonon DOS. Judging from the valence change at the Eu 4a site and the comparison with the ab initio calculation of Eu 3 Pd 20 Ge 6 , the change of the Eu DOS is caused by the electronic states. On the other hand, significant acoustic contribution was found even at the guest site of the Eu ones. In addition, slower average velocity than transverse sound velocity was obtained by Eu partial phonon DOS. Considering that heat is carried by the acoustic phonon in materials, the present results demonstrate that the moderate thermal insulation in Eu 3 Pd 20 Ge 6 is connected with the observation of slow average sound velocity at the Eu sites. (K.F.)

Does the new EU-BSS improve radon protection in Austria?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ringer, W.; Haider, W.

2015-01-01

The new Council Directive 2013/59/EURATOM regarding radiation protection (EU-BSS) contains comprehensive regulations regarding radon protection in dwellings, in public buildings, and at workplaces for the first time. Key elements are the specification of a reference level of maximum 300 Bq/m 3 , the establishment of a national radon action plan, and a more comprehensive regulation of radon protection at workplaces and public buildings. The radon action plan shall contain strategies and measures regarding for example the estimation of the distribution of indoor radon concentrations, the mapping of radon, the radon risk communication strategy, the assignment of responsibilities, and regular reviews of the action plan. The new EU-BSS often requires only the establishment of strategies and the specification of measures, leaving the precise content of the strategies and measures to the member states. This gives the member states flexibility for the implementation of the EU-BSS into national legislation and allows to account for specific national experiences and circumstances. This contribution discusses and evaluates - based on the existing regulations concerning radon protection in Austria - the effectiveness of different new measures and regulations with respect to reducing the radon risk in Austria. Furthermore, their feasibility and practicability in terms of administrative and financial effort will be discussed. Thus, efficient new measures which lead to an improvement of the current radon control system will be identified.

The Role of Ethics and Morality in EU Law

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Herrmann, Janne Rothmar; Rowlandson, Malene

2008-01-01

The aim of this article is to reflect on the role of ethics and morality in EU law. Two specific biolegal fields of study constitute the primary object in this regard; funding of research into human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and the patentability hereof. The reason why the choice has fallen upon...... these aspects in particular is that they are both pivotal to the pursuit and realisation of the therapeutic and commercial prospects ascribed to hESC research. Whilst the said prospects are enormous the Member States' different outlook upon the permissibility of engaging in such activities is, however, equally...... and morality in EU law are to be seen....

Space strategy and governance of ESA small member states

Science.gov (United States)

Sagath, Daniel; Papadimitriou, Angeliki; Adriaensen, Maarten; Giannopapa, Christina

2018-01-01

The European Space Agency (ESA) has twenty-two Member States with a variety of governance structures and strategic priorities regarding their space activities. The objective of this paper is to provide an up-to date overview and a holistic assessment of the national space governance structures and strategic priorities of the eleven smaller Member States (based on annual ESA contributions). A link is made between the governance structure and the main strategic objectives. The specific needs and interests of small and new Member States in the frame of European Space Integration are addressed. The first part of the paper focuses on the national space governance structures in the eleven smaller ESA Member States. The governance models of these Member States are identified including the responsible ministries and the entities entrusted with the implementation of space strategy/policy and programmes of the country. The second part of this paper focuses on the content and analysis of the national space strategies and indicates the main priorities and trends in the eleven smaller ESA Member States. The priorities are categorised with regards to technology domains, the role of space in the areas of sustainability and the motivators for space investments. In a third and final part, attention is given to the specific needs and interests of the smaller Member States in the frame of European space integration. ESA instruments are tailored to facilitate the needs and interests of the eleven smaller and/or new Member States.

Growth effects of EU and EZ memberships

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dreyer, Johannes Kabderian; Schmid, Peter A.

2017-01-01

of economic integration in Europe. The aim of this article is to investigate whether EU and EZ memberships enhance growth for their members. In order to perform our empirical analysis, we estimate different growth models restricting the time frame to the first 15 years of the Euro - from 1999 to 2013. We find...... a positive impact of EU membership on economic growth, but no impact of being part of the EZ, except during the financial crisis, when the EZ has a negative impact on growth amongst its members. Considering the heated political debate related to the Brexit referendum, our results favour a “yes” to the EU...

Banning banking in EU emissions trading?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schleich, Joachim; Ehrhart, Karl-Martin; Hoppe, Christian; Seifert, Stefan

2006-01-01

Admitting banking in emissions trading systems reduces overall compliance costs by allowing for inter-temporal flexibility: cost savings can be traded over time. However, unless individual EU Member States (MS) decide differently, the transfer of unused allowances from the period of 2005-2007 into the first commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol, i.e. 2008-2012, will be prohibited. In this paper, we first explore the implications of such a ban on banking when initial emission targets are lenient. This analysis is based on a simulation which was recently carried out in Germany with companies and with a student control group. The findings suggest that a EU-wide ban on banking would lead to efficiency losses in addition to those losses which arise from the lack of inter-temporal flexibility. Second, we use simple game-theoretic considerations to argue that, under reasonable assumptions, such a EU-wide ban on banking will be the equilibrium outcome. Thus, to avoid a possible prisoners' dilemma, MS should have co-ordinated their banking decisions

Living Organ Donation by Minors: An Analysis of the Regulations in European Union Member States.

Science.gov (United States)

Thys, K; Van Assche, K; Nys, H; Sterckx, S; Borry, P

2016-12-01

Living organ donation (LD) is an increasingly established practice. Whereas in the United States and Canada LD by minors has occasionally been reported, LD by minors seems to be largely absent in the European Union (EU). It is currently unclear whether this is the result of a different legal approach. This study is the first to systematically analyze the regulations of EU member states, Norway, and Iceland toward LD by minors. Relevant regulations were identified by searching government websites, translated, compared, and sent for verification to national legal experts. We identified five countries where LD by minors is allowed. In two of these (Belgium and the United Kingdom), some minors may be deemed sufficiently mature to make an autonomous decision regarding LD. In contrast, in the three other countries (Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden), LD by minors is only allowed subject to parental permission and the assent (or absence of objection) of the donor. Where allowed, regulations differ significantly with regard to the substantive and procedural safeguards in place. In view of the controversial nature of the procedure, as illustrated by recent reports and surveys, we argue for a very cautious approach and greater harmonization in countries where LD by minors is allowed. © Copyright 2016 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

Croatia's EU Accession: Socio-economic Assessment of Farm Households and Policy Recommendations

OpenAIRE

Möllers, Judith; Zier, Patrick; Frohberg, Klaus; Buchenrieder, Gertrud; Bojnec, Stefan

2009-01-01

Croatia is very close to meeting the requirements necessary for becoming a member of the European Union (EU). On February 6, 2008, the European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said that accession negotiations with Croatia are moving ahead well. As in all new member states (NMS), the agricultural sector and food processing chain are core issues within the negotiation process. Successful negotiation requires intimate knowledge of the issue at hand, including the socio-economic situation and ...

2002 electricity statistics: EU and EU+

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2003-01-01

Electricity generation in the European Union (EU) decreased by 0,7% in the period of 2001 to 2002, reaching 2521,3 billion kWh. Developments varied in different countries. Conventional thermal power plants generated 1340,1 billion kWh, which corresponds to a 53.0% share in the total generation and an increase by 2.7% over the level in the previous year. Generation in nuclear power plants increased by 2.7% to 855.5 billion kWh, which corresponds to a 33,8% share in EU-wide generation. Hydroelectric plants and other plants supplied 15.2% less electricity. Eurostat statistics do not differentiate these data any further. The volume of 332.2 kWh is tantamount to a 13.1% share. In the new EU member countries and the candidate countries, electricity generation showed a moderate increase by 0.4% and 2.1%, respectively. While generation both in conventional power plants and in other plants decreased, a considerable increase is shown for nuclear power generation of +13.5% and +10.6%, respectively [de

Labour Market Trends and Problems in the EU’s Central and Eastern European Member States: Is Flexicurity the Answer?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lothar Funk

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Throughout the 1990s, international organisations, such as the International Monetary Fund mainly based their policy proposals for transition economies and the high unemployment, low growth countries in Western Europe, on economic “orthodoxy”. This approach predominantly followed neoclassical economics in which market liberal solutions predominate. These suggestions were controversial; the early results of these policies appeared to be disappointing. Policymakers sought alternative reform proposals and the idea of “flexicurity” has gradually emerged to the political buzzword. Flexicurity combines flexibility with security and suggests that rather generous unemployment benefits and spending on active labour market policies can be aligned with a flexible, employment-friendly labour market. Originating in Denmark, the European Commission and the International Labour Organisation have promoted flexicurity more or less independent of specific single country cases, and based their approach on more abstract, generalised relationships between flexibility and security. These bodies argue for an alternative policy to pure orthodox deregulation and liberalisation for the member states of the European Union (EU and the former transition economies that joined the EU since 2004. After a review of common labour market-related characteristics and problems of the EU’s central and eastern European members, the article summarises and critically evaluates the main elements of flexicurity suggestions. It further compares them to the relevant policy proposals based primarily on more orthodox economic analysis. The analysis shows that several preconditions for a successful flexicurity strategy are still lacking across the new member states. Moreover, the article demonstrates that current proposals by the critics of a single-minded flexicurity approach by no means always disregard potentially positive effects of improving the supposed trade-offs between

Human trafficking as a threat for the security of member states of EU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirela Kapo

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The topic “Trafficking of human beings” as subject to advanced studies has been chosen due to a growing interest linked with the phenomenon in question. The study introduces a legal criminal overview of the criminal activity consisted of the recruitment, transport, transfer or reception of persons by means of force or forms of fraud for exploitation purposes. Human trafficking represents a threat for the security of member states. The trend to penetrate to all spheres of the society has obliged the European states to draft a new directive reflecting the growing concern about the phenomenon in question, by respecting human rights in accordance with the legal framework under the United Nations, International Labor Organization (ILO, and Council of Europe etc. The new European priorities aim at victims’ identification, their protection and prevention of the phenomenon and more intense criminal prosecution of traffickers. With the view of fully developing this topic, the outline consists of four chapters preceded by a historical background of human trafficking. Special importance in this study, specifically in the second chapter, is attached to the assistance and protection of the victims of human trafficking. It is crucial that these victims exercise their rights effectively. Therefore, the European directives foresee assistance and support before, after and during the criminal proceeding. The third chapter refers to the relevant legal mechanisms in this field assuring the victims of trafficking legal defense, the right to information and their social, psychological and physical recovery. One of the “key” legal instruments is the Palermo Convention, which gives for the first time a detailed definition of the term of trafficking and smuggling and makes the differences between them. All legal instruments converge to one point: the consent of the human trafficking victim is not important when it is used any of the means of force, threat

Methodology proposal for territorial distribution of greenhouse gas reduction percentages in the EU according to the strategic energy policy goal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tolon-Becerra, A.; Lastra-Bravo, X.; Bienvenido-Barcena, F.

2010-01-01

A 20% reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2020 is one of the main objectives of the European Union (EU) energy policy. However, this overall objective does not specify how it should be distributed among the Member States, according to each one's particular characteristics. Consequently, in this article a non-linear distribution methodology with dynamic objective targets for reducing GHG emissions is proposed. The goal of this methodology is to promote debate over the weighting of these overall objectives, according to the context and characteristics of each member state. First, an analysis is conducted of the situation of greenhouse gas emissions in the reference year (1990) used by the EU for reaching its goal of reducing them by 20% by 2020, and its progress from 1990 to 2007. Then, the methodology proposed was applied for the year 2020 on two territorial aggregation levels following the EUROSTAT Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS), in the EU-15 and EU-27 member countries and on a regional level in 19 Spanish Autonomous Communities and Cities (NUTS-2). Weighting is done based on CO 2 intensity, GHG emissions per capita and GHG emissions per GDP. Finally, several recommendations are provided for the formulation of energy policies.

Innovation in Hungary - The Impact of EU Accession and Integration into Global Value Chains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szalavetz Andrea

2014-11-01

Full Text Available This paper argues that EU accession has brought about minimal changes in the patterns of innovation in Hungary. The reason why is not that the ‘EU factor’ is of minor importance; rather, it is Hungary's inability to use EU resources effectively, so as to fully benefit from EU membership. The Hungarian story also demonstrates that the EU cannot block member states from reversing reform or abusing the opportunities EU membership offers to them. We contend that globalization (global value chain integration has more effectively contributed to Hungary's knowledge-based upgrading than Europeanization (in the sense of policy transfer; access to EU Structural & Cohesion Funds, and integration in the European Research Area. This argument is substantiated with a case study on innovation strategy design and implementation, which illustrates the ambiguous impact of Europeanization, which is contrasted with our investigation of integration in global value chains, conducted through interviews of foreign-owned manufacturing companies about their R&D-based upgrading experience.

EU policy: Which technological strategies for smart, sustainable growth?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liberali, Raffaele; )

2011-01-01

The EU's Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan) was launched in November 2007 in response to issues having to do with energy and the climate. Its priority is to speed up the development and deployment of new energy technology thanks to a global approach providing coordination among member states. This plan is to position Europe as a world leader in the transition toward smart, sustainable growth

THE THREATS TO EU INTERREGIONAL COHESION IN THE POST-LISBON AGENDA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrian-Gabriel CORPADEAN

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The intricate context of the economic crisis and the ever more obvious failures of the Lisbon Treaty appear to have amplified a phenomenon which threatens the cohesion at regional and national level in several states across the EU. It is a reaffirmation of regional or subnational identities, prompted by an increase in Eurosceptical attitudes and the feeling of Euro-fatigue, not only at the core of European construction, but also in "The New Europe", namely East-Central member states. The mistrust in the latest reconfiguration of the EU's institutions, engendered by the Treaty of Lisbon, has once again triggered accusations of democratic deficit throughout EU-28. If one adds to this the chronic lack of confidence in national administrations expressed by several more or less autonomous regions, a pertinent scenario arises, entailing such perilous concepts as separatism, disintegration and unrest. The classic right to self-determination has yet to play its part in an increasingly tense European geopolitical context. This article mentions the hot spots across the EU which endanger its regional cohesion, as well as the current institutional and political background fostering the sinuous course of events in places such as Scotland, Catalunya or Venice, as prompted by the post-Lisbon state of affairs.