WorldWideScience

Sample records for force approaches eu

  1. Negotiating EU CO2/energy taxation. Political economic driving forces and barriers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klok, Jacob

    2001-11-01

    The primary objective of this project is to identify the main political economic driving forces behind and barriers against the creation of an EU agreement on CO 2 /energy taxation. The analysis is based on a theoretical framework for understanding European integration and on detailed historical investigations into a process of EU negotiations concerning CO 2 /energy taxation that took place from the 1980s to 1994. Following the historical analysis of political economic driving forces and barriers, some overall perspectives on possible future developments within the field of EU CO 2 /energy taxation are finally advanced. The secondary objective of the project is to consider the possible effects on the EU negotiation process of Danish efforts to push the CO 2 /energy tax proposal from the late 1980s to 994. This analysis is based on the preceding historical analysis of the EU negotiation process, as well as further investigations into the national Danish development within the field of CO 2 /energy taxation, including accounts of Denmark's particular relations with the EU during the period in question. Finally, based on the likely future developments in the field EU CO 2 /energy taxation. Denmark's strategic opportunities are outlined. (BA)

  2. 13th EU-US Transport Task Force Workshop on transport in fusion plasmas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Connor, J.W.; Fasoli, A.; Hidalgo, C.

    2009-01-01

    This report summarizes the contributions presented at the 13th EU-US Transport Task Force Workshop on transport in fusion plasmas, held in Copenhagen, Denmark, 1-4 September 2008. There were sessions on core heat and particle transport; core and edge momentum transport; edge and scrape-off-layer ......This report summarizes the contributions presented at the 13th EU-US Transport Task Force Workshop on transport in fusion plasmas, held in Copenhagen, Denmark, 1-4 September 2008. There were sessions on core heat and particle transport; core and edge momentum transport; edge and scrape...

  3. Summary of 21st joint EU-US transport task force workshop.

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Mantica, P.; Bourdelle, C.; Camenen, Y.; Dejarnac, Renaud; Evans, T.; Görler, T.; Hillesheim, J.; Idomura, Y.; Jakubowski, M.; Ricci, P.; White, A.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 57, č. 8 (2017), č. článku 087001. ISSN 0029-5515. [Joint EU-US Transport Task Force workshop/21./. Leysin, 05.09.2016-08.09.2016] EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 633053 - EUROfusion Institutional support: RVO:61389021 Keywords : transport * confinement * turbulence Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics OBOR OECD: Fluids and plasma physics (including surface physics) Impact factor: 3.307, year: 2016 http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1741-4326/aa753f/meta

  4. EU Armed Forces' Use of Social Media in Areas of Deployment

    OpenAIRE

    Hellman, Maria; Olsson, Eva-Karin; Wagnsson, Charlotte

    2016-01-01

    The advent of social media can be seen both as a risk and an opportunity by armed forces. Previous research has primarily examined whether or not the use of social media endangers or strengthens armed forces’ strategic narrative. We examine armed forces’ perceptions of risks and opportunities on a broad basis, with a particular focus on areas of deployment. The article is based on a survey of perceptions of social media amongst the armed forces of EU member states, thus adding to previous res...

  5. Summary of the 19th Joint EU-US Transport Task Force Workshop

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Angioni, C.; Mantica, P.; Naulin, Volker

    2015-01-01

    This conference report summarizes the contributions to, and discussions at, the 19th Joint EU-US Transport Task Force workshop, held in Culham, UK, during 8-11 September 2014. The workshop was organized under six topics: momentum transport, energetic particles, challenges in modelling transport i...

  6. Policy harmonized approach for the EU agricultural sector modelling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. SALPUTRA

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Policy harmonized (PH approach allows for the quantitative assessment of the impact of various elements of EU CAP direct support schemes, where the production effects of direct payments are accounted through reaction prices formed by producer price and policy price add-ons. Using the AGMEMOD model the impacts of two possible EU agricultural policy scenarios upon beef production have been analysed – full decoupling with a switch from historical to regional Single Payment scheme or alternatively with re-distribution of country direct payment envelopes via introduction of EU-wide flat area payment. The PH approach, by systematizing and harmonizing the management and use of policy data, ensures that projected differential policy impacts arising from changes in common EU policies reflect the likely actual differential impact as opposed to differences in how “common” policies are implemented within analytical models. In the second section of the paper the AGMEMOD model’s structure is explained. The policy harmonized evaluation method is presented in the third section. Results from an application of the PH approach are presented and discussed in the paper’s penultimate section, while section 5 concludes.;

  7. How to Reform the EU Budget? A Multidisciplinary Approach

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Figueira, F.

    The European Commission is currently drafting a proposal for a review of the EU budget, which could lead to its most significant reform to date. This paper proposes a method for restructuring the EU budget, based on a multidisciplinary approach. The insights of public sector economics, fiscal

  8. 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...

  9. Constructing post-carbon institutions: Assessing EU carbon reduction efforts through an institutional risk governance approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    LaBelle, Michael

    2012-01-01

    This paper examines three different governance approaches the European Union (EU) and Member States (MS) are relying on to reach a low carbon economy by 2050. Current governance literature explains the operational methods of the EU's new governance approach to reduce carbon emissions. However, the literature neglects to account for the perceived risks that inhibit the roll-out of new low carbon technology. This article, through a novel approach, uses a grounded theoretical framework to reframe traditional risk literature and provides a connection to governance literature in order to assess the ability of EU governance mechanisms to reduce carbon emissions. The empirical research is based on responses from European energy stakeholders who participated in a Delphi method discussion and in semi-structured interviews; these identified three essential requirements for carbon emissions to be reduced to near zero by 2050: (1) an integrated European energy network, (2) carbon pricing and (3) demand reduction. These features correspond to institutionalized responses by the EU and MS: the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER); European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) and energy efficiency directives and policies integrated into existing MS institutions. The theoretical and empirical findings suggest that governance by facilitation (energy efficiency) fails to induce significant investment and new policy approaches and cannot be relied on to achieve requisite reductions in demand. Governance by negotiation (ACER) and governance by hierarchy (EU ETS) do reduce risks and may encourage the necessary technological uptake. The term ‘risk governance’ is used to explain the important role governance plays in reducing risks and advancing new technology and thereby lowering carbon emissions in the energy sector. - Highlights: ► This article assesses the role of EU institutions in reducing carbon emissions by 2050. ► Empirical research is based on Delphi

  10. EU-US transport task force workshop on transport in fusion plasmas: transport near operational limits

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Connor, J W; Garbet, X; Giannone, L; Greenwald, M; Hidalgo, C; Loarte, A; Mantica, P

    2003-01-01

    This conference report summarizes the contributions to, and discussions at, the 9th EU-US transport task force workshop on 'transport in fusion plasmas: transport near operational limits', held in Cordoba, Spain, during 9-12 September 2002. The workshop was organized under three main headings: edge localized mode physics and confinement, profile dynamics and confinement and confinement near operational limits: density and beta limits; this report follows the same structure

  11. The EU/JA Broader Approach Activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shinzaburo Matsuda

    2006-01-01

    At the time of ITER site decision in Moscow on 28 June 2005, representatives of EU and Japan jointly declared their intention to implement Broader Approach Activities in support of ITER on a time frame compatible with its construction phase. On the basis of this declaration, working groups from the Parties were established to identify possible key areas of joint activities. As a result of intense discussions, agreement has been reached by both Parties as follows. The Broader Approach Activities comprise the following three projects: 1) Engineering Validation and Engineering Design Activities for the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF/EVEDA) 2) the International Fusion Energy Research Center (IFERC), comprising: a) A DEMO Design, R (and) D coordination Center aiming at establishing a common basis for a DEMO design, b) A Computational Simulation Center composed of super-computer facilities for large scale simulation activities, and c) An ITER Remote Experimentation Center to facilitate broad participation of scientists into ITER experiments. 3) the Satellite Tokamak Programme including participation in the upgrade of JT-60 Tokamak to an advanced superconducting tokamak and participation in its exploitation, to support ITER and research towards DEMO. The Parties shall establish a Steering Committee responsible for the overall direction and supervision of the activities. Each project is lead by the respective Project Leader supported by the Project Team. A Project Committee is established for each project to make recommendations to the Steering Committee and monitor the progress of the project. Each Party shall nominate an agency to discharge its obligations for the implementation of these projects. Resources for the Broader Approach Activities shall be equally shared by EU and Japan, contributed mostly in-kind, and allocation of procurements, tasks and responsibilities have been identified. The IFMIF/EVEDA and IFERC projects will be implemented

  12. Understanding the nitrate coordination to Eu3+ ions in solution by potential of mean force calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duvail, M.; Guilbaud, Ph.

    2011-01-01

    Coordination of nitrate anions with lanthanoid cations (Ln 3+ ) in water, methanol and octanol-1 has been studied by means of molecular dynamics simulations with explicit polarization. Potential of mean force (PMF) profiles have been calculated for a mono-complex of lanthanoid nitrate (Ln(NO 3 ) 2+ ) in these solvents using umbrella-sampling molecular dynamics. In pure water, no difference in the nitrato coordination to lanthanoids (Nd 3+ , Eu 3+ and Dy 3+ ) is observed, i.e. the nitrate anion prefers the monodentate coordination, which promotes the salt dissociation. Then, the influence of the nature of the solvating molecules on the nitrato coordination to Eu 3+ has been investigated. PMF profiles point out that both monodentate and bidentate coordinations are stable in neat methanol, while in neat octanol, only the bidentate one is. MD simulations of Eu(NO 3 ) 3 in water-octanol mixtures with different concentrations of water have been then performed and confirm the importance of the water molecules' presence on the nitrate ion's coordination mode. (authors)

  13. Europeanisation and the EU's comprehensive approach to crisis management in Africa

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Gorm Rye; Furness, Mark

    2016-01-01

    This article asks to what extent the European Union (EU) and its member states actually pursued and implemented comprehensive approaches in relation to crisis management in Africa. It also asks what can explain the lack of full implementation of the comprehensive approach in the cases of South...... may follow policy declarations more closely. The comprehensive approach nevertheless indicates an emerging Europeanisation norm influencing policy approaches to the sensitive nexuses that link security, development and crisis response. Evidence from country-level interventions reveals that this norm...

  14. IAEA to implement Safeguards Additional Protocols in the EU

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2004-01-01

    Full text: IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei welcomed the entry into force today of the Additional Protocols for 15 States of the European Union - France, the United Kingdom and the 13 non-nuclear weapon States of the EU - and the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM). The Protocols, which provide the Agency with better tools to verify compliance with nuclear non-proliferation commitments, entered into force when the European Commission informed the Agency that EURATOM's own requirements for entry into force had been met. The 15 States had provided similar notifications over the past years since signing the Protocols in 1998. The simultaneous entry into force of Additional Protocols for the 15 EU States is 'a very positive development and a milestone in our efforts to strengthen the verification regime', said Dr. ElBaradei. 'In my view, the Additional Protocol should become the standard for verification under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).' He added that the Agency had been preparing for the entry into force of the EU protocols and was confident that, in co-operation with the 15 States and EURATOM, it would be able to ensure effective and efficient implementation in the EU States. The Model Additional Protocol was developed following the discovery of Iraq's clandestine nuclear weapons programme to ensure that the IAEA is given the information and access it needs for timely discovery of any similar activities in States that have pledged not to use nuclear material and activities for weapons purposes. In the past year, Additional Protocols entered into force for 22 countries, and the Agency will now implement Additional Protocols in 58 States, which includes the 15 EU States. The 10 countries joining the EU on 1 May 2004 - seven of which already have brought into force Additional Protocols to their respective safeguards agreements - are expected to gradually accede to the Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol covering

  15. Smart Specialization and EU Eastern Innovation Cooperation: A Conceptual Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prause Gunnar

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The concept of smart specialization as a policy approach for regional development through increased regional productivity and competitiveness in the European context is actively discussed (European Union, 2009; OECD, 2014. Meanwhile, smart specialization has found its way into EU cohesion policy as well as into the European Commission’s Innovation Union flagship programme.

  16. MTU engines for locomotives satisfying the EU stage IIIB emission standard; MTU-Lokomotivantriebe fuer die Emissionsstufe EU IIIB

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wintruff, Ingo; Reich, Christian; Geiselmann, Wolfgang; Gottschalch, Harald; Jansen, Eddy [MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH, Friedrichshafen (Germany)

    2011-07-01

    The emission limits for diesel locomotives inside the European Union are included within the scope of Directive 97/68/EC, which is sometimes referred to as the ''non-road directive''. The pollutants limited by it are NO{sub x}, particulates, CO and HCs. The aim, through the directive, is to reduce railway emissions by a factor of ten by the year 2020. The EU stage IIIB standard is due to take effect on 1 January 2012. This envisages a further drastic reduction in limit values compared with EU stage IIIA, which is applicable today. For diesel locomotives, EU stage IIIA only came into force as recently as 2009. The manufacturers of engines and locomotives are thus having to face up to the huge challenge of getting the technologies needed for EU stage IIIB ready for the production line within a period of only three years. MTU has succeeded in developing engines for diesel locomotives that comply with the EU stage IIIB emission standard, which appreciably lower emissions compared with engines satisfying EU stage IIIA, thanks to the incorporation of the most modern technologies available, and has even gone as far as preparing them for the EU stage IV, the next one to come into force. (orig.)

  17. Thought for food (safety) in the EU: a discourse-analytical approach

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Paul, K.T.

    2008-01-01

    This paper seeks to explain the development of a transnational food safety policy approach in the context of the European Union (EU). The diverse reactions to the series of food scares over the past decade, such as the discovery of the link between BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) and the

  18. 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...

  19. Quadrupole splitting and Eu partial lattice dynamics in europium orthophosphate EuPO {sub 4}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klobes, B., E-mail: b.klobes@fz-juelich.de [JARA-FIT - Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science JCNS and Peter Grünberg Institute PGI (Germany); Arinicheva, Y., E-mail: y.arinicheva@fz-juelich.de; Neumeier, S., E-mail: s.neumeier@fz-juelich.de [Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK-6) Nuclear Waste Management and Reactor Safety (Germany); Simon, R. E., E-mail: r.simon@fz-juelich.de; Jafari, A., E-mail: a.jafari@fz-juelich.de [JARA-FIT - Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science JCNS and Peter Grünberg Institute PGI (Germany); Bosbach, D., E-mail: d.bosbach@fz-juelich.de [Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Institute of Energy and Climate Research (IEK-6) Nuclear Waste Management and Reactor Safety (Germany); Hermann, R. P., E-mail: hermannrp@ornl.gov [JARA-FIT - Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science JCNS and Peter Grünberg Institute PGI (Germany)

    2016-12-15

    Hyperfine interactions in europium orthophosphate EuPO{sub 4} were investigated using {sup 151}Eu Mössbauer spectroscopy from 6 to 300 K. The value of the quadrupole splitting and the asymmetry parameter were refined and further substantiated by nuclear forward scattering data obtained at room temperature. The temperature dependence of the relative absorption was modeled with an Eu specific Debye temperature of 221(1) K. Eu partial lattice dynamics were probed by means of nuclear inelastic scattering and the mean force constant, the Lamb-Mössbauer factor, the internal energy, the vibrational entropy, the average phonon group velocity were calculated using the extracted density of phonon states. In general, Eu specific vibrations are characterized by rather small phonon energies and contribute strongly to the total entropy of the system. Although there is no classical Debye like behavior at low vibrational energies, the average phonon group velocity can be reasonably approximated using a linear fit.

  20. THE EASTERN PARTNERSHIP AS PART OF THE EU FOREIGN POLICY: A REVIEW OF THEORETICAL APPROACHES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrei SCRINIC

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The Eastern Partnership (2009 as a component part of the European Neighbourhood Policy is a tool that aims at the economic integration and political cooperation of the countries that are included in this project by signing association and free trade agreements with the European Union (EU. The recent events in Ukraine have revealed the possibility of these countries to become EU member states depending on the progress made, which is confirmed by many European experts. However, there are big differences among the Eastern Partnership countries on their way to EU integration on the background of the strong pressure from Russia, aimed to suppress any pro-European manifestations of such countries. Despite the sharpening of geopolitical challenges, the EU continues to use the traditional ways of enlargement and deepening of cooperation processes with the Eastern Neighbourhood. This paper aims at reviewing the theoretical approaches through which the EU, as a normative power, exerts major influence on the Eastern Partnership (EaP countries by extending the neofunctional practices, intergovernmental cooperation and the constructivist model. However, in view of reaching the soft power objectives, we aim at transforming and strengthening the EU positions in the context of amplified economic and political-ideological problems at regional level.

  1. The geopolitics of future tourism development in an expanding EU

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Antony Singleton

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assert the link between the process of EU accession, the consolidation of democratic processes and the improvement of economic and tourism infrastructure to incoming tourism flows. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology of this paper involves explanation of an analysis exploring links between governmental systems and the order necessary for economic development and tourism. The argument is supported by the recent history of tourism development in three countries, two within the EU and one outside. Findings – Accession to the EU (especially in the case of Eastern European countries constitutes a way to emulate the democratic freedoms and greater economic prosperity of existing EU member states. Tourism is one of the areas of economy that benefits from the stability and growth EU membership can bring. Accession to the EU has had beneficial effects for acceding in terms of political stability and tourism growth. Originality/value – The opportunities that EU membership can bring to tourism development for example (also strategies to exploit these opportunities depend to a large degree on the international relations between the EU and its rivals. The extent to which tourism demands ebb and flow is governed by a range of factors, but the issues of conflict and security are game breakers. Understanding the factors and trends involved in the peaceful resolution of conflict (democratic model or use of force to resolve conflict (military model is key in the analysis of future tourism opportunities.

  2. EU Strategic Culture and the 2011 Libyan War

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kahlke Hansen, Lea; Nielsen, Kristian L.

    Since the Maastricht Treaty came into force in 1992, the EU has sought to enhance its capacity as an actor within security policy. An important step in this process was the 2003 European Security Strategy, which introduced the EU goal of developing a common European strategic culture. The conflict...... in Libya in many ways seemed an ideal opportunity for the EU to manifest itself as an important security actor, and to fullfill its strategic ambitions as they are described in the 2003 European Security Strategy. Instead, due to internal disagreements on the use of force, the EU was unable to forge...... a common position of any importance and therefore once again remained peripheral. This article examines the strategic culture of the European Union and what the conflict in Libya, 2011, tells us about the emergence of such a strategic culture and the EU’s capacity as an actor in security policy. It argues...

  3. Functional foods: regulation and innovations in the EU

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Moors, E.H.M.

    2012-01-01

    Worldwide consumers are becoming more interested in the relation between food and health. In order to harmonize regulation on foods throughout the EU, the Regulation EC1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims came into force, as a first specific set of EU legal rules dealing with nutrition and

  4. National Courts and EU Law

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    approaches and theories originating from law, political science, sociology and economics. The first section addresses issues relating to judicial dialogue and EU legal mandates, the second looks at the topic of EU law in national courts and the third considers national courts’ roles in protecting fundamental......, National Courts and EU Law will hold strong appeal for scholars and students in the fields of EU law, social sciences and humanities. It will also be of use to legal practitioners interested in the issue of judicial application of EU law....

  5. EU GHG Emission Targets: 'Mind the gap'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lojodice, Ilaria

    2012-06-01

    In Durban, the European Union has been able to overcome the traditional dividing lines between developed and developing countries, setting a 'road-map' for a post-Kyoto framework. This would see countries conclude an 'agreed outcome with legal force' on emissions targets by 2015. Was this a key goal or a partial success for EU climate diplomacy? The main concerns are that the second commitment period would only come into force by 2021, and that necessary carbon cuts are not be increased before 2020. The direct by-product for the EU victory has been the awakening of the debate about raising emissions reductions to 30%. In fact, as stated in the Low Carbon Road-map, the EU has adopted a target of cutting emissions by 20% to by 2020, and of moving to a 30% reduction target if the conditions are right. Is this finally the time for Europe to improve its performance, even if it means going it alone? The EU has always been a strong defender of the Kyoto Protocol under certain constraints, such as developing and emerging countries entering into the deal. But does the EU have all the right assets to fight for this? Where is Europe in achieving its 2020 goal? In essence, this paper provides an estimate of what EU emissions could be in 2020, and how they stand compared to Kyoto and 20% objective of the 2020 strategy. (author)

  6. 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

  7. Properties of the histogram location approach and the extent and change of downward nominal wage rigidity in the EU

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreas Behr

    2006-06-01

    Full Text Available The histogram location approach has been proposed by Kahn (1997 to estimate the fraction of wage cuts prevented by downward nominal wage rigidity. In this paper, we analyze the validity of the approach by means of a simulation study which yielded evidence of unbiasedness but also of potential underestimation of rigidity parameter uncertainty and therefore of potential anticonservative inference. We apply the histogram location approach to estimate the extent of downward nominal wage rigidity across the EU for 1995-2001. Our data base is the User Data Base (UDB of the European Community Household Panel (ECHP. The results show wide variation in the fraction of wage cuts prevented by nominal wage rigidity across the EU. The lowest rigidity parameters are found for the UK, Spain and Ireland, the largest for Portugal and Italy. Analyzing the change of rigidity between sub periods 1995-1997 and 1999-2001 even shows an widening of the differences in nominal wage rigidity. Due to the finding of large differences across the EU, the results imply that the costs of low inflation policies across the EU differ substantially.

  8. Towards a Practice Turn in EU Studies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Adler-Nissen, Rebecca

    2016-01-01

    This article explores how practice theory can be recruited for the study of European integration. New generations of EU researchers are fascinated by the prospect of leaving the armchair and studying the people and artefacts that make the EU on an everyday level. This article surveys key practice......-oriented, anthropological and micro-sociological studies of the EU and European integration and shows how their findings challenge more traditional understandings of the dynamics of European integration. Moving beyond a stock-taking, the article distinguishes between ‘order- ing’ and ‘disordering’ practices and explores...... the potential of a practice turn in EU studies for both theory (overcoming dualism, replacing substantialism with processualism and rethinking power) and methods (including unstructured interviews, fieldwork and participant observation). A practice turn will force us to rethink core assumptions about the EU...

  9. The EU Comprehensive Approach on Somali Piracy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angela Caramerli

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The Gulf of Aden represents a strategic issue for the international community, as its geographical position is fundamental as the major trade maritime route. About 50 percent of the world container ships pass through the Gulf of Aden each year, 80 percent of those cargos coming from Europe. For this reason, the piracy issue affecting Somalia is a problem affecting EU member states’ security and economy. This paper is focused on the comprehensive approach acted by the European Union, with a special attention on proposing the implementation of programs against illegal fishing and waste dumping in order to fight Somali piracy. The evaluation of the military mission offers an overview on a solution for the near future, while the training missions and the development funds sustain the build-up of national tools and focus on the solving of the roots of the issue.

  10. EuCARD final project report

    CERN Document Server

    Koutchouk, J P

    2014-01-01

    After four years of activity, EuCARD has most of its objectives fulfilled, with some new objectives added and a few others on excellent tracks while requiring additional time. The management has been active in reinforcing the collaborative links between partners and projects, contributing to the preparation of FP7-EuCARD2, initiating FP7-HiLumi-LHC Design Study, to favour sustained collaborations beyond EuCARD. An out-of-contract network has been successfully launched on laser plasma acceleration, to combine forces between accelerator, laser and plasma communities. Communication and dissemination activities have led to two highlights: Accelerating News, an accelerator R&D newsletter initiated by EuCARD and now common to all FP7 accelerator projects (over 1000 subscribers) and a series of monographs on accelerator sciences that is progressively finding its public. The scientific networks have more than fulfilled their initial objectives: roadmaps are defined for neutrino facilities, submitted to the Europe...

  11. Radon in workplaces - Czech approach to EU BSS implementation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fojtikova, I.; Timkova, J.; Zenata, I.

    2017-01-01

    The European Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom of December 2013 established inter alia the uniform basic safety standards for the health protection of individuals being subject to occupational exposure. In Article 54, a new obligation is introduced to regulate radon exposure in workplaces. The EU Member States are obliged to set national reference value for radon in workplaces, delineate the areas where the regulation will be applied and determine the concerned types of workplaces. The presented article shows the Czech approach to implementation of this obligation in national legislation and the first design of regulator s control activities to set the obligation in practice. (authors)

  12. Enlarging the EU's internal energy market: Why would third countries accept EU rule export?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prange-Gstoehl, Heiko

    2009-01-01

    Why would countries without a membership perspective seek integration into the EU's internal energy market? One major element of the EU's external energy policy is the export of EU energy norms and regulations to neighbourhood countries and beyond. A core legal instrument the EU uses in this context is the Energy Community Treaty (ECT). The ECT goes both geographically and regarding its depth significantly beyond neighbourhood or association policies, addressing potentially also countries in the 'far neighbourhood' and aiming at the creation of a Single Market for energy with these countries. While, however, EU candidate countries are obliged to adopt the 'acquis' before accessing the EU and therefore comply to EU rules already before they enter the Club, I argue that countries with no or only a vague membership perspective - i.e. countries where the EU cannot apply the 'conditionality' - approach (e.g., ENP countries)-aim at deeper integration with the EU because they are either eager to demonstrate their capability and potential to become part of the Club, they seek greater independence from a regional hegemon or they envisage significant economic gains as common norms, rules and standards are likely to increase economic exchange with the EU.

  13. Systems analysis approach to the design of efficient water pricing policies under the EU water framework directive

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Riegels, Niels; Pulido-Velazquez, Manuel; Doulgeris, Charalampos

    2013-01-01

    management objectives. However, the design and implementation of economic instruments for water management, including water pricing, has emerged as a challenging aspect of WFD implementation. This study demonstrates the use of a systems analysis approach to designing and comparing two economic approaches......Economic theory suggests that water pricing can contribute to efficient management of water scarcity. The European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive (WFD) is a major legislative effort to introduce the use of economic instruments to encourage efficient water use and achieve environmental...... to efficient management of groundwater and surface water given EU WFD ecological flow requirements. Under the first approach, all wholesale water users in a river basin face the same volumetric price for water. This water price does not vary in space or in time, and surface water and groundwater are priced...

  14. Epistemic Dependence and the EU Seal Ban Debate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lars Christian Blichner

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available On September 2009 the European Union (EU adopted a regulation banning the import of seal products into the EU or placing seal products on the EU market. The European Parliament was the main driving force behind the regulation and the EU has been criticised by affected countries outside the EU for not basing this decision on the available expert knowledge. The questions asked are how, given epistemic dependence, non-experts may challenge an expert based policy proposal. Can non-experts hold experts accountable, and if so in what way? Three main tests and ten subtests of expert knowledge are proposed and these tests are then used to assess whether the European Parliament did in fact argue in a way consistent with available expert knowledge in amending the Commission proposal for a regulation.

  15. EU Trade Governance and Policy: A Critical Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucy Ford

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available This article offers a critical analysis of EU trade policy. It does so by highlighting the political and economic enclosures within which EU trade policy is embedded and that continue to hamper more holistic and interdisciplinary analyses that are argued to be necessary in order to comprehend the obstacles to and avenues towards a more sustainable and socially just world. The article critically analyses economic and political hegemony by drawing on two strands of critical international thought, namely neo-Gramscian analysis and global political ecology, employing a critical realist approach. The article identifies the perceived twin short-comings of conventional analyses: firstly, the neglect of understandings of power relations and social justice, and secondly the lack of attention to criteria of sustainability. Within critical debates about European governance, including the governance of trade and trade policy, neo-Gramscian perspectives highlight the power relations within EU governance, exposing the mechanisms of hegemony as well as identifying potential counter-hegemonic forces. While this offers important insights, the article argues that a critical perspective cannot be complete without attention to sustainability. Political ecology makes a vital contribution to critical perspectives by highlighting the natural limits within which by necessity all human activity takes place. Using illustrations from trade policy debates, the article argues that current EU trade policy and governance is not best placed to meet the challenges of sustainability and social justice and it points to the need for more holistic systems thinking to challenge orthodoxy.

  16. An Optimization-Based Impedance Approach for Robot Force Regulation with Prescribed Force Limits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. de J. Portillo-Vélez

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available An optimization based approach for the regulation of excessive or insufficient forces at the end-effector level is introduced. The objective is to minimize the interaction force error at the robot end effector, while constraining undesired interaction forces. To that end, a dynamic optimization problem (DOP is formulated considering a dynamic robot impedance model. Penalty functions are considered in the DOP to handle the constraints on the interaction force. The optimization problem is online solved through the gradient flow approach. Convergence properties are presented and the stability is drawn when the force limits are considered in the analysis. The effectiveness of our proposal is validated via experimental results for a robotic grasping task.

  17. Ex-ante Study of a Possible Modernisation of the EU-Chile Association Agreement

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Henry de Frahan, Bruno; Hartwell, Christopher; Kuik, O.J.; Lirette, Paul; Mirecka, Katarzyna; Nolan Garcia, Kimberly; Pellandra, Andrea; Polanco, Rodrigo; Schmidt-Hebbel, Klaus; Shuvaieva, Iryna; Sidlo, Kataryna; Teresinski, Jan; Torrent, Ramon; Valdes, Albert

    This study provides an ex-ante impact assessment of the possible modernisation of the EU-Chile Association Agreement. Since the current agreement entered into force in 2003, Chilean exports of agricultural/food products and services to the EU have nearly tripled while EU exports to Chile have

  18. Through the EU's Back and Front Doors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Adler-Nissen, Rebecca

    2015-01-01

    Through the EU's front- and backdoors: The selective Danish and Norwegian approaches in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice Rebecca Adler-Nissen......Through the EU's front- and backdoors: The selective Danish and Norwegian approaches in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice Rebecca Adler-Nissen...

  19. Distance Factors and Croatian Export Obstacles in the EU15: CAGE Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Helena Miloloža

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available For long-term sustainability of any enterprise, it is required to observe each market separately and systematically modify business approach to prevailing conditions in each. However, adaptation to each market can be a complex affair that requires certain financial costs but ignoring distinguishing criteria leads to reduction in revenues and undermines long-term profitability. Time saving and cost-effectiveness can be achieved by application of The CAGE Distance Framework – a model that analysis all diversities between two or more countries. Croatia did not yet utilize the benefits that European Union membership provides nor did significantly improved its international business. It is obvious that Croatia faces difficulties in the strategic approach to prospective foreign markets. Therefore, emphasis of this article is on analysis and identification of the distinguishing factors between Croatia and the EU15 in order to facilitate and enhance cooperation among them in the future. Throughout the analysis of Croatian export from the beginning of the economic crisis, this article gives an overview of international collaboration among Croatia and the EU15 and comparative analysis by using The CAGE Distance Framework. This analysis has confirmed significant fluctuations, unexploited potential and problems of the Croatian economy in all dimensions of The CAGE model.

  20. 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.

  1. Energy policy in the EU and in Russia. Positions, potential conflicts, approaches for cooperation.; Energiepolitik in der EU und Russland. Interessenlagen, Konfliktpotenziale, Kooperationsansaetze

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liebing, Stefan

    2010-06-01

    The paper under the above mentioned title tries to develop an understanding of the question why energy relations and cooperation between the European Union and Russia in energy matters haven't been very successful over the last decade and why relations are affected by crises frequently. In order to answer these questions meaningfully, several steps need to be made: First, the paper offers a summary of recent policy debate on energy questions on the EU side. It identifies relevant participants in the ''political arena'' and describes their positioning and interaction, based on a multi-level-governance approach. Following a look at history of European energy policy developments, the paper concludes that a complex European policy field has developed recently, although there is no direct responsibility for energy matters with European institutions so far, but that the justification for any law-making in the said areas is deducted from secondary EU level responsibilities such as common market, competition law or environmental matters. However, there is a huge bandwidth of positions between political actors, civil service, parliaments, industry associations, consumers - organizations etc as well as between community and national level organizations. Not only a battle for power and competence between these levels hinders a straight and consistent energy policy across the EU, there is also significantly different focus with different players on where to put effort between conflicting objectives of the ''European Energy Triangle'', demanding (1) secure and reliable, (2) cheap and competitive as well as (3) environmentally friendly energy supplies. Despite all these differences, within the EU, a strong and well-regarded new area of policy debate has developed in the energy sector and a lot has been achieved. Observers frequently demand the EU to ''speak with one voice'' towards third parties, eg gas producing

  2. Overview of the design approach and prioritization of R&D activities towards an EU DEMO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Federici, G., E-mail: gianfranco.federici@euro-fusion.org [EUROfusion Consortium, Boltzmannstr. 2, Garching 85748 (Germany); Bachmann, C. [EUROfusion Consortium, Boltzmannstr. 2, Garching 85748 (Germany); Biel, W. [Institute of Energy and Climate Research, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich (Germany); Department of Applied Physics, Ghent University, Ghent (Belgium); Boccaccini, L. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Campus Nord Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Cismondi, F.; Ciattaglia, S.; Coleman, M. [EUROfusion Consortium, Boltzmannstr. 2, Garching 85748 (Germany); Day, C. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Campus Nord Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Diegele, E.; Franke, T. [EUROfusion Consortium, Boltzmannstr. 2, Garching 85748 (Germany); Grattarola, M. [Ansaldo Nucleare, Corso Perrone 25, 16152 Genova (Italy); Hurzlmeier, H. [EUROfusion Consortium, Boltzmannstr. 2, Garching 85748 (Germany); Ibarra, A. [CIEMAT, Avda. Complutense 40, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Loving, A. [CCFE Culham Science Centre, Abingdon OX14-3DB, Oxon (United Kingdom); Maviglia, F.; Meszaros, B.; Morlock, C. [EUROfusion Consortium, Boltzmannstr. 2, Garching 85748 (Germany); Rieth, M. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Campus Nord Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Shannon, M. [EUROfusion Consortium, Boltzmannstr. 2, Garching 85748 (Germany); Taylor, N. [CCFE Culham Science Centre, Abingdon OX14-3DB, Oxon (United Kingdom); and others

    2016-11-01

    Highlights: • An important objective of the EU fusion roadmap Horizon 2020 is to lay the foundation of a DEMO Fusion Power Reactor to follow ITER. • This paper describes the progress of the DEMO design and R&D activities in Europe in the EUROfusion Consortium. • Focus is on a systems engineering/design integration approach to identify technology & physics R&D requirements and address design challenges. • Preliminary design choices/sensitivity studies to explore the design space and identify/select attractive design points are described. • Initial results of work conducted by distributed project teams involving EU labs, universities, and industries in Europe are presented. - Abstract: This paper describes the progress of the DEMO design and R&D activities in Europe. The focus is on a systems engineering and design integration approach, which is recognized to be essential from an early stage to identify and address the engineering and operational challenges, and the requirements for technology and physics R&D. We present some of the preliminary design choices/sensitivity studies to explore and narrow down the design space and identify/select attractive design points. We also discuss some of the initial results of work being executed in the EUROfusion Consortium by a geographically distributed project team involving many EU laboratories, universities, and industries in Europe.

  3. The Economic Determinants of Bioenergy Trade Intensity in the EU-28: A Co-Integration Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohd Alsaleh

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the dynamic effect of the economic determinants on bilateral trade intensity of the European Union (EU region’s bioenergy industry outputs. The authors adopt the panel co-integration model approach to estimate annual trade intensity data of the EU-28 countries’ bioenergy industry outputs from 1990 to 2013. This study investigated the long-term influence of the rate of real exchange, gross domestic product (GDP, and export price on the trade intensity of bioenergy industry applying fully modified oriented least square (FMOLS, dummy oriented least square (DOLS, and pooled mean group (PMG models. In the current study, the findings boost the empirical validity of the panel co-integration model through FMOLS, indicating that depreciation has improved the trade intensity. This study has further investigated, through the causality test, a distinct set of countries. FMOLS estimation does find proof of the long run improvement of trade intensity. Thus, the result shows that the gross domestic product (GDP and the real exchange rate have a positive and noteworthy influence on the EU-28 region trade intensity of the bioenergy industry. Moreover, the export price affects negatively and significantly the trade intensity of the bioenergy industry in the EU-28 countries.

  4. Energy Efficiency and Emissions Trading. A PEEREA perspective after the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol and of the EU ETS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2006-01-01

    The year 2005 was of particular importance for the climate change discussions. The Kyoto Protocol entered into force in February, following the Russian ratification. At the same time, the largest emission-trading scheme for CO2, the EU ETS came into operation. By the end of the year the first Meeting of the Parties to the UNFCCC took place in Montreal. The PEEREA Group discussed on several occasions the contribution of the Kyoto flexible mechanisms to boosting energy efficiency improvements. The role of energy efficiency projects in achieving climate change objectives was equally underlined. In 2004 a report was elaborated and subsequently printed on Carbon Trading and Energy Efficiency, with the understanding that the PEEREA Group will revisit the subject in order to reflect on new developments in this area. This paper, prepared by the Secretariat with the consultancy support of EcoSecurities, served the discussion and debate in the PEEREA Group on the latest developments and opportunities for energy efficiency in the climate change process. The paper provides only a brief introduction of the main concepts, as they were presented and discussed in the 2004 report. The focus is now on the operation of the EU ETS and on the implications for both EU and non EU PEEREA countries of the Linking Directive on the use of JI/CDM mechanisms in relation to improving energy efficiency

  5. Fighting windmills? EU industrial interest and global climate negotiations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steiner Brand, U.; Tinggaard Svendsen, G.

    2003-01-01

    Why has the EU been so eager to continue the climate negotiations? Can it be solely attributed to the EU feeling morally obliged to be the main initiator of continued progress on the climate change negotiations, or can industrial interests in the EU, at least partly, explain the behaviour of the EU? We suggest that the EU has a rational economic interest in forcing the technological development of renewable energy sources to get a fast-mover advantage, which will only pay if a sufficient number of countries implement sufficiently stringent GHG reductions. The Kyoto Protocol, which imposes binding reductions on 38 OECD countries, implies that, as a first-mover, the EU will be to sell the necessary new renewable technologies, most prominently wind mills, to other countries, when they ratify and implement the Kyoto target levels. In the latest EU proposal made in Johannesburg, the EU pushed for setting a target of 15% of all energy to come from sources such as windmills, solar panels and waves by 2015. Such a target would further the EU's interests globally, and could explain, in economic terms, why the EU eagerly promotes GHG trade at a global level whereas the US has left the Kyoto agreement to save the import costs of buying the EU's renewable systems. (au)

  6. Implementation of integrated homecare in EU

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Torben

    ://www.integratedhomecare.eu/ ) aims to develop a strategy for better clinical continuity in EU. Data and Method A systematic literature review on integrated care forms the base for design of an HTA of integrated home care (IHC) for chronic conditions in such a state of disablement that patient schools are not enough. The EUnet...... approach with the adaption to local conditions in a decentralized approach. This means that a regional level with direct cooperation between the administrative/financial and the clinical/specialist levels is focused. This meso- level is addressed by an international network of national specialist groups......  Implementation of Integrated Home Care in EU Objective WHO put the fragmented delivery of health and social services for large groups of chronic conditions on the research agenda in 2002 as implemented in the call EU-FP7-HEALTH-2007-3.1.6. This granted project ( http...

  7. EU citizenship and the European Court of Justice's 'stone-by-stone' approach

    OpenAIRE

    Lenaerts, Koenraad

    2015-01-01

    Examining the seminal judgment of the European Court of Justice (the ‘ECJ’) in the Ruiz Zambrano case (C‑34/09,EU:C:2011:124) and its progeny, this paper is to illustrate the fact that in hard cases of constitutional importance the ECJ follows an incremental approach. This means ,in essence, that the ECJ does not take ‘longjumps’ when expounding the rationale underpinning the solution given to novel questions of constitutional importance. On the contrary, the persuasiveness of its argumentati...

  8. Individual employment, household employment and risk of poverty in the EU: a decomposition analysis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Corluy, V.; Vandenbroucke, F.

    2013-01-01

    This Working Paper explores the missing links between employment policy success and social inclusion policy failure. The focus is on individuals in the 20 to 59 age cohort and empirical analyses are relying on the EU Labour Force Survey (EU LFS) and the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions

  9. Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting: Differences among Selected EU Countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vukic Nikolina Markota

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: Greater transparency has become a relevant topic for companies around the world. Information and communication technologies revolution (ICT revolution has forced companies to become more transparent. With the intention of increasing companies’ transparency, the European Union (hereinafter: the EU has presented a new Accounting Directive 2013/34/EU which makes Corporate Social Reporting (hereinafter: CSR reporting mandatory for certain companies.

  10. 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...

  11. Product-related top runner approach at EU level; Grundkonzeption eines produktbezogenen Top-Runner-Modells auf der EU-Ebene

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jepsen, Dirk; Reintjes, Norbert [Institut fuer Oekologie und Politik GmbH (OEKOPOL), Hamburg (Germany); Rubik, Frieder; Stecker, Rebecca; Engel, Florian; Eisenhauer, Patrik [Institut fuer Oekologische Wirtschaftsforschung (IOEW) gGmbH, Berlin (Germany); Schomerus, Thomas; Spengler, Laura [Leuphana Univ., Lueneburg (Germany)

    2011-06-15

    This publication shows that the environmental ministers of the EU member states are largely agreed that a new generation of green legislation with dynamic standards is needed in order to create strong incentives for resource-efficient innovation. The German Federal Government has recognised the potential of this approach and is making a political drive for the introduction of a top-runner promotion scheme at EU level. A scheme of the same kind has also been incorporated in Germany's energy efficiency action plan. The top runner promotion scheme is a system of requirements and incentives for the promotion of the best and most efficient products on the market. It can also serve as a guiding model for product-related environmental protection in Germany. In its general considerations of the interaction between community law and national law in the implementation of the top runner promotion scheme on the basis of the Ecodesign Directive and in a special analysis based on the example of boilers and small-scale firing installations the present study shows that there is a trend of steady curtailment of the legislator's scope of influence. If any national scope for product-related regulation does still exist, then only in niches, but not in a manner that would permit the legal implementation of broad concepts.

  12. The EU Nickel Directive revisited--future steps towards better protection against nickel allergy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thyssen, Jacob P; Uter, Wolfgang; McFadden, John

    2011-01-01

    In July 2001, the EU Nickel Directive came into full force to protect European citizens against nickel allergy and dermatitis. Prior to this intervention, Northern European governments had already begun to regulate consumer nickel exposure. According to part 2 of the EU Nickel Directive and the D......In July 2001, the EU Nickel Directive came into full force to protect European citizens against nickel allergy and dermatitis. Prior to this intervention, Northern European governments had already begun to regulate consumer nickel exposure. According to part 2 of the EU Nickel Directive...... and the Danish nickel regulation, consumer items intended to be in direct and prolonged contact with the skin were not allowed to release more than 0.5 µg nickel/cm2/week. It was considered unlikely that nickel allergy would disappear altogether as a proportion of individuals reacted below the level defined...

  13. 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...

  14. Present developmental conditions petroleum substituting energies in the EU; Sekiyu daitai energy kaihatsu no genjo (EU)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1997-03-01

    This report outlines the policy of development and introduction of petroleum substituting energies, and its diffusion situation in the EU. On the policy, development, introduction and diffusion of petroleum substituting energies in the EU, based on the new EU energy white paper issued in fiscal 1996, the policy of energy and environment in every EU country is first outlined. The policy of and practical approach to petroleum substituting energies in every EU country are next described. In particular, since ALTENER which has been continuously promoted by the EU for 3 years as main control measures against CO2 is newly moving toward the second plan, the trend of ALTENER and the new SAVE2 plan are presented. The content of JOULE-THERMIE is also precisely presented which is the new energy program of the 4th framework R & D program. In relation to the developmental trend of alternative energies to oil in the EU until 2020, its prediction result is presented on the basis of the latest study promoted by EC committee in the ALTENER plan. 10 tabs.

  15. EU Science Diplomacy and Framework Programs as Instruments of STI Cooperation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    К. А. Ibragimova

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This article examines the tools that the EU in interactions with third countries in the field of STI uses. The EU is a pioneer in the use of science and technology in the international arena, the creation of strategic bilateral agreements on science and technology and the conduct of political dialogues at the highest political level (at the country and regional levels. The EU actively uses its foreign policy instruments of influence, including the provision of access to its framework programs to researchers from third countries, as well as scientific diplomacy. The success of these programs and scientific diplomacy shows the effectiveness of the EU as a global actor. In its foreign policy global innovation strategy, the EU proceeds from the premise that no state in the world today can cope independently with modern global challenges such as climate change, migration, terrorism, etc. Therefore, the solution of these issues requires both an expert evaluation from an independent world scientific community, and the perseverance of diplomats and officials of branch ministries of national states capable of conveying the views of their government in international negotiations and defending national interests of the country to find a solution that suits everyone. The EU has the resources to create a "cumulative effect" by developing and applying common norms on the territory of theUnion, analyzing the innovation policies of member states and the possibility of sharing best practices. At the same time, the EU shares its vision of problems, values and priorities with partners and uses the tools of "soft power" (including its smart and normative force and scientific diplomacy in the field of STI. The soft power of the EU in the field of STI lies in the attractiveness of the EU as a research area in which it is possible to conduct modern high-quality international research with the involvement of scientific teams from different countries in both physical

  16. Piezoelectrically-induced stress-luminescence phenomenon in CaAl2O4:Eu2+

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wei, Yongbin; Wu, Zheng; Jia, Yanmin; Liu, Yongsheng

    2015-01-01

    Piezoelectrically-induced stress-luminescence in the CaAl 2 O 4 :Eu 2+ was investigated. Blue light that was visible to the naked eye could be observed in the dark when a pulse force of ∼7.7 kN was applied to the sample. The intensity of the stress-luminescence strongly depended on the magnitude of the applied force during a pulse cycle. The intensity decreased with repetitive application of pulse stress and was completely recovered after irradiation with ultraviolet light. It is suggested that the stress-luminescence effect in CaAl 2 O 4 :Eu 2+ arises from the piezoelectrically-induced de-trapping of the charge carriers. A CaAl 2 O 4 :Eu 2+ ceramic that exhibits a stress-luminescence effect has potential applications in smart stress optically-sensing devices. - Highlights: • The strong induced stress-luminescence in CaAl 2 O 4 :Eu 2+ was observed. • The stress-luminescent intensity strongly depends on the magnitude of force. • The stress-luminescence could be completely recovered after the UV irradiation. • The strong stress-luminescent effect is potential in stress-light sensors

  17. NEW TRENDS IN R&D DISPARITIES AMONG EU COUNTRIES. A SIGMA CONVERGENCE APPROACH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Goschin Zizi

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The recent economic crisis brought about new challenges and disrupted the previous convergence process in R&D systems of EU member countries. The new developments in the configuration of the European Research Area require the use of adequate methods for measuring disparities between EU countries and monitoring of the convergence process. In this context, our paper aims to explore the new trends in R&D disparities among different groups of EU countries by means of a specific method for assessing the convergence/divergence process, namely the "sigma convergence" indicator introduced by Barro and Sala-i-Martin (1995. Considering the sizeable heterogeneity that exists within the EU-28 and candidate countries, we performed separate analyses on two groups of countries that are likely to be more homogenous: old and new EU member countries. Our main finding is a convergence trend for both EU-28 and candidate countries and old EU members over 2006-2013, while the new EU countries seem to diverge in terms of the research and development activity as captured by the Summary Innovation Index. The existence of a systematic trend of convergence / divergence was further tested based on both Augmented Dickey - Fuller (ADF and DF- GLS stationarity tests.

  18. An electrochemical approach for removal of radionuclidic contaminants of Eu from 153Sm for effective use in metastatic bone pain palliation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakravarty, Rubel; Chakraborty, Sudipta; Khan, Mohammed Sahiralam; Ram, Ramu; Sarma, Haladhar Dev; Dash, Ashutosh

    2018-03-01

    Thermal neutron activation of 152 Sm [ 152 Sm(n,γ) 153 Sm] using natural or isotopically enriched (by 152 Sm) samarium target is the established route for production of 153 Sm used for preparation of 153 Sm-EDTMP for pain palliation in cancer patients with disseminated bone metastases. However, some long-lived radionuclidic contaminants of Eu, such as, 154 Eu (t ½ =8.6y) are also produced during the target activation process. This leads to detectable amount of Eu radionuclidic contaminants in patients' skeleton even years after administration with therapeutic doses of 153 Sm-EDTMP. Further, the presence of such contaminants in 153 Sm raises concerns related to radioactive waste management. The aim of the present study was to develop and demonstrate a viable method for large-scale purification of 153 Sm from radionuclidic contaminants of Eu. A radiochemical separation procedure adopting electroamalgamation approach has been critically evaluated. The influence of different experimental parameters for the quantitative removal radionuclidic contaminants of Eu from 153 Sm was investigated and optimized. The effectiveness of the method was demonstrated by purification of ~37 GBq of 153 Sm in several batches. As a proof of concept, 153 Sm-EDTMP was administered in normal Wistar rats and ex vivo γ-spectrometry of bone samples were carried out. After carrying out the electrolysis under the optimized conditions, the radionuclidic contaminants of Eu could not be detected in purified 153 Sm solution by γ-spectrometry. The overall yield of 153 Sm obtained after the purification process was >85%. The reliability of this approach was amply demonstrated in several batches, wherein the performance remained consistent. Ex vivo γ-spectrometry of bone samples of Wistar rats administered with 153 Sm-EDTMP (prepared using electrochemically purified 153 Sm) did not show photo peaks corresponding to radionuclidic contaminants of Eu. A viable electrochemical strategy for the large

  19. European economic area in the system of the EU foreign policy: norwegian perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bohdan Y. Barna

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available European Economic Area was one of the first examples of developing the relations between the EU and other partner countries on the continent that rejected a full membership in this organization. This form of cooperation for over twenty years provides stability, predictability and constructive development of relations with the three European partners, including Norway. Currently, the EEA is seen as a model of deeper integration without getting a full-fledged membership in the EU. It should also be noted that this arrangement has proven its resistance to external shocks as reduction of members of EFTA, EU enlargement and adoption of new EU treaties. Therefore, Brussels supports the existence of the EEA and never officially put on the agenda of the termination of the agreement or revision of its provisions. For their part, most Norwegian political parties also defend the status quo. However, there are voices on the need to modernize the EEA, especially after the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty. It is also necessary to point out that the Norwegian model of cooperation with the EU has lost its original exceptionality, especially after the entry into force of the Association Agreement with Ukraine. Oslo has also to compete with a number of other countries, NGOs and other lobby groups for attention from the EU. Relations between Norway and the EU are characterized by the asymmetry of obligations under the EEA, as Oslo is obliged to unilaterally implement acquis communautaire, while having no effective leverage over decision-making in the EU. Another challenge is the weakness of the EFTA pillars in the EEA, as it is necessary to interact with an organization, which has 28 European member-countries. There are other negative aspects that gradually reduce the role of Norway in relations with the EU. Given the current challenges, different scenarios have been prepared focusing on for the further development of relations between the EU and Norway. According to

  20. MODERN APPROACHES ON DEFINING FOOD QUALITY ON THE EU MARKET

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    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.

  1. The EU Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Woerdman, Edwin; Woerdman, Edwin; Roggenkamp, Martha; Holwerda, Marijn

    2015-01-01

    This chapter explains how greenhouse gas emissions trading works, provides the essentials of the Directive on the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) and summarizes the main implementation problems of the EU ETS. In addition, a law and economics approach is used to discuss the dilemmas

  2. The robustness of EU financial crimes legislation: A critical review of the EU and UK anti-fraud and money laundering scheme

    OpenAIRE

    Herlin-Karnell, E.; Ryder, N.

    2017-01-01

    In this paper we set out to chart the European Union’s (EU) genesis of fighting crime as partly one of establishing the EU as an “Area of Freedom, Security and Justice” (AFSJ) and partly one of facilitating the EU internal market creation and the establishment of a global market place. We provide an overview of the current complexities facing the EU in its current struggles for a reformation and against statist approaches by focusing on the law on financial crimes and its contemporary challan...

  3. Labour Market Integration of young EU Migrant Citizens in Germany and the UK

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Spreckelsen, Thees; Leschke, Janine; Seeleib-Kaiser, Martin

    This papers examines the quantitative and qualitative labour market integration of recent young EU migrant citizens in Germany and the UK, separately for citizens from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), Romania and Bulgaria, and Southern European countries. It estimates weighted-proportions from...... market outcomes of all migrants, ignoring a potential double-labour market disadvantage of migrant youth. Routinely, EU migrants’ labour market outcomes are compared for EU-15 and CEE countries, rather than separately and against third country nationals. This paper finds two things:  a high labour force...... participation of young EU migrants  a labour market segmentation for young EU migrant citizen from CEE and Bulgaria, who experience more precarious work in both Germany and the UK....

  4. 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.

  5. Highlights from e-EPS: EPS and EuChems are joining forces

    CERN Multimedia

    2013-01-01

    e-EPS News is an addition to the CERN Bulletin line-up, showcasing articles from e-EPS – the European Physical Society newsletter – as part of a collaboration between the two publications.   On the occasion of the EPS Council 2013 in Strasbourg, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the European Association for Chemical and Molecular Societies (EuCheMS) and the European Physical Society (EPS) by presidents Ulrich Schubert and Luisa Cifarelli. EuCheMS and EPS share many objectives, such as community building, scientific excellence, communication and representation of their respective members to European policy makers. The two societies recognise that issues in many fields such as education, publication, support for basic sciences and frontier research are similar in their respective disciplines. They wish to combine efforts in developing and presenting common standpoints to their mutual benefit as European representatives in chemistry ...

  6. The Institutionalised and Non-Institutionalised Exemptions from EU Public Procurement Law: Towards a More Coherent Approach?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Willem A. Janssen

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available From a EU public procurement law perspective, contracting authorities have a discretionary power to decide upon who is allowed and best suited to provide public services to the public. When public authorities deem the in-house performance of a service to be the most suitable, the Court of Justice of the EU has allowed these authorities to rely on the institutionalised and non-institutionalised exemptions, which exempt a possible duty to contract out a public contract. The first part of this contribution discusses the recent codification of these exemptions in Article 12 Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement. It concludes that this codification creates some legal certainty, but it mostly expands the scope of these exemptions from public procurement law. The second part of this contribution proposes a more coherent approach for these exemptions by discussing the challenges of regulating and enforcing the pre-procurement phase (the make-or-buy decision in which a public authority decides to favour the internal or external performance of a service. It concludes by providing legal perspectives to regulate and enforce this decision-making phase.

  7. Luminescence properties of different Eu sites in LiMgPO4:Eu2+, Eu3+

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baran, A; Mahlik, S; Grinberg, M; Cai, P; Kim, S I; Seo, H J

    2014-01-01

    The effect of temperature on the luminescence properties of LiMgPO 4 doped with Eu 3+ and Eu 2+ are presented. Depending on the excitation wavelength, luminescence spectra consist of two distinct broad emission bands peaking at 380 nm and 490 nm related to 4f 6 5d 1  → 4f 7 ( 8 S 7/2 ) luminescence of Eu 2+ and to europium-trapped exciton, respectively, and/or several sharp lines between the 580 nm and 710 nm region, ascribed to the 5 D 0  →  7 F J (J = 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4) transitions in Eu 3+ . To explain all the features of the Eu 2+ and Eu 3+ luminescence we discussed the existence of two different Eu sites substituting for Li + , with short and long distance compensation. The evident effect of increasing the intensity of the Eu 2+ luminescence with increasing temperature was observed. It was considered that the charge compensation mechanism for Eu 3+ and Li + as well as Eu 2+ replacing Li + in the LiMgPO 4 is a long distance compensation that allows for the existence of some of the europium ions either as Eu 3+ at low temperature or as Eu 2+ at high temperature. We concluded that Eu 2+ in the Li + site with long distance compensation yields only 4f 6 5d 1  → 4f 7 luminescence, whereas Eu 2+ in the Li + site with short distance compensation yields 4f 6 5d 1  → 4f 7 luminescence and europium-trapped exciton emission. (paper)

  8. Non-injection and one-pot approach to CdSe: Eu3+ hybrid nanocrystals with tunable photoluminescence from green to red

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kong, Lingcan; Chu, Xuefeng; Wang, Chuanxi; Yang, Xiaotian; Zhou, Lei

    2017-01-01

    Europium ion-doped CdSe hybrid nanocrystals (CdSe:Eu 3+ NCs) as a class of new luminescent materials have drawn increasing attention in recent years owing to their remarkable optical properties. In this paper, we report a facile method to prepare CdSe:Eu 3+ NCs using oleic acid (OA) as the capping agent. With this non-injection and one-pot synthesized approach, the formation and surface passivation of CdSe:Eu 3+ NCs are performed simultaneously and result in intrinsic luminescence. The as-prepared CdSe:Eu 3+ NCs are characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Their optical properties are also studied by UV–vis and photoluminescence spectra. Moreover, the effects of feed ratios and reaction temperatures on the optical properties are further investigated. The results show that the luminescent spectra of CdSe:Eu 3+ NCs are tunable from green (490 nm) to red (630 nm) and gradually redshift with the increase of the nanoparticle size from 2.5 to 4.4 nm. Upon decoration with 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTA), the luminescence of europium ion drastically increases and efficient energy transfer from CdSe host to the europium ion is proposed. In addition, an MTT and apoptosis assay show CdSe:Eu 3+ NCs have low cellular toxicity and could be used as fluorescence imaging for human epithelial type 2 (Hep-2) cells. These properties make CdSe:Eu 3+ NCs a potential candidate for biological labeling, immunoassays, and optical sensing.

  9. Big Data in medical research and EU data protection law: challenges to the consent or anonymise approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mostert, Menno; Bredenoord, Annelien L; Biesaart, Monique C I H; van Delden, Johannes J M

    2016-07-01

    Medical research is increasingly becoming data-intensive; sensitive data are being re-used, linked and analysed on an unprecedented scale. The current EU data protection law reform has led to an intense debate about its potential effect on this processing of data in medical research. To contribute to this evolving debate, this paper reviews how the dominant 'consent or anonymise approach' is challenged in a data-intensive medical research context, and discusses possible ways forwards within the EU legal framework on data protection. A large part of the debate in literature focuses on the acceptability of adapting consent or anonymisation mechanisms to overcome the challenges within these approaches. We however believe that the search for ways forward within the consent or anonymise paradigm will become increasingly difficult. Therefore, we underline the necessity of an appropriate research exemption from consent for the use of sensitive personal data in medical research to take account of all legitimate interests. The appropriate conditions of such a research exemption are however subject to debate, and we expect that there will be minimal harmonisation of these conditions in the forthcoming EU Data Protection Regulation. Further deliberation is required to determine when a shift away from consent as a legal basis is necessary and proportional in a data-intensive medical research context, and what safeguards should be put in place when such a research exemption from consent is provided.

  10. European single-hull regulation in force

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rogers, Michael

    2004-07-01

    The European Union (EU)has decided that from 21 October 2003 no single-hull tanker carrying heavy grades of oil will be permitted to enter or leave ports or offshore installations or anchor in areas under the jurisdiction of the EU member states. Some of the provisions of the EU regulation will not be in force until 2010. The article looks back on what has led up to to the current regulations, beginning with the Titanic disaster of 1914.

  11. Solubility of La, Pr, Eu, Er and Lu in a media of 1M ionic force of NaCl by 303 K

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramirez G, J.J.; Solache R, M.J.; Jimenez R, M.; Rojas H, A.

    2002-01-01

    The solubility and the solubility product of La, Pr, Eu, Er and Lu in media of 1M ionic force of NaCl by 303 K was determined, by means of a radiochemical method and the pLn - pCH diagrams in free conditions of CO 2 were constructed. Moreover, the non saturation and the saturated zones and with them the pCH precipitation bound were determined. Finally a comparison among the obtained data in this work and those reported in the literature in several media was realized. (Author)

  12. Media deliberation on intra-EU migration. A qualitative approach to framing based on rhetorical analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandru Cârlan

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we investigate how the model of deliberation proposed by Isabela and Norman Fairclough can be used for a better clarification and understanding of the framing processes in media – especially in opinion articles. We thus aim at integrating theoretical contributions from critical discourse analysis and argumentation theory with standard approaches to framing, originating in media studies. We emphasize how a rhetorical approach to framing can provide analytical insights into framing processes and complement the typical quantitative approaches with qualitative analysis based on textual reconstruction. Starting from an issue-specific approach to framing, we discuss a particular case of framing of intra-EU migration, analyzing four opinion articles selected from a larger corpus of Romanian, British and French media. We highlight, along our analysis, various methodological options and analytical difficulties inherent to such an approach.

  13. From EuCARD to EuCARD-2

    CERN Multimedia

    Chaudron, M

    2013-01-01

    The one word that best describes the spirit of the EuCARD ’13 event (see here) that took place from 10 to 14 June at CERN is "collaboration". The event brought together more than 180 accelerator specialists from all over the world to celebrate the conclusion of the EuCARD project and to kick off its successor, EuCARD-2.   EuCARD-2 brings a global view to particle accelerator research in order to address challenges for future generations of accelerators. The project officially began on 1 May 2013 and will run for four years. With a total budget of €23.4 million, including an €8 million EU contribution, it will build upon the success of EuCARD and push it into an even more innovative regime. EuCARD-2 aims to significantly enhance multidisciplinary R&D for European accelerators and will actively contribute to the development of a European Research Area in accelerator science. This will be accomplished by promoting complementary expertise, cross-d...

  14. Functionalization of atomic force microscope tips by dielectrophoretic assembly of Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanorods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Macedo, Andreia G; Ananias, Duarte; Andre, Paulo S; Ferreira, Rute A sa; Carlos, Luis D; Kholkin, Andrei L; Rocha, J

    2008-01-01

    An atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip has been coated with photoluminescent Eu 3+ -doped Gd 2 O 3 nanorods using a dielectrophoresis technique, which preserves the red emission of the nanorods (quantum yield 0.47). The performance of the modified tips has been tested by using them for regular topography imaging in tapping and contact modes. Both a regular AFM standard grid and a patterned surface (of an organic-inorganic methacrylate Zr-based oxo-cluster and poly(oxyethylene)/siloxane hybrid) have been used. Similar depth values have been measured using a conventional silicon tip and the nanorod-modified tip. The tips before and after use exhibit similar SEM images and photoluminescence spectra and, thus, seem to be stable under working conditions. These tips should find applications in scanning near-field optical microscopy and other scanning techniques

  15. EU Udbudsretten

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poulsen, Sune Troels; Jakobsen, Peter Stig; Kalsmose-Hjelmborg, Simon Evers

    I bogen, som er en 2. udgave, analyseres EU udbudsdirektiv for offentlige myndigheder og EU's forsyningsvirksomhedsdirektiv. I analyserne inddrages EU-domstolens domme, afgørelser fra Kalgenævnet for Udbud, domme fra danske domstole samt litteratur på dansk og engelsk.......I bogen, som er en 2. udgave, analyseres EU udbudsdirektiv for offentlige myndigheder og EU's forsyningsvirksomhedsdirektiv. I analyserne inddrages EU-domstolens domme, afgørelser fra Kalgenævnet for Udbud, domme fra danske domstole samt litteratur på dansk og engelsk....

  16. Macroscopic QED in linearly responding media and a Lorentz-Force approach to dispersion forces

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Raabe, Christian

    2008-07-08

    In this thesis, a very general quantization scheme for the macroscopic electromagnetic field in arbitrary linearly responding media is presented. It offers a unified approach to QED in such media. Applying the quantization scheme, a theory of the dispersion forces on the basis of the Lorentz force is developed. By regarding the dispersion force as the (ground-state or thermal-state) expectation value of the Lorentz force that acts on appropriately defined charge and current densities, Casimir, Casimir-Polder, and van der Waals forces are united in a very natural way that makes transparent their common physical basis. Application of the theory to planar structures yields generalizations of well-known Lifschitz and Casimir-type formulas. (orig.)

  17. Macroscopic QED in linearly responding media and a Lorentz-Force approach to dispersion forces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raabe, Christian

    2008-01-01

    In this thesis, a very general quantization scheme for the macroscopic electromagnetic field in arbitrary linearly responding media is presented. It offers a unified approach to QED in such media. Applying the quantization scheme, a theory of the dispersion forces on the basis of the Lorentz force is developed. By regarding the dispersion force as the (ground-state or thermal-state) expectation value of the Lorentz force that acts on appropriately defined charge and current densities, Casimir, Casimir-Polder, and van der Waals forces are united in a very natural way that makes transparent their common physical basis. Application of the theory to planar structures yields generalizations of well-known Lifschitz and Casimir-type formulas. (orig.)

  18. 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.

  19. EU Contribution to Global CBRN Security

    OpenAIRE

    GOULART DE MEDEIROS MARGARIDA; ABOUSAHL SAID; MAIER EDDIE; SIMONART TRISTAN; DUPRE BRUNO

    2016-01-01

    The EU promotes a culture of CBRN safety and security within the EU and internationally. Accordingly, the Instrument Contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) contributes to international efforts to mitigate CBRN risks, whether of natural (e.g. pandemics, volcanic eruptions), accidental (Fukushima) or criminal (trafficking, terrorism) origin, following a consistent ‘all hazards’ approach. The aim is twofold: to prevent CBRN incidents and to build partner countries' capacities for emergency r...

  20. Piezoelectrically-induced stress-luminescence phenomenon in CaAl{sub 2}O{sub 4}:Eu{sup 2+}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wei, Yongbin [Department of Physics, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004 (China); Wu, Zheng, E-mail: wuzheng@zjnu.cn [College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004 (China); Jia, Yanmin, E-mail: ymjia@zjnu.edu.cn [Department of Physics, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004 (China); Liu, Yongsheng [Department of Physics, Shanghai University of Electric Power, Shanghai 200090 (China)

    2015-10-15

    Piezoelectrically-induced stress-luminescence in the CaAl{sub 2}O{sub 4}:Eu{sup 2+} was investigated. Blue light that was visible to the naked eye could be observed in the dark when a pulse force of ∼7.7 kN was applied to the sample. The intensity of the stress-luminescence strongly depended on the magnitude of the applied force during a pulse cycle. The intensity decreased with repetitive application of pulse stress and was completely recovered after irradiation with ultraviolet light. It is suggested that the stress-luminescence effect in CaAl{sub 2}O{sub 4}:Eu{sup 2+} arises from the piezoelectrically-induced de-trapping of the charge carriers. A CaAl{sub 2}O{sub 4}:Eu{sup 2+} ceramic that exhibits a stress-luminescence effect has potential applications in smart stress optically-sensing devices. - Highlights: • The strong induced stress-luminescence in CaAl{sub 2}O{sub 4}:Eu{sup 2+} was observed. • The stress-luminescent intensity strongly depends on the magnitude of force. • The stress-luminescence could be completely recovered after the UV irradiation. • The strong stress-luminescent effect is potential in stress-light sensors.

  1. Forced Migration and Global Responsibility for Health

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bozorgmehr, Kayvan; Razum, Oliver

    2017-01-01

    Forced migration has become a world-wide phenomenon in the past century, affecting increasing numbers of countries and people. It entails important challenges from a global health perspective. Leppold et al have critically discussed the Japanese interpretation of global responsibility for health in the context of forced migration. This commentary complements their analysis by outlining three priority areas of global health responsibility for European Union (EU) countries. We highlight important stages of the migration phases related to forced migration and propose three arguments. First, the chronic neglect of the large number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the discourses on the "refugee crisis" needs to be corrected in order to develop sustainable solutions with a framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Second, protection gaps in the global system of protection need to be effectively closed to resolve conflicts with border management and normative global health frameworks. Third, effective policies need to be developed and implemented to meet the health and humanitarian needs of forced migrants; at the same time, the solidarity crisis within the EU needs to be overcome. These stakes are high. EU countries, being committed to global health, should urgently address these areas. PMID:28812838

  2. 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)

  3. Eastern Partnership Integration with the EU and Inclusive Growth of National Economies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eka SEPASHVILI

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The paper aims at analyzing the circumstances and objectives of the regional integration in the context of global development. The EU is one of the most influential and important actors of the global world, which represents one of the most developed examples of the regional integration. During the development, the EU went through the several stages on enlargement. Even nowadays, without having targeted to the reactive new member in foreseen future, the EU continues the process of integration of adjacent regions by setting goals and priorities through different forms such as the European Neighborhood, the Eastern Partnership, Association Agreements, various types of Trade agreements. The Eastern Partnership which represents the EU’s eastern neighborhood consisting by former soviet republics has steadily gone up with integration: 1. Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine have already signed the Association Agreement (AA including Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas (DCFTAs with the EU and now these countries work on further progress in terms of the Implementation of AA/DCFTA; 2. Armenia and Azerbaijan are seeking new framework to up-grade their relationship with the EU, Belarus created EU Belarus Co-ordination Group and acts within the Single Support Framework program for 2017-2020. The evolution of EaP countries’ trade data evidently show the changes and growing dynamics in the region. The obvious increasing tendency of trade volumes predicts for further success in the future after the DC FTAs are enacted fully for some countries and/or other trade facilitation measures are utilized fully for others. A new approach to the economic growth also suggests that benefit from economic growth supports poverty reduction, widely spreads across sectors and affects the majority of the labor force and hence, rise the welfare of the population. In this context, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR appears to be a useful tool to achieve this overwhelming goal

  4. Convergence of EU nitrogen surplus, the RDP indicator of water quality

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reinhard, S.; Linderhof, V.G.M.

    2015-01-01

    The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD), EU Nitrate Directive and EU Rural Development Policy (RDP) aim to improve water quality. The nutrient content of water can be decreased by reducing nitrogen emission. In this article a novel approach is applied to the evaluation of the impact of Agri

  5. Non-injection and one-pot approach to CdSe: Eu{sup 3+} hybrid nanocrystals with tunable photoluminescence from green to red

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kong, Lingcan, E-mail: konglingcan2010@163.com [Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China); Chu, Xuefeng [Jilin Jianzhu University, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Architectural Electricity & Comprehensive Energy Saving, School of Electrical and Electronic Information Engineering (China); Wang, Chuanxi, E-mail: wangcx@jiangnan.edu.cn [Jiangnan University, China-Australia Joint Research Centre for Functional Molecular Materials, School of Chemical & Material Engineering (China); Yang, Xiaotian [Jilin Jianzhu University, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Architectural Electricity & Comprehensive Energy Saving, School of Electrical and Electronic Information Engineering (China); Zhou, Lei [Wuxi Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China)

    2017-01-15

    Europium ion-doped CdSe hybrid nanocrystals (CdSe:Eu{sup 3+} NCs) as a class of new luminescent materials have drawn increasing attention in recent years owing to their remarkable optical properties. In this paper, we report a facile method to prepare CdSe:Eu{sup 3+} NCs using oleic acid (OA) as the capping agent. With this non-injection and one-pot synthesized approach, the formation and surface passivation of CdSe:Eu{sup 3+} NCs are performed simultaneously and result in intrinsic luminescence. The as-prepared CdSe:Eu{sup 3+} NCs are characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Their optical properties are also studied by UV–vis and photoluminescence spectra. Moreover, the effects of feed ratios and reaction temperatures on the optical properties are further investigated. The results show that the luminescent spectra of CdSe:Eu{sup 3+} NCs are tunable from green (490 nm) to red (630 nm) and gradually redshift with the increase of the nanoparticle size from 2.5 to 4.4 nm. Upon decoration with 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTA), the luminescence of europium ion drastically increases and efficient energy transfer from CdSe host to the europium ion is proposed. In addition, an MTT and apoptosis assay show CdSe:Eu{sup 3+} NCs have low cellular toxicity and could be used as fluorescence imaging for human epithelial type 2 (Hep-2) cells. These properties make CdSe:Eu{sup 3+} NCs a potential candidate for biological labeling, immunoassays, and optical sensing.

  6. EU ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE REFORM: ARE WE AT A TURNING POINT?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Daianu

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available The sovereign debt crisis is creating enormous anguish in the European Monetary Union (EMU. Not surprisingly, emergency measures continue to be used at a time when a sort of economic recovery seems to be underway. Against this background the European Council summit of last October considered a Task Force report with a telling name: "Strengthening economic governance in the EU". This document is to be examined in conjunction with the governance reform proposals issued by the European Commission at the end of September and related documents. For the depth of this financial crisis and the "Great Recession" have forced EU governments and EU institutions to take a hard look at the governance structure of the Union. But it would be wrong to say that this demarche is an attempt to explore a terra incognita. From the very beginning of the European Monetary Union (EMU there was some discomfort with its institutional underpinnings and there were misgivings regarding its optimality as a currency area. This explains why a train of thought underlines a political rationale, too, for the creation of the EMU. Likewise, criticism regarding the way regulation and supervision have been established in the Union is not of recent vintage. And insufficiencies of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP, with almost all member states flouting its rules at various points in time, have been repeatedly pointed out. This said, however, the flaws of financial intermediation have been less tackled by policy-makers and central bankers for reasons which, partially, are to be found in a paradigm which has dominated economic thinking in recent decades. This paper focuses on roots of the huge strain in the EU (EMU and main policy issues ensuing from the current crisis. It also looks at the stake NMSs have in a reformed EU economic governance structure. The challenges for EU economic governance reform are to be seen from a broad perspective: the crisis of the financial intermediation

  7. Essential EU Climate Law

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Woerdman, Edwin; Roggenkamp, Martha; Holwerda, Marijn

    2015-01-01

    This innovative textbook takes a broad approach to EU climate law and presents all available legal instruments to combat climate change, ranging from greenhouse gas emissions trading to the use of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency mechanisms. After providing a definition of climate law,

  8. The EU Public Procurement Regime. Does It Work?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Lars Gottlieb; Nielsen, Jørgen Ulff-Møller

    1999-01-01

    This article presents alternative theoretical approaches to analysing the EU liberalisation of the public procurement market and an empirical analysis based on the unit values, metric tons, and market shares of the intra-EU trade with 43 selected product groups in the combined nomenclature....... According to the analysis, it can not be ruled out that the liberalisation of the EU public procurement rules has manifested itself in parts of the market with the possibility that the effects will become increasingly evident in the longer term....

  9. Ukraine, EU and Russia: soft power versus Realpolitik?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pedro Barata

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available The relationship between the European Union (EU and Ukraine began in 1998 with the signature of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. Afterwards, in 2003 Ukraine joined the European Neighbourhood Policy and in 2004 EU was already the major trade partner with Ukraine, bigger than Russia. Anticipating the approach of former soviet republics towards Euro Atlantic structures and the foreseen loss of influence in its near abroad, Putin’s Russia launched in 2011 the Eurasian Economic Union, an economic bloc formed by some of the Russia’s former satellite States - Belarus and Kazakhstan – and through a carrot and stick policy tried to attract also Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, in order to thwart the Chinese economic development and to impose itself in the regional and global markets. In November 2013, during the 3rd EU’s Eastern Partnership Summit, in Vilnius, Lithuania, Ukraine’s President, Viktor Yanukovych surprised the world refusing to sign the Commercial Agreement with EU, turning back to a EU possible integration. On the other hand, Russia offered to reduce the natural gas rates plus a fifteen billion dollars loan, throwing Ukraine in a quasi civil war, and leaving EU and Russia on opposite sides. Considering this situation what to expect from Ukraine? To continue being a Russian satellite or head towards the Euro Atlantic geopolitical space? This paper intents to analyse the actual situation in Ukraine following Barry Buzan’s approach of multidimensional security, focusing on the different postures assumed by each one of the actors - EU and Russia - which have been between complementarity and division. The scope of the analysis is to contribute to the academic debate about security dynamics between EU, Russia and Ukraine during the post-USSR period, arguing that in the geopolitical dispute for the post-soviet space where Ukraine is integrated, the Russian Realpolitik prevails the EU soft power.

  10. Monitoring the entry of young people into labour market: the potential of the EU-LFS

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Berkhout, P.H.G.; Berkhout, E.E.; Biermans, M.L.; van der Valk, J.

    2006-01-01

    Om beter zicht te krijgen op de toetreding van jonge mensen op de arbeidsmarkt in de EU is er in de 'EU Labour Force Study 2000' een ad hoc module geïntroduceerd. Deze module, 'School-To-Work Transition', staat in 2009 opnieuw gepland. Vooruitlopend hierop is SEO Economisch Onderzoek door Eurostat

  11. External governance and the EU policy for sustainable biofuels, the case of Mozambique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Di Lucia, Lorenzo

    2010-01-01

    Growing demand for transport biofuels in the EU is driving an expansion of the industry in developing countries. Large-scale production of energy crops for biofuel, if mismanaged, could cause detrimental environmental and social impacts. The aim of this study is to examine whether the newly adopted EU Directive 2009/28/EC and its sustainability certification system can effectively ensure sustainable production of biofuels outside the EU. Mozambique, a least developed country with biofuels ambitions, is selected as empirical case. The effectiveness of the EU policy in analysed employing ideal models of external governance (hierarchical, market and network governance) as analytical framework. The findings show that the EU attempts to impose its rules and values on sustainable biofuels using its leverage through trade. The market approach adopted by the EU is expected to produce only unstable (subject to abrupt changes of market prices and demand) and thin (limited to climate and biodiversity issues) policy results. Stronger emphasis on a network oriented approach based on substantial involvement of foreign actors, and on international policy legitimacy is suggested as a way forward. - Research highlights: →The EU attempts to impose its rules and values on sustainable biofuels using its leverage through trade. →The market approach adopted by the EU is expected to produce only unstable (subject to abrupt changes of market prices and demand) and thin (limited to climate and biodiversity issues) policy results.→In order to promote simultaneously stable and substantial impacts, the EU governance approach based on market access should be integrated with a network mode of governance based on policy legitimacy.

  12. The EU agencies’ role in policy diffusion beyond the EU

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chatzopoulou, Sevasti

    and health quality within the risk assessment. This paper shows that the EU agencies develop various entrepreneurial methods and that they actively promote policy diffusion beyond the EU through socialisation and learning within international arrangements and collaborations. However, variations......The extensive literature on the EU agencies has mainly focused on their role in the harmonisation and expansion of regulatory standards within the EU. This paper joins this literature and investigates the role of EU agencies in policy diffusion beyond the EU borders. To operationalise this...

  13. Technology Clubs and Growth Patterns: Evidence from EU Manufacturing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bos, J.W.B.; Economidou, C.; Koetter, M.

    This paper investigates the forces driving output change in a panel of EU manufacturing industries. A flexible modeling strategy is adopted that accounts for (i) inefficient use of resources, and (ii) differences in the production technology across industries. With our model we are able to identify

  14. Operation Atalanta and the Protection of EU Citizens: Civis Europaeus unheeded?

    OpenAIRE

    LARIK, Joris

    2011-01-01

    This paper critically assesses the EU’s anti-piracy operation Atalanta in the light of the protection of Union citizens. The main question is to which extent a Union citizen threatened by pirates off the coast of Somalia could rely on the promise of civis europaeus sum. The paper discusses the various legal aspects pertaining to the forceful protection of EU citizens in international law, EU constitutional law and the operational parameters of Atalanta. It argues that within the particular fr...

  15. 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.

  16. The Limits of Conditionality: Turkey – EU Taxation Negotiations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hakan Cavlak

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Conditionality is mostly defined as the EU policy engendered for candidate countries. However, the mere use of conditionality by the EU does not essentially explain transferring of policies and EU rules towards the candidate countries. EU conditionality may be considered as a comprising approach but in certain policy areas or countries it might not be as successful as it was on other ones. The EU conditionality basically defined as a bargaining policy of affecting through reward, under which the EU provides inducements to candidate or neighbor countries to aligning with the conditions of the EU. In this study the explanatory power of conditionality would be questioned; so the main question will be “to what extent does the EU have influence on policy convergence in a candidate country that does not have a clear membership perspective? Taxation chapter in accession negotiations between Turkey and the EU has been chosen as the case of this research as providing to have an answer on this question. The main objective of this paper is ‘analyzing the extent of EU conditionality on Turkish taxation policy.’ Furthermore, it is argued in this study that “without a concrete incentive, European Union’s impact on a candidate country would be limited.”  

  17. US and EU competition policy on abuse of dominance in high tech industries

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brouwer, M.

    2011-01-01

    Abuse of dominance is one of the three pillars of competition policy in both the EU and the US. Competition laws are similar, but enforcement differs greatly between the EU and the US. The EU administrative approach is less punitive than the US court based system. The use of fines by the EU in

  18. The Benelux Approach to EU Integration and External Action

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Blockmans, S.

    2017-01-01

    As small states with a cosmopolitan outlook, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, have a natural interest in good-neighbourly relations and in cooperating through the EU. However, despite the closely knit nature of the economic, monetary and physical spheres of the lowlands, their attitudes to

  19. The Integration of Immigrants Into the Labour Markets of the EU. IAB Labour Market Research Topics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Werner, Heinz

    Integration of foreign workers into European Union (EU) labor markets was evaluated. Three indicators of labor market integration were analyzed: unemployment rate, employment rate, and self- employment rate. Results were drawn from the Labor Force Survey data compiled by Eurostat. Findings indicated that, in all EU countries, the unemployment rate…

  20. Correlation theory applied to the static and dynamic properties of EuO and EuS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lindgard, P.A.

    1981-10-01

    The paramagnetic scattering was recently measured for EuO. It was found that spin-wave-like excitations develop for wave vectors approaching the zone boundary. The spectrum was found to be well described by damped harmonic oscillators (also called the two-pole-approximation). This approximation was used previously in the correlation theory primarily to calculate static properties. Selfconsistent dynamic and static calculations have been performed for EuO, which is an ideal Heisenberg magnet with significant second nearest neighbor interaction (J 2 = J/sub 1/5). The two-pole approximation describes accurately the correlation range, the static susceptibility and the qualitative behavior of the dynamic properties (i.e., the wave vector at which peaks appear in the spectrum as a function of temperature). However, in order to also obtain the correct frequency scale it is necessary to use a cut-off of the spectrum at high frequencies, which cannot be seen experimentally, but which significantly influences the frequency moments. It was found that the finite J 2 has significant importance for a comparison between theory and experiment. It is concluded that the calculation for a simple cubic n.n. magnet by Hubbard does not describe the EuO data accurately, neither with respect to lineshape nor frequency scale. Significant differences are to be expected between EuO and EuS having opposite sign for J 2

  1. 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.)

  2. Optically active centers in Eu implanted, Eu in situ doped GaN, and Eu doped GaN quantum dots

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bodiou, L.; Braud, A.; Doualan, J.-L.; Moncorge, R.; Park, J. H.; Munasinghe, C.; Steckl, A. J.; Lorenz, K.; Alves, E.; Daudin, B.

    2009-01-01

    A comparison is presented between Eu implanted and Eu in situ doped GaN thin films showing that two predominant Eu sites are optically active around 620 nm in both types of samples with below and above bandgap excitation. One of these sites, identified as a Ga substitutional site, is common to both types of Eu doped GaN samples despite the difference in the GaN film growth method and in the doping technique. High-resolution photoluminescence (PL) spectra under resonant excitation reveal that in all samples these two host-sensitized sites are in small amount compared to the majority of Eu ions which occupy isolated Ga substitutional sites and thus cannot be excited through the GaN host. The relative concentrations of the two predominant host-sensitized Eu sites are strongly affected by the annealing temperature for Eu implanted samples and by the group III element time opening in the molecular beam epitaxy growth. Red luminescence decay characteristics for the two Eu sites reveal different excitation paths. PL dynamics under above bandgap excitation indicate that Eu ions occupying a Ga substitutional site are either excited directly into the 5 D 0 level or into higher excited levels such as 5 D 1 , while Eu ions sitting in the other site are only directly excited into the 5 D 0 level. These differences are discussed in terms of the spectral overlap between the emission band of a nearby bound exciton and the absorption bands of Eu ions. The study of Eu doped GaN quantum dots reveals the existence of only one type of Eu site under above bandgap excitation, with Eu PL dynamics features similar to Eu ions in Ga substitutional sites

  3. Labour Force Migration Effects within European Union

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carmen Mihaela Tudorache

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Within the EU, there is no common policy on migration; there are common policies on certain aspects of migration. The Member States fear of migration, but their economies and societies will further need migrant workers. Labour force migration have positive, but also negative consequences for all parties involved: receiving countries, origin countries and migrant workers. Within this framework, a common approach of the migration management and the harmonization of the economic migration policies of the Member States represent already one of the most important challenges for the European Union and will be further emphasized.

  4. Transportforskning i EU

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Leleur, Steen

    1996-01-01

    Artiklen giver en gennemgang af aktuelle EU transportforskningsemner samt nogle synspunkter og erfaringer baseret på deltagelse i EU forskningsprojekter.......Artiklen giver en gennemgang af aktuelle EU transportforskningsemner samt nogle synspunkter og erfaringer baseret på deltagelse i EU forskningsprojekter....

  5. Report on current status of petroleum substituting energy development in the EU in FY 1997; 1997 nendo chosa hokokusho (sekiyu daitai energy kaihatsu no genjo (EU))

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-03-01

    The EU is one of the most advanced places of petroleum substituting energy development. The EU is highly aware of environmental issues. For the COP3 held at Kyoto in December 1997, The EU gave more severe regulation of CO2 emission than the other advanced countries. The EU takes efforts in the development and introduction of energy effective for global environmental protection. In addition, research and development of geothermal, biomass and wave force energy are actively promoted in this place. Energy situations in this place are significant for predicting and analyzing the future trends of energy development and consumption in the other countries. Firstly, this report looks back toward energy demand held in check to a head at the beginning of the 1990`s. Secondly, supply of energy and cover of energy trend are described for recent years from the point of view. Thirdly, competitiveness of energy in EU countries are discussed from a position of energy density. Fourthly, circumstances about environmental issues are considered. Fifthly, the world market of energy is also considered. Finally, development of new energy and a trend of introduction with a sample of Sweden are introduced. 13 refs., 15 figs., 28 tabs.

  6. Characterization of the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator EU2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewandowski, Edward J.; Oriti, Salvatore M.; Schifer, Nicholas A.

    2015-01-01

    Significant progress was made developing the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG), a 140-watt radioisotope power system. While the ASRG flight development project has ended, the hardware that was designed and built under the project is continuing to be tested to support future Stirling-based power system development. NASA GRC recently completed the assembly of the ASRG Engineering Unit 2 (EU2). The ASRG EU2 consists of the first pair of Sunpower's ASC-E3 Stirling convertors mounted in an aluminum housing, and Lockheed Martin's Engineering Development Unit (EDU) 4 controller (a fourth generation controller). The ASC-E3 convertors and Generator Housing Assembly (GHA) closely match the intended ASRG Qualification Unit flight design. A series of tests were conducted to characterize the EU2, its controller, and the convertors in the flight-like GHA. The GHA contained an argon cover gas for these tests. The tests included: measurement of convertor, controller, and generator performance and efficiency, quantification of control authority of the controller, disturbance force measurement with varying piston phase and piston amplitude, and measurement of the effect of spacecraft DC bus voltage on EU2 performance. The results of these tests are discussed and summarized, providing a basic understanding of EU2 characteristics and the performance and capability of the EDU 4 controller.

  7. 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

  8. 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.)

  9. EU Armed Forces’ Use of Social Media in Areas of Deployment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Hellman

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The advent of social media can be seen both as a risk and an opportunity by armed forces. Previous research has primarily examined whether or not the use of social media endangers or strengthens armed forces’ strategic narrative. We examine armed forces’ perceptions of risks and opportunities on a broad basis, with a particular focus on areas of deployment. The article is based on a survey of perceptions of social media amongst the armed forces of EU member states, thus adding to previous research through its comparative perspective. Whereas previous research has mainly focused on larger powers, such as the US and the UK, this article includes the views of the armed forces of 26 EU states, including several smaller nations. In analyzing the results we asked whether or not risk and opportunity perceptions were related to national ICT maturity and the existence of a social media strategy. The analysis shows that perceptions of opportunities outweigh perceptions of risks, with marketing and two-way communication as the two most prominent opportunities offered by the use of social media. Also, armed forces in countries with a moderate to high ICT maturity emphasize social media as a good way for marketing purposes.

  10. The EU-Russia Energy Dialogue: Competition Versus Monopolies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Milov, V.

    2006-01-01

    Russia and the European Union have clearly entered a new stage in their energy relations, defined by a growing asymmetry between a strengthened national monopoly on the supply side and a gradual opening of markets in Europe. In this context, a multitude of new approaches to EU Russia energy relations have been voiced recently by a wide variety of experts. Unfortunately, many of them involve 'defensive' solutions, driven by lack of mutual trust on both sides. Is a positive approach nevertheless still possible? The paper argues that competition is a key universal value in the development of a new and sustainable energy relationship between Russia and Europe. It is clear that EU competition regulators should take the lead in setting up a new framework for EU-Russia energy relations in the future. The success of their endeavors will not only determine the security of energy supply for European consumers, but also that of the Russian and Eurasian energy markets. (author)

  11. Coherences and Differences among EU, US and PRC Approaches for Rural Urban Development: Interscalar and Interdisciplinary Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberto De Lotto

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The main goal of this paper is to translate the indexing of a projects’ Data Base, based on EU vocabulary on rural urban development, into different lexicons. Built on the groundwork laid in previous researches, the authors want to enlarge the methodology applied in European Union (EU territory and defined with Rural Architectural Intensification (RAI and Rural Architectural Urbanism (RAU to other contexts, in particular People’s Republic of China (PRC and United States (US, keeping, however, this research at theoretical and methodological definition level. The study of coherences and differences between EU, US and China for rural urban development implies an interscalar and interdisciplinary analysis approach. It must be in complete adherence with national and specific directives and objectives in all the different selected countries. The analysis of main literature and national and federal laws of Europe, United States and China allows the definition of the Strategic Objectives and Main Goals for Rural Development identifying indicators and criteria. They permit to measure intensification’s outcomes in a qualitative way through the description and interpretation of operative tools for architecture and landscape design. Finally, the organized database and the territorial results can be considered as guidelines to support decision makers in rural-urban context. In addition, the whole procedure presented along with the projects’ database is a significant research package for further interdisciplinary applications.

  12. The Ne Bis in Idem Principle in the Enforcement of EU Competition Law

    OpenAIRE

    Nguyen, Linda

    2013-01-01

    The current EU competition law enforcement regime was created by Regulation 1/2003 which entered into force on 1 May 2004. In essence, the system is based on a decentralised model where the European Commission and national competition authorities have parallel competences to apply EU competition provisions. National competition authorities and courts are obliged to apply Articles 101 and 102 TFEU whenever they apply national competition law to anti-competitive conduct which may affect trade b...

  13. The total neutron cross-sections of 151Eu, 153Eu and Eu below 1 eV

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adib, M.; Maayouf, R.M.A.; Abdel-Kawy, A.; Ashry, A.; Hamouda, I.

    1980-12-01

    Total neutron cross-section measurements have been carried out for natural Eu and its stable isotopes in the energy range from 3 meV-1 eV. The measurements were performed using two time-of-flight spectrometers installed in front of two of the horizontal channels of the ET-RR-1 reactor. The following results have been obtained: sigmasub(α)( 151 Eu) = 9180+-150 b at 0.0253 eV; sigmasub(α)( 153 Eu) = 375+-20 b at 0.0253 eV; sigmasub(α)(Eu) = 4600+-120 b at 0.0253 eV

  14. The EU Nickel Directive revisited--future steps towards better protection against nickel allergy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thyssen, Jacob P; Uter, Wolfgang; McFadden, John

    2011-01-01

    In July 2001, the EU Nickel Directive came into full force to protect European citizens against nickel allergy and dermatitis. Prior to this intervention, Northern European governments had already begun to regulate consumer nickel exposure. According to part 2 of the EU Nickel Directive...... by the EU Nickel Directive. Despite this, the EU Nickel Directive part 2 was expected to work as an operational limit that would sufficiently protect European consumers against nickel allergy and dermatitis. This review presents the accumulation of epidemiological studies that evaluated the possible effect...... and the Danish nickel regulation, consumer items intended to be in direct and prolonged contact with the skin were not allowed to release more than 0.5 µg nickel/cm2/week. It was considered unlikely that nickel allergy would disappear altogether as a proportion of individuals reacted below the level defined...

  15. Effective source approach to self-force calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vega, Ian; Wardell, Barry; Diener, Peter

    2011-01-01

    Numerical evaluation of the self-force on a point particle is made difficult by the use of delta functions as sources. Recent methods for self-force calculations avoid delta functions altogether, using instead a finite and extended 'effective source' for a point particle. We provide a review of the general principles underlying this strategy, using the specific example of a scalar point charge moving in a black hole spacetime. We also report on two new developments: (i) the construction and evaluation of an effective source for a scalar charge moving along a generic orbit of an arbitrary spacetime, and (ii) the successful implementation of hyperboloidal slicing that significantly improves on previous treatments of boundary conditions used for effective-source-based self-force calculations. Finally, we identify some of the key issues related to the effective source approach that will need to be addressed by future work.

  16. Good Governance in the EU

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gina Livioara GOGA

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Considering the EU adhesion, good governance has been analyzed from different perspectives, in the judicial literature being an analytic model or a normative concept. Some authors have wondered if this concept is a fashion, comprising some older ideas and principles, while other authors have asserted that the reasons why different methods of governance appear in the EU are based on “the complexity and the uncertainty of the problems on the agenda, an irreducible, the new approaches on public administration and law, hidden competencies, legitimacy and subsidiarity”. At a normative level, the White Paper of European Governance consecrated five principles on which good governance is based upon: openness, participation, responsibility, efficiency and coherence.

  17. EU Civilian Crisis Management: The Record So Far

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    significant contribution to the construction of an Afghan police force. 1 See for example, Dempsey, 2006; DiManno, 2008; and Graw , 2007. 18 EU Civilian...Giegerich, Bastian, European Military Crisis Management: Connecting Ambition and Reality, Adelphi Paper No. 397, London: Routledge, 2008. Graw , Ansgar...4. Gros-Verheyde, Nicolas, “Interview with Stephen White, Head of EUJUST Lex Mission for Iraq,” Europolitics, January 21, 2009. References 51

  18. THE CRUCIAL THEMES OF EU ENLARGEMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jacques Pelkmans

    2001-12-01

    Full Text Available This article provides a critical review of the “terms” of the ongoing EU enlargement, in the light of the European public interest. The European public interest ought to include the prospective (Central European members, within a perspective of an enlarged Union in 2010, or so. The following forms a personalised summary of a major report published (in Dutch in September 2001 by the WRR in The Hague (a think-tank, formally under the Dutch Prime Minister, but by statute fully independent. The author was one of the lead-writers of this report. The present article merely focuses on the policy recommendations of the report. It is hoped that these kinds of critical analyses will help to stimulate solid policy debate on the EU in Romania, on the road to EU membership. The article discusses why the notion of a “core-acquis” would improve the enlargement strategy; the application of the core acquis to the internal market, environment and justice and home affairs; judicial and administrative capacity; accession to “euro-land”; the rapid reform of the CAP; a reform of “cohesion” approaches; and a note on the EU budgetary implications.

  19. Robust approach to maximize the range and accuracy of force application in atomic force microscopes with nonlinear position-sensitive detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, E C C M; Vliet, K J van

    2006-01-01

    The atomic force microscope is used increasingly to investigate the mechanical properties of materials via sample displacement under an applied force. However, both the extent of forces attainable and the accuracy of those forces measurements are significantly limited by the optical lever configuration that is commonly used to infer nanoscale deflection of the cantilever. We present a robust and general approach to characterize and compensate for the nonlinearity of the position-sensitive optical device via data processing, requiring no modification of existing instrumentation. We demonstrate that application of this approach reduced the maximum systematic error on the gradient of a force-displacement response from 50% to 5%, and doubled the calibrated force application range. Finally, we outline an experimental protocol that optimizes the use of the quasi-linear range of the most commonly available optical feedback configurations and also accounts for the residual systematic error, allowing the user to benefit from the full detection range of these indirect force sensors

  20. Phosphor thermometry: On the synthesis and characterisation of Y{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12}:Eu (YAG:Eu) and YAlO{sub 3}:Eu (YAP:Eu)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kissel, T. [Fachgebiet Reaktive Strömungen und Messtechnik (RSM), Center of Smart Interfaces (CSI), Technische Universität Darmstadt, Petersenstraße 32, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Brübach, J., E-mail: bruebach@ekt.tu-darmstadt.de [Fachgebiet Reaktive Strömungen und Messtechnik (RSM), Center of Smart Interfaces (CSI), Technische Universität Darmstadt, Petersenstraße 32, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Euler, M. [Fachgebiet Reaktive Strömungen und Messtechnik (RSM), Center of Smart Interfaces (CSI), Technische Universität Darmstadt, Petersenstraße 32, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Frotscher, M.; Litterscheid, C.; Albert, B. [Eduard-Zintl-Institut für Anorganische und Physikalische Chemie, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Petersenstraße 18, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Dreizler, A. [Fachgebiet Reaktive Strömungen und Messtechnik (RSM), Center of Smart Interfaces (CSI), Technische Universität Darmstadt, Petersenstraße 32, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany)

    2013-07-15

    With regard to phosphor thermometry, the materials Y{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12}:Eu (YAG:Eu) and YAlO{sub 3}:Eu (YAP:Eu) were synthesised and characterised in order to substitute the commonly used thermographic phosphor Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}:Eu, whose temperature sensitive luminescence lifetime exhibits a strong and most often undesirable cross-sensitivity to the oxygen concentration of the surrounding gas phase. The synthesis is outlined in detail and the crystallographic structure was characterised by X-ray diffraction. In a second step, the luminescence properties following pulsed UV laser excitation were determined. In this context, the emission spectra and the temperature lifetime characteristics were monitored. For Y{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12}:Eu and YAlO{sub 3}:Eu, temperature sensitive ranges of 1000 K–1470 K and 850 K–1300 K were identified. Contrary to Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}:Eu, both materials do show much lower cross-sensitivities to the oxygen concentration of the surrounding gas phase. - Highlights: ► Y{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12}:Eu and YAlO{sub 3}:Eu were synthesised and characterised. ► The synthesis is outlined and the crystallographic structure was characterised. ► Emission spectra and the temperature lifetime characteristics were monitored. ► Compared to Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}:Eu lower sensitivities to the oxyg. conc. of the gas phase emerged.

  1. Unsteady force estimation using a Lagrangian drift-volume approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    McPhaden, Cameron J.; Rival, David E.

    2018-04-01

    A novel Lagrangian force estimation technique for unsteady fluid flows has been developed, using the concept of a Darwinian drift volume to measure unsteady forces on accelerating bodies. The construct of added mass in viscous flows, calculated from a series of drift volumes, is used to calculate the reaction force on an accelerating circular flat plate, containing highly-separated, vortical flow. The net displacement of fluid contained within the drift volumes is, through Darwin's drift-volume added-mass proposition, equal to the added mass of the plate and provides the reaction force of the fluid on the body. The resultant unsteady force estimates from the proposed technique are shown to align with the measured drag force associated with a rapid acceleration. The critical aspects of understanding unsteady flows, relating to peak and time-resolved forces, often lie within the acceleration phase of the motions, which are well-captured by the drift-volume approach. Therefore, this Lagrangian added-mass estimation technique opens the door to fluid-dynamic analyses in areas that, until now, were inaccessible by conventional means.

  2. EU Budgetary Dynamics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Citi, Manuele

    2013-01-01

    In this article I study the long-term evolution of the main categories of expenditure of the European Union (EU) budget (1984-2011). The aim is to assess the extent to which the EU is affected by a structural form of policy inertia, and to investigate the general pattern of policy stability...... and change in the EU in light of the two models of policy dynamics currently existing in the literature: the incrementalist model and the punctuated equilibrium model. The analysis of long series of original data extracted from the EU budget shows that EU policies do not evolve following an incrementalist...

  3. On the calculation and interpretation of covalency in the intensity parameters of 4f–4f transitions in Eu{sup 3+} complexes based on the chemical bond overlap polarizability

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moura, Renaldo T., E-mail: renaldotmjr@gmail.com; Carneiro Neto, Albano N.; Longo, Ricardo L.; Malta, Oscar L.

    2016-02-15

    The concepts of chemical bond overlap polarizability (α{sub OP}) and of specific ionic valence (υ) were used to characterize the Eu{sup 3+}–ligating atom bonds in complexes. The underlying chemical bond properties, namely, bond distance, overlap integral, force constant, and the energy excitation, were successfully calculated for the Eu{sup 3+}–ligating atom diatomic-like species under the influence of the molecular environment. The quantities α{sub OP} and υ were used to reshape and reinterpret the expressions of the forced electric dipole (FED) and the dynamic coupling (DC) mechanisms responsible for the intensity parameters of 4f–4f transitions. These parameters were calculated with this new approach for a series of Eu{sup 3+} complexes: [EuL{sub 3}L′] with L=AIND, BIND, TTA, BTFA, FOD, ABSe, ABSeCl, DPM and L′=(H{sub 2}O){sub 2}, NO{sub 3}, DPbpy, DBSO, TPPO, Phen, for which the experimental intensity parameters and some E{sub 00} (={sup 5}D{sub 0}→{sup 7}F{sub 0}) energies are available. Comparisons between the theoretical and experimental results suggest that this new methodology is reliable and an important step toward an approach to calculate the 4f–4f intensities free of adjustable parameters, which has been accomplished for complexes without aquo ligand. - Highlights: • New methodology to calculate intensity parameters of f–f transitions. • Inclusion of overlap polarizability (covalency) on dynamic coupling mechanism. • Analytical calculation of the charge factors in the ligand field Hamiltonian. • Step towards a parameter-free computational method for f–f intensities. • Interpretation and quantification of the intensity parameters in terms of covalency.

  4. EU Energy Law. Volume 4. The EU Greenhouse Gas Emissions Trading Scheme

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Delbeke, J.; Hartridge, O.; Lefevere, J.; Meadows, D.; Runge-Metzger, A.; Slingenberg, Y.; Vainio, M.; Vis, P.; Zapfel, P.

    2006-06-01

    Gives valuable insights in the why's, how's, trade-offs, and critical design choices of the Emission Trading System of the European Union (EU ETS). The chapters deal with (1) The EU ETS: the result of a decade of policy action on the economic dimension of EU environmental policy; (2) The international climate policy developments of the 1990s: UNFCCC, the Kyoto Protocol, the Marrakech Agreements and the EU's Kyoto ratification decision; (3) Emissions trading: What is it? Design options and misconceptions; (4) The EU ETS Directive 2003/87/EEC explained; (5) The EU ETS Linking Directive explained; (6) The economic efficiency benefits of the EU ETS; (7) The NAP I experience; (8) The key importance of the Registry Regulation and of solid monitoring and verification; and (9) The potential role of the EU ETS for the elaboration of the post-2012 international climate regime. Conclusions are in chapter 10

  5. ‘’Mapping Self- and Co-regulation Approaches in the EU Context’’ : Explorative Study for the European Commission, DG Connect

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Senden, L.A.J.; Kica, E.; Klinger, Kilian; Hiemstra, M.I.

    2015-01-01

    This report presents a first mapping or inventory of the different approaches to self- and co- regulation (SCR) that can be found within the EU context, in a number of Member States (MS) and international organizations. The report consists of four sections. Whereas the first section provides an

  6. Global energy security and the implications for the EU

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Umbach, Frank

    2010-01-01

    The following article will analyse the global and geopolitical dimensions of the future international energy security and its implications for Europe and the EU-27. In this context, I will discuss to which extent the EU's newly proclaimed 'Energy Action Plan' of the EU Spring summit of 2007 and its declared common energy (foreign) policy are a sufficient strategy to cope with the new global and geopolitical challenges. The article concludes the following: (1) The interlinkage between globally designed traditional energy security concepts - that rely just on economic factors and 'market-strategies' - and domestic as well as regional political stability demands new thinking with regard to both energy supply security and foreign and security policies. (2) Although after the Russian-Ukrainian gas conflict in January 2006, energy security has forced its way up the European energy and foreign policy agendas, the EU-27 member states have largely failed to forge a coherent European energy security and energy foreign policy strategy after their Spring summit of 2007 because its declared political solidarity has been still lacking. But the 2nd Strategic Energy Review of November 2008 has recommended new initiatives to overcome this lack by promoting concrete infrastructure and other projects for enhancing Europe's supply security and its political solidarity as part of a common energy (foreign) policy. If the EU is able to implement the March 2007 and November 2008 decisions, the EU oil and gas demand will drastically reduce and freeze at current levels. In this case, Putin's energy policies by using Russia's energy resources and pipeline monopolies as a political instrument to enforce its economic and geopolitical interests will be proved as self-defeating in Russia's long-term strategic interests. It will reduce Gazprom's gas exports to a much smaller EU gas market than originally forecasted as the result of a deliberate EU policy of decreasing its overall gas demand and

  7. Technology clubs, R&D and growth patterns : Evidence from EU manufacturing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bos, J. W. B.; Economidou, C.; Koetter, M.

    This paper investigates the forces driving output change in a panel of EU manufacturing industries. A flexible modeling strategy is adopted that accounts for: (i) inefficient use of resources and (ii) differences in the production technology across industries. With Our model we are able to identify

  8. The political-legal nexus in EU counter-terrorism: an assessment of the two-track influences between the EU and the UN

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Martins, Bruno Oliveira

    2016-01-01

    In the construction of the European Union’s counter-terrorism legal system, United Nations instruments and principles enter in the EU law sphere and pave the way for further developments both due to its legal force and to its role as agents of socialisation of security norms. At the same time......, as this article demonstrates, the principles of EU constitutionalism, fundamental pillars in the EU’s legal system, have been the sources of judicial decisions that ultimately impacted on the standards of fundamental rights protection in the UN framework. This article investigates the mutual influences between...... of counter-terrorism and EU´s characteristics as an external security actor, the findings of the research conducted here can be seen as counter-intuitive, enabling new discussions on the EU’s security actorness....

  9. COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES IN ECONOMIC CRISES GEOGRAPHY. ECONOMIC STRATEGIES IN EU COUNTRIES

    OpenAIRE

    Roxana Maria Grecu

    2011-01-01

    The strategies for structural-systemic crisis management have generated, to a geographical level, a number of differences between EU countries. These cleavages are the result of differential macroeconomic policies. In this context, this article has the aim of achieving a comparative approach between countries of the south, west and east of the EU space. Also our approach is focused on observing the nature of macroeconomic policies and also on identifying a "pattern" associated with a common i...

  10. The Regulation Of Electronic Money Institutions In The SADC Region: Some Lessons From The EU

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mmaphuti David Tuba

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This article analyses the different approaches adopted for the regulation of payment systems in a variety of legislative instruments by the European Union (EU. It looks in particular at how the institutions that issue new electronic money products are regulated and supervised by the relevant authorities in the EU, in comparison with existing institutions such as banks. It analyses some of the lessons that may be learned by the South African Development Corporation (SADC from the regulatory approaches for electronic money institutions adopted by the EU. The article asks if the approach adopted by the EU may be useful for the future regulation of electronic money institutions in the SADC. The proliferation of electronic devices that arrived with the invention of the Internet has sparked some regulatory challenges. This development has become global and involves both developed and developing countries, including regions such as the SADC. It is asked if these technological developments should be addressed by means of a concrete regulatory framework while they continue to develop, instead of the regulators waiting to observe and acquaint themselves with the relevant regulatory challenges that underpin the innovations. The EU has attempted to address the anticipated regulatory challenges that came about with the development of electronic money and to align its regulatory approach with other payment systems. This article discusses the regulatory approaches adopted in the EU and provides an overview that the SADC may use in order to adopt an effective regulatory framework for electronic money and the institutions that issue these methods of payment. It analyses both the achievements and the challenges that the EU faced (and continues to face in developing the regulation of e-money, and recommends some possible approaches derived from the lessons learned.

  11. The effects of Eu-concentrations on the luminescent properties of SrF2:Eu nanophosphor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yagoub, M.Y.A.; Swart, H.C.; Noto, L.L.; O’Connel, J.H.; Lee, M.E.; Coetsee, E.

    2014-01-01

    SrF 2 :Eu nanophosphors were successfully synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The structure of the nanophosphors was investigated with x-ray diffraction. The average crystallite size calculated using the Scherrer equation was in the range of 7.0 nm. The photoluminescence of Eu doped as-prepared SrF 2 nanophosphors were studied using different excitation sources. The samples showed emission from both the Eu oxidation states, Eu 2+ and Eu 3+ . At low Eu concentrations the emission from Eu 2+ centered at 416 nm was more dominant. While the narrow band of Eu 3+ emission intensity increased with an increase in the Eu concentration. High resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicated that the Eu was indeed in both Eu 2+ and Eu 3+ valance states. The presence of Eu 2+ and Eu 3+ in the system largely enhanced the response of the Eu 3+ under ultraviolet excitation. The time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry results suggested that the energy transfer between two ions was likely to occur. The relative photoluminescence intensity of the Eu 2+ rapidly decreased with an increasing laser beam irradiating time. This result would make the current Eu 2+ doped SrF 2 samples unsuitable candidates for several applications, such as white light-emitting diodes and wavelength conversion films for silicon photovoltaic cells. - Highlights: • SrF 2 : Eu nanophosphors were successfully synthesised (hydrothermal technique). • PL and XPS results showed enhanced absorption response of Eu 3+ UV excitation. • Eu concentrations more than 5 mol% improved fluorescence emission. • TOF-SIMS results suggested that the energy transfer from Eu 2+ to Eu 3+ is dominant

  12. Operational Implications of the NATO Strategic Concept 2010 for European Countries in NATO and the EU

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-01

    tnis von NATO und EU- Eine Analyse unter Beriicksichtigung des Lissabonner Reformvertrages (Munich: AVM-Verlag, 2009), 4. Martin Reichard, The EU-NATO...Lockheed Martin Corp., Moorestown, USA. The consortium developed the first multifunctional counter battery radar in the world with a fu lly active phased...significant forces in expeditionary missions. Gustav Lindstrom , Caaudia Major and Christian Mt>lling provide a good review of the historic background, the

  13. Solubility of La, Pr, Eu, Er and Lu in a media of 1M ionic force of NaCl by 303 K; Solubilidad de La, Pr, Eu, Er y Lu en medio de fuerza ionica 1M de NaCl, a 303 K

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramirez G, J.J.; Solache R, M.J.; Jimenez R, M.; Rojas H, A. [Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, A.P. 18-1027, 11801 Mexico D.F. (Mexico)

    2002-07-01

    The solubility and the solubility product of La, Pr, Eu, Er and Lu in media of 1M ionic force of NaCl by 303 K was determined, by means of a radiochemical method and the pLn{sup -}pCH diagrams in free conditions of CO{sub 2} were constructed. Moreover, the non saturation and the saturated zones and with them the pCH precipitation bound were determined. Finally a comparison among the obtained data in this work and those reported in the literature in several media was realized. (Author)

  14. Antiferromagnetism in EuPdGe{sub 3}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Albedah, Mohammed A. [Department of Physics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5 (Canada); Al-Qadi, Khalid [Department of Physics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5 (Canada); Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha (Qatar); Stadnik, Zbigniew M., E-mail: stadnik@uottawa.ca [Department of Physics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5 (Canada); Przewoźnik, Janusz [Solid State Physics Department, Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science, AGH University of Science and Technology, 30-059 Kraków (Poland)

    2014-11-15

    Highlights: • We show that EuPdGe{sub 3} crystallizes in the BaNiSn{sub 3}-type structure with the lattice constants a = 4.4457(1) Å and c = 10.1703(2). • We demonstrate that EuPdGe{sub 3} is an antiferromagnet with the Néel temperature T{sub N} = 12.16(1) K. • The temperature dependence of the hyperfine magnetic field follows a S = 7/2 Brillouin function. • We find that the Debye temperature of the studied compound is 199(2) K. - Abstract: The results of X-ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility and magnetization, and {sup 151}Eu Mössbauer spectroscopy measurements of polycrystalline EuPdGe{sub 3} are reported. EuPdGe{sub 3} crystallizes in the BaNiSn{sub 3}-type tetragonal structure (space group I4mm) with the lattice constants a=4.4457(1)Å and c=10.1703(2)Å. The results are consistent with EuPdGe{sub 3} being an antiferromagnet with the Néel temperature T{sub N}=12.16(1)K and with the Eu spins S=7/2 in the ab plane. The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility above T{sub N} follows the modified Curie-Weiss law with the effective magnetic moment of 7.82(1) μ{sub B} per Eu atom and the paramagnetic Curie temperature of -5.3(1)K indicative of dominant antiferromagnetic interactions. The M(H) isotherms for temperatures approaching T{sub N} from above are indicative of dynamical short-range antiferromagnetic ordering in the sample. The temperature dependence of the hyperfine magnetic field follows a S=7/2 Brillouin function. The principal component of the electric field gradient tensor is shown to increase with decreasing temperature and is well described by a T{sup 3/2} power-law relation. The Debye temperature of EuPdGe{sub 3} determined from the Mössbauer data is 199(2) K.

  15. Meeting Europe's resource challenge within and beyond EU borders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahtonen, Annika; Frontini, Andrea

    2013-01-01

    The European Union (EU) faces a serious resource challenge. It is dependent on external sources of energy and other raw materials, and this makes it vulnerable to resource availability and price fluctuations. If not managed, this could have serious implications for Europe and its competitiveness, for public and private sectors, for citizens and for overall European well-being. The EU takes environmental challenges seriously, at least on paper, and has developed a number of internal policies and initiatives to tackle problems related to loss of biodiversity, inefficient use of resources and poor waste management. It is widely recognised that the EU should work together to tackle the energy challenge. At the same time, the EU has a two-fold approach to the external dimensions of resource challenges. Firstly, the EU has made sustainable development a fully-fledged component of its own narrative worldwide. Secondly, as do all actors, it has an interest in protecting its self-interests amidst increasing global competition over resources. However, in order to tackle the resource challenge effectively, the EU must both turn words into action within Europe and clarify its external strategy and the means to implement it

  16. The State of the Art in the EU Democracy Promotion Literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Simmons

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available The literature on EU democracy promotion is fragmented into a number of sub-literatures, and this makes it difficult to gain a comprehensive understanding of this area of EU activity. Synthesising these literatures and the different theoretical approaches that have been taken is a necessary first step to a fuller understanding of what makes EU democracy promotion work most effectively, a task that is all the more vital given the increasingly challenging global environment that democracy promotion now faces.

  17. Regulatory landscape for cell therapy--EU view.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McBlane, James W

    2015-09-01

    This article addresses regulation of cell therapies in the European Union (EU), covering cell sourcing and applications for clinical trials and marketing authorisation applications. Regulatory oversight of cell sourcing and review of applications for clinical trials with cell therapies are handled at national level, that is, separately with each country making its own decisions. For clinical trials, this can lead to different decisions in different countries for the same trial. A regulation is soon to come into force that will address this and introduce a more efficient clinical trial application process. However, at the marketing authorisation stage, the process is pan-national: the Committee for Human Medicinal Products (CHMP) is responsible for giving the final scientific opinion on all EU marketing authorisation applications for cell therapies: favourable scientific opinions are passed to the European Commission (EC) for further consultation and, if successful, grant of a marketing authorisation valid in all 28 EU countries. In its review of applications for marketing authorisations (MAAs) for cell therapies, the CHMP is obliged to consult the Committee for Advanced Therapies (CAT), who conduct detailed scientific assessments of these applications, with assessment by staff from national regulatory authorities and specialist advisors to the regulators. Copyright © 2015.

  18. (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.

  19. The total neutron cross-sections of 151Eu, 153Eu and Eu below 1 eV

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adib, M.; Maayouf, R.M.A.; Abdel-Kawy, A.; Ashry, A.; Hamouda, I.

    1981-01-01

    Total neutron cross-section measurements have been carried out for natural Eu and its stable isotopes in the energy range from 3 meV to 1 eV. The measurements were performed using two time-of-flight spectrometers installed in front of two of the horizontal channels of the ET-RR-1 reactor. The following results have been obtained: sigmasub(a) ( 151 Eu) = (9180 +- 150) b at 0.0253 eV, sigmasub(s) ( 153 Eu) = (375 +- 20) b at 0.0253 eV, sigmasub(d) (Eu) = (4600 +- 120) b at 0.0253 eV. The contribution of the resonance to the total neutron cross-sections, in the thermal region, was calculated using the single-level Breit-Wigner formula. (orig.)

  20. 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.

  1. Certain requirements to surface water quality and monitoring of water bodies in the EU

    OpenAIRE

    Storchak T. V.; Pogonysheva I. A.; Ryabukha A. V.; Arishev A. I.

    2018-01-01

    Water pollution has become a pressing issues in the European Union. EU Water protection legislature plays major role in the development of national policies in many of the EU countries. EU is currently implementing Water Framework Directive. The Directive demonstrates an innovative approach to water resources management based on river basins. According to the Directive, EU countries take a responsibility to prevent further deterioration and make effort to restore and improve the state of wate...

  2. Europe, the EU and its 2050 Energy Storylines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Jong, J.; Weeda, E.

    2007-12-01

    Patries', applies to a region where nation states are still the determinant factor. The second, 'Fortress Europe', is primarily inward-looking, with a strong drive towards inter-European cooperation and relations. 'Confident Europe' is an active participant in the global international system and practices what it preaches. And lastly, in 'Competitive Europe', market forces effectively deliver and are globally accepted. The main conclusions to be drawn are that the issue for the EU is not energy resources per se, but rather access to them, and that current ambitions at the EU level on climate change adaptation and related energy issues are not likely to be matched by long-term performance in the region. More specifically, in the futures depicted by the four scenarios, the historical downward trend in energy intensity continues in all four storylines; the share of oil in the TPES deceases in all the storylines as well, and even ends up at roughly the same level in all four; coal remains important in the energy mix, largely for electricity generation; gas seems to be the most stable energy source in 2050, no matter what is happening in the world at large; and no physical supply constraints are anticipated. Nuclear energy seems to experience a revival in all the storylines, but with regard to renewable energy sources, there are some notable variations among them. Finally, the new Energy policy for Europe (EPE) presented in early 2007 is assessed from a historical perspective, in the light of the EU's 50-year energy policy quest, and is further analysed in relation to the four 2050 storylines, it is concluded that elements of all four scenarios are found in the EPE, but that the general tendency seems to be moving in the direction of more government intervention in markets instead of less. Meanwhile, for global climate issues the EU seems to be building its policy more on multilateralism and globalism, whereas when seeking energy supply security, nationalism and bilateral or

  3. Exploiting impedance shaping approaches to overcome force overshoots in delicate interaction tasks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Loris Roveda

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the presented article is to overcome the force overshoot issue in impedance based force tracking applications. Nowadays, light-weight manipulators are involved in high-accurate force control applications (such as polishing tasks, where the force overshoot issue is critical (i.e. damaging the component causing a production waste, exploiting the impedance control. Two main force tracking impedance control approaches are described in literature: (a set-point deformation and (b variable stiffness approaches. However, no contributions are directly related to the force overshoot issue. The presented article extends both such methodologies to analytically achieve the force overshoots avoidance in interaction tasks based on the on-line estimation of the interacting environment stiffness (available through an EKF. Both the proposed control algorithms allow to achieve a linear closed-loop dynamics for the coupled robot-environment system. Therefore, control gains can be analytically on-line calculated to achieve an over-damped closed-loop dynamics of the controlled coupled system. Control strategies have been validated in experiments, involving a KUKA LWR 4+. A probing task has been performed, representative of many industrial tasks (e.g. assembly tasks, in which a main force task direction is defined.

  4. EU's CO2 trade a high risk project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wellander, Dag

    2003-01-01

    The uncertainty about the planned CO 2 trade of the European Union (EU) is very great. For the possible buyers in this politically created market the risks may be great and difficult to assess. The most effective way of forcing a reduction of emissions is trading emission licences. But this requires taking a stand on issues of very unpleasant nature. And the Kyoto protocol evades these questions, it is a thin document right from the beginning. Trade in emission licences is one of the three so-called flexible mechanisms of the Kyoto agreement. The second mechanism is joint implementation in which one industrialized country carries out emission reduction actions in another industrialized country. The third is the mechanism of clean development, in which one industrialized country takes remedial actions in a developing country. It is unclear how these mechanisms are to act in accordance with each other, both in the Kyoto Protocol and on the level of the EU. The biggest and most fundamental uncertainty, both on the EU and global levels, relates to the fact that the partners have not decided how to define the right of ownership of emissions of a certain size

  5. The European Citizens’ Initiative: Transnational Democracy in the EU at last?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maximilian Conrad

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available The European Union’s Lisbon Treaty, in force since December 2009, introduced the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI as a means of strengthening citizen involvement in EU decision making. A minimum of one million citizens from at least seven of the EU’s current 27 member states can request that the European Commission submit a legislative proposal on the issue of the initiative. But the ECI is not only a means of strengthening participatory democracy in the EU. It also bears the potential for a more fundamental transformation of democracy, namely in the direction of transnational participatory democracy. Starting with a short introduction to how the ECI will work in practice as well as a brief history of participatory democracy in the EU, this article therefore examines the ECI from the perspective of democratic theory. How profound an impact will the ECI have on democracy in the European Union?

  6. Synthesis and tunable luminescent properties of Eu-doped Ca2NaSiO4F – Coexistence of the Eu2+ and Eu3+ centers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mubiao Xie

    Full Text Available Novel phosphors Ca2NaSiO4F:Eu were synthesized successfully by the conventional solid-state method in CO atmosphere, and their spectroscopic properties in UV−vis region were investigated. The photoluminescence properties show that Eu3+ ions were partially reduced to Eu2+ in Ca2NaSiO4F. As a result of radiation and re-absorption energy transfer from Eu2+ to Eu3+, both Eu2+ bluish-green emission at around 520 nm and Eu3+ red emission are observed in the emission spectra under the n-UV light excitation. Furthermore, the ratio between Eu2+ and Eu3+ emissions varies with increasing content of overall Eu. Because relative intensity of the red component from Eu3+ became systematically stronger, white light emission can be realized by combining the emission of Eu2+ and Eu3+ in a single host lattice under n-UV light excitation. These results indicate that the Ca2NaSiO4F:Eu phosphors have potential applications as a n-UV convertible phosphor for light-emitting diodes. Keywords: Phosphors, Luminescence, White LED, Optical materials

  7. The EU climate policy: Is the will to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases greater than the capability to do it?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wetterstad, Joergen

    2002-01-01

    The climate policy of the EU is rapidly developing. The EU is emerging as an ideal in the international cooperation that aims to initiate trade of emission quotas. The EU was playing a major role on the Johannesburg conference of 2002 and has always supported the Kyoto Protocol, which may come into force in 2003. However, the development of emission situation in most of the member countries, the slow follow-up of the goals and the coming expansion into Eastern Europe raises the question if the EU is a climate political instigator on unsafe ground

  8. Formation of nanostructures in Eu3+ doped glass-ceramics: an XAS study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pellicer-Porres, J; Segura, A; Martínez-Criado, G; Rodríguez-Mendoza, U R; Lavín, V

    2013-01-16

    We describe the results of x-ray absorption experiments carried out to deduce structural and chemical information in Eu(3+) doped, transparent, oxyfluoride glass and nanostructured glass-ceramic samples. The spectra were measured at the Pb and Eu-L(III) edges. The Eu environment in the glass samples is observed to be similar to that of EuF(3). Complementary x-ray diffraction experiments show that thermal annealing creates β-PbF(2) type nanocrystals. X-ray absorption indicates that Eu ions act as seeds in the nanocrystal formation. There is evidence of interstitial fluorine atoms around Eu ions as well as Eu dimers. X-ray absorption at the Pb-L(III) edge shows that after the thermal treatment most lead atoms form a PbO amorphous phase and that only 10% of the lead atoms remain available to form β-PbF(2) type nanocrystals. Both x-ray diffraction and absorption point to a high Eu content in the nanocrystals. Our study suggests new approaches to the oxyfluoride glass-ceramic synthesis in order to further improve their properties.

  9. Strategic neighbourhood: EU-Europe versus EU-East

    OpenAIRE

    Rahr, Alexander

    2004-01-01

    "Russia and the EU are the strongest actors on the European continent of the 21st century. Will the strategic partnership between the EU and Russia unite the entire continent under a 'common European home' or will the continent be split in two? Russia joining the rest of Europe is set to proceed initially through the Energy Alliance." (author's abstract)

  10. Rebalancing EU Interest Representation? Assocative Democracy and EU funding of Civil Society Organizations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sanchez Salgado, R.

    2014-01-01

    European Union (EU) funding of civil society organizations (CSOs) is a substantial and important part of EU governance, but study of such funding is scarce and theoretically underdeveloped. To fill this gap, this article analyzes the main features of EU funding of CSOs and its effects on the EU

  11. Ponderomotive forces in electrodynamics of moving media: The Minkowski and Abraham approaches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nesterenko, V. V.; Nesterenko, A. V.

    2016-09-01

    In the general setting of the problem, the explicit compact formulae are derived for the ponderomotive forces in the macroscopic electrodynamics of moving media in the Minkowski and Abraham approaches. Taking account of the Minkowski constitutive relations and making use of a special representation for the Abraham energy-momentum tensor enable one to obtain a compact expression for the Abraham force in the case of arbitrary dependence of the medium velocity on spatial coordinates and the time and for nonstationary external electromagnetic field. We term the difference between the ponderomotive forces in the Abraham and Minkowski approaches as the Abraham force not only under consideration of media at rest but also in the case of moving media. The Lorentz force is found which is exerted by external electromagnetic field on the conduction current in a medium, the covariant Ohm law, and the constitutive Minkowski relations being taken into account. The physical argumentation is traced for the definition of the 4-vector of the ponderomotive force as the 4-divergence of the energy-momentum tensor of electromagnetic field in a medium.

  12. The effects of Eu-concentrations on the luminescent properties of SrF{sub 2}:Eu nanophosphor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yagoub, M.Y.A.; Swart, H.C.; Noto, L.L. [Department of Physics, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein ZA9300 (South Africa); O’Connel, J.H.; Lee, M.E. [Department of Physics and Centre for HRTEM, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth ZA6031 (South Africa); Coetsee, E., E-mail: CoetseeE@ufs.ac.za [Department of Physics, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein ZA9300 (South Africa)

    2014-12-15

    SrF{sub 2}:Eu nanophosphors were successfully synthesized by the hydrothermal method. The structure of the nanophosphors was investigated with x-ray diffraction. The average crystallite size calculated using the Scherrer equation was in the range of 7.0 nm. The photoluminescence of Eu doped as-prepared SrF{sub 2} nanophosphors were studied using different excitation sources. The samples showed emission from both the Eu oxidation states, Eu{sup 2+} and Eu{sup 3+}. At low Eu concentrations the emission from Eu{sup 2+} centered at 416 nm was more dominant. While the narrow band of Eu{sup 3+} emission intensity increased with an increase in the Eu concentration. High resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicated that the Eu was indeed in both Eu{sup 2+} and Eu{sup 3+} valance states. The presence of Eu{sup 2+} and Eu{sup 3+} in the system largely enhanced the response of the Eu{sup 3+} under ultraviolet excitation. The time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry results suggested that the energy transfer between two ions was likely to occur. The relative photoluminescence intensity of the Eu{sup 2+} rapidly decreased with an increasing laser beam irradiating time. This result would make the current Eu{sup 2+} doped SrF{sub 2} samples unsuitable candidates for several applications, such as white light-emitting diodes and wavelength conversion films for silicon photovoltaic cells. - Highlights: • SrF{sub 2}: Eu nanophosphors were successfully synthesised (hydrothermal technique). • PL and XPS results showed enhanced absorption response of Eu{sup 3+} UV excitation. • Eu concentrations more than 5 mol% improved fluorescence emission. • TOF-SIMS results suggested that the energy transfer from Eu{sup 2+} to Eu{sup 3+} is dominant.

  13. Force scanning: a rapid, high-resolution approach for spatial mechanical property mapping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Darling, E M

    2011-01-01

    Atomic force microscopy (AFM) can be used to co-localize mechanical properties and topographical features through property mapping techniques. The most common approach for testing biological materials at the microscale and nanoscale is force mapping, which involves taking individual force curves at discrete sites across a region of interest. The limitations of force mapping include long testing times and low resolution. While newer AFM methodologies, like modulated scanning and torsional oscillation, circumvent this problem, their adoption for biological materials has been limited. This could be due to their need for specialized software algorithms and/or hardware. The objective of this study is to develop a novel force scanning technique using AFM to rapidly capture high-resolution topographical images of soft biological materials while simultaneously quantifying their mechanical properties. Force scanning is a straightforward methodology applicable to a wide range of materials and testing environments, requiring no special modification to standard AFMs. Essentially, if a contact-mode image can be acquired, then force scanning can be used to produce a spatial modulus map. The current study first validates this technique using agarose gels, comparing results to ones achieved by the standard force mapping approach. Biologically relevant demonstrations are then presented for high-resolution modulus mapping of individual cells, cell-cell interfaces, and articular cartilage tissue.

  14. Emission Trading - Effects of the EU directive; Emission Trading - Auswirkungen der EG-Richtlinie

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meller, E. [Verband der Elektrizitaetswirtschaft -VDEW- e.V., Berlin (Germany)

    2004-07-01

    The EU-Directive on 'Establishing a Scheme for Greenhouse Gas Emission Allowance Trading within the Community' came into force after it had been published in the Official Journal of the EU. The electricity industry has pursued carefully and constructively the development of this Directive. A number of suggestions were taken into consideration. Currently, the focus - in connection with the adaptation by national legislation - is on the development of a national allocation plan. (orig.) [German] Knapp zwei Jahre nach der Vorlage eines Richtlinien-Entwurfs durch die Europaeische Kommission ist die Richtlinie zur 'Einfuehrung eines EU-weiten Handels mit Treibhausgas-Emissionszertifikaten' in Kraft getreten. Im Mittelpunkt der Umsetzung der Richtlinie in nationales Recht steht die Erstellung eines Nationalen Allokationsplans, dem Kernelement des Zertifikatehandels. Fuer die Stromwirtschaft relevante Aspekte werden eroertert. (orig.)

  15. E-invoicing in EU public procurement as a tool for cross border trade barriers elimination

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oleksandr TSARUK

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Public Procurement of goods and services always was one of the principal element of e-procurements because it effects economic growth, describes governments' public services and national competitiveness, level of human capital growth in a long run. Furthermore, researching EU policy on e-procurements demands to observe legislature essence and technological models of e-procurement solutions because none of which has not been developed as the universal one yet. Basic European agreements on public procurements and trade, combining with the currently used public procurement models, force to develop a commonly used framework for all EU countries. Monitoring of EU e-procurement system as model for implementation at Eastern partnerships countries was also suggested.

  16. Total neutron cross-sections of /sup 151/Eu, /sup 153/Eu and Eu below 1 eV

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Adib, M.; Maayouf, R.M.A.; Abdel-Kawy, A.; Ashry, A.; Hamouda, I.

    1981-01-01

    Total neutron cross-section measurements have been carried out for natural Eu and its stable isotopes in the energy range from 3 meV to 1 eV. The measurements were performed using two time-of-flight spectrometers installed in front of two of the horizontal channels of the ET-RR-1 reactor. The following results have been obtained: sigmasub(a) (/sup 151/Eu) = (9180 +- 150) b at 0.0253 eV, sigmasub(s) (/sup 153/Eu) = (375 +- 20) b at 0.0253 eV, sigmasub(d) (Eu) = (4600 +- 120) b at 0.0253 eV. The contribution of the resonance to the total neutron cross-sections, in the thermal region, was calculated using the single-level Breit-Wigner formula.

  17. Can Sweden be forced to manage nuclear waste from other countries?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bergstroem, Ulf; Lindgren, Jonas; Nordfors, Lennart; Hallerby, Christer

    2005-06-01

    This report tries to answer two questions: Can Sweden, through supranational decisions, be forced to dispose of other nations nuclear waste within its own borders? and How can a Swedish stakeholder follow and influence EU-agendas, in particular concerning nuclear waste? Sometimes it has been argued that, through the EU-membership, Sweden could be forced to accept foreign radioactive waste for disposal in Sweden. However, the Swedish Nuclear Technology Act clearly states that license for final disposal spent nuclear fuels can not be given for fuel from another country than Sweden. At the Swedish EU entry it was found that the national legislation were compatible with the EU regulations, and as a consequence waste from foreign nuclear plants can not be disposed of in Sweden, even if the plant is owned by a Swedish company. Other conclusions in the report are: The system for decision making in EU is complex and slow and must be supported by supranational and international organs. The process is complex, but offers many opportunities for following-up and influencing. The risk for anything happening 'over-night' in the radioactive waste question is minimal. The issue of regulating radioactive waste management in a supranational way, i.e. by forcing a country to accept wastes from another country is not on the agenda. The Euratom treaty is interpreted in the way that such decision can not be made. The international discussions about regional repositories build upon voluntary agreements. Scenarios leading to coersive legislation are judged to be politically unrealistic - and needing important changes to be realised

  18. EU policy options for climate and energy beyond 2020

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koelemeijer, R.; Ros, J.; Notenboom, J.; Boot, P. [Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency PBL, Den Haag (Netherlands); Groenenberg, H.; Winkel, T. [Ecofys, Utrecht (Netherlands)

    2013-05-15

    In 2009, the EU climate and energy package with targets for 2020 (the so-called 20-20-20 targets) were formulated. For the period after 2020, however, there are no legally binding targets at the EU level, except for a decreasing ETS cap which will not be sufficient in light of the ambition for 2050. This leads to uncertainty for market players, as project lead times are long and high upfront investments need to deliver returns well beyond 2020. In its Green Paper on a 2030 framework for climate and energy policies, the European Commission recognised the need for clarity regarding the post-2020 policy framework. Currently under discussion is whether the approach for 2020 should be continued towards 2030 in the form of three more stringent targets or that other approaches would be more appropriate. Within this context, the Dutch Government asked PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and Ecofys for advice. PBL and Ecofys have subsequently analysed possible options for an EU policy framework for 2030 that will steer towards a low-carbon economy by 2050 in a cost-effective way.

  19. THE EU-RUSSIAN CONFLICT ON CRIMEA AND ITS REGIONAL IMPLICATIONS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Halil ERDEMIR

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The EU has capacity on pragmatic approaches to resolving conflicts among its members. Nevertheless this supranational institution’s potentials to overcome possible rivalries and conflicts originated from outside of its border might be more challenging one. This will be particularly true when conflicts arise over influencing the ENP areas between the EU and its archrival the Russian (Federation. Recent political and economic turbulences in Ukraine affected the both powers’ awkward relations on a number of fields. These were/are particularly became evident on the issue of Crimea, in which ‘the Russian referendum’ was hold, and its annexation to Russia was/is under way. Russian and the EU officials used every opportunity to declare their legal and political stances in their statements. The issues on Crimea’s strategic, economic, cultural and environmental significance for the world community in general and the direct involving parties in particular will be scrutinized through practical and theoretical approaches of international Relations.

  20. Eestimaa.eu kuulub lätlasele ja riik.eu hollandlasele / Mikk Salu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Salu, Mikk, 1975-

    2006-01-01

    Zone Medias eu domeeninimesid registreeriva Jaanus Puttingu hinnangul on Eesti riik olnud passiivne EL-i domeeninime .eu sisaldavate lehekülgede kaitsmisel, sajad Eestile olulised domeeninimed on juba nii siinsete kui ka piiritaguste inimeste käes. Lisa: Rahvaliit.eu kuulub kinnisvaraportaalile

  1. Preparation of EuSe nanoparticles from Eu(III) complex containing selenides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adachi, Taka-aki; Tanaka, Atsushi; Hasegawa, Yasuchika; Kawai, Tsuyoshi

    2008-01-01

    The EuSe nanoparticles were prepared by the thermal reduction of Europium nitrate with new organic selenium compound, tetraphenylphosphonium diphenylphosphinediselenide (PPh 4 )(Se 2 P(C 6 H 5 ) 2 ), for the first time. EuSe nanoparticles were identified by the X-ray diffraction (XRD), the transmission electron microscope (TEM) and the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) measurements. The average size of the EuSe nanoparticles was found to be 19 nm. The energy gap in EuSe nanoparticles of 19 nm was estimated by edge of absorption band, giving the energy gap of 1.86 eV

  2. New EU Governance Modes in Professional Sport: Enhancing Throughput Legitimacy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arnout Geeraert

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available This article explores the limits and opportunities for enhancing the democratic legitimacy of EU actions in the field of professional sport using new modes of governance. It presents a conceptual toolkit by which the ‘throughput legitimacy’ of an EU policy can be analysed. Analysing the throughput legitimacy of the European social dialogue, we establish that, by improving the latter, both input and output legitimacy can be increased. The EU could borrow some of the positive elements of the social dialogue approach and incorporate them in the steering of other issues in professional sport. For instance, it may be interesting to pre-establish certain conditions on representativeness and relevance for participation in the policy process. Crucially, working on a clear theme-per-theme-basis instead of organising outsized gatherings such as the EU sport forum would definitely benefit throughput legitimacy.

  3. Induced spin-polarization of EuS at room temperature in Ni/EuS multilayers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Poulopoulos, P., E-mail: poulop@upatras.gr [Laboratory of High-Tech Materials, School of Engineering, University of Patras, 26504 Patras (Greece); Materials Science Department, University of Patras, 26504 Patras (Greece); Goschew, A.; Straub, A.; Fumagalli, P. [Institut für Experimentalphysik, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, D-14195 Berlin-Dahlem (Germany); Kapaklis, V.; Wolff, M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, SE-751 20 Uppsala (Sweden); Delimitis, A. [Chemical Process and Energy Resources Institute (CPERI), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), 57001 Thermi, Thessaloniki (Greece); Wilhelm, F.; Rogalev, A. [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), B.P.220, 38043 Grenoble (France); Pappas, S. D. [Laboratory of High-Tech Materials, School of Engineering, University of Patras, 26504 Patras (Greece); Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, SE-751 20 Uppsala (Sweden)

    2014-03-17

    Ni/EuS multilayers with excellent multilayer sequencing are deposited via e-beam evaporation on the native oxide of Si(100) wafers at 4 × 10{sup −9} millibars. The samples have very small surface and interface roughness and show sharp interfaces. Ni layers are nanocrystalline 4–8 nm thick and EuS layers are 2–4 nm thick and are either amorphous or nanocrystalline. Unlike for Co/EuS multilayers, all Eu ions are in divalent (ferromagnetic) state. We show a direct antiferromagnetic coupling between EuS and Ni layers. At room temperature, the EuS layers are spin-polarized due to the proximity of Ni. Therefore, Ni/EuS is a candidate for room-temperature spintronics applications.

  4. Thermodynamic assessment of EuBr2 unary and LiBr-EuBr2 and NaBr-EuBr2 binary systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gong, Weiping; Gaune-Escard, Marcelle

    2009-01-01

    As a basis for the design and development of molten salt mixtures, thermodynamic calculations of the phase diagrams and thermodynamic properties were carried out on the EuBr 2 unary and LiBr-EuBr 2 and NaBr-EuBr 2 binary systems over a wide temperature and composition range, respectively. The Gibbs energy of EuBr 2 was evaluated using an independent polynomial to fit the experimental heat capacity, the thermodynamic parameters for each phase in the LiBr-EuBr 2 and NaBr-EuBr 2 systems were optimized by using available experimental information on phase diagrams. A regular substitutional solution model for the liquid phase and Neumann-Kopp rule for the stoichiometric compound LiEu 2 Br 5 were adopted to reproduce the experimental data with reasonable excess Gibbs energy. Comparisons between the calculated phase diagrams and thermodynamic quantities show that all reliable experimental information is satisfactorily accounted for by the present thermodynamic description. Some thermodynamic properties were predicted to check the suitability of the present calculation.

  5. A canonical approach to forces in molecules

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walton, Jay R. [Department of Mathematics, Texas A& M University, College Station, TX 77843-3368 (United States); Rivera-Rivera, Luis A., E-mail: rivera@chem.tamu.edu [Department of Chemistry, Texas A& M University, College Station, TX 77843-3255 (United States); Lucchese, Robert R.; Bevan, John W. [Department of Chemistry, Texas A& M University, College Station, TX 77843-3255 (United States)

    2016-08-02

    Highlights: • Derivation of canonical representation of molecular force. • Correlation of derivations with accurate results from Born–Oppenheimer potentials. • Extension of methodology to Mg{sub 2}, benzene dimer, and water dimer. - Abstract: In previous studies, we introduced a generalized formulation for canonical transformations and spectra to investigate the concept of canonical potentials strictly within the Born–Oppenheimer approximation. Data for the most accurate available ground electronic state pairwise intramolecular potentials in H{sub 2}{sup +}, H{sub 2}, HeH{sup +}, and LiH were used to rigorously establish such conclusions. Now, a canonical transformation is derived for the molecular force, F(R), with H{sub 2}{sup +} as molecular reference. These transformations are demonstrated to be inherently canonical to high accuracy but distinctly different from those corresponding to the respective potentials of H{sub 2}, HeH{sup +}, and LiH. In this paper, we establish the canonical nature of the molecular force which is key to fundamental generalization of canonical approaches to molecular bonding. As further examples Mg{sub 2}, benzene dimer and to water dimer are also considered within the radial limit as applications of the current methodology.

  6. 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.

  7. Byg EU om

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nedergaard, Peter

    2017-01-01

    Der argumenteres for en række påstande vedrørende en mulig ombygning af EU med henblik på at håndtere den krise, som unionen står i. Grundlæggende for dem alle er, at enten ombygges EU på disse områder, eller også smuldrer samarbejdet. Et internationalt samarbejde som EU kollapser ikke; det mister...

  8. 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

  9. 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...

  10. EuO and Gd-doped EuO thin films. Epitaxial growth and properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sutarto, Ronny

    2009-01-01

    Europium oxide (EuO) based materials exhibit a wealth of spectacular phenomena, including half-metallic ferromagnetism, metal-insulator transition, colossal magneto-resistance, large magneto-optical Kerr effect, tunable ferromagnetic ordering temperatures, and large and long-lived photo-induced conductivity. These extraordinary properties make EuO an ideal candidate for implementation in device applications, in particular, for spintronics. Most of the work in the past has been carried out on bulk EuO, but for device applications it is preferred to have the EuO in thin lm form. A urry of studies have therefore emerged in the last decade in order to explore a wide variety of preparation routes and to investigate the properties of the resulting EuO thin films. A recent highlight is the demonstration that doped EuO films can be fabricated on Si and GaN, thereby exhibiting the expected spin-polarized transport effects. Nevertheless, it is still far from a trivial task to prepare EuO thin films with well de ned properties. For bulk EuO, it is already known that stoichiometry is the key issue, and that the presence of small amounts of defects or impurities quickly lead to very large deviations of the material properties. In fact, to make bulk EuO to be stoichiometric one needs temperatures as high as 1800 C. It is obvious that such high temperatures are not compatible with device engineering processes. The preparation of thin films must therefore involve much lower temperatures, preferably not higher than 400-500 C. The consequences are very dear. It turned out that many of the recent studies on EuO thin films are suffering from sample quality problems, due to the presence of, e.g., trivalent Eu species (Eu 3 O 4 , Eu 2 O 3 ), oxygen vacancies, or even Eu metal clusters. Controlled doping of the EuO with trivalent rare-earth ions is also not trivial, since most often even the actual doping concentrations were not known. In fact, one could also question in this respect the

  11. EuO and Gd-doped EuO thin films. Epitaxial growth and properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sutarto, Ronny

    2009-07-06

    Europium oxide (EuO) based materials exhibit a wealth of spectacular phenomena, including half-metallic ferromagnetism, metal-insulator transition, colossal magneto-resistance, large magneto-optical Kerr effect, tunable ferromagnetic ordering temperatures, and large and long-lived photo-induced conductivity. These extraordinary properties make EuO an ideal candidate for implementation in device applications, in particular, for spintronics. Most of the work in the past has been carried out on bulk EuO, but for device applications it is preferred to have the EuO in thin lm form. A urry of studies have therefore emerged in the last decade in order to explore a wide variety of preparation routes and to investigate the properties of the resulting EuO thin films. A recent highlight is the demonstration that doped EuO films can be fabricated on Si and GaN, thereby exhibiting the expected spin-polarized transport effects. Nevertheless, it is still far from a trivial task to prepare EuO thin films with well de ned properties. For bulk EuO, it is already known that stoichiometry is the key issue, and that the presence of small amounts of defects or impurities quickly lead to very large deviations of the material properties. In fact, to make bulk EuO to be stoichiometric one needs temperatures as high as 1800 C. It is obvious that such high temperatures are not compatible with device engineering processes. The preparation of thin films must therefore involve much lower temperatures, preferably not higher than 400-500 C. The consequences are very dear. It turned out that many of the recent studies on EuO thin films are suffering from sample quality problems, due to the presence of, e.g., trivalent Eu species (Eu{sub 3}O{sub 4}, Eu{sub 2}O{sub 3}), oxygen vacancies, or even Eu metal clusters. Controlled doping of the EuO with trivalent rare-earth ions is also not trivial, since most often even the actual doping concentrations were not known. In fact, one could also question in

  12. [Plant protection products and their residues : Aspects of consumer safety in context of the new EU regulations].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banasiak, U; Michalski, B; Pfeil, R; Solecki, R

    2010-06-01

    The law regulating plant protection products (PPP) in the European Union (EU) was fundamentally revised through the introduction of Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009 which is due to enter into force on 14 June 2011. EU-wide harmonized maximum residue levels (MRLs) for the active substances of PPP in foods are laid down in Regulation (EC) No. 396/2005 and apply since entry into force of the regulation on 1 September 2008. The goal of both regulations is to strengthen the level of consumer protection. PPP are subject to a strict assessment of active substances, which is regulated at the EU level as well as an authorization procedure in the EU Member States. Prior to application for authorization of a PPP, the active substance(s) it contains must be included in a positive list. Tests regarding the toxicity and residue behavior of PPP must be conducted by the applicant, and the respective documents must be submitted to the authorities for evaluation. Following review of the required data, toxicological threshold values are derived, consumer exposure is assessed, and the risk to health is evaluated. The goal of this evaluation is to ensure that the use of PPP according to good plant protection practice does not have any harmful effects on human health.

  13. EU Law and Multiple Discrimination

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Ruth

    2006-01-01

    In EU law, nationality and gender were the only equality issues on the legal agenda from the outset in 1958 and for about 40 years. Multiple discrimination was not addressed until the 1990's. The intersectionality approach which has been widely discussed outside Europe has mainly been used...... with a view to gendermainstreaming the fight against other kinds of discrimination (on grounds of ethnic origin, age, etc)....

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    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.

  15. EU “Mobility” Partnerships: An Initial Assessment of Implementation Dynamics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natasja Reslow

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Cooperation with non-EU countries is a central migration policy priority for the EU, and since 2008 eight Mobility Partnerships have been signed. Given the importance attached to this policy area, it is essential that policy-makers understand how EU external migration policy works in practice. However, the literature on the implementation of EU external migration policy is very limited. This article addresses this deficit, by conducting a conceptual assessment of implementation dynamics in the Mobility Partnerships. At this stage in the implementation process, it is not yet possible to assess whether the Mobility Partnerships have contributed to mobility, which is their stated aim. Instead, the literature on implementation is applied in a “backward” fashion, starting with the implementation dynamics at play. The article concludes that standard analytical frameworks for assessing implementation processes will need to be adapted for “new” policy tools featuring elements of flexibility or voluntary participation, in order to accurately capture implementation processes. Future research should adopt a critical, human rights-centred approach to the issue of implementation of EU external migration policy.

  16. Eu3+ doped yttrium oxide nano-luminophores from laser synthesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ivanov, M.G.; Kynast, U.; Leznina, M.

    2016-01-01

    Nano-sized Y 2 O 3 :Eu phosphors were obtained from laser synthesis at a production rate of 25 g/h, the initial product consisting of purely monoclinic material, of primary particle sizes of 20–30 nm as could be shown by powder X-ray diffraction, TEM and BET. Despite a large amount of surface adsorbed water and O–H groups, and peculiarly, nitrous oxide species, as shown by mass spectrometer coupled thermoanalysis/thermogravimetry and FTIR, the luminescence efficiency still amounted to approximately 19% relative to bulk Y 2 O 3 :Eu. On thermal conversion at 900 °C, the transformation to cubic Y 2 O 3 :Eu, now yielding particles of approximately 60 nm appeared to be complete and had an efficiency of about 68%, however, an efficiency of 93%, approaching that of bulk Y 2 O 3 :Eu, was obtained on annealing at 1200 °C. Significantly, a rapid re-formation of carbonates takes place on the calcined samples also. - Highlights: • Nano-sized Y 2 O 3 :Eu phosphors were obtained from laser synthesis. • Luminescence efficiency of monoclinic phase 20 nm nanoparticles was about 19% relative to bulk Y 2 O 3 :Eu. • Purely cubic phase 92 nm particles demonstrated efficiency of 93% of bulk Y 2 O 3 :Eu.

  17. Economic Analysis of the Effects of the Expiry of the EU Milk Quota System

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Réquillart, V.; Bouamra-Mechemache, Z.; Jongeneel, R.

    2008-01-01

    This report has been prepared to provide a quantitative assessment of the impact of the abolition of EU milk quotas on the EU dairy sector, including the different policy approaches of gradual phasing out and abrupt abolition of milk quotas

  18. The quest for a European civic culture : The EU and EU Citizenship in policies and practices of citizenship education in seven EU member states

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bakker, W.E.; van der Kolk, M.; Berkeley, Dominic; Koska, Viktor

    2017-01-01

    Since the Treaty of Maastricht (1992) all nationals of EU member states hold EU citizenship too. EU citizens hold EU citizenship rights in addition to their national rights. These rights include civil, social, economic and political rights. Holding these rights does not guarantee actual

  19. Europe, the EU and its 2050 Energy Storylines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    De Jong, J.; Weeda, E.

    2007-12-15

    societal climate prevailing in the region. The first, 'l'Europe des Patries', applies to a region where nation states are still the determinant factor. The second, 'Fortress Europe', is primarily inward-looking, with a strong drive towards inter-European cooperation and relations. 'Confident Europe' is an active participant in the global international system and practices what it preaches. And lastly, in 'Competitive Europe', market forces effectively deliver and are globally accepted. The main conclusions to be drawn are that the issue for the EU is not energy resources per se, but rather access to them, and that current ambitions at the EU level on climate change adaptation and related energy issues are not likely to be matched by long-term performance in the region. More specifically, in the futures depicted by the four scenarios, the historical downward trend in energy intensity continues in all four storylines; the share of oil in the TPES deceases in all the storylines as well, and even ends up at roughly the same level in all four; coal remains important in the energy mix, largely for electricity generation; gas seems to be the most stable energy source in 2050, no matter what is happening in the world at large; and no physical supply constraints are anticipated. Nuclear energy seems to experience a revival in all the storylines, but with regard to renewable energy sources, there are some notable variations among them. Finally, the new Energy policy for Europe (EPE) presented in early 2007 is assessed from a historical perspective, in the light of the EU's 50-year energy policy quest, and is further analysed in relation to the four 2050 storylines, it is concluded that elements of all four scenarios are found in the EPE, but that the general tendency seems to be moving in the direction of more government intervention in markets instead of less. Meanwhile, for global climate issues the EU seems to be building its

  20. 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

  1. Sustainable growth of EU economies and Baltic context: Characteristics and modelling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Girts Karnitis

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The united general growth strategy for all EU Member States, a common economic and political vision as well as location in the same geographic region provides a necessary basis for the benchmarking modelling of economies. The main objective of this study is determination of the functional regularities and drivers of the growth of EU economies and the context of the Baltic States in line with the general trend of the EU, as well as development of the growth model, which can be used for sustainable planning and prediction. Analysis of several regularly published analytical indexes suggests a thesis on innovation as the real basic driving force for EU economies and outlines Innovation Performance Index, which have a very strong compliance with the economic growth of particular country. At the same time study of the data set and methodology of the Index indicates space for further optimization. By use of several linear regression tools the growth model was created. It is based on three hard independent statistical indicators (predictors only; of course, these indicators is a peak of a complex pyramid. Despite of the simplicity of the model, the long-term correlation of fitted values with the real GDP per capita is extremely strong 0.961 – 0.987.

  2. Luminescent properties of codoping Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}: Eu, Me (Me = Mg, Ca) nanorods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu Zhilong; Wang Qin; Yang Yuming; Tao Chunyan; Yang Hua, E-mail: huayang86@sina.co [Jilin University, College of Chemistry (China)

    2010-08-15

    Phosphors of nanorods Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}: Eu (Mg, Ca) have been prepared by the hydrothermal method. The effect of Mg, Ca co-dopants on the Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}: Eu phosphor photoluminescence (PL) property was investigated. Upon excitation with ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, it is shown that there is a strong emission at around 610 nm corresponding to the forced electric dipole {sup 5}D{sub 0}-{sup 7}F{sub 2} transition of Eu{sup 3+}. At a certain concentration, Mg, Ca ions' doping effectively enhanced the luminescent properties of Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}: Eu{sup 3+} nanorods and did not change the cubic phase of the host. The structure of Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}: Eu{sup 3+} (Mg, Ca) phosphors was characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD). From XRD patterns, it is indicated that the phosphor Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}:(Eu, Ca) forms without impurity phase. From SEM, TEM images, it is shown that the crystal size of the nanorods phosphors is about 1-2 {mu}m in length and 30-50 nm in diameter.

  3. The EU and the emergence of a post-Western world: in search of lost prestige

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Esther Barbé

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The influence of the EU in international institutions has diminished. This observation is somewhat paradoxical if we bear in mind that the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty has given the EU greater authority to act internationally (instruments, institutions, representation. It has given the Union a “single voice”. This article examines the paradox that the EU is currently experiencing; that is, the greater its internal coherence, the less external influence it has. Through three case studies, the article argues that in order to explain the EU’s influence on international institutions we must go beyond an analysis of its single voice (an element that is necessary, but not sufficient, and can even be counter-productive and take into consideration the change in the power structure and the regulatory rejection from which the EU is suffering, in a world that is increasingly pro-sovereignty and less Western-centric.

  4. Key movement forces in the dairy industry in the Czech Republic

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renata Černíková

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper analyses key movement forces in the dairy industry in the Czech Republic and evaluates their importance in the industry and their influence on the following development of the dairy industry in the Czech Republic.The current most important key movement forces in the dairy industry in the Czech Republic are identified: changes in the long-term industry growth rate and marketing innovations. There is space for growth of the industry – the average consumption of the milk products in the Czech Republic per inhabitant 225,1 kg in 2002 is almost by 17% lower than in 1989 (269 kg per inhabitant and also by 10% lower than the current average consumption in the EU countries (250 kg per inhabitant. There is also space for increase exports from the Czech Republic into the EU countries. The liberalization of the foreign trade with cheeses and curds – “double-zero variation” was positive for the Czech Republic in the first year after the introduction. The share of the import of cheeses and curds on the total export from the EU decreased from 24.6% to 15.5%, and the share of the export of cheeses and curds on the total export from the CR into the EU increased from 10.1% to 19.7%.The key movement forces in the dairy industry in the Czech Republic also are changes in the cost effectiveness; the foreign capital; and key forces resulting from the factors in the macro-environment – the integration of the Czech Republic into the European Union, the government interventions and changes in the government policy.

  5. Energy policy for Europe. Ensuring secure and low-carbon energy in the EU's internal market. Interim report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Egenhofer, C.; Hammes, J.J.; Pedersen, K.

    2006-12-01

    in expressing a vision, but they need to be backed up by credible and realistic implementation strategies. Ideally targets should define the required outcome instead of prescribing precise solutions to let the market chose the most efficient solution. To minimise the risk of a credibility gap (i.e. that targets are not fulfilled), the EU should think about EU-wide minimum targets while leaving it to member states to go beyond. Targets should be used carefully as they can reduce the efficiency of the market to choose the most appropriate solutions. Targets should steer markets, avoiding a planning approach. The Task Force will present the complete analysis including conclusions and recommendations in early 2007, ahead of the Energy Council and the Spring European Council. Objective is to concentrate on 'robustness indicators' and the European added value, next steps to ensure effective linkage between competitiveness, energy security and sustainability and long-term targets within an EU framework for renewable electricity support

  6. The Applicability of Behaviour Change in Intervention Programmes Targeted at Ending Female Genital Mutilation in the EU: Integrating Social Cognitive and Community Level Approaches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katherine Brown

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available With increased migration, female genital mutilation (FGM also referred to as female circumcision or female genital cutting is no longer restricted to Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The European Parliament estimates that up to half a million women living in the EU have been subjected to FGM, with a further 180,000 at risk. Aware of the limited success of campaigns addressing FGM, the World Health Organization recommended a behavioural change approach be implemented in order to end FGM. To date, however, little progress has been made in adopting a behaviour change approach in strategies aimed at ending FGM. Based on research undertaken as part of the EU’s Daphne III programme, which researched FGM intervention programmes linked to African communities in the EU (REPLACE, this paper argues that behaviour change has not been implemented due to a lack of understanding relating to the application of the two broad categories of behaviour change approach: individualistic decision-theoretic and community-change game-theoretic approaches, and how they may be integrated to aid our understanding and the development of future intervention strategies. We therefore discuss how these can be integrated and implemented using community-based participatory action research methods with affected communities.

  7. EU FP7 project 'CAMbrella' to build European research network for complementary and alternative medicine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Weidenhammer, Wolfgang; Lewith, George; Falkenberg, Torkel

    2011-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The status of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) within the EU needs clarification. The definition and terminology of CAM is heterogeneous. The therapies, legal status, regulations and approaches used vary from country to country but there is widespread use by EU citizens. A...... review open access publications and a final conference, with emphasis on current and future EU policies, addressing different target audiences....

  8. Creating EU law judges

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mayoral Diaz-Asensio, Juan Antonio; Jaremba, Urszula; Nowak, Tobias

    2014-01-01

    The judicial protection system in the European Union (EU) is premised on the fact that national judges are supposed to act as decentralized EU judges. This role is exercised through tools enshrined in, inter alia, primacy, direct and indirect effect of EU law, and the preliminary ruling procedure...

  9. A critical microeconomic analysis of modelling the interaction of WCTS and EU ETS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wittmann, Nadine

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents an alternative approach to a graphical analysis of the interaction of White Certificates with the EU emission trading scheme as the approach of Sorrell et al. (2009a contains the following aspects that require some clarification: first, the issue of a clearer distinction between conventional and alternative energy supply is brought up. Second, the concept of a minimum requirement for energy demanded is discussed. Third, the correlation between demand for energy and demand for energy efficiency measures is displayed in a more intuitive manner. The effects of introducing WCTS and EU ETS into the market setting are then analyzed accordingly. - Highlights: • Interaction of White Certificates with the EU ETS—clarifying a previous approach. • Distinction between conventional and alternative energy within the model setup is discussed. • Concept of a minimum requirement for energy demanded is introduced. • Correlation between demand for energy and energy efficiency is displayed in a more intuitive manner

  10. Emission abatement: Untangling the impacts of the EU ETS and the economic crisis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bel, Germà; Joseph, Stephan

    2015-01-01

    In this study we use historical emission data from installations under the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to evaluate the impact of this policy on greenhouse gas emissions during the first two trading phases (2005–2012). As such the analysis seeks to disentangle two causes of emission abatement: that attributable to the EU ETS and that attributable to the economic crisis that hit the EU in 2008/09. To do so, we use a dynamic panel data approach. Our results suggest that, by far, the biggest share of abatement was attributable to the effects of the economic crisis. This finding has serious implications for future policy adjustments affecting core elements of the EU ETS, including the distribution of EU emission allowances. - Highlights: • We untangle the effects of the EU ETS from those of the economic crisis on industrial emission abatement. • The empirical analysis uses verified emission data instead of estimated emission data. • Abatement of emissions in EU in the last years has been mainly due to the impact of the economic crisis. • Low level of abatement attributable to the EU ETS suggests that important changes must be made in environmental policy

  11. Selection into Labor Force and Gender Unemployment Gaps

    OpenAIRE

    Alena Bicakova

    2014-01-01

    This paper sets the groundwork for analysis of the effect of selection into labor force on gender unemployment gaps. We derive the Manski bounds for gender unemployment gaps in 21 EU countries and show that in addition to the positive selection documented in the gender wage gap research, there is also evidence of negative selection into the labor force among women after childbirth. While positive selection of women into the labor force leads to downward bias in gender unemployment gaps, negat...

  12. Comparison of gimbal approaches to decrease drag force and radar cross sectional area in missile application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakarya, Doǧan Uǧur

    2017-05-01

    Drag force effect is an important aspect of range performance in missile applications especially for long flight time. However, old fashioned gimbal approaches force to increase missile diameter. This increase has negative aspect of rising in both drag force and radar cross sectional area. A new gimbal approach was proposed recently. It uses a beam steering optical arrangement. Therefore, it needs less volume envelope for same field of regard and same optomechanical assembly than the old fashioned gimbal approaches. In addition to longer range performance achieved with same fuel in the new gimbal approach, this method provides smaller cross sectional area which can be more invisible in enemies' radar. In this paper, the two gimbal approaches - the old fashioned one and the new one- are compared in order to decrease drag force and radar cross sectional area in missile application. In this study; missile parameters are assumed to generate gimbal and optical design parameters. Optical design is performed according to these missile criteria. Two gimbal configurations are designed with respect to modeled missile parameters. Also analyzes are performed to show decreased drag force and radar cross sectional area in the new approach for comparison.

  13. The EU Public Procurement regime - Does It Work?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Jørgen Ulff-Møller; Hansen, Lars Gottlieb

    2001-01-01

    Has the Single Market for public procurement had the expected effects after six years in progress? The following article attempts to answer this question by first presenting alternative theoretical approaches to analysing the EU liberalisation of the public procurement market and then confronting...

  14. New data on health and safety at work in the EU27

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Venema, A.; Geuskens, G.; Heuvel, S. van den

    2011-01-01

    To study the occurrence of accidents resulting in injury and work-related health problems in the past 12 months in workers aged 15 to 64 years in the EU27 the Labour Force Survey (LFS) in Europe included in 2007 an ad hoc module on health and safety at work. The module consisted of four variables on

  15. EU-Russia Cultural Relations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena Sidorova

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available This article analyzes the link between culture and diplomacy between Russia and the European Union, and shows the importance of cultural relations. It examines the common space of science, education and culture introduced at the 2003 EU-Russia Summit in St. Petersburg and the application of the principles of this concept that were established at the 2005 EU-Russia Summit in Moscow. It then considers EU-Russia collaboration on humanitarian action and the challenges that both parties face in this sphere. It also explains the formation of EU domestic and foreign cultural policy, and the role of European institutions and states in cultural affairs and diplomacy, as well as key elements and mechanisms of contemporary Russian foreign cultural policy. In addition, the article focuses on the European side of post-Soviet EU-Russia cultural relations. This cultural collaboration is defined as a competitive neighbourhood. EU and Russian interests collide: while Europeans try to promote their values, norms and standards within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy, Russia seeks to culturally influence and engage in this region for geostrategic and historical reasons. Finally, the article assesses the prospects for the EU-Russia cultural relations and emphasizes the role of ideology in improving such relations.

  16. Neutron Scattering from Heisenberg Ferromagnets EuO and EuS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Als-Nielsen, Jens Aage; Dietrich, O. W.; Passell, L.

    1976-01-01

    Neutron scattering has been used to study the magnetic ordering process in the isotropic exchange coupled ferromagnets EuO and EuS. Quantities investigated include the critical coefficients B and F+ and the critical exponents β, ν, and γ describing respectively the temperature dependence...

  17. The Difficult Conceptualisation of Circular Migration between the EU and the MENA Region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tamirace FAKHOURY

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available This article examines the extent to which circular migration (CM can be framed first as a useful migration typology and second as an efficient migration strategy in the MENA region and between the latter and the EU. After discussing the difficult conceptualisation of the circular migration model, it alludes to the inherent discrepancies between the normative, empirical and prescriptive connotations of the concept, then it analyses different examples of circularity in the MENA region and between the latter and the EU. It concludes that since the very concept of circular migration (as proposed by the EU is still in its exploratory and genesis phases, it is advisable to refrain from conferring an overvalued significance on the CM approach and to consider it rather as a strategy inherent to a more global approach to labour migration in the EU-MENA context. On a more theoretical level, and beyond the specificities of the EU and MENA, this article would suggest caution in the normative use of circular migration. As much contention prevails over circular migration as a migration typology, it would be recommendable that CM be rather considered an option, a policy initiative suitable for some countries more than others, or a strategy to manage migration trends in transnational contexts.

  18. EU's lille sikkerhedsnet

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rangvid, Jesper

    2014-01-01

    I forrige uge indgik EU-kommissionen og EU-Parlamentet en aftale om en fælles afviklingsmekanisme i bank-unionen (Single Resolution Mechanism; SRM). ... Så på trods af mere kapital, nye bail-in regler og afviklingsfonden tror jeg ikke, at det kan udelukkes, at fremtidige "bankredninger" kan...... nødvendigøre statslige midler. Hertil er fonden trods alt for begrænset. ... Proceduren er, at ECB indstiller til SRM's bestyrelse, at en bank skal afvikles, hvorefter EU-kommissionen og nationale tilsynsmyndigheder involveres....

  19. New approaches and solutions of the nonlinear force-free field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xie Baisong; Yin Xintao; Luo Xia

    2006-01-01

    New approaches to nonlinear force-free field equations are presented and new exact solutions are found analytically. Examples are given and some implications of the results to astrophysical solar plasmas as well as tokamak plasmas are discussed

  20. Regulatory aspects of nanotechnology in the agri/feed/food sector in EU and non-EU countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amenta, Valeria; Aschberger, Karin; Arena, Maria; Bouwmeester, Hans; Botelho Moniz, Filipa; Brandhoff, Puck; Gottardo, Stefania; Marvin, Hans J P; Mech, Agnieszka; Quiros Pesudo, Laia; Rauscher, Hubert; Schoonjans, Reinhilde; Vettori, Maria Vittoria; Weigel, Stefan; Peters, Ruud J

    2015-10-01

    Nanotechnology has the potential to innovate the agricultural, feed and food sectors (hereinafter referred to as agri/feed/food). Applications that are marketed already include nano-encapsulated agrochemicals or nutrients, antimicrobial nanoparticles and active and intelligent food packaging. Many nano-enabled products are currently under research and development, and may enter the market in the near future. As for any other regulated product, applicants applying for market approval have to demonstrate the safe use of such new products without posing undue safety risks to the consumer and the environment. Several countries all over the world have been active in examining the appropriateness of their regulatory frameworks for dealing with nanotechnologies. As a consequence of this, different approaches have been taken in regulating nano-based products in agri/feed/food. The EU, along with Switzerland, were identified to be the only world region where nano-specific provisions have been incorporated in existing legislation, while in other regions nanomaterials are regulated more implicitly by mainly building on guidance for industry. This paper presents an overview and discusses the state of the art of different regulatory measures for nanomaterials in agri/feed/food, including legislation and guidance for safety assessment in EU and non-EU countries. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Renewable energy law in the EU : Legal perspectives on bottom-up approaches

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Peeters, Marjan; Schomerus, Thomas

    2014-01-01

    This book examines the role played by regional authorities in the EU in the transition towards renewable energy. Regional governments generally have important decision-making powers concerning energy transition, but they may encounter resistance to the establishment of renewable energy activities in

  2. India-EU relations in health services: prospects and challenges

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    relations in health services, it will be difficult to realize these opportunities given the pre-dominance of public healthcare delivery in the EU and sensitivities associated with commercializing healthcare. Hence, a gradual approach based on pilot initiatives and selective collaboration would be advisable initially, which could be expanded once there is demonstrated evidence on outcomes. Overall, the paper makes a contribution to the social science and health literature by adding to the limited primary evidence base on globalization and health, especially from a developing-developed country and regional perspective. PMID:21310041

  3. India-EU relations in health services: prospects and challenges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chanda Rupa

    2011-02-01

    promising areas for India-EU relations in health services, it will be difficult to realize these opportunities given the pre-dominance of public healthcare delivery in the EU and sensitivities associated with commercializing healthcare. Hence, a gradual approach based on pilot initiatives and selective collaboration would be advisable initially, which could be expanded once there is demonstrated evidence on outcomes. Overall, the paper makes a contribution to the social science and health literature by adding to the limited primary evidence base on globalization and health, especially from a developing-developed country and regional perspective.

  4. 152Eu decay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Artamonova, K.P.; Vinogradov, V.M.; Grigor'ev, E.P.; Zolotavin, A.V.; Makarov, V.M.; Sergeev, V.O.; Usynko, T.M.

    1978-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is the measurement of the relative intensities of the most intensive conversion lines of 152 Eu, the determination of as reliable as possible magnitudes of the intensities of γ-quanta using all the available data on γ-radiation of 152 Eu, the measurement of the interval conversion coefficients (ICC) for the most intensive γ-transitions, the determination of the probabilities of the 152 Eu β-decays to the 152 Sm and 152 Gd levels. The conversion lines of the most intensive γ-transitions in the 152 Eu decay are studied and the corresponding ICC are measured on the beta-spectrometers of π√2 and UMB type. The balance for the γ-transitions in the 152 Sm and 152 Gd daughter nuclei are presented. This balance is used to determine the absolute intensities of γ-rays (in terms of the percentage of the 152 Eu decays) and the probabilities of β-transitions to the levels of daughter nuclei. More accurate data on γ-rays and conversion electrons obtained can be used for the calibration of gamma and beta spectrometers

  5. EU Food Health Law

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Edinger, Wieke Willemijn Huizing

    to human health because of other factors, such as their nutritional composition. The growing prevalence of obesity and non-communicable diseases are examples of contemporary health challenges that are difficult to fit into the rather narrow concept of food safety risks in the GFL. The conclusion is that EU...... of harmonising measures that could facilitate a better consumer protection from non-safety health risks at the EU level. The EU legislature should use this legislative competence to fill in the regulatory grey area. Two possible ways forward to better integrate food health into the EU food law framework...

  6. High-Precision Measurement of Eu/Eu* in Geological Glasses via LA-ICP-MS Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Ming; McDonough, William F.; Arevalo, Ricardo, Jr.

    2014-01-01

    Elemental fractionation during laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis has been historically documented between refractory and volatile elements. In this work, however, we observed fractionation between light rare earth elements (LREEs) and heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) when using ablation strategies involving large spot sizes (greater than 100 millimeters) and line scanning mode. In addition: (1) ion yields decrease when using spot sizes above 100 millimeters; (2) (Eu/Eu*)(sub raw) (i.e. Europium anomaly) positively correlates with carrier gas (He) flow rate, which provides control over the particle size distribution of the aerosol reaching the ICP; (3) (Eu/Eu*)(sub raw) shows a positive correlation with spot size, and (4) the changes in REE signal intensity, induced by the He flow rate change, roughly correlate with REE condensation temperatures. The REE fractionation is likely driven by the slight but significant difference in their condensation temperatures. Large particles may not be completely dissociated in the ICP and result in preferential evaporation of the less refractory LREEs and thus non-stoichiometric particle-ion conversion. This mechanism may also be responsible for Sm-Eu-Gd fractionation as Eu is less refractory than Sm and Gd. The extent of fractionation depends upon the particle size distribution of the aerosol, which in turn is influenced by the laser parameters and matrix. Ablation pits and lines defined by low aspect ratios produce a higher proportion of large particles than high aspect ratio ablation, as confirmed by measurements of particle size distribution in the laser induced aerosol. Therefore, low aspect ratio ablation introduces particles that cannot be decomposed and/or atomized by the ICP and thus results in exacerbated elemental fractionation. Accurate quantification of REE concentrations and Eu/Eu* requires reduction of large particle production during laser ablation. For the reference

  7. An artificial neural network approach and sensitivity analysis in predicting skeletal muscle forces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vilimek, Miloslav

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents the use of an artificial neural network (NN) approach for predicting the muscle forces around the elbow joint. The main goal was to create an artificial NN which could predict the musculotendon forces for any general muscle without significant errors. The input parameters for the network were morphological and anatomical musculotendon parameters, plus an activation level experimentally measured during a flexion/extension movement in the elbow. The muscle forces calculated by the 'Virtual Muscle System' provide the output. The cross-correlation coefficient expressing the ability of an artificial NN to predict the "true" force was in the range 0.97-0.98. A sensitivity analysis was used to eliminate the less sensitive inputs, and the final number of inputs for a sufficient prediction was nine. A variant of an artificial NN for a single specific muscle was also studied. The artificial NN for one specific muscle gives better results than a network for general muscles. This method is a good alternative to other approaches to calculation of muscle force.

  8. An ab initio approach to free-energy reconstruction using logarithmic mean force dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, Makoto; Obata, Masao; Morishita, Tetsuya; Oda, Tatsuki

    2014-01-01

    We present an ab initio approach for evaluating a free energy profile along a reaction coordinate by combining logarithmic mean force dynamics (LogMFD) and first-principles molecular dynamics. The mean force, which is the derivative of the free energy with respect to the reaction coordinate, is estimated using density functional theory (DFT) in the present approach, which is expected to provide an accurate free energy profile along the reaction coordinate. We apply this new method, first-principles LogMFD (FP-LogMFD), to a glycine dipeptide molecule and reconstruct one- and two-dimensional free energy profiles in the framework of DFT. The resultant free energy profile is compared with that obtained by the thermodynamic integration method and by the previous LogMFD calculation using an empirical force-field, showing that FP-LogMFD is a promising method to calculate free energy without empirical force-fields

  9. Accession of the Slovak Republic to EU - new legislation, new conditions and new approaches in the area of emergency preparedness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sladek, V.; Metke, E.

    2003-01-01

    At present after five years of Urad jadroveho dozoru (UJD) experience of using new Slovak regulations and before entering to European Union (EU), which is foreseen since May 2004 a comprehensive review of Atomic Act and all relevant decrees is being made with the objective to fit them to EU directives. On line with that also necessary organizational and technical arrangements in the area of regulatory activities including emergency preparedness are prepared. UJD participate actively in EU and IAEA projects to achieve the harmonization of its practices with EU and other countries with developed nuclear power and makes efforts to keep on a high level of nuclear safety to be a valuable member of EU

  10. EU external relations law : text, cases and materials

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Vooren, Bart; Wessel, Ramses A.

    2014-01-01

    This major new textbook for students in European law uses a text, cases and materials approach to explore the law, politics, policy and practice of EU external relations, and navigates the complex questions at the interface of these areas. The subject is explored by explaining major constitutional

  11. 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

  12. EU Transparency Register

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mańko, R.; Thiel, M.; Bauer, E.

    2014-01-01

    Widespread lobbying in the EU institutions has led to criticism regarding the transparency and accountability of the EU's decision-making process. In response to these concerns, the Parliament set up its transparency register in 1995, followed by the Commission in 2008. The two institutions merged

  13. Economic impacts of EU climate policy until 2020; EU:n ilmastopolitiikan talousvaikutukset vuoteen 2020

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rantala, O. E-mail: olavi.rantala@etla.fi

    2012-07-01

    The study evaluates the impacts of EU climate policy on the emission allowance price, electricity prices, the competitiveness of industry and macroeconomic developments in the third EU emission trading period 2013-2020. The economic impacts of climate policy on Finland are compared to the impacts on the entire EU area. It turns out that due to its cold climate and heating energy demand, higher export intensity of the economy and higher energy intensity of the industry Finland pays a higher price for EU climate policy in terms of output and employment losses than the EU on average. The study examines the macroeconomic effects of climate policy also in the more distant future, assuming that climate policy is tightened further in the 2020s. Climate policy implemented by emission trading means that the long-term economic growth in the EU area depends essentially on emission-free electricity production, and no longer on other growth factors, such as the labour supply and productivity growth. (orig.)

  14. Cathodoluminescence properties of yttrium aluminum garnet doped with Eu2+ and Eu3+ ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trofimov, A. N.; Petrova, M. A.; Zamoryanskaya, M. V.

    2007-01-01

    Yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) doped with Eu 2+ and Eu 3+ ions is very interesting as a phosphor for conversion of light-emitting diode light for white light sources. The europium ion occupies the structural position of yttrium in yttrium aluminium garnet and has valence state Eu 3+ . Our sample was doped with Zr 4+ , which is why some of the europium ions had valence state Eu 2+ . As a rule, luminescence of Eu 3+ ions is observed in the orange and red range of spectrum. The luminescence of Eu 2+ in yttrium aluminum garnet is characterized by an intensive broad band with maximum of intensity at about 560 nm (green color). In this work, we studied the intensity and decay time dependences on europium concentration, and the influence of excitation power density on the cathodoluminescence of the sample. The most interesting result is the change of visible cathodoluminescence color in dependence on the density of the exciting power

  15. NATO-EU PARTNERSHIP: FOSTERING RESILIENCE FOR A COOPERATIVE SECURITY SPACE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Octavia MOISE

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Present events indicate an encompassing process of multi-level changes - political, military, economic, and technological that highlights the idea that we are going through a phase of transition at systemic level that is redesigning the structure of power of the 21st century. This paper will try to find out first if the cooperative security concept can be seen as a security theory according to Baldwin’s criteria and second if NATO’s partnership policy in general and the NATO EU partnership in particular can foster resilience. The objectives of this article are to envisage the role of the NATO-EU partnership in the future by: reviewing the theoretical approaches on cooperative security, analysing NATO’s partnership policy, analysing the ability of NATO-EU partnership to foster resilience.

  16. Negative pressure driven valence instability of Eu in cubic Eu0.4La0.6Pd3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pandey, Abhishek; Mazumdar, Chandan; Ranganathan, R

    2009-01-01

    We report the change in the valency of Eu-ions in the binary intermetallic cubic compound EuPd 3 induced by La doping at rare-earth sites. Doping of La generates negative chemical pressure in the lattice, resulting in a significant increase of the lattice parameter without altering the simple-cubic structure of the compound. Results of dc-magnetic measurements suggest that this increase in the lattice parameter is associated with the valence transition of Eu-ions from Eu 3+ to a mixed-valent state. As Eu 2+ -ions possess a large magnetic moment, this valence transition significantly modifies the magnetic behavior of the compound. In contrast to introducing boron at the vacant body center site of the unit cell to change the valency of Eu-ions, as in the case of EuPd 3 B, our results suggest it can also be altered by doping a rare-earth ion of larger size at the lattice site of Eu in EuPd 3 .

  17. Harmonization: A Need for EU Action on Consumer Credit?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Tanja

    2015-01-01

    seem small, there is still a need for EU action, but with a different approach that considers the nature of consumer credit. This means a focus on preventing overindebtedness and ensuring financial stability as well as a high level of consumer protection in a financialized and thereby more complex......As in the consumer area in general, the objective of the internal market has been applied as a reason why there is a EU need for action regarding consumer credit. Even though it is more than 25 years ago since the first Consumer Credit Directive harmonized aspects of the legislation in the Member...... States, cross-border activities are still extremely low. The achievement of the internal market depends on the consumers’ and the creditors’ overall incentives to cross-border activities, where harmonized aspects of the legislation are only an insignificant motivation. Despite a need for EU action may...

  18. Russian energy in the EU market: Bolstered institutionsand their effects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Romanova, Tatiana

    2014-01-01

    The article examines institutional changes in EU–Russian energy relations since 2000. The article explores the ability of transformed institutions to limit the politicisation of energy and to reconcile the EU competitive-market approach with Russian state capitalism. More specifically, the article focuses on changes in intergovernmental, transgovernmental and transnational interactions. The article demonstrates that the gradual strengthening of transgovernmental and transnational institutions has inhibited the politicisation of energy relations and facilitated regulative cooperation between the EU and Russia. However, the potential of shared institutions is constrained by internal institutions on both sides. In Russia, these obstacles are insufficient top-down delegation of responsibilities in the government and its great power aspirations. In the EU, key barriers include inter-institutional rivalries, the EU’s propensity to impose its legislation on external partners and the integration of energy policy with foreign policy. The article presents several policy implications. First, it is futile to institutionally impose the regulative paradigm of one partner on the other; rather, mutual dialogue is needed. Thus, institutions should be structured appropriately. Second, current depoliticisation will require the involvement of not only the EU and Russia but also transit countries, such as Ukraine. Third, transgovernmental and transnational cooperation should be nurtured because this is a useful channel for both information exchange and a regulative convergence of policy implementing mechanisms. Finally, this incremental regulative convergence is the only option available today for the EU and Russia; this is also a way to further depoliticise energy relations. - Highlights: • EU and Russia developed transgovernmental and transnational energy institutions. • It allowed them to face energy challenges: depoliticisation and market construction. • Internal EU and

  19. FY 2000 report on the survey on global warming prevention measures in main E.U. countries; 2000 nendo EU shuyokoku ni okeru ondanka boshi taisaku no gaiyo ni tsuite hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-03-01

    This report dealt with the background of energy policies in E.U. countries and energy plans. At COP3, E.U. countries internationally gave a pledge that they will reduce the emission of greenhouse effect gas 8% from that as of 1990 during 2008-2012, which is stricter than those given by Japan and the U.S. Actually, the European Commission made public 'Toward the European Climate Change Programme' and 'Green Paper on Emissions Trading in the E.U.' These are correspondent to E.U.' global warming preventive strategy which is called the twin track approach by the European Commission. The former is a frame for coordinating individual reduction measures taken under the responsibility of member countries as the whole E.U. As to the latter, for the specified sectors from energy supply sectors to large energy consumption industries, it was planned to be started in 2005. And, the basic policy on the trade and concrete subjects/problems on the trading system were arranged. (NEDO)

  20. Synthesis and characterization of a liquid Eu precursor (EuCppm2) allowing for valence control of Eu ions doped into GaN by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitchell, Brandon; Koizumi, Atsushi; Nunokawa, Takumi; Wakamatsu, Ryuta; Lee, Dong-gun; Saitoh, Yasuhisa; Timmerman, Dolf; Kuboshima, Yoshinori; Mogi, Takayuki; Higashi, Shintaro; Kikukawa, Kaoru; Ofuchi, Hironori; Honma, Tetsuo; Fujiwara, Yasufumi

    2017-01-01

    A liquid Eu precursor, bis(normal-propyl-tetramethylcyclopentadienyl)europium has been synthesized. This precursor exists as a liquid at temperatures higher than 49 °C, has a moderately high vapor pressure, contains no oxygen in its molecular structure, and can be distilled to high purity. These properties make it ideal for doping using a chemical vapor or atomic layer deposition method, and provide a degree of control previously unavailable. As a precursor the Eu exists in the divalent valance state, however, once doped into GaN by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy, the room-temperature photoluminescence of the Eu-doped GaN exhibited the typical red emission due to the intra-4f shell transition of trivalent Eu. After variation of the growth temperature, it was found that divalent Eu could be stabilized in the GaN matrix. By tuning the Fermi level through donor doping, the ratio of Eu 2+ to Eu 3+ could be controlled. The change in valence state of the Eu ions was confirmed using X-ray absorption near-edge structure. - Highlights: • A liquid Eu precursor was synthesized and its properties were characterized. • Precursor has a low melting point and a moderately high vapor pressure. • Does not contain oxygen in its molecular structure. • Eu can changed its valance state when incorporated into GaN. • Valence state of Eu in GaN can be controlled by donor doping.

  1. 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

  2. EU Industrial Policy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pellegrin, Julie; Giorgetti, Maria Letizia; Jensen, Camilla

    Following disregard in the 1980s, industrial policy has recently attracted policy attention at EU level. The objective of this study provided by Policy Department A at the request of the ITRE Committee, is to establish the state of the art of a coordinated and integrated EU industrial policy...

  3. 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.

  4. Contribution of Eu ions on the precipitation of silver nanoparticles in Ag-Eu co-doped borate glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiao, Qing; Qiu, Jianbei; Zhou, Dacheng; Xu, Xuhui

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Silver nanoparticles are precipitated from the borate glasses during the melting process without any further heat treatment. • The reduction of Eu 3+ ions to Eu 2+ ions is presented in this material. • The intensity of Ag + luminescence. • The introduction of Eu ions accelerated the reaction between Eu 2+ ions and silver ions inducing the silver clusters formation. - Abstract: Ag + doped sodium borate glasses with different Eu ions concentration were prepared by the melt-quenching method. The absorption at about 410 nm which was caused by the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) is promoted with increasing of Eu ions concentration. Meanwhile, the luminescent spectra showed that the emission intensity of Ag + decreased while that of the Ag aggregates increased simultaneously. The results indicated that the Ag ions intend to form the high-polymeric state such as Ag aggregates and nanoparticles with increasing of europium ions. Owing to the self-reduction of Eu 3+ to Eu 2+ in our glass system, it revealed that Ag + has been reduced by the neighboring Eu 2+ which leads to the formation of Ag aggregates and the precipitation of Ag NPs in the matrix. In addition, energy transfer (ET) process from Ag + /Ag aggregates to the Eu 3+ was investigated for the enhancement of Eu 3+ luminescence

  5. 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.

  6. Modelling energy demand in the buildings sector within the EU

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    O Broin, Eoin

    2012-11-01

    In the on-going effort within the EU to tackle greenhouse gas emissions and secure future energy supplies, the buildings sector is often referred to as offering a large potential for energy savings. The aim of this thesis is to produce scenarios that highlight the parameters that affect the energy demands and thus potentials for savings of the building sector. Top-down and bottom-up approaches to modelling energy demand in EU buildings are applied in this thesis. The top-down approach uses econometrics to establish the historical contribution of various parameters to energy demands for space and water heating in the residential sectors of four EU countries. The bottom-up approach models the explicit impact of trends in energy efficiency improvement on total energy demand in the EU buildings stock. The two approaches are implemented independently, i.e., the results from the top-down studies do not feed into those from the bottom-up studies or vice versa. The explanatory variables used in the top-down approach are: energy prices; heating degree days, as a proxy for outdoor climate; a linear time trend, as a proxy for technology development; and the lag of energy demand, as a proxy for inertia in the system. In this case, inertia refers to the time it takes to replace space and water heating systems in reaction to price changes. The analysis gives long-term price elasticities of demand as follows: for France, -0.17; for Italy, -0.35; for Sweden, -0.27; and for the UK, -0.35. These results reveal that the price elasticity of demand for space and water heating is inelastic in each of these cases. Nonetheless, scenarios created for the period up to 2050 using these elasticities and an annual price increase of 3 % show that demand can be reduced by more than 1 % per year in France and Sweden and by less than 1 % per year in Italy and the UK. In the bottom-up modelling, varying rates for conversion efficiencies, heating standards for new buildings, end-use efficiency, and

  7. EU 2004 Declaration. EU policy workshop development of offshore wind energy. Background document

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Bruijne, R.

    2004-09-01

    Participants of the Dutch EU Presidency's 'EU Policy Workshop on the development of offshore wind energy' published this Declaration that called for action at the EU Transport, Energy and Telecom Council on November 29, 2004. The Declaration lists a series of action points on three main issues relating to the development of offshore wind energy in Europe: market development; environment; and grid integration of large scale offshore wind

  8. Nuclear legislation and nuclear safety in Slovenia in the context of enlargement of EU

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grlicarev, I.; Sirc, I.; Skraban, A.

    2003-01-01

    Slovenia, in the period after the Accession Treaty to the EU has been signed and the accession date is approaching, is concluding the tasks of aligning the national legislation and has started the observer status in all EU committees and other bodies. Some specific issues in this period in the area of nuclear legislation and nuclear safety are outlined here. The position of Slovenia regarding the latest developments in drafting the new nuclear safety legislation on an EU level is presented. Some experience gained during the implementation of the newly adopted legislation is given. (author)

  9. „New approaches to atomic force microscope lithography on silicon"

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Birkelund, Karen; Thomsen, Erik Vilain; Rasmussen, Jan Pihl

    1997-01-01

    We have investigated new approaches to the formation of conducting nanowires on crystalline silicon surfaces using atomic force microscope (AFM) lithography. To increase processing speed and reduce wear of the AFM tip, large-scale structures are formed with a direct laser write setup, while the AFM...

  10. 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

  11. EU FP7 project 'CAMbrella' to build European research network for complementary and alternative medicine

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Weidenhammer, Wolfgang; Lewith, George; Falkenberg, Torkel

    2011-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The status of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) within the EU needs clarification. The definition and terminology of CAM is heterogeneous. The therapies, legal status, regulations and approaches used vary from country to country but there is widespread use by EU citizens...... governing CAM provision, and to explore the needs and attitudes of EU citizens with respect to CAM. Based on this information a roadmap will be created that will enable sustainable and prioritised future European research in CAM. CAMbrella encompasses 16 academic research groups from 12 European countries...... review open access publications and a final conference, with emphasis on current and future EU policies, addressing different target audiences....

  12. 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.

  13. The importance of the EU green paper on climate adaptation for the Netherlands

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Minnen, J.G.; Notenboom, J.; Van der Born, G.J.; Van Bree, L.; Knoop, J.M.; Ligtvoet, W.; Van Oostenbrugge, R.

    2007-11-01

    An analysis of the EU Green Paper Climate Adaptation shows that this is not inconsistent with the National Adaptation, but does differ. The Green Paper also highlights the European dimension of climate adaptation and approaches climate adaptation in a broader context. Furthermore, the challenge is to remain alert and to bring Dutch ideas into the EU policy process, when concrete measures will be formulated [nl

  14. THE IMPACT OF THE NEW EU LEGISLATION ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alina Ligia Dumitrescu

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This article addresses the Energy Union from the perspective of energy efficiency. The research has a multidisciplinary character, which implies an economic analysis of an empirical type, but also a theoretical approach to the benefits of energy efficiency. The author analyzes the impact of the new energy regulations on efficiency in the European Union (EU, namely the in-depth review of the Directive on Buildings Energy Performance, the new heating and cooling strategy for the intelligent transformation of this sector, as well as the strategy for protecting vulnerable consumers. The effects of the new energy efficiency regulations are more significant in a number of Member States, but as soon as these will be applied throughout the EU, the beneficial effects of increased energy efficiency are likely to be felt in the entire EU area.

  15. Energy Climate Change - Challenges and Prospects of the EU Policy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blecic, P.; Bosnjakovic, B.; Frankovic, B.

    2013-01-01

    The paper discusses the main challenges and prospects of EU policy in the field of energy and climate change, without going into technical details, but establishes the main themes of sustainability: economy, environment and new jobs. It describes the foundations and the objectives of the current EU energy policy, and the reasons why the current approach to reduction of greenhouse gases emissions is disappointing. Also, the question is whether EU will achieve the renewable energy goals for the year 2020. The security of energy supply and availability is also considered, especially in view of high dependence on import energy in the today fragmented market. For the way forward to mid-century, the targets to year 2030 are of critical importance. Also, the paper gives an overview of the state of renewable energy and greenhouse gas emissions in Croatia.(author)

  16. Energy transfer between the Eu2+ dipole and aggregate centers in CsBr:Eu crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zorenko, Yu.; Turchak, R.; Voznjak, T.

    2007-01-01

    The energy transfer between the Eu 2+ -V Cs dipole centers and presumable CsEuBr 3 aggregate centers has been studied in CsBr:Eu crystals by means of investigation of their time-resolved emission spectra and luminescence decay kinetics at 300 K

  17. 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.

  18. EU Integration and Harmonisation of Personal Income Taxation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomasz Wołowiec

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available In the process of furthering EU integration little attention was given to the role of income taxes. Multiple income tax systems exist across the Union and their differentiation negatively impacts the European labour market, investments and savings, inhibiting economic growth. Individual nations have little motivation to harmonise as they can engage in tax rate competition and income taxes are interwoven with social security systems that make any attempts at reform extremely complex and politically unpopular. Much of current harmonisation is “silent”, paralegal, and occurs in response to market forces rather than following a formal plan and through intergovernmental cooperation.

  19. An Approach for Simulation of the Muscle Force Modeling It by Summation of Motor Unit Contraction Forces

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rositsa Raikova

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Muscle force is due to the cumulative effect of repetitively contracting motor units (MUs. To simulate the contribution of each MU to whole muscle force, an approach implemented in a novel computer program is proposed. The individual contraction of an MU (the twitch is modeled by a 6-parameter analytical function previously proposed; the force of one MU is a sum of its contractions due to an applied stimulation pattern, and the muscle force is the sum of the active MUs. The number of MUs, the number of slow, fast-fatigue-resistant, and fast-fatigable MUs, and their six parameters as well as a file with stimulation patterns for each MU are inputs for the developed software. Different muscles and different firing patterns can be simulated changing the input data. The functionality of the program is illustrated with a model consisting of 30 MUs of rat medial gastrocnemius muscle. The twitches of these MUs were experimentally measured and modeled. The forces of the MUs and of the whole muscle were simulated using different stimulation patterns that included different regular, irregular, synchronous, and asynchronous firing patterns of MUs. The size principle of MUs for recruitment and derecruitment was also demonstrated using different stimulation paradigms.

  20. Tendances Carbone no. 77 'Low-carbon innovation is up, but not because of the EU ETS'

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Calel, Raphael; Dechezlepretre, Antoine

    2013-01-01

    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: The EU ETS is the main instrument of European climate policy, and many policy-makers envisage it as a driving force of the EU's transition to a low-carbon economy. By putting a price on emissions, the scheme is expected to encourage heavy polluters to develop new low-carbon technologies. At first glance it is encouraging to notice, then, that patenting for low-carbon technologies has surged in Europe since 2005. When analysing new data we find compelling evidence that the EU ETS has indeed encouraged regulated companies to develop new low-carbon technologies, but this effect is concentrated among too few companies to account for the surge in low-carbon patenting

  1. EU Defence Industry Integration between Spillover and High Politics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kluth, Michael Friederich

    on an intergovernmental base. In the past 10 years, however, the defence industries of the major EU powers have instigated a move from cross national collaboration to cross national consolidation. Cross border mergers and acquisitions has been carried out and pressures for regulatory mainstreaming is mounting....... This raises the question: are we witnessing an incursion of spillover mechanisms into the ‘High Politics' domain of the defence industry? What are the drivers eroding the ‘High Politics' character of defence industry integration? Are market forces at play? Does it reflect pressures for institutional...

  2. Gaps in EU Foreign Policy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Henrik

    of Capability-Expectations Gap in the study of European foreign policy. Through examples from relevant literature, Larsen not only demonstrates how this concept sets up standards for the EU as a foreign policy actor (that are not met by most other international actors) but also shows how this curtails analysis...... of EU foreign policy. The author goes on to discuss how the widespread use of the concept of ‘gap' affects the way in which EU foreign policy has been studied; and that it always produces the same result: the EU is an unfulfilled actor outside the realm of “normal” actors in IR. This volume offers new...... perspectives on European foreign policy research and advice and serves as an invaluable resource for students of EU foreign policy and, more broadly, European Studies....

  3. Managing intra-EU mobility-do WHO principles of ethical recruitment have relevance?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kovács, Réka; Girasek, Edmond; Kovács, Eszter; Aszalós, Zoltán; Eke, Edit; Ragány, Károly; Cserháti, Zoltán; Szócska, Miklós

    2017-11-09

    The WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel provides for guidance in health workforce management and cooperation in the international context. This article aims to examine whether the principles of the voluntary WHO Global Code of Practice can be applied to trigger health policy decisions within the EU zone of free movement of persons. In the framework of the Joint Action on European Health Workforce Planning and Forecasting project (Grant Agreement: JA EUHWF 20122201 (see healthworkforce.eu)), focus group discussions were organised with over 30 experts representing ministries, universities and professional and international organisations. Ideas were collected about the applicability of the principles and with the aim to find EU law compatible, relevant solutions using a qualitative approach based on a standardised, semi-structured interview guide and pre-defined statements. Based on implementation practices summarised, focus group experts concluded that positive effects of adhering to the Code can be identified and useful ideas-compatible with EU law-exist to manage intra-EU mobility. The most relevant areas for intervention include bilateral cooperations, better use of EU financial resources, improved retention and integration policies and better data flow and monitoring. Improving retention is of key importance; however, ethical considerations should also apply within the EU. Compensation of source countries can be a solution to further elaborate on when developing EU financial mechanisms. Intra-EU circular mobility might be feasible and made more transparent if directed by tailor-made, institutional-level bilateral cooperations adjusted to different groups and profiles of health professionals. Integration policies should be improved as discrimination still exists when offering jobs despite the legal environment facilitating the recognition of professional qualifications. A system of feedback on registration

  4. Trade in Value Added (TiVA in EU New Member States (EU NMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ines Kersan-Škabić

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Contemporary trade analysis indicates the necessity of calculating trade in value added (TiVA which is created through global value chains (GVCs. This paper aims to determine the characteristics and importance of GVC trade in the EU new member states (EU NMS with special emphasis placed on the industry level. The results demonstrate different levels of GVC participation of the EU NMS, where Hungary is the most integrated country and Croatia the least integrated. Regional GVCs exist because a huge part of value added (VA comes from EU member states, as in gross export as well as in final demand (Europe as a hub. The most important source countries are Germany and Italy and there is also evidence of geographical and historical relations between the countries. The domination of backward participation has been found in the analysis made on the industrial level, i.e. the EU NMS are highly dependent on the import of intermediates for the production and export of final products. Strong interconnections between imports of intermediate products and exports of final products have been found in the manufacture of computers, electronics and optical products; manufacture of wood, paper, printing and reproduction. This research has contributed to the scarce literature concerning GVC (TiVA in EU NMS and has opened up new possibilities for further research and analysis.

  5. Magnetostatic interactions and forces between cylindrical permanent magnets

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Vokoun, David; Beleggia, M.; Heller, Luděk; Šittner, Petr

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 321, č. 22 (2009), s. 3758-3763 ISSN 0304-8853 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 46559 - CERINKA Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100520 Keywords : cylinder * force measurement * magnetostatic * permanent magnet Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.204, year: 2009

  6. Improving inter-transmission compensation in EU

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stoilov, Dimo; Stoilov, Luben

    2013-01-01

    This article is intended as a roadmap to the correction of the existing shortcomings in the EU power transmission tariff system, especially in the existing mechanism of Inter-Transmission System Operator (TSO) Compensation (ITC). The relevant literature is surveyed and the essence of the issue is formulated. Definitions, preconditions, assumptions and constraints for the problem are explained. The paper outlines the most simple and straightforward approach for the improvement of inter-transmission compensation in the Continental European Synchronous Area. The proposals are based on the old practice of socialization of the network costs retained in almost all European countries, i.e. the principle of charging the customers “at the exit”. Equal treatment is given to internal users and cross-border users: a TSO is reimbursed for both internal and cross-border flows from the users conjoined to its network on an equal footing with the users extracting power from the peripheral nodes. The existing inequity in individual payments for power transmission is overcome and the cross-border subsidy element is avoided. This approach should be tested (modeled and evaluated) with real data for the European union of networks. Some key parts of the article are written in a more popular style, in order to be accessible to inexpert readers as well. -- Highlights: •A roadmap to the correction of the shortcomings in the EU power transmission tariff system. •Simple and straightforward approach for improvement of ITC in the European synchronous area. •Equal treatment to internal and cross-border users avoiding cross-subsidies. •Formalization and illustration of the approach. •Real data tests for the European interconnected systems should be performed

  7. Multifunctional fluorescent sensing of chemical and physical stimuli using smart riboflavin-5'-phosphate/Eu3+ coordination polymers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, Shi-Fan; Zhang, Jing-Fei; Chen, Zi-Han; Han, Xin-Yue; Zhang, Min; Shi, Guoyue

    2018-07-05

    A novel type of stimuli-responsive fluorescent polymers has been developed via the self-assembly of riboflavin-5'-phosphate (RiP) as ligand and europium (III) (Eu 3+ ) as central metal ion coordinated with the ligand. The as-prepared RiP/Eu 3+ coordination polymers (RiP/Eu 3+ CPs) are smart and multifunctional for respectively responding to chemical and physical stimuli, in which RiP acts as the stimuli-responsive fluorescent signal indicator. For sensing chemical stimuli, 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid (DPA, an anthrax biomarker) having higher bonding force towards Eu 3+ can grab it from smart RiP/Eu 3+ CPs through competition reaction, resulting in the release of RiP for highly sensitive and selective DPA monitoring in a mix-and-read fluorescent enhancement format, and the detection limit is as low as 41.5 nM. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations has been also performed to verify the DPA sensing principle. For sensing physical stimuli, the smart RiP/Eu 3+ CPs can be acting as a novel sensory probe for the determination of temperature from 10 °C to 40 °C based on the thermal-induced disruption of the binding between Eu 3+ and RiP and the disassembly of the smart RiP/Eu 3+ CPs accompanying with the recovery of the fluorescence of RiP. This work establishes an effective platform for multifunctional sensing of chemical and physical stimuli utilizing both smart lanthanide nanoscale coordination polymers (LNCPs) and novel sensing strategies. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Anti-tumor activity of self-charged (Eu,Ca):WO3 and Eu:CaWO4 nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, Cao; Cong, Wang; De'An, Pan; Jiexin, Cao; Ping, Che; Volinsky, Alex A.

    2012-01-01

    Non-stoichiometric (Eu,Ca):WO 3 and Eu:CaWO 4 nanoparticles with anti-tumor activity are synthesized in a sol-gel method by adding excessive Eu 3+ and Ca 2+ ions to tungsten oxide crystal structure. Colorimetric assay shows that 10 nm (Eu,Ca):WO 3 and Eu:CaWO 4 nanoparticles can effectively inhibit growth of mammary cancer cells without any harm to normal cells. Nanoparticles are characterized by X-ray diffraction, high resolution transmission electron microscopy and fluorescence optical spectrometry. Nanomaterials, insoluble in synthesized water, have complicated self-charging surfaces that trap mammary cancer cells. Surface self-charging effect is suggested as the inhibition mechanism. (author)

  9. International Investment Law and EU Law

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    regional economic integration agreements, International Competition Law, International Investment Regulation, International Monetary Law, International Intellectual Property Protection and International Tax Law. In addition to the regular annual volumes, EYIEL Special Issues routinely address specific...... current topics in International Economic Law. The entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty entails sweeping changes with respect to foreign investment regulation. Most prominently, the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) now contains in its Article 207 an explicit competence...... for the regulation of foreign direct investment as part of the Common Commercial Policy (CCP) chapter. With this new competence, the EU will become an important actor in the field of international investment politics and law. The new empowerment in the field of international investment law prompts a multitude...

  10. A new technical approach to quantify cell-cell adhesion forces by AFM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Puech, Pierre-Henri; Poole, Kate; Knebel, Detlef; Muller, Daniel J.

    2006-01-01

    Cell-cell adhesion is a complex process that is involved in the tethering of cells, cell-cell communication, tissue formation, cell migration and the development and metastasis of tumors. Given the heterogeneous and complex nature of cell surfaces it has previously proved difficult to characterize individual cell-cell adhesion events. Force spectroscopy, using an atomic force microscope, is capable of resolving such individual cell-cell binding events, but has previously been limited in its application due to insufficient effective pulling distances. Extended pulling range is critical in studying cell-cell interactions due to the potential for large cell deformations. Here we describe an approach to such experiments, where the sample stage can be moved 100 μm in the z-direction, by closed loop, linearized piezo elements. Such an approach enables an increase in pulling distance sufficient for the observation of long-distance cell-unbinding events without reducing the imaging capabilities of the atomic force microscope. The atomic force microscope head and the piezo-driven sample stage are installed on an inverted optical microscope fitted with a piezo-driven objective, to allow the monitoring of cell morphology by conventional light microscopy, concomitant with force spectroscopy measurements. We have used the example of the WM115 melanoma cell line binding to human umbilical vein endothelial cells to demonstrate the capabilities of this system and the necessity for such an extended pulling range when quantifying cell-cell adhesion events

  11. Weed biocontrol in the EU: from serendipity to strategy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biological control of weeds is a globally-recognized approach to the management of the worst invasive plants in the world. Unfortunately, accidental introduction of agents account for most weed biocontrol in the EU, but do include a number of current or emerging successes. From the redistribution of...

  12. What can EU policy do to support renewable electricity in France?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sartor, Oliver

    2016-04-01

    Under the 2030 Climate and Energy Package, the European Union has set itself a target of increasing the share of renewable energy from to 27%. Electricity will play a key role in achieving these goals, with the share of renewable power projected to increase to around 47% of the electricity mix by 2030. While electricity is only one part of the energy system, electricity is therefore a vital sub-sector of the EU's renewable energy strategy to 2030. As the second largest energy consumer in Europe, and with relatively ambitious national goals of achieving 32% renewable energy and 40% renewable electricity (RES-E) by 2030, France will be critical to achieving the EU's objectives. As the most interconnected electricity market in Europe, France's approach to renewable electricity will also influence the redesign of electricity markets to cope with higher shares of variable RES-E in its region. Facilitating the efficient deployment and integration of renewable electricity in France is therefore an important sub-chapter of European renewable energy policy going forward. The integration of higher shares of renewable electricity in France is a significant domestic policy challenge. But EU can take a number steps to facilitate the achievement of France's goals. One area where the EU has value added is by ensuring that EU rules for state aid to renewables do not inadvertently become a barrier to cost-efficient deployment of renewables in France. The EU should also push France (and all Member States) to develop a coherent and comprehensive RES-E market integration strategy for 2030 to facilitate national and regional market development. In addition, the EU should push France to improve the quality of its enabling environment for renewable electricity projects, so that it is in line with EU benchmarks

  13. Getting out of the perfect storm: towards coherence between electricity market policies and EU climate and energy goals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruedinger, Andreas; Spencer, Thomas; Sartor, Oliver; Mathieu, Mathilde; Colombier, Michel; Ribera, Teresa

    2014-01-01

    In recent years, the EU power market has been hit by a 'perfect storm', combining multiple interacting factors: revision of demand expectations, growth of both conventional and renewable capacities, a drastic shift from gas to coal power plants and a lack of visibility on future evolutions. Some of these factors are related to the climate agenda, but mostly, they show the inherent and structural difficulties of the current design of the EU power market itself. Within the debate on EU's 2030 framework for climate and energy policies, this situation raises the question: how can the EU's policies address current difficulties of the power market while simultaneously achieving the structural targets of security, affordability and sustainability of supply in the context of decarbonization? Hitherto, the two agendas of internal electricity market policy and climate policy have been largely considered in isolation or even as conflicting agendas. However, a secure low-carbon transition will require significant policy intervention in the electricity sector, including in electricity market design. And, vice versa, an ambitious and coherent package on climate and energy policy can help restore an efficient and competitive electricity market, by strengthening investment signals, improving coordination among member states and providing a sound market framework to improve the technical and economic integration of new low-carbon technologies. Against this background, future challenges for the European policy framework should be considered along two lines: the balance between market forces and regulatory intervention, and the interplay between national and regional approaches. A reinforced EU ETS will have an important role to play, but will not be sufficient on its own to guide both dispatching and investment decisions. Complementary policies will be needed, to provide visibility on the retirement of old carbon intensive plants as well as enhanced coordination

  14. COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES IN ECONOMIC CRISES GEOGRAPHY. ECONOMIC STRATEGIES IN EU COUNTRIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roxana Maria Grecu

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available The strategies for structural-systemic crisis management have generated, to a geographical level, a number of differences between EU countries. These cleavages are the result of differentialmacroeconomic policies. In this context, this article has the aim of achieving a comparative approach between countries of the south, west and east of the EU space. Also our approach is focused on observing the nature of macroeconomic policies and also on identifying a "pattern" associated with a common ideal -type of "rational choice" in the efficient and effective management of systemic crises. This article aims to identify areas of growth and economic stability of a particular model of public policy and political-economic ideology, to set up a mechanism for "economic engineering”. From the methodological point of view, this article uses a quantitativemethodology, derived from mathematical analysis, statistics and stochastic, in order to explain, understand and predict the possible evolution of the systemic crises in the EU countries. The interest lies in the possibility of giving a model of macroeconomic policy for the adjustment of inflationist imbalances, labor market and pricepolicy, and also in regulating the equation of production-consumption.

  15. Intellectual property law and competition law in China - Analysis of the current framework and comparison with the EU approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yeung Nga Man

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available In this paper Yeung Nga Man looks at the question of protection of intellectual property rights in the Chinese legal system with comparative reference to policy and practice in the European Union. What is the best way to stimulate competition but yet also protect innovation? Part I of the essay examines the present IPRs protection in China. In Part II, contrary to the myth that competition and IP law conflict with one another, the author argues that both foster innovation and development, and enhance consumer welfare. Part III discusses the competition law regime in China with a specific focus on AML and evaluation of the enforcement of the regime. Part IV outlines the European Union approach, which China might consider adopting. Part V discusses the Block Exemptions approach from the E.U. on horizontal agreements.

  16. Overlever EU?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Østergaard, Uffe

    2015-01-01

    Det bliver stadig tydeligere at EU i kraft af den styrkede nationalisme i øst, vest og nord og kombineret med de nye regionale krav om national selvstændighed vil bevæge sig i retning af et mellemstatsligt samarbejde, støttet af en retsorden beskyttet af en domstol, bliver stadig tydeligere. Det ...... mindre sikkert, om den nationale egoisme vil ende med at opløse samarbejdet. EU vil sandsynligvis overleve, men det bliver snarere ligesom det Tysk-Romerske Rige, hvis institutioner overlevede helt til 1804....

  17. EU Think Tank Fora as Transaction Cost Reducers: A Study of Informal Interest Intermediation in the EU

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marybel Perez

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available By examining the organisational structure of EU think tank fora (seminars, workshops and conferences, this article proposes that fora can play the role of transaction cost reducers in EU policymaking. I argue that certain aspects of EU policymaking, including i controlled processes of consultation, ii diminishing costs of management, and iii the risk of state capture, incentivise EU institutions to outsource part of the consultation activity to policy actors that can help EU institutions fulfil their informational and legitimacy needs. I argue that think tanks are able to play this role because they i reduce information asymmetries by connecting a wide variety of policy actors and ii act as intermediaries that mitigate opportunistic behaviour. The empirical assessment reveals that the dimensions characterising transactions are present in EU think tank fora. It shows that policy actors that do not usually participate in formal consultation processes frequently attend fora where they meet representatives of EU institutions, particularly Parliament and Commission representatives.

  18. Essentials of EU law

    CERN Document Server

    Reinisch, August

    2012-01-01

    This book explores the history and institutions of the EU, examines the interplay of its main bodies in its legislative process and illustrates the role played by the EU Courts and the importance of fundamental rights. The student is also introduced to the key principles of the internal market, in particular the free movement of goods and the free movement of workers. In addition a number of other EU policies, such as the Common Agricultural Policy, Environmental Protection and Social Policy are outlined, while a more detailed inquiry is made into European competition law.

  19. Development of EU Environmental Regulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Klemmensen, Børge

    2007-01-01

    En tematiseret gennemgang af udviklingstrinene i EU's miljøpolitik fra de allerførste skirdt i 1970-72, der måtte basere sig på EU-traktatens generalklausul i Artikel 235, over declarationen på EU-topmødet i Paris i 1972, der kædede økonomisk udvikling sammen med et krav om hensyntagen til miljøet...

  20. A Test of Endogenous Trade Bloc Formation Theory on EU Data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard Edward Baldwin

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper empirically confronts one explanation of spreading regionalism with the European experience. The domino theory asserts that forming a preferential trade area, or deepening an existing one, produces trade diversion that generates new political-economy forces in third nations as third-nation exporters seek to redress the new discrimination and profit from newly deepened preferences. The pressure increases with the bloc’s size, yet bloc size depends upon how many nations join, so a single incidence of regionalism may trigger several rounds of membership requests from nations that were previously happy to stay out. We estimate a time-series of EU trade creation and diversion over the last five decades and use these to estimate a model of EU membership demands. The results provide broad support for the model and show that trade diversion has a more powerful impact on membership than trade creation.

  1. Multichannel Luminescence Properties of Mixed-Valent Eu2+/Eu3+ Coactivated SrAl3BO7 Nanocrystalline Phosphors for Near-UV LEDs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiaoming; Xie, Weijie; Lü, Ying; Feng, Jingchun; Tang, Xinghua; Lin, Jun; Dai, Yuhua; Xie, Yu; Yan, Liushui

    2017-11-20

    Up to now, orchestrating the coexistence of Eu 2+ and Eu 3+ activators in a single host lattice has been an extremely difficult task, especially for the appearance of the characteristic emission of Eu 2+ and Eu 3+ in order to generate white light. Nevertheless, here we demonstrate a new Eu 2+ /Eu 3+ coactivated SrAl 3 BO 7 nanocrystalline phosphor with abundant and excellent multichannel luminescence properties. A series of Eu 2+ /Eu 3+ coactivated SrAl 3 BO 7 nanocrystalline phosphors were prepared through a Pechini-type sol-gel method followed by a reduction process. With excitation of UV/NUV light, the prepared SrAl 3 BO 7 :Eu 2+ ,Eu 3+ phosphors show not only the characteristic f-f transitions of Eu 3+ ion ( 5 D J → 7 F J,J' , J, J' = 0-3), but also the 5d → 4f transitions of Eu 2+ ion with comparable intensity from 400 to 700 nm in the whole visible spectral region. The luminescence color of the SrAl 3 BO 7 :Eu 2+ ,Eu 3+ phosphor can be tuned from blue, blue-green, white, and orange to orange-red by changing the excitation wavelength, the overall doping concentration of europium ions (Eu 2+ , Eu 3+ ), and the relative ratio of Eu 2+ to Eu 3+ ions to some extent. A single-phase white-light emission has been realized in SrAl 3 BO 7 :Eu 2+ ,Eu 3+ phosphor. The obtained SrAl 3 BO 7 :Eu 2+ ,Eu 3+ phosphor has potential application in the area of NUV white-light-emitting diodes.

  2. 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.

  3. The Impact of the Explosion of EU News on Voter Choice in the 2014 EU Elections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan Kleinnijenhuis

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The European elections in 2014 were the first to be held after a long period in which EU-related news was prominent in the media. They were held after years of daily news about the euro crisis and after months of news about the popular uprising in the Ukraine against president Yanukovych, who had refused to sign the association agreement with the EU. This could have invited political parties to overcome the usual problem of low salience of EU issues by strongly profiling themselves on EU issues. Turnout at the 2014 EU elections, however, remained low, hinting that parties were unable to convert the attention for European issues into enthusiasm for their party at the European elections. This paper asks how vote choice was influenced by party campaigning on EU related issues. A news effects analysis based on a content analysis of Dutch newspapers and television, and on a panel survey among Dutch voters revealed that EU issues functioned as wedge issues: the more strongly parties were associated in the news with the euro crisis and the Ukraine, the less they succeeded in mobilizing voters.

  4. 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.

  5. Using Data Mining Approaches for Force Prediction of a Dynamically Loaded Flexible Structure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schlechtingen, Meik; Achiche, Sofiane; Lourenco Costa, Tiago

    2014-01-01

    -deterministic excitation forces with different excitation frequencies and amplitudes. Additionally, the influence of the sampling frequency and sensor location on the model performance is investigated. The results obtained in this paper show that most data mining approaches can be used, when a certain degree of inaccuracy...... of freedom and a force transducer for validation and training. The models are trained using data obtained from applying a random excitation force on the flexible structure. The performance of the developed models is evaluated by analyzing the prediction capabilities based on a normalized prediction error...

  6. Waste management regulations and approaches in the EU: potential areas for enhancement or harmonization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salzer, Peter; Butler, Gregg; McGlynn, Grace; Chapman, Neil; McCombie, Charles

    2007-01-01

    This paper describes the results of a survey and study performed for the European Commission on 'Regulations Governing Radioactive Waste Disposal in EU Countries'. Its main purposes were to provide a survey of the regulations governing the disposal of all forms of radioactive waste in all EU Members States and, based on this study, to consider the potential for harmonization in different regulatory areas. Three key parts of the study are presented and the results discussed: collection and assessment of national data, including its verification by national stakeholders, application of multi-attribute analysis methodology to identify optimal waste classification scheme and a workshop of national authorities regulating disposal of radioactive waste. For five determined regulatory issues, the workshop carried out a 'strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats' (SWOT) analysis of the impacts of harmonization. (authors)

  7. PSI contribution to the EU project ECOMONT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Portmann, W; Siegwolf, R T; Saurer, M; Scheidegger, Y; Geissbuehler, P; Furger, M; Poggio, L; Erne, R; Richter, R; Buerki, D; Graber, W K [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)

    1997-06-01

    Land-use changes (intensification, extensification and abandonment) in agriculture and forestry are considered to be the major driving forces for changes in ecosystem function and dynamics, and in landscape patterns in Europe. The aim of the EU project ECOMONT is to investigate the potential risks due to land-use change in the mountainous ecosystem. Fluxes of sensible and latent heat, water vapour, CO{sub 2} and pollutants between the vegetation and the atmosphere are sensitive and critical factors characterising landscape function. The Atmospheric Pollution Section of the PSI contributes to this project with the measurements of these fluxes. The measuring techniques, the experimental setup and first results are presented. (author) 4 figs., 3 refs.

  8. Integrating Safety and Security in the EU: Past developments and suggested ways forward

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rossi, Loris

    2016-01-01

    The Framework provided by the UN Model Regulation for the Transport of Dangerous Goods is the core of the legislation on transport of radioactive material (and all classes of dangerous goods) in the EU. This has resulted in European agreements ADR, RID and ADN for international transport as well as a single directive for land transport within the EU. In addition the EU has adopted a range of directives and regulations dealing specifically with several aspects of safety of nuclear and radioactive material. While the overall safety framework is now well developed and fairly stable, a security framework is evolving, based on the IAEA recommendations. In the EU, several initiatives such as the CBRN action plan and the review of the application of telematics for the transport of dangerous goods will most likely result in more developments coming on stream in the near future. This suggests that an integrated approach would be beneficial to avoid divergent developments and to keep track of new developments in an orderly fashion. An integrated approach for a safe and secure supply chain for radioactive material is proposed. The framework for a supply chain can be built around the extensive corpus of legislation/recommendations and concepts that are already existing (such as the “Known Consignor” in the framework of the EU aviation security or the “Authorised Economic Operator” in the EU Community Custom Code). This would allow for the need to maintain control of the numerous proposals that are taking place. Advantages and drawbacks are outlined. More generally, the development of an integrated safe and secure supply chain would bring clarity and transparency to the overall system of provisions for a safe and secure management of radioactive material. (author)

  9. 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

  10. Synthesis and characterization of a liquid Eu precursor (EuCp{sup pm}{sub 2}) allowing for valence control of Eu ions doped into GaN by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mitchell, Brandon, E-mail: bmitchell@wcupa.edu [Department of Physics, West Chester University, West Chester, PA, 19383 (United States); Division of Materials and Manufacturing Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871 (Japan); Koizumi, Atsushi; Nunokawa, Takumi; Wakamatsu, Ryuta; Lee, Dong-gun; Saitoh, Yasuhisa; Timmerman, Dolf [Division of Materials and Manufacturing Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871 (Japan); Kuboshima, Yoshinori; Mogi, Takayuki; Higashi, Shintaro; Kikukawa, Kaoru [Kojundo Chemical Laboratory Co., Ltd., 5-1-28 Chiyoda, Sakado, Saitama, 350-0284 (Japan); Ofuchi, Hironori; Honma, Tetsuo [Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI/SPring-8), 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5198 (Japan); Fujiwara, Yasufumi, E-mail: fujiwara@mat.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp [Division of Materials and Manufacturing Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871 (Japan)

    2017-06-01

    A liquid Eu precursor, bis(normal-propyl-tetramethylcyclopentadienyl)europium has been synthesized. This precursor exists as a liquid at temperatures higher than 49 °C, has a moderately high vapor pressure, contains no oxygen in its molecular structure, and can be distilled to high purity. These properties make it ideal for doping using a chemical vapor or atomic layer deposition method, and provide a degree of control previously unavailable. As a precursor the Eu exists in the divalent valance state, however, once doped into GaN by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy, the room-temperature photoluminescence of the Eu-doped GaN exhibited the typical red emission due to the intra-4f shell transition of trivalent Eu. After variation of the growth temperature, it was found that divalent Eu could be stabilized in the GaN matrix. By tuning the Fermi level through donor doping, the ratio of Eu{sup 2+} to Eu{sup 3+} could be controlled. The change in valence state of the Eu ions was confirmed using X-ray absorption near-edge structure. - Highlights: • A liquid Eu precursor was synthesized and its properties were characterized. • Precursor has a low melting point and a moderately high vapor pressure. • Does not contain oxygen in its molecular structure. • Eu can changed its valance state when incorporated into GaN. • Valence state of Eu in GaN can be controlled by donor doping.

  11. Incentives for energy efficiency in the EU emission trading scheme

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schleich, Joachim [Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Systemtechnik und Innovationsforschung (ISI), Karlsruhe (Germany); Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ., Blacksburg, VA (United States); Rogge, Karoline [Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Systemtechnik und Innovationsforschung (ISI), Karlsruhe (Germany); ETH Zurich (Switzerland). Group for Sustainability and Technology; Betz, Regina [New South Wales Univ. (Australia). Centre for Energy and Environmental Markets

    2008-07-01

    This paper explores the incentives for energy efficiency induced by the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) for installations in the energy and industry sectors. Our analysis of the National Allocation Plans for 27 EU Member States for phase 2 of the EU ETS (2008-2012) suggests that the price and cost effects for improvements in carbon and energy efficiency in the energy and industry sectors will be stronger than in phase 1 (2005-2007), but only because the European Commission has substantially reduced the number of allowances to be allocated by the Member States. To the extent that companies from these sectors (notably power producers) pass through the extra costs for carbon, higher prices for allowances translate into stronger incentives for demand- side energy efficiency. With the cuts in allocation to energy and industry sectors these will be forced to greater reductions, thus the non-ET sectors like household, tertiary and transport will have to reduce less, which is more in line with the cost-efficient share of emission reductions. The findings also imply that domestic efficiency improvements in the energy and industry sectors may remain limited since companies can make substantial use of credits from the Kyoto mechanisms. The analysis of the rules for existing installations, new projects and closures suggests that incentives for energy efficiency are higher in phase 2 than in phase 1 because of the increased application of benchmarking to new and existing installations and because a lower share of allowances will be allocated for free. Nevertheless, there is still ample scope to further improve the EU ETS so that the full potential for energy efficiency can be realized. (orig.)

  12. 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

  13. Meat inspection for Trichinella in pork, horsemeat and game within the EU: available technology and its present implementation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Webster, P; Maddox-Hyttel, C; Nöckler, K; Malakauskas, A; van der Giessen, J; Pozio, E; Boireau, P; Kapel, C M O

    2006-01-01

    A new EU directive relating to meat inspection for Trichinella, expected to come into force in 2006, imposes important modifications to current legislation. Nevertheless, several issues need more attention. Optimisation of methods, especially concerning sensitivity and digestibility of the meat to be inspected, along with further simplification of the legislation with regard to the number of techniques accepted, is recommended to guarantee that all member states of the EU will be given tools to perform inspection of consumer meat at the same high level. Additionally, there is a need for guidelines and protocols regarding optimal proficiency testing procedures. This paper presents an overview of the current methods for Trichinella meat inspection and their implementation in the EU, listing advantages and disadvantages for each method, including some suggestions for specific points of improvement.

  14. EU Development Aid towards Sub-Saharan Africa: Exploring the Normative Principle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Georgios K. Bountagkidis

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The EU and most aid donors invoke a strong normative power face by explicitly connecting foreign aid with human and social development. However, how well the EU’s rhetoric is consistent with its practices as a multilateral development actor has not been explored extensively. In this study, we challenge the normative dimension of the EU’s development policy and explore whether the EU’s Official Development Assistance to Sub-Saharan Africa is based on objective deprivation on the part of recipient countries or whether it is “interest driven”. We use a least squares dummy variable model regression to examine aid flows from the EU to all 48 Sub-Saharan African states for the period 2000 to 2010. The evidence found indicates that in certain instances, aid allocation contradicts the normative rhetoric that the EU uses to describe its development policy, as the donor’s own interests in the region seem to supersede priority given to the needs of the aid recipient states. A limitation to the findings is the fact that normative values and strategic interests are not mutually exclusive. Nevertheless, the present study suggests that the EU’s portrayal as a force for good in international relations requires cautious critique.

  15. The EU's cybercrime and cyber-security rulemaking: mapping the internal and external dimensions of EU security

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fahey, E.

    2014-01-01

    By taking the EU Cyber Strategy as a case in point, this contribution examines how the distinction between external and internal security in contemporary EU law manifests itself in large-scale risk regulation and in particular, how the EU relies upon external norms to regulate risk. This article

  16. Electrochemical reduction of Eu (III) in propionic media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brotto, M.E.; Rabockai, T.

    1988-01-01

    Some chronopotentiometric studies of Eu (III) electro-reducion in propionic media that suggests the presence of two parallel rections: Eu (III) → Eu (II) and Eu (III) → Eu (II) → Y are presented. Some experimental data, such Eu (III) reducion, electrolysis of solutions and ionic power of the system are discussed. (M.J.C.) [pt

  17. A strategic research agenda for photovoltaic solar energy technology : report of the EU PV technology platform

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sinke, W.C.; Zolingen, van R.J.C.; Ballif, C.; Bett, A.; Dimmler, B.; Dimova-Malinovska, D.; Fath, P.; Ferrazza, F.; Gabler, H.-J.; Hall, M.; Marti, A.; Mason, N.; Mellikov, E.; Milner, A.; Mogensen, P.; Panhuber, C.; Pearsall, N.; Poortmans, J.; Protogeropoulos, C.; Sarre, G.; Sarti, D.; Strauss, P.; Topic, M.; Zdanowicz, T.

    2007-01-01

    The EU PV Technology Platform [1] aims at joining forces on a European level to contribute to the further development of photovoltaic solar energy into a competitive technology that can be applied on a large scale and to the strengthening of the position of the European PV industry on the global

  18. The EU Nitrates Directive: A European Approach to Combat Water Pollution from Agriculture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gert J. Monteny

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available From 1991 onward, the European Union (EU member states have had to comply with the Nitrates Directive. The aim of this directive is to sustainably protect ground and surface waters from pollution with nitrogen (nitrate originating from agriculture. Agriculture is, on an EU level, the largest single source of nitrate (runoff, leaching pollution, although households and industries also contribute to some extent. An important element in the directive is the reporting every 4 years on the monitoring of ground- and surface-water quality. Furthermore, all 15 member states are compelled to designate so-called Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs. These are regions where the nitrate concentrations in the groundwater amount to 50 mg/l or more. In addition to Codes of Good Agricultural Practice, valid on a countrywide basis and often consisting of voluntary-based measures, specific Action Programmes with mandatory measures have to be developed for the NVZs. The first reporting period ended in 1995. This paper describes the progress in member states’ compliance with the Nitrates Directive during the second period (1996–1999, with a focus on the agricultural practices and action pro- grammes. An evaluation of the member states’ reports shows that good progress is being made on the farmers’ awareness of the need to comply with EU regulations on the protection of the aquatic environment. Action programmes are valuable tools to enforce measures that lead to a reduction of the water pollution by agricultural activities. Regional projects show that significant improvements can be achieved (e.g., reduced fertiliser inputs while maintaining crop yields and thus maintaining the economic potential of agriculture.

  19. 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)

  20. 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)

  1. Synthesis and luminescent properties of Eu{sup 3+}/Eu{sup 2+} co-doped calcium aluminosilicate glass–ceramics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bouchouicha, H. [Institut Lumière Matière, UMR5306 Université Lyon 1-CNRS, Université de Lyon, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex (France); Panczer, G., E-mail: gerard.panczer@univ-lyon1.fr [Institut Lumière Matière, UMR5306 Université Lyon 1-CNRS, Université de Lyon, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex (France); Ligny, D. de [Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Department Werkstoffwissenschaften, Lehrstuhl für Glas und Keramik, D-91058 Erlangen (Germany); Guyot, Y. [Institut Lumière Matière, UMR5306 Université Lyon 1-CNRS, Université de Lyon, 69622 Villeurbanne Cedex (France); Baesso, M.L. [Departemento de Fisica, Universidade Estadual de Maringa, 87020-900 Maringa, PR (Brazil); Andrade, L.H.C.; Lima, S.M. [Grupo de Espectroscopia Óptica e Fototérmica, Universidade Estadual de Mato Grosso do Sul – UEMS, C.P. 351, Dourados, MS (Brazil); Ternane, R. [Laboratoire d' Application de la Chimie aux Ressources et Substances Naturelles et à l' Environnement (LACReSNE), Université de Carthage, Faculté des Sciences de Bizerte, 7021 Zarzouna, Bizerte (Tunisia)

    2016-01-15

    Eu{sup 3+} and Eu{sup 2+} co-doped calcium aluminosilicate glass–ceramics have been prepared by devitrification of calcium aluminosilicate glass using heat-treatment. Control of crystallization in the glass–ceramics was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The results showed that crystalline phases in glass–ceramic belong to the family of melilite Ca{sub 2}Mg{sub 0.25}Al{sub 1.5}Si{sub 1.25}O{sub 7} as the major phase and anorthite CaAl{sub 2}Si{sub 2}O{sub 8} as the minor phase. Luminescent properties were investigated by emission; lifetime and the color points were calculated. Emission spectra showed that Eu{sup 2+} entered into the crystalline phase in a two steps mechanism: first as Eu{sup 3+} which is then reduced to Eu{sup 2+}. This incorporation in the crystal enhanced Eu{sup 2+} emission with increasing time of heat-treatment and therefore crystallization. - Highlights: • Crystallization of doped glass–ceramics by heat-treatment controlled by microRaman. • Crystalline phases consist of melilite and anorthite. • Eu{sup 3+} and Eu{sup 2+} emissions characterized by their lifetime and color indexes. • Crystallization process modified efficiently the emission color point.

  2. Dependence of photoluminescence (PL) emission intensity on Eu3+ and ZnO concentrations in Y2O3:Eu3+ and ZnO·Y2O3:Eu3+ nanophosphors

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Mhlongo, GH

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Y2O3:Eu3+ and ZnO·Y2O3:Eu3+ nanophosphor powders with different concentrations of Eu3+ ions were synthesized by a sol–gel method and their luminescence properties were investigated. The red photoluminescence (PL) from Eu3+ ions with the main...

  3. 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.

  4. An Analysis of the Design-Build Delivery Approach in Air Force Military Construction

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-03-01

    Construction (Department of the Air Force, 2000), known as the Blue Book , for a comprehensive description of the Air Force MILCON process and policy...procurement (Mouritsen, 1993; Songer & Molenaar , 1997; Chan et al., 2002) synonymously when describing design-build methods. Delivery and procurement...broad applicability of the new approach (Buckingham, 1989; Mouritsen, 1993; Molenaar & Songer, 1998). The pendulum has now shifted away from the early

  5. Synthesis of luminescent YVO4:Eu3+ submicrometer crystals through hydrogels as directing agents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Yan; Zheng, Yuhui; Wang, Qianming; Zhang, Cheng Cheng

    2012-01-01

    The innovative hydrogel template (polyacrylamide or polyacrylic acid) directed synthesis of YVO 4 :Eu 3+ phosphor in a controlled manner was thoroughly studied. Photoluminescence spectra show the europium(III)-doped yttrium orthovanadate could exhibit strong red emissions within the soft matrix (polyacrylamide) and remain relatively stable even when the temperature reached nearly 100 °C. After calcination process, X-ray powder diffraction patterns, SEM and DLS measurements implied that the sample was in agreement with pure tetragonal phase and the particle sizes were in the range of 100–200 nm. More importantly, YVO 4 :Eu 3+ products prepared based on hydrogels have remarkable improvement in emission intensities compared to phosphors synthesized by conventional approach. Similar results of overall quantum efficiency also support that YVO 4 :Eu 3+ assembled by PAM hydrogel (1.94%) is better than the routine way (0.91%). -- Highlights: ► YVO 4 :Eu 3+ could be formed within the soft matrix. ► The as-derived YVO 4 :Eu 3+ exhibited red emissions and remain relatively stable nearly 100 °C. ► YVO 4 :Eu 3+ prepared by hydrogels has remarkable improvement in emission intensities.

  6. Northern Steps of EU Enlargement: The Impact of “Cohesion” Policies on Iceland’s Accession Process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adriana Di Stefano

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper focuses on the EU accession process of Iceland, reading the latest northern steps of EU enlargement under a “cohesion” perspective, i.e., through the lens of the cohesion “theory”, namely the method resulting from interactions of the general principles of subsidiarity and cooperation or partnership. From the Mediterranean to the Arctic, the territorial dimension of cohesion policies, as grounded in different EU policies, plays different roles and meets a wide range of economic and social needs. By implementing Nordicum-Mediterraneum analogies, a cohesion-minded EU enlargement approach requires the overall reframing of territorial-based policies and a better allocation of shared responsibilities at the more efficient level of governance.

  7. 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

  8. LightForce Photon-Pressure Collision Avoidance: Updated Efficiency Analysis Utilizing a Highly Parallel Simulation Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stupl, Jan; Faber, Nicolas; Foster, Cyrus; Yang, Fan Yang; Nelson, Bron; Aziz, Jonathan; Nuttall, Andrew; Henze, Chris; Levit, Creon

    2014-01-01

    This paper provides an updated efficiency analysis of the LightForce space debris collision avoidance scheme. LightForce aims to prevent collisions on warning by utilizing photon pressure from ground based, commercial off the shelf lasers. Past research has shown that a few ground-based systems consisting of 10 kilowatt class lasers directed by 1.5 meter telescopes with adaptive optics could lower the expected number of collisions in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) by an order of magnitude. Our simulation approach utilizes the entire Two Line Element (TLE) catalogue in LEO for a given day as initial input. Least-squares fitting of a TLE time series is used for an improved orbit estimate. We then calculate the probability of collision for all LEO objects in the catalogue for a time step of the simulation. The conjunctions that exceed a threshold probability of collision are then engaged by a simulated network of laser ground stations. After those engagements, the perturbed orbits are used to re-assess the probability of collision and evaluate the efficiency of the system. This paper describes new simulations with three updated aspects: 1) By utilizing a highly parallel simulation approach employing hundreds of processors, we have extended our analysis to a much broader dataset. The simulation time is extended to one year. 2) We analyze not only the efficiency of LightForce on conjunctions that naturally occur, but also take into account conjunctions caused by orbit perturbations due to LightForce engagements. 3) We use a new simulation approach that is regularly updating the LightForce engagement strategy, as it would be during actual operations. In this paper we present our simulation approach to parallelize the efficiency analysis, its computational performance and the resulting expected efficiency of the LightForce collision avoidance system. Results indicate that utilizing a network of four LightForce stations with 20 kilowatt lasers, 85% of all conjunctions with a

  9. Report of an EU-US symposium on understanding nutrition-related consumer behavior: strategies to promote a lifetime of healthy food choices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedl, Karl E; Rowe, Sylvia; Bellows, Laura L; Johnson, Susan L; Hetherington, Marion M; de Froidmont-Görtz, Isabelle; Lammens, Veerle; Hubbard, Van S

    2014-01-01

    This report summarizes an EU-US Task Force on Biotechnology Research symposium on healthy food choices and nutrition-related purchasing behaviors. This meeting was unique in its transdisciplinary approach to obesity and in bringing together scientists from academia, government, and industry. Discussion relevant to funders and researchers centered on (1) increased use of public-private partnerships, (2) the complexity of food behaviors and obesity risk and multilevel aspects that must be considered, and (3) the importance of transatlantic cooperation and collaboration that could accelerate advances in this field. A call to action stressed these points along with a commitment to enhanced communication strategies. Copyright © 2014 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. All rights reserved.

  10. EU Regulation 1143/2014 and the Bern Convention : Allied forces in the war on invasive alien species

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Trouwborst, Arie

    This article identifies and analyzes current and potential synergies between the new EU Regulation 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species on the one hand, and the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural

  11. Persistent detwinning of EuFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} by small magnetic fields

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maiwald, Jannis; Stingl, Christian; Bach, Nora; Jeevan, H.S.; Gegenwart, Philipp [Experimentalphysik VI, Universitaet Augsburg (Germany); Zapf, Sina; Jiang, Shuai; Neubauer, David; Loehle, Anja; Clauss, Conrad; Dressel, Martin [1. Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Stuttgart (Germany); Post, Kirk; Basov, Dimitri [Department of Physics, UC San Diego (United States)

    2015-07-01

    The formation of twin domains in the orthorhombic phase of high-temperature superconductors is impeding the investigation of the in-plane anisotropy of these materials. Recently, we have shown how the brief application of a small magnetic field of ∝ 1 Tesla in the EuFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} iron pnictide leads to a substantial detwinning of the system, which is persistent up to the structural transition at ∝ 190 K even after the magnetic field has been switched off. This offers researchers the opportunity to investigate the detwinned iron arsenide without the application of any external symmetry breaking force, like the pressure of a mechanical clamp, or a magnetic field present during measurement. We will present angular dependent magnetoresistance, magnetostriction, thermal expansion and thermoelectric power measurements on the EuFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} parent compound as well as on various doped variants in order to shed further light on the mechanism behind the field induced detwinning, i.e. the interplay of the involved magnetic moments stemming form the Eu and Fe atoms in these compounds.

  12. Redefining the Indirect Approach, Defining Special Operations Forces (SOF Power, and the Global Networking of SOF

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scott Morrison

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The current Defense Strategy assigns Special Operations Forces (SOF to play a central role in countering terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and irregular warfare. However, there has been little published that defines the role of Special Operations alongside air, land, and sea domains. The U.S. Special Operations Community struggles to define its own theoretical concepts such as direct approach and indirect approach. The U.S. SOF circles typically define direct approach with direct action and the indirect approach with foreign internal defense or security force assistance. Military theorist Liddell Hart viewed the indirect approach as a method to orient upon, target, and upset an adversary’s equilibrium in order to plan for and direct decisive blows. Today, the SOF indirect approach is arguable more applicable due to the prevalence of non-state threats and internal conflicts. Following Hart’s definition, precision raids are among the integral components of a broader application of the indirect approach. The approach also networks U.S. government power as a force when used in concert with allies and local partners. Global networking along with balanced precision raids will exponentially increase the utility of SOF power and position it to appropriately complement all domains to tackle 21st century challenges.

  13. Dopad likviditních pravidel Basel III na banky v EU

    OpenAIRE

    Klímová, Dana

    2016-01-01

    New liquidity rules introduced under the Basel III framework define the Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) that requires banks to possess an adequate long-term liquidity. The NSFR will enter into force on January 1, 2018 and banks are concerned that this regulation will lower their profitability. In this thesis the Basel III liquidity rules are analysed. The research seeks to define characteristics and triggers of the NSFR, using a sample of 500 EU banks. We find that smaller banks (by asset siz...

  14. The relative generosity of the EU-15 member states’ child policies

    OpenAIRE

    Jérôme De Henau; Sile O’Dorchai; Danièle Meulders; Hélène Périvier-Timbeau

    2004-01-01

    The main purpose of this project is to analyse the influence of labour market conditions and social policies on the fertility decisions of young people in order to contribute to the design of better policies at European and national levels to facilitate combination of parenthood and work. Chapter I presents a broader picture on women’s current labour force participation according to motherhood status in the 15 countries of the former EU. The chapter also discusses related European Union po...

  15. Reforming the EU Budget

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Citi, Manuele

    The marginal involvement of the EU in redistributive policies and its limited fiscal resources have led to a lack of attention to the EU budget and its determinants. In this paper I analyse an original dataset containing yearly data on the main macrocategories of expenditure and how they have...

  16. Facilities upgrade for natural forces: traditional vs. realistic approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Terkun, V.

    1985-01-01

    The traditional method utilized for upgrading existing buildings and equipment involves the following steps: performs structural study using finite element analysis and some in situ testing; compare predicted member forces/stresses to material code allowables; determine strengthening schemes for those structural members judged to be weak; estimate cost for required upgrades. This approach will result in structural modifications that are not only conservative but very expensive as well. The realistic structural evaluation approach uses traditional data to predict structural weaknesses as a final step. Next, using considerable information now available for buildings and equipment exposed to natural hazards, engineering judgments about structures being evaluated can be made with a great deal of confidence. This approach does not eliminate conservatism entirely, but it does reduce it to a reasonable and realistic level. As a result, the upgrade cost goes down without compromising the low risk necessary for vital facilities

  17. EU Labour Law

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Ruth

    The focus in this book is upon EU labour law and its interaction with national and international labour law. The book provides an analysis of the framework and sources of European labour law. It covers a number of substantive topics, notably collective labour law, individual employment contracts......, discrimination on grounds of sex and on other grounds, free movement of persons, restructuring of enterprises, working environment and enforcement of rights derived from EU labour law....

  18. Varying Eu2+ magnetic order by chemical pressure in EuFe2(As1-xPx)2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zapf, S.; Wu, D.; Bogani, L.; Jeevan, H. S.; Gegenwart, P.; Dressel, M.

    2011-10-01

    Based on low-field magnetization measurements on a series of single crystals, we present a scheme of the Eu2+ spin alignment in EuFe2(As1-xPx)2. We explain observations of the Eu2+ ordering previously reported, reconciling different existing phase diagrams. The magnetic moments of the Eu2+ ions are slightly canted, yielding a ferromagnetic contribution along the c direction that becomes stronger with pressure, until superconductivity sets in. The spin-density wave as well as the superconducting phase coexist with an antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling of the canted spins. Reducing the interlayer distance finally leads to a ferromagnetic Eu2+ interlayer coupling and to the suppression of superconductivity.

  19. Paramagnetic decoration of DNA origami nanostructures by Eu³⁺ coordination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Opherden, Lars; Oertel, Jana; Barkleit, Astrid; Fahmy, Karim; Keller, Adrian

    2014-07-15

    The folding of DNA into arbitrary two- and three-dimensional shapes, called DNA origami, represents a powerful tool for the synthesis of functional nanostructures. Here, we present the first approach toward the paramagnetic functionalization of DNA origami nanostructures by utilizing postassembly coordination with Eu(3+) ions. In contrast to the usual formation of toroidal dsDNA condensates in the presence of trivalent cations, planar as well as rod-like DNA origami maintain their shape and monomeric state even under high loading with the trivalent lanthanide. Europium coordination was demonstrated by the change in Eu(3+) luminescence upon binding to the two DNA origami. Their natural circular dichroism in the Mg(2+)- and Eu(3+)-bound state was found to be very similar to that of genomic DNA, evidencing little influence of the DNA origami superstructure on the local chirality of the stacked base pairs. In contrast, the magnetic circular dichroism of the Mg(2+)-bound DNA origami deviates from that of genomic DNA. Furthermore, the lanthanide affects the magnetic properties of DNA in a superstructure-dependent fashion, indicative of the existence of superstructure-specific geometry of Eu(3+) binding sites in the DNA origami that are not formed in genomic DNA. This simple approach lays the foundation for the generation of magneto-responsive DNA origami nanostructures. Such systems do not require covalent modifications and can be used for the magnetic manipulation of DNA nanostructures or for the paramagnetic alignment of molecules in NMR spectroscopy.

  20. Key challenges in the combat of human trafficking : Evaluating the EU trafficking strategy and EU trafficking directive

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bosma, Alice; Rijken, Conny

    2016-01-01

    The problem of trafficking in human beings (THB) is still omnipresent in Europe, despite the numerous preventive and retributive actions taken. This article evaluates the two most important EU-instruments to combat trafficking: the EU Directive and the EU Strategy. Based on secondary analysis of

  1. New approach to the suction force at the leading edge of a profile with zero thickness

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sparenberg, JA; de Jager, EM

    2004-01-01

    This paper considers the suction force at the leading edge of a profile with zero thickness in an incompressible and inviscid fluid flow. The theory is linear, and the approach to the suction force is from the innerside of the profile. It is shown that the suction force can be considered as an

  2. EU's hær skal tale tyrkisk

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Adler-Nissen, Rebecca

    2009-01-01

    For at kunne udleve sine accelererende forsvarsambitioner har EU brug for at låne Tyrkiets 600.000 soldater. Hvis Tyrkiet ikke kan blive EU-medlem, må svaret være at give tyrkerne 'associeret medlemskab' af EU's sikkerhedspolitik. Sker det, vil Tyrkiet med ét være bedre integreret i EU-forsvaret ...

  3. Radical Chemistry and Charge Manipulation with an Atomic Force Microscope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gross, Leo

    The fuctionalization of tips by atomic manipulation dramatically increased the resolution of atomic force microscopy (AFM). The combination of high-resolution AFM with atomic manipulation now offers the unprecedented possibility to custom-design individual molecules by making and breaking bonds with the tip of the microscope and directly characterizing the products on the atomic scale. We recently applied this technique to generate and study reaction intermediates and to investigate chemical reactions trigged by atomic manipulation. We formed diradicals by dissociating halogen atoms and then reversibly triggered ring-opening and -closing reactions via atomic manipulation, allowing us to switch and control the molecule's reactivity, magnetic and optical properties. Additional information about charge states and charge distributions can be obtained by Kelvin probe force spectroscopy. On multilayer insulating films we investigated single-electron attachment, detachment and transfer between individual molecules. EU ERC AMSEL (682144), EU project PAMS (610446).

  4. Are EU Banks Safe?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    R.J. Theissen (Roel)

    2013-01-01

    markdownabstract__Abstract__ What exactly are the rules banks are subject to, and are they fit for purpose? These are the two questions addressed in this book ‘Are EU banks safe?’ and its descriptive companion book ‘EU banking supervision’. The full rulebook on banks is difficult to find

  5. Investigating the effect of clamping force on the fatigue life of bolted plates using volumetric approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Esmaeili, F.; Chakherlou, T. N.; Zehsaz, M.; Hasanifard, S.

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, the effects of bolt clamping force on the fatigue life for bolted plates made from Al7075-T6 have been studied on the values of notch strength reduction factor obtained by volumetric approach. To attain stress distribution around the notch (hole) which is required for volumetric approach, nonlinear finite element simulations were carried out. To estimate the fatigue life, the available smooth S-N curve of Al7075-T6 and the notch strength reduction factor obtained from volumetric method were used. The estimated fatigue life was compared with the available experimental test results. The investigation shows that there is a good agreement between the life predicted by the volumetric approach and the experimental results for various specimens with different amount of clamping forces. Volumetric approach and experimental results showed that the fatigue life of bolted plates improves because of the compressive stresses created around the plate hole due to clamping force.

  6. A revised design approach of the attachment system for the ITER EU-HCPB-TBM based on a central cylindrical connection element

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zeile, Christian; Neuberger, Heiko

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Design of an attachment system based on a cylinder to connect TBM and shield. ► Attachment system has to cope with high EM loads and different thermal expansions. ► Stiff design and central position fulfill these requirements. ► Transient thermal-structural analyses confirm compliance of design with design codes. - Abstract: The EU-Helium Cooled Pebble Bed Test Blanket Module (HCPB-TBM), which is located inside an equatorial port plug, is attached to the shield by an attachment system. The design of the attachment system has to fulfill two conflicting requirements. On the one hand, it has to transfer the high electromagnetic forces acting on the TBM to the shield and on the other hand, it has to compensate the different thermal expansions between the shield and the back plate of the TBM. The recent design approach of the attachment system consists of a hollow cylinder located at the center of the back plate. This design combines two advantages: a simple geometry and correspondingly low fabrication effort and the central location where the differential strain between back plate and shield is minimal. Static and transient thermal-structural analyses of the most demanding load cases, a fast vertical displacement event type II and the operation state tritium outgassing, have been performed to evaluate the design and confirm the compliance with the relevant design codes. A welded connection of the attachment system to the TBM back plate and a bolted connection in combination with a splined shaft is proposed for the shield side because of the dissimilar materials.

  7. Multicriteria selection in concept design of a divertor remote maintenance port in the EU DEMO reactor using an AHP participative approach

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Carfora, D. [Tampere University of Technology, Korkeakoulunkatu 6, 33720 Tampere (Finland); Gironimo, G. Di, E-mail: giuseppe.digironimo@unina.it [CREATE, University of Naples Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli (Italy); Esposito, G. [CREATE, University of Naples Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli (Italy); Huhtala, K. [Tampere University of Technology, Korkeakoulunkatu 6, 33720 Tampere (Finland); Määttä, T.; Mäkinen, H. [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 1300, FI-33101 Tampere (Finland); Miccichè, G. [ENEA Brasimone, I:40032 Camugnano (Italy); Mozzillo, R. [CREATE, University of Naples Federico II, P.le Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli (Italy)

    2016-11-15

    Highlights: • Concept Studies in Divertor Remote Handling. • Prioritization of concept alternatives. • Comparison and evaluation of product alternatives using AHP. - Abstract: The work behind this paper took place in the Eurofusion remote maintenance system project (WPRM) for the EU Demonstration Fusion Power Reactor (DEMO). Following ITER, the aim of DEMO is to demonstrate the capability of generating several hundreds of MW of net electricity by 2050. The main objective of this paper was the study of the most efficient design of the maintenance port for replacing the divertor cassettes in a Remote Handling (RH) point of view. In DEMO overall design, one important consideration is the availability and short down time operations. The inclination of the divertor port has a very important impact on all the RH tasks such as the design of the divertor mover, the divertor locking systems and the end effectors. The current reference scenario of the EU DEMO foresees a 45° inclined port for the remote maintenance (RM) of the divertor in the lower part of the reactor. Nevertheless, in the optic of the systems engineering (SE) approach, in early concept design phase, all possible configurations shall be taken into account. Even the solutions which seem not feasible at all need to be investigated, because they could lead to new and innovative engineering proposals. The different solutions were compared using an approach based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The technique is a multi-criteria decision making approach in which the factors that are important in making a decision are arranged in a hierarchic structure. The results of these studies show how the application of the AHP improved and focused the selection on the concept which is closer to the requirements arose from technical meetings with the experts of the RH field.

  8. Multicriteria selection in concept design of a divertor remote maintenance port in the EU DEMO reactor using an AHP participative approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carfora, D.; Gironimo, G. Di; Esposito, G.; Huhtala, K.; Määttä, T.; Mäkinen, H.; Miccichè, G.; Mozzillo, R.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Concept Studies in Divertor Remote Handling. • Prioritization of concept alternatives. • Comparison and evaluation of product alternatives using AHP. - Abstract: The work behind this paper took place in the Eurofusion remote maintenance system project (WPRM) for the EU Demonstration Fusion Power Reactor (DEMO). Following ITER, the aim of DEMO is to demonstrate the capability of generating several hundreds of MW of net electricity by 2050. The main objective of this paper was the study of the most efficient design of the maintenance port for replacing the divertor cassettes in a Remote Handling (RH) point of view. In DEMO overall design, one important consideration is the availability and short down time operations. The inclination of the divertor port has a very important impact on all the RH tasks such as the design of the divertor mover, the divertor locking systems and the end effectors. The current reference scenario of the EU DEMO foresees a 45° inclined port for the remote maintenance (RM) of the divertor in the lower part of the reactor. Nevertheless, in the optic of the systems engineering (SE) approach, in early concept design phase, all possible configurations shall be taken into account. Even the solutions which seem not feasible at all need to be investigated, because they could lead to new and innovative engineering proposals. The different solutions were compared using an approach based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The technique is a multi-criteria decision making approach in which the factors that are important in making a decision are arranged in a hierarchic structure. The results of these studies show how the application of the AHP improved and focused the selection on the concept which is closer to the requirements arose from technical meetings with the experts of the RH field.

  9. Can EU Act as a Democracy Promoter? Analysing the Democratization Demand and Supply in Turkey - EU Relations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Çiğdem Üstün

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The EU’s role to assist Turkey in its democratization efforts has been debated during Turkey’s candidacy. However, in the second decade of the 21st century, this role of the EU lost its visibility while Turkey seemed to lose its interest in reform movements. This paper, inspired by Pevehouse, defines the EU as a supplier of democratization mechanisms and Turkey as an actor in need. Although lack of enthusiasm and disengagement have come to characterize Turkey-EU relations, this study aims to demonstrate that there are differences between the governing and the opposition actors’ views on the EU and its role in the democratization of Turkey. Data collected from the speeches of opposition parties’ parliamentarians between 1 January 2011 and 31 August 2016 demonstrates the similarities observed in these parties’ concerns regarding democratic practices and the perception of the EU as an actor strengthening democracy, while indicating that the EU, as a supplier, overlooked their concerns during the process.

  10. EU — Russia energy cooperation: major development trends and the present state

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Romanova Tatyana

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available The article analyzes the development of EU — Russia energy relations through the lens of the evolution of three parameters: the political agenda (the Energy Dialogue, the institutional structure, and the legal modalities. The identification of these three aspects for assessing the evolution of EU — Russia energy relations is the novelty in the author’s approach. This study aims to identify the previous stages and assess the current state of EU — Russia energy dialogue, since they set out conditions for energy cooperation in the Baltic Sea region. This research is based on a political and legal analysis of various documents and employs various international relations theories (including integration theories. The article demonstrates that the EU nd Russia have made a transition to the integration agenda manifested in the Energy Dialogue (its current goal is the creation of a common European energy market. The author describes the process of gradual consolidation of transgovernmental and transnational institutions, which leads to depoliticization of cooperation and mutual socialization of the partners. Finally, legal discussions on the development of common rules have become more constructive. In sum, the current situation in EU — Russia energy relations is favourable and positively affects cooperation in the Baltic Sea region.

  11. EU agricultural reform fails on biodiversity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pe'er, G.; Dicks, L.V.; Visconti, A.; Arlettaz, R.; Baldi, A.; Kleijn, D.; Scott, A.V.

    2014-01-01

    In December 2013, the European Union (EU) enacted the reformed Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for 2014–2020, allocating almost 40% of the EU's budget and influencing management of half of its terrestrial area. Many EU politicians are announcing the new CAP as “greener,” but the new environmental

  12. Marketing Standards for Enterprises and Higher Educational Institutions: the EU and Ukraine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhaldak Hanna P

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available The article considers the marketing standards for enterprises and higher educational institutions in the EU and Ukraine. The basic components of the formation of the marketing standards in our country and the European Union member countries are identified, some legislative restrictions on advertising in certain EU countries are systematized. The features of the EU standards are determined. The main idea of the article is to examine the European marketing standards, determine the level of their adaptation to the national ones, as well as collect data on the effectiveness of the application of marketing standards to higher educational institutions, provide quality education and establish collaboration with the European partner universities. The general understanding of the quality of education, use of harmonized approaches and evaluation criteria is important for the European integration. The majority of national organizations have a number of difficulties associated with the undeveloped system of indicators oriented towards the client and other interested parties. The application of the EU marketing standards sets an appropriate vector of development for the domestic economy and opens up new competitive opportunities

  13. The V4: a Decade after the EU Entry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduard NEŽINSKÝ

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the paper is to give a picture of the sources of economic growth in the V4 countries during the decade following their EU entry and to crosscheck  the  results  obtained  by  parametric  and  non-parametric  approaches.  Growth accounting technique is used to depict dynamics of the V4 countries evolution since 1995 up to 2013. The poor post-crisis performance reflected in TFP indicator is in line with  the  result  of  the  absence  of  technological  progress  obtained  by  data envelopment analysis. Sources  of  the  economic  growth  are  identified  by growth  accounting  based  on  Solow-Swan  model.  Non-parametrical  part  employs  an SBM  measure  of  efficiency  in  Data  envelopment  analysis as  an application  of  linear programming optimization. Main findings include determining faster-than-average economic growth of the  V4  followed  by  a  considerable  decline  both  in  total  factor  productivity  and  in catching-up rate in the after-crisis period. DEA approach reveals excessive use of labor in all of the V4 countries and finds almost negligibletechnological change. The main concern for economic policy in the V4 as well as the entire EU continues to be tackling unemployment and facilitating factors´ productivity by structural reforms. The paper makes use of parametric and non-parametric approaches  with  a  view  to  cross-checking  the  results  obtained  on  the  technological change within the EU at large and across the V4 countries in particular.

  14. The New European and/or EU Studies Curriculum

    OpenAIRE

    Brie, Mircea; Dolghi, Dorin; Pantea, Dana

    2011-01-01

    In this part we will present turn by turn the evolution of the curriculum in four domains which are developing in the area of European and/or EU Studies: EU Intercultural Dialogue Studies, EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies, EU Communication and Information Studies, EU and Comparative Regionalism, from several points of view. First, we will take into consideration the perspective that each curriculum from the four domains has in the ensemble of European and/or EU Studies, t...

  15. Treatment and disposal of tyres: Two EU approaches. A review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torretta, Vincenzo; Rada, Elena Cristina; Ragazzi, Marco; Trulli, Ettore; Istrate, Irina Aura; Cioca, Lucian Ionel

    2015-11-01

    The treatment and disposal of tyres from vehicles has long been of considerable environmental importance. The main problem lies in the mixed composition of the tyres. Studies have been undertaken to modify the structure of the tyres, especially with reference to the percentage of granulated rubber incorporated, in order to improve their performance, and also to reduce their environmental impact during normal functioning (noise, particulates, etc.) and facilitate recycling and final disposal. The aim of the present study is to review and compare how used tyres are treated and disposed of in two different EU countries. The first is Italy, which has been part of the European Union since its inception, and has important industrial traditions. The second is Romania, an emerging country which recently became part of the EU, and whose economic and industrial development has had a major boost in recent years, with a strong growth in waste production, together with consumption in urban areas. The occasion was useful to consider the situation concerning the evolution of the different aspects related to the management of the end-of-life tyres. In particular, the paper considers the properties of tyre waste and their potential reuse, the enhancement of end-of-life tires and the various types of recovery, such as the reconstruction of tyres and the material recovery. The aspects related to the energy recovery and the use of the life cycle analysis, as a tool to support the choices of the best management system, were also taken into consideration, not forgetting that an adequate end-of-life planning is important when developing a sustainable product, since it can affect considerably its overall life cycle. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. EU Climate Change Exhibition Held

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2008-01-01

    <正>On April 25, the CPAFFC, the China-EU Association (CEUA) and the Delegation of the European Commission to China jointly held the opening ceremony for the EU Exhibition on Climate Change in the CPAFFC. He Luli, former vice chairperson of the NPC Standing Committee and honorary president of the CEUA, Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, and Li Jianping, vice president of the CPAFFC, attended the opening ceremony and made speeches. Honorary President He Luli highly praised the achievements made by China and the EU in their longtime cooperation of mutual benefits in various fields including environmental protection. She said, for many years China and EU have both committed to the development of all-round strategic partnership and establishment of a multi-level mechanism of political dialogue. She expressed, with increasing enthusiasm the CEUA would continue to actively carry out nongovernmental exchanges between China and the EU, and promote cooperation between the two sides in the fields of economy, society, environmental protection, science and technology, culture, etc.

  17. Den brede, folkelige debat om EU

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dosenrode, Søren

    2005-01-01

    I Danmark er EUropa noget fjernt på trods af, at EU er rammen om dansk politik, både udenrigs og indenrigs. Danmark er medlem af en de facto føderation, men de brede folkelige debater om hvordan EU skal gestaltes har manglet.......I Danmark er EUropa noget fjernt på trods af, at EU er rammen om dansk politik, både udenrigs og indenrigs. Danmark er medlem af en de facto føderation, men de brede folkelige debater om hvordan EU skal gestaltes har manglet....

  18. DEINDUSTRIALIZATION AS A PROCESS IN THE EU

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vinko Kandžija

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Deindustrialization is a natural process in the developed countries, which takes place under the influence of external and internal factors and occurs as a result of economic growth. It is marked by the decline in the share of industry in GDP and employment with a simultaneous increased importance of the service sector. Considering the complexity of the concept, there are many theoretical approaches of deindustrialisation. In this paper the analysis of deindustrialization in the EU was conducted. The research results indicate the existence of relative deindustrialization in the EU, which is characterized by reduced share of agriculture and industry and increased share of the service sector in GDP. Also, it was found that the decrease in employment in the industry was not created as a result of a decrease in industrial production. The EU economy, including the industrial sector, is heavily influenced by the globalization process, while the process of deindustrialization is significantly impacted by the increased volume of foreign direct investment. In key strategic documents European industry is recognized as the main "engine" of the recovery of the European economy. Therefore, the highest  priority is the creation of conditions for the process of reindustrialization, i.e. the development of industry in the variable circumstances, with an emphasis on strengthening and improving the industrial foundation and implementation of new solutions based on innovation, research and new technologies.

  19. Three-dimensional analysis of Eu dopant atoms in Ca-α-SiAlON via through-focus HAADF-STEM imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saito, Genki, E-mail: genki@eng.hokudai.ac.jp; Yamaki, Fuuta; Kunisada, Yuji; Sakaguchi, Norihito; Akiyama, Tomohiro

    2017-04-15

    Highlights: • Through-focus HAADF-STEM imaging was studied. • Spatial distribution of Eu atoms in Ca-α-SiAlON was analyzed. • A large convergence semi-angle increased the depth resolution. • The radial distribution function of Eu dopants was analyzed. - Abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) distributional analysis of individual dopant atoms in materials is important to development of optical, electronic, and magnetic materials. In this study, we adopted through-focus high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) imaging for 3D distributional analysis of Eu dopant atoms in Ca-α-SiAlON phosphors. In this context, the effects of convergence semi-angle and Eu z-position on the HAADF image contrast were investigated. Multi-slice image simulation revealed that the contrast of the dopant site was sensitive to change of the defocus level. When the defocus level matched the depth position of a Eu atom, the contrast intensity was significantly increased. The large convergence semi-angle greatly increased the depth resolution because the electron beam tends spread instead of channeling along the atomic columns. Through-focus HAADF-STEM imaging was used to analyze the Eu atom distribution surrounding 10 nm cubes with defocus steps of 0.68 nm each. The contrast depth profile recorded with a narrow step width clearly analyzed the possible depth positions of Eu atoms. The radial distribution function obtained for the Eu dopants was analyzed using an atomic distribution model that was based on the assumption of random distribution. The result suggested that the Ca concentration did not affect the Eu distribution. The decreased fraction of neighboring Eu atoms along z-direction might be caused by the enhanced short-range Coulomb-like repulsive forces along the z-direction.

  20. THE 2012 FINANCIAL REGULATION: BUILDING THE CATHEDRAL OF EU LEGITIMACY?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María-Luisa SANCHEZ-BARRUECO

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available The quest for enhanced financial accountability is a by-product of the financial crisis that hits Europe since 2008. Attention to sound financial management and its links to overall EU legitimacy has skyrocketed from the vocabulary of clerks and auditors up to top-level strategic documents, including recent Conclusions of the European Council. This trend evidences that the focus on democratic legitimacy in the European Union should shift away from the traditional input-output legitimacy dilemma and towards the so-called throughput or systemic legitimacy. Systemic legitimacy provides the citizen with assurances that the system (she is requested to trust is well-functioning and answerable to the people; however, the definition of its scope proves ellusive among scholars. This paper takes account of the relevant literature and concludes that financial accountability remains at the core of systemic legitimacy. From a legal perspective, financial accountability in the EU is incidentally mentioned in the Treaties, and further ensured by secondary legislation. The EU Financial Regulation, also known as the “EU Financial Bible” stands out from the legal framework governing financial management of the EU budget. Since its adoption in 1977, the EU Financial Regulation has been subject to two major revisions. The first one led to the adoption of Council Regulation 1605/2002 and represented then an attempt to regain citizens’ trust on financial accountability after the serious backlash brought about by the resignation of the Santer Commission in 1999. More recently, the Financial Regulation has been revamped through Regulation 966/2012 of the European Parliament and the Council. Following a qualitative and comparative approach, this paper highlights the main changes that have been introduced in the legal framework on financial management, with a view to assessing their potential contribution to improvement in financial accountability and, by ricochet

  1. Negative pressure driven valence instability of Eu in cubic Eu{sub 0.4}La{sub 0.6}Pd{sub 3}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pandey, Abhishek [S N Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Block-JD, Sector-III, Salt Lake, Kolkata-700098 (India); Mazumdar, Chandan; Ranganathan, R [Experimental Condensed Matter Physics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF, Bidhannagar, Kolkata-700064 (India)], E-mail: abhishek.phy@gmail.com, E-mail: chandan.mazumar@saha.ac.in

    2009-05-27

    We report the change in the valency of Eu-ions in the binary intermetallic cubic compound EuPd{sub 3} induced by La doping at rare-earth sites. Doping of La generates negative chemical pressure in the lattice, resulting in a significant increase of the lattice parameter without altering the simple-cubic structure of the compound. Results of dc-magnetic measurements suggest that this increase in the lattice parameter is associated with the valence transition of Eu-ions from Eu{sup 3+} to a mixed-valent state. As Eu{sup 2+}-ions possess a large magnetic moment, this valence transition significantly modifies the magnetic behavior of the compound. In contrast to introducing boron at the vacant body center site of the unit cell to change the valency of Eu-ions, as in the case of EuPd{sub 3}B, our results suggest it can also be altered by doping a rare-earth ion of larger size at the lattice site of Eu in EuPd{sub 3}.

  2. Cellular and colloidal separation using optical forces

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Dholakia, K.; MacDonald, M. P.; Zemánek, Pavel; Čižmár, Tomáš

    2007-01-01

    Roč. 82, - (2007), s. 467-495 ISSN 0091-679X R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LC06007 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 508952 - ATOM3D Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20650511 Keywords : optical sorting * FACS * MACS * optical forces * dielectrophoresis * optical chromatography * optical manipulation Subject RIV: BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers Impact factor: 1.582, year: 2006

  3. Why use experiments in EU Studies?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Julie Hassing

    2014-01-01

    two things. First, by summarising the use of experiments in EU research, it provides an overview of the evolution of the use of experiments within EU studies. This includes a content exploration of the pioneering sub-areas within EU studies where experimentation is frequently used. Particular focus......The past decades have witnessed an explosion in the use of experiments. Though experiments have been increasingly applied, their recognition as useful methodological tools to investigate EU-related research questions has lagged behind the rest of the political science community. This article does...... is paid on election, framing and deliberation studies. Second, the article argues for the promising potentials experimentation provides for EU studies, overcoming problems of causal estimation as well as endogeneity concerns. The article concludes by addressing some of the critiques often made against...

  4. Self-aggregation of magnetic semiconductor EuS nanocrystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Atsushi; Hasegawa, Yasuchika; Kamikubo, Hironari; Kataoka, Mikio; Kawai, Tsuyoshi

    2009-01-01

    Controlled formation of aggregates having organized structure of cube-shaped EuS nanocrystals is reported. The EuS aggregates in liquid media (methanol) were obtained by means of van der Waals interaction between EuS nanocrystals. The packing structure of the EuS aggregates is characterized with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and small angle X-ray scattering measurements (SAXS). TEM image indicates the EuS nanocrystals form self-aggregated 2D orthogonal lattice structure. The diffraction peak of (111) of SAXS profile shows that the cube-shaped EuS form 3D cubic superlattice. We successfully demonstrated that the aggregates of cube-shaped EuS nanocrystals formed cubic stacking structure.

  5. EU-Centric Governance in Sport? The Slovenian Experience with the White Paper Process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simona Kustec Lipicer

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available A synthesis of existing academic, expert and everyday practical political literature demonstrates that we can trace many different approaches to the phenomena of governance. Based on the political sciences, particularly policy literature, the governance concept is most frequently connected with an analysis of the relations between actors or institutions of the state and society at different political levels. Use of the governance concept is also becoming increasingly popular when discussing sports issues, especially when the multi-level or global sport perspective is in question. This article aims to confront the national perspectives and understandings of, as well as attempts at, sports governance, in relation to multi-level ones. This refers specifically the EU, because over the last few years, not only have states expanded their traditional concerns with health and social security to encompass leisure and cultural life, including sport, but the EU has also implemented different activities concerning sport issues. This particularly emphasises the extent and importance of the relations that key national policy actors have established with themselves and especially towards supra-national (EU actors in the processes of creating common EU sports policy directions as part of preparing the White Paper on Sport (2007. It does this by analysing the available official documents, records and statistics relating to the issue, as well as interviews conducted in spring 2007 with representatives of the state and sports-governing bodies in Slovenia. The conclusions of the analysis indicate a predominantly EU-centric type of multi-level governance approach and make some observations about the EU’s future development and how this could impact the development of (subnational sports policy.

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. Poland’s Trade with East Asia: An Outlier Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tseng Shoiw-Mei

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Poland achieved an excellent reputation for economic transformation during the recent global recession. The European debt crisis, however, quickly forced the reorientation of Poland’s trade outside of the European Union (EU, especially toward the dynamic region of East Asia. This study analyzes time series data from 1999 to 2013 to detect outliers in order to determine the bilateral trade paths between Poland and each East Asian country during the events of Poland’s accession to the EU in 2004, the global financial crisis from 2008 to 2009, and the European debt crisis from 2010 to 2013. From the Polish standpoint, the results showed significantly clustering outliers in the above periods and in the general trade paths from dependence through distancing and improvement to the chance of approaching East Asian partners. This study also shows that not only China but also several other countries present an excellent opportunity for boosting bilateral trade, especially with regard to Poland’s exports.

  9. 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

  10. Moessbauer spectroscopy of 151Eu and 153Eu. Applications to structural chemistry and electronic properties of rare-earth compounds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meyer, Marc.

    1975-01-01

    The decrease of the 151 Eu isomer shift on hydrogenation of a dilute EuPd alloy (2.5at% Eu) is discussed in term of the volume effect on the charge density at the nucleus. It is shown from 153 Eu Moessbauer spectroscopy in rare earth titanates that a vibrational anisotropy lead to the observation of a Goldanskii-Karyagin effect [fr

  11. A data-driven decomposition approach to model aerodynamic forces on flapping airfoils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raiola, Marco; Discetti, Stefano; Ianiro, Andrea

    2017-11-01

    In this work, we exploit a data-driven decomposition of experimental data from a flapping airfoil experiment with the aim of isolating the main contributions to the aerodynamic force and obtaining a phenomenological model. Experiments are carried out on a NACA 0012 airfoil in forward flight with both heaving and pitching motion. Velocity measurements of the near field are carried out with Planar PIV while force measurements are performed with a load cell. The phase-averaged velocity fields are transformed into the wing-fixed reference frame, allowing for a description of the field in a domain with fixed boundaries. The decomposition of the flow field is performed by means of the POD applied on the velocity fluctuations and then extended to the phase-averaged force data by means of the Extended POD approach. This choice is justified by the simple consideration that aerodynamic forces determine the largest contributions to the energetic balance in the flow field. Only the first 6 modes have a relevant contribution to the force. A clear relationship can be drawn between the force and the flow field modes. Moreover, the force modes are closely related (yet slightly different) to the contributions of the classic potential models in literature, allowing for their correction. This work has been supported by the Spanish MINECO under Grant TRA2013-41103-P.

  12. The europium(II) oxide halides Eu{sub 2}OBr{sub 2} and Eu{sub 2}OI{sub 2}; Die Europium(II)-Oxidhalogenide Eu{sub 2}OBr{sub 2} und Eu{sub 2}OI{sub 2}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rudolph, Daniel; Schleid, Thomas [Stuttgart Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Anorganische Chemie

    2017-07-01

    The syntheses and crystal structures of the two isotypic europium(II) oxide halides Eu{sub 2}OBr{sub 2} and Eu{sub 2}OI{sub 2} are reported. They crystallize orthorhombically in the space group Ibam (Z=4; Eu{sub 2}OBr{sub 2}: a=709.86(5), b=1200.34(9), c=628.71(4) pm; Eu{sub 2}OI{sub 2}: a=739.78(5), b=1295.13(9), c=644.82(4) pm). The unit cell parameters presented here, and thus the interatomic distances of Eu{sub 2}OI{sub 2}, are significantly smaller than the ones reported in the literature, which is explained by the substitution of europium with larger barium cations due to the synthesis route described in the early study. Central building blocks of both crystal structures are trans-edge-connected [OEu{sub 4}]{sup 6+} tetrahedra forming straight {sup 1}{sub ∞}{[OEu"e_4_/_2]"2"+} chains running parallel to the [001] direction. Bundled like a hexagonal rod packing, their interaction is achieved by Br{sup -} or I{sup -} anions for charge compensation.

  13. EU ligger i Danmark!

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Adler-Nissen, Rebecca

    2007-01-01

    EU må ikke reduceres til et spørgsmål om folkeafstemninger. Den virkelige udfordring handler om, hvordan EU-beslutninger om alt fra dyretransporter til terrorbekæmpelse kan kontrolleres på en demokratisk måde. De beslutninger, der bliver truffet i Bruxelles er i højeste grad en del af den nationa...

  14. Development of the EU Ecolabel Criteria and Revision of the EU Green Public Procurement Criteria for Cleaning Services

    OpenAIRE

    DE ALMEIDA FERREIRA NETO BELMIRA; WOLF Oliver; FIELD Bethany; JENKIN Nicola; TAM Max; BENJAMIN Oscar

    2016-01-01

    The objective of this project is to develop a new EU Ecolabel and revise the existing EU Green Public Procurement (GPP) criteria for professional cleaning services (hereafter referred to as cleaning services). This preliminary report investigates the market, operational and sustainability aspects of cleaning services, with a goal to develop a robust evidence base and prioritise key environmental and social issues to support the development of EU Ecolabel criteria and the revision of the EU GP...

  15. EU Criminal Law and the Regulation of Information and Communication Technology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah Summers

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The opportunities afforded by the global information space give rise to the potential for the commission of new crimes –crimes such as hacking or denial of service attacks– and for existing crimes, such as speech offences or fraud, to be committed in new ways and with potentially larger consequences. One of the biggest challenges for the regulation of information and communications technology is that the global information space does not respect national boundaries. In order to be successful, any regulatory approach will call for some degree of cooperation between countries. This poses an obvious problem for those seeking to develop a regulatory structure. This challenge is particularly relevant in the criminal law context, as the criminal law has traditionally been considered to be the product and responsibility of national law. This article considers the EU’s regulatory approach in this area. The aim here is not to offer a critique of the EU’s regulatory structure in the context of cybercrime, but rather to use the situation in the EU to illustrate various issues arising in the context of the criminal law regulation of information and communications technology. This article examines some of the issues which have arisen in the context of the regulation of cyber activity at the EU level as a result of this tension between national sovereignty and broader overarching EU regulation and assesses the relevance of these issues in the context of criminal law regulation more broadly. Consideration of the processes of criminalisation and harmonisation provides the basis for an analysis of the manner in which the EU seeks to justify its involvement in criminal law in this field.

  16. 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...

  17. 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...

  18. THE STATUS OF INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS CONCLUDED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION IN THE EU LEGAL ORDER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agoston Mohay

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The European Union is a member of the international community and is a party to numerous international agreements. The status of these international agreements in the EU legal order however is not made expressly clear by the Treaties. The most pertinent question that arises is whether secondary EU law may be reviewed in the light of international agreements in annulment procedures or preliminary ruling procedures before the Court of Justice of the EU. In its jurisprudence the Court of Justice has tied the possibility of review to the question of the direct effect of international treaties, but there are some issues of consistency in this regard. This problem is a part of the broader question of the relationship of international law and EU law, including the question whether this relationship is more akin to a monist or a dualist approach.

  19. Structural and spectroscopic diagnosis of Eu:ZnO and Eu:Yb:ZnO glass and ceramics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bahadur, A; Dwivedi, Y; Rai, S B

    2012-06-01

    Eu and Eu:Yb codoped ZnO nanocrystals embedded in B(2)O(3) glass matrix were synthesized and their structural, optical properties were discussed. On excitation with 532 nm laser radiation intense orange/red emissions from Eu(3+) ions were observed. The fluorescence intensity was found to enhance on annealing. Frequency upconversion emissions from Eu(3+) ions were observed in presence of Yb(3+) ions on excitation with NIR (976 nm) laser. The enhancement in emission intensity was explained and the photo-physics involved is linked with the unique structural properties of the crystallites formed. Ion interactions and the different energy transfer parameters were also calculated. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Concentration depolarization of luminescence of Eu3+-doped glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bodunov, E.N.; Lebedev, V.P.; Malyshev, V.A.; Przheuskij, A.K.

    1989-01-01

    Experimental study of concentrational depolarization luminescence (CDL) of phosphate and germanate glasses, containing Eu 3+ ions, has been carried out. On the basis of three-body self-consistent approximation the theory of CDL is conceived, which takes into account Eu-Eu interaction of higher multipolarities. By comparing the theory with the experiment energy transfer radii for Eu-Eu dipole-dipole, dipole-quadrupole and quadrupole-quadrupole interactions are determined. The attempt to discriminate Eu-Eu interaction types in the studied range of Eu 3+ ion concentration change has failed owing to law accuracy of luminescence emittance anisotropy measurement

  1. The EU Legal Framework on Trafficking in Human Beings: Where to from here – the UK Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria O'Neill

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The European Union (EU’s current provisions on the trafficking in human beings (THB are provided for, inter alia, in Council Framework Decision 2002/629/JHA. The Council of Europe have more recent provisions in this area, which are not yet widely in force. The EU has some major proposals for reform of its legal framework in the Stockholm Programme, to include the appointment of an EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator. In addition, the focus of EU Justice and Home Affairs is shifting to the external relations of the EU under the Stockholm Programme. A critical examination of the EU legal framework in the area of THB from a law enforcement perspective is therefore timely. THB is a highly contentious and complicated area for regulation, with issues such as the support of the victims of trafficking, the particular needs of under-aged trafficked individuals, and the issues of due process when a witness may not be considered to be reliable during court proceedings, complicating operations and prosecutions. In addition the issue of illegal immigration adds a further layer of complication, with the UK maintaining its opt out from the EU’s illegal immigration provisions. This article will, focus on the illegal trafficking of adults against their will, and the consequences of this crime, in particular, for the UK law enforcement authorities.

  2. 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....

  3. 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

  4. The EU and Constitutionalism in Egypt

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Seeberg, Peter

    2013-01-01

    of the unrest in Egypt followed by an analysis of the European-Egyptian relationship over the last two years divided in three parts: Egypt and the ENP-UfM complex, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Egyptian political transformation process seen in a European perspective and finally the migration issue...... in the context of Egyptian-European relations. The article argues that the EU policies, which earlier have been dominated by a pragmatic approach towards the Mubarak regime, now have to be rethought considering an Egyptian polity, where the contours of a new constitutionalism are developing....

  5. Should the EU climate policy framework be reformed?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    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.

  6. Minimum requirements on implementation of the greenhouse gases ordinance. EU ordinance on fluorinated greenhouse gases; Mindestanforderungen zur Implementierung der F-Gase-Verordnung. Die EG-Verordnung zu fluorierten Treibhausgasen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Preisegger, E. [Solvay Fluor GmbH, Hannover (Germany). Environmental and Public Affairs Fluorochemicals

    2008-04-15

    On 4 July 2006, the EU ordinance 842/2006 on fluorinated greenhouse gases came into force. Since 4 July 2007, it has been in effect with the exception of article 9 and appendix II both of which had been effective since 4 July 2006. However, some articles of the ordinance necessitate the definition of minimum requirements resp. of form and contents by the EU commission. The minimum requirements for training and certification will provide a basis for national implementation of these measures in the EU member states. (orig.)

  7. Can Sweden be forced to manage nuclear waste from other countries?; Kan Sverige tvingas ta emot andra laenders kaernavfall?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bergstroem, Ulf; Lindgren, Jonas; Nordfors, Lennart [Gullers Grupp, Stockholm (Sweden); Hallerby, Christer [Docere Intelligence, Stockholm (Sweden)

    2005-06-01

    This report tries to answer two questions: Can Sweden, through supranational decisions, be forced to dispose of other nations nuclear waste within its own borders? and How can a Swedish stakeholder follow and influence EU-agendas, in particular concerning nuclear waste? Sometimes it has been argued that, through the EU-membership, Sweden could be forced to accept foreign radioactive waste for disposal in Sweden. However, the Swedish Nuclear Technology Act clearly states that license for final disposal spent nuclear fuels can not be given for fuel from another country than Sweden. At the Swedish EU entry it was found that the national legislation were compatible with the EU regulations, and as a consequence waste from foreign nuclear plants can not be disposed of in Sweden, even if the plant is owned by a Swedish company. Other conclusions in the report are: The system for decision making in EU is complex and slow and must be supported by supranational and international organs. The process is complex, but offers many opportunities for following-up and influencing. The risk for anything happening 'over-night' in the radioactive waste question is minimal. The issue of regulating radioactive waste management in a supranational way, i.e. by forcing a country to accept wastes from another country is not on the agenda. The Euratom treaty is interpreted in the way that such decision can not be made. The international discussions about regional repositories build upon voluntary agreements. Scenarios leading to coersive legislation are judged to be politically unrealistic - and needing important changes to be realised.

  8. EU-China Cooperation In the Field of Energy, Environment and Climate Change

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pietro De Matteis

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available The evolution of the energy market and the intrinsic worldwide scope of environmental threats, such as climate change, are two elements that have pushed the world towards shared approaches to global governance via bilateral institutions and international regimes. This article, with the aid of an institutionalist approach, presents the current status of the EU-China relationship, which is characterised by high institutionalisation, and it underlines how their bilateral cooperation has progressively focused on energy and climate change-related issues. In particular, the article sheds some light on the linkages between energy, environment and climate change and how these have created the basis for the upgrade of the EU-China bilateral relationship to its current level. To do so, it underlines some of the tools, the main frameworks and some of the key outcomes of their bilateral cooperation in these fields.

  9. Valence behavior of Eu-ions in intermetallic compound Ce{sub 0.5}Eu{sub 0.5}Pd{sub 3}B{sub 0.5}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pandey, Abhishek, E-mail: apandey@ameslab.gov [Experimental Condensed Matter Physics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF, Bidhannagar, Kolkata 700064 (India); S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Block-JD, Sector-III, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700098 (India); Mazumdar, Chandan, E-mail: chandan.mazumdar@saha.ac.in [S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Block-JD, Sector-III, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700098 (India); Ranganathan, R. [S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, Block-JD, Sector-III, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700098 (India); Raghavendra Reddy, V.; Gupta, Ajay [UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research, University Campus, Khandawa Road, Indore (India)

    2011-12-15

    We have studied the valence behavior of rare-earth ions, in particular Eu-ions, in a cubic intermetallic compound Ce{sub 0.5}Eu{sub 0.5}Pd{sub 3}B{sub 0.5} which is a homogeneous solid solution of two mixed-valent compounds CePd{sub 3} and EuPd{sub 3}B. Results of {sup 151}Eu Moessbauer spectroscopic measurements show that two different valence states, i.e., divalent- and trivalent-like states of Eu-ions exist in the compound. The possible reason for the observed heterogeneous valency vis-a-vis the variation in the chemical environment and the number of nearest-neighbor B atoms surrounding the Eu-ions has been discussed. Our results demonstrate that B incorporation in such Eu-based cubic intermetallic compounds leads to a situation where heterogeneous-valence state of Eu-ions is an energetically favorable ground state. - Highlights: > Intermetallic compound Ce{sub 0.5}Eu{sub 0.5}Pd{sub 3}B{sub 0.5} crystallizes in a single phase. > Eu-ions in Ce{sub 0.5}Eu{sub 0.5}Pd{sub 3}B{sub 0.5} are charge-ordered compared to +2.3 valency in Ce{sub 0.5}Eu{sub 0.5}Pd{sub 3}. > B incorporation makes charge-ordered state of Eu-ions energetically more favorable. > Nearest-neighbor chemical environment affects the Eu valency.

  10. EuAuGe type indides RAgIn (R = Ca, Sr, La, Eu)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stein, Sebastian; Schmolke, Kai Heinz; Block, Theresa; Heletta, Lukas; Hoffmann, Rolf-Dieter; Poettgen, Rainer [Institut fuer Anorganische und Analytische Chemie, Universitaet Muenster (Germany)

    2017-08-03

    The equiatomic intermetallic phases CaAgIn [a = 482.75(7), b = 750.0(1), c = 835.5(1) pm], SrAgIn [a = 495.86(5), b = 794.71(9), c = 851.89(9) pm], LaAgIn [a = 489.99(5), b = 767.93(9), c = 837.53(9) pm], and EuAgIn [a = 493.02(7), b = 781.6(1), c = 844.2(1) pm] were synthesized from the elements in sealed niobium containers. They crystallize with the EuAuGe type structure, space group Imm2. The four structures were refined from single-crystal X-ray data. The silver and indium atoms build up orthorhombically distorted, puckered Ag{sub 3}In{sub 3} hexagons, which are stacked in AA' sequence, leading to direct Ag-Ag and In-In interlayer bonding (e.g. 303 and 304 pm in CaAgIn). Temperature dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements show a magnetic moment of 7.40(1) μ{sub B} per europium atom. EuAgIn orders antiferromagnetically at 5.7(5) K. The divalent nature of europium is also evident from {sup 151}Eu Moessbauer spectra: δ = -10.50(1) mm.s{sup -1} at 78 K. (copyright 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  11. Correlation Theory Applied to the Static and Dynamic Properties of EuO and EuS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindgård, Per-Anker

    1982-01-01

    was used previously in the correlation theory2) primarily to calculate static properties. Self‐consistent dynamic and static calculations have here been performed for EuO, which is an ideal Heisenberg magnet with significant second‐nearest‐neighbor interaction (J2 = J1/5). The two‐pole approximation...... a cutoff of the spectrum at high frequencies, which cannot be seen experimentally, but which significantly influences the frequency moments. It was found that the finite J2 has significant importance for a comparison between theory and experiment. It is concluded that the calculation for a simple cubic n.......n. magnet by Hubbard3) does not describe the EuO data accurately, neither with respect to line shape nor frequency scale. Significant differences are to be expected between EuO and EuS having opposite sign for J2....

  12. Assessing EU perception in Kazakhstan's mass media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bakyt Ospanova

    2017-01-01

    Our main findings suggest that Kazakhstan's mass media positively perceives the role of the EU in the region. Moreover, they tend to portray the EU mainly as an economic powerhouse. Our findings support some suggestions by similar studies of the EU's external perception.

  13. The Interdependence of Competition Policy, Consumer Policy and Regulation in Introducing and Safeguarding Effective Competition in the EU Telecommunications Market

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreas Bartels

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Currently, the European Union finds itself in troubled waters. It has to prove that its benefits outweigh the costs of its endeavour. In this respect, an EU competition policy that focuses on consumer welfare is one way to gain support by the citizens of its member states. The Roaming Regulation that has reduced the mobile communications costs while travelling abroad serves as a good example for this approach. The EU Commission views consumer policy as another important factor to protect and benefit customers. In markets with natural monopolies, the two policies require the support of an effective regulatory policy. The research demonstrates that these three policies – if harmonised – are able to lead to an increase in consumer welfare (primarily by reducing prices and that they protect the rights and interests of consumers. In the case of telecommunications, several initiatives of the European Commission and of national regulatory authorities to falls in prices and forced operators to implement customer friendly rules and to protect customer data and privacy. The authors consider that the European Commission has tried to establish and harmonise rules across all member states in order to protect the interests and rights of consumers on the telecommunication market. The enforcement of competition and consumer policy within institutions from the telecom field certainly could promote the focus on consumers and the possibility to use a large “toolbox”. Harmonising and adjusting the policies across different countries and institutions and minimising any possible side effects is nevertheless a challenging task for the EU Commission in the future.

  14. EU, Eastern Europe and Values Imperialism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stephen White

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes an idea of'values imperialism'as a helpful way of conceptualising the relationship between the EU and the states that came within its sphere of influence after the end of the Cold War, particularly its 'neighbours' in Eastern Europe. Values imperialism places its emphasis on the 'superstructure', including norms, laws and social practices. EU larger objective was that the assumptions about government and ownership that were favoured by the dominant powers (EU and the West in the broad term should be absorbed and recapitulated by those countries that were subordinate. The broad framework ofsubordination was established by the Partnership and Cooperation Agreements that began to be concluded from 1994 onwards. Patterns of'values imperialism'could also be discovered in the EU Common Strategies on Russia and Ukraine that were adopted in 1999. Article also points out several cases when the EU intervened directly in the domestic affairs of the Eastern Europe countries in a manner that was not always compatible with the provisions on state sovereignty: a 'European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights', launched in 2006, interventions ofEU representatives in the work of local courts and organisation of exit polls, which could be used to discredit the official election results and in this way to undermine the position of local governments. Finally, the author concludes that the EU used 'values imperialism'practices in order to extend its influence, particularly in the Eastern Europe.

  15. Virtual Reality Tumor Resection: The Force Pyramid Approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawaya, Robin; Bugdadi, Abdulgadir; Azarnoush, Hamed; Winkler-Schwartz, Alexander; Alotaibi, Fahad E; Bajunaid, Khalid; AlZhrani, Gmaan A; Alsideiri, Ghusn; Sabbagh, Abdulrahman J; Del Maestro, Rolando F

    2017-09-05

    The force pyramid is a novel visual representation allowing spatial delineation of instrument force application during surgical procedures. In this study, the force pyramid concept is employed to create and quantify dominant hand, nondominant hand, and bimanual force pyramids during resection of virtual reality brain tumors. To address 4 questions: Do ergonomics and handedness influence force pyramid structure? What are the differences between dominant and nondominant force pyramids? What is the spatial distribution of forces applied in specific tumor quadrants? What differentiates "expert" and "novice" groups regarding their force pyramids? Using a simulated aspirator in the dominant hand and a simulated sucker in the nondominant hand, 6 neurosurgeons and 14 residents resected 8 different tumors using the CAE NeuroVR virtual reality neurosurgical simulation platform (CAE Healthcare, Montréal, Québec and the National Research Council Canada, Boucherville, Québec). Position and force data were used to create force pyramids and quantify tumor quadrant force distribution. Force distribution quantification demonstrates the critical role that handedness and ergonomics play on psychomotor performance during simulated brain tumor resections. Neurosurgeons concentrate their dominant hand forces in a defined crescent in the lower right tumor quadrant. Nondominant force pyramids showed a central peak force application in all groups. Bimanual force pyramids outlined the combined impact of each hand. Distinct force pyramid patterns were seen when tumor stiffness, border complexity, and color were altered. Force pyramids allow delineation of specific tumor regions requiring greater psychomotor ability to resect. This information can focus and improve resident technical skills training. Copyright © 2017 by the Congress of Neurological Surgeons

  16. Towards a European Position on Armed Drones and Targeted Killing: Surveying EU Counter-Terrorism Perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jessica Dorsey

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available In this Research Paper, Jessica Dorsey and Dr. Christophe Paulussen gauge the extent to which European Union Member States share the position of the United States on armed drones and targeted killings. In doing so, it aims to assist in distilling a common EU position on the use of armed drones and a legal framework for counter-terrorism-related uses of force.

  17. Electronic Structure of Eu6C60

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    WANG Xiao-Xiong; LI Hong-Nian; XU Ya-Bo; WANG Peng; ZHANG Wen-Hua; XU Fa-Qiang

    2009-01-01

    We study the valence band of Eu-intercalated C60 by synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy to un-derstand the ferromagnetism (FM) and the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) of Eu6C60. The results reveal the semiconducting property and the remarkable 5d6s-π hybridization. Eu-C60 bonding has both ionic and covalent contributions. No more than half the 5d6s electrons transfer from Eu to the LUMO derived band of C60, and the LUMO+1 derived band is not filled. The remaining valence electrons of Eu, together with some π (LUMO, HOMO and HOMO-1) electrons, constitute the covalent bond. The electronic structure implies that the magnetic coupling in Eu6C60 should be through the intra-atomic f-sd exchange and the medium of the π electrons. The possibility of the GMR being tunnelling magnetoresistance is ruled out.

  18. Luminescent Polymer Electrolyte Composites Using Silica Coated-Y2O3:Eu as Fillers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mikrajuddin Abdullah

    2003-05-01

    Full Text Available Luminescent polymer electrolyte composites composed of silica coated Y2O3:Eu in polyethylene glycol (PEG matrix has been produced by initially synthesizing silica coated Y2O3:Eu and mixing with polyethylene glycol in a lithium salt solution. High luminescence intensity at round 600 nm contributed by electron transitions in Eu3+ (5D0 -> 7F0, 5D0 -> 7F1, and 5D0 -> 7F3 transitions were observed. The measured electrical conductivity was comparable to that reported for polymer electrolyte composites prepared using passive fillers (non luminescent. This approach is therefore promising for production of high intensity luminescent polymer electrolyte composites for use in development of hybrid battery/display.

  19. Suppression of Red Luminescence in Wire Explosion Derived Eu:ZnO

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pallavi, Bandi; Sathyan, Sneha; Yoshimura, Takuya; Kumar, Praveen; Anbalagan, Kousika; Talluri, Bhusankar; Ramanujam, Sarathi; Ranjan, Prem; Thomas, Tiju

    2018-03-01

    Europium oxide (Eu2O3) is coated on zinc (Zn) wire using the electrophoretic deposition process. The coated Zn wire is subjected to the wire explosion process (WEP) which is rapid (material has ˜ 0.24 at.% doping. This analysis also shows that, unlike another popular material GaN, in the case of ZnO, Eu3+ strictly substitutes for Zn2+ (i.e., dopant replacing a cation-anion pair does not seem possible). It may be noted that Eu3+ in a suitable host is oftentimes reported to be an efficient luminophore. The IR spectra show a band shift from 486 cm-1 to 493 cm-1; with peak shifts from 436 cm-1 to 430 cm-1 in Raman spectra. These too indicate the presence of Eu in the samples. However, at room temperature, only green luminescence (centered at 534 nm) is observed from the sample indicating (1) high concentrations of OZn anti-site defects and Zn vacancies, and (2) concomitant quenching of the luminescence at room temperature. Our results suggest that WEP is viable for synthesizing rare earth doped ceramic materials. However, obtaining efficient phosphors using this approach will likely require, (1) reduction of defect densities, and (2) appropriate passivation using post-processing.

  20. Adding Value to Force Diagrams: Representing Relative Force Magnitudes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wendel, Paul

    2011-05-01

    Nearly all physics instructors recognize the instructional value of force diagrams, and this journal has published several collections of exercises to improve student skill in this area.1-4 Yet some instructors worry that too few students perceive the conceptual and problem-solving utility of force diagrams,4-6 and over recent years a rich variety of approaches has been proposed to add value to force diagrams. Suggestions include strategies for identifying candidate forces,6,7 emphasizing the distinction between "contact" and "noncontact" forces,5,8 and the use of computer-based tutorials.9,10 Instructors have suggested a variety of conventions for constructing force diagrams, including approaches to arrow placement and orientation2,11-13 and proposed notations for locating forces or marking action-reaction force pairs.8,11,14,15

  1. Corporate Social Responsibility Performance during Crisis. A EU Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adina Dornean

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims at analyzing the impact of the financial crisis on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR performance, emphasizing the case of companies from European Union (EU countries. An empirical analysis is conducted using the database available on Global Report Initiative (GRI. For accomplishing this, we will use Wilcoxon signed rank sum test, in order to test the CSR performance evolution for period 2007 – 2015. According to the GRI reporting guidelines we transform the application level of report standards in a point score system. The results indicated increased CSR performance before, during and after the financial crisis except for 2015, which confirm the results obtained by other researchers. The present study is important both for managers and policymakers: for managers to continue their CSR actions because is demonstrated the positive relationship between CSR and financial performance; and for authorities who have to adopt more incentives for supporting companies involved in CSR activities.

  2. Europium(II)heptaphosphide EuP/sub 7/

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    von Schnering, H G; Wittmann, M

    1980-07-01

    The novel polyphosphide, EuP/sub 7/, was prepared under controlled conditions by reaction of the elements in salt melts at 750-800 K. EuP/sub 7/ forms black prismatic crystals not attacked by dilute mineral acids and bases. The thermal decomposition yields EuP/sub 3/ at 700 K and in further steps EuP/sub 2/, Eu/sub 3/P/sub 4/ and EuP, respectively. According to the crystal structure as well as the electrical, optical and magnetic properties, EuP/sub 7/ is a semiconductor (Esub(G) = 0.9 eV; Esub(G) (vert) = 1.1 eV) with divalent europium (..mu.. = 7.55 B.M.). The compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P 2/sub 1//n with a = 1148.8(7) pm, b = 570.0(3) pm, c = 1061.0(6) pm, and ..beta.. = 106.08/sup 0/(5); (X-ray diffraction data; 1479 hkl; R = 0.031). The P-atoms are connected ((P-P) = 218.0-223.5 pm) to a 2-dimensional infinite polyanionic structure 2sub(infinity)(P/sub 7//sup 2 -/) with homonuclear 3-bonded and 2-bonded P-atoms in the ratio 5 : 2. The polyanionic network contains P/sub 6/-rings (chair conformation) as well as P/sub 8/-rings and P/sub 10/-rings. The Eu-atoms are bonded to 9 P-atoms (1,4,4-polyhedra) with bond distances ranging from 306.6 to 326.6 pm. The Eu-atoms complete the tetrahedral environment of the P-atoms.

  3. Bosnia and Herzegovina's metalworking industry companies barriers to export to EU market

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Spasojević-Brkić Vesna K.

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Export of products and services on EU market can bring great benefits, but also sets requirements to companies which are not easy to meet. Metal processing industry today is the main exporter in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH. However value of import significantly exceeds value of the export. Therefore, there is a need to increase export to EU market. The aim of this paper is an empirical examination of the export possibilities to EU market, conducted on a sample of 24 metal complex companies in BIH. Obtained results indicate that adequate marketing strategy is a minor influential factor for export to EU market. Also the research shows that a significant number of companies is not familiar with new approach directives, as well as with procedures for conformity assessment. Most of the surveyed companies have an opinion that there is not enough number of adequate laboratories and institutions for export assistance. Also, the lack of capital for export financing in the companies as export barrier is significant. This topic should be further researched, as it is very important for companies' growth and development in BIH.

  4. Photoswitchable Faraday effect in EuS-Au nanosystems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kawashima, Akira; Nakanishi, Takayuki; Kitagawa, Yuichi; Fushimi, Koji; Hasegawa, Yasuchika [Division of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, North-13 West-8, Kita-ku, 060-8628, Sapporo (Japan)

    2016-01-15

    Effective photoswitchable europium sulfide nanocrystals with gold nanoparticles using dithiol (DDT: 1,10-decanedithiol) joint molecules, EuS-Au nanosystems, are demonstrated. The TEM image indicates the formation of EuS-Au nanosystems composed of cube-shaped EuS nanocrystals and spherical Au nanoparticles. Under visible-light irradiation, a drastic change of absorption band of EuS-Au nanosystems at around 600 nm was observed. The Faraday effects of EuS-Au nanosystems were estimated using magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) measurements. The effective change of the MCD spectra of EuS-Au nanosystems under visible-light irradiation was successfully observed at around 670 nm for the first time. The effective reversible changes in MCD spectra with the alternative irradiation cycles of visible light (>440 nm) and dark are also presented. The decrease rate of rotation angle at 670 nm of EuS-Au nanosystems is larger than that of absorbance. These results indicate that the effective change of MCD spectra of EuS-Au nanosystems would be dominated not only by a drastic change of absorption band related to enhanced LSPR of Au nanoparticles but also by specific interaction between EuS and Au in nanosystem under irradiation. Illustration of photoswitch and TEM image of EuS-Au nanosystems. (copyright 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  5. 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...

  6. A study of Eu incorporated ZnO thin films: An application of Al/ZnO:Eu/p-Si heterojunction diode

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Turgut, G. [Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Science, Erzurum Technical University, Erzurum, 25240 (Turkey); Duman, S., E-mail: sduman@atauni.edu.tr [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Ataturk University, Erzurum, 25240 (Turkey); Sonmez, E. [Department of Physics, Faculty of K.K. Education, Ataturk University, Erzurum, 25240 (Turkey); Ozcelik, F.S. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Ataturk University, Erzurum, 25240 (Turkey)

    2016-04-15

    Highlights: • Eu incorporated ZnO thin films were grown by sol–gel spin coating. • The influence of Eu contribution on features of ZnO was investigated. • Al/ZnO:Eu/p-Si heterojunction diodes were also fabricated. • The diode parameters were calculated from I–V measurements. - Abstract: In present work, the pure and europium (Eu) incorporated zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited with sol-gel spin coating by using zinc acetate dehydrate and Eu (III) chloride salts. The coated films were examined by means of XRD, AFM and UV/VIS spectrophotometer. The ZnO hexagonal wurtzite nanoparticles with (002) preferential direction were observed for all films. The values of crystallite size, micro-strain and surface roughness continuously increased from 21 nm, 1.10 × 10{sup −3} and 2.43 nm to the values of 35.56 nm, 1.98 × 10{sup −3} and 28.99 nm with Eu doping, respectively. The optical band gap value of the pure ZnO initially increased from 3.296 eV to 3.328 eV with Eu doping up to 2 at.% doping level, then it started to decrease with more Eu content. The electrical features of Al/n-ZnO:Eu/p-Si heterojunction diodes were inquired by current-voltage (I–V) measurements at the room temperature.

  7. Ex-ante evaluation of EU ETS during 2013–2030: EU-internal abatement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu, Jing; Crijns-Graus, Wina; Lam, Long; Gilbert, Alyssa

    2015-01-01

    This study investigates CO 2 emission reduction within the EU resulting from the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) up to 2030. This is performed by constructing a baseline scenario without the ETS and assessing the impacts of the ETS, as currently designed. The results indicate that the ETS will start to impact emissions primarily after 2025 due to the prevalence of a sizable allowance surplus. The impact of approved (i.e. back-loading and 2.2% linear reduction factor (LRF)) and proposed (i.e. market stability reserve (MSR)) policy interventions and the inclusion of aviation, could accelerate the exhaustion of surplus and increase emission reductions during the investigated period. However, these measures would be insufficient to restore the scarcity of allowances and the corresponding carbon price before the start of ETS Phase IV, and the effectiveness of EU-internal abatement cannot be guaranteed until 2023. The effectiveness could be further reduced in the case of the economic shocks or the exclusion of international aviation. To restore the scarcity of allowances, other reform options are necessary. This paper extends the reasoning for the early removal of the back-loaded 900 Mtonne allowances by 2020 and broadening the scope of ETS to other sectors with potential high demand for allowances. - Highlights: • Quantification of CO 2 emission abatement in the EU resulting from the ETS up to 2030. • The impact of policy interventions and the inclusion of aviation is quantified. • The effectiveness of EU ETS in EU-internal abatement is limited until 2023

  8. New reddish-orange and greenish-yellow light emitting phosphors: Eu3+ and Tb3+/Eu3+ in sodium germanate glass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Álvarez, E.; Zayas, Ma. E.; Alvarado-Rivera, J.; Félix-Domínguez, F.; Duarte-Zamorano, R.P.; Caldiño, U.

    2014-01-01

    A spectroscopic analysis of sodium germanate glasses activated with Eu 3+ , Tb 3+ and Eu 3+ /Tb 3+ is performed from their photoluminescence spectra and decay times. In the Eu 3+ -singly doped glass reddish-orange light emission, with x=0.64 and y=0.35 CIE1931 chromaticity coordinates, is obtained upon Eu 3+ excitation at 393 nm. Such chromaticity coordinates are close to those (0.67, 0.33) proposed by the National Television Standard Committee for the red phosphor. When the sodium germanate glass is co-doped with Tb 3+ and Eu 3+ greenish-yellow light emission, with (0.41, 0.46) CIE1931 chromaticity coordinates, is obtained upon Tb 3+ excitation at 344 nm. Such greenish-yellow luminescence is due mainly to the terbium 5 D 4 → 7 F 6,5 and europium 5 D 0 → 7 F 1,2 emissions, Eu 3+ being sensitized by Tb 3+ through a non-radiative energy transfer. The non-radiative nature of this energy transfer is inferred from the increase in the decay rate of the Tb 3+ emission when the glass is co-doped with Eu 3+ . From an analysis of the Tb 3+ emission decay time curves it is inferred that such energy transfer might take place between Tb 3+ and Eu 3+ clusters through a short-range interaction mechanism. - Highlights: • Sodium germanate glasses are optically activated with Eu 3+ (GNE) and Tb 3+ /Eu 3+ (GNTE). • Reddish-orange light (0.64, 0.35) is generated by GNE pumped with 393 nm light. • Greenish-yellow light (0.41, 0.46) is generated by GNTE pumped with 344 nm light. • Non-radiative energy transfer Tb 3+ →Eu 3+ takes place in GNTE

  9. 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.

  10. EU import restrictions on genetically modified feeds: impacts on Spanish, EU and global livestock sectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Philippidis, G.

    2010-07-01

    Over the last decade, much controversy has surrounded the usage of genetically modified organism (GMO) technology in commercial agriculture. More specifically, it is feared that GMOs may introduce new allergens into the food chain or contribute to antibiotic resistance. At the current time, the European Union (EU) adopts a zero tolerance policy toward non-approved GMO imports, whilst the approval process has not kept pace with the proliferation of new GMO varieties. In the EU livestock sectors, this apparent mis-match threatens to interrupt supplies of high protein feed inputs (e.g., soy meal) from countries with more relaxed regulations regarding GMOs. Employing a well known multi-region computable general equilibrium framework, this study quantitatively assesses the impact of a hypothetical EU import ban on unapproved GMO varieties of soybean and maize imports on livestock, meat and dairy sectors. The model code is heavily modified to improve the characterisation of the agricultural sectors and land usage, whilst a realistic baseline is employed to update the global database to 2008, the year the hypothetical ban is implemented. In the worst case scenario, there are significant competitive losses in EU livestock, meat and dairy sectors. In Spain, the negative impacts are particularly pronounced given the importance of pig production in agriculture. In contrast, all non-EU regions trade balances improve, with notable trade gains in the USA and Brazil. To conclude, the EU must urgently find a long term strategy for GMOs if it is to reconcile political expediency with pragmatic economic concerns. (Author) 21 refs.

  11. EU's tiltræden til EMRK - et sisyfosarbejde?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bang Fuglsang Madsen Sørensen, Henning

    2015-01-01

    EU-Domstolen afviste med opinion 2/13 den 18. december 2014 at lade EU tiltræde EMRK på grundlag af et udkast til en tiltrædelsesaftale. I artiklen behandles baggrunden for og det konkrete indhold i EU-Domstolens afvisning, hvorefter det undersøges, i hvilket omfang EMD fremover kan forventes...... at respektere EU-rettens forrang og dermed undlade at holde medlemsstaterne ansvarlige for påståede krænkelser som følge af medlemsstaternes forpligtelser efter EU-retten....

  12. GENERAL OVERWIEV ON EU ECONOMY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    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.

  13. EU Nuclear vs. Fukushima

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poncelet, Jean-Pol

    2011-01-01

    Conclusions: • The Fukushima-Daiichi accident represents an opportunity for the nuclear industry to demonstrate its ability to learn from experience through “a continuous improvement strategy”; • Inside the EU: which legal framework for nuclear safety - harmonisation of licensing procedures - EU-level reactor design clearance?; • No way forward without public support: how to address, explain, convince?; • Greater cooperation between industry and international organizations: FORATOM available to contribute

  14. The EU's Normative Power in Changing World Politics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Manners, Ian

    2009-01-01

    global order: 1) what is the concept of normative power in world politics?; 2) what is an effective EU toolbox for tackling new challenges?; 3) how does the EU go beyond self-perception and rhetoric?; 4) what is the raison d'etre of the EU?; and 5) how might normative power in EU external policies lead...

  15. Calling the EU's bluff. Who are the real champions of biodiversity and traditional knowledge in the EU-Central American and EU-Community of Andean Nations Association Agreements?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hall, R.

    2009-12-01

    Global Europe and the EU's Raw Materials Initiative are designed to bolster the EU's economic position - whatever the cost - in the face of fierce global competition for both markets and resources, especially from emerging economies such as China and India. The EU also fears losing trade to the US, which has already secured trade and investment concessions from countries in the Western hemisphere, through the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) and other bilateral trade agreements.

  16. Third single energy market package of the EU Commission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heller, W.

    2008-01-01

    In adopting the so-called Third Single Energy Market Package on September 9, 2007, the European Commission has initiated a comprehensive reform of the single energy market. The main item of the package is the separation of generation and supply from the transmission grids and transport networks in the electricity and gas sectors (ownership unbundling), an approach favored by the Commission. On the other hand, the Commission wants to advance protection of the European market in case firms from third countries, to the extent in which they do not comply with the EU unbundling requirements, would want to assume control over an EU grid or network. The key points of the package are presented. The legal and entrepreneurial ramifications are discussed, for instance, under the aspect of protection of ownership, and concrete as well as potential concerns about ownership unbundling are voiced. (orig.)

  17. Intra-EU agricultural trade, virtual water flows and policy implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antonelli, M; Tamea, S; Yang, H

    2017-06-01

    The development of approaches to tackle the European Union (EU) water-related challenges and shift towards sustainable water management and use is one of the main objectives of Horizon 2020, the EU strategy to lead a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The EU is an increasingly water challenged area and is a major agricultural trader. As agricultural trade entails an exchange of water embodied in goods as a factor of production, this study investigates the region's water-food-trade nexus by analysing intra-regional virtual water trade (VWT) in agricultural products. The analysed period (1993-2011) comprises the enactment of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) in the year 2000. Aspects of the VWT that are relevant for the WFD are explored. The EU is a net importer of virtual water (VW) from the rest of the world, but intra-regional VWT represents 46% of total imports and 75% of total exports. Five countries account for 60% of total VW imports (Germany, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium) and 65% of total VW exports (The Netherlands, France, Germany, Belgium and Spain). Intra-EU VWT more than doubled over the period considered, while trade with extra-EU countries did not show such a marked trend. In the same period, blue VWT increased significantly within the region and net import from the rest of the world slightly decreased. Water scarce countries, such as Spain and Italy, are major exporters of blue water in the region. The traded volumes of VW have been increasing almost monotonically over the years, and with a substantial increase after 2000. The overall trend in changes in VWT does not seem to be in accordance with the WFD goals. This study demonstrated that VWT analyses can help evaluate intertwining effects of water, agriculture and trade policies which are often made separately in respective sectors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Effect of Eu magnetism on the electronic properties of the candidate Dirac material EuMnBi2

    Science.gov (United States)

    May, Andrew F.; McGuire, Michael A.; Sales, Brian C.

    2014-08-01

    The crystal structure and physical properties of the layered material EuMnBi2 have been characterized by measurements on single crystals. EuMnBi2 is isostructural with the Dirac material SrMnBi2 based on single-crystal x-ray diffraction, crystallizing in the I4/mmm space group (No. 139). Magnetic susceptibility measurements suggest antiferromagnetic (AFM) ordering of moments on divalent Eu ions near TN=22 K. For low fields, the ordered Eu moments are aligned along the c axis, and a spin flop is observed near 5.4 T at 5 K. The moment is not saturated in an applied field of 13 T at 5 K, which is uncommon for compounds containing Eu2+. The magnetic behavior suggests an anisotropy enhancement via interaction between Eu and the Mn moments that appear to be ordered antiferromagnetically below ≈310 K. A large increase in the magnetoresistance is observed across the spin flop, with absolute magnetoresistance reaching ≈650% at 5 K and 12 T. Hall effect measurements reveal a decrease in the carrier density below TN, which implies a manipulation of the Fermi surface by magnetism on the sites surrounding the Bi square nets that lead to Dirac cones in this family of materials.

  19. Beyond the Eurosceptic/Europhile Divide: Towards a New Classification of EU News Coverage in the UK Press

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John Price

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Newspapers are typically categorised as being either Eurosceptic or Europhile. However, this classification is insufficient and misleading when applied to news reporting in the UK press. The term Euroscepticism has been usefully deconstructed into more nuanced and complex categories by researchers studying political parties and public opinion. A similar approach is now needed to better represent the complexities of EU news coverage. The current Eurosceptic/Europhile classification needs to be developed for two main reasons. First, it is misleading in that it fails to accurately map the landscape of EU news reporting across the press. Second, it is too simplistic in that it ignores important variations in EU news production – in particular, differences between tabloid and quality titles, and between Brussels based and national based journalists. This article will discuss these issues by drawing on new, empirical research into EU news production. It will conclude by proposing a new means of classifying EU news coverage in the UK press.

  20. Blue emission in photoluminescence spectra of the red phosphor CaAlSiN3:Eu2+ at low Eu2+ concentration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suda, Yoriko; Kamigaki, Yoshiaki; Yamamoto, Hajime

    2018-04-01

    In red phosphor CaAlSiN3:Eu2+, unintentional blue emission occurs with increasing intensity at low Eu2+ concentrations and also at low measurement temperatures. Time-resolved photoluminescence measurements were used to confirm the decrease in red emission and increase in blue emission with the decreasing Eu2+ concentration. The peak timing of blue emission occurred faster than that of red emission, and long lasting luminescence of red emission was observed as well as that of blue emission. The Eu2+ concentration dependences of the red and blue emissions were similar to those of the g values 4.75 (Eu2+) and 2.0025 (nitrogen vacancies), respectively, which were observed from electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements. The origin of the blue emission is proposed to be nitrogen vacancy defects, which had about the same ESR signal intensity as that of Eu2+ ions in CaAlSiN3:Eu2+ containing 0.01 at. % Eu2+. The possibility of red emission also arising from excited electron tunneling or thermal pathways via nitrogen vacancies is discussed. Long lasting red emission was observed, which is proposed to involve trapped electrons remaining at nitrogen vacancies, yielding blue emission and inducing red emission from Eu2+ ions.

  1. THE ROLE OF INNOVATION POLICIES IN ECONOMIC SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EU

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rodica CRUDU

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Innovation is one of the key-elements providing increased competitiveness to countries which is defining in building effective economies. In modern conditions, great attention is paid to economic sustainability which besides effectiveness takes into account the impact of human activities over the environment. Europe has always been one of leading forces of innovation in the world. However, its importance has constantly decreased due to rise of the US, Japan and newly of China. The European Union has oriented much effort towards fostering innovation through various policies and instruments in order to keep up with the growing pace of economic and technologic development in the modern world. By these policies, the EU aims at creating favourable conditions for countries to promote innovation taking into account the national peculiarities as to allow improved flexibility and adaptability. The main goal of the present paper is to assess the impact of the EU innovation policies upon sustainable development of the member countries. There are to be analysed the main paradigms,concepts, initiatives and strategies frame-working innovation in the EU and, consequently, their impact upon economic development and the consistence in facing new challenges. In the end,on the base on identified correlations, concrete actions and measures to foster performance of innovation policies in general are identified.

  2. 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.

  3. 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

  4. Conference-EC-US Task Force Joint US-EU Workshop on Metabolomics and Environmental Biotechnology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    PI: Lily Y. Young

    2009-06-04

    Since 1990, the EC-US Task Force on Biotechnology Research has been coordinating transatlantic efforts to guide and exploit the ongoing revolution in biotechnology and the life sciences. The Task Force was established in June 1990 by the European Commission and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The Task Force has acted as an effective forum for discussion, coordination, and development of new ideas for the last 18 years. Task Force members are European Commission and US Government science and technology administrators who meet annually to enhance communication across the Atlantic, and to encourage collaborative research. Through sponsoring workshops, and other activities, the Task Force also brings together scientific leaders and early career researchers from both sides of the Atlantic to forecast research challenges and opportunities and to promote better links between researchers. Over the years, by keeping a focus on the future of science, the Task Force has played a key role in establishing a diverse range of emerging scientific fields, including biodiversity research, neuroinformatics, genomics, nanobiotechnology, neonatal immunology, transkingdom molecular biology, biologically-based fuels, and environmental biotechnology. The EC-US Task Force has sponsored a number of Working Groups on topics of mutual transatlantic interest. The idea to create a Working Group on Environmental Biotechnology research was discussed in the Task Force meeting of October 1993. The EC-US Working Group on Environmental Biotechnology set as its mission 'To train the next generation of leaders in environmental biotechnology in the United States and the European Union to work collaboratively across the Atlantic.' Since 1995, the Working Group supported three kinds of activities, all of which focus one early career scientists: (1) Workshops on the use of molecular methods and genomics in environmental biotechnology; (2) Short courses with theoretical

  5. Contract theory and EU Contract Law

    OpenAIRE

    Hesselink, M.W.; Twigg-Flesner, C.

    2016-01-01

    This paper explores the relationship between contract theory and European contract law. In particular, it confronts the leading contract law theories with the main characteristics of EU contract law. The conclusion is that the two do not match well. In particular, monist normative contract theories are largely irreconcilable with the contract law of the EU. The paper further addresses the main implications of this mismatch, both for contract theory and for EU contract law. It suggests that in...

  6. AU-EU “Strategic Partnership”

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rodt, Annemarie Peen; Okeke, Jide

    2013-01-01

    This article appraises strategic partnership between the African Union (AU) and European Union (EU). It examines the context and nature of AU and EU security relations and explores the conditions under which partnership has a positive impact in this regard. This includes an evaluation...... of convergence between the two organizations and its effect or lack thereof on African security. The article concludes that events leading up to and initiatives following the 2007 Joint Africa–European Union Strategy have produced a degree of AU and EU convergence, which has had limited impact on the efficacy...... of the African security regime, the level of which remains mediocre at best....

  7. EU

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Abrahamson, Peter; Borchorst, Anette

    2002-01-01

    Der er et komplekst forhold mellem EU og den danske velfærdsstat. Den sociale dimension i det europæiske samarbejde er splittet mellem et pres mod harmonisering og pres for at fastholde national suverænitet. Negativ integration har været den foretrukne interventionsform. Drivkræfterne har især...

  8. Modelling Eu(III) speciation in a Eu(III)/PAHA/α-Al2O3 ternary system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Janot, Noemie; Reiller, Pascal E.; Benedetti, Marc F.

    2013-01-01

    In this work, modelling of Eu(III) speciation in a ternary system, i.e., in presence of purified Aldrich humic acid (PAHA) and α-Al 2 O 3 , is presented. First, the mineral surface charge is measured by potentiometric titrations and then described using the CD-MUSIC model. This model is also used to describe Eu(III) binding to the α-Al 2 O 3 surface at different pH values, ionic strength and mineral concentrations. Time resolved luminescence spectroscopy (TRLS) is then used to study the binding of Eu(III) to PAHA at pH 4 with different humic acid concentrations. The spectra are used to calculate a spectroscopic 'titration curve', used to determine Eu(III)/PAHA binding parameters in the NICA-Donnan model. Following a previous study (Janot et al., Water Res. 46, 731-740), modelling of the ternary system is based upon the definition of two PAHA pools where one fraction remains in solution and the other is adsorbed onto the mineral surface, with each possessing different proton and metal binding parameters. The modification of protonation behaviour for both fractions is examined using spectrophotometric titrations of the non adsorbed PAHA fraction at different organic/mineral ratios. These data are then used to describe Eu(III) interactions in the ternary system: Eu(III) re-partitioning in the ternary system is calculated for different pH, ionic strength and PAHA concentrations, and results are compared to experimental observations. The model is in good agreement with experimental data, except at high PAHA fractionation rates. Results show that organic complexation dominates over a large pH range, with the predominant species existing as the surface-bound fraction. Above pH 8, Eu(III) seems to be mostly complexed to the mineral surface, which is in agreement with previous spectroscopic observations (Janot et al., Environ. Sci. Technol. 45, 3224-3230). (authors)

  9. EU Agro Biogas Project

    OpenAIRE

    Amon, T.; Mayr, H.; Eder, M.; Hobbs, P.; Rao Ravella, S.; Roth, U.; Niebaum, A.; Doehler, H.; Weiland, P.; Abdoun, E.; Moser, A.; Lyson, M.; Heiermann, M.; Plöchl, M.; Budde, J.

    2009-01-01

    EU-AGRO-BIOGAS is a European Biogas initiative to improve the yield of agricultural biogas plants in Europe, to optimise biogas technology and processes and to improve the efficiency in all parts of the production chain from feedstock to biogas utilisation. Leading European research institutions and universities are cooperating with key industry partners in order to work towards sustainable biogas production in Europe. Fourteen partners from eight European countries are involved in the EU-AGR...

  10. Energy transfer mechanism in CsI:Eu crystal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yakovlev, V.; Trefilova, L.; Karnaukhova, A.; Ovcharenko, N.

    2014-01-01

    This paper studies the scintillation process in CsI:Eu crystal exposed to the pulse electron irradiation (E=0.25 MeV, t 1/2 =15 ns and W=0.003 J/cm 2 ). It has been proved that the energy transfer from the lattice to Eu 2+ ions in CsI:Eu occurs through the re-absorption of STE emission. The proposed model rests on the following experimental facts: (1) the activator emission at 2.68 eV rises gradually after the decay of the excitation pulse even at temperature lower than 90 K when V k centers are immobile; (2) the rise time of 2.68 eV emission and the decay time of STE emission have the same temperature dependences at T=78–300 K; (3) the excitation spectrum of 2.68 eV emission overlaps the emission spectrum of STE. -- Highlights: • The scintillation process in CsI:Eu was studied under pulsed electron irradiation. • A model of the energy transfer from the lattice to Eu 2+ ions in CsI:Eu was proposed. • Eu 2+ ions in CsI:Eu reabsorb the π-emission of self-trapped excitons

  11. BA DEMO R and D, activities on advanced tritium breeders in EU

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Knitter, Regina; Kolb, Matthias H.H.; Leys, Oliver H.J.B. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany). Inst. for Applied Materials (IAM-WPT)

    2013-07-01

    Within the Broader Approach (BA) activities on DEMO R and D, EU and Japan have launched a collaborative project on scalable and reliable production routes for advanced tritium breeders. Besides the development of the fabrication process, the reprocessing as well as the long-term stability of advanced breeder is to be investigated. In the EU, a modified melt-based process for the fabrication of lithium orthosilicate pebbles have been developed. Besides the optimization of process parameters, the chemical composition of the pebbles was altered by additions of titania in order to increase the mechanical properties by the formation of lithium metatitanate as a secondary, strengthening phase. (orig.)

  12. The EU electricity production structure requires a differentiated energy policy; Die Stromerzeugungsstruktur der EU erfordert eine differenzierte Energiepolitik

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anon.

    2016-04-15

    For the electricity production of the EU there are differentiated structures which are based on different natural conditions, political decisions and investments of past decades. It has long been struggled committed to the ''one and correct'' energy policy. But precisely because of the differences in the individual countries, a unified energy and climate policy for the EU is not the right way. Diversity is a strength, which quite the EU Commission considered. Increased understanding of the specifics in other countries should just apply the German politics and the public that all too often judges from their own perspective. [German] Bei der Stromerzeugung in der EU bestehen differenzierte Strukturen, die auf unterschiedlichen natuerlichen Gegebenheiten, politischen Entscheidungen und Investitionen vergangener Jahrzehnte beruhen. Seit langem wird engagiert um die ''eine und richtige'' Energiepolitik gerungen. Doch gerade wegen der Unterschiede in den einzelnen Laendern kann eine vereinheitlichte Energie- und Klimapolitik fuer die EU nicht der richtige Weg sein. Vielfalt ist eine Staerke, was die EU-Kommission durchaus beruecksichtigt. Mehr Verstaendnis fuer die Spezifika in anderen Laendern sollte daher gerade die deutsche Politik und Oeffentlichkeit aufbringen, die allzu oft aus eigener Perspektive heraus urteilt.

  13. 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

  14. EU Law Autonomy Versus European Fundamental Rights Protection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Storgaard, Louise Halleskov

    2015-01-01

    In the recently issued Opinion 2/13, the EU Court of Justice ruled that EU accession to the European Convention on Human Rights on the basis of the current Draft Accession Agreement would be incompatible with the EU Treaties. This article examines the impact of Opinion 2/13 on European fundamental...... rights protection. It argues that the concerns for EU law autonomy expressed in the Opinion for the most part are unwarranted and that the Court, through the use of classic constitutionalist language, seeks to position EU law as the superior European fundamental rights regime. The article furthermore...

  15. Some Critical Reflections on the Extended Use of Military Force in the Contemporary World

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Mrázek, Josef

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 7, nemá (2016), s. 47-76 ISSN 1805-0565. E-ISSN 1805-0999 Institutional support: RVO:68378122 Keywords : aggression * military force * customary international law Subject RIV: AG - Legal Sciences http://www.cyil.eu/

  16. Electronic transport through EuO spin-filter tunnel junctions

    KAUST Repository

    Jutong, Nuttachai

    2012-11-12

    Epitaxial spin-filter tunnel junctions based on the ferromagnetic semiconductor europium monoxide (EuO) are investigated by means of density functional theory. In particular, we focus on the spin transport properties of Cu(100)/EuO(100)/Cu(100) junctions. The dependence of the transmission coefficient and the current-voltage curves on the interface spacing and EuO thickness is explained in terms of the EuO density of states and the complex band structure. Furthermore, we also discuss the relation between the spin transport properties and the Cu-EuO interface geometry. The level alignment of the junction is sensitively affected by the interface spacing, since this determines the charge transfer between EuO and the Cu electrodes. Our calculations indicate that EuO epitaxially grown on Cu can act as a perfect spin filter, with a spin polarization of the current close to 100%, and with both the Eu-5d conduction-band and the Eu-4f valence-band states contributing to the coherent transport. For epitaxial EuO on Cu, a symmetry filtering is observed, with the Δ1 states dominating the transmission. This leads to a transport gap larger than the fundamental EuO band gap. Importantly, the high spin polarization of the current is preserved up to large bias voltages.

  17. EU Outer Borders and Radiation - An Urgent Need for Standardization, New Detector Technologies and Education Harmonization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prlic, Ivica; Suric Mihic, Marija; Kosmina, Domagoj; Shaw, Peter; Hajdinjak, Mladen; Cerovac, Zdravko; Bozina, Zeljko

    2014-01-01

    It appears that new IAEA transport regulations are s tarting to bite - as now there is a definite requirement for assessments of all relevant radio-nuclides in n on-equilibrium mixes': It is heard that several shipments that were either delayed significantly or rejected all together in ports in the EU. Things like synthetic rutile, zirconia, copper concentrates, and so on... Devise a NORM Passport for NORM shipments : including a text description of the material and photographs, radionuclide content plus some radiological data (dose rates, gamma spectrum and maybe also something on trigger levels for border monitoring alarms). Produce a guidance booklet for border control authorities. The two suggestions are connected, and Ii is suggested that they form a single project of how to equip the EU border contort facilities. Denial of shipment due to border alarms is an issue that affects industry- that is why it is hoped that they would be interested in being involved. Clearly it is needed to address world-wide transport (i.e. because that's where most of the NORM comes from). The whole EU outer border customs protocol is th be added to above mentioned monitoring of NORM. The new radiation technologies are used to fulfill the security issues (like stowaways, smuggling, ilicit trafficking etc..). All above mentioned forces us to standardize the customs protocols, to upgrade the education of involved workers and fo harmonize the issue throughout the EU. Croatia is a front point in the moment because of the very long and 'soft' outer EU border. (authors)

  18. The Economics of Parallel Trade – Iconoclast Views on a Dogma of EU Competition Law

    OpenAIRE

    Petit, Nicolas

    2010-01-01

    This paper attempts to demonstrate that whilst parallel trade (also referred to as “grey market trade” in the United States, or as “arbitrage” in economic theory) in the European Union is subject to a remarkably favourable legal regime, the economic case supporting this approach remains to be made. To this end, it shows that the position of the EU Courts, and more generally of the EU institutions, is far from unquestionable in light of the relevant economic literature.

  19. European Security through EU-Russian Relations: Towards a New Multilateral Order?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandra Fernandes

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Since the end of the Cold War, the EU and Russia have managed to create an original framework for institutionalised cooperation despite asymmetric characteristics. Yet, the way these two main security actors interact has an impact on the (non-resolution of security issues in Europe, ranging from ‘‘frozen conflicts’’ to the discussion of the security architecture. Since the second mandate of President Putin, the relation has been characterised by two paradoxical features. On the one hand, the methodology and the domains of cooperation have reached a high degree of achievement. On the other hand, the political quality of the relationship has deteriorated and it is not able to achieve the desired ‘‘strategic partnership’’ that should be based on a common set of values and principles. This article aims to define multilateralism as a paradigm applicable to EU-Russian relations. It examines their relationship in the security and defence realm and the Union’s reactions to a new security approach by Russia since the 2008 Medvedev proposal. The article questions how the EU-Russian political dialogue impacts on multilateralism in the security field. The conclusion considers EU-Russian relations as a peculiar multilateral playground addressing common security challenges, which still needs to be developed further in order to be instrumental in the search for collective and legitimate solutions.

  20. Specific elements of communication on agri-food products resulting from EU legislation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Timiras

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available In the European Union a significant number of regulations aimed at agricultural and food sector thus creating the legal framework regarding the mode of production, pricing, distribution and communication in relation to agri-food products. Specificity agri-food marketing communication at EU level resulting in most of the measures taken with regard to ensuring consumer protection, food safety and security, some of them, in force in early 2012, referring to the labeling, presentation and advertising of agri-food products, sponsorship and distinctive signs of quality are shown in this paper.

  1. 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....

  2. Rethinking EU Citizenship: Towards the Postmodern Ethics of Citizenship

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sanja IVIC

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available The concept of EU citizenship reflects EU politics of (fixed identity, which guarantees rights only to the homogenous groups (and individuals as representatives of these groups. Hence, it leaves room for marginalizing, othering, excluding and other forms of discrimination, by creating binary oppositions: we/they, citizen/alien, EU/non-EU and so forth. EU citizenship is based on the modernist ethics of priority of right over the good. It is created to promote European idea, so it has only instrumental value. On the other hand, the politics of affinity leads to the substantive EU citizenship founded on multiple identities. The politics of affinity requires a new ethics which will lead to transformation of the main concepts of EU legal discourse.

  3. 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.

  4. The EU and China

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zank, Wolfgang

    In September 2004 David Shambaugh, of George Washington University, published a small article under the heading: “China and Europe: The Emerging Axis.” In his view, one “of the most important, yet least appreciated developments … has been the dramatic growth in ties between China and Europe......” (Shambaugh 2004, 243). He pointed, firstly, at the strong growth in trade relations; the EU also became the largest foreign supplier of technology and equipment, in the form of direct investment, but also through a number of joint technology projects. The EU-China Framework Program became the world’s largest...... common research project. As to political cooperation, numerous meetings have been institutionalised, among them, at the top level an annual EU-China Summit. The contacts have resulted in a number of agreements, for instance on group tourism. According to estimates 100,000 Chinese Students went...

  5. The EU's Convergence Dilemma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    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

  6. Absolute measurement of 152Eu

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baba, Hiroshi; Baba, Sumiko; Ichikawa, Shinichi; Sekine, Toshiaki; Ishikawa, Isamu

    1981-08-01

    A new method of the absolute measurement for 152 Eu was established based on the 4πβ-γ spectroscopic anti-coincidence method. It is a coincidence counting method consisting of a 4πβ-counter and a Ge(Li) γ-ray detector, in which the effective counting efficiencies of the 4πβ-counter for β-rays, conversion electrons, and Auger electrons were obtained by taking the intensity ratios for certain γ-rays between the single spectrum and the spectrum coincident with the pulses from the 4πβ-counter. First, in order to verify the method, three different methods of the absolute measurement were performed with a prepared 60 Co source to find excellent agreement among the results deduced by them. Next, the 4πβ-γ spectroscopic coincidence measurement was applied to 152 Eu sources prepared by irradiating an enriched 151 Eu target in a reactor. The result was compared with that obtained by the γ-ray spectrometry using a 152 Eu standard source supplied by LMRI. They agreed with each other within the error of 2%. (author)

  7. Coordinating the Uncoordinated: The EU Forest Strategy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Filip Aggestam

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The second European Union (EU Forest Strategy responds to new challenges facing both forests and the forest-based sector which highlights the EU’s need for a policy framework ensuring coordination and coherence of forest-related policies. The objective of the present article is to analyse whether the new Strategy contributes towards horizontal policy coherence of EU forest-related policies, given its shared and exclusive competences. This is achieved by comparing European Commission and forest industry policy priorities as articulated in the Strategy and through research carried out for the recent Cumulative Cost Assessment (CCA of forest-based industries. Results from the comparative analysis demonstrate that the Strategy does not address many EU policies and policy instruments that affect the whole forest value chain and that it clearly omits existing EU policy instrument objectives that entail significant costs for the forest-based industry. It is therefore argued that without coordinating collective EU goals and gathering strong political support, it is at best extremely difficult or at worst impossible, to achieve coherence for EU forest-related policies across the whole forest value chain. Improving coherence of Union forest-related policies will require the Strategy to address more policy areas and instruments, including clearly defined parameters of what constitutes an EU forest-related policy. These pressing needs reach beyond what the Strategy presently sets out to achieve.

  8. IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON EU AGRICULTURE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shailesh Shrestha

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available The current paper investigates the medium term economic impact of climate changes on the EU agriculture. The yield change data under climate change scenarios are taken from the BIOMA (Biophysical Models Application simulation environment. We employ CAPRI modelling framework to identify the EU aggregate economic effects as well as regional impacts. We take into account supply and market price adjustments of the EU agricultural sector as well as technical adaptation of crops to climate change. Overall results indicate an increase in yields and production level in the EU agricultural sector due to the climate change. In general, there are relatively small effects at the EU aggregate. For example, the value of land use and welfare change by approximately between -2% and 0.2%. However, there is a stronger impact at regional level with some stronger effects prevailing particularly in the Central and Northern EU and smaller impacts are observed in Southern Europe. Regional impacts of climate change vary by a factor higher up to 10 relative to the aggregate EU impacts. The price adjustments reduce the response of agricultural sector to climate change in particular with respect to production and income changes. The technical adaption of crops to climate change may result in a change production and land use by a factor between 1.4 and 6 relative to no-adaptation situation.

  9. Citrate mediated synthesis and tuning of luminescence in Eu3+ incorporated Gd2O3 nanophosphors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abhilash Kumar, R. G.; Gopchandran, K. G.

    2015-02-01

    Gd1.9Eu0.1O3 nanophosphors were prepared successfully by a large-scale facile solution based citrate-metal complex controlled combustion method and was systematically studied by varying the citric acid to metal cation ratio. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence (PL) measurements and radiative properties were done to evaluate the crystal structure, phase formation, phase composition, surface morphology, radiative and luminescent properties of the prepared nanophosphors. Photoluminescent emission intensity of the samples can be correlated with the amount of citric acid, improved crystallinity, uniform morphology, particle size, reduced defects, and proper diffusion of Eu3+ in to the crystal structure of Gd2O3. Higher asymmetricity results in intense red emission (612 nm) due to 5D0-7F2 forced electric dipole transition and found that photoluminescence intensity is highest for the sample prepared with citric acid to metal cation ratio of 2:1. The existence of strong red emission from Gd1.9Eu0.1O3 nanophosphor corresponding to 5D0-7F2 transition (612 nm) of Eu3+ under UV light excitation make it a promising candidate for applications in bio assays, magnetic resonance imaging, deep uv LED's, solid state lighting, fluorescent lamps and flat panel displays.

  10. Rethinking Sensitized Luminescence in Lanthanide Coordination Polymers and MOFs: Band Sensitization and Water Enhanced Eu Luminescence in [Ln(C15H9O5)3(H2O)3]n (Ln = Eu, Tb).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Einkauf, Jeffrey D; Kelley, Tanya T; Chan, Benny C; de Lill, Daniel T

    2016-08-15

    A coordination polymer [Ln(C15H9O9)3(H2O)3]n (1-Ln = Eu(III), Tb(III)) assembled from benzophenonedicarboxylate was synthesized and characterized. The organic component is shown to sensitize lanthanide-based emission in both compounds, with quantum yields of 36% (Eu) and 6% (Tb). Luminescence of lanthanide coordination polymers is currently described from a molecular approach. This methodology fails to explain the luminescence of this system. It was found that the band structure of the organic component rather than the molecular triplet state was able to explain the observed luminescence. Deuterated (Ln(C15H9O9)3(D2O)3) and dehydrated (Ln(C15H9O9)3) analogues were also studied. When bound H2O was replaced by D2O, lifetime and emission increased as expected. Upon dehydration, lifetimes increased again, but emission of 1-Eu unexpectedly decreased. This reduction is reasoned through an unprecedented enhancement effect of the compound's luminescence by the OH/OD oscillators in the organic-to-Eu(III) energy transfer process.

  11. A Strategy for Synthesizing CaZnOS:Eu{sup 2+} Phosphor and Comparison of Optical Properties with CaS:Eu{sup 2+}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qiu, Zhongxian; Rong, Chunying; Zhou, Wenli; Zhang, Jilin; Li, Chengzhi; Yu, Liping; Liu, Shubin; Lian, Shixun, E-mail: shixunlian@gmail.com

    2014-01-15

    Graphical abstract: Pure-phase CaZnOS:Eu{sup 2+},Ce{sup 3+}phosphor with good chemical and thermal stability can be synthesized by co-doping with Ce{sup 3+} as deoxidizer rather than reduction atmosphere. The broad bluish-green excitation and broad red emission show it is a better phosphor than CaS:Eu{sup 2+} for white LED and for sunlight harvesting of plants. -- Highlights: • Pure-phase phosphor CaZnOS:Eu{sup 2+} was synthesized by co-doping with Ce{sup 3+} as deoxidizer. • Energy transfer mechanism from Ce{sup 3+} to Eu{sup 2+} in CaZnOS host is proposed. • CaZnOS:Eu{sup 2+}, Ce{sup 3+} phosphor has good chemical and thermal stability performance. • The similarities and differences between CaZnOS:Eu{sup 2+} and CaS:Eu{sup 2+} were analyzed. • The green excitation and red emission show superior solar harvesting for plants. -- Abstract: The red-emitting phosphor CaZnOS:Eu{sup 2+} was synthesized from CaCO{sub 3}, ZnS, Eu{sub 2}O{sub 3} and CeCl{sub 3} by controlling the sintering condition. It was found that Ce{sup 3+} ions can play a role of reductant to contribute to the formation of Eu{sup 2+} in CaZnOS matrix under inert protective atmosphere. While the gas flow changed to H{sub 2}/N{sub 2}, the product turned to CaS easily. XRD, photoluminescence spectra, UV–vis and IR absorption spectra were evaluated to investigate the origin of the distinctions of the optical properties and stabilities between the two divalent europium ions doped phosphors CaZnOS:Eu{sup 2+} and CaS:Eu{sup 2+}. The similarities and differences between them were analyzed.

  12. Synthesis of luminescent YVO{sub 4}:Eu{sup 3+} submicrometer crystals through hydrogels as directing agents

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Yan; Zheng, Yuhui [School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Wang, Qianming, E-mail: qmwang@scnu.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Environmental Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Zhang, Cheng Cheng [Departments of Physiology and Developmental Biology, University of Texas Southwestern MedicalCenter, Dallas (United States)

    2012-08-15

    The innovative hydrogel template (polyacrylamide or polyacrylic acid) directed synthesis of YVO{sub 4}:Eu{sup 3+} phosphor in a controlled manner was thoroughly studied. Photoluminescence spectra show the europium(III)-doped yttrium orthovanadate could exhibit strong red emissions within the soft matrix (polyacrylamide) and remain relatively stable even when the temperature reached nearly 100 Degree-Sign C. After calcination process, X-ray powder diffraction patterns, SEM and DLS measurements implied that the sample was in agreement with pure tetragonal phase and the particle sizes were in the range of 100-200 nm. More importantly, YVO{sub 4}:Eu{sup 3+} products prepared based on hydrogels have remarkable improvement in emission intensities compared to phosphors synthesized by conventional approach. Similar results of overall quantum efficiency also support that YVO{sub 4}:Eu{sup 3+} assembled by PAM hydrogel (1.94%) is better than the routine way (0.91%). -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer YVO{sub 4}:Eu{sup 3+} could be formed within the soft matrix. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The as-derived YVO{sub 4}:Eu{sup 3+} exhibited red emissions and remain relatively stable nearly 100 Degree-Sign C. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer YVO{sub 4}:Eu{sup 3+} prepared by hydrogels has remarkable improvement in emission intensities.

  13. Tipping the scale? Social media’s influences on EU attitudes and vote choice in the Danish 2015 EU referendum

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ohme, Jakob

    Citizens’ media use can be an important predictor of attitudes towards the European Union; those attitudes, in turn, can affect EU-related vote decisions. Elementary changes in the media environment and the increasing pressure on the EU in recent referendums may therefore be connected (e.g. Denmark...... in a referendum. Using a two-wave survey design (n=675), the study investigates if political social media use reinforces existing attitudes towards the EU. Subsequently, positive and negative polarization tendencies are connected to the ‘yes or no’ vote of Danish citizens in the 2015 EU referendum. The study...

  14. Market integration: The EU experience and implications for regulatory reform in China

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Philipsen, N.J.; Weishaar, Stefan; Xu, G.

    2016-01-01

    This book examines the relationship between regulation and market integration, with a special focus on China. It pursues a Law and Economics and Comparative Law approach (China and EU) to analyze the current obstacles to market integration and domestic economic growth in China. Topics covered at the

  15. 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

  16. Guarding EU-wide Counter-terrorism Policing: The Struggle for Sound Parliamentary Scrutiny of Europol

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claudia Hillebrand

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Since the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, DC (2001, Madrid (2004 and London (2005, the European Union (EU has stepped up its efforts to develop new instruments and reinforce existing ones to fight terrorism jointly. One of the key aspects of the EU-wide fight against terrorism and serious crime is the facilitation and enforcement of information and intelligence exchange among law enforcement authorities and, to a limited extent, security and intelligence services. This article examines how far the EU’s commitment to democracy, accountability and transparency is actually fulfilled with respect to its efforts at fighting terrorism by drawing on the example of the activities of the European Police Office (Europol. Taking the European Parliament (EP and National Parliaments (NPs, but also inter-parliamentary forums, into account, the article analyses how, and to what extent, mechanisms of democratic accountability and, in particular, parliamentary scrutiny are in place to hold EU-wide counter-terrorism actors, such as Europol, to account. This is a particularly timely question given that Europol’s parliamentary scrutiny procedures are currently subject to considerable changes due to the change in its legal mandate as of 1 January 2010 and the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty.

  17. Can EU Act as a Democracy Promoter? Analysing the Democratization Demand and Supply in Turkey - EU Relations

    OpenAIRE

    Çiğdem Üstün

    2017-01-01

    The EU’s role to assist Turkey in its democratization efforts has been debated during Turkey’s candidacy. However, in the second decade of the 21st century, this role of the EU lost its visibility while Turkey seemed to lose its interest in reform movements. This paper, inspired by Pevehouse, defines the EU as a supplier of democratization mechanisms and Turkey as an actor in need. Although lack of enthusiasm and disengagement have come to characterize Turkey-EU relations, this study aims to ...

  18. En 'dansk' immigrationspakke til EU - uden Danmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Adler-Nissen, Rebecca

    2008-01-01

    og den franske immigrationspagt i Danmark, skyldes, som så ofte før, at vi her i landet har en Europadebat, der er vendt på hovedet i forhold til den, der føres i de andre EU-lande. Mens danske politikere hen over sensommeren har diskuteret, hvordan man kan minimere EU's indflydelse på dansk......I dag præsenterer Kommissionen en ambitiøs pakke om lovlig og ulovlig indvandring og integration. Målet er, at den skal vedtages sammen med det franske formandskabs immigrationspagt af EU's stats- og regeringschefer den 15.-16. oktober 2008. At der ikke har været mere debat om Kommissionens pakke...... indvandringspolitik og særligt familiesammenføringsreglerne, har resten af EU diskuteret, hvordan man fortsat kan styrke EU's rolle i indvandrings- og immigrationspolitikken og skabe en højere grad af solidaritet mellem medlemslandene. Udgivelsesdato: 8. oktober...

  19. 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.

  20. 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.

  1. A Vision-Based Approach for Estimating Contact Forces: Applications to Robot-Assisted Surgery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. W. Kennedy

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available The primary goal of this paper is to provide force feedback to the user using vision-based techniques. The approach presented in this paper can be used to provide force feedback to the surgeon for robot-assisted procedures. As proof of concept, we have developed a linear elastic finite element model (FEM of a rubber membrane whereby the nodal displacements of the membrane points are measured using vision. These nodal displacements are the input into our finite element model. In the first experiment, we track the deformation of the membrane in real-time through stereovision and compare it with the actual deformation computed through forward kinematics of the robot arm. On the basis of accurate deformation estimation through vision, we test the physical model of a membrane developed through finite element techniques. The FEM model accurately reflects the interaction forces on the user console when the interaction forces of the robot arm with the membrane are compared with those experienced by the surgeon on the console through the force feedback device. In the second experiment, the PHANToM haptic interface device is used to control the Mitsubishi PA-10 robot arm and interact with the membrane in real-time. Image data obtained through vision of the deformation of the membrane is used as the displacement input for the FEM model to compute the local interaction forces which are then displayed on the user console for providing force feedback and hence closing the loop.

  2. Luminescence of Eu:Y3Al5O12, Eu:Lu3Al5O12, and Eu:GdAlO3 Nanocrystals Synthesized by Solution Combustion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vilejshikova, E. V.; Khort, A. A.; Podbolotov, K. B.; Loiko, P. A.; Shimanski, V. I.; Shashkov, S. N.; Yumashev, K. V.

    2017-11-01

    Nanocrystals of rare-earth garnets Y3Al5O12 and Lu3Al5O12 and perovskite GdAlO3 highly doped (10-20 at%) with Eu3+ are synthesized by the solution combustion technique and subsequent annealing in air at 800 and 1300oC. Their structure, morphology, and phase composition are studied. These materials exhibit intense red luminescence under UV excitation. Eu:GdAlO3 luminescence has CIE 1931 color coordinates (0.632, 0.368); dominant wavelength, 599.6 nm; and color purity, >99%. Judd-Ofelt parameters, luminescence branching ratios, and lifetimes of the Eu3+ 5D0 state are determined. The luminescence quantum yield for Eu:GdAlO3 (10 at%) reaches 74% with a lifetime of 1.4 ms for the 5D0 state. The synthesized materials are promising for red ceramic phosphors.

  3. What direction for the European Council? Institutional reforms and counter-reforms in EU

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gheorghe Ciascai

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to analyse the political and institutional impact of the juridical consecration of the European Council that official institution of European Union by the Lisbon Treaty. Until 1 December 2009, the European Council was a political body with a strong informal role within the european decision making process, but with ambiguous institutional and legal powers. After entry in force of the Lisbon Treaty, European Council becomes an institution that try to exercise a collective leadership in EU.

  4. EU emissions trading: Distinctive behavior of small companies

    OpenAIRE

    Naegele, Helene; Zaklan, Aleksandar

    2016-01-01

    The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is the cornerstone of the European Union's climate policy and covers just under half of the EU's greenhouse gas emissions. More than ten years since the EU ETS was first introduced, there continues to be substantial research interest regarding its functioning and the behavior of participating companies. DIW Berlin conducted three econometric studies based on microdata at company and/or installation level. The findings suggest that, overall, there are o...

  5. EU-policy and smart materials; EU-beleid en smart materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pieters, D.; Van der Beek, M.

    2012-09-15

    Netherlands will focus on large-scale production of smart materials. Several examples from Dutch universities show that the Netherlands is very active in this sector. Nanotechnology and the development of advanced materials are considered as 'key technologies'. To realize these applications EU funding will be made available both for research projects and to support market introduction [Dutch] Nederland zet in de toekomst in op grootschalige productie van smart materials. Verschillende voorbeelden van Nederlandse universiteiten laten zien dat Nederland tot op heden zeer actief is in deze veelzijdige sector. Nanotechnologie en de ontwikkeling van geavanceerde materialen worden in dit licht beschouwd als zogenoemde 'sleuteltechnologieen'. Om deze toepassingen te realiseren komt zowel EU-geld beschikbaar voor onderzoeksprojecten als ter ondersteuning van marktintroductie.

  6. 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

  7. 25 years of European Union (EU) quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs across EU Member States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albuquerque, Tânia G; Oliveira, M Beatriz Pp; Costa, Helena S

    2018-05-01

    Consumers are increasingly turning their attention to the quality and origin of products that they consume. European Union (EU) quality schemes are associated with a label, which was introduced to allow consumers to perform an informed choice and to protect producers from unfair practices. This present study provides an overview of the last 25 years of EU quality schemes [Protected Designations of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indications (PGI) and Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (TSG)] on agricultural products and foodstuffs across the 28 EU Member States. According to the results, it was possible to conclude that Southern European countries have the highest number of registered products. The most used EU quality scheme is PGI, followed by PDO. Concerning the analysis of the evolution in the last 25 years, the number of registered products among EU Member States has increased significantly. The fruit, vegetables and cereals (fresh or processed) category is the one that accounts for the highest percentage (26.8%) of registered products, followed by cheeses and meat products (cooked, salted, smoked) categories, with 17.2% and 13.5%, respectively. Further investigations should address consumer preferences, knowledge and attitudes, especially Northern European countries with a lower number of registered products. Moreover, the investigation and registration of products should be encouraged among all EU Member States to allow the maintenance of important elements of the history, culture and heritage of the local areas, regions and countries. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

  8. Search for linking transitions in {sup 143}Eu

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lerma, F.; LaFosse, D.R.; Devlin, M. [Washington Univ., Saint Louis, MO (United States)] [and others

    1996-12-31

    Six SD bands were populated in {sup 143}Eu and {sup 144}Eu, two of which had not been previously observed. Sum spectra were generated to search for two step links from the yrast SD band in {sup 143}Eu. However, no two step links were found. A single link from the SD band in {sup 143}Eu was found at 3364 keV. The level where it feeds into has not been identified. Alpha-particle energy (E{sub {alpha}}) spectra leading to the SD band and to normal states in {sup 143}Eu were measured and a correlation was found between E{sub {alpha}} and the level spin of the residual nucleus.

  9. New GMO regulations for old: Determining a new future for EU crop biotechnology

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT In this review, current EU GMO regulations are subjected to a point-by point analysis to determine their suitability for agriculture in modern Europe. Our analysis concerns present GMO regulations as well as suggestions for possible new regulations for genome editing and New Breeding Techniques (for which no regulations presently exist). Firstly, the present GMO regulations stem from the early days of recombinant DNA and are not adapted to current scientific understanding on this subject. Scientific understanding of GMOs has changed and these regulations are now, not only unfit for their original purpose, but, the purpose itself is now no longer scientifically valid. Indeed, they defy scientific, economic, and even common, sense. A major EU regulatory preconception is that GM crops are basically different from their parent crops. Thus, the EU regulations are “process based” regulations that discriminate against GMOs simply because they are GMOs. However current scientific evidence shows a blending of classical crops and their GMO counterparts with no clear demarcation line between them. Canada has a “product based” approach and determines the safety of each new crop variety independently of the process used to obtain it. We advise that the EC re-writes it outdated regulations and moves toward such a product based approach.  Secondly, over the last few years new genomic editing techniques (sometimes called New Breeding Techniques) have evolved. These techniques are basically mutagenesis techniques that can generate genomic diversity and have vast potential for crop improvement. They are not GMO based techniques (any more than mutagenesis is a GMO technique), since in many cases no new DNA is introduced. Thus they cannot simply be lumped together with GMOs (as many anti-GMO NGOs would prefer). The EU currently has no regulations to cover these new techniques. In this review, we make suggestions as to how these new gene edited crops may be regulated

  10. New GMO regulations for old: Determining a new future for EU crop biotechnology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davison, John; Ammann, Klaus

    2017-01-02

    In this review, current EU GMO regulations are subjected to a point-by point analysis to determine their suitability for agriculture in modern Europe. Our analysis concerns present GMO regulations as well as suggestions for possible new regulations for genome editing and New Breeding Techniques (for which no regulations presently exist). Firstly, the present GMO regulations stem from the early days of recombinant DNA and are not adapted to current scientific understanding on this subject. Scientific understanding of GMOs has changed and these regulations are now, not only unfit for their original purpose, but, the purpose itself is now no longer scientifically valid. Indeed, they defy scientific, economic, and even common, sense. A major EU regulatory preconception is that GM crops are basically different from their parent crops. Thus, the EU regulations are "process based" regulations that discriminate against GMOs simply because they are GMOs. However current scientific evidence shows a blending of classical crops and their GMO counterparts with no clear demarcation line between them. Canada has a "product based" approach and determines the safety of each new crop variety independently of the process used to obtain it. We advise that the EC re-writes it outdated regulations and moves toward such a product based approach.  Secondly, over the last few years new genomic editing techniques (sometimes called New Breeding Techniques) have evolved. These techniques are basically mutagenesis techniques that can generate genomic diversity and have vast potential for crop improvement. They are not GMO based techniques (any more than mutagenesis is a GMO technique), since in many cases no new DNA is introduced. Thus they cannot simply be lumped together with GMOs (as many anti-GMO NGOs would prefer). The EU currently has no regulations to cover these new techniques. In this review, we make suggestions as to how these new gene edited crops may be regulated. The EU is at a

  11. Governance beyond the European Consensus on Development: What Drives EU Aid Selectivity?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    W. Hout (Wil)

    2013-01-01

    textabstractThis paper focuses on the ‘governance turn’ in the development policies of the European Union, represented in particular by the adoption of the ‘European Consensus on Development’ in 2005. The main assumption inherent in the EU approach to development is that the quality of governance in

  12. Cost-effectiveness analysis for the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Engelen, D.M.; Seidelin, Christian; van der Veeren, Rob; Barton, David N.; Queb, Kabir

    2008-01-01

    The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) prescribes cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) as an economic tool for the minimisation of costs when formulating programmes of measures to be implemented in the European river basins by the year 2009. The WFD does not specify, however, which approach to CEA has

  13. International veterinary epilepsy task force consensus proposal : diagnostic approach to epilepsy in dogs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    De Risio, Luisa; Bhatti, Sofie; Muñana, Karen; Penderis, Jacques; Stein, Veronika; Tipold, Andrea; Berendt, Mette; Farqhuar, Robyn; Fischer, Andrea; Long, Sam; Mandigers, Paul J J; Matiasek, Kaspar; Packer, Rowena M A; Pakozdy, Akos; Patterson, Ned; Platt, Simon; Podell, Michael; Potschka, Heidrun; Batlle, Martí Pumarola; Rusbridge, Clare; Volk, Holger A

    2015-01-01

    This article outlines the consensus proposal on diagnosis of epilepsy in dogs by the International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force. The aim of this consensus proposal is to improve consistency in the diagnosis of epilepsy in the clinical and research settings. The diagnostic approach to the patient

  14. Guardians of EU law? Analysing roles and behaviour of Dutch legislative drafters involved in EU compliance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mastenbroek, E.

    2017-01-01

    By drafting statutes and delegated acts, national legislative drafters play a crucial role in European Union (EU) compliance. Given their extensive legal training, they can be expected to operate as ‘guardians of EU law’ and thus correct national non-compliant tendencies. Yet, they also have a role

  15. Guardians of EU law? Analysing roles and behaviour of Dutch legislative drafters involved in EU compliance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mastenbroek, E.; Thomann, E.; Sager, F.

    2018-01-01

    By drafting statutes and delegated acts, national legislative drafters play a crucial role in European Union (EU) compliance. Given their extensive legal training, they can be expected to operate as ‘guardians of EU law’ and thus correct national non-compliant tendencies. Yet, they also have a role

  16. Energy institutional and organisational changes in EU and Russia: Revisiting gas relations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boussena, S.; Locatelli, C.

    2013-01-01

    This article tries to shed light on why gas relations between the EU and Russia, which were previously stable, have deteriorated since the introduction of institutional changes in the two regions. After identifying the areas of divergence in the context of European gas market liberalization, we then attempt to examine them in the context of the differing approaches to structuring this sector. The model of vertically unbundled network industries promoted by the EU is no longer the one that Russia intends to implement in its gas sector, despite the big changes taking place in its domestic market. All this is happening in a context where the economic stakes are very high. For the EU and its gas companies, access to Russia’s hydrocarbon resources is a key question. For Gazprom, the question is whether or not it can define strategies that are flexible enough to adapt to the changing conditions in the European gas market. - Highlights: ► In this study, we analyse the evolution of EU–Russia gas relation since the 1990s. ► The problems of defining new gas relations between the EU and Russia stem from a clash of values. ► The problem: Russia’s rejection of the EU’s power to enact rules for the gas industries and markets. ► For the EU and its gas companies, access to Russia’s hydrocarbon resources is a key question. ► For Gazprom, the question is whether it can define flexible strategies on the European gas market

  17. The EU as a global ecological power: The logics of market integration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laurent, Eloi; Le Cacheux, Jacques

    2010-05-01

    In this paper, we try to show how the EU became a global ecological power, i.e. a power that influences environmental policies throughout the world. While the existing literature stresses the significance of normative power, regulatory politics and multi-level governance in this process, we highlight the importance of what we call the logics of market integration. By that we mean the decisive role of Single market integration in fostering convergence of environmental policies at the European level as well as in extending European influence at the global level. We illustrate our approach with the case of climate policy, detailing the EU's influence on economic instruments developed worldwide to mitigate climate change. (authors)

  18. Enhanced luminescence in Eu-doped ZnO nanocrystalline films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suzuki, Keigo, E-mail: ksuzuki@murata.com; Murayama, Koji; Tanaka, Nobuhiko [Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., 10-1, Higashikotari 1-chome, Nagaokakyo, Kyoto 617-8555 (Japan)

    2015-07-20

    We found an enhancement of Eu{sup 3+} emissions in Eu-doped ZnO nanocrystalline films fabricated by microemulsion method. The Eu{sup 3+} emission intensities were increased by reducing annealing temperatures from 633 K to 533 K. One possible explanation for this phenomenon is that the size reduction enhances the energy transfer from ZnO nanoparticles to Eu{sup 3+} ions. Also, the shift of the charge-transfer band into the low-energy side of the absorption edge is found to be crucial, which seems to expedite the energy transfer from O atoms to Eu{sup 3+} ions. These findings will be useful for the material design of Eu-doped ZnO phosphors.

  19. Synthesis and optical properties of red/blue-emitting Sr2MgSi2O7:Eu3+/Eu2+ phosphors for white LED

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tong Thi Hao Tam

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Phosphor-converted white light emitting diodes (white LEDs have received great attention in recent years since they have several excellent features such as high lumen output, low power consumption, long lifetime and environmentally friendly. In this work, we report the co-precipitation synthesis of red/blue Sr2MgSi2O7:Eu3+/Eu2+ phosphors with various Eu doping concentration. The results show that the obtained Sr2MgSi2O7:Eu3+/Eu2+ phosphors have good crystallinity and emit strong red (Sr2MgSi2O7:Eu3+ and blue (Sr2MgSi2O7:Eu2+ emissions under near UV light excitation. The sharp emission peaks at 577, 590, 612, 653, and 701 nm corresponded to the typical 5D0 → 7Fj (j = 0,1,2,3,4 transitions of Eu3+, and the blue emission peaking at 460 nm is attributed to the typical 4f65d1-4f7 transition of Eu2+ in the same Sr2MgSi2O7 host lattice. Both phosphors can be well excited in the wavelength range of 260–400 nm where the near UV-LED is well matched. The above results suggest that the Sr2MgSi2O7:Eu3+/Eu2+ phosphors are promising red/blue-emitting phosphors for the application in near UV pumped phosphor-converted white LEDs.

  20. 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.

  1. Mechanical forces as information: an integrated approach to plant and animal development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valeria eHernández-Hernández

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Mechanical forces such as tension and compression act throughout growth and development of multicellular organisms. These forces not only affect the size and shape of the cells and tissues but are capable of modifying the expression of genes and the localization of molecular components within the cell, in the plasma membrane, and in the plant cell wall. The magnitude and direction of these physical forces change with cellular and tissue properties such as elasticity. Thus, mechanical forces and the mesoscopic fields that emerge from their local action constitute important sources of positional information. Moreover, physical and biochemical processes interact in non-linear ways during tissue and organ growth in plants and animals. In this review we discuss how such mechanical forces are generated, transmitted, and sensed in these two lineages of multicellular organisms to yield long-range positional information. In order to do so we first outline a potentially common basis for studying patterning and mechanosensing that relies on the structural principle of tensegrity, and discuss how tensegral structures might arise in plants and animals. We then provide some examples of morphogenesis in which mechanical forces appear to act as positional information during development, offering a possible explanation for ubiquitous processes, such as the formation of periodic structures. Such examples, we argue, can be interpreted in terms of tensegral phenomena. Finally, we discuss the hypothesis of mechanically isotropic points as a potentially generic mechanism for the localization and maintenance of stem-cell niches in multicellular organisms. This comparative approach aims to help uncovering generic mechanisms of morphogenesis and thus reach a better understanding of the evolution and development of multicellular phenotypes, focusing on the role of physical forces in these processes.

  2. 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

  3. EU ENLARGEMENT AT A CROSSROADS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andreea Cătălina Paul

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The present article aims to explore the general theme of the EU enlargement strategy in the new 2012 European context. Until now, the EU’s enlargement strategy has yielded impressive results. It succeeded in transforming ten central and eastern European countries from post-communism confusion into open-market, mature and effective systems of democratic governments, and even on the economic front, they have also made astonishing progress. It is no doubt that people in the new EU countries live better then before. In this context, the EU must continue the enlargement process to help stabilize the Balkan region that lie beyond its expanded eastern border. No one can deny that major issues concerning western Balkan countries’ accession are still on the table, and they even exert a geopolitical influence of sorts. This makes it all the more important to see stability and regional co-operation there are strategically vital. An all-out effort must now be made to complete the enlargement process and ensure there is no strategic vacuum. This article provides the framework of analyses for the EU problems and the challenges for the Balkans governments as for Brussels.

  4. Constitutional and administrative paradigms in judicial control over EU high and low politics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cebulak Pola

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available This article explores the particular tensions surrounding judicial review in EU external relations. The tensions are classified using a two-dimensional framework. Firstly, a distinction based on policy domains of high and low politics, which is derived from constitutional theory, and external to the CJEU; and secondly a distinction based on legitimizing paradigms of administrative (EU as effective global actor or constitutional (judicial review as guarantee of fundamental rights in character and determined by the Court itself. Even though one would expect a dominance of the administrative paradigm in the domain of high politics, the Court uses both the administrative and the constitutional paradigm in its external relations case-law. The decision on which of these becomes the guiding frame seems to depend more on the policy domain, and be made case by case, which suggests politically sensitive adjudication, rather than a coherent approach to legitimizing the nascent judicial review in EU external relations.

  5. EU

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nissen, Mogens Rostgaard

    2008-01-01

    politiske sigte er, at det tværnationale samarbejde skal øge den politiske og kulturelle samhørighed landene imellem. I det dansk-tyske grænseområde har EU gennem mange år forsøgt at medvirke til øge samarbejdet over grænsen. Der er ydet økonomisk og politisk støtte til forskellige projekter, der kan styrke...

  6. Material Deprivation in Selected EU Countries According to EU-SILC Income Statistics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stávková Jana

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The article deals with issues of households at risk of poverty in relative conception. Income poverty means a situation when the threshold of 0.6 of median income is not achieved. The analysis of a broader definition of poverty is based on identification and assessment of material deprivation factors, including: financial stress, housing conditions, availability of consumer durables and basic needs. Data sources are based EU-SILC dataset. Presented analysis is focused on selected EU countries, namely Czech Republic, Finland, France, Spain and United Kingdom. The result identifies the problem areas that cause deprivation symptoms.

  7. Ecodesign - How to Unfold the Potential Synergy between the EuP, WEEE and RoHS Directives

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Rikke Dorothea; Remmen, Arne

    The amount, complexity and variety of products introduced to the European market are increasing and products are more than ever traded globally. This development challenges the approach to regulate and stimulate the innovation of cleaner products. The EU has responded by introducing Integrated Pr...... Directive. The focus of this paper is the potential synergy between the three normative, so-called eco-design directives, and to what extent the EU has accomplished to integrate eco-design in the different directives and voluntary instruments....

  8. Optical measurements on iron pnictides containing Eu

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neubauer, David; Baumgartner, Andreas; Merz, Johannes; Zapf, Sina; Dressel, Martin [1. Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Stuttgart (Germany); Aswartham, Saicharan [University of Kentucky, Lexington (United States); Wurmehl, Sabine [IFW, Dresden (Germany); Jiao, Wen-He; Cao, Guang-Han [Zhejiang University, Hangzhou (China)

    2015-07-01

    The interplay of magnetism with superconductivity is a fascinating, highly debated field of research and many questions still remain unsolved. Members of the EuFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} family are a perfectly suited playground for investigations concerning this topic, due to the peculiarity of strong local magnetism of the europium (T{sub N}∼ 20K), which is a unique feature among the 122 iron pnictides. Optical studies of the parent compound have already revealed that the spin density wave formation deviates from the other 122 pnictides. To get more insight into the superconducting properties of the EuFe{sub 2}As{sub 2} family we carried out an optical study on differently doped samples. We compare Eu(Fe{sub 1-x}Ir{sub x}){sub 2}As{sub 2} where electron doping takes place directly in the conducting iron layer, with EuFe{sub 2}(As{sub 1-x}P{sub x}){sub 2} which corresponds to isovalent substitution at atomic positions out of the Fe-plane. The influence of the Eu is furthermore investigated by placing data we obtained on Ba{sub 0.6}Eu{sub 0.4}(Fe{sub 1-x}Co{sub x}){sub 2}As{sub 2} in juxtaposition to the already highly investigated pure Ba analogue.

  9. Highlight report: Launch of a large integrated European in vitro toxicology project: EU-ToxRisk.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daneshian, Mardas; Kamp, Hennicke; Hengstler, Jan; Leist, Marcel; van de Water, Bob

    2016-05-01

    The integrated European project, EU-ToxRisk, proudly sees itself as "flagship" exploring new alternative-to-animal approaches to chemical safety evaluation. It promotes mechanism-based toxicity testing and risk assessment according to the principles laid down for toxicology for the twenty-first century. The project was officially launched in January 2016 with a kickoff meeting in Egmond aan Zee, the Netherlands. Over 100 scientists representing academia and industry as well as regulatory authorities attended the inaugural meeting. The project will integrate advances in in vitro and in silico toxicology, read-across methods, and adverse outcome pathways. EU-ToxRisk will continue to make use of the case study strategy deployed in SEURAT-1, a FP7 initiative ended in December 2015. Even though the development of new non-animal methods is one target of EU-ToxRisk, the project puts special emphasis on their acceptance and implementation in regulatory contexts. This €30 million Horizon 2020 project involves 38 European partners and one from the USA. EU-ToxRisk aims at the "development of a new way of risk assessment."

  10. An evaluation of possible EU air transport emissions trading scheme allocation methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morrell, Peter

    2007-01-01

    The European Commission has been requested by member states to study the incorporation of air transport into their existing emissions trading scheme (ETS). Only CO 2 is to be included, at least initially. This paper focuses on the method of allocation of emissions permits in the EU context. It has been assumed here that the EU ETS will be applied only to intra-EU flights and that airlines will be the entities selected for implementation. Three UK airlines were selected to evaluate three main types of allocation: grandfathering, auctioning and benchmarking. The airlines were representative of the three major airline business models: network, low-cost carrier and charter/leisure. Based on 2003/2004 aircraft/engine type and operating data, the per passenger impact of each allocation option was analysed for each airline. A new benchmarking approach is proposed that takes into account both the landing and take-off (LTO) cycle and per kilometre emissions: this avoids penalising shorter sector operators and focuses on the damage caused by aircraft and their engines and not on passengers. (author)

  11. Measurement and modeling on hydrodynamic forces and deformation of an air bubble approaching a solid sphere in liquids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shahalami, Mansoureh; Wang, Louxiang; Wu, Chu; Masliyah, Jacob H; Xu, Zhenghe; Chan, Derek Y C

    2015-03-01

    The interaction between bubbles and solid surfaces is central to a broad range of industrial and biological processes. Various experimental techniques have been developed to measure the interactions of bubbles approaching solids in a liquid. A main challenge is to accurately and reliably control the relative motion over a wide range of hydrodynamic conditions and at the same time to determine the interaction forces, bubble-solid separation and bubble deformation. Existing experimental methods are able to focus only on one of the aspects of this problem, mostly for bubbles and particles with characteristic dimensions either below 100 μm or above 1 cm. As a result, either the interfacial deformations are measured directly with the forces being inferred from a model, or the forces are measured directly with the deformations to be deduced from the theory. The recently developed integrated thin film drainage apparatus (ITFDA) filled the gap of intermediate bubble/particle size ranges that are commonly encountered in mineral and oil recovery applications. Equipped with side-view digital cameras along with a bimorph cantilever as force sensor and speaker diaphragm as the driver for bubble to approach a solid sphere, the ITFDA has the capacity to measure simultaneously and independently the forces and interfacial deformations as a bubble approaches a solid sphere in a liquid. Coupled with the thin liquid film drainage modeling, the ITFDA measurement allows the critical role of surface tension, fluid viscosity and bubble approach speed in determining bubble deformation (profile) and hydrodynamic forces to be elucidated. Here we compare the available methods of studying bubble-solid interactions and demonstrate unique features and advantages of the ITFDA for measuring both forces and bubble deformations in systems of Reynolds numbers as high as 10. The consistency and accuracy of such measurement are tested against the well established Stokes-Reynolds-Young-Laplace model

  12. Pesticide authorization in the EU-environment unprotected?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stehle, Sebastian; Schulz, Ralf

    2015-12-01

    Pesticides constitute an integral part of high-intensity European agriculture. Prior to their authorization, a highly elaborated environmental risk assessment is mandatory according to EU pesticide legislation, i.e., Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009. However, no field data-based evaluation of the risk assessment outcome, i.e., the regulatory acceptable concentrations (RACs), and therefore of the overall protectiveness of EU pesticide regulations exists. We conducted here a comprehensive meta-analysis using peer-reviewed literature on agricultural insecticide concentrations in EU surface waters and evaluated associated risks using the RACs derived from official European pesticide registration documents. As a result, 44.7 % of the 1566 cases of measured insecticide concentrations (MICs) in EU surface waters exceeded their respective RACs. It follows that current EU pesticide regulations do not protect the aquatic environment and that insecticides threaten aquatic biodiversity. RAC exceedances were significantly higher for insecticides authorized using conservative tier-I RACs and for more recently developed insecticide classes, i.e., pyrethroids. In addition, we identified higher risks, e.g., for smaller surface waters that are specifically considered in the regulatory risk assessment schemes. We illustrate the shortcomings of the EU regulatory risk assessment using two case studies that contextualize the respective risk assessment outcomes to field exposure. Overall, our meta-analysis challenges the field relevance and protectiveness of the regulatory environmental risk assessment conducted for pesticide authorization in the EU and indicates that critical revisions of related pesticide regulations and effective mitigation measures are urgently needed to substantially reduce the environmental risks arising from agricultural insecticide use.

  13. Shifting policy priorities in EU-China energy relations: Implications for Chinese energy investments in Europe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gippner, Olivia; Torney, Diarmuid

    2017-01-01

    Shifting energy policy priorities both in China and the EU (European Union) have transformed their bilateral relationship. In order to assess the impact of domestic policy priorities on bilateral energy cooperation and climate policy, this comparative study traces the evolution of EU and Chinese approaches to energy policy – and their relative emphasis on factors and frames such as availability, efficiency, affordability and environmental stewardship. Drawing on government documents and a data set of interviews with Chinese policy-makers, experts and academics in 2015–2016, the article argues that while the EU started with a strong emphasis on environmental stewardship and moved towards a focus on affordability and availability, China started with a strong emphasis on availability and has moved towards a greater emphasis on environmental stewardship. This shift in frames on the Chinese side and subsequent changes in subsidy structures and targets can partially explain the increase in investments in renewable energy technologies. The article concludes that the Chinese and EU perspectives have become more aligned over the past ten years, coinciding with an increasing trend towards renewable energy in Chinese energy investments in the EU, for example in Italy and the UK. - Highlights: • Compares dominant frames of energy policy in China and the European Union in the period 2005–2015. • Shows that there has been a convergence of policy frames between China and the EU. • Convergence on environmental stewardship is necessary but not sufficient for FDI in clean energy.

  14. EU Studies in Denmark and Sweden

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Garski, Salla; Jørgensen, Knud Erik; Manners, Ian

    2012-01-01

    In this brief chapter we take stock of Danish and Swedish scholarship on the European Union (EU). We intend to analyze and evaluate Danish and Swedish scholarship on EU issues, using a mixed methodology integrated into the analysis of this chapter. The method integrates a secondary analysis...

  15. EU criminal law and fundamental rights

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Hert, Paul; Mitsilegas, V.; Bergström, M.; Konstadinides, Th.

    2016-01-01

    The chapter first offers a background analysis to EU fundamental rights law, recalling the historical affirmation of the protection of fundamental rights as a EU concern, and the important innovation brought about by the Lisbon Treaty (section 2) and the multiplicity of actors involved in the system

  16. Magnetic oxide heterostructures. EuO on cubic oxides and on silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caspers, Christian

    2013-01-01

    In the thesis at hand, we explore fundamental properties of ultrathin europium oxide (EuO) films. EuO is a model system of a localized 4f Heisenberg ferromagnet, in which the ferromagnetic coupling. provided a high crystalline quality. can be tuned by biaxial lattice strain. Moreover, the magnetic oxide EuO is perfectly suited as a spin-functional tunnel contact for silicon spintronics. However, up to now a challenging bulk and interface chemistry of EuO and Si has hampered a seamless integration into functional silicon heterostructures. In order to investigate fundamental aspects of the magnetic and electronic structure of ultrathin EuO, in the first part of this thesis, we synthesize EuO thin films on conductive YSZ substrates from bulklike thicknesses down to one nanometer by oxide molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The EuO thin films are of textbook-like single-crystalline quality, and show bulk-like magnetic properties. We control the stoichiometry of buried EuO thin films by hard X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HAXPES); even a 1 nm ultrathin EuO film exhibits no valence change or interface shifts. Furthermore, we conduct an advanced magnetic characterization by the magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) of Eu core-levels in photoemission, this gives us insight into the intra-atomic exchange coupling of EuO thin films. The MCD reveals large asymmetries of up to 49% in the well-resolved Eu 4d photoemission multiplet. Thus, ultrathin EuO coherently grown on conductive YSZ allows us to explore fundamental magnetic and electronic properties of a 4f magnetic oxide. Biaxial lateral strain applied to single-crystalline EuO is of fundamental interest, since it alters the electronic structure and magnetic coupling in a controlled way. We apply +4.2% tensile biaxial strain to EuO by epitaxial EuO/LaAlO 3 (100) heterostructures. EuO seamlessly adapts the lateral lattice parameter of LaAlO 3 , while the perpendicular parameter of EuO is the unchanged EuO bulk value, thus the

  17. The Hierarchical Clustering of Tax Burden in the EU27

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simkova Nikola

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The issue of taxation has become more important due to a significant share of the government revenue. There are several ways of expressing the tax burden of countries. This paper describes the traditional approach as a share of tax revenue to GDP which is applied to the total taxation and the capital taxation as a part of tax systems affecting investment decisions. The implicit tax rate on capital created by Eurostat also offers a possible explanation of the tax burden on capital, so its components are analysed in detail. This study uses one of the econometric methods called the hierarchical clustering. The data on which the clustering is based comprises countries in the EU27 for the period of 1995 – 2012. The aim of this paper is to reveal clusters of countries in the EU27 with similar tax burden or tax changes. The findings suggest that mainly newly acceding countries (2004 and 2007 are in a group of countries with a low tax burden which tried to encourage investors by favourable tax rates. On the other hand, there are mostly countries from the original EU15. Some clusters may be explained by similar historical development, geographic and demographic characteristics.

  18. 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)

  19. Efficient and thermally stable red luminescence from nano-sized phosphor of Gd6MoO12:Eu3+

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qin, Lin; Wei, Donglei; Huang, Yanlin; Kim, Sun Il; Yu, Young Moon; Seo, Hyo Jin

    2013-01-01

    A novel red-emitting nano-phosphor of Eu 3+ -doped Gd 6 MoO 12 was successfully synthesized by the Pechini method. The crystalline phase was confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction analysis. The morphology of the nano-phosphor was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, indicating a good crystallization with particles smaller than 500 nm. The luminescence properties such as photoluminescence spectra and decay curves were investigated. The phosphors can be efficiently excited by near-ultraviolet (near-UV) light and exhibit a bright red luminescence around 613 nm ascribed to the forced electric dipole transition 5 D 0 → 7 F 2 of Eu 3+ ions. The thermal stabilities were investigated from the temperature-dependent luminescence decay curves (lifetimes) and spectra intensities. The luminescence properties in relation to applications in white light-emitting diodes (W-LEDs) such as the absolute luminescence quantum efficiency, excitation wavelength, and color coordinates were discussed. The Gd 6 MoO 12 :Eu 3+ nano-phosphor is a promising red-emitting candidate for the fabrication of W-LEDs with near-UV chips

  20. Cirip.Eu – An educational microblogging platform around objects 2.0

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carmen Holotescu

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, the most daring player in the social media arena proved to be the microblogging technology, the most energetic in this field being Twitter, raising the interest of the educational actors. A number of microblogging platforms dedicated to education were implemented, such as Edmodo, Plurk, Cirip.eu or Twiducate. In this context, the paper aims to provide an overall analysis of the microblogging platform Cirip.eu for educational directions such as: information and knowledge management, courses enhancement, delivering online courses, collaborative projects, communities of practice, hosting different workshops, conferences or scientific events, building e- portfolios, etc. Thus, the main aspects of the paper will regard the following: 1. The facilities offered by Cirip.eu recommend it as a modern and flexible mobile Social Learning Management System (mSLMS, integrating users' Personal Learning Environments; 2. How microblogging can be integrated with other Web2.0 technologies, and into the Open Educational Resources movement; 3. How the experience and the new pedagogical approach in using microblogging can be captured and formally represented as learning design objects; 4. How learning design objects can be shared, discussed, improved, reused on the microblogging platform.

  1. EU-PIL

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lookofsky, Joseph; Hertz, Ketilbjørn

    Now in a Second Edition comprising the Brussels I Regulation “recast”, as well as other key EU legislation and case law, this book brings together principles of juridical jurisdiction, choice of law, recognition of judgments and commercial arbitration. It shows the interrelationship of the rules...

  2. Electrochemical behaviour of the Eu3+/Eu2+ system in propionic media studied by cyclic chrono potentiometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brotto, M.E.

    1989-01-01

    The electrochemical behaviour of the Eu 3 + / Eu 2 + system in propionic media was studied by means of current reversal chrono potentiometry and cyclic chrono potentiometry. Sodium perchlorate was employed as supporting electrolyte. The experiments were carried out at (25.0 ± 0.1) 0 C. The studied variables were the concentration of the electro active species, the composition of the solution and the current density. The cyclic chrono potentiometry results reveal that the charge transfer reaction is followed by the (H 3 O) + ion assisted irreversible catalytic reaction in which the Eu 3 + species is regenerated. (author)

  3. Vulnerability to Forced Labour and Trafficking: The case of Romanian women in the agricultural sector in Sicily

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Letizia Palumbo

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper focuses on labour and sexual exploitation faced by Romanian female workers employed in the agricultural sector in Ragusa, Sicily, Italy. Drawing on fieldwork conducted in 2013 and 2014 with Romanian female farm workers in Ragusa, the paper identifies factors that contribute towards their vulnerability to exploitation. By paying specific attention to the experiences of women who are mothers with dependent children, we look at structural factors that increase their vulnerability and consider how this vulnerability ‘forces’ women into situations whereby they effectively accept and/or submit to abuse. We also highlight how European Union (EU citizenship does not automatically protect migrants from such abuse. This is important because, as we argue, the mistreatment experienced by participants in this study can be regarded as cases of forced labour and trafficking, based on International Labour Organization (ILO indicators[1] and the definition of trafficking provided by the Directive 2011/36/EU. For a long time, these cases have mostly been neglected by incompetent authorities or addressed using only repressive and assistentialist approaches. Thus, this paper also investigates the limits and potentialities of the Italian legal framework on trafficking, and the ways local institutions and organisations confront the rights violations occurring in the agricultural sector. We contend that in order to effectively counter these phenomena, labour rights measures and anti-trafficking interventions have to be combined based on a comprehensive approach aimed not only at assisting victims, but also at tackling the structural factors that create their vulnerability. [1] ILO, ‘ILO Indicators of Forced Labour’, International Labour Office, 2012, retrieved 11 August 2015, http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---declaration/documents/publication/wcms_203832.pdf

  4. Multi-level governance in EU climate law

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vedder, Hans; Woerdman, Edwin; Roggenkamp, Martha; Holwerda, Marijn

    2015-01-01

    This chapter analyses the multi-level governance in EU climate law; it connects the international arena, with EU and national decision-making and relates climate change considerations to competitiveness concerns.

  5. 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.

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

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    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?

  7. EU Policy. A Debate on EU Energy Policy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cohen, R.; Kjoelbye, L.; Aaslund, A.; Zwitserloot, R.

    2008-01-01

    Views from four experts in the field of energy on the EU's energy policy, as laid down in the Third Package, are presented. Kjoelbye and Cohen argue about the pros and cons of unbundling, Aaslund defends the policy of reciprocity towards Gazprom, and Zwitserloot warns that Europe's anti-Gazprom policy endangers security of supply

  8. Eu Enlargement and Migration: Scenarios of Croatian Accession

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wadim Strielkowski

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper analyzes possible incidence of pending Croatian EU accession that is to take place on the 1st of July 2013, on the labour migration from Croatia to the European Union. We apply panel data estimators using the data on emigration from 18 EU countries into Germany (which is the EU country with the largest share of ex-Yugoslav and Croatian migrants in order to construct possible scenarios of Croatian migration to the EU.Three scenarios of migration - pessimistic, realistic and optimistic - are drawn and the sensitivity of estimated coefficients on migration from Croatia into Germany during next 25 years is further discussed in detail. We conclude that, similarly to hypothetical Turkish accession, Croatian EU accession is not going to cause massive migration inflows.

  9. Eu3+-doped Y2O3 hexagonal prisms: Shape-controlled synthesis and tailored luminescence properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Errui; Li, Guangshe; Fu, Chaochao; Zheng, Jing; Huang, Xinsong; Xu, Wen; Li, Liping

    2015-01-01

    In this work, Eu 3+ doped Y 2 O 3 hexagonal prisms were synthesized by a novel two-phase approach, which involves water at the bottom as aqueous phase and oleylamine in the above as oil phase. With this unique reaction system, precursors of hexagonal prisms Y 4 O(OH) 9 (NO 3 ) were first obtained by simply varying the volume ratio of water to oleylamine. Time-dependent experiments were systematically performed to reveal the growth mechanism of the precursor. After subsequent heat treatment, these precursors transformed to Y 2 O 3 hexagonal prisms with controlled diameters and aspect ratios varying from 4 to 19. Such a transformation is preceded via a topotactic process, as indicated by TG-DTA and mass spectra. Eventually, all Eu 3+ doped Y 2 O 3 hexagonal prisms were found to exhibit an intensive red emission at 611 nm, which corresponds to 5 D 0 → 7 F 2 transition of Eu 3+ . With varying the aspect ratio of hexagonal prisms and increasing Eu 3+ concentration in Y 2 O 3 , an optimum external quantum efficiency was achieved. - Graphical abstract: In this work, Eu 3+ doped Y 2 O 3 hexagonal prisms with controlled aspect ratio from 4.4 to 19.3 were synthesized by transformation of the precursor Y 4 O(OH) 9 (NO 3 ) hexagonal prisms from a novel two-phase reaction system. The growth mechanism of the precursor has been systematically investigated, and a topotactic phase transformation from precursors to cubic Y 2 O 3 is for the first time put forward. By the size controlling and aspect ratio adjusting, the luminescence emission intensity as well as external quantum efficiency of Eu 3+ doped Y 2 O 3 hexagonal prisms is further tailored to show an optimum. - Highlights: • Eu 3+ doped Y 2 O 3 hexagonal prisms were synthesized by a novel two-phase approach. • Inheriting mechanism of prisms morphology from Y 4 O(OH) 9 (NO 3 ) to Y 2 O 3 was discussed. • Aspect ratio of prisms was tailored by the volume ratio of water to oleylamine. • Luminescence properties were

  10. Climate impacts of short-lived climate forcers versus CO2 from biodiesel: a case of the EU on-road sector.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lund, Marianne T; Berntsen, Terje K; Fuglestvedt, Jan S

    2014-12-16

    Biofuels are proposed to play an important role in several mitigation strategies to meet future CO2 emission targets for the transport sector but remain controversial due to significant uncertainties in net impacts on environment, society, and climate. A switch to biofuels can also affect short-lived climate forcers (SLCFs), which provide significant contributions to the net climate impact of transportation. We quantify the radiative forcing (RF) and global-mean temperature response over time to EU on-road fossil diesel SLCFs and the impact of 20% (B20) and 100% (B100) replacement of fossil diesel by biodiesel. SLCFs are compared to impacts of on-road CO2 using different approaches from existing literature to account for biodiesel CO2. Given the best estimates for changes in emissions when replacing fossil diesel with biodiesel, the net positive RF from EU on-road fossil diesel SLCFs of 3.4 mW/m(2) is reduced by 15% and 80% in B20 and B100, respectively. Over time the warming of SLCFs is likely small compared to biodiesel CO2 impacts. However, SLCFs may be relatively more important for the total warming than in the fossil fuel case if biodiesel from feedstock with very short rotation periods and low land-use-change impacts replaces a high fraction of fossil diesel.

  11. EU policy objectives and energy investment decisions

    OpenAIRE

    Alario, Juan

    2007-01-01

    EU energy policies have changed focus in the last few years with a view to substantially reducing energy import dependency and greenhouse gas emissions. The EU Commission has played a leading role in defining the new orientations. The implementation of the EU policy objectives approved by the Council of March 2007 will require a substantial expansion of energy investments. However, the degree of uncertainty affecting investment decisions remains high, notably in relation to the pricing of CO2...

  12. The EU Dimension to Soil Science in Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Sue

    2012-01-01

    The EU as a context for science lessons may be given scant attention but EU decision-making is a vital factor in everyday life. Lessons on the emergence of soil science with Charles Darwin's simple scientific experiments can be linked with competence through action, inclusion and argumentations in science lessons. Decisions about an EU Soil…

  13. What EU ought to do? bet it can't

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rahigh-Aghsan, Ali

    multilateral sanctions, i.e. a two-step approach. These default security approaches are strategically weak and potentially dysfunctional for security policy purposes. The article’s core argument is that a successful resolution of Iran nuclearization requires effective balancing and a containment strategy......Since the collapse of bipolarity and, notably, after US regime’s change of policy in Afghanistan and Iraq, the European Union (EU) has developed both a security and a peace-conflict management strategy, and it has become a pivotal player in the Middle East. These are indications of significant...... not possess an explicit, sustainable, security strategic framework for its external action, i.e. there is a strategic void. The EU’s foreign policy strategies oscillate between a comprehensive security strategy in terms of strategically coherent diplomatic approach and a non-military coercive approach through...

  14. Energy efficiency policies for space heating in EU countries: A panel data analysis for the period 1990–2010

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ó Broin, Eoin; Nässén, Jonas; Johnsson, Filip

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Space heating demand between 1990 and 2010 modelled using a panel of 14 EU countries. • The impacts of 260 efficiency polices affecting space heating demand are examined. • Regulatory policies found to have had a greater success than financial or informative. • High priority should be given to regulatory policies for space heating energy goals. - Abstract: We present an empirical analysis of the more than 250 space heating-focused energy efficiency policies that have been in force at the EU and national levels in the period 1990–2010. This analysis looks at the EU-14 residential sector (Pre-2004 EU-15, excluding Luxembourg) using a panel data regression analysis on unit consumption of energy for space heating (kWh/m 2 /year). The policies are represented as a regression variable using a semi-quantitative impact estimation obtained from the MURE Policy Database. The impacts of the policies as a whole, and subdivided into financial, regulatory, and informative policies, are examined. The correlation between the actual reductions in demand and the estimated impact of regulatory policies is found to be stronger than the corresponding correlations with the respective impacts of financial policies and informative polices. Together with the well-known market barriers to energy efficiency that exist in the residential sector, these findings suggest that regulatory policy measures be given a high priority in the design of an effective pathway towards the EU-wide goals for space heating energy

  15. Evaluation of simulation alternatives for the brute-force ray-tracing approach used in backlight design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desnijder, Karel; Hanselaer, Peter; Meuret, Youri

    2016-04-01

    A key requirement to obtain a uniform luminance for a side-lit LED backlight is the optimised spatial pattern of structures on the light guide that extract the light. The generation of such a scatter pattern is usually performed by applying an iterative approach. In each iteration, the luminance distribution of the backlight with a particular scatter pattern is analysed. This is typically performed with a brute-force ray-tracing algorithm, although this approach results in a time-consuming optimisation process. In this study, the Adding-Doubling method is explored as an alternative way for evaluating the luminance of a backlight. Due to the similarities between light propagating in a backlight with extraction structures and light scattering in a cloud of light scatterers, the Adding-Doubling method which is used to model the latter could also be used to model the light distribution in a backlight. The backlight problem is translated to a form upon which the Adding-Doubling method is directly applicable. The calculated luminance for a simple uniform extraction pattern with the Adding-Doubling method matches the luminance generated by a commercial raytracer very well. Although successful, no clear computational advantage over ray tracers is realised. However, the dynamics of light propagation in a light guide as used the Adding-Doubling method, also allow to enhance the efficiency of brute-force ray-tracing algorithms. The performance of this enhanced ray-tracing approach for the simulation of backlights is also evaluated against a typical brute-force ray-tracing approach.

  16. EU-retten 1

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Karsten Engsig; Nielsen, Poul Runge

    Udover en introduktion til EU-retten, herunder dens institutioner og retskilderne, indeholder bogen en grundig analyse af EF-traktatens regler om fri bevægelighed for varer, personer, tjenesteydelser og kapital....

  17. Contentious terrain in EU information society policies: Media pluralism and freedom of expression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miyase Christensen

    2008-09-01

    Full Text Available In an EU context, the benefits attributed to new communication technologies are many: the creation of employment and economic growth; the enrichment of cultural/political dialogue and civic engagement; and, the permeation of a sense of European identity across the region. However, in the face of an increased emphasis on economic competitiveness both globally and at the EU policy level, there exists an unmistakable convergent approach to audiovisual/communications, cultural and competition policies. Parallel to this is an upsurge of concern—voiced by, for example, the European Parliament—over media pluralism and freedom of expression. Although the virtues of safeguarding “media pluralism” and “freedom of speech” in a healthy democracy are axiomatic, in the face of current dynamics, their meaning is widely contested. The purpose of this article is to offer an analysis of recent EU Information Society (IS policies in relation to media pluralism and freedom of speech. Mediepluralisme og ytringsfrihed: Et omstridt felt inden for EU-informationssamfundspolitikker I en EU-kontekst er der mange fordele, som tilskrives nye kommunikationsteknologier: Skabelsen af beskæftigelse og økonomisk vækst; berigelsen af kulturel/politisk dialog og borgerengagement; og udbredelsen af en fornemmelse af europæisk identitet på tværs af regionerne. Men i lyset af en øget vægtning af økonomisk konkurrence, såvel globalt som i relation til EU's politikker, eksisterer der en umiskendelig sammensat tilgang til politikker for audiovisuel kommunikation, kultur og konkurrence. Parallelt med dette findes en pludselig stigning i interessen omkring mediepluralisme og ytringsfrihed. Skønt værdien af at beskytte ”mediepluralisme” og ”ytringsfrihed” i lyset af aktuelle dynamikker er aksiomatisk i et sundt demokrati, udfordres betydningen af dette i udstrakt grad. Formålet med denne artikel er at give en analyse af nyere EU

  18. Contentious terrain in EU information society policies: Media pluralism and freedom of expression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miyase Christensen

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available In an EU context, the benefits attributed to new communication technologies are many: the creation of employment and economic growth; the enrichment of cultural/political dialogue and civic engagement; and, the permeation of a sense of European identity across the region. However, in the face of an increased emphasis on economic competitiveness both globally and at the EU policy level, there exists an unmistakable convergent approach to audiovisual/communications, cultural and competition policies. Parallel to this is an upsurge of concern—voiced by, for example, the European Parliament—over media pluralism and freedom of expression. Although the virtues of safeguarding “media pluralism” and “freedom of speech” in a healthy democracy are axiomatic, in the face of current dynamics, their meaning is widely contested. The purpose of this article is to offer an analysis of recent EU Information Society (IS policies in relation to media pluralism and freedom of speech. Mediepluralisme og ytringsfrihed: Et omstridt felt inden for EU-informationssamfundspolitikker I en EU-kontekst er der mange fordele, som tilskrives nye kommunikationsteknologier: Skabelsen af beskæftigelse og økonomisk vækst; berigelsen af kulturel/politisk dialog og borgerengagement; og udbredelsen af en fornemmelse af europæisk identitet på tværs af regionerne. Men i lyset af en øget vægtning af økonomisk konkurrence, såvel globalt som i relation til EU's politikker, eksisterer der en umiskendelig sammensat tilgang til politikker for audiovisuel kommunikation, kultur og konkurrence. Parallelt med dette findes en pludselig stigning i interessen omkring mediepluralisme og ytringsfrihed. Skønt værdien af at beskytte ”mediepluralisme” og ”ytringsfrihed” i lyset af aktuelle dynamikker er aksiomatisk i et sundt demokrati, udfordres betydningen af dette i udstrakt grad. Formålet med denne artikel er at give en analyse af nyere EU

  19. Luminescent properties of Eu2+ and Ce3+ ions in strontium litho-silicate Li2SrSiO4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dotsenko, V.P.; Levshov, S.M.; Berezovskaya, I.V.; Stryganyuk, G.B.; Voloshinovskii, A.S.; Efryushina, N.P.

    2011-01-01

    The luminescent properties of Eu 2+ and Ce 3+ ions in Li 2 SrSiO 4 have been studied upon excitation in the 2-20 eV region. Based on the results of luminescent measurements, values of the crystal field splitting and the centroid shift of the Ce 3+ 5d configuration in Li 2 SrSiO 4 were found and compared with those of Ce 3+ ions in some other inorganic compounds. The Eu 2+ ions in Li 2 SrSiO 4 exhibit a broad band emission with a maximum at 576 nm, which is due to the 4f 6 5d→4f 7 transition. It was shown that the long-wavelength position of the Eu 2+ emission in Li 2 SrSiO 4 is caused by the large crystal-field splitting of the Eu 2+ 4f 6 5d configuration and relatively high degree of covalency of the Eu-O bond. The stabilization of Eu 2+ ions in Li 2 SrSiO 4 during the synthesis process requires a strong reducing agent. Two phenomenological approaches to explain the low stability of Eu 2+ in Li 2 SrSiO 4 are also discussed.

  20. 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.

  1. The new Zintl phases Eu{sub 21}Cd{sub 4}Sb{sub 18} and Eu{sub 21}Mn{sub 4}Sb{sub 18}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Yi; Darone, Gregory M.; Bobev, Svilen, E-mail: bobev@udel.edu

    2016-06-15

    Crystals of two new Zintl compounds, Eu{sub 21}Mn{sub 4}Sb{sub 18} and Eu{sub 21}Cd{sub 4}Sb{sub 18} have been synthesized using the molten metal flux method, and their structures have been established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Both compounds are isotypic and crystallize in the monoclinic space group C2/m (No. 12, Z=4). The structures are based on edge- and corner-shared MnSb{sub 4} or CdSb{sub 4} tetrahedra, which make octameric [Mn{sub 8}Sb{sub 22}] or [Cd{sub 8}Sb{sub 22}] polyanions. Homoatomic Sb–Sb bonds are present in both structures. The Eu atoms take the role of Eu{sup 2+}cations with seven unpaired 4f electrons, as suggested by the temperature-dependent magnetization measurements. The magnetic susceptibilities of Eu{sub 21}Mn{sub 4}Sb{sub 18} and Eu{sub 21}Cd{sub 4}Sb{sub 18} indicate that both phases order anti-ferromagnetically with Néel temperatures of ca. 7 K and ca. 10 K, respectively. The unpaired 3d electrons of the Mn atoms in Eu{sub 21}Mn{sub 4}Sb{sub 18} do contribute to the magnetic response, however, the bulk magnetization measurements do not provide evidence for long-range ordering of the Mn spins down to 5 K. Electrical resistivity measurements suggest that both compounds are narrow band gap semiconductors. - Graphical abstract: Eu{sub 21}Mn{sub 4}Sb{sub 18} and Eu{sub 21}Cd{sub 4}Sb{sub 18} have complex monoclinic structures, based on MnSb{sub 4} and CdSb{sub 4} tetrahedra, both edge- and corner-shared. A perspective of the crystal structure is shown, as viewed along the b axis. Display Omitted - Highlights: • Eu{sub 21}Mn{sub 4}Sb{sub 18} and Eu{sub 21}Cd{sub 4}Sb{sub 18} are novel compounds in the respective ternary phase diagrams. • For both structures, the Zintl-Klemm rules are followed, and both are small gap semiconductors. • Eu{sub 21}Mn{sub 4}Sb{sub 18} and Eu{sub 21}Cd{sub 4}Sb{sub 18} are air-stable Zintl phases and could be new thermoelectric materials.

  2. 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

  3. Dramatic improvement in photostability of luminescent Eu(III) complexes with tetraphenylimidodiphosphinate ligand

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng, Wei; Li, Shu-Jing; Li, Cheng-Hui; Zheng, You-Xuan; You, Xiao-Zeng

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, we synthesized and characterized a new Eu(III) tetraphenylimidodiphosphinate complex with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as co-ligand. Moreover, we compared the photostability of a series of Eu(III) complexes containing tetraphenylimidodiphosphinate ligands, Eu(tpip) 3 , Eu(tpip) 3 Phen, Eu(tpip) 3 DMSO, with their analogs of 1,3-dibenzoylmethanate, Eu(dbm) 3 ∙2H 2 O, Eu(dbm) 3 Phen, Eu(dbm) 3 (DMSO) 2 . We found that the photostability of the luminescent Eu(III) complexes was significantly improved upon substitution of the 1,3-diketones with tetraphenylimidodiphosphinate ligands. -- Highlights: • We synthesized and characterized a new Eu(III) tetraphenylimidodiphosphinate complexes with dimethyl sulfoxide. • We compared the photostability of Eu(III) complex with tetraphenylimidodiphosphinate and 1,3-dibenzoylmethanate ligands. • The photostability is significantly improved in Eu(III) complexes with tetraphenylimidodiphosphinate ligands

  4. Achieving Economic Growth in the EU Through Lobbyism

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Svendsen, Gert Tinggaard; Brandt, Urs Steiner

    2009-01-01

    EU budget. Here, the two main redistribution policies, (1) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and (2) the Structural Funds, consume more than four fifths of the total annual EU budget. Thus, if the EU is to achieve its strategic goal, a strong cure is needed to reduce redistribution and encourage more......At Lisbon in 2000, the European Union (EU) set itself a new strategic goal, namely to become the world's leading economy and to enhance social cohesion across the union, all within a decade. It is argued in this article that one fundamental barrier to the fulfilment of this dream is the fact...

  5. Effects of EU dairy policy reform for Dutch dairy farming : a primal approach using GMM estimation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ooms, D.L.; Peerlings, J.H.M.

    2005-01-01

    This paper estimates a production function for milk using a generalised method of moments estimator to avoid the endogeneity problem. Using the first-order conditions for profit maximisation, the economic effects for individual Dutch dairy farms of the 2003 EU dairy policy reform are analysed. With

  6. Definition of an intramolecular Eu-to-Eu energy transfer within a discrete [Eu2L] complex in solution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nonat, Aline; Regueiro-Figueroa, Martín; Esteban-Gómez, David; de Blas, Andrés; Rodríguez-Blas, Teresa; Platas-Iglesias, Carlos; Charbonnière, Loïc J

    2012-06-25

    Ligand L, based on two do3a moieties linked by the methylene groups of 6,6'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine, was synthesized and characterized. The addition of Ln salts to an aqueous solution of L (0.01 M Tris-HCl, pH 7.4) led to the successive formation of [LnL] and [Ln(2)L] complexes, as evidenced by UV/Vis and fluorescence titration experiments. Homodinuclear [Ln(2)L] complexes (Ln = Eu, Gd, Tb, Yb, and Lu) were prepared and characterized. The (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra of the Lu and Yb complexes in D(2)O solution (pD = 7.0) showed C(1) symmetry of these species in solution, pointing to two different chemical environments for the two lanthanide cations. The analysis of the chemical shifts of the Yb complex indicated that the two coordination sites present square antiprismatic (SAP) coordination environments around the metal ions. The spectroscopic properties of the [Tb(2)L] complex upon ligand excitation revealed conventional behavior with τ(H2O) = 2.05(1) ms and ϕ(H2O) = 51%, except for the calculation of the hydration number obtained from the luminescent lifetimes in H(2)O and D(2)O, which pointed to a non-integer value of 0.6 water molecules per Tb(III) ion. In contrast, the Eu complex revealed surprising features such as: 1) the presence of two and up to five components in the (5)D(0)→(7)F(0) and (5)D(0)→(7)F(1) emission bands, respectively; 2) marked differences between the normalized spectra obtained in H(2)O and D(2)O solutions; and 3) unconventional temporal evolution of the luminescence intensity at certain wavelengths, the intensity profile first displaying a rising step before the occurrence of the expected decay. Additional spectroscopic experiments performed on [Gd(2-x)Eu(x)L] complexes (x = 0.1 and 1.9) confirmed the presence of two distinct Eu sites with hydration numbers of 0 (site I) and 2 (site II), and showed that the unconventional temporal evolution of the emission intensity is the result of an unprecedented intramolecular Eu-to-Eu

  7. 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.

  8. The Eu as a strategic global policy actor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chatzopoulou, Sevasti; Ansell, Christopher

    that shapes and is being shaped by the EU strategic choices. This process is facilitated by the existing EU institutions and structures, the administrative and technical expertise capacity when it responds to the internal and external challenges (environment, sustainable development climate and circular......This article aims to complement the existing literature on the EU as a global actor and demonstrates that the EU’s entrepreneurship on policy, ideas and knowledge production contributes to the evolution of the EU as a strategic global policy actor. While the number of significant studies on the EU...... as a global actor proliferated the last decades, these studies concentrate on the EU’s role in a fragmented manner, focusing either on specific normative or more economic and trade issues, and thus often competing between themselves. This article acknowledges these contributions and aims to take them further...

  9. Performing the EU Referendum

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Moeran, Brian

    2016-01-01

    This editorial makes use of the EU Referendum to discuss the presence of magic in contemporary societies. It analysis magic in terms of magicians, magical representations, and magical rites – as originally expounded by Malinowski and Mauss – and argues that magic is to be found not only in politi......This editorial makes use of the EU Referendum to discuss the presence of magic in contemporary societies. It analysis magic in terms of magicians, magical representations, and magical rites – as originally expounded by Malinowski and Mauss – and argues that magic is to be found not only...

  10. 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...

  11. Recent advances in the theory of nuclear forces and its relevance for the microscopic approach to dense matter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Machleidt, R.

    2010-01-01

    The theory of nuclear forces has made great progress since the turn of the millenium using the framework of chiral effective field theory (ChEFT). The advantage of this approach, which was originally proposed by Weinberg, is that it has a firm basis in quantum-chromodynamics and allows for quantitative calculations. Moreover, this theory generates two-nucleon forces (2NF) and many-body forces on an equal footing and provides an explanation for the empirically known fact that 2NF ≫ 3NF ≫ 4NF. I will present the recent advances in more detail and put them into historical context. In addition, I will also provide a critical evaluation of the progress made including a discussion of the limitations of the ChEFT approach. (author)

  12. Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator EU2 Anomaly Investigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lewandowski, Edward J.; Dobbs, Michael W.; Oriti, Salvatore M.

    2016-01-01

    The Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) Engineering Unit 2 (EU2) is the highest fidelity electrically-heated Stirling radioisotope generator built to date. NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) completed the assembly of the ASRG EU2 in September, 2014 using hardware from the now cancelled ASRG flight development project. The ASRG EU2 integrated the first pair of Sunpower's ASC-E3 Stirling convertors (ASC-E3 #1 and #2) in an aluminum generator housing with Lockheed Martin's Engineering Development Unit (EDU) 4 controller. After just 179 hours of EU2 generator operation, the first power fluctuation occurred on ASC-E3 #1. The first power fluctuation occurred 175 hours later on ASC-E3 #2. Over time, the power fluctuations became more frequent on both convertors and larger in magnitude. Eventually the EU2 was shut down in January, 2015. An anomaly investigation was chartered to determine root cause of the power fluctuations and other anomalous observations. A team with members from GRC, Sunpower, and Lockheed Martin conducted a thorough investigation of the EU2 anomalies. Findings from the EU2 disassembly identified proximate causes of the anomalous observations. Discussion of the team's assessment of the primary possible failure theories, root cause, and conclusions is provided. Recommendations are made for future Stirling generator development to address the findings from the anomaly investigation. Additional findings from the investigation are also discussed.

  13. Economic approach of the environment and environmental conservation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Verbruggen, A.

    2008-01-01

    This book takes the non-economist by the hand in a step-by-step economic approach of environmental issues and how to handle them. Two chapters provide an introduction to the concepts of the economy, chapter six in decision theory. In the first chapter, the economist discovers a broader vision by testing the economic approach to insights from other disciplines. Chapter 4 explains how economic reasoning can contribute tot environmental protection in practice. The consideration of the costs and benefits of environmental protection indicates objectives that must be pursued for the community. The conflict between private and public interest forces policy makers to get and maintain the numerous polluters focused on environmental protection. Suitable instruments are discussed in chapter five, including criteria for choice and an in-depth study of the economic instruments levies and tradable emission permits. The EU Emission trading Scheme is used as reference. [mk] [nl

  14. Antidumping duties, undertakings and foreign direct investment in the EU

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Belderbos, R.A.; Vandenbussche, H.; Veugelers, R.

    2004-01-01

    We study the effects of EU antidumping policy when foreign firms can ‘jump’ antidumping duties through foreign direct investment (FDI) in the EU. We show that duty jumping or duty pre-empting FDI occurs if the EU administration has broader objectives than protecting EU industry's profitability and

  15. Forced Migration and Global Responsibility for Health; Comment on “Defining and Acting on Global Health: The Case of Japan and the Refugee Crisis”

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kayvan Bozorgmehr

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Forced migration has become a world-wide phenomenon in the past century, affecting increasing numbers of countries and people. It entails important challenges from a global health perspective. Leppold et al have critically discussed the Japanese interpretation of global responsibility for health in the context of forced migration. This commentary complements their analysis by outlining three priority areas of global health responsibility for European Union (EU countries. We highlight important stages of the migration phases related to forced migration and propose three arguments. First, the chronic neglect of the large number of internally displaced persons (IDPs in the discourses on the “refugee crisis” needs to be corrected in order to develop sustainable solutions with a framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs. Second, protection gaps in the global system of protection need to be effectively closed to resolve conflicts with border management and normative global health frameworks. Third, effective policies need to be developed and implemented to meet the health and humanitarian needs of forced migrants; at the same time, the solidarity crisis within the EU needs to be overcome. These stakes are high. EU countries, being committed to global health, should urgently address these areas.

  16. Comparison of Eu(NO3)3 and Eu(acac)3 precursors for doping luminescent silica nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Enrichi, F.; Ricco, R.; Scopece, P.; Parma, A.; Mazaheri, A. R.; Riello, P.; Benedetti, A.

    2010-01-01

    In this study, we report the comparison between Eu 3+ -doped silica nanoparticles synthesized by Stoeber method using Eu(NO 3 ) 3 or Eu(acac) 3 as precursors. The impact of different europium species on the properties of the final silica nanospheres is investigated in details in terms of size, morphology, reachable doping amount, and luminescence efficiency. Moreover, the results obtained for different thermal treatments are presented and discussed. It is shown that the organic complex modify the silica growing process, leading to bigger and irregular nanoparticles (500-800 nm) with respect to the perfectly spherical ones (400 nm) obtained by the nitrate salt, but their luminescence intensity and lifetime is significantly higher when 800-900 o C annealing is performed.

  17. FY 2000 report on the survey on global warming prevention measures in main E.U. countries; 2000 nendo EU shuyokoku ni okeru ondanka boshi taisaku no gaiyo ni tsuite hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-03-01

    This report dealt with the background of energy policies in E.U. countries and energy plans. At COP3, E.U. countries internationally gave a pledge that they will reduce the emission of greenhouse effect gas 8% from that as of 1990 during 2008-2012, which is stricter than those given by Japan and the U.S. Actually, the European Commission made public 'Toward the European Climate Change Programme' and 'Green Paper on Emissions Trading in the E.U.' These are correspondent to E.U.' global warming preventive strategy which is called the twin track approach by the European Commission. The former is a frame for coordinating individual reduction measures taken under the responsibility of member countries as the whole E.U. As to the latter, for the specified sectors from energy supply sectors to large energy consumption industries, it was planned to be started in 2005. And, the basic policy on the trade and concrete subjects/problems on the trading system were arranged. (NEDO)

  18. Optical spectroscopy and optical waveguide fabrication in Eu3+ and Eu3+/Tb3+ doped zinc–sodium–aluminosilicate glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caldiño, U.; Speghini, A.; Berneschi, S.; Bettinelli, M.; Brenci, M.; Pasquini, E.; Pelli, S.; Righini, G.C.

    2014-01-01

    Optical and spectroscopic properties of 2.0% Eu(PO 3 ) 3 singly doped and 5.0% Tb(PO 3 ) 3 –2.0% Eu(PO 3 ) 3 codoped zinc–sodium–aluminosilicate glasses were investigated. Reddish-orange light emission, with x=0.64 and y=0.36 CIE1931 chromaticity coordinates, is obtained in the europium singly doped glass excited at 393 nm. Such chromaticity coordinates are close to those (0.67,0.33) standard of the National Television System Committee for the red phosphor. When the sodium–zinc–aluminosilicate glass is co-doped with Tb 3+ and Eu 3+ , reddish-orange light emission, with (0.61,0.37) CIE1931 chromaticity coordinates, is obtained upon Tb 3+ excitation at 344 nm. This reddish-orange luminescence is generated mainly by 5 D 0 → 7 F 1 and 5 D 0 → 7 F 2 emissions of Eu 3+ , europium being sensitized by terbium through a non-radiative energy transfer. From an analysis of the Tb 3+ emission decay curves it is inferred that the Tb 3+ →Eu 3+ energy transfer might take place between Tb 3+ and Eu 3+ clusters through a short-range interaction mechanism, so that an electric dipole–quadrupole interaction appears to be the most probable transfer mechanism. The efficiency of this energy transfer is about 62% upon excitation at 344 nm. In the singly doped and codoped glasses multimode optical waveguides were successfully produced by Ag + –Na + ion exchange, and they could be characterized at various wavelengths. -- Highlights: • Reddish-orange light emission can be generated from Tb 3+ and Eu 3+ codoped zinc–sodium–aluminosilicate glasses excited at 344 nm. • The Eu 3+ is sensitized by Tb 3+ through a non-radiative energy transfer. • Highly multimode waveguides can be fabricated by diluted silver–sodium exchange. • This type of AlGaN LEDs pumped glass phosphors might be useful for generation of reddish-orange light

  19. Eliminating national borders as labour market barriers in the EU

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Lieshout, Harm

    2012-01-01

    This paper addresses one important mechanism through which the EU tries to improve the operation of its labour markets: the opening up of national borders for free worker movement within the EU. Free worker movement is a fundamental EU right; but EU enlargement begged the question of how and when to

  20. EU Regulatory Risk Management of Marine Biotoxins in the Marine Bivalve Mollusc Food-Chain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Mahony, Micheál

    2018-03-10

    Food safety risk assessment in the European Union (EU) recognises consumer illness that arises from marine biotoxins as a risk associated with bivalve mollusc consumption. EU food regulations contain various general food safety obligations, which should contribute significantly to managing this risk. EU food regulations additionally impose various specific obligations on both Food Business Operators and Competent Authorities in order to manage the marine biotoxin food safety risk in the bivalve mollusc food-chain. These have a particular focus on the pre-harvest component of the food-chain. A central component of these specific systems is the requirement for ongoing monitoring of phytoplankton and biotoxin concentrations in water and molluscs, respectively. This monitoring explicitly brings a potential outcome of closing production areas delineated by classification to prohibit the harvest of bivalve molluscs as food from those areas when acceptable biotoxin concentrations are exceeded. This review considers the utility of these systems, at conceptual and practical levels, and explores their contribution to an effective regulatory risk management approach.