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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Loredana Jitaru

2016-01-01

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

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

energy can bring significant benefits not only for the environment, competitiveness and security of energy supply, but also in terms of economic growth, employment, regional development and innovation. This study quantifies some of these impacts on the energy system from changes induced via carbon pricing, and other measures, to reach different emissions reduction objectives. The study introduces the policy setting for the EU 2030 framework and the scenario methodology used, provides overall EU28 and individual Member State results, and includes various graphs and tables of key findings. (authors)

The Economic Integration Of The EU13 Regions Into EU Economy During The 2004–2013 Period

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kabát Libor

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to study and to highlight the applicative and interpretive limits of the GDP per capita indicators, when regional economics of the new member countries (EU13, particularly the process of integration of their regions into EU economy is examined in terms of the beta and sigma convergence. The growth of gross domestic product has long been pursued as the main objective of the economic activities of countries and regions. Its growth is seen as almost a guarantee of the proper functioning of the economy. The governments of individual countries, in the event of a decline in GDP, take measures for its recovery. Small attention, however, is given to the fact, whether such an economic development copes with the parameters of sustainable economic growth. Also, little attention is paid to the study of how the previous growth is reflected in the standard of living of the population and households in respective countries and regions.

Should EU Citizens Living in other Member States Vote there in National Elections?

OpenAIRE

CAYALA, Philippe; SETH, Catriona; BAUBÖCK, Rainer

2012-01-01

The core right of EU citizenship is freedom of movement within the territory of the Union. But EU citizens who live in a member state other than their homeland cannot vote in the national elections of that country unless they first acquire its citizenship through naturalisation. In several member states they also lose their right to vote in national elections of their country of origin when they have lived abroad for too long. A group of EU citizens has started a European Citizens' Initiative...

STATE REGULATION OF FRANCHISING IN THE EU MEMBER COUNTRIES

OpenAIRE

Solomiya Ohinok

2015-01-01

In despite of extensive research of franchising in the scientific community, there are a lot of unresolved issues relating to franchising, in particular its regulation at the national level and at the level of the European Union that is why the purpose of the paper is to summarise and present the difference between state regulation of franchising in the EU member states and to research the basic principles of state regulation of franchising in the EU also to analyze legislation of the franchi...

Impact of Transposition of the Directive 2013/34/EU into the National Laws of EU Member States Emphatically V4

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jana Gláserová

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The European Union has published the Directive 2013/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings for reasons of increasing of the competitive advantage and productivity of small and medium‑sized enterprises. The EU Member States have to incorporate the rules of the Directive with their national law by 20 July 2015 at the latest during the year 2016. The intention of this paper is to determine and to evaluate the impacts of transposition of the Directive into the Czech Accounting Law and into the national accounting laws of EU Member States chosen. There is an identification of main differences of Czech Accounting Law and of amended Czech Accounting Law issued 1st of January 2016. There is an impact of implementation of the Directive 2013/34/EU on financial statements and at the same time on requirements of audit for individual categories of Czech accounting entities. In this paper, there is also an analysis of impact of the Directive 2013/34/EU on national accounting laws V4 States and on several further EU Member States. On the basis of comparison of differences recognized, there is an deduction of findings for companies falling into the same group.

Validity of historical simulation in EU new member and candidate states

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heri Bezić

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Market risk arises from movement in the underlying risk factors of a particular security, such as: equity prices, interest rates, exchange rates and commodity prices. With the approval of Basle Committee for Banking Supervision and European Commission on using internally developed market risk measurement models to calculate bank’s market risk provisions, the interest for market risk models has significantly increased. Because financial markets of EU new member and candidate states significantly differ from the developed markets, applying VaR models developed and tested in the developed and liquid financial markets, to the volatile and shallow financial markets of EU new member and candidate states is highly questionable. This paper tests whether using a wide spread market risk measurement model such as Historical simulation adequately measures the market risk in stock markets of EU new member and candidate states. In this paper, the stock market indexes of Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia and Turkey are used to test the adequacy of measuring market risk based on Historical simulation. The testing is performed out of the sample, with four different observation periods.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kretinin Gannady

2011-01-01

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

The progress of RES environment in the most recent member states of the EU

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patlitzianas, Konstantinos [Management and Decision Support Systems Lab (EPU-NTUA), School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 9, Iroon Polytechniou str., 15773, Athens (Greece); Karagounis, Konstantinos [National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Dental School, 2 Thivon Str., Goudi, 11527 Athens (Greece)

2011-02-15

The most recent EU member states seem to have important Renewable Energy Sources (RES) potential. However, they have serious structural difficulties in development and integration of RES policies. Indeed, the balanced development of RES between the member states is urgent today. The penetration of the RES in these member states is related to the existence of an appropriate environment (political, economical, social, and technological). The current paper is based on an analytical review and specific PEST analysis aiming to assess the current RES environment and the progress so far in each of these most recent EU members. (author)

Inflation persistence : euro area and new EU member states

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

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

-, č. 810 (2007), s. 1-39 ISSN 1725-2806 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LC542 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70850503 Keywords : inflation persistence * new EU member states * time varying mean Subject RIV: AH - Economics http://www.ecb.int/pub/pdf/scpwps/ecbwp810.pdf

Mapping the carbon footprint of EU regions

Science.gov (United States)

Ivanova, Diana; Vita, Gibran; Steen-Olsen, Kjartan; Stadler, Konstantin; Melo, Patricia C.; Wood, Richard; Hertwich, Edgar G.

2017-05-01

While the EU Commission has encouraged Member States to combine national and international climate change mitigation measures with subnational environmental policies, there has been little harmonized effort towards the quantification of embodied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from household consumption across European regions. This study develops an inventory of carbon footprints associated with household consumption for 177 regions in 27 EU countries, thus, making a key contribution for the incorporation of consumption-based accounting into local decision-making. Footprint calculations are based on consumer expenditure surveys and environmental and trade detail from the EXIOBASE 2.3 multiregional input-output database describing the world economy in 2007 at the detail of 43 countries, 5 rest-of-the-world regions and 200 product sectors. Our analysis highlights the spatial heterogeneity of embodied GHG emissions within multiregional countries with subnational ranges varying widely between 0.6 and 6.5 tCO2e/cap. The significant differences in regional contribution in terms of total and per capita emissions suggest notable differences with regards to climate change responsibility. The study further provides a breakdown of regional emissions by consumption categories (e.g. housing, mobility, food). In addition, our region-level study evaluates driving forces of carbon footprints through a set of socio-economic, geographic and technical factors. Income is singled out as the most important driver for a region’s carbon footprint, although its explanatory power varies significantly across consumption domains. Additional factors that stand out as important on the regional level include household size, urban-rural typology, level of education, expenditure patterns, temperature, resource availability and carbon intensity of the electricity mix. The lack of cross-national region-level studies has so far prevented analysts from drawing broader policy conclusions that hold

Multidimensional Welfare Comparisons of EU Member States Before, During, and After the Financial Crisis

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 find 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...

Party financing and referendum campaigns in EU member states

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Klingeren, M.; Orozco, M.; van Spanje, J.; de Vreese, C.

2015-01-01

This study has been prepared by the Amsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), part of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam (UvA). It comprises 1) an up-to-date inventory of party finance rules within the EU Member States, 2) an overview of the regulations

Why the EU-15 Maintains Higher CIT Rates than the New Member States?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karpowicz Andrzej

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The European Union is not a homogenous area. This lack of homogeneity extends to taxes, which vary across jurisdictions. On average, Western Europe imposes significantly higher taxes on capital than New Member States, which joined the Community in 2004 and 2007. Often this fact is simply taken for granted. However, there are several arguments that can explain this variance. Although several of these arguments are well known and have been researched, they have not been assessed in combination, or used in a comparative analysis of corporate income tax (CIT rates between EU member states. Because of interest in harmonizing CIT throughout the EU, the roots of divergent CIT is of particular and timely value. Therefore, this article we attempts to demonstrate the differences in CIT rates in the EU-15 and New Member States. In so doing the general characteristics of these country grouping is identified, and then discussed in the context of the taxation theory.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2016-01-01

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

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

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

NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

2012-01-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szőcs Csongor-Ernő

2015-04-01

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

MANAGING RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE EU10 REGION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

BUCUREAN Mirela

2011-07-01

Full Text Available The problems of renewable energy and regional development have gained a global dimension, as well as the concerns about the economic growth. Therefore, this study investigates the issue of managing renewable energy in the EU10 region, within the context of recovery and anticipated growth of the region. The findings of this study disclose that an important source of economic growth in the EU10 region's countries may be to start some new investments in renewable energy. In order to develop the field of renewable energy may be used EU funds, and may be envisaged different public-private partnership models, that may contribute to lower societal costs and increased deployment rates. The study was conducted by combining a wide variety of sources, such as statistics, reports and articles. The results reported in this study could be used for further research in the area of implementing green energy projects in the EU10 region. Another direction for further research could be to identify the most attractive countries for different renewable energy investment projects in the EU10 region.

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.

Testing popular VaR models in EU new member and candidate states

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Saša Žiković

2007-12-01

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

New Member States of the EU and EMU – Convergence and the Financial Crisis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ines Kersan-Škabić

2010-07-01

Full Text Available The theory of the Optimum Currency Area (OCA clearly accentuates the need for common economic characteristics among states if it is to work well. This paper analyses the extent to which the New Member States of the European Union (NMS satisfy the criteria of nominal and real convergence. Four of these Member States have introduced the Euro, whereas the rest are at different stages of becoming part of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU. A financial crisis of global proportions implies a number of economic problems in all of the Member States of the EU, especially in the NMS where the new issues have added up to the already grave consequences of the transition period. What is needed is more unity and co-operation within the EU as well as significant financial aid from the IMF and the EU to the New Member States in order to sustain stability in the crisis period. The crisis has again raised the issue of introducing the Euro since membership of the EMU would buffer the effects of the financial crisis provided that the business cycles of the Member States were synchronized. Otherwise an independent monetary policy represents a key instrument in the liquidity regulation of the economy.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2018-01-01

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

Member State Foreign Policy towards EU Military Operations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rodt, Annemarie Peen

2017-01-01

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

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

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Giumelli, Francesco

2017-01-01

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

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

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

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

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

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.

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

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Franta, Michal; Saxa, Branislav; Šmídková, Kateřina

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

Macroeconomic sources of foreign exchange risk in new EU members

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kočenda, Evžen; Poghosyan, T.

2009-01-01

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

Member States must apply most favoured nation treatment under EU law

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Groot, I.M.

2014-01-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simona Moagăr-Poladian

2013-04-01

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

EU MEMBER STATES AND FISCAL DECENTRALIZATION– EMPIRICAL COMPARISON

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Žan Oplotnik

2013-09-01

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

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...

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Judit KISS

2011-12-01

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

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

OpenAIRE

European Commission

2012-01-01

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

Prospects for renewable electricity in the new EU Member States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2006-02-01

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

REGIONAL COMPETITIVENESS AND THE IMPACT OF EU STRUCTURAL FUNDS: THE CASE OF ROMANIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

. Delia Anca Gabriela Gligor

2015-09-01

Full Text Available In the context of internationalization and globalization of the world economy, regional competitiveness is thoroughly debated by politicians and policy makers, emphasizing measurable differences between development regions, without any clear political or conceptual framework. Romania’s accession to the European Union in 2007 provided an opportunity to recover in terms of regional performance and economic growth, namely structural funds as a form of nonrefundable European financial help to disadvantaged regions of member states. Our research is thus focused on analyzing the impact of structural funds’ absorption upon regional competitiveness in Romania, using extensive data over a period of seven years. Results show that EU funds critically influence the competitiveness of Romanian regions, providing reliable data for policy decision makers.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helena Tendera-Właszczuk

2017-03-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sonja Grimm

2013-01-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vlatka Bilas

2005-08-01

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

Assessment of national waste generation in EU Member States’ efficiency

OpenAIRE

Halkos, George; Petrou, Kleoniki Natalia

2018-01-01

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

The Location of ICT activities in EU regions. Implications for regional policies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salvador Barrios

2008-11-01

Full Text Available The location of ICT producing industries does matter for global competitivenessand long-run growth potential. For instance, the differing contribution ofICT to economic growth between the US and the EU is often mentioned as one of themain cause explaining the diverging growth performance of these two areas since themid-1990s. In turn, since the mid-1990s, countries with especially dynamic economicgrowth have tended to be highly specialized in ICT-producing and ICT-using industries,see van Ark and Inkaar (2005. More generally, ICT producing sectors, tendto promote technological change and innovative capability which are seen to be at thecore of economic growth and competitiveness. When considering the EU economy,ICT industries appear to be concentrated in a limited number of regions, see Koski etal. (2002 for empirical evidence. Afirst objective of the present paper is to documentthe location of ICT producing industries in European regions in order to map existingEU clusters as well as to analyze recent changes in these industries using recent dataon employment and firm location, especially in relation to the EU enlargement thathas taken place in May 2004. The location of the ICT-producing sectors is not the endof the story however. A crucial aspect concerns the nature of activities that are beingundertaken in different regions. Importantly, ICT industries do have different characteristicsin terms of human capital, skill requirement, and knowledge content. In particular,because of the positive association between human capital, knowledge andlong-run growth, it is important to analyze to what extent EU regional ICT clustersdiffer in according to these characteristics. The second question addressed in the paperconcerns the nature of ICT activities undertaken in EU regions. Finally, the paperprovides econometric estimates of the location of firms in ICT industries across EUregions. The paper considers more specifically the case of multinationals�

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

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guldager, Peter

1997-01-01

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

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

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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.

ENHANCING EU-TAIWAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION AGREEMENT

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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

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

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Andrzej Krolikowski

2016-04-01

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

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

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

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

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

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

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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.

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

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Ambroziak Łukasz

2016-12-01

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

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-04-01

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

Evaluating EU Regional Policy: Many Empirical Specifications, One (Unpleasant) Result

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Breidenbach, Philipp; Mitze, Timo; Schmidt, Christoph

Numerous studies have focused on the role of EU regional policy in fostering growth and convergence among European regions, why conducting another one? We argue that two facts are still lacking in the actual academic debate in order to get a sound empirical identification strategy and reliable...... regions with a GDP p.c. of less than 75% of the EU average. These payments shall represent the main instrument to fulfill the central aim of European regional policy, the boost of convergence and harmonic growth over the EU. They represent about two third of the whole European cohesion policy. In our...... results: First, one should take the theoretical underpinnings of regional growth models more serious, and second, a likewise careful account of the role of spatial dependence in the underlying data is needed. Though research has increasingly become aware of the latter point as important control factor...

DETERMINANTS OF INTRA-INDUSTRY TRADE OF THE NEW MEMBER STATES

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Katarzyna Sledziewska

2016-03-01

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

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

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Natalya Ketenci

2015-06-01

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

Succession of States in the EU

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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.

Territorial Cooperation With Non-Eu Regions

OpenAIRE

Rodriguez-Cohard, Juan Carlos; Alfonso, Javier; Vázquez-Barquero, Antonio

2012-01-01

TERRITORIAL COOPERATION WITH NON-EU REGIONS Territorial Cooperation (TC) has been possible because there is a trajectory of many years of work invested by the local actors, participants who have become the architects of TC through the city or region involved. Transcontinental cooperation as studied by the European Union TERCO project is providing important lessons for understanding TC. The purpose of the presentation is to analyze the Andalusian-North of Morocco territorial cooperation during...

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

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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

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

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

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

2015-01-01

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

Potential of Agricultural Biomass: Comparative Review of Selected EU Regions and Region of Vojvodina

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Odavić Petrana

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Owing to the fact that the EU is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% below 1990 levels by 2020, and having in mind their high dependence on import of oil and oil derivatives, which, in turn, causes instability of power supply, increasing attention is being paid to renewable energy sources. Given the ongoing pre-accession process of the Republic of Serbia in relation to the EU, in order to determine the capacity of the country to increase the share of energy use from renewable sources, in this paper clustering of selected regions in the EU-28 has been carried out, after which a comparative analysis of regions was performed in terms of potential of agricultural biomass, for the purpose of generating energy. The aim of this study is to determine the level of the region of Vojvodina in relation to ten selected EU regions, based on parameters that affect the potential for using renewable energy sources, primarily residues from agriculture. By applying the K-means method, Borda count method and comparative analysis, and based on empirical data, results show that the region of Vojvodina takes a significant fifth place. Its share of agricultural land ranks it as the first, whereas production of cereals and the total number of farms larger than 100 ha rank it as the second. It could be concluded that Vojvodina is an agricultural region with large quantities of plant remains, primarily those left over from harvest, which represents a significant potential for energy generation from agricultural biomass.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurdziel, M.

2004-01-01

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

Ukraine Between The EU And The CES In Global Instability

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Svitlana Radzievska

2013-01-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Belov Martin

2017-11-01

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

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2009-01-01

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

CO{sub 2}MPARE. CO2 Model for Operational Programme Assessment in EU Regions. Technical background and guidance for deployment in EU regions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hekkenberg, M. [ECN Policy Studies, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Le Pierres, S. [Energies Demain, Montreuil Sous Bois (France); Del Ciello, R. [Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development ENEA, Rome (Italy); Keppo, I. [University College London UCL, London (United Kingdom); Papagianni, S. [Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving CRES, Pikermi Attiki (Greece); Harnych, J. [ENVIROS, Prague (Czech Republic)

2013-03-15

The CO2MPARE model enables national and regional authorities to assess the carbon impacts of Operational Programmes co-financed through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This document provides technical background information and guidance for deploying the model in additional EU regions.

CO{sub 2}MPARE. CO2 Model for Operational Programme Assessment in EU Regions. Improved carbon management with EU Regional Policy. Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hekkenberg, M. [ECN Policy Studies, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Schram, J. [Energies Demain, Montreuil Sous Bois (France); Amerighi, O. [Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development ENEA, Rome (Italy); Keppo, I. [University College London UCL, London (United Kingdom); Papagianni, S. [Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving CRES, Pikermi Attiki (Greece); Ten Donkelaar, M. [ENVIROS, Prague (Czech Republic)

2013-03-15

The CO2MPARE model supports national and regional authorities in making balanced decisions for their investment portfolio under their regional development programmes, in particular under their Operational Programmes of EU Regional Policy. The EU's climate objectives require that investments across the EU are channeled towards low-carbon development. The carbon impacts of investments should therefore be seriously considered in the decision making process of regional development programmes. The CO2MPARE model informs national and regional authorities on the impacts that the investments under various Operational Programmes can have in terms of CO2 emissions. Knowing which investments lead either to additional emissions or rather to emission reductions, and what the overall impact of a programme is, represents the first step towards investment decisions that have decarbonisation co-benefits. CO2MPARE estimates the combined carbon impact of all activities that take place under a programme, and provides insights into the relative contributions of the different themes. Through its high aggregation level, it allows comparison of investment scenarios rather than individual projects. As such, it aims to support informed decisions on investment strategies rather than project investment decisions. In doing so, it also helps to build and develop a 'carbon culture' within the authorities directly or indirectly in charge of managing Regional Policy Operational Programmes. The model is primarily aimed at Operational Programmes co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

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

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liefferink, D.; Andersen, M. S.

2002-01-01

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

Observation of unusual critical region behavior in the magnetic susceptibility of EuSe

Science.gov (United States)

Bykovetz, N.; Klein, J.; Lin, C. L.

2018-05-01

The Europium Chalcogenides (EuCh: EuO, EuS, EuSe, and EuTe) have been regarded as model examples of simple, cubic, Heisenberg exchange coupled magnetic systems, with a ferromagnetic nearest-neighbor exchange constant J1 and an antiferromagnetic next-nearest-neighbor constant J2. Unlike the other EuCh, EuSe exhibits a range of complex magnetic behaviors, the latter being attributed to EuSe being near the point where J2=-J1, where its magnetism appears to consist of nearly de-coupled 2D ferromagnetic sheets. Analysis of precision SQUID measurements of the magnetic susceptibility χ in EuSe showed that in the region from ˜Tc to ˜2Tc, a fit of the data to the critical equation χ = χ2Tc(T/Tc-1)-γ gives γ=2.0, an exponent not predicted by any current theory. Additionally, this fit predicts that Tc should be ˜0K. We tentatively interpret this by saying that in the paramagnetic region the system "thinks" EuSe should not order above T=0. Tc=0K is predicted by the Mermin-Wagner theorem (MW) for Heisenberg-coupled 2D magnetic systems, and we can show that when J2=-J1, MW can also be applied to the J1, J2 exchange model of the EuCh to give a rigorous Tc=0 prediction. Under 10 kbar applied pressure EuSe exhibits a different γ and fitted Tc. An additional, and rather strange, critical-region effect was discovered. The EuSe sample was found to exhibit a relaxation effect in a small range of temperatures, just above and just below the actual Tc of 4.7K, with time constants of up to 5 minutes. We cannot yet fully explain this observed macroscopic effect.

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

NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

2007-01-01

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

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2010-05-15

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bengt Furåker

2013-09-01

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

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.

COORDINATES OF THE FISCAL POLICY IN THE MEMBER STATES OF EU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

DOBROTĂ GABRIELA

2013-12-01

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

Geographic Data as Personal Data in Four EU Member States

Science.gov (United States)

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

2016-06-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabau-Popa Diana Claudia

2012-07-01

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

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

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nollkaemper, A.; Morgera, E.

2012-01-01

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

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

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nollkaemper, A.

2011-01-01

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

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2009-07-01

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

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

CERN Multimedia

Françoise Benz

2003-01-01

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

An assessment of the regional potential for solar power generation in EU-28

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perpiña Castillo, Carolina; Batista e Silva, Filipe; Lavalle, Carlo

2016-01-01

In this study we aim at assessing the potential of European regions to solar power generation and its comparison with recent European Union (EU) incentives for the development of this renewable energy source. In this study we use a multi-criteria assessment (MCA) supported by Geographical Information System (GIS) to combine already existing information on solar radiation with other geographical factors such as slope, land use, urban extent and population distribution, as well as proximity to the power grid to generate a suitability map for photovoltaic (PV) power plants across the EU at high spatial resolution. A validation exercise showed that the resulting suitability map is a good predictor of appropriate locations for the deployment of PV power plants. The suitability map was in addition compared to the regional distribution of European funds for development of solar energy from the EU Cohesion policy (2007–2013 programme). Regions were classified according their overall suitability for solar energy power systems and the allocated solar investments by the EU Cohesion policy. This analysis allowed to identify potential mismatches between fund allocations and actual regional suitability for solar energy. It is recommended that future fund allocations take into account suitability criteria for solar energy for optimised results of public policies. - Highlights: • A European suitability map for the solar energy (PV) systems deployment is created. • PV systems can contribute in a sustainable energy production in many regions in EU. • There is no correlation among the EU investment and the suitability in solar energy. • Using marginal lands to place PV systems might avoid the uptake of agricultural land. • Validation of the EU suitability map demonstrated a satisfactory degree of accuracy.

Specialisation and Convergence in European Regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Enrico Marelli

2007-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper was to analyze specialization and convergence of European countries and regions, within the framework of integration in the EU. This is important not only for long-term real convergence processes, but also for a proper functioning of the monetary union (in the line of research on the OCA's criteria, asymmetry of shocks and synchronization of business cycles. The position of new member states is particularly delicate, also considering the forthcoming adoption of the euro by some of them. As indicated by the EU Treaty, economic growth should be balanced with economic and social cohesion that includes a careful consideration of regional disparities. Our empirical investigation focuses on the regions of EU25, further broken up into other relevant groupings (EU15, EMU, and the new members' EU10 group, over the period from 1980 (or 1990 for EU10 to 2005. This paper considers a rather fine regional disaggregation (NUTS-2 level, counting 250 regions. The analysis of different indices of specialisation point to a prevalent increase of homogeneity of sector structures across European regions, although in some cases (especially in the industrial sector and in some services specialisation has increased. For convergence, a sigma convergence's analysis confirms a reduction of disparities, both at a country and regional level. However, a trade-off between fast national growth and internal distribution has emerged in the early stages of development, as in the case of new members. Moreover, beta convergence has also been established - regarding per capita income, employment and productivity - for almost all territorial aggregates (excluding the new members since 1999. The addition of structural variables, following a beta-conditional approach, indicates a positive role for services and a negative impact of agriculture. Finally, some preliminary results have been obtained by the innovative inclusion of specialisation indices within

EU Contribution to Strengthening Regional Development and Cooperation in the Black Sea Basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Voicu-Dorobanțu Roxana

2017-01-01

Full Text Available EU's agenda had for some time a topic (at least at an idea level about the “strengthening ofcooperation in the Black Sea Region.” It faced an interesting paradox: the lack of (or, in the caseof existence, sub-optimal economic relations between countries in this area, regardless of theirgeographical proximity. The paradoxical situation considered to be mostly due to their differenthistorical and political backgrounds. Therefore, a form of support of regional development in thearea was necessary, as it has been considered in EU's Black Sea Synergy, which encouragescooperation between countries in the Basin while offering a forum for solving common issues andpromoting political and economic reform. Regional cooperation in various areas stems from a highpolitical involvement as the main initiator but requires a strong involvement and participation ofboth civil society and private sector as main drivers of cross-border cooperation. Our paperfocuses, apart from its conceptual research background, on mapping the effective outcomes of theEU initiatives in the area and on providing future perspectives for EU contribution tostrengthening regional development and cooperation in the Black Sea Basin.

Financial Integration into EU: The Romanian Case

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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

Fostering regional democracy through civic organisations: comparing EU mechanisms in Europe and Central America

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sanchez Salgado, R.; Parthenay, K.

2013-01-01

This article compares the effects of the mechanisms of the European Union (EU) on the promotion of regional civic organisations, especially funding opportunities, in two regional settings (Central America and Europe). It is argued that the EU is exporting a specific model of relationships between

Exporting EU Liberalism Eastwards

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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.

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...

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lyra Jakulevičienė

2018-01-01

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

The Foreign Policies of European Union Member States

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

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

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2018-01-01

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

Relevance of PLUREL's results to policies at EU, national, regional and local level

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fertner, Christian; Nielsen, Thomas Alexander Sick

and results to policies and policy development at the EU-level, as well as the national and regional level. PLUREL has peri-urban land use relationships as its main focus. This includes analysis of drivers, consequences, policies and scenarios for the future. Even though PLUREL aims for pan-European coverage...... of natural resources as well as an attractive development in general. Besides these spatial relevant sector policies, the EU enforces legislation which is translated into spatial explicit instruments on sub-regional level. E.g. the Habitat and Birds Directive caused the development of Natura 2000 areas......, an EU-wide network of nature protection areas. The implementation of Trans-European Networks through funding programmes is another sector policy having an impact on land-use change and rural-urban relations. On the sub-regional scale the perception on overall goals like sustainability can be very...

EU Humanitarian Programs and regional identity in the South Caucasus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arkhipova Ekaterina Vladimirovna

2013-11-01

Full Text Available EU Humanitarian Programs in the Southern Caucasus States are considered in the article. The increasing number and importance of the programs developing person-toperson contacts for the conflicting areas are noted. The influence of TRACECA and INOGATE programs was very significant in developing the local economies. Humanitarian aspects became important since 1992 when the first peace-building conferences of the Minsk group on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict took place. The political cooperation was institutionalized in 2004 with the implementing the European Neighborhood program. According to the “Eastern Partnership” a number of grants was offered to develop so called “new democracies”. A lot of educational programs provided the space for the personal cooperation in the area now are implementing. Mobility Partnerships program provides the regional cooperation in the migration policy. Consequently all the EU programs make the European volumes popular for the Caucasian inhabitants. That’s why the author puts the question about possible transformations in the regional identity. The states elites declare the importance for developing close contacts with EU institutes. Still there are some arguable issues. The status of sexual minorities in Azerbaijan provides the base for the mutual discontent in their relations with EU. Yet Azerbaijan has enough financial resources (based on the petrol supplies to reduce the EU influence in some objectionable fields. Georgia under M. Saakashvili ruling showed a strong trend towards EU and “Western” values on the whole. But this trend was mainly based on the strategies of the state financial surviving. There are some evidences proving that the main target of this police was to make a distance from the Russian policy. Armenia may be introduces as the state with strong interests in European cooperation for developing its economy. But there are also some important projects connecting Armenia with Russia, still

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loskot-Stachota, Agata; Ramsay, William C.

2011-06-01

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

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.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marius PROFIROIU

2011-06-01

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

Economic Growth, Convergence and Innovation in the EU Regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tiiu Paas

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The paper focuses on quantitative assessment of the innovation’s role in explaining regional disparities and convergence in Europe. The empirical part of the study bases on the regional GDP pc and innovation indicators on the EU-27 NUTS2 level regions. Based on the selected set of initial regional innovation indicators and using the principal components factor analysis method, three composite indicators of regional innovation capacity are extracted. Estimating convergence equations, we noticed that regional innovations tend to increase inter-regional differences, at least during the short-run period. Thus, if regional income convergence is a policy target, additional policy measures beside innovation activities should be effectively implemented.

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

DISTRIBUTION ASPECTS OF THE DIRECT PAYMENTS BETWEEN EU MEMBER STATES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gina FINTINERU

2012-01-01

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

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uran, Vedran; Krajcar, Slavko

2009-01-01

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

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2016-05-01

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

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

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.

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....

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2016-01-01

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

GENERAL OVERWIEV ON EU ECONOMY

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NICOLETA GEORGETA PANAIT

2013-05-01

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

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2016-05-28

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

THE DANUBE STRATEGY AND ITS IMPACT ON THE PROCESS OF UKRAINE-EU RAPPROCHEMENT

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Artem FYLYPENKO

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The research paper analyzes the impact of the Danube strategy on the process of Ukraine-EU rapprochement. The strategy itself is primarily a political document, which provides guidance to States in the region and the EU institutions to ensure the development of the Danube region. This document is unique in a number of parameters. First, its implementation will affect not only the eight Danube States - members of the EU, but also the neighboring countries of the EU. Secondly, it is a comprehensive document that covers not only the transport sector, but environmental issues, development of culture and tourism, education and many others. For Ukraine, the value of the Strategy is primarily due to the fact that in the context of the course of European integration this document provides additional opportunities for entry into the common European space. In addition, the Danube strategy can be considered as a tool for regional development. Strategy parameters cover four regions of Ukraine, located in the Danube River Basin - Odessa, Chernivtsi, Transcarpathian and Ivano-Frankivsk region.

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

OpenAIRE

Simoncini Marta

2017-01-01

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

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

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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.

EU trade in the time of financial crisis

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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.

(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.

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

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Vuković Darko B.

2015-01-01

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

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

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Nika Šimurina

2017-02-01

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

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.

Should the EU climate policy framework be reformed?

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David ELLISON

2011-12-01

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

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

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DODESCU D.B. ANCA

2015-07-01

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

The European Regional Development Fund and Island Regions: An Evaluation of the 2000-06 and 2007-13 Programs

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Harvey W. Armstrong

2012-11-01

Full Text Available This paper presents results from a regional policy evaluation study conducted for the European Commission. The study examined the impact of the European Regional Development Fund and Cohesion Fund on EU regions with ‘specific geographical characteristics’, namely islands, mountain regions and sparsely populated areas. These types of regions have been attracting increasing EU regional policy attention and their economic development is considered important in helping the EU to attain its important ‘territorial cohesion’ objective. The focus of this paper is on the island regions. Evaluation of island regions in their own right has not been undertaken before by the EU. The study focuses on the 2000-06 and (still on-going 2007-13 EU regional policy programs. The paper presents the methodology adopted by the study before turning to the main findings concerning the types of policy initiatives adopted in the island regions, and the appropriateness of the policies used for the economic situation faced by the islands. The islands encompassed by the study are all normal sub-national regions of EU member states. Islands with an unusual degree of administrative autonomy (e.g. the Outermost Regions were excluded.

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

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Henna Riemenschneider

2018-01-01

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

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

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ALEXANDRU DRONCA

2015-03-01

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

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2018-03-15

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

Geographic data as personal data in four EU member states

NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

2016-01-01

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

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

OpenAIRE

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

2006-01-01

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

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

OpenAIRE

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

2006-01-01

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

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

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Valantiejus Gediminas

2017-06-01

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

Russia-EU energy efficiency cooperation in the Baltic region: the untapped potential

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Romanova T. A.

2014-03-01

Full Text Available A stereotypical understanding of EU-Russia energy relations is often reduced to trade in oil and natural gas, which downplays the importance of energy efficiency cooperation. Such cooperation is promoted within the Energy Charter and its Treaty, Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, Energy Dialogue, Common Economic Space, Partnership for Modernisation. However, it lacks practical development, which relates to the instability of the legal environment in Russia, insufficient mechanisms of financial support for energy conservation projects and poor political support. Nevertheless, energy efficiency cooperation is capable of changing Russia-EU energy cooperation qualitatively: it offers a cheaper way to meet the needs of the EU, redefines interdependence between the parties, and introduces new elements of equality between them. Energy efficiency cooperation also transforms the patterns of the EU-Russia legal harmonization, creates new conditions for the convergence of regulations and the development of the middle class in Russia. Due to its specific features, cooperation in the Baltic Sea region becomes a locomotive of the Russia-EU energy efficiency cooperation, and, as a result, is capable of changing the quality of relations between the partners.

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

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Adrian-Gabriel CORPADEAN

2014-10-01

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

Putting new economic geography to the test : Free-ness of trade and agglomeration in the EU regions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brakman, Steven; Garretsen, Harry; Schrannn, Marc; Schramm, M.

For the NUTS II EU regions we estimate the wage equation that is central to the new economic geography literature. Our first main finding is that a spatial wage structure exists for the EU regions. Next, we analyze what our estimations imply for the link between the free-ness of trade and

From smart specialisation to smart experimentation: Towards a new theoretical framework for EU regional policy

OpenAIRE

Benner, Maximilian

2013-01-01

The idea of smart specialisation has gained high prominence in the discourse about EU regional policy. In the coming program period from 2014 to 2020 it is expected to be a major pillar of EU structural funds. The notion of smart specialisation incorporates some basic principles of evolutionary economics and centers on the idea of an entrepreneurial discovery process of new trajectories on the regional level. It does not, however, sufficiently take into account the relevance of in...

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...

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

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tezcan, Narin

2015-01-01

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

The eu-Energy Security and Geopolitical Economy : The Persian Gulf, the Caspian Region and China

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Amineh, Mehdi P.; Crijns-Graus, Wina H.J.

2018-01-01

Although energy supply security is an important long-term goal of the eu, member states are in control over external supplies and their domestic energy mix, and an overarching institutional structure is lacking. In this paper, we focus on the availability of oil and gas and the risks of supply

The EU-Energy Security and Geopolitical Economy : The Persian Gulf, the Caspian Region and China

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Amineh, M.P.; Crijns-Graus, W.H.J.

2018-01-01

Although energy supply security is an important long-term goal of the EU, member states are in control over external supplies and their domestic energy mix, and an overarching institutional structure is lacking. In this paper, we focus on the availability of oil and gas and the risks of supply

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

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Harun Uçak

2011-01-01

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

Innovations in the Baltic Sea Region and Network Cooperation between Russia and the EU

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Fedorov Gennady

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Transnational (involving countries and cross-border (involving adjacent regions of different countries cooperation and integration are rapidly developing in the Baltic Sea region. Russia lags behind the Nordic countries and Germany as far as innovative development is concerned; yet our national pace here is comparable to that of Poland and the three Baltic States. At the same time, the features of innovative cooperation vary a great deal depending on the group of countries involved in cooperation processes. Independent of its type, however, international cooperation is beneficial for all parties concerned and should therefore be more actively encouraged. Northwestern Federal District traditionally plays a special role in the development of EU-Russia cooperation, since a number of its regions border on the EU countries. The district participates in the development of network innovative structures within the Baltic Sea region. It takes an active part in cross-border cooperation — activities that involve the formation of transborder innovative clusters. There are high expectations associated with the formation of such territorially localised innovative networks, as the Helsinki — Saint Petersburg — Tallinn and Tricity (Gdansk, Gdynia, Sopot — Kaliningrad — Klaipeda transborder innovative clusters. The city of Saint Petersburg and the adjacent Leningrad region, as well as the Kaliningrad region can become innovative development corridors between Russia and the EU and, eventually, develop into the ‘economic growth poles’ of the Russian Federation.

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...

The harmonization of banking legislation in the EU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shkëlqesa Çitaku

2016-03-01

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

REFORM OF RULES ON EU VAT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Zenovia GRIGORE

2018-05-01

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

9 CFR 98.38 - Restrictions on the importation of swine semen from the APHIS-defined EU CSF region.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... swine semen from the APHIS-defined EU CSF region. 98.38 Section 98.38 Animals and Animal Products ANIMAL... (INCLUDING POULTRY) AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS IMPORTATION OF CERTAIN ANIMAL EMBRYOS AND ANIMAL SEMEN Certain Animal Semen § 98.38 Restrictions on the importation of swine semen from the APHIS-defined EU CSF region. In...

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flaam, Karoline Haegstad

2007-10-15

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

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Flaam, Karoline Haegstad

2007-10-15

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

Governing EU employment policy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Eva; Triantafillou, Peter; Damgaard, Bodil

2015-01-01

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

EU Enlargement

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...

EU-Russia Relations Regarding Water Resources in Central Asia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anastasia Likhacheva

2014-05-01

Full Text Available In Central Asia, the water deficit and water-energy problem have been one of among the most acute and conflict-ridden challenges for the sustainable development of the region and for regional security. Key trade and investment partners, including Russia and the European Union, could play a considerable role in influencing this issue, due to the long-lasting status quo, the inability to find a solution through intra-regional dialogue and the region’s rising dependence on foreign trade. Indeed, water-related interactions between Russia and the EU have been developing in a complementary manner. The EU possesses new technologies and its members have access to long-term capital markets, while Russia carries influence through providing security, regulating migration and holding a favourable political position for offering mediation services to the republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. This article examines EU-Russia relations regarding water issues in Central Asia over the medium term. By analyzing cooperative and non-cooperative strategies used by the major stakeholders in the water conflict (the five republics and the third parties of Russia and the EU, it confirms the continuous complementary character of EU and Russian activities in this context. Russia will take responsibility for moderating the principal questions (as with the construction of big dams such as Rogunor Kambarata, as they relate to the provision of security guarantees. The EU will act through providing support for water companies from small and medium-sized enterprises, and promoting the European Water Initiative principles and by developing its investment policy. The intersection of interests is possible when if Russia will attracts an independent arbiter, such as an actor available to provide guarantees related to the values of professional objectivism, human rights support and environment protection. These issues inevitably arise with

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2012-07-01

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

ORGANIC RESEARCH AND STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVEMENT: THE IFOAM EU REGIONAL GROUP CONTRIBUTION

OpenAIRE

Gonzalvez, Mr V; Schlueter, Mr M; Slabe, Ms A; Schmid, Mr O

2006-01-01

The paper presents the concepts, criteria, procedures and some methodologies to increase stakeholders involvement and participatioin in organic research Projects in the European Union, based on the experiencie and practise of the IFOAM EU Regional Group (IFOAM-EURG), in transnational Organic research Projects, enfatising in achivements, dificulties and trends for the future

The impact of new member states on EU environmental policy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Mikael Skou

1996-01-01

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

Evidence on the determinants of foreign direct investment: the case of EU regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura RESMINI

2010-12-01

Full Text Available This study analyses the determinants of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI at regional level. While the determinants of FDI in Europe have been extensively analysed at the country level, the literature on location patterns and on the determinants of FDI at the regional level is only at its beginning. This study follows this line of empirical research by using original data on the number of foreign investments over the 2005-07 period disaggregated by regions of the EU27 and by sectors. We perform a detailed analysis of the location determinants of foreign investments using different econometric specifications in order to consider a large set of variables potentially explaining FDI location. We attempt, on the one hand, to demonstrate whether variables usually employed to explain the determinants of FDI at the country level also influence the location of FDI at the regional level, and on the other hand to identify which locational advantages are able to attract FDI into EU regions. In so doing, we control for firm, sector and spatial heterogeneity in order to capture potential differences in the patterns of location of different kinds of foreign firms.

Growth effects of EU and EZ memberships

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dreyer, Johannes Kabderian; Schmid, Peter A.

2017-01-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bardhyl Dauti

2015-03-01

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

The 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.

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

Factors Influencing the Rating of Regional Economic Performance or Reasons why Prague has Become the 6th Best Economically Performing Region of the EU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miloslav Chlad

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Regional Gross Domestic Product per capita is a key indicator for the distribution of financial resources within the Structural Funds in the EU. With regard to this fact, an increasing attention is also paid to this indicator in the Czech Republic (especially after its accession to the EU. Regional GDP per capita is often incorrectlypresented as the indicator of economic well-being of the population residing in the region. Some factors with significant impact on the value of regional GDP per capita and/or the ranking of regions in this international comparison are neglected. These factors include, for example, commuting to work, NUTS classification and/ or units of measure (PPS versus euro etc. The analysis shows the influence of these factors.

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

EU citizenship and direct taxation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

E.W. Ros (Erik)

2017-01-01

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

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

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

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beck, Anne-Marie Tyroll; Michelsen, Johannes

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

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

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leschke, Janine; Weiss, Silvana

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

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...

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

1997-12-31

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

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2013-12-01

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

The "New Politics" of EU's Eastern Enlargement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zank, Wolfgang

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

THE INFLUENCE OF E.U. INTEGRATION ON THE OVERALL DEVELOPMENT IN THE REGIONS NORTH-EAST OF ROMANIA, SUBCARPATHIA OF POLAND AND CENTRAL SLOVAKIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrian Liviu SCUTARIU

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The existence of some notable development differences in EU at interstate and interregional level imposed the elaboration of a regional development policy aimed at reducing such disparities. The financial assistance provided by the EU is to help the underdeveloped regions. In this article we highlight the overall level of development and its evolution in Romania, Poland and Slovakia, at regional level, in the context of EU accession. Our attention will be focused on the North-East region of Romania, achieving a comparative analysis with two other similar regions from Poland and Slovakia: Subcarpathia and Central Slovakia, respectively.

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...

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)

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

Strategic partitioning of emissions allowances in the EU ETS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2008-07-01

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

The Quality of Governance and EU Regional Policy as a key determinant in the process of the integration of the Western Balkans into the EU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Demush Bajrami

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes the quality of governance and financial assistance as key determinants for successful functioning of the process of integration within the European Union (EU. Moreover, the paper develops a comparison of the Western Balkans with current EU members and the forthcoming, on the basis of the selected indicators of governance (rule of law, democracy, corruption, political stability, and effectiveness of state with the experience of the implementation of the reforms of public administration. Various surveys show that the Western Balkans, by all quality of governance indicators, especially in the rule of law, lags behind 28 (twenty eight of the current EU countries (without taking in account the Great Britain. The low level of the functioning of rule of law, combined with inadequate and unreformed public administration is potentially the biggest obstacle in the association agreement of the Western Balkans with EU, but also as challenge in achieving sustainable social and economic development. Whereas in the case of the Western Balkan countries, there is an obvious difference between proclaiming and internal reality, which is further compounded by a difficult political and economic transition, as well as in social domain - where poverty and corruption are the most worrying. The research data obtained from independent bodies - academic and research institutions, civil society and international organizations - confirm this controversial picture of the Western Balkans. Negative attitudes still prevail in Western Balkans political elites and if given the chance to political manipulation, may behave unpredictably. All this makes it obligatory to make a comparative overview, for depicting in particular the quality of governance as sine qua non for the Western Balkans countries‘ integration in EU.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND EU CITIZENS’ PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES

OpenAIRE

Elena N. UNTARU; Ana ISPAS; Adina N. CANDREA

2014-01-01

The present paper aims to determine the influence of EU member countries’ economic development on their citizens’ pro-environmental attitudes, using a Cluster Analysis, a Principal Components Analysis and a series of multiple regressions. In this sense, we have used the results of the 2012 survey on the „Attitudes of Europeans towards building the single market for green products”, as well as the 2012 statistical information referring to EU member countries’ economic development, provided by ...

News and campaign dynamics in EU 27

NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

2009-01-01

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

Cost effects of international trade in meeting EU renewable electricity targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2006-01-01

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

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.)

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kawecka-Wyrzykowska Elżbieta

2014-10-01

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

EU COMPARISON OF VAT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MARIA ZENOVIA GRIGORE

2012-05-01

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

Assessing gas transit risks: Russia vs. the EU

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Le Coq, Chloé; Paltseva, Elena

2012-01-01

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

Lobbyism and CO2 Trade in the EU

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svendsen, Gert Tinggaard

2002-01-01

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

REGIONALIZATION IN EASTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPE: OBSTACLES AND PERSPECTIVES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gyula Horváth

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Regional policy depends on efficient administrative systems for designing and implementing strategies, and places considerable demands on Member States’ public administrations in terms of e.g. financial management and monitoring; project selection procedures; ex ante environmental impact assessments and cost-benefit analyses; and the monitoring and evaluation of outputs, results and impacts. EU member states have taken a range of different approaches to the administration of regional policy.The construction of regions in the countries of Eastern and Central Europe became one of the important debate topics for preparation for EU membership. Despite the numerous similarities in the changes that have taken place in the territorial structures of the Eastern and Central European countries, the differences in the responses individual countries gave to the challenges of regional development and the varied results of their development efforts demonstrate that the “Eastern European Bloc” is at least as heterogeneous as the former member states of the European Union. EU accession opened up a Pandora’s Box in the countries of Eastern and Central Europe. The fundamental issue of how unitarily structured states can be set on a decentralised path became the centre of debate. The paper introduces the Central and Eastern European achievements of region building processes and searches for an explanation of the reasons for the difficulties of Eastern and Central Europe in regional construction; it summarises the administrative and political development pre-requisites of the transition to a regional outline of the possible advantages of a regional institutional system in the creation of the Cohesion Policy ensuring a decrease in regional differences.

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

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koneeny, M.

2007-04-01

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

THE EFFECT OF STRUCTURAL FUNDS ON REGIONAL COMPETITIVENESS IN THE NEW EU COUNTRIES: THE CASE OF ROMANIA AND BULGARIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

GLIGOR DELIA ANCA GABRIELA

2015-03-01

Full Text Available In the context of internationalization and globalization of the world economy, regional competitiveness is thoroughly debated by politicians and policy makers, emphasizing measurable differences between development regions, without any clear political or conceptual framework. The process of European Union integration is a main driving force of change, aiming to increase the efficiency and competitiveness of the fragmented European economy in the face of increasing internationalization. This often exposes countries and regions with unequal resources and technology and different economic structures to international competition. Such is the case of Romania and Bulgaria, countries that after joining the European Union in 2007 were given an opportunity to recover in terms of regional competitiveness and economic growth, namely structural funds as a form of nonrefundable European financial help to disadvantaged regions of member states. This research is thus focused on underlining and analyzing the relation between structural funds’ absorption and the degree of regional competitiveness for the development regions of Romania and Bulgaria, during their first programming period, through identifying and analyzing the factors that influence regional competitiveness and the amount of structural funds absorbed. First, two competitiveness country profiles are created based on data provided by relevant international organisms and second, an impact analysis is developed using six regional competitiveness indicators, grouped into three categories (economic, social and technological. Results show that EU funds critically influence the competitiveness of Romanian and Bulgarian regions, providing reliable data for policy decision makers

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.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2011-04-15

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

EU CONTRIBUTION TO SUPPORT DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diana Popa

2012-06-01

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

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

Competitiveness of Romanian Regions in the Spatial Structure of the EU

Science.gov (United States)

Török, Ibolya

2017-12-01

In the last years, in order to enhance the competitiveness of the regions, researchers and decision makers alike attribute a special role to supporting entrepreneurial activity, strengthening the SME sector, attracting foreign working capital into the local economy, but also to the territorial concentration of R&D centres. Within the present study, I have considered all relevant economic factors, which might influence competitiveness, having at the same time an impact on the position of the Romanian regions within in the economic structure of the European Union. In the study have managed to prove that Romania is in a rather disadvantaged situation in the case of the three main elements, with a significant impact on the competitiveness of regions: the GDP per capita, the employment rate and labour productivity. Only the Bucharest-Ilfov region is in a more favourable position, but its development level remains far behind the central regions of the EU.

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)

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harriman, David

2010-03-01

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

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-10-15

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

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verdonk, M.; Hof, A.

2013-10-15

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

The EU and the International Sanctions against Iran

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seeberg, Peter

2016-01-01

In July 2015 an agreement on the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action regarding Iran’s nuclear program was announced between Iran and the permanent members of the UNSC, Germany and the EU. The Iranian decision to comply with the results of the negotiations attracted much focus, both...... at the policy level and in scholarly debates. However, the foreign and security policy interests and possibilities of Iran in the MENA region have not been discussed very intensively, nor has there been much attention paid to how the international actors and in particular the EU were able to influence...... the Iranian policies and decisions. This article seeks to take up this challenge: firstly by analyzing to what degree the sanctions influenced the Iranian decisions on the nuclear issue; and secondly, by discussing how the sanctions regime affected the relations between Iran and the international actors...

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.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2011-01-01

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

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2010-01-01

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

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

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Beer, P.

2012-01-01

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

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.

ANALYSIS OF BUDGET DEFICIT IN THE CANDIDATE COUNTRIES FOR EU MEMBERSHIP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danijela Despotović

2017-11-01

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

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

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Porte, Caroline de la; van Dalen, Arjen

2016-01-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Talpoş Ioan

2014-01-01

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

Comparative analysis of employment dynamics in leading and lagging rural regions of the EU, 1980-1997.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Terluin, I.J.; Post, J.H.; Sjöström, Å.

1999-01-01

In this study a comparative analysis of factors hampering and encouraging the development of employment in 9 leading and 9 lagging regions in the EU during the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s is made. Derived from this comparative analysis, some lessons, which leading and lagging rural regions

Impact of EU on the internationalization of Czech SMEs in ICT industry

OpenAIRE

Žalman, Jakub

2015-01-01

ŽALMAN, Jakub. Impact of EU on the internationalization of Czech SMEs in ICT in-dustry. Diploma thesis. Mendel University in Brno, 2015. The topic of this diploma thesis is how is the fact that Czech Republic is member of the EU influencing internationalization of Czech SMEs operating in ICT industry. EU has opened and unified the internal market a lot which gave new possibilities of internationalization for member countries. Importance of the topic is also given by the facts that small and m...

CO{sub 2}MPARE. CO2 Model for Operational Programme Assessment in EU Regions. User Tutorial

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hekkenberg, M. [ECN Policy Studies, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Vincent-Genod, C. [Energies Demain, Montreuil Sous Bois (France); Regina, P. [Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development ENEA, Rome (Italy); Keppo, I. [University College London UCL, London (United Kingdom); Papagianni, S. [Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving CRES, Pikermi Attiki (Greece); Harnych, J. [ENVIROS, Prague (Czech Republic)

2013-03-15

The CO2MPARE model supports national and regional authorities in making balanced decisions for their investment portfolio under their regional development programmes, in particular under their Operational Programmes of EU Regional Policy. This document is a tutorial for users of the CO2MPARE model and provides step by step guidance on the different functionalities of the model for both basic and expert users.

EU Security of Gas Supplies: Solidarity Runs Through the Pipeline

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aoun, Marie-Claire; Rutten, Daan

2016-05-01

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

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

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Papatheodorou, C.; Pavlopoulos, D.

2014-01-01

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

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tosun, Jale

2011-01-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oana Ancuţa Stângaciu

2013-12-01

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

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

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stepan, M.; Anderson, K.A.

2014-01-01

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

The 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.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirela Cristea

2016-12-01

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

Towards re-reforming the EU cohesion policy: Key issues in the debate and some thoughts on peripheral regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Foutakis Dimitris

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Two years after the inception of the fourth programming period, the debate on post-2013 cohesion policy has already been launched. In fact, public consultation was launched in 2007 and considerable steps have followed since then, while others are about to start. At the same time, the new strategic guidelines and rules that guide cohesion policy have only been in place for a short period and as yet their impacts are not clear. Critical events and major political issues that concern the whole EU structure are the main factors behind this evolution. In particular, the economic recession in addition to the prospects for the new EU Treaty could be considered decisive elements in the launch of the debate on future cohesion policy. More specifically, among the issues highlighted in this context are the distinction between efficiency and equity objectives, the need for a place-based strategy, high growth sectors and their contribution to cohesion, and the potential for creativity and innovation. Overall, it seems like old dilemmas of spatial development recur, while contemporary ones also gain ground. The outcome of this debate is of significant importance for all EU regions not only in budgetary terms, but also in terms of strategic policy goals. This paper examines the above future policy issues with an emphasis on regions faced with particular difficulties such as less favored regions as well as those in the EU periphery.

The EU and Climate Change Policy: Law, Politics and Prominence at Different Levels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chad David Damro

2008-11-01

Full Text Available The European Union (EU is a prominent player in the politics of climate change, operating as an authoritative regional actor that influences policy-making at the national and international levels. The EU’s climate change policies are thus subjected to multiple pressures that arise from the domestic politics of its twenty-seven individual member states and the international politics of non-EU states with which it negotiates. Facing these multiple pressures, how and why could such a non-traditional actor develop into a prominent player at different levels of climate change policy-making? This article argues that the EU’s rise to prominence can be understood by tracking a number of historical-legal institutional developments at the domestic and international levels. The article also provides a preliminary investigation of the EU emissions trading scheme, a new institutional mechanism that illustrates the policy pressures arising from different levels.

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.

Animal Health Challenges and Veterinary Aspects of Organic Livestock Farming Identified Through a 3 Year EU Network Project

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vaarst, Mette; Padel, Susanne; Younie, David

2008-01-01

From 2003-2006, an EU network project ‘Sustaining Animal Health and Food Safety in Organic Farming‘ (SAFO), was carried out with 26 partners from 20 EU-countries and 4 related partners from 4 candidate or new member states. The focus was the integration of animal health and welfare issues...... in organic farming with food safety aspects. Four very consistent conclusions became apparent: 1) The climatic, physical and socio-economic conditions vary considerably throughout Europe, leading to different livestock farming systems. This limits the possibility for technology transfer between regions...

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susana Margarida JORGE

2014-12-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yury V. Borovskiy

2015-01-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soldić-Aleksić Jasna

2015-01-01

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

U.S.-EU Cooperation Against Terrorism

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Archick, Kristin

2005-01-01

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

U.S.-EU Cooperation Against Terrorism

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Archick, Kristin

2006-01-01

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

The price of electric power in EU region decreased in 1998

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolttola, L.

2000-01-01

The price of both household and industrial electric power decreased in EU region during 1998. The price of industrial power decreased by more than 3% and that of households by 0.5%. According to the Eurostat the price of industrial power decreased most in Germany and in Lisbon in Portugal. In the statistics Germany has been divided into several sub-areas. In most of these areas the price decrease was more than 10%. The price of the electric power increased e.g. in London and Birmingham in UK. The price of the electric power consumed by households decreased significantly in Athens (Greece), in Finland and Portugal, and they increased most in the Netherlands and in Leipzig in Germany. The price of industrial electric power is cheapest in Sweden being only about 0.21 FIM (0.035) per kWh, and in Finland the price in the beginning of 1999 was 0.26 FIM (0.0431) per kWh. The price of industrial electric power was highest in Germany and Italy. VAT is not included in the prices used in the survey of industrial electric power. The power consumption of the plants used in the comparison is 2.0 million kWh, the maximum power 500 kW and the maximum operation time 4000 h/a. The price of electric power for households in Greece, there it is cheapest, was under 0.4 FIM (0.07) per kWh. The data of Greece is collected from Athens. In Finland the price of domestic power was second lowest, being less than 0.5 FIM/kWh. The prices in Italy and Denmark were highest in the EU region. The households selected to the survey use 3500 kWh of power annually, 1300 kWh of which is consumed in the night. All the taxes, also VAT, have been included in the price. In 1998 half of the power (52%) was generated by traditional thermal power. The share of nuclear power was 34% and that of hydroelectric power and others 14%. The others group include also the wind power. In 1998 the consumption of thermal power increased by 5%, as well as the consumption of hydroelectric power and other, while the generation

The Impact of the Regional Policy on the European Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Romeo-Victor Ionescu

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, EU28 operates in a very sensitive socio-economic environment. This is why the paper faces to the idea of changing the political approach in the EU. In order to support this idea, two essential common policies (Regional Policy and Cohesion Policy are analyzed, using pertinent indicators, as GDP per capita, gross value added and labor productivity. A comparative analysis covers EU28 and Euro area. On the other hand, the regional analysis points out the economic disparities between NUTS2 regions. The intermediate conclusions of the analysis led to a cluster approach for the Member States. Moreover, the forecasting procedures applied to the above three economic indicators led to the same idea: an EU more divided than integrated. The main conclusion of the paper is that the present economic approach has to be change into another focused on maintaining and, after that, decreasing the present European socio-economic disparities.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosana GARCIANDÍA GARMENDIA

2012-06-01

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

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2017-01-01

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

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)

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivana Mamić-Sačer

2015-12-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silviu Gabriel BARBU

2017-05-01

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

THE IMPACT OF EU ENLARGEMENT ON THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfred E. Kellermann

2004-10-01

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

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

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

Scenarios for EU citizenship in 2030 – Repertoires for action in thinkable futures

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bakker, W.E.; van der Kolk, M.

2017-01-01

European Union (EU) citizenship is both about a legal status – a set of civil, social, economic and political rights complementing one’s national citizenship – and about being an active participating member of the EU political community. EU citizenship includes therefore influencing decisionmaking

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.)

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2016-11-01

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

Turkey's EU Quest and Political Cleavages under AKP

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rahigh-Aghsan, Ali

2011-01-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura DIACONU (MAXIM

2015-12-01

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

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.

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

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Cornelia Elena Tureac

2014-10-01

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

A COMPARATIVE ANALISYS ON THE TRADITIONAL FOOD PRODUCTS IN EU

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Teodora Mihaela Tarcza

2016-12-01

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

IAEA-EU Joint Action Partnership in Improving Nuclear Security

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-12-01

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

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2013-04-15

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Science.gov (United States)

Anna, Bluszcz

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caterina Carta

2011-05-01

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

THE 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.

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2006-09-15

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

Approximated EU GHG inventory: Early estimates for 2011

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2012-10-15

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

Approximated EU GHG inventory: Early estimates for 2010

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2011-10-15

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Penev Slavica

2014-01-01

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

Regional long-term co-operation in the field of nuclear and radiation emergency preparedness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sladek, V.; Metke, E.; Janko, K.; Hohenberg, J. K.; Hofer, P.

2004-01-01

Emergency preparedness is generally covered by methodical and coordinative activities of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Member States of the IAEA and by the European Commission (EC) in EU Member and EU Accession Countries. However, the regional harmonisation of emergency arrangements is an important trend of emergency preparedness. The present paper gives a couple of illustrative examples for a regional co-operation in the field of emergency preparedness in Central Europe and an overview on international exercises in this region. The penultimate section contains an outlook on future activities regarding regional co-operation in Central Europe. The following topics have been suggested inter alia: the harmonisation of intervention criteria and countermeasures, co-ordination in the field of information of the public, comprehensive bi lateral and multilateral exercises, exchange of experts between the national nuclear emergency centres and inter-comparison calculations of the computer codes. (authors)

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harriman, David

2010-03-15

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

Labour Market Performance Differentials and Dynamics in EU-15 Countries and Regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristiano Perugini

2007-09-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to contribute to empirical analysis of the differentials, dynamics and determinants of labour market performance in EU-15. One innovation of the paper reflects our decision not to use a single indicator of labour market performance, but to adopt three variables: employment rate, unemployment rate, and long-term unemployment rate. In addition to national data (1997-2006, the use of data at regional NUTS-2 level (1999-2005 is a key characteristic of this study. Empirical analyses are carried out by means of various comparative statistics and econometric approaches. In the latter, a large set of explicative variables is applied to examine the potential determinants of regional (unemployment levels and dynamics.

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.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Minodora Ioana Rusu

2010-07-01

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

EU Member State Enforcement of Mixed Agreements and Access to Justice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gáspár-Szilágyi, Szilárd

2013-01-01

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

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

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

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

NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

2016-01-01

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

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...

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ulreich, S.

2013-01-01

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

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

Employment growth in rural regions of the EU; A quantitative analysis for the period 1980-1995

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Esposti, R.; Godeschalk, F.E.; Kuhmonen, T.; Post, J.H.; Sotte, F.; Terluin, I.J.

1999-01-01

In this report it is examined whether rural regions in the EU with a relatively high (low) employment growth in the 1980s and early 1990s have some common socio-economic characterics, which can contribute to the explanation of their employment performance. We have grouped the socio-economic

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

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

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2005-01-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PAUL KALINICHENKO

2017-01-01

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

EU Climate Policy Tracker 2011. Main report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2011-11-15

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

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.

FDI in European Economic Architecture. The Case of Romania as an EU Member State

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aurel Burciu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The arrangements of regional economic integration have substantially reconfigured the patternof global economy after the Second World War, due to their structural effects, but especially to thenew forms of interdependence which they have created between economies. Our study is based onthe hypothesis that the economic integrated areas are more attractive to investors, especially to thelarge ones such as multinational corporations. Analyzing the flows, respectively the ratio of inwardstock of foreign direct investment to GDP in EU, and Romania, as well as the main indicatorsassessing the presence of multinational corporations in the Common Market and in our countrytoo, we have found that the creation of a larger market and deepening of economic integration hasfuelled a stimulus for investments, although the preference of investors, especially of the nonEuropeans,have been quite highly concentrated on certain locations/countries.

Coping with EU environmental legislation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Anker, Helle Tegner; de Graaf, Kars; Purdy, Ray

2015-01-01

A ‘burden reducing’ agenda has spurred an increased interest in how EU environmental legislation is transposed into national legislation—most prominently reflected in the principle of ‘no gold-plating’. Yet, an important question is to what extent transposition principles and practices may ensure...... on coherence and accessibility with respect to environmental legislation and that such issues deserve more attention in the transposition process.......A ‘burden reducing’ agenda has spurred an increased interest in how EU environmental legislation is transposed into national legislation—most prominently reflected in the principle of ‘no gold-plating’. Yet, an important question is to what extent transposition principles and practices may ensure...... a coherent and accessible body of environmental legislation, while at the same time ensuring adequate transposition of EU environmental legislation. This article analyses the existence, or emergence, of transposition principles and practices in three Member States—the United Kingdom, the Netherlands...

Biomass supply in EU27 from 2010 to 2030

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panoutsou, Calliope; Eleftheriadis, John; Nikolaou, Anastasia

2009-01-01

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

News Media and the Öresund Region

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Falkheimer, Jesper; Ørsten, Mark; Eberholst, Mads Kæmsgaard

2017-01-01

Europeanisation, in other words, of the potential for increased communication linkages in news media content among European Union (EU) member states. We investigate this topic by analysing news content published by selected media outlets from 2002 to 2012 and by interviewing Danish and Swedish journalists who...... cover the region. We find that most news content does not mention the Öresund region, and that one reason for this lack might be that neither Danish nor Swedish reporters consider the region to be newsworthy....

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

Science.gov (United States)

Colak, Mehmet Selman; Ege, Aylin

2013-01-01

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

Eu accession to the ECHR: Enlarging the human rights protection in Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krstić Ivana

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the importance of the EU accession to the ECHR, as the most significant regional instrument for human rights protection. The paper outlines the evolution of the idea of the accession to the ECHR, different stages of that process, as well as a Draft agreement which attempted to resolve some complex legal issues relating to the specific nature of the EU legal system. In the second part of this paper, the Opinion 2/13 of the CJEU from December 2014 has been analyzed, which basically interrupted the entire accession process. It is noted that currently the ECtHR has only an indirect constitutional control over the EU's legal order by examining laws of the Member States. The EU accession to the ECHR would allow examination of all acts and measures in the EU from the human rights perspective, including those over which the CJEU does not have full oversight function. Therefore, the authors argue that due to the establishment of legal certainty and external control over acts of the EU institutions, it is necessary to find a way for the continuation of the accession process, as soon as possible. There are two possible scenarios: a re-negotiation of the agreement on accession, or modification of the EU Treaties. Both solutions seem almost impossible in the created political milieu. However, there is a hope that negotiations will continue due to the influence of the Avotiņš judgment from May 2016 in which the ECtHR upheld the principle of equal protection from the Bosphorus case, pointing to the importance of maintaining mutual trust between two courts, as well as the need for the establishment of greater credibility and EU strengthening after Brexit.

Sharing Lessons Learned Between Industries in EU

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muehleisen, A.; Strucic, M.

2012-01-01

Recent events in nuclear industry remind us on importance of continuous sharing of the knowledge and experience gained through evaluations of incidents and accidents. We frequently use experience from our daily life activities to improve our performance and avoid some mistakes or unwanted events. In the similar way we can use other industries experience. These experiences can be applied to improve nuclear safety. For example, Safety Culture, which has a great influence on the level of nuclear power plants safety, is similarly presented in other industries. Mechanisms which led to accidents from weak safety culture in one branch of other industry could be comparable to those in nuclear industry. Some other industries have many more cumulative years of experience than nuclear industry. Aviation and Oil industries are typical representatives. Part of their experience can be used in nuclear industry too. Number of reports from nuclear power plants showed us that not only specific equipment related causes lay behind accidents; there are also other causes and contributors which are more common for all industries. Hence lessons learned in other industry should be assessed and used in nuclear industry too. In the European Union, a regional initiative has been set up in 2008 in support of EU Member State nuclear safety authorities, but also EU technical support organizations, international organizations and the broader nuclear community, to enhance nuclear safety through improvement of the use of lessons learned from operational experience of nuclear power plants (NPPs). The initiative, called ''the EU Clearinghouse on Operational Experience Feedback for NPP'', is organized as a network operated by a centralized office located at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. The reduction of occurrence and significance of events in NPPs and their safe operation is its ultimate goal. Among others EU Clearinghouse provides services such as technical and scientific

Entre lo interno y lo europeo: la acción exterior de las regiones en la Unión Europea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javier Sánchez Cano

2015-04-01

Full Text Available This article analyses the “Europe of the Regions” as a project that aims at building up regions as (new political subjects within the European Union (EU system. Regions have attempted to become not only political actors with capacity to have an influence but subjects with decision-making power. The article, after describing the evolution of the regional agenda from Maastricht to the Lisbon Intergovernmental Conference (1992-2007, turns to assess first of all the multi-level governance (MLG, the political science dominant approach on the analysis of EU-sub-state relations, and secondly the Intergovernmental Relations approach (IR. The article argues that the IR approach can cast new light over the issue. The conclusions show that the IR approach has an explanatory capacity, and clarify the obstacles that the EU regions have to face in their strategy for a structural and legal recognition of their role within the EU. Similarly and given that the governments of the member-state do not provide for domestic mechanisms that project the regional interests into the EU spheres, it seems appropriate to examine some of the regional activities towards the EU as subnational foreign policies.

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vaduva Maria

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Regional development policies in the EU Member States have included tools whoseimportance varied from one country to another. Can be identified by negative incentives forregional development policy towards location in crowded areas or control over the location,the reallocation of economic activities in national territory, creation of adequateinfrastructure, measures to enhance development, financial incentives granted toenterprises. Sustainable business development, rehabilitation of social infrastructure,including social housing and improved social services. Improved regional and localtransportation are key areas of intervention rehabilitation and upgrading of county roads,city streets, including road construction and rehabilitation of belt.

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.

The Danish Folketing and EU Affairs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buskjær Christensen, Mette

2015-01-01

crisis of democratic legitimacy, as a shift from the permissive consensus of EU public opinion became apparent. Danish conditions for accession to the Treaty were renegotiated in 1993, resulting in the Edinburgh Compromise in which Denmark obtained four opt-outs. All four opt-outs remain in place today...... significant policy areas of EU cooperation. Denmark has a small, open economy. It became a member of the European Community in 1973, mainly motivated by the economic benefits that could be achieved through free trade in the common market. The Danes, however, have often only reluctantly endorsed the more...

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...

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2015-04-01

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

REGIONAL EFFECTS OF THE EU FUNDS ABSORPTION FOR EDUCATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN ROMANIA 2007-2013 PROGRAMMING PERIOD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aida Catana

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The educational infrastructure was one of the priorities financed by European Regional Development Fund in Romania through Regional Operational Programme in 2007-2013 programming period. The regions for development in Romania needed financial support to improve the quality of local educational infrastructure but the administrative capacity to get EU funds wasn’t prepared to take advantage of the available opportunities. This paper shows that the level of local development in terms of institutional capacity and financial resources had influenced the amount of funds obtained by the local authorities. Even if the less developed regions had an important need for resources, the more developed regions succeeded to implement more projects for educational infrastructure.

AN ANALYSIS OF UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE COUNTRIES OF EASTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPE IN THE CONTEXT OF E.U. ADHERING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrian\tLiviu\tSCUTARIU

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Unemployment is a negative phenomenon that manifests itself in any economy with varying degrees of intensity. In this paper we propose to analyze the evolution of unemployment in the EU. There are countries where economic recession was felt more intense and harder recovered from it, such as Greece or Spain. Within the European Union one notes some differences in unemployment between Member States but also in terms of age groups. In the EU youth unemployment rate is approximately double that the general unemployment rate, but the situation is worse in some countries where youth unemployment rate is even higher. Our analysis also focuses on trends recorded at regional level in Central and Eastern Europe countries in the context of their accession to the EU, highlighting positive developments, which were maintained in the coming years. The unemployment rate decrease is one of the objectives followed by the EU through its policies.

Regionalism, Regionalization and Regional Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liviu C. Andrei

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Sustained development is a concept associating other concepts, in its turn, in the EU practice, e.g. regionalism, regionalizing and afferent policies, here including structural policies. This below text, dedicated to integration concepts, will limit on the other hand to regionalizing, otherwise an aspect typical to Europe and to the EU. On the other hand, two aspects come up to strengthen this field of ideas, i.e. the region (al-regionalism-(regional development triplet has either its own history or precise individual outline of terms.

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2000-07-01

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

The EU's major electricity and gas utilities since market liberalization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schuelke, Christian

2011-06-01

A major change has taken place in the company structure of the European electricity and gas markets. Twenty years ago, national or regional monopolies dominated the markets and there was strictly no competition between utilities. But since the liberalization of EU energy markets began in the 1990's, companies like E.ON, GDF Suez, EDF, Enel, and RWE have become European giants with activities in a large number of Member States. The advocates of market liberalization did not expect, or even intend, the emergence of a small number of large utilities that control an increasing part of the EU market. Some observers already claim that liberalization has led to an oligopoly with detrimental consequences for competition. Based on extensive background research, this book presents a fact-based analysis of the changes in the European utility sector since the 1990's. Case studies of the seven largest utilities illustrate how companies adapted their strategies to the changing market environment. The author underlines diverging choices and common trends like geographic expansion into new markets via mergers and acquisitions or diversification of business activities with the aim of using synergies between electricity and gas. Contents: Executive Summary. Introduction. Seven Case Studies of Changing Strategies of Major European Energy Utilities since Market Liberalization (E.ON, GDF Suez, EDF, Enel, RWE, Iberdrola, Vattenfall, Other European Utilities). Overview of Major National and Regional Electricity and Gas Market in the EU (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Nordic, Belgium and the Netherlands, Central and Eastern Europe). Conclusions. Annex. Bibliography

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

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Georgieva, Z.R.

2015-01-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanja Markovič Hribernik

2005-12-01

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

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND EU CITIZENS’ PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena N. UNTARU

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The present paper aims to determine the influence of EU member countries’ economic development on their citizens’ pro-environmental attitudes, using a Cluster Analysis, a Principal Components Analysis and a series of multiple regressions. In this sense, we have used the results of the 2012 survey on the „Attitudes of Europeans towards building the single market for green products”, as well as the 2012 statistical information referring to EU member countries’ economic development, provided by Eurostat. Using multiple regression analyses, we have outlined a significant influence of macroeconomic variables, such as: the employment rate, tertiary educational attainment, GDP per capita, human development index value, unemployment rate, share of gross value added in services and share of employment in services on European citizens’ pro-environmental attitudes.

New website dealing with CERN-EU relations

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

A new website dealing with CERN-EU relations (cern.ch/EU) is being brought into production. Thanks are due to several people for their contributions, and especially to the primary authors - Piotr Kurpiel, a Technical Student, and Miguel Marquina / IT. This site is designed to help people looking for information concerning interactions between Europe and particle physics in general, and the CERN programme in particular. FACILITIES AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC For members of the public, links are provided to several websites of general interest and there is also a search facility to help navigation among the main sources of information on EU programmes. FACILITIES ONLY AVAILABLE TO CERN USERS Entry to the CERN area of the site requires authentication via your NICE login name and password. In this area: You can look at information about present or past EU co-funded projects at CERN. For projects with their own websites you can click through to the site to obtain more detailed information. You can subscribe to ...

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

Phase separation and exchange bias effect in Ca doped EuCrO{sub 3}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deng, Dongmei, E-mail: dmdeng@shu.edu.cn [Department of Physics and Materials Genome Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Wang, Xingyu; Zheng, Jiashun; Qian, Xiaolong [Department of Physics and Materials Genome Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Yu, Dehong; Sun, Dehui [Bragg Institute, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization, Kirrawee DC, NSW 2232 (Australia); Jing, Chao [Department of Physics and Materials Genome Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Lu, Bo [Analysis and Measurement Center and Laboratory for Microstructures of Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Kang, Baojuan; Cao, Shixun; Zhang, Jincang [Department of Physics and Materials Genome Institute, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China)

2015-12-01

The rare-earth chromites have attracted increasing interests in recent years, as a member of a few single-phase multiferroic materials. We studied the structure and magnetic property of a series of Ca-doped EuCrO{sub 3} samples by using X-ray powder diffraction and Physical Property Measurement System. Phase separation, rotation of magnetization in M(T) curve and exchange bias effect have been identified. The Eu{sub 0.7}Ca{sub 0.3}CrO{sub 3} polycrystalline sample may be intrinsically phase-separated, with Cr{sup 3+}-rich, Cr{sup 4+}-rich canted antiferromagnetic regions surrounded by spin glass-like frustrated phase, resulting in several magnetic features including: (1) a broad and slow increase of M(T) curve with the decrease of temperature; (2) rotation of magnetization with increasing cooling field; (3) exchange bias and glassy magnetism. The rotation of magnetization is ascribed to the rotation of the moment of Cr{sup 4+}-rich regions, arising from the competition between exchange coupling energy and magnetostatic energy. The exchange bias effect suggests the formation of weak ferromagnetic unidirectional anisotropy during field cooling, due to the exchange coupling among weak ferromagnetic domains and surrounding spin glass-like regions. This result helps understanding the interaction among different magnetic domains and phases in a complex system. - Highlights: • Exchange bias effect and glassy magnetism were observed in Eu{sub 0.7}Ca{sub 0.3}CrO{sub 3}. • Rotation of the moments of Cr{sup 4+}-rich regions result in the rotation of magnetization in M(T) curve. • Spin glass-like regions contribute to the observed exchange bias effect.

EU pharmaceutical expenditure forecast

OpenAIRE

Urbinati, Duccio; Rémuzat, Cécile; Kornfeld, Åsa; Vataire, Anne-Lise; Cetinsoy, Laurent; Aballéa, Samuel; Mzoughi, Olfa; Toumi, Mondher

2014-01-01

Background and Objectives: With constant incentives for healthcare payers to contain their pharmaceutical budgets, forecasting has become critically important. Some countries have, for instance, developed pharmaceutical horizon scanning units. The objective of this project was to build a model to assess the net effect of the entrance of new patented medicinal products versus medicinal products going off-patent, with a defined forecast horizon, on selected European Union (EU) Member States’ ph...

National Constitutional Avenues for Further EU Integration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

2014-01-01

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

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

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.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schleicher, Stefan

2015-04-01

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

Determinants of State Intervention: Evidence for the EU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simona-Gabriela MAŞCA

2011-06-01

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

EU Failing FAO Challenge to Improve Global Food Security.

Science.gov (United States)

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

2016-07-01

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

The European Climate Change Programme. EU Action against Climate Change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

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

The benefit of regional diversification of cogeneration investments in Europe: A mean-variance portfolio analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Westner, Guenther, E-mail: guenther.westner@eon-energie.co [E.ON Energy Projects GmbH, Arnulfstrasse 56, 80335 Munich (Germany); Madlener, Reinhard, E-mail: rmadlener@eonerc.rwth-aachen.d [Institute for Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN), Faculty of Business and Economics/E.ON Energy Research Center, RWTH Aachen University, Mathieustrasse 6, 52074 Aachen (Germany)

2010-12-15

The EU Directive 2004/8/EC, concerning the promotion of cogeneration, established principles on how EU member states can support combined heat and power generation (CHP). Up to now, the implementation of these principles into national law has not been uniform, and has led to the adoption of different promotion schemes for CHP across the EU member states. In this paper, we first give an overview of the promotion schemes for CHP in various European countries. In a next step, we take two standard CHP technologies, combined-cycle gas turbines (CCGT-CHP) and engine-CHP, and apply exemplarily four selected support mechanisms used in the four largest European energy markets: feed-in tariffs in Germany; energy efficiency certificates in Italy; benefits through tax reduction in the UK; and purchase obligations for power from CHP generation in France. For contracting companies, it could be of interest to diversify their investment in new CHP facilities regionally over several countries in order to reduce country and regulatory risk. By applying the Mean-Variance Portfolio (MVP) theory, we derive characteristic return-risk profiles of the selected CHP technologies in different countries. The results show that the returns on CHP investments differ significantly depending on the country, the support scheme, and the selected technology studied. While a regional diversification of investments in CCGT-CHP does not contribute to reducing portfolio risks, a diversification of investments in engine-CHP can decrease the risk exposure. - Research highlights: {yields}Preconditions for CHP investments differ significantly between the EU member states. {yields}Regional diversification of CHP investments can reduce the total portfolio risk. {yields}Risk reduction depends on the chosen CHP technology.

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.

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

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lejour, A.M.

1995-01-01

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

GENERAL CONSIDERATION REGARDING EU LAW IN THE DOMAIN OF CULTURAL HERITAGE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandra STĂNCIULESCU

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The cultural heritage is a rich and diverse mosaic of cultural and creative expressions, our inheritance from previous generations of people and our legacy for those to come. In the terms of the Convention concerning the protection of the world cultural and natural heritage, the cultural heritage includes: monuments, such as architectural works, works of monumental sculpture and painting, elements or structures of an archaeological nature; groups of buildings and sites, such as works of man or the combined works of nature and man and areas including archaeological sites, all of these being of outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, art or science. Because of its substantial importance for the evolution of humanity, all nations in general and the European Union in particular, should have the duty of ensuring the identification, protection, conservation, presentation and transmission to future generations of the cultural and natural heritage. EU law states through the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union at article 167 that the action of the Union shall be aimed at encouraging cooperation between Member States and, if necessary, supporting and supplementing the action in areas such as: improvement of the knowledge and dissemination of the culture and history of the European people; conservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage of European significance and others. While policy in this area is primarily the responsibility of Member States, regional and local authorities, the EU is committed to safeguarding and enhancing Europe's cultural heritage through a number of policies and programmes. Due to the lack of such policies and programmes, the lack of consistent terminology and legal definitions, especially between EU languages, the lack of information and data on the crimes that affect cultural goods, the purpose of the essay is to emphasize the need of a rigorous legal program and policy and to observe the

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.

DO LITHUANIAN HIGHER EDUCATION ACCOUNTING PROGRAMS REFLECT ACCOUNTING HARMONIZATION IN THE EU?

OpenAIRE

Dalia Kaupelyte; Renata Legenzova

2014-01-01

Financial accounting is undergoing major changes in the EU and worldwide.  Great efforts are placed on adoption of high quality accounting standards for listed companies, public sector organizations as well as small and medium business entities.  Being a member of the EU Lithuania is in compliance with the EU incentives in de jure accounting harmonization; however de facto situation in Lithuania is not adequately assessed.  One of accounting harmonization related questions is whether Lithuani...

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bibi van Ginkel

2016-04-01

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

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

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2015-04-01

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

An assessment of the natural gas supply potential of the south energy corridor from the Caspian Region to the EU

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mavrakis, Dimitrios; Thomaidis, Fotios; Ntroukas, Ioannis

2006-01-01

Security and diversification of EU energy supply underlines the importance of an energy corridor bridging the natural gas reserves of the broader Caspian Region with the EU consumption centers. This paper examines the supply potential of this corridor, the major natural gas fields and the already existing networks. An assessment of the supply cost up to the Turkish borders is carried out, while the case of Egypt as a future supplier is also investigated. Conclusions review the prospects for the construction of the considered energy corridor

Eurogulf: an Eu-GCC dialogue for energy stability and sustainability. Final research report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naji, Abi-Aad; Skinner, R.; Arnott, R.; Mabro, R.; Luciani, G.; Luciani, G.

2005-01-01

The EUROGULF project was launched in 2002 by a consortium led by the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute, and comprising the Oxford Institute of Energy Studies, the Energy Policy Unit of the National Technical University of Athens and ECONERGY SAL of Beirut. Funding is provided by the European Commission through a grant from the SYNERGY program. The objective of the project is to analyse European Union (EU) - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) relations with respect to oil and gas issues and propose new policy initiatives and approaches to enhance cooperation between the two regional groupings. The project has originated a collection of papers whose provisional drafts have been discussed in two workshops: in Riyadh in April 2004, and in Florence in November 2004. This document is the final research report presented at the concluding conference in Kuwait, on April 2005. It gathers the final versions of the project papers: Executive Summary and Policy Paper; Task 1 - Economic and Political Conditions for Energy Security: Prospects for Oil and Gas Exports from the GCC Member Countries; Prospects for Oil and Gas Exports from the GCC Member Countries; Supply Responses to Price Changes in the Medium Term and the Definition of an 'Optimal' Price Band for Guaranteeing Energy Security in the Long Term; Discussion of the Desirable Rate of Exploitation of GCC Hydrocarbon Resources in the light of the Objectives of Maximizing Revenue and Achieving Economic Development in the Long Run; Promoting Economic Diversification as a Tool to Encourage Countries holding Major Hydrocarbon Reserves to Increase Production in line with Growing Global Demand at Stable Prices; Task 2 - Enhancing the Efficiency and Transparency of the International Oil Markets: The Reference Pricing System: Origins, Rationale, Assessment; Reforming Reference Pricing and Seeking for Alternative Pricing Systems; Strategic Stockpiles vs. Market Intervention for Price

Eurogulf: an Eu-GCC dialogue for energy stability and sustainability. Final research report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naji, Abi-Aad [ECONERGY, Washington (United States); Skinner, R.; Arnott, R.; Mabro, R. [Oxford Institute for Energy Studies - OIES (United States); Luciani, G.; Luciani, G. [EUI, RSCAS, Mediterranean Programme (Italy)

2005-07-01

The EUROGULF project was launched in 2002 by a consortium led by the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute, and comprising the Oxford Institute of Energy Studies, the Energy Policy Unit of the National Technical University of Athens and ECONERGY SAL of Beirut. Funding is provided by the European Commission through a grant from the SYNERGY program. The objective of the project is to analyse European Union (EU) - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) relations with respect to oil and gas issues and propose new policy initiatives and approaches to enhance cooperation between the two regional groupings. The project has originated a collection of papers whose provisional drafts have been discussed in two workshops: in Riyadh in April 2004, and in Florence in November 2004. This document is the final research report presented at the concluding conference in Kuwait, on April 2005. It gathers the final versions of the project papers: Executive Summary and Policy Paper; Task 1 - Economic and Political Conditions for Energy Security: Prospects for Oil and Gas Exports from the GCC Member Countries; Prospects for Oil and Gas Exports from the GCC Member Countries; Supply Responses to Price Changes in the Medium Term and the Definition of an 'Optimal' Price Band for Guaranteeing Energy Security in the Long Term; Discussion of the Desirable Rate of Exploitation of GCC Hydrocarbon Resources in the light of the Objectives of Maximizing Revenue and Achieving Economic Development in the Long Run; Promoting Economic Diversification as a Tool to Encourage Countries holding Major Hydrocarbon Reserves to Increase Production in line with Growing Global Demand at Stable Prices; Task 2 - Enhancing the Efficiency and Transparency of the International Oil Markets: The Reference Pricing System: Origins, Rationale, Assessment; Reforming Reference Pricing and Seeking for Alternative Pricing Systems; Strategic Stockpiles vs. Market Intervention for

Eurogulf: an Eu-GCC dialogue for energy stability and sustainability. Final research report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naji, Abi-Aad [ECONERGY, Washington (United States); Skinner, R; Arnott, R; Mabro, R [Oxford Institute for Energy Studies - OIES (United States); Luciani, G; Luciani, G [EUI, RSCAS, Mediterranean Programme (Italy)

2005-07-01

The EUROGULF project was launched in 2002 by a consortium led by the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute, and comprising the Oxford Institute of Energy Studies, the Energy Policy Unit of the National Technical University of Athens and ECONERGY SAL of Beirut. Funding is provided by the European Commission through a grant from the SYNERGY program. The objective of the project is to analyse European Union (EU) - Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) relations with respect to oil and gas issues and propose new policy initiatives and approaches to enhance cooperation between the two regional groupings. The project has originated a collection of papers whose provisional drafts have been discussed in two workshops: in Riyadh in April 2004, and in Florence in November 2004. This document is the final research report presented at the concluding conference in Kuwait, on April 2005. It gathers the final versions of the project papers: Executive Summary and Policy Paper; Task 1 - Economic and Political Conditions for Energy Security: Prospects for Oil and Gas Exports from the GCC Member Countries; Prospects for Oil and Gas Exports from the GCC Member Countries; Supply Responses to Price Changes in the Medium Term and the Definition of an 'Optimal' Price Band for Guaranteeing Energy Security in the Long Term; Discussion of the Desirable Rate of Exploitation of GCC Hydrocarbon Resources in the light of the Objectives of Maximizing Revenue and Achieving Economic Development in the Long Run; Promoting Economic Diversification as a Tool to Encourage Countries holding Major Hydrocarbon Reserves to Increase Production in line with Growing Global Demand at Stable Prices; Task 2 - Enhancing the Efficiency and Transparency of the International Oil Markets: The Reference Pricing System: Origins, Rationale, Assessment; Reforming Reference Pricing and Seeking for Alternative Pricing Systems; Strategic Stockpiles vs. Market Intervention for Price

EU climate policy up to 2020. An economic impact assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2009-07-01

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

EU climate policy up to 2020: An economic impact assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2009-07-01

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

EU climate policy up to 2020. An economic impact assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2009-01-01

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

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

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jevnaker, Torbjoerg

2012-07-01

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

Finland, Sweden and Austria doubled the share of hydroelectric power in EU

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kangas, H.

1996-01-01

New EU countries Finland, Sweden and Austria increased the amount of hydroelectric power produced in EU in 1995 by more than 50 % compared to the year 1994. Especially Sweden and Austria are very dependent on hydroelectric power; the share of hydroelectric power is in Austria more than 70 % and even in Sweden it was nearly 50 %. The share of hydroelectric power in 1995 the EU region was 14 % of the total power demand. Due to the new EU countries the share of hydroelectric power of the total electric power demand, which would have decreased, increased by over 3 %. The increase of the electric power demand in Finland was lowest in the EU region, about 1.0 %, while it was in Greece 5.0 % and in Spain about 4.6 %. The share of nuclear power in the EU region was about 35 % in 1995. The most nuclear power dependent country in the EU was France there the share of nuclear power of the total electric power demand was 89 %. Both Finland and Sweden increased the production of back-pressure power generation in 1995. The share of back-pressure power generation in EU in 1995 was about 50 TWh which corresponds to some 1.5 % of the total electric power demand. About 50 % of the total electric power generation in EU was produced by condensing power generation. This production increased by 10 % compared to 1994. The netimport of electric power of EU increased by 80 % in Finland and Sweden, which are large importers of electric power outside the EU region

Scenarios for EU citizenship in 2030 – Repertoires for action in thinkable futures

OpenAIRE

Bakker, W.E.; van der Kolk, M.

2017-01-01

European Union (EU) citizenship is both about a legal status – a set of civil, social, economic and political rights complementing one’s national citizenship – and about being an active participating member of the EU political community. EU citizenship includes therefore influencing decisionmaking on rules, policies and practices that effect one’s own national and local societies. The opportunities and capacities to exercise these rights and to participate differ between countries, between gr...

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.

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.

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.

THE DISPERSION OF AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT EU FUNDS ON A REGIONAL AND DISTRICT LEVEL IN HUNGARY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Horvath Peter

2015-07-01

Full Text Available A national objective was realised when Hungary joined the European Union based on the preliminary result of the referendum. Naturally, there were pros and cons about the accession and there were those who refused the European integration. Still the emotion was stronger that came from the future EU membership and the hope in terms of the agriculture that with the opportunities offered by the EU both the Hungarian agriculture and countryside would follow a development course. Because of the accession a lot of support forms as well as the EU institutions became available but considering the impacts there were no clear positions. Obviously, today we know what kind of objective, positive changes were brought by the accession for example in terms of infrastructural and machine supply, broadened market possibilities and income growth. Still we also experience the objective disadvantages such as the stronger competition and the mass expansion of multinational food-processing and trading companies. The scientific measurement and judgement of the developmental changes which are difficult to measure is still a subject of debate. We have done the concentration analysis for two budget periods 2004-2006 and 2007-2013 respectively. Between 2004-2006 the regional concentration is more balanced year by year than the district. In the district values even in this period we can already experience the fact that very few farmers receive a big amount of support. Between 2007-2013 there are no sharp differences in the case of concentration neither in the region nor in the district. The Lorenz curve shows a classic concentration distribution in the Southern Great Plain Region every year. The course of Lorenz curves is supported by the value of the concentration ratio which is the total share of the support of the three players receiving the biggest funds since the indicator has been hovering around the 10% average value in the region since 2006 while in the district we

CERN-EU relationship provides various opportunities

CERN Multimedia

Katarina Anthony-Kittelsen

2010-01-01

The relationship between the EU and CERN continues to grow stronger, as the Director-General and the President of Council recently visited Brussels to discuss the progress made since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in July 2009. With financial cuts and budget reductions plaguing research programmes across the world, the MoU is a solid basis for enhancing existing or developing new synergies between the two parties.    Rolf Heuer, Michel Spiro and other members of the CERN delegation photographed with Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, EU Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, during the 2010 Annual CERN-EC meeting. Credits: © European Union, 2010 In recent times, due to the global economic downturn and reductions in national research budgets, the competition for funding from the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7, 2007-2013) has become extremely tough. However, given the large number of CERN proposals accepted by the EC since the start of FP7...

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aufenanger, Vanessa

2012-01-01

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

The emerging EU quality of care policy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

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

2013-01-01

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

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.

EU coordination of national social security in multiple cross border situations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cremers, J.

2011-01-01

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

Removing EU milk quotas, soft landing versus hard landing

NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

2008-01-01

This paper analyses EU dairy policy reforms and mainly focus on EU milk quota removal scenarios. The model used to evaluate the scenario is a spatial equilibrium model of the dairy sector. It integrates the main competitor of the EU on world markets, Oceania, as well as the main importing regions in

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...

Argentina and Brazil's Relations to the EU

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Steen Fryba

Analysen diskuterer Argentina og Brasiliens relationer til EU i nyere tid med udgangspunkt i forhandlingerne om en associeringsaftale mellem EU og Mercosur, der igangsattes efter underskrivelsen af en bi-regional rammeaftale i 1995. Fokus er i særlig grad på, hvordan disse relationer bedst forstås...

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ioana Sorina Mihuț

2013-07-01

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

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

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pontoppidan, Caroline Aggestam; Alijarde, Isabel Brusca

2016-01-01

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

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.

European „C” quest: community, competitiveness, convergence, cohesion. what should the “eu new comer romanians” aim for?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jora Octavian-Dragomir

2008-04-01

Full Text Available The analyses carried out both at the centre (Brussels and at the destination (member states (abuse of the principle that in public expenditure terms “spent money means well-spent money” and consider that absorption capacity equals economic performance (equated quite disputably with disparity reduction. The aggregate Keynesian perspective provides the main argument in favour of this interpretation: EU funds lead to GDP growth (economic growth. This vision overlooks the crucial importance of resource allocation micro-processes, private property and business activity. Therewith, the process of making European funds profitable and, consequently, the EU convergence feasible depends on the extent to which the absorption environment is structurally reformed. The “cohesion paradox,” which can be formulated like “least underdeveloped regions have relatively higher chances to attract European funds, while disparities compared to relatively less developed regions might even intensify”, can be broken only through multi-dimensional reform, immaterial to whether we speak about Romania, or Ireland, or Portugal, or Spain, or Greece.

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Mădălina OPRIȚESCU

2017-11-01

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

CsPbBr3:xEu3+ perovskite QD borosilicate glass: a new member of the luminescent material family.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Rongrong; Shen, Lingli; Shen, Chenyang; Liu, Jianming; Zhou, Lei; Xiang, Weidong; Liang, Xiaojuan

2018-03-29

Eu3+ ions were introduced into the lattices of CsPbBr3 perovskite QDs and a tunable multicolour emission from CsPbBr3:xEu3+ perovskite QD glass was successfully obtained. Multicolour LEDs that were fabricated by combining the as-prepared CsPbBr3:xEu3+ QD glasses with a UV chip were also researched in this study.

Energy dependency and sustainable regional development in the Baltic states: A review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Štreimikienė Dalia

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Energy security is one of the most important indicators of sustainable regional development and 'green' growth in implementation of EU strategy Europe 2020. It can provide the harmonized development and cohesion of 'old' and 'new' EU member states. Our paper conducts a comparative study of energy dependency and energy security indicators in the Baltic States. The Baltic countries achieved enormous progress in the use of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency since their EU accession in 2004. The increase of renewable energy capacities in Baltic States also contributed to the reduction of energy intensity and carbon intensity of economy and energy import dependency. Our results show that amongst all three states, it was Estonia that had achieved the best results in increased use of renewables and energy efficiency improvements and had distinguished itself with the best indicators and economic and regional policy outcomes.

Between "Pragmatism" and "Constitutionalism": EU-Russian Dynamics and Differences During the Kosovo Status Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James Ker-Lindsay

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence in 2008 has been widely regarded as a failure for international diplomacy in general, and for the European Union (EU in particular. The narrative that has emerged suggests that, rather than taking charge of the situation, the EU was instead a “victim” of external machinations led by Washington and Moscow. This article challenges this view. It argues that, during the status process, it became clear that in the case of Kosovo there was a tension between the constraints imposed by international law on acts of secession and the requirements for stability on the ground. While Russia insisted on the former, albeit for a range of reasons that went beyond upholding international law, the United States placed emphasis on the latter. For their part, the key members of the EU eventually decided that, after having tried to win Moscow over to their position, they too had to ensure regional security; even if this meant circumventing the United Nations and the Security Council and challenging long-standing legal norms and principles concerning the territorial integrity of states.

Sharing Powers Within Exclusive Competences: Rethinking EU Antitrust Law Enforcement

OpenAIRE

Van Cleynenbreugel, Pieter

2016-01-01

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

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stephan, Nicolas; Bellassen, Valentin

2014-01-01

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

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.

IDENTIFICATION OF MEMBERS IN THE CENTRAL AND OUTER REGIONS OF GALAXY CLUSTERS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serra, Ana Laura; Diaferio, Antonaldo

2013-01-01

The caustic technique measures the mass of galaxy clusters in both their virial and infall regions and, as a byproduct, yields the list of cluster galaxy members. Here we use 100 galaxy clusters with mass M 200 ≥ 10 14 h –1 M ☉ extracted from a cosmological N-body simulation of a ΛCDM universe to test the ability of the caustic technique to identify the cluster galaxy members. We identify the true three-dimensional members as the gravitationally bound galaxies. The caustic technique uses the caustic location in the redshift diagram to separate the cluster members from the interlopers. We apply the technique to mock catalogs containing 1000 galaxies in the field of view of 12 h –1 Mpc on a side at the cluster location. On average, this sample size roughly corresponds to 180 real galaxy members within 3r 200 , similar to recent redshift surveys of cluster regions. The caustic technique yields a completeness, the fraction of identified true members, f c = 0.95 ± 0.03, within 3r 200 . The contamination, the fraction of interlopers in the observed catalog of members, increases from f i =0.020 +0.046 -0.015 at r 200 to f i =0.08 +0.11 -0.05 at 3r 200 . No other technique for the identification of the members of a galaxy cluster provides such large completeness and small contamination at these large radii. The caustic technique assumes spherical symmetry and the asphericity of the cluster is responsible for most of the spread of the completeness and the contamination. By applying the technique to an approximately spherical system obtained by stacking the individual clusters, the spreads decrease by at least a factor of two. We finally estimate the cluster mass within 3r 200 after removing the interlopers: for individual clusters, the mass estimated with the virial theorem is unbiased and within 30% of the actual mass; this spread decreases to less than 10% for the spherically symmetric stacked cluster.

The effect of EU derogation strategies on the compliance costs of the nitrate directive.

Science.gov (United States)

Van der Straeten, Bart; Buysse, Jeroen; Nolte, Stephan; Lauwers, Ludwig; Claeys, Dakerlia; Van Huylenbroeck, Guido

2012-04-01

Within the framework of the nitrate directive, member states have the opportunity to apply for derogation, i.e. increasing fertilisation standards under certain conditions. Several EU regions have utilised this opportunity, but each in a different way, resulting in six very different derogation policies within the EU in 2009. This paper focuses on the differences between the policies applied and makes an assessment with regard to the impact of these differences on the application rate for derogation, the manure surplus and the cost of allocating manure. Based on the MP-MAS model described by Van der Straeten et al. (2010) the different scenarios are applied on a single case area (Flanders) and the economic effects have been simulated. Results show considerable differences between the policy alternatives, leading to the conclusion that member states not only have to focus on whether or not to allow derogation, but also on the actual details of the derogation policy. Granting derogation at parcel level (plot of land), instead of farm level, increases the potential effect of derogation; the level of increase in fertilisation standards under derogation determines the application rate for derogation: a higher increase leads to a higher application rate. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2007-10-01

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

Employment Performance and Convergence in the European Countries and Regions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristiano Perugini

2004-12-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes the national and regional (NUTS-2 employment performance and convergence for various aggregations of 27 European countries (EU-25, plus Romania and Bulgaria, mainly using the three employment rates (total, female, older worker adopted by the European Employment Strategy (EES. At the national level, this analysis confirmed the existence of considerable differences in employment performance between and within the various country aggregations. Empirical analysis highlighted the remarkable net job creations in the EU-15 (and EMU-12 for the period 1997-2003, accompanied by a (national convergence for all three employment indicators. As regards total employment rates, significant converging trends also emerge at the regional level for both EU-15 and EMU-12 aggregations. In the eight Central European Countries, new EU members (8 CEC-NM, a  diverging trend in the total employment rate began in 1999, whereas converging dynamics were limited to the employment rate of older workers in the period 1998-2001. Regional analyses showed significant  diverging dynamics in the total employment rates (1999-2003 for the eight CEC-NM regions. At the national level of analyses, the relationship between “progress in transition” and employment performance was also briefly examined. Results show that a simple, stable correlation does not exist. However, a weak U-shaped relationship existing in 1998 shifted downward and evolved toward a positive link in 2003. The main results of cluster analysis of the 53 regions of the ten CECs confirmed a high level of regional labour market diversification, and the fact that sector structure affects employment performance significantly

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zdravković Dušan S.

2004-01-01

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

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.

Potential Significance of the EU Water Framework Directive to China

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Lars Skov Andersen; Martin Griffiths

2009-01-01

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

Search for unobserved transitions in "1"4"2Eu

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, Sajad; Rajbanshi, S.; Bisoi, Abhijit

2016-01-01

In order to understand the excitation mechanisms responsible for the generation of high spin states in this mass region we have studied "1"4"2Eu nucleus. The high spin states of the "1"4"2Eu was reported earlier by M. Piiparinen et al. Based on this experimental data, they have proposed a level scheme of "1"4"2Eu. The motivation of current work is to remove the remaining incompleteness of the previously reported level scheme of "1"4"2Eu

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Christensen, Anne Raaum; Gulbrandsen, Lars H.

2012-07-01

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

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

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

NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

2015-01-01

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

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

NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

2016-01-01

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

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

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Makkonen, Teemu; Mitze, Timo Friedel

2016-01-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ALEXANDRU CRISTIAN DOBRE

2018-02-01

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

The Eastern Partnership as a Vector of Economic Growth for EU Neighbours: Evidence from Panel Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Graţiela Georgiana Noja

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The global economy is significantly shaped by a complex process of globalization and regional economic integration that has induced various global transformations. In Europe, the regional integration deepening has generated significant socio-economic developments for the EU Member States, as well as for candidate countries or other EU neighbouring partners. Therefore, the research performed within this paper aims to analyse the role played by the Eastern Partnership (EaP, as a vector of economic growth for EU’s Eastern neighbours. The main focus is on the impact of international trade and capital flows emerged after 2009 (when the EaP was signed upon the economic activity of six EU partners, as well as during longer time series, respectively 1992-2015. Thus, we have developed various macroeconometric double-log and semi-log (lin-log models, processed through the correlated panels corrected standard errors (PCSE method of estimation. The results highlight a significant positive impact of international trade flows upon the economic activity, an increase in exports and imports, as well as a higher openness degree towards the global market leading to improvements in GDP per capita levels. At the same time, international investment, mainly the foreign direct investment inflows, have important positive effects upon the living standards and welfare of citizens within the six panel considered economies.

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

NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

2015-01-01

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

Banning banking in EU emissions trading?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2006-01-01

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

The EU's Major Electricity and Gas Utilities since Market Liberalization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schulke, Ch.

2010-01-01

A major change has taken place in the company structure of the European electricity and gas markets. Twenty years ago, national or regional monopolies dominated the markets and there was strictly no competition between utilities. But since the liberalization of EU energy markets began in the 1990's, companies like E.ON, GDF Suez, EDF, Enel, and RWE have become European giants with activities in a large number of Member States. The advocates of market liberalization did not expect, or even intend, the emergence of a small number of large utilities that control an increasing part of the EU market. Some observers already claim that liberalization has led to an oligopoly with detrimental consequences for competition. Based on extensive background research, this book presents a fact-based analysis of the changes in the European utility sector since the 1990's. Case studies of the seven largest utilities illustrate how companies adapted their strategies to the changing market environment. The author underlines diverging choices and common trends like geographic expansion into new markets via mergers and acquisitions or diversification of business activities with the aim of using synergies between electricity and gas. (author)

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

OpenAIRE

Melíšková, Iva

2015-01-01

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

EU competences in European energy policy; EU-Kompetenzen einer europaeischen Energiepolitik

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schneider, Almut Madlen

2010-07-01

The author intends to analyze the possible consequences of legal acts in energy policy and to check whether they may serve as competence for an EU energy policy according to the EG or Euratom treaties. She starts by outlining energy-political acts of the EU on the basis first of the former EC treaty and then of the Euratom treaty. These acts cover the issues of nuclear safety and nuclear waste, 'nuclear package' and safeguards monitoring. The next chapter presents the fundamentals of the competence distribution between the EU and its member states. On this basis, the energy-political competences for action of the former EG and Euratom treaties are discussed. This includes operative competences, harmonization competences, material restrictions of national energy policy, and structural instruments for making restrictions on national energy policies. The next chapter presents a critical assessment of the extent of the competence of Article 95 EG (now: Article 114 AEUV) and discusses the role of European law on grants and competition for the functioning of the European energy markets. The 'nuclear package' is reassessed from the view of competence law. Finally, the central new contents of the Lisbon treaty and their consequences for energy law are gone into. The importance of an energy competence title for the energy sector is questioned, and the interdependences between the Lisbon treaty and the Euratom treaty are analyzed. (orig.)

Scenarios for EU citizenship in 2030 - Repertoires for action in thinkable futures (Deliverable 11.5)

OpenAIRE

Bakker, Wieger; van der Kolk, Marlot

2017-01-01

European Union (EU) citizenship is both about a legal status - a set of civil, social, economic and political rights complementing one’s national citizenship - and about being an active participating member of the EU political community. EU citizenship includes therefore influencing decisionmaking on rules, policies and practices that effect one’s own national and local societies. The opportunities and capacities to exercise these rights and to participate differ between countries, between gr...

The participation of the German Länder in the EU decision-making process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlo Panara

2012-09-01

Full Text Available This article sketches out the main features of the German system of regional participation in the EU decision-making process with the aim of identifying the key strengths and weaknesses of that system. The author will be examining whether the model currently in place allows for a sufficiently rapid and effective response to the EU decision-making process, and whether there is a sufficiently balanced representation of regional and federal interests at the EU level. The article will also contain a proposal as to how the German model of regional participation in the EU decision-making process could be further improved.

Processy konvergencii i divergencii v regionah Evropejskogo sojuza: osobennosti i kvalimetrija [Processes of convergence and divergence in the re-gions of the European Union: features and qualimetry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Voronov Viktor

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A higher level of unity and cohesion across the European Union member states is an important aspect of European integration though it has a rather ambiguous nature. The Law on the Common Market, which aims to increase the economic efficiency of the EU, became a subject of extensive discussions among researchers suggesting that its viability at the political and socio-economic levels depends on a fair distribution of gains among the countries and regions of the Community. These discussions resulted in a considerable increase in funding allocated for the development of the EU regions from the EU Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund aiming to reduce regional disparities. The present analysis and the assessment of convergence processes (GDP per capita at purchasing power parity in the EU regions of NUTS-1, -2, -3 levels in 1995 -2009/2010 help demonstrate the efficiency of these efforts.

EU Energy Law and Policy Issues. Volume 3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2011-12-15

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

EU Energy Law and Policy Issues. Volume 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2011-12-01

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

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.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josimovski Aleksandar G.

2013-01-01

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

Allowance Allocation and CO2 intensity of the EU15 and Norwegian refineries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nilsson, Kristina; Zetterberg, Lars; Aahman, Markus

2005-02-01

On 1 January 2005, the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) was launched. The launch has been preceded by an allocation process in each of the Member States. The main objective of this study was to analyse the allocation in relation to CO 2 efficiency for the mineral oil refining sector. A CO 2 intensity index for mineral oil refineries has been defined and calculated for the refineries within the EU15 and Norway. The IVL CO 2 intensity index is based both on the Solomon Energy Intensity Index (EII), an assumed fuel mix, and process-specific emissions. Due to uncertainties in input data, the determined values for the individual refineries are quite uncertain. However, the regional values can be used to identify trends. It was concluded that there are substantial differences in the CO 2 intensity between refineries within different regions/countries in the EU and these differences have not been considered in the allocation process. Only a few countries have mentioned energy efficiency or reduction potential due to CO 2 intensity of fuels used. Only one country (Denmark) has explicitly given a benchmark that will be used for allocation to new mineral oil refineries. The allocation has generally been based on historic emissions, which will result in refineries with historically higher emissions being allocated larger amounts than refineries with historically lower emissions. This might be favourable for refineries that recently have performed emission-reducing measures but might be less favourable for refineries that during a long time period have implemented emission-reducing measures

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

OpenAIRE

RUEDA CANTUCHE JOSE; SOUSA Nuno

2016-01-01

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

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anger, Niels; Oberndorfer, Ulrich

2008-01-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dudaš Atila I.

2015-01-01

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

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

Trends in the inter-regional and international research collaboration of the PRC’s regions: 2000-2015

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luwel, M.; Van Wijk, E.; Van der Wurff, L.J.; Wang, L.

2016-07-01

The regional structure of the PRC’s scientific output is analyzed using publications processed for the Web of Science. Over the period 2000-2015 and measured by the Salton Index of the co-publications the scientific collaboration among the PRC’s regions increased only slightly, in stark contrast with the USA’ states and during the most recent years the EU member countries. Only for research with other nations, representing about 30% of the total publication output, inter-regional collaboration is on the rise. For the leading PRC’s regions the USA is the dominant partner co-authoring about 50% of their publications. Germany and especially Japan seems to lose attractiveness to the advantage of the UK, Australia and neighboring Asian countries. (Author)

Housing of old age households in 10 EU countries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skak, Morten

2008-01-01

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

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2015-07-01

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

Phosphorus flows and balances of the European Union Member States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2016-01-15

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

Phosphorus flows and balances of the European Union Member States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2016-01-01

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

Integrated homecare to bridge transition from health to social services in EU

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Torben

2009-01-01

to European health regions. Method The general framework of the project is the international concept of health technology assessment (HTA) as implemented in the EUnetHTA Core Model focusing 9 analytical domains. Based on a systematic literature review of trials on integrated care integrated homecare (IHC......-analysis a meso-strategy implementing IHC at a regional level is planned to combine the advantages of a goal-directed centralized approach with the adaption to local conditions in a decentralized approach. Discussion Clinical and social IHC-network-members are going to be represented as external reviewers......  Purpose The fragmented delivery of health and social services for large groups of patients with chronic conditions was put on the research agenda in 2002 by WHO. The FP7-IHC-project ( http://www.integratedhomecare.eu/ ) aims to develop a turn-key-solution for better clinical continuity...

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stănescu Simona Maria

2015-06-01

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

Comparative study of the thermoluminescence between the materials α-Al2O3:C, KCl:Eu2+, KBr: Eu2+ and VYCOR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pedroza M, M.; Melendrez, R.; Perez S, R.; Aceves, R.; Piters, T.M.; Barboza F, M.

1999-01-01

It is presented some investigation results related to the thermoluminescence curves (Tl), Tl emission and the spectra of excitation of thermoluminescence in the ultraviolet region of 190 to 250 nm in the materials α-Al 2 O 3 :C, KCl: Eu 2+ , KBr: Eu 2+ and the Vycor glass. It was able to be observed that the Tl emission for the first three materials exists around 420 nm and in the case of Vycor the emission consists of two Tl peaks where the most low temperature is a band more wide centered in 460 nm and the other band of high temperature emits in 470 nm. In the excitation curves of Tl were obtained centered bands around 230 nm for KCl: Eu 2+ , 235 nm for KBr: Eu 2+ , 220 nm for the alumina and 195 nm for the Vycor. From the results it was able to be appreciated that this last has a minor relative intensity with respect to the others materials but also the region in which works there was an alone band between the 190 to 205 nm. This fact makes the material be very selective in the ultraviolet region of greatest energy. (Author)

FISCAL DECENTRALIZATION DETERMINANTS AND LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN EU COUNTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anca Florentina GAVRILUŢĂ (VATAMANU

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This work aims to assess the impact of fiscal decentralization on local (regional development in the EU Member States while controlling for macroeconomic and local autonomy specific factors. Using a panel data approach with dynamic effects, we examined the implications of fiscal decentralization on local development across European Union countries over the 1990-2004 period. The novelty of the study is emphasized by including in the analysis a variable which tests local fiscal discipline, more exactly, Fiscal Rule Strength Index for local level of government. Our findings suggest that prosperity of regions, measured in GDP growth depends on variables such as characteristics of decentralization undertaken by each country or local fiscal discipline, confirming our primary hypothesis. This supports the view that recently implemented reforms aiming to enforce fiscal discipline following-up the Fiscal Compact strengthened the local budgetary framework and restrained, therefore, the local discretionary power to act towards development.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boštjan BREZOVNIK

2015-10-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Corey Johnson

2012-02-01

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

Monitoring Energy Efficiency in the EU-27 the ODYSSEE - MURE Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bosseboeuf, D.; Bozic, H.; Vuk, B.; Novosel, D.; Keco, M.; Karan, M.; Vukman, S.; Krstulovic, V.

2008-01-01

Since more than a decade, the European Commission through the Intelligent Energy for Europe programme and 29 partners, mainly European national energy efficiency agencies, have developed common methodologies on energy efficiency monitoring. This relies on two complementary tools: 1) ODYSSEE, an internet database on energy efficiency indicators. Around 200 indicators comparable and harmonised across countries are developed at sectoral or end uses levels, over the period 1980-2006 for the EU-15 countries and from 1990 for EU-10 countries + Croatia and Norway. 2) MURE, an interactive internet data base on energy efficiency policies. More than 1300 policies descriptions are stored. When available, ex-post evaluations are reported. Based on this material provided by each of partners representing all the EU-Members and Croatia, a cross countries analysis is carried by sector on the recent trends for the EU as a whole and by countries. This diagnosis of benchmark shows that countries which have performed the best differ according to the end uses. The contribution of the manufacturing sector in the energy savings seems slowing down compared to the late nineties. Inversely, results in transport seem now encouraging. The building sector has performed disappointingly despite numerous policies. Analysis of the policy mix across countries and its dynamic shows divergences between the EU-15 countries and the EU 10. Innovative measures can be found everywhere and are discussed extensively. These results become more and more widely used by member state to assess and interpret the target and the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan of the plan of the Energy Service directive recently launched. This report presents an analysis of energy efficiency trends in Croatian on the basis of energy efficiency indicators based on the ODYSSEE methodology. This analysis focuses on the period 1992-20041, in the energy consumption and energy efficiency in total and in sectors (industry

Stalking als Straftatbestand : Neue Tendenzen in den EU-Mitgliedstaaten

NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

2017-01-01

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

Has accession to the EU affected business cycles?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Panagiotis EVANGELOPOULOS

2013-02-01

Full Text Available This paper undertakes to explain the relationship between EU accession and the length of business cycles, focusing specifically on whether participation in a multinational organization has, or has not, altered the length of the cycle. Employing a sample of nine EU countries (Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK we focused initially on annual data for per capita growth in GDP over a period of 59 years (1950-2008. For each country the sample was divided into two parts, one covering the period preceding accession to the EU and one is covering the accession year and succeeding years. Then, eliminating the background noise with the use of a periodogram, we proceeded to examine their spectral density plots. The results indicated that in the first years following accession, the countries tended to experience shorter cycles than they had previously. In the second phase the cycles were of the same duration as previous cycles. Finally, after a period of some years, the length of the cycles increased, as suggested by the J-shaped curve. This J-shaped growth curve applies for the countries that have joined the EU, strongly suggesting a causal relationship between accession to the EU and these specific characterristics of the curve. We cross-checked with a set of four non-EU member countries (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey and found no change in the length of the business cycle in these countries.

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...

Securing Financial Stability: Problems and Prospects for New EU Members, Report on the SUERF Seminar jointly organised with the Central Bank of Malta

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Balling, Morten

2003-01-01

topics are monetary policy transparency, preservation of investor confidence, the adequacy of the legal framework governing the financial sector, asset price volatility, size and volatility of cross-border capital flows, implications of bank privatisations, increasing market shares of foreign banks......The article gives an overview of twelve contributions to a seminar organised in March 2003 by SUERF in cooperation with the Central Bank of Malta. The contributions analyse from different perspectives the problems related to securing financial stability in the EU accession countries. Important......, integration of European supervisory systems, choice of exchange rate regime and government debt policy. Four of the contributions are country case studies in which the financial stability experiences of countries that have become members of the EMU are described. Udgivelsesdato: July...

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...

PROBLEMS AND DEVELOPMENTS IN THE EU TAX SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CHIRCULESCU MARIA FELICIA

2014-12-01

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

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szilágyi János E.

2016-01-01

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

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

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Szalavetz Andrea

2014-11-01

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

“Fear or Love Thy Neighbour”? The EU Framework for Promoting Regional Cooperation in the South Caucasus

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Nelli Babayan

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Building on the model of the enlargement policy, the European Union (EU designed the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Eastern Partnership to further promote its norms and principles. One of the goals of its new policies has been to foster regional cooperation among partner countries and their neighbours. This article specifies the EU’s framework for promoting regional cooperation through the aforementioned policies and discusses its potential impact on the example of the South Caucasus republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The South Caucasus has not only been an arena of intraregional conflicts, but has also often been troubled by disputes between its neighbours. This article argues that, due to a lack of proactive and consistent engagement, the EU’s framework risks leaving regional conflicts in the current state of stagnation and without advancement in regional cooperation.

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....

Clusters and Financial Resources Management in the Context of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariana Trandafir

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Defined by "the co-location of producers, services providers, educational and research institutions, financial institutions and other private and government institutions related through linkages of different types", clusters can be "engines" of global economic development. Beyond the competitive advantages, clusters promote regional specialization in their field of activity, the regions thus becoming different, but interconnected. In the context of intent cluster-ization at European level and at the European Parliament’s call for the “re-industrialization of Europe”, the paper examines the critical role of clusters in the context of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (SUERD from the financial resources management perspective and it concludes the macro-region of 14 Danube riparian countries, attracting European funds, able to bring prosperity and growth passing through the Danubian innovative clusters. The analysis uses the most recent official data, official documents published by the European Commission and other institutions in the field.

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

OpenAIRE

Estrella Gomez Herrera; Bertin Martens

2015-01-01

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

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2012-10-15

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

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

2012-10-15

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

Energy poverty policies in the EU: A critical perspective

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouzarovski, Stefan; Petrova, Saska; Sarlamanov, Robert

2012-01-01

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

Allowance Allocation and CO{sub 2} intensity of the EU15 and Norwegian refineries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nilsson, Kristina; Zetterberg, Lars; Aahman, Markus

2005-02-01

On 1 January 2005, the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) was launched. The launch has been preceded by an allocation process in each of the Member States. The main objective of this study was to analyse the allocation in relation to CO{sub 2} efficiency for the mineral oil refining sector. A CO{sub 2} intensity index for mineral oil refineries has been defined and calculated for the refineries within the EU15 and Norway. The IVL CO{sub 2} intensity index is based both on the Solomon Energy Intensity Index (EII), an assumed fuel mix, and process-specific emissions. Due to uncertainties in input data, the determined values for the individual refineries are quite uncertain. However, the regional values can be used to identify trends. It was concluded that there are substantial differences in the CO{sub 2} intensity between refineries within different regions/countries in the EU and these differences have not been considered in the allocation process. Only a few countries have mentioned energy efficiency or reduction potential due to CO{sub 2} intensity of fuels used. Only one country (Denmark) has explicitly given a benchmark that will be used for allocation to new mineral oil refineries. The allocation has generally been based on historic emissions, which will result in refineries with historically higher emissions being allocated larger amounts than refineries with historically lower emissions. This might be favourable for refineries that recently have performed emission-reducing measures but might be less favourable for refineries that during a long time period have implemented emission-reducing measures.

EU joint investigation teams: Political ambitions and police practices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

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

2011-01-01

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

How does the European Regional Development Fund finance energy efficiency and renewable investments in housing sector in Bulgaria, Poland and Romania?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-11-01

manage the funds or these are not compatible with / supplementary to the operational national schemes: - In Bulgaria, the programs implemented in cooperation with UNDP or EBRD are operational, unlike the operational programs financed from the Structural Funds. - In Poland, the national schemes and programs are more popular and efficient than Structural Funds. Structural Funds are useful for co-financing projects at national level but often create unjustified expectations. Only 1.24% of the EU's gross national income (GNI) is allocated to the EU budget. 45% of the GNI goes directly to national, regional and local public expenditure. The priorities and relevant mechanisms should be though first set up at these levels. The 45% of the EU's gross national income goes to national, regional and local public expenditure while the EU's budget (allocated partly to the EU programs and financial instruments such as the Structural Funds) represents only 1.24%. The EU funding is supposed to be supplementary to national funding; it's not supposed to replace it. Unless the clear objectives and strong political, legal and financial supporting mechanisms are set up at national, regional and local level (where the real political and financial potential lies), the European objectives and funding will always remain for Member States rather a burden than opportunity

EU Banking Union: Lessons for non-eurozone transition countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Šoškić Dejan

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Eurozone has gone through turmoil of sovereign debt crisis just after the detrimental effect of global financial crises of 2007/2008. Sovereign debt crisis of the eurozone was caused by bank-sovereign interdependence and lack of fiscal union in the eurozone. Financial fragmentation in the eurozone financial markets was an immediate outcome. Banking union of the EU is a regulatory and institutional remedy for main financial problems of the eurozone post global financial crisis. It is clear signal that lessons have been learned from the two crises. Stricter regulation (single rule book aims to increase the quality of banks. Single Supervisory Mechanism (SRM, and Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM aim to unify and better the standards of supervision and resolution in the EU. With emphasis on bail-ins, and EU level backstops, bank-sovereign interdependence should be dismantled and chances of financial crisis reoccurrence with huge costs for taxpayers should be significantly lower. There are important elements of Banking Union that could be introduced in non-eurozone transition countries both members and nonmembers of the EU.