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EU Legislation (eu + legislation)
Selected AbstractsEarly Socio-political and Environmental Consequences of the Prestige Oil Spill in GaliciaDISASTERS, Issue 3 2003J.D. Garcķa Pérez The controversial form in which the oil industry is run has once more caused a huge disaster , this one affecting the Galician coastal environment and economy. Oil-spill clean-up operations have been managed in Europe with some success but with considerable economic, environmental and social costs. The oil industry often avoids fully or even partially compensating those affected. The lack of both political will and political power has let the culprit (the oil industry) off the hook. This paper considers the spill of the Prestige to assess whether the balance of power between affected people and the oil industry can be changed. The paper examines the growing awareness of environmental issues among ordinary people in Spain, through the massive involvement of volunteers concerned with the damage done to the environment and to the livelihoods of fishing communities in Galicia. To understand these growing public concerns and the strength of opinion, the paper examines the details of the decisions taken by the central Spanish and local governments and the way these have informed the clean-up operations, the character of the oil companies involved and the feeling of impotence in the face of such disasters. The conclusion here is that the operations of the oil industry should be tightly regulated through EU legislation, and that this can come about as a result of organised political pressure from those affected by the oil spill, from the mass of volunteers, as well as from public opinion at large. [source] EU Enlargement to Turkey?EUROCHOICES, Issue 1 2005Rural Areas: EU Erweiterung um die Türkei?, The Challenges Anead for Agriculture Summary EU Enlargement to Turkey? The Challenges Ahead for Agriculture and Rural Areas In December 2004 the European Council agreed that accession negotiations with Turkey could begin in October 2005. Although the Copenhagen political criteria have been decisive so far, the criteria relating to the functioning of markets and ability to implement EU legislation will weigh heavily in the negotiations. Despite recent policy reforms, Turkey's agriculture still enjoys levels of protection similar or higher than those of the EU, but its gross value added per worker is relatively very low. One third of Turkey's employment is in agriculture, where most farms are small. The animal health situation is far below the standard achieved in the EU. Food supply chains are fragmented and inefficient. To survive and compete within the single market of the EU, the agricultural and food sectors must undergo deep structural change, which will have far-reaching economic and social repercussions. Projections according to current policy trends show that Turkey could take over one-third of the total cohesion budget allocation. However, the scalingdown or delaying of budget transfers would be short-sighted. If the EU accepts Turkey as a member, it would be in the interest of the EU as a whole that Turkey's economy - and especially its backward rural economy - should embark on a sustainable growth path as soon as possible. Elargir l'UE ą la Turquie ? Les défis en perspective pour l'agriculture et les zones rurales. En decembre 2004, le Conseil de l'Union europ6enne a decide douvrir des negociations d'adhesion avec la Turquie en octobre 2005. A la difference de ce qui s'est passe jusqu'ici, le fonctionnement des marches et la capacite a mettre en vigueur l'acquis communautaire seront les crittres principaux, a la place des crittres politiques de Copenhague. Malgrk des reformes politiques recentes, l'agriculture turque profite toujours d'un taw de protection extkrieure analogue a celui de I'UE ou plus Clevi Cependant, sa valeur ajoutee brute par actifest relativement trks basse. Le tiers des emplois en Turquie se trouve dans le secteur agricole, oi,la plupart des exploitations sont de peute taille. La situation sanitaire du cheptel se situe bien au-dessous du niveau de I'UE. Les filieres agro-alimentaires sont fragmentees et peu efficaces. Pour źtre en mesure de faire face a la concurrence du Marche unique europken, les secteurs agricoles et alimentaires en Turquie devront subir une restructuration profonde, laquelle aura des consequences economiques et sociales de grande envergure. Des projections basees sur les tendances politiques actuelles montrent que la Turquie pourrait bkneficier de plus du tiers des fonds de cohesion de I'UE. Ceci dit, une decision de diminuer ou de dfikrer les transferts budgetaires serait faire preuve d'un manque de prevoyance. Si I'UE accepte la Turquie comme membre, il serait dans I'intkr8t de l'ensemble de 1'Union que I'Cconomie turque - et surtout son economie rurale arrierke - s'engage aussitbt que possible sur un sentier de croissance rapide et durable. EU Erweiterung um die Tükei? Herausforderungen für die Landwirtschaft und ländliche Räume Im Dezember 2004 hat der Europasche Rat beschlossen, dass im Oktober 2005 die Beitnttsverhandlungen mit der Turkei beginnen konnen Auch wenn die Kopenhagener politischen Kriterien bisher entscheidend waren, werden die Kriterien hinsichtlich der Funktionsfhhigkeit der Markte und die Fahigkeit, die EU Gesetzgebung lmplementieren zu konnen, besonderes Gewicht haben. Trotz der letzten Politikreformen 1st die Agrarprotektion in der Turkei gleich hoch oder hoher als in der EU, aber die turkische Bruttowertschopfung le Arbeitskraft ist relativ sehr klein Ein Dnttel der turklschen Arbeitskrafte sind in der Landmrtschaft beschaftigt und die meisten Betriebe sind klein Die Gesundheit der Tiere 1st weit unter den Niveau der EU Die Nahrungsmittel-Zuheferungskette 1st klem struktunert und ineffizient Der Agrar- und Ernahrungssektor kann im Gemeinsamen Markt nur dann uberleben und wettbewerbsfahig sein, wenn em intensiver Strukturwandel mit weit reichenden okonomischen und sozialen Wirkungen einsetzt. Projektionen der gegenwartigen Politikentwicklungen zeigen, dass die Turkei uber ein Dnttel der Mittel des Kohasionsfonds erhalten wurde. Doch wurde die Kurzung oder Veaogerung der Finanzhilfen kurzsichtig sen Wenn dre EU die Turkei als Mitglied akzeptiert, 1st es im Interesse der EU insgesamt, dass die Turkei und insbesondere ihre ruckstandige Agramirtschaft so schnell wie moglich auf einen stabden Wachstumspfad kommt. [source] If things can only get worse: Anticipation of enlargement in European Union legislative politicsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2010DIRK LEUFFEN Anticipation is a central feature of political behaviour. It has an impact on actors' choices and can change the timing of decisions. This article analyses anticipation in legislative politics. After delineating different objects as well as consequences of anticipation theoretically, a set of hypotheses about anticipatory behaviour in EU decision-making is derived. In particular, it is asked whether the EU Council anticipates the arrival of new Member States and how this affects legislative output. The theory is tested by estimating count models using a dataset that contains information on all binding EU legislation from 1976 to 2007. Covering five enlargement rounds, evidence is presented for anticipatory behaviour in EU legislative politics. [source] In Search of Better Quality of EU Regulations for Prompt Transposition: The Brussels PerspectiveEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 5 2008Michael Kaeding The quality of EU regulation is crucial to ensuring that Community law is promptly transposed into national law within the prescribed deadlines. But good quality transposition (clear, simple, and effective) goes beyond pre-legislative consultation processes and more frequent use of impact assessments as agreed in the 2003 Interinstitutional Agreement on Better Lawmaking. Presenting new data that covers the full population of all EU transport directives from 1995 to 2004,including the national implementing instruments of France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK,this study shows that elements of the EU directives delay transposition. The binding time limit for transposition, the EU directive's level of discretion, its level of detail, its nature and further characteristics of the directive's policy-making process are all factors. These determining factors are crucial to explaining why Member States miss deadlines when transposing EU Internal Market directives. Brussels' efforts to simplify and improve the regulatory environment have to go beyond more preventive action to strengthen the enforcement of EU legislation at the member-state level if they want to address the Internal Market constraining effects of Member States' non-compliance. This study argues that far-reaching decisions made in the European Commission's drafting and EU policy-making phase have the greatest effect on the European regulatory framework in which businesses operate and the free movement of goods, persons, services, and capital is at stake. Implementation should be part of the design. [source] The Transposition of EU Law: ,Post-Decisional Politics' and Institutional AutonomyEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 4 2001Dionyssis G. Dimitrakopoulos The transposition of European Union (EU) law into national law is a significant part of the EU policy process. However, political scientists have not devoted to it the attention that it deserves. Here, transposition is construed as part of the wider process of policy implementation. Drawing on implementation theory from the field of public policy, the article outlines three sets of factors (institutional, political, and substantive) that affect transposition. Second, the article examines the manner in which eight member states transpose EU legislation, and identifies a European style of transposition. An institutionalist approach is employed to argue that this style is not the result of a process of convergence. Rather, it stems from the capacity of institutions to adapt to novel situations by means of their own standard operating procedures and institutional repertoires. It concludes by highlighting (a) the partial nature of efforts at EU level to improve transposition, themselves impaired by the politics of the policy process and (b) some ideas regarding future research. [source] Presentation and comments on EU legislation related to food industries,environment interactions: sustainable development, and protection of nature and biodiversity , genetically modified organismsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 7 2006Ioannis S. Arvanitoyannis Summary The European Union (EU) legislation regarding sustainable development moves along two distinct lines: the impact of industries (food industries included) on the environment (release of gases and green house effect and the effect of cultivating genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on the environment. EU voted three communications [COM(2002)524, COM(2003)301, COM(2004)38] in an attempt to set an action plan based on technologies to manage pollution, by promoting less polluting and less resource-intensive products and services and ways to manage resources more efficiently. As such environment-friendly technologies pervade practically all economic activities and sectors it is anticipated that they will reduce effectively energy and resource consumption thereby creating fewer emissions and less waste. As regards the cultivation and/or importing of GMOs, EU legislation was based on two directives (E.U. 90/219/EEC, E.U. 2001/18/EC) and four regulations [Regulation (EC) No. 258/97, Regulation (EC) No. 1830/2003, Regulation (EC) No. 1830/2003 and Regulation (EC) No. 1946/2003]. The directives aimed at adopting measures for limited use of GM micro-organisms, making the procedure for granting consent to the deliberate release and placing on the market of GMOs more efficient and more transparent, making GMO labelling compulsory and thereby enhancing GMOs traceability along the entire food chain. [source] Presentation and comments on EU legislation related to food industries,environment interactions: organic contaminants (chemicals, pesticides, dioxins, furans, biocides and their waste management)INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 7 2006Ioannis S. Arvanitoyannis Summary The first part of this review on European Union (EU) legislation related to food industries,environment interactions deals with chemicals which, in their majority, make their way to food. Such substances are the pesticides and fertilizers the residues of which abound in many agricultural produces (both of plant or animal origin). Another crucial issue is the unintentional release of dioxins and furans through combustion. Detergents or sanitizers in conjunction with compounds considered hazardous or corrosive or flammable stand for other topics falling in the general category of chemicals employed in the food industry. The aim of this review is to cover all the current EU legislation in the field of chemicals (dioxins, furans, pesticides, biocides products, fertilizers, sanitizers) coming directly or indirectly in contact with food and their waste management by providing six comprehensive and easy-to-use tables, and a synopsis of the main points of the currently in force EU legislation. [source] An update of EU legislation (Directives and Regulations) on food-related issues (Safety, Hygiene, Packaging, Technology, GMOs, Additives, Radiation, Labelling): presentation and commentsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, Issue 10 2005Ioannis S. Arvanitoyannis Summary This review aims at providing an update of the current European Union (EU) Regulations and Directives on food-related issues. Initially, a brief presentation of EU legislation in terms of structure (horizontal, vertical) was attempted. EU Regulations and Directives were classified into the following categories: food safety (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points, pesticides, radioactive, hormones, contaminants, freezing , ionisation, food additives, flavourings, packaging), genetically modified organisms, food quality, labelling, food products of plant or animal origin, imports from third countries. Apart from a synoptical presentation of all laws related to the above-mentioned topics, proper tables were compiled where the main points of each law are cited in conjunction with its effect on previous laws (repeal, modification, amendments, replacement). In such a way the reader can rapidly acquire a first approach to the topic of his interest. [source] The Legislative Powers and Impact of the European ParliamentJCMS: JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, Issue 2 2003Andreas Maurer This article investigates the impact of the legislative powers of the European Parliament (EP), particularly the co-decision procedure. After explaining the development of the legislative procedures, the article analyses the extent to which the different procedures have been used since their creation. It then considers how growing legislative power has affected the EP's internal development, how far the EP has been able to influence EU legislation, and whether EP involvement in legislation has enhanced or impeded the efficiency of the EU legislative process. The article concludes by considering possible areas for further reform of the EP's role in the EU's legislative system. [source] Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in olive oil by a completely automated headspace technique coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometryJOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY (INCORP BIOLOGICAL MASS SPECTROMETRY), Issue 6 2006Francisco J. Arrebola Abstract A new and completely automated method for the determination of ten relevant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in olive oil is proposed using an extraction by the headspace (HS) technique. Quantification and confirmation steps are carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) combining simultaneously selected-ion monitoring (SIM) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). This combination offers on one hand an increased sensitivity and on the other hand, selective and reliable qualitative information. Sample pretreatment or clean-up are not necessary because the olive oil sample is put directly into an HS vial, automatically processed by HS and introduced into the GC-MS instrument for analysis. Because of its high selectivity and sensitivity, a triple-quadrupole (QqQ) detector coupled with the gas chromatograph allows us to limit handling. Each sample is completely processed in approximately 63 min (45 min for HS isolation and 18 min for GC-MS determination), a reduced time compared with previously published methods. The chemical and instrumental variables were preliminarily optimized using uncontaminated olive oil samples spiked with 25 µg kg,1 of each target compound. The final method was validated to ensure the quality of the results. The precision was satisfactory, with relative standard deviation (RSD) values in the range 3,9%. Recovery rates ranged from 96 to 99%. Limits of detection (LOD) were calculated as 0.02,0.06 µg kg,1 and the limits of quantification (LOQ) were obtained as 0.07,0.26 µg kg,1. It must be mentioned that the LOD and LOQ are much lower than the maximum levels established by the European Union (EU) in oils and fats intended for direct human consumption or for use as an ingredient in foods, which are set at 2 µg kg,1. All the figures of merit are completely in accordance with the latest EU legislation. This fact makes it possible to consider the proposed method as a useful tool for the control of PAHs in olive oils. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] KEEPING IN CONTROL: THE MODEST IMPACT OF THE EU ON DANISH LEGISLATIONPUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 1 2010JŲRGEN GRŲNNEGAARD CHRISTENSEN Membership of the EU and the scope of European integration are still contested issues in Danish politics. However, the impact of EU legislation on Danish legislation is relatively modest and highly concentrated within the field generally related to the regulation of the internal market. Strong upstream procedures at both the interdepartmental and the parliamentary level have been installed that effectively protect Danish policy-makers against political surprises in EU legislative politics. Upstream procedures are much stronger than the downstream ones for overseeing the implementation of EU policies and they ensure a high degree of consensus on specific EU legislation, both among the political parties in the Danish Parliament and among affected interests. As a result the transposition of directives is mainly a ministerial responsibility, and within the well-established fields of cooperation, the decree is the preferred legal instrument. [source] Biomass removal by dolphins and fisheries in a Mediterranean Sea coastal area: do dolphins have an ecological impact on fisheries?AQUATIC CONSERVATION: MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, Issue 5 2010Giovanni Bearzi Abstract 1.Dolphins are often claimed to compete with fisheries, including through removal of substantial biomass. To calculate the biomass removed by fisheries and the degree of resource overlap with dolphins in a coastal area of Greece, estimates of dolphin abundance based on photographic capture,recapture were combined with an assessment of fishing effort and catch. 2.The estimated total biomass consumed annually by local dolphin populations , 15 short-beaked common dolphins and 42 common bottlenose dolphins , was 15.5 and 89.8 tonnes, respectively. The total biomass removed by the local fishing fleet (307 fishing boats) was 3469.2 tonnes, i.e. about 33 times greater than that removed by dolphins. 3.Dolphins removed 2.9% of the total biomass, fisheries 97.1%. Nine purse seiners (representing only 3% of the active fishing fleet) were responsible for 31.9% of biomass removal. Similarity of biomass composition between dolphins and fisheries was expressed by a Pianka index of 0.46 for common dolphins and 0.66 for bottlenose dolphins. 4.Overlap differed according to fishing gear. Common dolphin overlap was higher with purse seiners (0.82), and lower with beach seiners (0.31), bottom trawlers (0.11) and trammel boats (0.06). There was virtually no overlap with longliners (0.02). Bottlenose dolphin overlap was higher with trammel boats (0.89) and bottom trawlers (0.75), and lower with longliners (0.38), purse seiners (0.24) and beach seiners (0.18). There was minimal overlap (0.12) between the two dolphin species. 5.This study suggests that ecological interactions between dolphins and fisheries in this coastal area have minor effects on fisheries. Conversely, prey depletion resulting from overfishing can negatively affect dolphins. Fisheries management measures consistent with national and EU legislation are proposed to ensure sustainability and to protect marine biodiversity. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] End of life vehicle management in areas of low technology sophistication.BUSINESS STRATEGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, Issue 5 2003A case study in Greece This paper was based on the findings of a study aimed at identifying and evaluating appropriate investment strategies in the area of end of life vehicle management (ELVM), especially against the emerging policy framework, as outlined by the recent EU legislation (2000/53 EG directive). The study was carried out for OMPM SA (Organisation for the Management of Public Material), a Greek organization, with many years' involvement in the management of ELVs. The departure point of the work was the critical review of available best practices, mostly compiled by means of a considerable number of on the spot visits to diverse ELVM processing facilities in the Northern EU. These experiences and practices were critically adapted to the very different local circumstances, characterized by an underdeveloped market and a low operational sophistication. In this way, the recommendations of the study, also reported in this work, are of a wider relevance to areas where the main priority is rather the development and rationalization of the ELVM business itself, before getting on to the subtler fine tuning and optimization issues that may be on the agenda in more mature environments. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] | ||||||||||||||||