Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
European Commission (european + commission)
Selected AbstractsEvaluation of the skin sensitizing potency of chemicals by using the existing methods and considerations of relevance for elicitationCONTACT DERMATITIS, Issue 1 2005David A. Basketter The Technical Committee of Classification and Labelling dealing with harmonized classification of substances and classification criteria under Directive 67/548/EEC on behalf of the European Commission nominated an expert group on skin sensitization in order to investigate further the possibility for potency consideration of skin sensitizers for future development of the classification criteria. All substances and preparations should be classified on the basis of their intrinsic properties and should be labelled accordingly with the rules set up in the Directive 67/548/EEC. The classification should be the same under their full life cycle and in the case that there is no harmonized classification the substance or preparation should be self-classified by the manufacturer in accordance with the same criteria. The Directive does not apply to certain preparations in the finished state, such as medical products, cosmetics, food and feeding stuffs, which are subject to specific community legislation. The main questions that are answered in this report are whether it would be possible to give detailed guidance on how to grade allergen potency based on the existing methods, whether such grading could be translated into practical thresholds and whether these could be set for both induction and elicitation. Examples are given for substances falling into various potency groups for skin sensitization relating to results from the local lymph node assay, the guinea pig maximization test, the Buehler method and human experience. [source] Base isolation for retrofitting historic buildings: Evaluation of seismic performance through experimental investigationEARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING AND STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS, Issue 8 2001Antonello De Luca Abstract An experimental test program on a full-scale model representing a sub-assemblage of the cloister facade of the Sao Vicente de Fora monastery, retrofitted through base isolation, has been recently carried out at the European Laboratory for Structural Assessment of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission. In this paper an overview of the laboratory model and the experimental results is provided. In particular, firstly the test model is described, including the geometry and mechanical properties of the masonry specimen and the design of the isolation devices; then the testing method and the sub-structuring of the isolation system are described and the seismic inputs adopted for the pseudo-dynamic tests are defined. Finally, the experimental results are discussed and compared to the analogous results obtained on the ,as is', fixed-base sub-assemblage model. The implications of the test outcomes are emphasized and developments of this research line are presented. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The use of technical knowledge in European water policy-makingENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 5 2010Perry J. M. van Overveld Abstract Environmental policy-making often involves a mix of technical knowledge, normative choice and uncertainty. Numerous actors, each with their own distinct objectives, are involved in these policy-making processes. One question these actors face, is how they can effectively communicate their technical knowledge and represent their interests in policy-making. The objective of this paper is to identify the factors that influence the use of technical knowledge and its impact on decision-making in the European Union. This is done for case of water policy-making for organic micropollutants, such as pesticides and pharmaceuticals. These pollutants enter the surface water in many ways and although concentrations are low, adverse effects cannot be ruled out. Via the EU Water Framework Directive, legislation has been developed to reduce the emissions of pollutants that pose a risk to ecology or public health. Using the advocacy coalition framework, the formal EU decision-making processes are analyzed for the identification of priority pollutants (Priority Substances) and the derivation of maximum allowable concentrations (Environmental Quality Standards). To enable a detailed analysis, the focus is on three specific micropollutants that pose health risks via drinking water supply. The findings show the extent to which actors can influence the decision-making process with technical knowledge. Early involvement in the drafting process that is led by the European Commission is important to influence decision-making outcomes. For this, organizational capacity in coalitions to mobilize and coordinate the required targeted contribution of technical knowledge is crucial. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Adaptation to climate change in the European union: efficiency versus equity considerationsENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 3 2010Stine Aakre Abstract EU climate policy based on reduction (mitigation) of greenhouse gas emissions is coupled with measures aimed at responding efficiently to the unavoidable consequences of climate change (adaptation). However, as the European Commission stated recently in its Green and White Papers on adaptation in Europe, there is still need to develop an overall EU adaptation strategy. Moreover, such a strategy should take into consideration both efficiency and equity concerns. In this article we propose a framework for EU adaptation policy that addresses the two concerns and which enables a transparent decision-making process. In the proposed scheme universal weightings of the individual policy objectives have to be agreed upon prior to actual decision-making. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Merits of a more integrated approach to environmental assessmentsENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 1 2010Elke Weingarten Abstract Under the maxim of ,better regulation', the European Commission is aiming to simplify and improve the European regulatory framework in order to reduce bureaucracy and to foster economic growth. Against this background, the integration of requirements presents one option for responding to the challenge of carrying out various environmental assessments stipulated by a number of European environmental directives. Although integrative, cross-sectional approaches have been established by some European directives, such as the Directive on Environmental Impact Assessment, the member states currently make little use of these options when implementing the directives into national law. Based on a review of European directives as well as related German regulations, this article outlines an approach for an integrative environmental assessment that aims to enhance the integrative effects and reduce duplication resulting from different environmental assessments. The investigation shows that the different assessment procedures as outlined by European and German legislation can be successfully integrated without necessarily lowering the standards set by these regulations. Given that the relevant directives are binding for all member states, the proposed assessment structure can easily be applied to other member states and, where necessary, modified to suit national requirements. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Sustainable development and the ,governance challenge': the French experience with Natura 2000ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 3 2008Darren McCauley Abstract Sustainable development is conceptualized in this paper as a serious challenge for governance structures and processes in nation states. Global and European agreements have placed the inclusion of civil society actors in policy-making at the heart of the sustainability agenda. This commitment is particularly evident in the Commission's White Paper on Governance and the EU Sustainable Development Strategy. From this perspective, the European Commission has consistently underlined the integral role of dialogue with social partners in any sustainability agenda. In contrast, there is a clear mismatch between these principles of civil society inclusion and policy-making in France. Long-standing traditions of meso-corporatism have struggled to adapt to extending participation to civil society actors. This paper assesses the implementation of sustainable development as civil society inclusion with reference to the French experience in dealing with EU biodiversity policy. It is argued that this governance challenge has effectively presented nation states with an ,interpretation dilemma' with regards to sustainable development. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] The Habitats Directive as an instrument to achieve sustainability?ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 3 2006An analysis through the case of the Rotterdam Mainport Development Project Abstract The Habitats Directive is a key document for the protection of critical natural capital in the European Union. In a manner consistent with the understanding of sustainability in the European Commission, even critical natural capital is subject to trade-offs in favour of economic and social development. This is reflected in Articles 6(3) and 6(4) of the directive. This paper analyses the planning process leading to the approval of the expansion of the port of Rotterdam project , which will significantly affect Natura 2000 , against sustainability criteria. Although it shows that the directive is powerful to promote sustainable planning, the success of the case study was due mainly to elements specific to the particular planning process, namely the use of deliberative public participation mechanisms as well as specific assessment tools. Lessons are drawn and recommendations made to strengthen the Habitats Directive and the national planning processes in relation to projects potentially affecting Natura 2000 sites. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Path-dependent climate policy: the history and future of emissions trading in EuropeENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 5 2004Edwin Woerdman At the end of the 1990s, the EU was still sceptical towards emissions trading, but in 2003 it adopted a directive that enables such trading in the EU from 2005 onwards. Instead of presenting ad hoc explanations, we develop and apply the path dependence approach to clarify this remarkable attitude change. Sunk costs, switching costs and learning explain why politicians were initially tempted to add credit trading to existing, sub-optimal policy. Permit trading, however, is more efficient and effective. An institutional lock-in was bound to occur, but attitudes changed as a result of internal pressures, such as the pioneering role of the European Commission, and external ,shocks', such as the withdrawal of the US from the Kyoto Protocol. A full-scale institutional break-out towards efficiency is not guaranteed, though, because elements of credit trading can still enter the permit trading directive. The risk is that these elements become locked in, from which it may be difficult to escape. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] The promotion of green electricity in Europe: present and futureENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 4 2004Pablo del Río Public support schemes for electricity from renewable energy sources (RES-E) are undergoing a period of change. Two interrelated processes can be discerned at both the EU and member state (MS) levels. On the one hand, the RES-E Directive sets targets for consumption of renewable electricity for the year 2010 and opens the possibility that the European Commission sets a community support framework for RES-E promotion in the future. On the other hand, different types of support scheme have been and are used by countries in order to promote the deployment of renewable electricity. A move from tendering/bidding systems and feed-in tariffs to tradable green certificates can be observed in some MSs. This move may take place in the future in some other MSs while others will certainly continue to rely on their current scheme. This paper provides an overview and assessment of the instruments currently used to promote renewable electricity in Europe and considers some possible trends in the choice of support schemes in the future. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley &,Sons, Ltd and ERP,Environment. [source] Transport and environment: policy directions for europeENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 3 2001Robert Tinch Transport externalities are among the most important environmental problems affecting quality of life in Europe. Forecasts suggest that past environmental improvements may now be rolled back by traffic growth, and current traffic trends are not sustainable. The theory of environmental policy proposes pricing external costs at their marginal social costs as one solution. Although full marginal social cost pricing is impracticable, advances in tolling technology and environmental valuation mean that it is now a viable option to approximate such charging. There are signs that the European Commission and other bodies are starting to favour pricing over regulatory instruments. However, often overlooked is the potential for non-convexities in the transport sector or between transport and the rest of the economy. For example it may be that small increases in resources for public transport would not result in welfare gains, whereas large increases would. Non-convexities would mean that market forces under marginal social cost pricing might lead away from the optimal transport system. This is one reason why pricing instruments cannot in themselves be a panacea for transport externalities or bring about a sustainable transport system. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [source] Incorporating the environment into structural funds regional programmes: evolution, current developments and future prospectsENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 2 2001Peter Roberts During the last two decades the environment has become an important element in a number of areas of member state and European Union policy. A key instrument for the delivery of environmental objectives is the European Union's Structural Funds. These Funds provide support for regional development programmes, which are developed and managed by partnerships representing the European Commission, member state governments and regional stakeholders. A potential model for these environmentally driven regional programmes is provided by the concept of ecological modernization. Environmental concerns have now been absorbed into the regional programmes and it is likely that in future even greater emphasis will be placed on the environmental (and social) dimensions of regional development. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [source] Strategic environmental awakening: European progress in regional environmental integrationENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 2 2001Keith Clement In the EU Structural Funds, integrating environment and regional economic development is a challenge that is progressively being met. From a beginning characterized by conflict between these two themes, considerable progress has been made in successive rounds of programmes, accompanied by a gradual raising of awareness and the development of new mechanisms for integration. This progress has been supported by environmental guidance from the European Commission, with handbooks designed to raise new ideas and suggest innovative ways of approaching the task. Current programmes incorporate extensive environmental profiles to support programme development, and new methods of combining both horizontal and vertical integration show considerable promise for the realization of environmental objectives in programme implementation. To facilitate further integration, priorities for research include the role for environmental strategies, the production of an index of environmental integration, the identification of measurable environmental indicators and confirmation that sustainable development is acting as a catalyst for environmental gain. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment [source] Phytosanitary measures in the European Union: a call for more dynamic risk management allowing more focus on real pest risks Case study: Potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd) on ornamental Solanaceae in EuropeEPPO BULLETIN, Issue 3 2008M. B. De Hoop After fifteen years of harmonisation of phytosanitary measures in the European Union, today's legislation has become increasingly stagnant, complex and detailed. The recent finding of Potato spindle tuber viroid in ornamental plants in the Netherlands and other Member States illustrates the struggle to take prompt emergency measures when specific knowledge is not available. It is proposed that the European Commission should take the initiative to organise the process of pest risk analysis from beginning to end. In addition, the Commission should have budgets at their disposal for instantaneous research to generate the required data and fill in knowledge gaps. Such policy enables evaluation of emergency measures and implementation of permanent requirements on the basis of scientific data within a short period, thereby creating a dynamic legislation that focuses on real pest risks. [source] Economic Sentiment and Yield Spreads in EuropeEUROPEAN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2008Eva Ferreira G12; E43 Abstract According toHarvey (1988), the forecasting ability of the term spread on economic growth is due to the fact that interest rates reflect investors' expectations about the future economic situation when deciding their plans for consumption and investment. Past literature has used ex post data on output or consumption growth as proxies for their expected value. In this paper, we employ a direct measure of economic agents' expectations, the Economic Sentiment Indicator elaborated by the European Commission, to test this hypothesis. Our results indicate that a linear combination of European yield spreads explains a surprising 93.7\% of the variability of the Economic Sentiment Indicator. This ability of yield spreads to capture economic agent expectations may be the actual reason for the predictive power of yield spreads about future business cycle. [source] The Emerging Role of the European Commission in Merger and Acquisition Monitoring: The Boeing,McDonnell Douglas CaseEUROPEAN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2001Nihat Aktas The object of this study is to evaluate the consequences of the application of the EEC Regulation 4064/89 to non,European companies. We focus on the Boeing,McDonnell Douglas merger case, one of the first non,European mergers considered by the Commission. The analysis of abnormal returns on the two securities shows that the threat of a ban of the merger by the Commission were not perceived as credible at first. But when Boeing decided to ask the support of the American government, just after the decision of the European Commission to extend its investigations to the long term exclusivity contracts, the role of the Commission emerged. [source] Educators at Work in two Sectors of Adult and Vocational Education: an overview of two European Research projectsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 2 2009BERT-JAN BUISKOOL Adult learning staff play a key role in making lifelong learning a reality. It is they who facilitate learners to develop knowledge, skills and attributes. At the European level there is a lack of information about various aspects of the profession, such as who they are, how they are recruited, what their specific roles and tasks are, what competences and qualifications they are expected or required to possess, what their employment status is, how their professional development is organised, how they are assessed, and how attractive their profession is. This article is meant to bridge this gap and describes the variety of contexts in which adult learning staff are working. Furthermore, it seeks to reveal the factors that promote or affect the quality of the work provided by these practitioners and will address a number of issues that should be on the agenda of policy makers. This article is based on the outcomes of a study that have been carried out by an international research group in the period 2007 -2008, under guidance of Research voor Beleid and PLATO University Leiden under contract of the European Commission (DG Education and Culture). [source] Actor alignments in the European Union before and after enlargementEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 6 2009ROBERT THOMSON What impact has the 2004 enlargement had on legislative decision making in the European Union (EU)? This study answers this question by examining the controversies raised by a broad selection of legislative proposals from before and after the 2004 enlargement. The analyses focus on the alignments of decision-making actors found on those controversies. Member State representatives, the European Commission and the European Parliament vary considerably in the positions they take on controversial issues before and after enlargement. Consistent patterns in actor alignments are found for only a minority of controversial issues. To the extent that consistent patterns are found, the most common involve differences in the positions of Northern and Southern Member States and old and new Member States. The North-South alignment was more common in the EU-15 and reflected Northern Member States' preference for low levels of regulatory intervention. The new-old alignment that has been evident in the post-2004 EU reflects new Member States' preference for higher levels of financial subsidies. This study argues that the persistent diversity in actor alignments contributes to the EU's capacity to cope with enlargement. [source] The anatomy of autonomy: Reassessing the autonomy of the European CommissionEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 4 2008JARLE TRONDAL Yet, the factual autonomy of the Commission remains largely unexplored, contributing to contradictory assessments of it. This study reassesses the behavioural autonomy of the Commission, as well as organisational conditions thereof. The article utilises one under-researched laboratory of the Commission: temporary officials (SNEs). SNEs may serve as a crucial test-bed of Commission autonomy due to their ambiguous affiliation towards the Commission. Whereas past studies claim that SNEs have a predominantly intergovernmental behavioural pattern, this study demonstrates that the SNEs blend departmental, epistemic and supranational behavioural dynamics, thereby safeguarding their behavioural autonomy. Understanding Commission autonomy requires that the organisational anatomy of the Commission organisation be carefully considered. The organisational anatomy is measured by considering four independent variables: the organisational composition of the Commission services; organisational incompatibilities across levels of governance; recruitment procedures of Commission officials through a so-called ,submarine' approach; and socialisation dynamics inside the Commission. The autonomy of the Commission is organisationally contingent and not only subject to what has been called ,actors' conspicuous desire for autonomy'. [source] Horizontal Coherence and the External Competences of the European UnionEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 1 2004Pascal Gauttier First considered as a political requirement, its best expression is located in the Article 3 of the Treaty on the European Union. The practice of European foreign policy has demonstrated the importance of this requirement: the control of exports of dual-use goods as well as the adoption of sanctions, whether on the basis of Article 301 EC, or in application of international agreements with third states, have given the example of overlapping competences. Besides, this overlap has been reflected in the internal organisation of the institutions (allocation of portfolios in the European Commission, conflict between the Political Committee and the Committee of the Permanent Representatives in the Council of the EU). However, the answers to these problems have been far too timid: the adoption of an integrated approach (conflict prevention) as well as the institutional adaptations of the Treaty of Amsterdam do not compensate for the absence of a vision of the European foreign policy which would overcome the old cleavage between federalism and intergovernmentalism. Indeed, it seems to us that much more innovative solutions are needed, such as an evolution towards the binding character of the coherence requirement, which would pave the way to a coherent European foreign policy, comprising external relations and CFSP (including the defence dimension). [source] The Governance of the European Union: The Potential for Multi-Level ControlEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 1 2002Colin Scott In its White Paper on the Governance of the European Union the European Commission has adopted a narrow concept of governance which focuses almost exclusively on public institutions exercising legislative and executive power (in other words institutions of government). The article suggests that a theory of multi-level control in the EU would attend to greater variety both in the available governance institutions and the techniques of control. The deployment of an analysis grounded in theories of control suggests that the European Commission is substantially holding to a long-held preference for instruments of government premised on the exercise of hierarchical power. This reform path sits uneasily with revived concerns to render the governance of the EU more democratic. Equally it inhibits the generation of more efficient governance arrangements which place greater dependence on communities, competition, and design as alternative bases of control to hierarchy. Control theory suggests that the assertion of different reform agendas and institutional structures by other actors can check the more wayward (and arguably illegitimate) tendencies within the Commission plan, whilst drawing in alternative bases of control which, when combined, may yield technically superior governance solutions. [source] Appointing and Censuring the European Commission: The Adaptation of Parliamentary Institutions to the Community ContextEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 3 2001Paul Magnette The parliamentary model at the heart of European civic cultures has deeply influenced ,Constitutional reforms' in the European Community. But the EC is not a Parliamentary state and the transplant of national institutions in its own political context gives rise to hybrid practices. This paper examines this process of hybridation, and shows that new practices of appointment and censure are emerging in the Community, mixing classic parliamentary institutions with the crucial features of the EC itself. Focusing on recent tensions between the Council, the Commission, and the European Parliament, it shows that they are governed by national divisions, technocratic and legal reasoning rather than by classic majoritarian attitudes. It concludes that, while this new model of accountability might prove efficient in terms of inter-institutional controls, it remains symbolically inefficient, because it does not help citizens understand and accept the Community institutional model. [source] European classes for the reaction to fire performance of wood-based panelsFIRE AND MATERIALS, Issue 6 2010Birgit A.-L. Östman Abstract The classification system for the reaction to fire performance of building products in Europe has been applied to wood-based panels as being ,products with known and stable fire performance'. The European classification system includes two sub-systems, one main system for all construction products except floorings and the other for flooring products. Panel properties such as density, thickness, joints and types of end-use application including different substrates have been studied thoroughly and are included in the classification. Most wood-based panels fall in classes D-s2, d0 or Dfl -s1 (for floorings). Testing has been performed according to EN 13823 SBI-Single Burning Item test, EN ISO 9239-1 Radiant panel test, and EN ISO 11925-2 Small flame test. Clear relationships between the main Euroclass fire performance parameters and product parameters (such as density and thickness) have been demonstrated. Tables with reaction to fire classification of different wood-based panels and end-use applications have been developed in two steps, approved by the European Commission and published in their Official Journal. The table is also included in the harmonized product standard and may be used for CE-marking. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Mathematical modelling of fire development in cable installationsFIRE AND MATERIALS, Issue 4 2001P. Van Hees In 1996 DG XII of the European Commission (Research and Development) approved a 3 year project on the fire performance of electrical cables. Within this FIPEC project, a major part of the work involved correlation and mathematical modelling of flame spread and heat release rate in cable installations. The FIPEC project has developed different levels of testing ranging from a small-scale, cone calorimeter test procedures developed for cables and materials, a full-scale-test procedure based on the IEC 60332-3, but utilizing HRR and SPR measurements, and a real scale test conducted on model cable installations. Links through statistical correlations and mathematical fire modelling between these levels were investigated and the findings are presented in this paper. These links could form the scientific foundations for standards upon which fire performance measurements can be based and for new fire engineering techniques within fire performance based codes. Between each testing level correlation, numerical and mathematical models were performed. All of the models were based on the cone calorimeter test method. The complexity of the models varied from correlation models to advanced physical pyrolysis models which can be used in CFD codes. The results will allow advanced prediction of cable fires in the future. Also a bench mark was established for the prediction of cable performance by means of data obtained from the constituent materials. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] On scientists' discomfort in fisheries advisory science: the example of simulation-based fisheries management-strategy evaluationsFISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 2 2010Sarah B M Kraak Abstract Scientists feel discomfort when they are asked to create certainty, where none exists, for use as an alibi in policy-making. Recently, the scientific literature has drawn attention to some pitfalls of simulation-based fisheries management-strategy evaluation (MSE). For example, while estimates concerning central tendencies of distributions of simulation outcomes are usually fairly robust because they are conditioned on ample data, estimates concerning the tails of distributions (such as the probability of falling below a critical biomass) are usually conditional on few data and thus often rely on assumptions that have no strong knowledge base. The clients of scientific advice, such as the European Commission, are embracing the mechanization of the evaluation of proposed Harvest Control Rules against the precautionary principle and management objectives. Where the fisheries management institutions aim for simple answers from the scientists, giving ,green/red light' to a proposed management strategy, the scientists are forced into a split position between satisfying the demands of their advisory role and living up to the standards of scientific rigour. We argue against the mechanization of scientific advice that aims to incorporate all relevant processes into one big model algorithm that, after construction, can be run without circumspection. We rather encourage that fisheries advice should be a dynamic process of expert judgement, incorporating separate parallel concurrent, lines of scientific evidence, from quantitative and qualitative modelling exercises and factual knowledge of the biology and the fishery dynamics. This process can be formalized to a certain degree and can easily accommodate stakeholder viewpoints. [source] Fish-based methods for assessing European running waters: a synthesisFISHERIES MANAGEMENT & ECOLOGY, Issue 6 2007S. SCHMUTZ Abstract, The European Union, Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires monitoring of riverine fish fauna. When the WFD came into force in 2000, most of the EU member states did not have fish-based assessment methods compliant to WFD requirements. Therefore, the objectives of FAME (http://fame.boku.ac.at), a project under the fifth R&D Framework Programme of the European Commission were to develop, evaluate and implement a standardised fish-based method for assessing the ecological status of European running waters. This paper synthesises the outputs of FAME and defines future research needs. Two different methodologies were used: the so-called spatially based modelling and the site-specific modelling, the latter leading to the European Fish Index (EFI). The advantage of the EFI is that, despite being a single index, it is applicable to a wide range of environmental conditions across Europe precluding the need for inter-calibration. The EFI will support the WFD towards harmonised/standardised assessment and management of running waters in Europe, thus enabling comparative analyses of the ecological status of running waters across Europe. [source] Policy Transfer in the European Union: Institutional Isomorphism as a Source of LegitimacyGOVERNANCE, Issue 1 2000Claudio M. RadaelliArticle first published online: 17 DEC 200 This article examines public policy in the European Union (EU) by drawing upon the framework of policy transfer, which has been recently refined by comparativists, and the concept of isomorphism developed within organizational theory. Three case studies,namely, the single currency, tax policy and media ownership policy,are discussed and compared with the aim of assessing the potential of isomorphism for the analysis of policy dif-fusion. The author argues that European institutions, which have a serious limitation in terms of legitimacy, stimulate policy transfer by catalyzing isomorphic processes. Policy transfer, however, is constrained when there are no national cases to be imitated. Yet European institutions, most notably the European Commission, can overcome the problem by "inseminating" solutions into national political systems. [source] Britain, EMU and the European economyINDUSTRIAL RELATIONS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2000Steve Bradley In January 1999, 11 member countries of the European Union ,irrevocably' locked the foreign exchange values of their currencies to the euro, and they committed themselves to abandon their currencies in favour of the euro in 2002. As a result, these countries ceased to operate independent monetary policies. Monetary policy for the whole euro-zone became the responsibility of the European Central Bank (ECB), whose primary objective is to maintain a low and stable rate of price inflation for the euro currency. The rules governing Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) were laid down in the treaty of Maastricht in 1992. As conditions for entry to EMU, the treaty specified ,convergence criteria' which consisted of upper limits for several macroeconomic aggregates including, notably, a 3 per cent maximum for the ratio of the public sector deficit to GDP and 60 per cent for the ratio of public debt to GDP.1 In February 1998 the 11 applicant countries submitted statistical analyses relating to their satisfaction of these conditions. Despite doubts as to whether some of them had strictly met the conditions, the European Commission deemed them all eligible, and the euro was launched.2 The British government, though more clearly eligible than most other EU countries on the basis of the convergence criteria, decided to defer its decision on entry. In this paper we consider the arguments for and against Economic and Monetary Union, and in particular whether it would be in Britain's interest to join. We begin with a brief review of the state of the European economy and an analysis of the first year performance of the new Euro currency. [source] Auditor Independence: A Comparative Descriptive Study of the UK, France and ItalyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AUDITING, Issue 2 2002Joanna E. Stevenson The independence of the external auditor has long been a subject of great debate, particularly by UK and US interested parties. With the growth and globalisation of the large multi-disciplinary firms, it has again been pushed to the fore: new ethical guidance issued by international bodies such as La Fédération des Experts- Comptables Européens (FEE) and The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the activities of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Independence Standards Board in the US have encouraged a wider consideration of the issue. In Europe, the European Commission has issued a Consultative Paper containing fundamental principles for adoption into Member States' own regulation on statutory auditor independence. Increasing pressure for the removal of obstacles to a single European audit market have resulted in safeguards of auditor independence in some countries being described as undesirable barriers. This paper considers the issue of statutory auditor independence across three EU Member States: the UK, France and Italy, by comparing the ethical guides and the legal and professional regulations in place, highlighting and discussing areas of divergence, and contrasting them with the EC's Consultative Paper. It takes into account factors such as culture and the historical development of auditing in order to explore the differences found. The paper demonstrates that positions taken in France and Italy on the issue of auditor independence differ markedly from that taken by the UK profession. Of the three countries reviewed, the UK viewpoint has most obviously influenced the drafting of the EC Paper. The implications of these variances for EU harmonisation are discussed, and the paper concludes that there is a clear need for empirical study of this important issue in Europe to better understand the reasons for differing perceptions and attitudes, and the repercussions of these differences on the process of European audit harmonisation. [source] Organizational emergence in networked collaborationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, Issue 7 2002Ari-Pekka Hameri Abstract Research on complex adaptive systems has generated several conceptual parables to explain systems with emergent behaviour. One prominent use for terms such as self-organization, evolutionary trajectories, co-evolution and punctuated equilibrium has been in understanding human organizations. In such systems, emergent behaviour is demonstrated in novel structures, processes and spin-offs that cannot be explained just by studying single components of the organization and the intelligence embedded in them. Instead of solely exploiting the qualitative explanatory power of the evolutionary concepts, this paper focuses also on quantitative methods to track emergent behaviour in a globally distributed, constantly fluctuating and highly networked project organization. The underlying case is that of CERN (CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, has its headquarters in Geneva. At present, its Member States are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Israel, the Russian Federation, Turkey, Yugoslavia (status suspended after the UN embargo, June 1992), the European Commission and UNESCO have observer status.) and its decade long accelerator project, which strongly relies on electronic communication and networking to achieve its major objectives due to be accomplished by the year 2006. By using time series and self-organizing maps to analyse the global interaction among project groups and individuals the paper provides new insight to the understanding of emergent behaviour in human organizations. The key result of the study concerns the rigid deep structure of each case organization that seems to remain intact for the duration of the whole project. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Modelling the impact of energy taxationINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENERGY RESEARCH, Issue 6 2002Jörgen Sjödin Abstract Energy taxation in Sweden is complicated and strongly guides and governs district energy production. Consequently, there is a need for methods for accurate calculation and analysis of effects that different energy tax schemes may have on district energy utilities. Here, a practicable method to analyse influence of such governmental policy measures is demonstrated. The Swedish Government has for some years now been working on a reform of energy taxation, and during this process, several interest groups have expressed their own proposals for improving and developing the system of energy taxation. Together with the present system of taxation, four new alternatives, including the proposed directive of the European Commission, are outlined in the paper. In a case study, an analysis is made of how the different tax alternatives may influence the choice of profitable investments and use of energy carriers in a medium-sized district-heating utility. The calculations are made with a linear-programming model framework. By calculating suitable types and sizes of new investments, if any, and the operation of existing and potential plants, total energy costs are minimized. Results of the analysis include the most profitable investments, which fuel should be used, roughly when during a year plants should be in operation, and at what output. In most scenarios, the most profitable measure is to invest in a waste incineration plant. However, a crucial assumption is, with reference to the new Swedish waste disposal act, a significant income from incinerating refuse. Without this income, different tax schemes result in different technical solutions being most profitable. An investment in cogeneration seems possible in only one scenario. It is also found that particular features of some alternatives seem to oppose both main governmental policy goals, and intentions of the district heating company. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||