Showing papers on "European union published in 1970"

An empirical analysis of gasoline price convergence for 20 OECD countries

Abstract: Two decades have passed now since the oil price shocks of the 1970s and since then energy prices have - apart from short periods of price instability - evolved relatively smoothly in the industrialized countries. Energy taxes in many countries differ markedly thereby causing differences in final energy prices, but as similar tax levels are becoming more common, e.g. in the European Union, convergence concerning energy prices might be expected to appear. In the present paper national gasoline price data covering the time period since the 1970s for a sample of OECD countries are used in order to test for this often addressed topic of convergence. The empirical part of the paper applies different time series based tests of convergence, where gasoline prices exhibit convergence for most OECD-Europe countries in the case where US$ is used for measurement of the energy prices indicating a convergence or tax harmonization process is taking place for these countries.

The Strategic Planning Process and Performance Relationship: Does Culture Matter?

Abstract: Given the growth of multinationals, it is important that managers learn whether strategic planning enhances firm performance in cross-cultural situations. Using an international sample of firms, this study found that the general planning-performance model is relevant across the cultures sampled. While there appears to be little direct relationship between culture and planning, culture did moderate the planning-performance relationship. Furthermore, specific cultural values were found to account for some of the cross-cultural differences in the planning-performance relationship. Implications for management and future research are discussed. Introduction Concerns of increased international competition abound not only in the U.S. but also in Europe with the further expansion of the European Union and in Asia and Latin America with increased economic integration (Rugman, 2003) in those regions. Theorists (Goll & Rasheed, 1997; Brews & Hunt, 1999) have argued that firms should respond to environmental changes, such as increased competition, by engaging in more systematic strategic planning to anticipate and respond to changing events. There is evidence that U.S. firms have responded to greater environmental uncertainty and complexity with more extensive planning (Javidan, 1984; Kukalis, 1989). Furthermore, it appears that formal strategic planning enhances firm performance although the relationship is not unequivocal (Boyd, 1991; Capon, Farley & Hulbert, 1994; Miller & Cardinal, 1994). It is worth noting that, as firms in other regions of the world are confronting increasingly volatile environments, there is a need to extend planning research to firms representing a diversity of national and cultural settings (Brock, Barry & Thomas, 2000). Such research will help ensure that current prescriptions concerning the use of planning have external validity in a variety of locales. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between strategic planning and firm performance among a group of firms representing different cultural regions. Strategic Planning Processes Strategic management seeks to align the firm's activities with its external environment. At the heart of this management approach is the strategic planning system. As firms face increased environmental change (e.g., more globalization) theorists (Grant, 2003) argue that firms benefit from strategic planning. For over thirty years, a plethora of studies have examined formal long range or strategic planning. Many of these studies have found that firms that plan possess different characteristics than non-planners. In particular, many studies have sought to examine the relationship between planning and firm performance (Boyd, 1991). A review of much of the literature suggests that strategic planning can be described along two broad dimensions, planning content or ends and planning processes or means (Boyd, 1991 ; Brews & Hunt, 1999; Miller & Cardinal, 1994; Ramanujan & Venkatraman, 1987). Planning content refers to the ends of the planning process such as: goals, mission statements, environmental information programs (Veliyath & Shortell, 1993), and internal resources. Much of this content helps distinguish strategic planning from that which is purely operational planning. Planning processes focus on the means or methods by which the planning process is carried out. Characteristics such as commitment, system maturity, comprehensiveness, time horizon, and importance are typical examples of such system or process characteristics (Capon, Farley & Hulbert, 1994; Ramanujam & Venkatraman, 1987; Rhyne, 1986). This study focuses on planning processes or system characteristics because these processes have been examined far more in the literature (Boyd, 1991; Miller & Cardinal, 1994) on planning and performance. This makes it easier to compare this study to the stream of literature that has preceded it. …

Economic Integration and the Two Margins of Trade: The Impact of the Barcelona Process on North African Countries Exports

Abstract: According to recently developed models of trade based on imperfect competition and heterogeneous firms, lower trade costs increase bilateral trade, not only through a rise in the mean value of individual shipments (the intensive margin of trade), but also through an increase in the number of exporting firms (the extensive margin of trade). The main aim of this paper is to provide new empirical evidence on the effects of the Euro-Mediterranean (EuroMed) agreements on both margins of trade. Using highly disaggregated export data for four North African countries (Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia) over the 1995–2008 period, we estimate the impact of the EuroMed agreements on both trade margins, thus providing empirical evidence about the validity of theoretical predictions. Our results show that North African countries enjoyed significant positive returns from the Barcelona Process, through increased exports of manufactured products to the four most populated continental countries in the European Union

Geography Matters: Kohonen Classification of Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in Transition Economies

Abstract: This exploratory study examines the extent to which non-spatial determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) organize themselves in a manner that mimics the spatial proximity of twenty-five Eurasian transition economies. The Kohonen algorithm is used to create a self-organizing map (SOMs) of a data set that features vectors of twenty-one socioeconomic variables. In this analysis, clusters emerge among the Central European, Balkan, Baltic, and Caucasus/Central Asian regions, leaving Russia as a regional outlier. By introducing SOMs to the discussion of FDI and the factors governing its distribution, we demonstrate an untapped utility in the visualization and analysis of economic data. Introduction An interesting development in the transition of Central and Eastern European and Central Asian states (hereafter "transition economies") is the division of the region into groupings by academics and practitioners alike. These sub-regional groupings of countries are made on the basis of divergent initial conditions as well as the extent of political and economic reforms (DeMelo, Denizer, Gelb, and Tenev, 1997). Many of these groupings reflect the spatial proximity of countries (Michalak, 1995), and some of the groups have formally organized themselves as "blocs" in an effort to coordinate their transitions. One example of this is the Visegrad Group (Visegrad Group, 2002), which has initiated collective cultural, economic, and political efforts highlighted by cooperation in European Union (EU) accession talks. Academic researchers have also identified geographic clusters of countries that share certain macroeconomic characteristics. For example, Michalak (1995) subdivided the region into six distinct areas: the Visegrad Four (Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia), the Balkans (former Yugoslavia plus Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova), the Baltics (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia), Russia, the western ex-Soviet Republics (Belarus and Ukraine), and the southern ex-Republics (the remaining states of South Central Asia and the Caucasus). With the exception of the former Yugoslavia, where fortunes have polarized between Slovenia and Croatia in the north and Bosnia/Serbia in the south, these zones remain coherent in their progress toward market economies and democratic reforms, a pattern that is mimicked by the inflows of FDI. Most interestingly, each of these zones is fairly contiguous in its geography. Perhaps the most consequential grouping of the transition economies is the one defined by the European Union (EU, 2002), as it provides the blueprint for EU expansion during the first decade of the new millennium. The EU reports that the following countries fulfill the political criteria, and are on target to complete the other requirements for accession in 2004: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia (2). The Commission identifies Bulgaria and Romania as the second tier of candidates, eligible to pursue the goal of 2007 membership. In this paper we attempt to determine the extent to which the distribution of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the region mirrors the geographic clustering of the countries under investigation. We start by removing all geographic references from the analysis, focusing instead on twenty-one non-spatial macroeconomic determinants of FDI. In order to group the transition countries according to their abilities to attract FDI, we employ a Kohonen/Self-Organizing Map (SOM) clustering algorithm. The resulting map shows that the distribution of the determinants of FDI, as well as FDI itself, closely mirrors the geographic clustering of the countries in the region. This result suggests a strong link between geography, FDI inflows, and economic and social conditions of the recipient country, without depicting specific causal relationships. The manner by which the countries are arranged on the self-organizing map in this study is of great interest, with implications for policy and our understanding of differential levels of progress among the transition economies. …

Assessment of heavy metals in chicken feeds available in Sokoto, Nigeria

Abstract: In the present work six metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Mn and Ni) were analyzed for, using atomic absorption spectrophotometry in three main feed brands commonly used in Sokoto (2 commercial feed and 1 locally compounded chicken feed). Initially, the samples were digested with concentrated nitric acid and perchloric acid at about 370 0 C to 450 0 C heat in a digestion block. The concentration in ig/ml of the six metals analyzed for in the feed samples ranged between 0.04 and 1.21 for Cu, 0.01 and 0.55 for Pb, 1.43 and 11.65 for Zn, 0.10 and 0.12 Cd, 0.94 and 3.12 for Mn and 0.004 and 0.25 for Ni. In most of the analyzed samples, the concentration of Cu, Zn, Mn and Ni was found to be lower than the nutritional requirement of broiler chicken at a level which could be harmful for the poultry. Also the study showed the presence of heavy metals (Pb and Cd) in all the feed samples analyzed, but none exceeded permissible levels as set by European Union and National Research Council. Keywords : Atomic absorption spectrophotometry, Chicken feeds, Contamination, Heavy metals, Sokoto, Toxicity

Empeoramiento de las condiciones de empleo y trabajo en los primeros años de la crisis socioeconómica. Relevancia y efectos sobre la salud de la población asalariada europea

Abstract: The recent crisis of the capitalistic economic system has altered the working conditions and occupations in the European Union The recession situation has accelerated trends and has brought transformations that have been observed before Changes have not looked the same way in all the countries of the Union The social occupation norms, labour relations models and the type of global welfare provision can help underline some of these inequalities Poor working conditions can expose workers to situations of great risk This is one of the basic assumptions of the theoretical models and analytical studies of the approach to the psychosocial work environment Changes in working conditions of the population seems to be important to explain in the worst health states To observe these features in the current period of economic recession it has made a comparative study of trend through the possibilities of the European Working Conditions Survey in the 2005 and 2010 editions It has also set different multivariate logistic regression models to explore potential partnerships with the worst conditions of employment and work It seems that the economic crisis has intensified changes in working conditions and highlighted the effects of those conditions on the poor health of the working population This conclusion can’t be extended for all EU countries; some differences were observed in terms of global welfare models

Cohesión y convergencia en la frontera de Castilla y León con Portugal (1986-2016): Población, economía y territorio

Abstract: The areas of Castilla y Leon bordering the North and Centre regions of Portugal are situated in the respective national and regional peripheries. Within the European Union these areas are considered as a geographically disadvantaged space. The intention of the EU structural and cohesion policies has been to reduce socioeconomic deprivation, which characterized the peripheral situation of these areas. The aim of this article is to assess the local socioeconomic and spatial development after the incorporation of Spain into the European Community in 1986 up to the present. The conclusion reveals that social cohesion and quality of life are worsening as well as the traditional economy, whereas progress is made in tourism, cross-border interaction and the protection of natural and cultural heritage.

Políticas europeas de auditoría en tempos de crise

Abstract: The European Union has responded to the financial crisis by taking measures to stabilize the financial system and to promote economic growth in the Member States. In the audit field, in 2010 the document Green Paper Audit Policy: Lessons from the Crisis, shows the intention of the European Commission to assume an international leadership in auditing , promoting cooperation within the Financial Stability Board and the G-20. This document was followed by the European Parliament resolution of 13 September 2011 on Audit Policy: Lessons from the Crisis, a new Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2006/43/EC and also a new Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and Council on the specific requirements regarding statutory audit of public-interest entities. This paper highlights the visibility that the European Commission has given to the auditors’ work. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to discuss the audit regulatory model introduced in Europe. Our paper shows that European regulation intends to reach a greater control over auditing activity. Our paper provides some thoughts on whether such regulation will improve the quality of auditing

The European Defense Community in the French National Assembly: A Roll Call Analysis

Abstract: Introduction In late 1950, Prime Minister Rene Pleven of France proposed the "Pleven Plan" for an integrated European Army, incorporating the armies of six nations, including Germany and Italy. In May 1952, the French representative signed the treaty creating the European Defense Community (EDC), the culmination of the Pleven Plan. By late 1954, France, the originator of the concept, was the only participating power which had not yet ratified the treaty. On August 30, 1954, the French National Assembly defeated the European Defense Community. Less than four months later, the French National Assembly approved the Western European Union (WEU), which provided for joint military actions by the same six nations which were to participate in EDC. The history and fate of the EDC in the National Assembly appear to be yet another example of the inconsistent and chaotic politics of France's Fourth Republic. Explanations of the behavior of the legislature in this important case can be separated into two general classes: (a) the ideological commitments of the deputies and the ideological quarrels between them underlay their parliamentary behavior,1 and (b) the deputies were motivated by personal concerns and individual ambition, with the result that considerations

El impacto de la crisis económica en los tributos y en la sostenibilidad del nuevo modelo social en España. Aproximación desde una perspectiva de género

Abstract: This article underlines the plummet of public incomes in year 2008 as consequence of the collapse of the building sector and the risk to maintain the Spanish social model that this fact supposed. This model was established since Democratic Transition in year 1977 and has supposed and important increase during last thirty years in the tax burden to be paid by citizens. Even though, Spain has developed a social regime completely underdeveloped, inside European Union, similar to those existing in Italy, Greece and Portugal, countries where social services or public transfers for children or dependants, especially old, it is not yet a priority of their social policy.

The Visegrád Group – a model to follow?

Abstract: The Visegrad Group, based in particular to support the “return to Europe” of Central European countries, has resulted in a flexible framework for the implementation of cooperation at various levels. This framework was effective in the negotiation of the accession to the European Union. The group was maintained after the 2004 accession and the activities have evolved. Now, the V4 is an active regional group allowing the four countries to speak with one voice, both internally and externally. This raises the question of the structure of the European Union, specific confederation of 28 member states with complex governance, not always satisfactory. Two issues need to be explored: on the one hand, an extension of such regional alliances which could perhaps improve this governance, and, on the other hand, the establishment of regional alliances including some candidate countries (official and/or potential) could also make it possible to overcome the opposition between enlargement and deepening, and, secondly, to support the negotiations of countries while establishing a necessary environment of good neighbourliness.

Development and Prospects of the Food Products, Beverages and Tobacco Sector in the Central and Eastern European Countries

Abstract: Access to wiiw Industrial Database In Central and Eastern Europe, as in most other economies, the food products, beverages and tobacco sector (hereafter called 'food sector') is a central part of manufacturing, both in terms of production and employment. Procuring raw materials from agriculture, it supplies a wide range of products (meat products, processed fruit and vegetables, milk, bread, sugar, beer, wine etc.) for final consumption, with high and steady demand insulating it from cyclical pressures. However, during the transition, food output and exports to the European Union stagnated in the Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs), while a high inflow of foreign direct investment facilitated restructuring and modernization. Part One of the study investigates the development and prospects of the food sector in general, Part Two presents a more thorough micro analysis and selected company profiles. Both parts cover the following countries Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia. In size, the food sector is the largest segment of manufacturing in most CEECs today and contributes between 14% of manufacturing output in the Slovak Republic and about one quarter in Bulgaria and Romania. Continued specialization on the sector occurred in Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania, while it has always been less prominent in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia. On the EU market, in 1989, exports of CEECs' food products had a market share of about 6.4% in total EU imports, which decreased to 5.5% in 1998 (all shares without intra-EU trade). During transition, the food sector's position deteriorated and lay below market shares of total manufacturing in 1998 (about 8%). On the Austrian market, CEECs' exports had a decisively larger share, accounting for 31% of Austria's non-EU imports of food products in 1995, increasing to 50% in 1998. However, the CEECs are also a major export destination for Austrian food exports and absorbed about 42% of Austria's non-EU food exports in 1998. Ultimately, the CEECs registered a trade deficit with Austria. Only Hungary and Bulgaria did achieve a trade surplus. Future prospects of the food sector will be strongly influenced by the development in agriculture, the demand for food products on domestic markets, to a lesser extent also on export markets and in particular by a future EU accession. For the time being, adverse factors in agriculture are hampering rather than promoting the successful development of the food sector. On the domestic market, growth prospects for the food sector are less than for GDP and decline with a higher income level as the income elasticity of food products is typically less than one. On the export markets, export possibilities to the former Soviet Union will improve with the recovery of the region from the Russian crisis. Future export growth to the European Union will depend on the results of the accession negotiations. Compliance with EU directives and the reduction of government interventions required for EU accession will put pressure on many companies and enforce restructuring. Hence overall, future prospects for the CEECs' food sectors are rather restrained, though there is a growth potential for high value added and/or high income-elasticity products, as proven by their attractiveness for FDI. Growth prospects within an enlarged European Union are difficult to predict and strongly depend on the outcome of the pending reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Basically, access to CAP may lead to much stronger cross-border vertical and horizontal linkages (including take-overs) in the food sector.

Practices, paradox and process in the performance of an entrepreneurial identity

Abstract: This paper explores how entrepreneurial identity becomes manifest as a power relation to confront, challenge and bring about institutional change in the establishment. In this way the reflexive constitution of an entrepreneurial identity can enable significant purchase in challenging and reconstituting institutional forms through the dialectic interplays of entrepreneurial agency and bureaucratic structure. The paper illustrates our argument through exploring the enterprising practices of Michael O’Leary, the CEO of Ryanair, during his battles with the European Union about subsidies at Charleroi airport. The paper aims to add to our understanding of how the nexus of discourses of enterprise and narratives of identity enables and empowers entrepreneurial actors to bring about change and discontinuity; effectively “creative destruction” by entrepreneurially couched challenges to institutional forms and established elites

Democratic and Market Governance in Romania: Between Domestic Politics and EU Accession

Abstract: Institutional reforms to regulate the market environment and the proper functioning of democracy have been mandated by the European Union to accession countries. In spite of the uniform creation of such regulatory frameworks, governance problems persist, especially in the newest members of the EU. I analyze the institution al reform record in both market and political governance, as well as the effectiveness of these institutions, in the case of Romania, one of the laggards of reform. I argue that the EU did significantly support reform efforts, but insufficient domestic commitment to reform has resulted in ineffective institutions.

Development and Prospects of the Textiles and Textile Products Sector in the Central and Eastern European Countries

Abstract: Access to wiiw Industrial Database In Central and Eastern Europe today the textiles and textile products sector takes a relatively small share in production but plays a major role in employment and, in less advanced CEECs, also in exports. It is considered a labour-intensive, low-skill and low?technology industry, producing a wide range of products (e.g. fibres, threads, carpets, rugs, garments and clothing accessories etc.). The sector was neglected during the former command economy and was further downsized during transition. Outward processing trade with the countries of the European Union probably delayed the decline of the sector, which is expected to proceed in the future. The study investigates the development and prospects of the metals sector in the following countries Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia. In size, the textiles and textile products sector - in the following termed TC sector (textiles and clothing) - is a small segment of manufacturing in the CEECs today, contributing between 3% and 4% of manufacturing output. It is only slightly more important in Bulgaria, Slovenia and Romania, with 6% to 8%. In the first phase of transition, from 1989 to around 1992, a severe transformational recession hit the region, with the output of the TC sector declining even more than the rest of the economy. After 1993, production continued to fall in most countries and turned positive only in Poland and Hungary. This was due to the loss of the former important CMEA market, slow export growth to the EU (strong competition), persistently low purchasing power on the domestic market, cheap, partly illegal imports e.g. from Asia, and lacking capital and hence investments. The textiles industry was hit in particular, while the clothing industry gained from outward processing agreements. By the year 2000 the TC sector was far below its 1989 production level in all CEECs. In the CEECs wages, productivity and unit labour costs in the TC sector have generally been lower than in West European countries (exception Slovenia). During transition sectoral wages rose in all CEECs as did productivity, except in Bulgaria and Slovakia. The productivity increase was however less pronounced than in total manufacturing. Estimated unit labour costs also rose (except in Hungary) but still remain at much lower levels than in Western Europe. On the EU market the role of CEE TC exports is prominent but stagnating in 1995 and also in 2000, CEEC(7) TC exports had a market share of 14% (all shares without intra?EU trade). This share lay significantly above total manufacturing market shares (9% in 1995 and 11% in 2000). On the Austrian market, CEE exports had a decisively larger share, accounting for 26% of Austria's non-EU imports of TC products in 1995, climbing to 39% in 2000. The CEECs' position as an important export destination for Austrian TC exports is also growing (46% of Austria's non-EU exports in 2000). In total, the CEECs registered a trade surplus with Austria (largely due to the Czech and Romanian surplus). The future prospects of the CEECs' TC sector are rather unfavourable. Though the TC sector is competitive today, its situation has deteriorated during transition and will continue to do so in the future. Growth potentials on the domestic market are challenged by import competition, and export competition will increase with the removal, by 1 January 2005, of the ACT quota system in the WTO framework. In addition, the future of the sector depends strongly on developments in outward processing, which might shift further eastward as wages in the CEECs are rising. Access to wiiw Industrial Database

Feasibility Study Of Express RailwayLine Construction In Lithuania

Abstract: When Lithuania became a member-state of the European Union, the problems of railway development and their integration into the European railway network came to the forefront. According to the high-speed railway development plan EURAILSPEED 95, adopted at the VIC II congress in France in 1995, two European express railway lines should be constructed in Lithuania. The first line should link Warsaw – Kaunas – Riga – Tallinn/Helsinki (transport corridor Crete I), while the second should go through Klaipėda – Kaunas – Odessa (transport corridor Crete IX). The priority is given to the first new express railway line Warsaw – Helsinki called RAIL BALTICA, crossing four states – Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. This line is aimed for both passenger and freight transportation. The maximum traffic speed can reach 250 km/h for passenger trains and 140 km/h for goods trains. The project RAIL BALTICA is specified as the priority project of infrastructure development by the European Commission. This line should be constructed in three stages. At the first stage, including the period until 2010, the railway line in Poland leading from Warsaw to the frontier with Lithuania (Sestokai station) should be upgraded and an express railway should be constructed to link it with Kaunas. At the second stage (up to 2014), an express railway from Lithuania to Riga should be constructed, while at the third stage (up to 2016) such a railway should be constructed on the route to Tallinn.

Ekspertyza dokumentu „Skills Development and Employability in Europe: The New Skills Agenda”

Abstract: Przyszczypkowski Kazimierz, Cytlak Izabela, Jarmużek Joanna, Pawłowski Roman, Szafran Joanna, Ekspertyza dokumentu „Skills Development and Employability in Europe: The New Skills Agenda” ["Skills Development and Employability in Europe: The New Skills Agenda” – document expertise]. Studia Edukacyjne nr 43, 2017, Poznań 2017, pp. 61-80. Adam Mickiewicz University Press. ISSN 1233-6688. DOI: 10.14746/se.2017.43.4 This article is a critical analysis of the "Skills Development and Employability in Europe: The New Skills Agenda" document. The purpose of the discussion is to analyze the 10 problem areas identified and formulated in the document, paying particular attention to the perception and implementation of these issues from the perspective of European countries. The recommendations presented for each of the issues may provide important guidance for developing a vision of vocational education targeting the labor market of the European Union.

Comparison Of European Port Authorities

Abstract: The paper will outline different management approaches and different organisational structures inside the Port Authorities of some of the major European ports. This research has been carried out within the framework of a continuous training project for the Ligurian port-related activities launched by the Port Authorities of Genoa, La Spezia and Savona, in partnership with the Ligurian Regional Administration, thanks partly to funding from the European Union (July 1997 -May 1998). The ports analysed are: Antwerp, Bilbao, Genova, Hamburg, La Spezia, Rotterdam and Savona. All these profiles and the comparisons have been made on the basis of direct interviews with senior managers from these ports. The paper will present final results of the comparison between the 7 ports, on the following topics: ○ Mission and strategy (Port Authority's mission, planning and development process) ○ Organisational - Institutional arrangement (Port Authorities' organisational arrangements, management of leases and rents) ○ Cost - Income structure (Cost - income structure of the Port Authorities) ○ Marketing and promotion (Port Authorities' role in marketing and promotion of a port, port promotion structures) ○ Training in ports (Port training institutions, relations between training, port promotion and consultancy) The result of this paper is a comparison of different approaches towards management of ports, a sign of different situations inside European ports.

Waste Statistics Surveys

Abstract: In the European Union the modern environmental protection policy and related legislation focus on preventing negative impacts on the environment that are the result of activities conducted by people. These nevertheless strive to do this also by abandoning the use of harmful substances, activities and procedures, the effects of which can cause permanent damage to the environment. The fundamental principle of environmental protection is thus prevention. For enforcing this principle, basic information must be provided on the basis of which certain measures can be adopted. The data on the amount of waste generated and on waste management are also very important for proper policymaking. For the data to be relevant and correct, it is, of course, necessary to implement accurate data collection, processing and analysis, which is provided by statistical surveys in these fields. However, these surveys need to be harmonised with the legislation governing the field of waste in individual countries as well as in the European Union. The paper attempts to show individual waste streams, statistical collection of these data, their processing and requirements that we have to take into consideration in our work (Waste Statistic Regulation).

The European Parliament as an Accountability Forum: Overseeing the Economic and Monetary Union

Abstract: This book provides the first in-depth empirical study of the European Parliament's powers of scrutiny of the executive in the European Union (EU) political system, focusing on the politically salient field of the Economic and Monetary Union. The expansion of executive decision-making during the euro crisis was accompanied by an empowerment of the European Parliament through legislative oversight. This book examines how the European Parliament exercises that oversight on a day-to-day basis and thus contributes to political accountability at the EU level. Building on an innovative analytical framework for the study of parliamentary questions and answers, Adina Akbik sheds light on the European Parliament's possibilities and limitations to hold EU executive bodies accountable more generally. Case studies cover the period 2012 to 2019 and include the European Central Bank in banking supervision, the European Commission, the Eurogroup, and the Economic and Financial Affairs Council. This title is Open Access.

Exclusión social nos fogares españois. Un estudo comparativo rexional durante o período 2004-2008

Abstract: In this paper a quantitative analysis of social exclusion is carried out over the Spanish house-holds’ population. This analysis is developed from both national and regional points of view. In doing so, a set of qualitative and quantitative indicators related to social exclusion is chosen and then a synthetic composite indicator is built using them. This indicator will allow us to accomplish the proposed goal. Data used come from the Social Exclusion Module of the “Encuesta de Condiciones de Vida” (ECV) as the Spanish Survey included in the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) Survey, carried out by EUROSTAT. Last disposable data turns out 2004-2010 as the studied period.

Transnationalism vs. Nationalism: The Case of the Right to Free Movement

Abstract: The European Union is currently challenged by right-wing populism and economic stress. To understand the nature of these challenges, we need to take an interdisciplinary approach in which empirical studies of politics are combined with studies of the normative implications of European policy-making. To this end, I draw attention to the right to free movement, which is pivotal both for European politics and liberal political philosophy. I show that even though transnational rights, such as the free movement for people, products and money, are normatively sound and desirable, enhancement of free movement may challenge the heterogeneity among the national models of rights and societal commitments. The risk is that the national institutions as a political arena face difficulties in coping with current political challenges such as right-wing radicalism, social inequality, environmental regulation, immigration and financial insecurity. On the other hand, I argue that we should be aware that the transnational rights might in some countries enhance human rights, which national parliaments have not been able to accommodate.