Showing papers on "European union published in 2005"

The biodiesel handbook

Abstract: Introduction History of Vegetable Oil-Based Diesel Fuels The Basics of Diesel Engines and Diesel Fuels Biodiesel Production Basics of the Transesterification Reaction Alternate Feedstocks and Technologies for Biodiesel Production Catalysis in Biodiesel Processing Ion Exchange Resins in Biodiesel Processing Analytical Methods Analytical Methods for Biodiesel A Sensor for Discrimination of Fossil Diesel Fuel, Biodiesel, and Their Blends Fuel Properties Cetane Numbers-Heat of Combustion-Why Vegetable Oils and Their Derivatives Are Suitable as a Diesel Fuel Viscosity of Biodiesel Cold Weather Properties and Performance of Biodiesel Oxidative Stability of Biodiesel Biodiesel Lubricity and Effect of Biodiesel on Lubricants Biodiesel Fuels: Biodegradability, Biological and Chemical Oxygen Demand, and Toxicity Soybean Oil Composition for Biodiesel Exhaust Emissions Impacts of Biodiesel Fuel on Pollutant Emissions from Diesel Engines Ultrafine Particles from a Heavy Duty Diesel Engine Running on Rapeseed Oil Methyl Ester Current Status of the Biodiesel Industry Biodiesel in the United States Biodiesel in Germany and the European Union Biodiesel in South America Biodiesel in Asia Biodiesel in Japan Environmental Implications of Biodiesel (Life-Cycle Assessment) Potential Production of Biodiesel in the United States Other Uses of Biodiesel Other Alternative Diesel Fuels from Vegetable Oils ande Animal Fats Glycerol Technology Options for Biodiesel Industry Appendices: Technical Tables Biodiesel Standards Unit Conversions Internet Resources

The political system of European Union

Abstract: Introduction: Explaining the EU Political System PART I: GOVERNMENT Executive Politics Legislative Politics Judicial Politics PART II: POLITICS Public Opinion Democracy, Parties and Elections Interest Representation PART III: POLICY-MAKING Regulation of the Single Market Expenditure Policies Economic and Monetary Union Citizen Freedom and Security Policies Foreign Policies Conclusions: Rethinking the European Union Appendix: Decision-making Procedures of the European Union Bibliography

International Institutions and Socialization in Europe: Introduction and Framework

Abstract: International institutions are a ubiquitous feature of daily life in many world regions, and nowhere more so than contemporary Europe. While virtually all would agree that such institutions matter, there is less agreement on exactly how they have effects. This special issue brings together European Union specialists and international relations theorists who address the latter issue. In particular, we explore the socializing role of institutions in Europe, with our central concern being to better specify the mechanisms of socialization and the conditions under which they are expected to lead to the internalization of new roles or interests. Drawing on a multifaceted understanding of human rationality, we consider three generic social mechanisms—strategic calculation, role playing, and normative suasion—and their ability to promote socialization outcomes within international institutions. This disaggregation exercise not only helps consolidate nascent socialization research programs in international relations theory and EU studies; it also highlights points of contact and potential synergies between rationalism and social constructivism.For comments on earlier versions, I am grateful to two anonymous referees, IO editors Lisa Martin and Thomas Risse, as well as to John Duffield, Alexandra Gheciu, Liesbet Hooghe, Peter Katzenstein, Ron Mitchell, Frank Schimmelfennig, Martha Snodgrass, and Michael Zurn. More generally, thanks are owed to all the project participants for numerous and valuable discussions on the themes addressed in this volume.

The Europeanization of Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract: In May 2004, eight former Eastern Bloc countries joined the European Union: the three Baltic republics, Poland, Hungary, the Czech and Slovak republics, and Slovenia. What is involved in "accession"? How have accession dynamics affected and been affected by the domestic politics of candidate countries and their adoption of EU rules? In this carefully designed volume of original essays, the editors have brought together a group of scholars with firsthand research experience in the new member-states of Central and Eastern Europe. Framed by opening and concluding chapters by Frank Schimmelfennig and Ulrich Sedelmeier that outline several aspects of preparation for accession, the empirical case studies discuss a variety of topics, including democracy and human rights, the reform of state administrations and economic, social, and environmental policies. This book demonstrates the importance of the credibility and the costs of accession conditionality for the adoption of EU rules in Central and Eastern Europe.

Effects of visual and cognitive load in real and simulated motorway driving

Abstract: As part of the HASTE European Project, effects of visual and cognitive demand on driving performance and driver state were systematically investigated by means of artificial, or surrogate, In-vehicle Information Systems (S-IVIS). The present paper reports results from simulated and real motorway driving. Data were collected in a fixed base simulator, a moving base simulator and an instrumented vehicle driven in real traffic. The data collected included speed, lane keeping performance, steering wheel movements, eye movements, physiological signals and self-reported driving performance. The results show that the effects of visual and cognitive load affect driving performance in qualitatively different ways. Visual demand led to reduced speed and increased lane keeping variation. By contrast, cognitive load did not affect speed and resulted in reduced lane keeping variation. Moreover, the cognitive load resulted in increased gaze concentration towards the road centre. Both S-IVIS had an effect on physiological signals and the drivers’ assessment of their own driving performance. The study also investigated differences between the three experimental settings (static simulator, moving base simulator and field). The results are discussed with respect to the development of a generic safety test regime for In-vehicle Information Systems.

Current status of methods for defining the applicability domain of (quantitative) structure-activity relationships. The report and recommendations of ECVAM Workshop 52.

Abstract: This is the 52nd report of a series of workshops organised by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM). The main objective of ECVAM, as defined in 1993 by its Scientific Advisory Committee, is to promote the scientific and regulatory acceptance of alternative methods which are of importance to the biosciences, and that reduce, refine or replace the use of laboratory animals. The ECVAM workshop on the quantitative structure-activity relationship applicability domain was held at ECVAM on 29 September–1 October 2004, under the chairmanship of Andrew Worth. The workshop was attended by experts from academia, industry, international organisations and regulatory authorities. The aim of the workshop was to review the state of the art of methods for identifying the domain of applicability of structure-activity relationships (SARs) and quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs), collectively referred to as (Q)SARs. The report is intended to provide a source of input to the development of an OECD Guidance Document on (Q)SAR Validation. The report also makes recommendations for further research needed to understand and apply the concept of the (Q)SAR applicability domain (AD).

Constructing the Self and Changing Others: Reconsidering `Normative Power Europe'

Abstract: The European Union (EU) is widely seen as a novel kind of actor in international politics. This has been captured succinctly by Ian Manner's term `normative power Europe'. This article reviews the ...

Trends in socioeconomic inequalities in self-assessed health in 10 European countries

Abstract: Background Changes over time in inequalities in self-reported health are studied for increasingly more countries, but a comprehensive overview encompassing several countries is still lacking. The general aim of this article is to determine whether inequalities in self-assessed health in 10 European countries showed a general tendency either to increase or to decrease between the 1980s and the 1990s and whether trends varied among countries. Methods Data were obtained from nationally representative interview surveys held in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, England, The Netherlands, West Germany, Austria, Italy, and Spain. The proportion of respondents with self-assessed health less than ‘good’ was measured in relation to educational level and income level. Inequalities were measured by means of age-standardized prevalence rates and odds ratios (ORs). Results Socioeconomic inequalities in self-assessed health showed a high degree of

Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945

Abstract: Europe in 1945 was prostrate. Much of the continent was devastated by war, mass slaughter, bombing and chaos. Large areas of Eastern Europe were falling under Soviet control, exchanging one despotism for another. Today, the Soviet Union is no more and the democracies of the European Union reach as far as the borders of Russia itself. "Postwar" tells the rich and complex story of how we got from there to here. It tells of Europe's recovery from the devastation; of the decline and fall of Soviet Communism and the rise of the EC and EU; of the end of Europe's empires; and of Europe's uneasy and changing relationships with the memory of the war and with the two great powers that bracket it, Russian and America. With clarity and economy, he tells of developments across the continent as a whole, as well as of the contrasting experiences of Eastern and Western Europe. Along the way, we learn of Greece's Civil War, of Scandinavian social democracy, the stresses of multilingual Belgium, the struggles of Northern Ireland and the Basque country. And this is a history of people as well as of peoples, Churchill and Mitterand, General Franco and General Jaruzelski, Silvio Berlusconi and Joseph Stalin. And "Postwar" also has cultural and social histories to tell: of French and Czech cinema, of the rise of the fridge and the decline of the public intellectual, of immigration and gastarbeiters, existentialism and punk rock, Monty Python and brutalist architecture. Running right up to the Iraq War and the election of Benedict XVI, "Postwar" makes sense of Europe's recent history and identity, of what Europe is and has been, in what can only be described as a masterpiece: Europe in our time.

Biorefineries – Industrial Processes and Products

Abstract: The article contains sections titled: 1. Introduction 2. Historical Outline 2.1. Historical Technological Outline and Industrial Resources 2.2. The Beginning–A Digest 2.2.1. Sugar Production 2.2.2. Starch Hydrolysis 2.2.3. Wood Saccharification 2.2.4. Furfural 2.2.5. Cellulose and Pulp 2.2.6. Levulinic Acid 2.2.7. Lipids 2.2.8. Vanillin from Lignin 2.2.9. Lactic Acid 2.3. The Origins of Integrated Biobased Production 3. Situation 3.1. Some Current Aspects of Biorefinery Research and Development 3.2. Raw Material Biomass 3.3. National Vision and Goals and Plan for Biomass Technology in the United States 3.4. Vision and Goals and Plan for Biomass Technology in the European Union and Germany 4. Principles of Biorefineries 4.1. Fundamentals 4.2. Definition of the Term “Biorefinery” 4.3. The Role of Biotechnology 4.3.1. Guidelines of Fermentation Section within Glucose-product Family Tree 4.4. Building Blocks, Chemicals and Potential Screening 5. Biorefinery Systems and Design 5.1. Introduction 5.2. Lignocellulosic Feedstock Biorefinery 5.3. Whole-crop Biorefinery 5.4. Green Biorefinery 5.5. Two-platform Concept and Syngas 6. Biorefinery Economy 7. Outlook and Perspectives

The Rise of ‘New’ Policy Instruments in Comparative Perspective: Has Governance Eclipsed Government?

Abstract: Governance is a term in good currency, but there are still too few detailed empirical analyses of the precise extent to which it has or has not eclipsed government. This article explores the temporal and spatial characteristics of the governance transition by charting the deployment of new policy instruments in eight industrialised states and the European Union. The adoption and implementation of (‘old’ and ‘new’) policy instruments offer a useful analytical touchstone because governance theory argues that regulation is the quintessence of government. Although there are many ‘new’ environmental policy instruments in these nine jurisdictions, this article finds that the change from government to governance is highly differentiated across political jurisdictions, policy sectors and even the main instrument types. Crucially, many of the new policy instruments used require some state involvement (that is, ‘government’), and very few are entirely devoid of state involvement (that is, pure ‘governance’). Far fr...

Restructuring Europe: Centre Formation, System Building, and Political Structuring between the Nation State and the European Union

Abstract: 1. A Theory of Exit Options, Boundary Building, and Political Structuring 2. Structuring Europe: The Experience of the 'Nation State' 3. Centre Formation in the European Union 4. The Political Production of the EU: Boundary Building and Boundary Removing 5. Political Structuring in Loosely Bounded Territories: Territorial and Corporate Structures 6. Electoral Representation in Loosely Bounded Territories: Mass Politics in the EU? 7. Restructuring Europe

Complying with Europe : EU harmonisation and soft law in the member states

Abstract: Preface 1. Introduction: flexible EU governance in domestic practice 2. Theorising the domestic impact of EU law: the state of the art and beyond 3. EU social policy over time: the role of Directive 4. The Employment Contract Information Directive: a small but useful social complement to the internal market 5. The Pregnant Workers Directive: European social policy between protection and employability 6. The Working Time Directive: European standards taken hostage by domestic politics 7. The Young Workers Directive: a safety net with holes 8. The Parental Leave Directive: compulsory policy innovation and voluntary over-implementation 9. The Part-time Work Directive: a facilitator of national reforms 10. Voluntary reforms triggered by the Directives 11. The EU Commission and (non-)compliance in the Member States 12. Beyond policy change: convergence of national public-private relations? 13. Implementation across countries and Directive 14. Why do Member States fail to comply? Testing the hypotheses suggested in the literature 15. Making sense of compliance patterns: a typology 16. Conclusions: myth and reality of 'social Europe' References.

Sensitivity of eye-movement measures to in-vehicle task difficulty

Abstract: Eye-movement measures were found to be highly sensitive to the demands of visual and auditory in-vehicle tasks as well as driving task demands. Two newer measures, Percent road centre and Standard deviation of gaze, were found to be more sensitive, more robust, more reliable, and easier to calculate than established glance-based measures. The eye-movement measures were collected by two partners within the EU project HASTE to determine their sensitivity to increasingly demanding in-vehicle tasks by means of artificial, or surrogate, In-vehicle Information Systems (S-IVIS). Data from 119 subjects were collected from four routes: a motorway in real traffic with an instrumented vehicle, a motorway in a fixed base simulator, and from rural roads in two different fixed base simulators. As the visual task became more difficult, drivers looked less at the road centre area ahead, and looked at the display more often, for longer periods, and for more varied durations. The auditory task led to an increasing gaze concentration to road centre. Gaze concentration to the road centre area was also found as driving task complexity increased, as shown in differences between rural curved- and straight sections, between rural and motorway road types, and between simulator and field motorways.

Ever Closer Union: An Introduction to European Integration

Abstract: Introduction - PART 1: HISTORY - Reconstruction, Reconciliation, and Integration, 1945-1957 - The Decade of De Gaulle, 1958-1969 - A Community in Flux, 1969-1979 - Turning the Corner, 1979-1984 - The Transformation of the European Community, 1985-1988 - From European Community to European Union, 1989-1993 - The Emerging European Union, 1993-1999 - PART II: INSTITUTIONS - The Commission - The European Council and the Council of Ministers - The European Parliament - Other Institutions and Bodies - PART III: POLICIES - The Common Agricultural Policy - The Single Market - Competition and Competitiveness - Beyond the Marketplace - Economic and Monetary Union - External Relations - US-EU Relations - Appendix - Bibliography - Index

The adult worker model family, gender equality and care: the search for new policy principles and the possibilities and problems of a capabilities approach

Abstract: There is evidence that policy-makers in most Western welfare states are moving towards a new set of assumptions about the contributions that men and women make to families, based on an adult worker model. This paper first examines this shift in policy assumptions at the EU level and goes on to argue that there are real limits to the pursuit of a full adult worker model based on the commodification of care. In respect of gender equality, this in turn raises the issue of the terms and conditions on which such a shift in policy assumptions are made, particularly about the valuing and sharing of the unpaid work of care. The final part of the paper examines the possibilities offered by the capabilities approach of addressing these issues.

Determinants of profitability in European manufacturing and services: evidence from a dynamic panel model

Abstract: Recent advances in panel data econometrics are used to investigate the determinants of profitability for manufacturing and service sector firms in Belgium, France, Italy and the UK, for the period 1993–2001. The paper synthesizes empirical models that have been used by researchers in industrial economics, strategic management and accounting and finance. Despite the formation of the European Union's Single Market in goods and services, abnormal profit still appears to persist significantly from year to year. There is evidence of a negative size-profitability relationship, but the relationship between market share and profitability is positive, and stronger in manufacturing than in services. The relationship between a firm's gearing ratio and its profitability is negative, but firms with higher liquidity tend to be more profitable.

Life Cycle Approaches to Sustainable Consumption: A Critical Review

Abstract: The 2002 World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg called for a comprehensive set of programs focusing on sustainable consumption and production. According to world leaders, these programs should rely on life cycle assessment (LCA) to promote sustainable patterns of production and consumption. Cleaner production is a well-established activity, and it uses LCA. UNEP, the European Union, and a number of national organizations have now begun to work on sustainable consumption. In developing sustainable consumption policies and activities, the use of LCA presents interesting opportunities that are not yet well-understood by policy makers. This paper reviews how life cycle approaches, primarily based on input−output analysis, have been used in the area of sustainable consumption: to inform policy making, select areas of action, identify which lifestyles are more sustainable, advise consumers, and evaluate the effectiveness of sustainable consumption measures. Information on consumption patterns...

Knowledge intensive business services: prospects and policies

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine knowledge intensive business services, or KIBS for short. KIBS are one of the fastest growing areas of the European economy, and are increasingly important contributors to the performance of the sectors who are their clients.Design/methodology/approach – KIBS are distinguished from other services and knowledge‐intensive activities, and statistics on KIBS in the European Union are examined, highlighting key similarities and differences in their development across Member StatesFindings – KIBS are continuing to grow at rapid rates, and are experiencing qualitative change. The growth is associated with outsourcing, the internationalisation of services, and the growth in demand for certain forms of knowledge. Many KIBS sectors are becoming more concentrated (though most KIBS sectors feature a higher share of small firms than does the economy as a whole). As KIBS supply a wider range of services, overlap and convergence between different KIBS sectors has grown. ...

The introduction of International Accounting Standards in Europe: Implications for international convergence

Abstract: This paper describes several implementation effects associated with the mandated adoption of international financial reporting standards promulgated by the International Accounting Standards Board in the European Union, including a possible increased demand for detailed implementation guidance and for a single European securities regulator. The paper also discusses the mandated adoption as a research setting for considering the relative influences of standards versus incentives as determinants of financial reporting outcomes, and describes two standard setting challenges that may become more pronounced as a result of the mandated adoption.

Bank Competition, Concentration and Efficiency in the Single European Market

Abstract: The deregulation of financial services in the European Union, together with the establishment of the Economic and Monetary Union, aimed at the creation of a level-playing-field in the provision of banking services across the EU. The plan was to remove entry barriers and to foster competition and efficiency in national banking markets. However, one of the effects of the regulatory changes was to spur a trend towards consolidation, resulting in the recent wave of mergers and acquisitions. To investigate the impact of increased consolidation on the competitive conditions of EU banking markets, we employ both structural concentration ratios) and non-structural (Panzar-Rosse statistic) concentration measures. Using bank level balance sheet data for the major EU banking markets, in a period following the introduction of the Single Banking License (1997-2003), this paper also investigates the factors that may influence the competitive conditions. Specifically, we control for differences in efficiency estimates, structural conditions and institutional characteristics. The results seem to suggest that the degree of concentration is not necessarily related to the degree of competition. We also find little evidence that more efficient banking systems are also more competitive. The relationship between competition and efficiency is not a straightforward one: increased competition has forced banks to become more efficient but increased efficiency is not resulting in more competitive EU banking systems.

Market Power in European Banking Sectors

Abstract: We analyze the evolution of market power in the main banking sectors of the European Union. The evolution of the relative margins does not show an increase in the degree of competition within the EU. The explanatory factors of the relative margins most directly related to market power are not significant, and even have a negative influence (concentration in the deposits market). The size and efficiency of banks, default risk, and the economic cycle have a notable capacity to explain the behavior of the market power. The results show the inadequacy of using concentration measures as proxy for the competition environment in banking markets.

International Linkage and Democratization

Abstract: This article presents a new framework for understanding the role of international factors in post-Cold War regime change.We treat the post­Cold War international environment as operating along two dimensions: western leverage, or governments' vulnerability to external pressure, and linkage to the West, or the density of a country's ties to the U.S., the European Union, and Western-led multilateral institutions. Both leverage and linkage raised the cost of authoritarianism during the post­Cold War period. However, mechanisms of leverage such as diplomatic pressure, or conditionality were--by themselves--rarely sufficient to democratize post­Cold War autocracies. Rather, the more subtle and diffuse effects of linkage contributed more consistently to democratization. The impact of linkage and leverage are examined in the context of post­Cold War hybrid or competitive authoritarian regimes.

The Janus Face of Brussels: Socialization and Everyday Decision Making in the European Union

Abstract: This article examines the European Union's Committee of Permanent Representatives, or COREPER, a group composed of the EU permanent representatives (permreps) and responsible for preparing upcoming ministerial meetings of the Council. As the heart of everyday decision making in the EU, COREPER is a key laboratory to test whether and how national officials become socialized into a Brussels-based collective culture and what difference this makes for EU negotiations. The key scope conditions for COREPER socialization are high issue density/intensity and insulation from domestic politics. COREPER also displays a range of socialization mechanisms, including strategic calculation, role playing, and normative suasion. Based on extensive interview data and a detailed case study of negotiations for a controversial EU citizenship directive, this article documents a socialization pathway in COREPER marked by adherence to a set of norm-guided rules and principled beliefs in collectively legitimating arguments and making decisions. COREPER socialization does not indicate a pattern of national identities being replaced or subsumed; rather, the evidence points to a socialization process based on a “logic of appropriateness” and an expanded conception of the self. For feedback on earlier versions, I am grateful to the project participants and especially Jeffrey Checkel, Matthew Evangelista, Iain Johnston, and Michael Zurn. I thank the editors and two anonymous reviewers for comments that greatly improved the final product. I also acknowledge generous support from the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies and the American Political Science Association's Small Grant Program, which funded portions of field research associated with this project.