Suchergebnisse

Context There is growing interest in monitoring palliative care (PC) development internationally. One aspect of this is the ranking of such development for comparative purposes. Objectives To generate a ranking classification and to compare scores for PC development in the countries of the European Union (EU), 2007 and 2013. PC "development" in this study is understood as a combination of the existence of relevant services in a country ("resources") plus the capacity to develop further resources in the future ("vitality"). Methods "Resources" comprise indicators of three types of PC services per population (inpatient palliative care units and inpatient hospices [IPCU], hospital support teams [HST] and home care teams [HCT]). "Vitality" of PC is estimated by numerical scores for the existence of a national association, a directory of services, physician accreditation, attendances at a key European conference and volume of publications on PC development. The leading country (by raw score) is then considered as the reference point against which all other countries are measured. Different weightings are applied to resources (75%) and vitality (25%). From this, an overall ranking is constructed. Results The U.K. achieved the highest level of development (86% of the maximum possible score), followed by Belgium and The Netherlands (81%), and Sweden (80%). In the domain resources, Luxembourg, the U.K. and Belgium were leading. The top countries in vitality were Germany and the U.K. In comparison to 2007, The Netherlands, Malta and Portugal showed the biggest improvements, whereas the positions of Spain, France and Greece deteriorated. Conclusion The ranking method permitted a comparison of palliative care development between countries and shows changes over time. Recommendations for improving the ranking include improvements to the methodology and greater explanation of the levels and changes it reveals.

"The Encyclopaedia of European Elections provides readers with a full set of tools to understand one of the most fascinating acts of democratic participation in contemporary Western Europe. Leading scholars from a range of disciplines cover an extensive variety of topics, from the genesis of European elections to the behaviour of young voters via the role of the media, and from the various legal and electoral systems used to the impact of the elections on European identity via the evolution of turnout between 1979 and 2004. The volume also includes entries on each country, each political party group in the European Parliament, and over 140 political, historical, sociological, philosophical, and legal aspects of the elections." http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0704/2006052769-d.html

[Abstract] Cancer mortality rates and trends over the period 1980-2000 for accession countries to the European Union (EU) in May 2004, which include a total of 75 million inhabitants, were abstracted from the World Health Organization (WHO) database, together with, for comparative purposes, those of the current EU. Total cancer mortality for men was 166/100 000 in the EU, but ranged between 195 (Lithuania) and 269/100 000 (Hungary) in central and eastern European accession countries. This excess related to most cancer sites, including lung and other tobacco-related neoplasms, but also stomach, intestines and liver, and a few neoplasms amenable to treatment, such as testis, Hodgkin's disease and leukaemias. Overall cancer mortality for women was 95/100 000 in the EU, and ranged between 100 and 110/100 000 in several central and eastern European countries, and up to 120/100 000 in the Czech Republic and 138/100 000 in Hungary. The latter two countries had a substantial excess in female mortality for lung cancer, but also for several other sites. Furthermore, for stomach and especially (cervix) uteri, female rates were substantially higher in central and eastern European accession countries. Over the last two decades, trends in mortality were systematically less favourable in accession countries than in the EU. Most of the unfavourable patterns and trends in cancer mortality in accession countries are due to recognised, and hence potentially avoidable, causes of cancer, including tobacco, alcohol, dietary habits, pollution and hepatitis B, plus inadequate screening, diagnosis and treatment. Consequently, the application of available knowledge on cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment may substantially reduce the disadvantage now registered in the cancer mortality of central and eastern European accession countries. [authors]

Decades of co-rule have left EU citizens with attachments more complex than labels like 'European' or 'national identity' would suggest. But what kind of ties should we be looking for? How can they be studied, and where does their democratic significance lie? This book combines a conceptual elaboration of the political bond with a sociological study of commonsense suppositions, based on interviews with groups of taxi-drivers in Germany, Britain and the Czech Republic. The author investigates allegiance not in directly-solicited views on European matters but in the expectations and reference-points evoked spontaneously in political discussion. A willingness to take the transnational view on many issues is clear. But how those issues are understood raises doubts about their European dimensions and scepticism about the possibilities for addressing them. Without changes in the way politics is conceived, arguments for the European polity are likely to ring hollow, and with them the formal ties of EU citizenship.

Purpose: The study analyses theoretically the impact of accounting rules on the quality of information given by the financial statements of entities which operate in the European banking industry. Design/Methodology/Approach: Content analysis of studies on the Implementation of IFRS in the European Banking Sector. Findings: IASB introduced IFRS 9, as substitute of IAS 39, to improve mechanisms of classification and measurement of Financial Instruments, deemed as one of the main causes triggering the financial crisis. The financial crisis, which started in 2008, led regulators to believe that accounting standards contributed to financial stability or instability. Practical Implications: The primary goal of accounting standards and the financial statements produced under them is not to contribute to financial stability, but to provide information for investors to make a wide range of decisions and contractual arrangements. Originality Value: The information that accounting standard-setters consider relevant for investors may not be the same as that considered relevant by prudential regulators. ; peer-reviewed

The paper deals with illegal employment in the Czech Republic, both foreigners and citizens of the Czech Republic in comparison with other European Union countries. Illegal employment threatens the whole economy, weakening labor market and reducing the number of jobs for those who are unemployed and the job they are applying to the Labour Office. These negative phenomena in recent years is still widening, in connection with the liberalization of the economy and the influx of foreign capital. Definition of illegal work (the so-called undeclared work) in the Czech law only appeared in the Employment Act No. 435/2004 Coll., Effective 1 October 2004. Sometimes the term is narrowed only to the employment of foreigners without a residence permit, or without permission to work, but in its context includes the illegal employment of Czech citizens.

We assess the fiscal behaviour in the European Union countries for the period 1990-2005 via the responsiveness of budget balances to several determinants. The results show that the existence of effective fiscal rules, the degree of public spending decentralization, and the electoral cycle can impinge on the country's fiscal position. Furthermore, the results also support the responsiveness of primary balances to government indebtedness.