Suchergebnisse

This paper seeks to contribute to the relatively scarce published research on the relationship between bank efficiency and European integration in the wake of the recent financial crisis. Using Stochastic Frontier Analysis and Data Envelopment Analysis approaches, the study estimates bank efficiency for different panels of European Union countries during the time period 1994-2008. The main conclusions point to the persistence of inefficiencies, which decreased with the implementation of the European Monetary Union (in the time period 2000-2008) but then increased slightly in the most recent phase (2004-2008), during which the EU had to adapt to the new universe of 27 member-states. On the other hand, there is evidence of a convergence process, although this is very slow and not strong enough to avoid the differences in the country efficiency scores.

The volume gives a complete overview of the proceedings and results of the Berlin Conference of European Ministers in charge of Higher Education in September 2003. Apart from the final document, the Berlin Communiqué, it contains the major ministerial speeches and the messages delivered by the European Commission, the European University Association, the Council of Europe, the European students, association ESIB and other organisations, moreover the summaries of the resutls of the four workshops held in Berlin. Contents: 1. Prefaces (Bulmahn, Edelgard. - Erdsiek-Rave, Ute). - 2. Realising the European Higher Education Area. - 3. The Atmosphere in Berlin, Impressions of the Conference (Tauch, Christian). - 4. Welcoming Speech at the Reception at Bellevue Castle (Rau, Johannes). - 5. Opening Statements (Bulmahn, Edelgard. - Erdsiek-Rave, Ute. - Moratti, Letizia. - Reding, Viviane. - Müller, Kerstin). - 6. Messages (European University Association (EUA). - The National Unions of Students in Europe (ESIB). - European Association of Institutions in Higher Education (EURASHE). - Council of Europe). - 7. The Bologna Process between Prague and Berlin (Zgaga, Pavel). - 8. Trends 2003 - Process toward the European Higher Education Area (Reichert, Sybille. - Tauch, Christian). - 9. Reports from the Discussion Groups (Erichsen, Hans-Uwe: Quality Assurance and Accreditation. - Suomalainen, Heikki: Bachelors and the European Labour Market. - Pertek, Jacques: Doctoral Studies and Mobility. - Floud, Roderick: Joint Degrees). - 10. Closing Statements: Bulmahn, Edelgard. - Moratti, Letizia. - Clemet, Kristin). - 11. Bibliography, Link List (HoF/text adopted)

Since January 1995, all European Union applications for marketing approval for medicinal products derived from biotechnology and other drugs considered potentially innovative follow the EMEA centralized procedure. In order to assess the overall degree of therapeutic innovation of these drugs, we considered, for each approved agent, its target, the availability of previous treatments and the extent of its therapeutic effect. The following scores for therapeutic innovation were assigned through a consensus process: 'A' (important), 'B' (moderate) and 'C' (modest). The overall degree of important/moderate therapeutic innovation was 47% of all therapeutic agents (32% important; 15% moderate). Most (80%) of the EMEA-approved therapeutic agents were for serious diseases. The remaining ones were for risk factors (7%) or nonserious diseases (13%).

This paper provides an analysis of the trends in labour productivity and employment growth at industry level in the European Union and the United States during the 1990s. We analyse relationships for groups of industries, i.e. industries that produce ICT products and services, those that invest strongly in ICT, and those that make less intensive use of ICT. The main findings are that the inverse relationship between employment and productivity growth has been much more prominent in manufacturing industries than in services industries. Secondly, during the 1990s, this relationship has turned positive in many industries, in particular in ICT-producing industries and in ICT-using industries in the service sector. Finally, the employment-reducing effects of productivity growth have remained considerably stronger in Europe than in the US.

Pesticede decision - Env NGO - COM decision T-192/12 – Pesticide Action Network Europe / European Commission Subject GC - dismissed as Implementing Act - is not AA

One of the main political objectives throughout the European Union (EU) is to raise employment rates. Recent demographic developments, the resulting financial problems of the welfare state, increasing competition with other economic areas, as well as the attempt to create equal opportunities for men and women, certainly call for a higher level of participation in the labour market. But this does not automatically lead to more gender equality or social cohesion. On the contrary, in most EU member countries, an increase of employment frequently goes hand in hand with an increase in atypical employment, with different kinds of jobs that in many cases do not meet the requirements of standard employment.1 An important instrument in this context is active labour market policy, which, however, contributes to an increasing polarisation of labour markets. This article, therefore, focuses on the development and effects of active labour market policy in Austria as well as the changes that occurred after Austria joined the EU.2 Taking the situation in Austria as an example, it will become obvious that not all groups have benefited to the same extent from the expansion of active labour market policy, which was initiated in the 1990s by the EU. Instead, we can observe various creaming effects, meaning that existing inequalities are maintained or even enforced in spite of higher level of activation.

Transboundary animal diseases can have very severe socio-economic impacts when introduced into new regions. The history of disease incursions into the European Union suggests that initial outbreaks were often initiated by illegal importation of meat and derived products. The European Union would benefit from decision-support tools to evaluate the risk of disease introduction caused by illegal imports in order to inform its surveillance strategy. However, due to the difficulty in quantifying illegal movements of animal products, very few studies of this type have been conducted. Using African swine fever as an example, this work presents a novel risk assessment framework for disease introduction into the European Union through illegal importation of meat and products. It uses a semi-quantitative approach based on factors that likely influence the likelihood of release of contaminated smuggled meat and products, and subsequent exposure of the susceptible population. The results suggest that the European Union is at non-negligible risk of African swine fever.