Suchergebnisse

This volume represents presentations, discussions and research papers in conjunction with the Forum for a Comparative Dialog- an Investment in the Future. The Forum was held in Riga at the University of Latvia on November 6-8, 2008 and was organised by the Centre for European and Transition Studies at the University of Latvia and Capilano University, Canada. ; This publication is funded by the European Commission Representation in Latvia.

pt. 1. Territorial challenges and the cognitive bounds of spatial planning in the enlarged European Union -- pt. 2. Engaging systems of multi-level governance -- pt. 3. Addressing increasing disparities and inequalities in the new regions of Europe -- pt. 4. Learning from experiences beyond the border.

The authors uncover the roots of the eurozone crisis, focusing on how this can be solved against the backdrop of a very deep financial and economic crisis and its strong social impact. Looking at the impact of the financial crisis on the eurozone, they explore the European Union's recent and future developments

Intro -- Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- Abbreviations -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- 1 Introduction -- 1.1 Where is the Internet in a World of Telecommunications? -- 1.2 The Research Field -- 1.3 Method -- 2 Institutionalism in the 21st Century -- 2.1 Introduction: Bringing Institutions Back in -- 2.2 EXCURSUS: The Origins of Institutions -- 2.3 Institutions Do Matter! -- 2.3.1 A Synopsis -- 2.3.2 The Logic of Appropriateness: Institutions as Taken for Granted -- 2.3.3 The Logic of Calculus -- 2.3.4 Ideational Approaches: Bringing Institutionalism Together? -- 2.3.5 Actor-Centered Institutionalism -- 2.4 Rules as Institutional Intermediates -- 2.5 Institutional Change -- 2.5.1 The Institutional Focus on Stability -- 2.5.2 Allegiance to Rules and Institutions -- 2.5.3 The Role of Gradual Institutional Change -- 2.5.4 Five Mechanisms of Change -- 2.5.5 Institutional Design -- 2.6 What is an Institution, Then? Learnings from Institutionalist Triangulation -- 2.7 Applying Theory -- 2.7.1 The Study's Question -- 2.7.2 Propositions and the Logic Linking Data to Propositions -- 2.7.3 Units of Analysis and Criteria for Interpreting the Findings -- 3 EU Communications Policy in the Era of Telecommunications -- 3.1 The European Single Market: Between Re-Regulation and Liberalization -- 3.1.1 'The European Single Market Programme' -- 3.1.2 EC Competition Policy -- 3.1.3 The Liberalization of Network Industries and the Incubation of Technological Advances -- 3.1.4 Interim Conclusion: The Prospects of the European Single Market -- 3.2 Common Market Objectives for the European Telecommunications Sector -- 3.2.1 Cooperation Instead of Standardization: Common Market Issues Before 1983 -- 3.2.2 Liberalization in the US and in European Telecommunications Markets -- 3.2.3 The ECJ as an Agent Promoting EC Telecommunications Liberalization.

This book explores how EU law constrains the freedom of the EU, the Member States, and private bodies to adopt measures that seek to protect social and environmental interests abroad by placing conditions on production processes in other states. The permissibility of such process-based measures has been examined primarily within the World Trade Organization (WTO) context, but the challenges that they present are equally for the EU internal market system. Ankersmit identifies three core challenges posed by process-based measures from an EU law perspective: extraterritoriality, unilateralism and the competitive and democratic problems created by private rule-making. It examines these issues in the context of free movement, competition, public procurement, and EU tax law. This book will appeal to academics, policy makers and practitioners interested in trade and environment, the social impact of trade law, and European and international market regulation

Noise mapping is the first tool to effectively assess noise exposure, communicating information to citizens, and defining effective action plans for protecting citizens from high noise levels and preserving quiet areas in urban European Community environments. Indeed, strategic noise maps are now required in the European Union for all population centers of more than 250,000 inhabitants, as well as for major roads, railways, and airports, and are becoming required for urban areas with over 100,000 people.Providing a comprehensive reference guide for students, researchers, acoustics consultants

Front -- Contents -- Glossary of initialisms and acronyms -- Editors and other contributors -- the Pompidou Group -- Preface -- introduction -- Croatia - Coherence policy markers for addictions -- Czech republic - Coherence policy markers -- hungary - Coherent addiction policies: piloting a diagnostic tool -- ireland - Coherency of policies on illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco -- israel - Coherency of drugs policy: a structured analysis -- italy - drugs policy coherence: from policy markers to policy makers -- Portugal - Coherent policy markers for drugs -- Concluding remarks -- appendix: Pompidou Group publications from the Council of Europe Co-operation Group to Combat drug abuse and illicit trafcking in drugs.

The thematic argument that forms the core of this book holds that it is important in understanding the European Union's impact on private and especially contract law that the European Union has only a limited competence conferred by its founding Treaties, but that, largely as a consequence of the Court's generous reading of the scope of the internal market, those limits are less of a restraint than may initially be supposed and that, moreover, pursuit of, in short, social justice is less constitutionally elusive than is often alleged. It provides an authoritative account of the actual and possible scope of the European Union's role and also interrogates the question whether the European Union's influence on private and especially contract law is benign or disruptive, in particular in the context of that constitutionally limited competence. This is timely, not least because the Commission's review of contract law, initiated in 2001, has still not run its course and may never do so. It is a continuing process. And the constitutional dimension has tended to be neglected. The book insists on the need for awareness of a complex interaction of often ambiguous constitutional rules, often politically inconsistent institutional rhythms and often evasive judicial pronouncements. And it shows how the European Union's role is not simply a niche area that has grown erratically but ultimately remains on the edges of the European Union's core public law activities, but rather that the rise of European Union private and especially contract law asks some vividly important questions about the principle and practice of conferred competence and about the choice of priorities in market regulation as protective instincts and deregulatory impulses collide. The adjustments made by the Treaty of Lisbon, especially but not only the grant of binding effect to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, have sharpened the interest. Contract Law of the Internal Market is written for both private and EU lawyers

Social Innovation: Comparative Perspectives investigates socio-economic impact. Since it is hard to establish causality and to measure social properties when investigating impact, especially at the level of society, the book narrows down impact to one priority aspect: social innovation – understood as organizations' capacity to generate novel ideas, ways and means of doing things, of addressing public and social problems of many kinds. This volume's primary assertion is that the Third Sector, specifically through stimulating civic involvement, is best placed to produce social innovation, outperforming business firms and state agencies in this regard. By investigating actor contributions to social innovation across seven fields of activity, Social innovation: Comparative Perspectives develops our understanding of why and how the Third Sector is central to functioning, cohesive and viable societies. This volume is based on contributions of the project "ITSSOIN – Impact of the Third Sector as Social Innovation" funded by the European Commission under the 7th framework programme. It will be of insight across disciplines, in particular to the growing social innovation community, innovation researchers more generally and to non-profit scholars. The practical relevance of the book will be of interest to European and national policy makers and practitioners across different sectors.

The main objective of the research paper is to accomplish a comparative analysis of the energy dependence of the EU member states. This objective is de-composited in several sub-objectives: First, to make a short literature review and a summary of the main ideas concerning energy dependence; Second, to clarify the methodology used for analysis of the energy dependence of the EU. Third, to analyze the nominal energy dependency of the EU, as well as the Union energy dependency by energy types.Fourth, to analyze the energy intensity of the economy of the European Union countries. The research and analytical methods used for the development of the paper involve comparative analysis of the available data on energy security indicators, graphical and table presentation of statistical and empirical data and survey of available legal and analytical research on the topic. Entirely secondary data sources have been used in the research. The research results comprise: - the introduction of two new concepts as a result of the analysis – the nominal energy dependency and the real energy dependency; - the construction of an energy dependency classifying scheme for the European Union member states;- the construction of an classification grid of the energy dependence of the EU member states by energy type. The research results present the author contribution to the research field of energy dependency. They add value not only in analytical terms but also pave the road for formulating further ideas and evidence-based recommendations on policy measures.

The increase in the concentration of the banking industry across European
Union countries during the last fifteen years can be explained in terms of:
a) global factors, like the comprehensive adoption of technological
innovations, the intensification of competition that has resulted from the
deregulation of the financial sector and, more recently, as a consequence of
the government interventions and forced acquisitions prompted by the
2007-2009 financial crisis; and, b) factors that have been specific to the
E.U., in particular, the structural changes that took place in the region as
a result of the creation of the Single Financial Market (1993) and the
introduction of the euro (1999). This work analyzes the concentration process
of the banking industry in the E.U. during the last fifteen years giving
preeminence to the strategic choices made by the region?s commercial banks.
It also reports the most visible E.U. banks? M&As and government
interventions that resulted from the 2007-2009 financial crisis, make a
preliminary evaluation of the outcomes, and suggests possible future trends
for the banking industry in the region.