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To what extent do regions in different member states of the European Union benefit from Cohesion Policy? A spatial regression discontinuity design approach offers distinct but fully comparable estimates of regional impacts for each individual member state. Cohesion Policy has a positive European Union-wide impact on regional growth and employment. However, a large part of the growth bonus is concentrated in Germany, while impacts on employment are confined to the UK. The picture in Southern Europe is less rosy. In Italy, positive impacts on employment do not survive the Great Recession, while in Spain economic growth benefits are limited to the recovery period.

Inflation in Central and East European countries varied considerably over the transition phase, and econometric relationships between prices, money, wages and exchange rates are said to have been unstable during this period. In order to shed some light on the issue, this paper analyses some empirical models of the inflation process in the three earliest east European transition economies: the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. Since the end of the 1980s these economies have experienced high rates of inflation, although significant disinflation measures were introduced during the mid-nineties to enhance these countries? chances of joining the EU, and they succeeded in getting inflation under control without high costs in terms of lost output. Given this, the determinants of inflation need to be empirically analysed not only in order to understand the disinflation measures, but also to assess the possible effects of future pressure on prices. Price stabilisation is an essential complement to the success of transition. Policies to contain inflation are necessary for transition economies to grow and firms to restructure. In the present paper, we first look at inflation within the context of multivariate cointegration, where domestic and foreign price determinants are initially assessed in separate blocks (each single-theory based) in order to obtain a number of long-term attractors. We then formulate consumer and producer inflation equations from more general VEqCMs for each country. The importance of theory-based imbalances (from previous cointegration experiments) in explaining inflation can be assessed at this stage. Our most significant empirical findings seem to substantiate the idea that many, if not all, theoretical determinants of inflation are of importance in those countries in question: the exchange rate and the output gap would appear to be of particular importance in explaining the phenomenon.

In the article is analyzed European Union crisis diplomacy with Iran, which finally brought to the final settlements. Beside the nuclear issues, in EU and Iran relations are visible other issues, as such as: human rights, security, energy and trade. In the 90's and 2000's EU proposed the formula critical and comprehensive dialogue. Now after nuclear settlement, crisis diplomacy with Iran is essential, due to the problems and challenges related with internal Iranian politics and its regional policy. ; W artykule poddano analizie unijną kryzysową dyplomację, która przyczyniła się do osiągnięcia porozumienia w kwestii nuklearnej. Obok problemu atomowego, UE i Iran - relacje pomiędzy nimi dotyczą takich kwestii jak: prawa człowieka, bezpieczeństwo, energia oraz handel. Jeszcze w latach 90. XX wieku i 2000., Unia Europejska wyszła z inicjatywą prowadzenia kry¬tycznego, a potem wszechstronnego dialogu z Iranem. Obecnie po porozumieniu nuklearnym z Iranem, utrzymanie kryzysowej dyplomacji jest istotna z powodu problemów i wyzwań wynikających z wewnętrznych uwarunkowań Iranu, jak i jego regionalnej polityki.

El presente estudio intenta valorar si la Unión Europea ha actuado rápida y adecuadamente en la crisis de la COVID-19. Con este objetivo, partiendo del examen de las bases jurídicas y los mecanismos de coordinación que han conducido a que la salud pública se convirtiera en una de las grandes prioridades de la Unión a escala europea e internacional, pretende aportar elementos de información sobre algunas de las medidas adoptadas hasta ahora por las principales Instituciones europeas con el fin de contener la expansión del virus. Finalmente, se brinda un reflexión final sobre como la actual pandemia exige a la UE estar preparada para futuras crisis sanitarias. ; This study attempts to assess whether the European Union has acted quickly and appropriately in the COVID-19 crisis. With this objective, starting from the examination of the legal bases and the coordination mechanisms that have led to public health becoming one of the Union's great priorities at European and international level, it aims to provide information on some of the measures adopted so far by the main European institutions in order to contain the spread of the virus. Finally, a final reflection is provided on how the current pandemic requires the EU to be prepared for future health crises.

Cover title. ; "Issued from Union Government Headquarters, St. Paul Building, Halifax, N. S."--p. 16. ; Electronic reproduction. ; Mode of access: Internet. ; 44

This article provides an overview of innovation policies in the EU and Member States and examines how employee-driven innovation is being discussed and how the role of employees as drivers of innovation in Europe is being understood and supported by joint European innovation policies and measures. The conclusion is reached that the role of employees as drivers of innovation is restricted to highly skilled professionals and researchers working in the areas of technology and natural sciences. Skilled, semi-skilled or unskilled workers are not considered as innovators. Finally the role of the social partners in setting the agenda for skilled and unskilled employees as drivers of innovation, especially in small- and medium-sized enterprises, is presented. The article is based on analyses of publicly accessible EU documents on innovation policy.

International audience ; The European consumer policy relies on the ideal of consumer empowerment, which involves providing all consumers with detailed information on the goods on offer. This policy also applies to the electronic communications sector, and empowering consumers who are the end-users of internet access services. The author reviews behavioural law and economics literature that pertains to consumer empowerment and applies the resulting insights to interpret Article 4 (1) of Regulation 2015/2120 laying down measures concerning open internet access in a way that would truly empower the sophisticated consumers. The author also proposes advising or obliging the providers of internet access services to label those services to provide even the unsophisticated consumers with meaningful and understandable information. ; La politique européenne des consommateurs repose sur l'idéal de l'autonomisation des consommateurs (consumer empowerment), qui consiste à fournir à tous les consommateurs des informations détaillées sur les produits proposés. Cette politique s'applique également au secteur des communications électroniques et habilite les consommateurs qui sont les utilisateurs finaux des services d'accès à Internet. L'auteur passe en revue la littérature sur les analyses économiques du droit relative à l'autonomisation des consommateurs et applique les idées qui en résultent pour interpréter l'article 4, paragraphe 1, du règlement 2015/2120 établissant des mesures relatives à l'accès ouvert à l'internet pour le bénéfice des consommateurs sophistiqués. L'auteur propose également de conseiller ou d'obliger les fournisseurs de services d'accès Internet à étiqueter ces services afin de fournir aux consommateurs moins sophistiqués des informations utiles et compréhensibles.

In this Article is analyzed financial transaction tax projects proposed by the European Commission in 2011 and 2013. The article focuses on the proposed regulation of the object and the jurisdiction of the financial transaction tax. The proposed regulation of the financial transaction tax is analyzed concerning possible threats of the new taxation related with tax avoidance. In this article the analysis of the proposed regulation was done reviewing the main arguments of the opponents of the financial transaction tax. The analysis of the proposed financial transaction tax projects leads to conclusion that the chosen regulation of the object of the financial transaction tax when the tax object is defined through two separate elements (financial transaction and financial security) is effective and comprehensive – the new regulation is safe enough against possible cases of tax avoidance. Also the analysis of the proposed financial transaction tax projects leads to conclusion that the proposed regulation of the financial transaction tax jurisdiction is based on the two separate principles (counterparty principle and issuance principle). This new and innovative legal construction fully prevents possible tax avoidance issues related with changing the jurisdiction of the taxable financial activities. ; Straipsnyje analizuojami 2011 m. ir 2013 m. Europos Sąjungos Komisijos pateikti finansinių sandorių mokesčio direktyvų projektai, daugiausia dėmesio skiriama siūlomų mokesčių objekto ir mokesčio taikymo jurisdikcijos reglamentavimo analizei apsaugos nuo mokesčių vengimo aspektu. Straipsnyje pateikta teisinė analizė atliekama apžvelgiant pagrindinius finansinių sandorių mokesčiui oponuojančių mokslininkų argumentus, susijusius su finansinių sandorių mokesčio reglamentavimo specifika ir potencialiomis problemomis.

Biodrivmedel blev efter millennieskiftet en alltmer prioriterad energikälla för EU och ansågs kunna stävja både klimathot och energissäkerhetsproblem samtidigt som drivmedelsproduktionen skulle gynna sysselsättningen i jordbruket. EUkommissionen formulerade 2007 ett mål om att ersätta 10 % av transportenergin till biodrivmedel. Snabbt uppkom dock en strid mellan en grupp av aktörer (miljörörelse och livsmedelsindustri) som såg biodrivmedelssatsningen som ett hot mot både miljön och livsmedelssäkerheten medan en annan grupp bestående av företrädesvis biodrivmedelsintressenter såg det som viktigt att behålla och utveckla EU:s mål för att rädda både klimat och miljö. Motsättningarna som uppkommit väcker frågor kring vilka logiker som legat bakom detta. Avhandlingens syfte är att analysera EU:s biodrivmedelspolicy, vilka aktörer och nätverk som har format denna process, vilka problem och lösningar som dessa aktörer och nätverk argumenterat för i processen, samt hur de har agerat för att mobilisera stöd för sina ståndpunkter. Detta har kopplats till teorier om nätverksstyrning, förekomsten av utlösande händelser i policyprocessen, resursberoende i nätverksmodellen samt på vilket sätt managementteori utövat inflytande. Metoden har varit att utifrån dokumentstudier rekonstruera det historiska förloppet och de aktörer som medverkat i processen. Avhandlingens visar att en förhållandevis liten grupp aktörer har haft ett stort inflytande över policyprocessen från det att problemen som biodrivmedel var satta att lösa definierades i slutet av 80-talet till det att hållbarhetsstandarder utvecklades och implementerades. Dessa aktörer har funnits i policynätverkens kärna och har som ett av sina centrala mål velat utarbeta globala regelverk för råvaruhandeln. De miljöorganisationer som medverkat i processen har genom resursberoenden till stor del varit underordnade denna grupp. Processerna har innehållit ett stort inslag av strategisk planläggning men även utlösande händelser som klimat- och livsmedelskriser har varit viktiga för att motivera politiska beslut. ; Biofuels became a prioritized energy source for the EU in the new millennium. It was believed that biofuels would suppress both climate change and problems with energy security, and would simultaneously benefit agricultural employment. The EU Commission decided in 2007 that 10 % of the energy used in transportation would be replaced by biofuels. This was, however, soon criticized by a group of actors (environmental associations and the food industry) that saw the biofuels initiative as a threat to both the environment and food security. The biofuels proponents, on the other hand, argued that it was important to maintain and develop the EU's biofuels objectives to save both the climate and the environment. These contradictions raised my interest to understand and analyze the logics that lie behind these different perspectives on the same issue. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the EU's biofuels policy, which actors and networks shaped this process, which problems and solutions these actors and networks put forward in the process, and how they have acted to mobilize support for their positions. Theoretically, I have applied theories on policy networks, the occurrence of triggering events in the policy process, resource dependence between actors and networks, and how management theory can be used to understand how policy develops. The main results are that a relatively small group of actors has had a strong influence on the policy process. These actors have been at the core of the policy community. The environmental organizations involved in the process have been subordinate to this policy community through resource dependencies. One actor network was formed that wanted to increase the amount of biofuels, while another was formed to protect the forest and soil from heavy exploitation. It took over 20 years before these contradicting efforts collided. This thesis concludes that the process contained large elements of strategic planning and that triggering events such as climate and food crises have been important to justify political decisions.

The Executive and Liaison Committee of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) met in Berne from May 14 to 23, 1959, under the presidency of Mr. A. Wolstencroft (United Kingdom). In dealing with the agenda, the Committee approved without reservation the report of the activities of UPU for 1958. Several questions on the relation of UPU to the UN were treated at this time with reciprocal understanding. The examination of the reports of the subcommittees on the progress in their respective tasks figured prominently in the discussion; the Committee did not, however, come to a decision on tariff policy, although it did decide that the present scales of transit rates needed to be revised. The subcommittee scheme regarding the eventual issue of an international postage stamp met with serious opposition; at the end of the discussion, it was decided that examination of the problem should be continued, but no decision was taken. The agenda contained also several points of an administrative character concerning the organization and the working of the International Bureau and the examination of various proposals submitted by administrations.