Suchergebnisse

En el marco de la crisis ambiental y climática y teniendo en cuenta los esfuerzos que en la UE se proponen para transitar hacia un modelo de sostenibilidad en general y de producción agroalimentaria en general y considerando que en ese sentido el uso de los fitosanitarios son un punto crucial de permanente cuestionamiento y revisión, este trabajo se propone tres objetivos: 1) realizar una mirada conceptual y crítica a los diferentes paradigmas y modelos de desarrollo y de agricultura partiendo de la premisa que aún ninguno de ellos ha logrado consenso y que es dificil definir un modelo de producción agraria sostenible; 2) presentar el cuadro normativo al menos a nivel unional de los fitosanitarios para incentivar su profundización en cuanto normativa sectorial claramente ligada a la agricultura, en estado actual de cuestionamiento y revisión; 3) entrecruzar las normativas referidas a los modelos de agricultura y a los fitosanitarios y analizar cómo entre ambas se trata la coexistencia. ; Wobec kryzysu środowiskowego i klimatycznego, a także starań, jakie podejmuje Unia Europejska, aby przestawić się na model zrównoważonego rozwoju i produkcji rolno-spożywczej na poziomie ogólnym, uwzględniając to, jak duży problem stanowi stosowanie środków ochrony roślin, co jest przedmiotem nieustannej debaty, praca ta ma trzy cele: 1) zaproponowanie koncepcji i krytycznego ujęcia różnych paradygmatów i modeli rozwoju rolnictwa; 2) przedstawienie ram prawnych, przynajmniej na poziomie unijnym, dotyczących stosowania środków ochrony roślin, aby zachęcić do głębszego poznawania przepisów sektorowych związanych z rolnictwem; 3) zestawienie regulacji prawnych odnoszących się do modeli rolnictwa z tymi, które dotyczą środków ochrony roślin i weryfikacja relacji między nimi. ; In the light of the environmental and climate crisis, as well as bearing in mind the efforts that the European Union has been undertaking to shift to a model of sustainable development and agri-food production at a general level, while taking into account that ...

This contribution explores the buyer side of the value chains of the main agricultural products exported from the Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPCs) to the EU, taking Spain as an explorative case study in the broader European context. It draws on the Global Value Chain (GVC) approach to provide new survey-based evidence for better profiling the opportunities and constraints for EU trade for orange, strawberry, tomato and olive oil imported from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey. The approach used complements inquiries using quantitative trade models usually based on aggregate sectoral level. Results show differences depending on the product and the country studied. There are in all cases multiple challenges to be solved at the origin of the value chain including better chain organization, further transparency and security, improvement in infrastructure and logistics, keeping transaction costs manageable at the same time. Consumer preferences in buyer markets when sourcing must be taken on the first place. The findings can have relevant policy implications in terms of prospective Euro-Mediterranean Partnership Agreements on agriculture and food. This research was carried out in the framework of the EU's FP7 project "Sustainable Agri-Food Systems and Rural Development in the Mediterranean Partner Countries" (Grant Agreement 245233 ). The author thanks two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments

Biofuels are a suitable complement for fossil energy in the transport sector and bioethanol is the main biofuel traded worldwide. Based on the assumption that innovation can be influenced by regulation, the Brazilian bioethanol industry is facing new requirements from external actors while reaching for international markets. Until 2010, national environmental laws were the main sustainability instrument that the biofuel industry faced. With the introduction of sustainability criteria for biofuels in the European Fuels Quality Directive (FQD) and Renewable Energy Directive (RED) of 2009, bioethanol producers have been pressured to innovate in respect of the requirements of future markets. Here, the aim is to analyse the case of Brazil, given the potential exports of sugarcane-based ethanol from this country to the EU. Brazil provides an interesting overview of how a bioethanol industry innovated while facing sustainability requirements in the past. A comparison between the European requirements and the industry´s status quo is then explored. The EU criteria are likely to have effects on the Brazilian bioethanol industry and incremental improvements in sustainability levels might take place based on the sustainability requirements. In addition, the industry could follow two other paths, namely risk diversification by engaging in multi-output models; and market leakage towards less-regulated markets. At the same time, an environmental overregulation of the biofuel market may make it more difficult for emerging biofuel industries in other countries, especially in Africa, by creating a barrier rather than contributing to its expansion. The results of this analysis show the main challenges to be addressed and the potential positive and negative impacts of the European Union biofuels policy on the Brazilian bioethanol industry. ; QC 20130107

The paper aims to investigate the theoretical assumption that the value system (according to the Schwartz model) is associated with compliance with recommendations to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the theoretical assumption, persons whose value system emphasizes social focus and whose values are self-transcendence and conservation will comply with measures to a greater extent. On the other hand, people whose value system is focused on personal focus and whose values self-direction and openness to change will be less compliant with measures for combating the spread of the virus. The research was conducted in three Southeastern European countries – Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia using a survey of 1024 students. The Schwartz scale on basic human values was used as a research instrument. The research was conducted at the very beginning of the pandemic (March and April 2020). The results of the hierarchical regression showed that the values of openness to change (personal focus) and conservation (social focus) are significant predictors of compliance with measures and trust in institutions and sex.

Nowadays, it is widely believed that greater disclosure and clarity over policy may lead to greater predictability of central bank actions. We examine whether communication by the European Central Bank (ECB) adds information compared to the information provided by a Taylor rule model in which real time expected inflation and output are used. We use five indicators of ECB communication that are all based on the ECB President's introductory statement at the press conference following an ECB policy meeting. Our results suggest that even though the indicators are sometimes quite different from one another, they add information that helps predict the next policy decision of the ECB. Furthermore, also when the interbank rate is included in our Taylor rule model, the ECB communication indicators remain significant.

Nowadays, it is widely believed that greater disclosure and clarity over policy may lead to greater predictability of central bank actions. We examine whether communication by the European Central Bank (ECB) adds information compared to the information provided by a Taylor rule model in which real time expected inflation and output are used. We use five indicators of ECB communication that are all based on the ECB President's introductory statement at the press conference following an ECB policy meeting. Our results suggest that even though the indicators are sometimes quite different from one another, they add information that helps predict the next policy decision of the ECB. Furthermore, also when the interbank rate is included in our Taylor rule model, the ECB communication indicators remain significant.

This dissertation includes six articles tied together by the overarching question of how changes in public opinion, economics and public policy co-evolve in mature democracies, with a focus on redistributive (in seven European democracies) and secessionist preferences (in Catalonia and Scotland). The theoretical inspiration derives from three sources: 1. the Macro Polity model by Erikson, MacKuen/Stimson, 2. the Thermostatic Responsiveness model by Soroka and Wlezien, and 3. the literature on representation gap models by Gilens, Elsaesser and others. The Macro Polity and Thermostatic Responsiveness models come with an optimistic undertone, emphasizing that public policies adapt to public opinion, producing the policy-opinion congruence that defines responsive government. The Representation Gap model, by contrast, is more pessimistic in highlighting that the preferences of low-income groups are generally worse represented in public policies than the preferences of middle-income and especially high-income groups. While there is evidence in favor of these models for the majoritarian political systems in the US, Canada and the UK, less is known about the validity of these models in proportional democracies of continental Europe. The contributions in this dissertation address this research gap by integrating the three models and combining nearly 500 surveys to study the evolution of European public opinion at the national and subnational level. ; Die vorliegende Dissertation besteht aus sechs Artikel. Sie beantworten diet übergreifenden Frage, wie sich Veränderungen in der öffentlichen Meinung, in der Wirtschaft und public policies in etablierten Demokratien gemeinsam entwickeln. Der Schwerpunkt die Arbeit liegt auf politischen Präferenzen für Umverteilung und Sezession (Katalonien und Schottland). Theoretisch speist sich die Arbeit aus drei Quellen und verbindet diese miteinander: 1. das Macro Polity-Modell von Erikson, MacKuen und Stimson, 2. dem dem Thermostatic Responsiveness-Modell von Soroka und Wlezien und 3. die Literaturstränge des Representation-Gap Modells von Gilens, Elsaesser und anderen. Die ersten beiden Stränge, das Macro Polity-Modell und Thermostatic Responsiveness weisen einen optimistischen Unterton auf. Sie stellen in den Vordergrund, dass sich Public Policies der öffentlichen Meinung anpasst. So werde die Kongruenz zwischen Politik und öffentlicher Meinung, die die responsive Regierung ausmacht, ständig reproduziert. Im Gegensatz dazu ist das das Representation-Gap Modell pessimistischer. Dieses Modell betont, dass die Präferenzen von Gruppen mit niedrigem Einkommen in der Politik seltener Beachtung finden und ihre Policy-Präferenzen im Allgemeinen seltener umgesetzt werden, als die Präferenzen von Gruppen mit mittlerem Einkommen und insbesondere hohem Einkommen. Es liegen bereits empirische Befunde für beide Modelle in den Mehrheitssystemen der USA, Kanada und Großbritannien vor; deren Gültigkeit in den Proporzdemokratien Kontinentaleuropas ist jedoch weniger gut erforscht. Die Beiträge in dieser Dissertation schließen diese Forschungslücke, indem sie die drei Modelle integrieren und fast 500 Umfragen kombinieren, um die Entwicklung der europäischen öffentlichen Meinung auf nationaler und subnationaler Ebene zu untersuchen.

Intro -- Table of Contents -- Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction. Return to Common Sense -- Chapter 1. Institutional and Policy Diversity as an Engine of Economic Development -- I. What Influences Institutional and Policy Diversity? -- II. An Historical Perspective -- III. Examining the Record -- IV. Where Do We Stand? -- V. Transition Economies and Institutional and Policy Diversity -- VI. Concluding Remarks -- References -- Chapter 2. Ethical Lapses of Capitalism: How Serious They Are -- I. Introduction -- II. Ethics and Economy -- III. Understanding Micro and Macro Behaviours -- IV. Institutional Responses to Ethical Lapses -- V. Conclusion: Whither Capitalism? -- References -- Chapter 3. Why This Financial Crisis Is Occurring-How to Respond to It -- I. Introduction -- II. A Classification of Financial Crises -- III. The Current Crisis-What Has Triggered It and Its Implications -- IV. How to Respond to This Crisis -- V. Summing Up -- References -- Chapter 4. What This Financial Crisis Tells Us -- I. The Calculation Debate Revisited -- II. Is Only Greed to Be Blamed? -- III. What This Crisis Teaches Us -- IV. Limits of Openness -- References -- Chapter 5. A Strained European Model-Is Eastern Enlargement to Blame? -- I. Introduction -- II. The ESM and the Roots of Its Strain -- III. The Race for Competitiveness -- IV. Who Fears Globalisation? -- V. High Growth Rates are Not Enough: The Case of Central Europe -- VI. The Future of the ESM -- References -- Chapter 6. The Monetary Union: The Decade Ahead. The Case of Non-Member States -- I. Introduction -- II. The First Decade of Monetary Union -- III. Old and New Challenges for the Monetary Union -- IV. Challenges for the New Member States -- V. Concluding Remarks -- References -- Chapter 7. The EU Budget Review: Managing Diversity for a Growing EU -- I. Introduction.

Dottorato di ricerca in Scienze e tecnologie per la gestione forestale e ambientale ; Fresh water is a finite and vulnerable resource, essential to sustain life and with a great economic value in all its competing uses and interactions with natural ecosystems as they strictly depend on water above all. Population and economies under rising growing lead to an increase in water demand while its availability remains constant in time. So that drought is actually an insidious hazard of nature for countries experiencing medium to high water stress due to its scarcity and to changed climate conditions showing a decreased amount of precipitation and higher temperature values. Drought is a severe problem in the Mediterranean basin: international conventions and Institutions such as the World Bank and the International Water Forum all consider the area in need of special attention due to problems resulting from its vulnerability to drought and its requirements for better water management. Moreover the European Community policy is directly involved in water scarcity issues, encouraging project development and actions to mitigate the effects of drought and to investigate measures to avoid or reduce drought risk in Mediterranean regions. The project MEDDMAN is a transnational approach in the field of drought and water management involving competent national authorities, leading research institutes and regional authorities and financed by European Union according to its Interreg III B MEDOCC policy. The DAF Department, Department of Environment and Forestry, Agrarian Faculty, University of Tuscia in Viterbo, has been involved in this project with a study area on Marta River Basin, located in the northern part of Latium region. The project's target is to develop an integrated system, capable of evaluating the state of surface water and groundwater resources in the MEDOCC regions preserving and improving the economic growth, developing efficient tools for sustainable water resources exploitation. Special attention is given to the environmental impacts of extreme meteorological and hydrological events, which affect the means of development and best interest of the locals. The focus is on the understanding of the 'water system' dynamics and functioning, enhancing the capability to predict its behavior in view of changes (including climate change), and underpinning its sustainable management and development. A simulation model at catchment scale, has been implemented for Marta river basin using SWAT (Soil Water Assessment Tool) code, developed in 90's by Dr. Jeff Arnold for USDA-ARS, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Swat is a comprehensive model that requires a diversity of information and produce reliable results with a rich dataset at disposal (morphological, soil, climatic, hydrologic data). It enables water balance estimation and models the loading of water, sediments and nutrients from land areas in a watershed or to the stream network from sources not associated with a land area and referred to as point sources, such as treatment plants. i The simulation period covers the years 1999-2006. The model was calibrated for the period 1999-2002 and then validated for the period 2003-2006. The implemented model shows a substantial reliability and accuracy in providing the watershed response in terms of discharge flowing and timing pointing out a rapid rebound on it as a consequence of heavy rainfall events. Statistical tests confirmed the truthfulness of its results. A good correspondence between observed and simulated values can be obtained also regarding nutrients movement and processes even if the available data were not so complete and comparable in terms of nitrogen and phosphorous, and their compounds, concentrations. Surely, the nitrate concentrations found in the monitoring campaigns carried out by the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (ARPA Lazio) are quite well represented by model results. Such a hydrological and nutrient transport simulation model, can be certainly a powerful and reliable tool for water and natural resources planning in order to achieve a rational and prudent management of them taking into account anthropic needs (water demand, agricultural activities, wastewater treatment plants, hydroelectric power production and so on) but also ecosystems preservation (ichthyic life requirements, river Minimum Flow Requirement, biological communities and so on) and economic aspects allowing to evaluate and compare benefits, disadvantages and consequences for each suggested or hypothesized technical solution on watershed. For the particular characteristics and past of Marta basin, the implemented SWAT model can provides an overview of its multifaceted response to climatic and human pressures and also an estimation of the future available water resources quantity and quality. To have a general overview of the whole basin hydrologic behavior, a seawater wedge simulation model has been implemented for the coastal alluvial aquifer of Maremma Laziale applying Sharp_sar code (Santini, 2008) modified version of SHARP (Essaid, 1990). When the width of the transition zone is small relative to the thickness of the aquifer, saltwater and freshwater can be assumed as immiscible fluids separated by a sharp interface and this approach reproduces the general position, shape and behavior of the interface. SHARP model couples the freshwater and saltwater domains through the interfacial boundary condition of continuity for flux and pressure. With a simulation period of 10 years, Sharp_sar model was implemented on Maremma Laziale coastal aquifer and the results show that after of a pumping period of 10 years, saltwater intrusion might occur in the area between Fiora river and Arrone stream. The initial condition was set using the Badon-Ghyben (1889) e Herzberg (1901) laws to place the initial interface between fresh and salt water so that to ensure the model results after 10 years of simulation. ii The interface appears located along the coastline without showing clear signs of intrusive phenomena taking place in the middle and southern part of the coastal aquifer, while a retreat of the fresh water is clear in the northern part of it up to 1.2 km inland, in the area between Fiora river and Arrone stream and then confirming what emerged from the study for the establishment of coastal environmental state "(Chiocchini et al., 2005). Even with several uncertainties on number of existing wells, since it's not mandatory to declare a private well, on pumping amounts and periods the model results point out a supposed critical area with a particular vulnerability to saltwater intrusion phenomena. Other smallest areas in southern part of the coastal aquifer seem to be interested by saltwater intrusion phenomena falling in Tarquinia municipality. Coupling a SWAT model for hydrologic and nutrients transport simulation and investigation with a saltwater interface simulation model, such as SHARP_sar, for the coastal area of this basin, give the opportunity to take into account the several and different aspects and issues connected with the whole watershed behavior and evolution. A correct planning and management of the available natural resources involve a conscientious water bodies exploitation, with respect to habitats and local animal and plants requirements, avoiding saltwater intrusion phenomena and environmental damage, accomplishing people needs, economic, agricultural and tourist development and income, but, above all, ensuring citizens and buildings safety. In the local and actual context, regarding past and present events in the study area, an incisive and suddenly action from government is hoped in order to restore equilibrium conditions and environmental health for watershed. Going on in making information and investigation results available to all the stakeholders and people involved, directly or indirectly, in Marta river basin management, could allow an increase in awareness and consciousness and lead to quickening planning actions and works in a shared and advantageous way for all. Especially with regards to Minimum Flow Requirement, in relation with the water amount deviated for hydroelectric power generation, a rational regulation of the sluice-gates located on Marta river at the exit of lake Bolsena, is needed to ensure ichthyic life and ecosystem preservation together with simple turbines volumes required to correctly working. A multifaceted and integrated approach could certainly be applied in such a complex problem- solving, with the help of hydrologic and nutrients transport simulation models, saltwater intrusion position and movement simulation models and building all the data and results in a GIS platform as to provide a real and concrete Decision System Support.

Alternative
models of differentiated integration with the European Union (EU) discussed in
the context of Brexit might be inspiring for European and Turkish stakeholders
who are concerned with overcoming the deepest crisis in bilateral relations of
recent history. The forthcoming customs union modernization negotiations are likely to
create an opportunity to bring Turkey-EU
relations to a stronger mode of external differentiated integration as in cases
of Norway or Switzerland and fix problems aroused by the current structure of
the customs union. This paper examines Switzerland's case as an alternative model of
integration between Turkey and the EU which can be considered during the
upgrade process. The paper compares and contrasts the Swiss model with the
existing customs union and the European Commission's (EC) two upgrade scenarios
for the customs union which were proposed in December 2016. It lays out
potential advantages and disadvantages of a Swiss model for Turkish-EU
relations in the coming future and argues that Switzerland's "free trade
agreement plus" model provides a better alternative than the current form of the
customs union and the EC's scenarios.

Studies have identified formal volunteer activity as having mental health benefits. This study set out to investigate the role of formal volunteering in the context of psychological flourishing in Scandinavia. Using the European Social Survey conducted in 2006 and 2012, nationally representative cross-sectional data from 7,078 to 7,318 participants aged 15 years and older in Scandinavia were analyzed to assess associations between volunteering and flourishing. The adjusted models for 2006/2012 showed that compared with nonvolunteering, volunteering once per week was associated with twice the likelihood of flourishing—2006: odds ratios (OR) = 2.04 (95 percent confidence interval [CI] = [1.15, 3.62]); 2012: OR = 2.05 (95 percent CI = [1.30, 3.24]). This appeared to be the case across pre- and postretirement age. Volunteering is an activity that not only benefits society but is also associated with optimal mental health in the general population.

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have scarcely been considered in studies on green consumption. Likewise, little attention has been paid to the effects of informational feedback on household energy ICT-related consumption. This paper aims to fill these gaps in the literature. Using microdata from a representative sample of the European Union population, this paper analyzes, in a novel way, whether the provision of information about the energy consumed by online services would make internet users change to a greener ICT consumption behavior. To assess this issue, Heckman type selection models are estimated. The results show that people's concerns about environmental problems, their environmental activism and self-perceived efficacy as consumers are directly related to the influence that information provision exerts. We also find that frequent internet users and those with better digital skills are more willing to change their online behavior if given information on energy consumption.

Defence date: 23 May 2017 ; Examining Board: Prof. Hans-W. Micklitz, European University Institute (EUI Supervisor); Prof. Stefan Grundmann, European University Institute; Prof. Daniela Caruso, Boston University; Prof. Kim Talus, University of Helsinki and University of Eastern Finland ; This thesis analyses the impact of the European Integration Project on private law. While the impact of EU law on private law throughout negative integration created European Private Meta-law, and throughout positive integration evolved to European Private law, this thesis claims that EU law has recently moved a step further in regulated markets by creating selfstanding European Private law. Self-standing European Private law is a normative system of rules at supranational level in which its semantically rigid legal norms suggests the intrusion of EU law into the private order of contractual parties with minor divergences within and among national legal systems. This analytical model explains the legal phenomenon of intrusion and substitution, which is different than the phenomenon of divergence, what has so far been the main focus of legal scholars in comparative private law and approaches to Harmonization. To define and identify self-standing European private law, this thesis proposes a systematic understanding of EU law from what H.L.A. Hart conceptualizes as the Internal Point of View. It contextualizes the private law dimension of EU energy law through a discussion of primary and secondary rules and, most importantly, the linguistic framework of analytic philosophy. In so doing, this thesis claims the constitutive element of self-standing European Private law takes shapes when EU law, through governance modes of lawmaking and enforcement at the EU level, creates a set of mandatory rules applied to private relationships, of which the semantic texture of its language leaves minor space for divergent interpretation and implementation by legal official and market actors. To prove the emergence of a self-standing European Private Law, EU energy Law is the blueprint to test the claim. The thesis pursues a socio-legal investigation on how the private law dimension of EU energy law has changed over three decades of market integration and affected two key market transactions in energy markets: transmission service contracts in electricity, and natural gas supply contracts.