Suchergebnisse

The production of biofuels is strongly supported all over the world as a renewable energy source for reducing dependence on the unstable oil market. Bioethanol, the main biofuel produced in the world, is widely used to power vehicles in both the USA and Brazil, but concerns exist in both places regarding its sustainability. In Brazil, it is produced from a by product of the sugar cane industry, while in the USA it is manufactured from food crops. The production of biogas and biodiesel is growing rapidly, but neither has outpaced the production of bioethanol. The European Union (EU) is greatly interested in this issue, and in 2011 adopted an extensive strategy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions related to transport by 60% by the year 2050. In order to achieve this result, the current European transportation system must be transformed. This ambitious goal will require the implementation of complex measures including the reduction of fossil fuels in favor of renewable fuels. This program has various options regarding the development of biofuels (e. g., biogas, bioethanol and biodiesel) and their related technologies, which are still on trial (mainly regarding the bioethanol production), and must also analyze their sustainability from a social and economic standpoint. The paper discusses the use of biofuels for transport in the European setting, and shows that their sustainability may result in relevant negative social effects due mainly to the use of land for energy crops (e.g., change of food price and world food shortage). ; A produção de biocombustíveis é fortemente reconhecida em todo o mundo como uma fonte de energia renovável para reduzir a dependência do mercado instável do petróleo. Bioetanol, o principal biocombustível produzido no mundo, é largamente utilizado para a mobilidade no Brasil, e também nos EUA, mas com diferenças de sustentabilidade, porque no Brasil ele é produzido a partir de um subproduto da indústria de cana-de-açúcar, enquanto nos EUA é fabricado com culturas alimentares. Biogás e biodiesel estão crescendo rapidamente, mesmo que em um nível muito menor do que o bioetanol. A União Europeia (UE) observa este assunto com grande interesse e, há dois anos, adoptou uma ampla estratégia para reduzir em 60% as emissões de dióxido de carbono no setor de transporte, até o ano 2050. A fim de alcançar esse resultado, será necessária a transformação do atual sistema europeu de transportes. A ambiciosa meta implicará em medidas complexas, incluindo a limitação do uso de combustíveis fósseis em favor de combustíveis renováveis. Este programa abre várias possibilidades de desenvolvimento dos biocombustíveis (ou seja, biogás, bioetanol e biodiesel). Para concretizar este avanço, é preciso se desenvolver tecnologias de nova geração em fase de experimentação (principalmente para a produção de bioetanol a partir de resíduos florestais), bem como a análise da sustentabilidade econômica e social desta nova fonte de combustível. Este artigo trata da utilização de biocombustíveis nos transportes no cenário europeu e mostra que a produção de biocombustíveis pode aumentar efeitos sociais negativos relevantes, principalmente ligados ao uso da terra para culturas energéticas em vez de alimentos com efeitos sobre o preço de mercado e da escassez mundial de alimentos. ; The production of biofuels is strongly supported all over the world as a renewable energy source for reducing dependence on the unstable oil market. Bioethanol, the main biofuel produced in the world, is widely used to power vehicles in both the USA and Brazil, but concerns exist in both places regarding its sustainability. In Brazil, it is produced from a by product of the sugar cane industry, while in the USA it is manufactured from food crops. The production of biogas and biodiesel is growing rapidly, but neither has outpaced the production of bioethanol. The European Union (EU) is greatly interested in this issue, and in 2011 adopted an extensive strategy to reduce carbon dioxide emissions related to transport by 60% by the year 2050. In order to achieve this result, the current European transportation system must be transformed. This ambitious goal will require the implementation of complex measures including the reduction of fossil fuels in favor of renewable fuels. This program has various options regarding the development of biofuels (e. g., biogas, bioethanol and biodiesel) and their related technologies, which are still on trial (mainly regarding the bioethanol production), and must also analyze their sustainability from a social and economic standpoint. The paper discusses the use of biofuels for transport in the European setting, and shows that their sustainability may result in relevant negative social effects due mainly to the use of land for energy crops (e.g., change of food price and world food shortage).

It is common today, even in the European media, to treat the current crisis of the European Union almost exclusively as an economic crisis. The present article pretends to show that such a focus is not only wrong but is indeed dangerous for the future development of the European Union as a whole. The article will argue that the present economic crisis simply aggravated – and a lot – a crisis of legitimacy through which the European Union has been passing for some time. Showing that the anti-European tendencies which are spreading throughout the countries of the continent threaten the very future of the European project, the article will make suggestion on reforms for the future development of the EU, alerting to the necessity to finally elaborate once again a coherent argument for the continuation of the European integration process which puts the European population at the heart of the political process instead of just austerity.

Examines ramification of the European Union (EU) Constitution in context of enlargement with ten new members, division of power between the EU and the Member States, and controversy in Portugal on Article 10 no. 1 regarding primacy of European law over national law. Summaries in English p. 142-3.

Today, Europe is living a new decisive time as it has been in its past after World War II, in search of unity in diversity in the name of a peace project to safeguard future. If, on the one hand, Europe expresses aspirations for profound changes in its external environment, in the domestic context, it ends up colliding with aspects linked to sovereignty and human rights; on the other hand, in European foreign policy, the model reveals the search to legitimize its action. Precisely, the objective and the motivation of this study seek, through the qualitative methodology in Political Science, to analyse and understand the current context of the European Union in the international system. In fact, it is identified that this new hierarchy of powers, in the reaffirmation of the Westphalian system, where economic power comes, is bound to consolidate the democratic development between the old and new times of international relations in the destiny of Europe. From the results obtained during the analysis, in order to face again the unpredictability of the world scenario, it is a reality that Europe must promote the re-encounter of an alternative role, in other words, to assume its initial project of European edification in the name of equality of circumstances and rights of its affirmation in the global arena.

Explores issues related to the division of responsibilities between the European Union (EU) and the member states, the European Union Charter on Fundamental Rights, and European cultural heritage. Summaries in English and French p. 332 and 334.

T he European Security & Defence Policy (ESDP) has brought new challenges for the relations between the European Union (EU) & NATO & also for the member states. Portugal has participated in ESDP since the beginning. In order to become a viable policy, ESDP has to develop an effective coordination between the ESDP planning mechanisms & the member states. It also has to create a strategic culture that brings together different member states views on power projection. ESDP must also refrain from damaging relations with NATO while bringing the EU member states into its own mechanisms. Adapted from the source document.

The aim of this article is to identify the priorities of research on culture in the early 21st century within the framework of the European Union (EU). In order to do so, we have extracted the priorities of European programmes and public policy from the main political documents dealing with culture. The EU's funding opportunities have then been identified by analysing the European programmes which provide funds for research on culture and some examples of projects which are already being funded by the EU are also provided. The analysis of both kinds of bibliographic sources makes it possible to deduce what challenges researchers face in the field of culture in the EU. The results of this compared analysis show that new thematic areas form fields of culture in which there are some research niches. Although this article will focus on these new thematic areas, the analysis shows that internalisation and networking, as well as knowledge transfer, are also among the main research priorities according to the main political documents. Consequently, research projects tackling these issues are expected to become of key importance for researchers and will be more likely to find funding through EU programmes in the coming years. ; O objetivo deste artigo é identificar quais são as prioridades da pesquisa sobre a cultura no início do século XXI, no âmbito da União Europeia. Para conseguir isto, as prioridades dos programas Europeus e as políticas públicas são extraídas dos principais documentos políticos relacionados com a cultura. São analisados os programas europeus que financiam projetos culturais e também são fornecidos alguns exemplos de projetos já financiados. A análise dos dois tipos de fontes bibliográficas torna possível a dedução dos desafios enfrentados pelos investigadores hoje em dia no domínio da cultura na UE. Os resultados desta análise de comparação mostram que as novas áreas temáticas são uma das áreas de culturas em que há alguns "nichos de pesquisa". Embora este artigo se focará nas novas áreas temáticas, a análise mostra que a internalização e o networking, bem como a transferência de conhecimentos, também são prioridades de pesquisa. Em outras palavras, deverá haver mais iniciativa nestes campos e projetos de investigação que abordem estas questões, encontrando assim financiamento através de programas da UE nos próximos anos.