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Six taxonomic errors and one relevant taxonomic change were discovered after publication of "Mislabelling may explain why some prohibited invasive aquatic plants are still being sold in Belgium" Van den Neucker T, Scheers K. 2022. Knowl Manag Aquat Ecosyst 423: 8. This corrigendum lists the changes that need to be made in the paper and in Appendices A and B. The authors state that this does not change the scientific conclusions of the paper in any way. Corrected versions of Appendices A and B are made available as supplementary material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

City diplomacy is a rapidly growing and increasingly researched phenomenon, but to date most research has focused on major cities and eye‐catching city networks. This paper extends this literature by examining city diplomacy practices in Flanders, Belgium, a region defined by its many mid‐sized and smaller cities. Drawing on a combination of an exploratory survey and indepth interviews, five main themes are discussed: (i) internal organization, (ii) bilateral city diplomacy, (iii) multilateral city diplomacy, (iv) strategies and (v) motivations. We conclude that Flemish cities' city diplomacy broadly align with international trends, with their approaches increasingly centred on economic and financial motives. However, while some of the larger cities join a range of formal city networks to gain policy inspiration and international visibility, smaller cities' opportunities are much more limited and their main goal is often to get involved in projects that are funded by the European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Member States of the European Union pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80–95% by 2050. Shallow geothermal systems might substantially contribute by providing heating and cooling in a sustainable way through seasonally storing heat and cold in the shallow ground (<200 m). When the minimum yield associated with the installation of a cost-effective aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system cannot be met, borehole thermal energy storage, relying mostly on the thermal conductivity of the ground, is proposed. However, for large-scale applications, this requires the installation of hundreds of boreholes, which entails a large cost and high disturbance of the underground. In such cases, ATES systems can nevertheless become interesting. This paper presents a case study performed on a Ghent University campus (Belgium), where the feasibility of ATES in an area with a low transmissivity was determined. The maximum yield of the aquifer was estimated at 5 m3/h through pumping tests. Although this low yield was attributed to the fine grain size of the aquifer, membrane filtering index tests and long-term injection tests revealed that the clogging risk was limited. A groundwater model was used to optimize the well placement. It was shown that a well arrangement in a checkerboard pattern was most effective to optimize the hydraulic efficiency while maintaining the thermal recovery efficiency of the ATES system. Hence, for large-scale projects, efficient thermal energy storage can also be achieved using a (more cost-effective) ATES system even in low-permeability sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the linkage of survey data to health administrative data has increased. This offers new opportunities for research into the use of health services and public health. Building on the HISlink use case, the linkage of Belgian Health Interview Survey (BHIS) data and Belgian Compulsory Health Insurance (BCHI) data, this paper provides an overview of the practical implementation of linking data, the outcomes in terms of a linked dataset and of the studies conducted as well as the lessons learned and recommendations for future links. Individual BHIS 2013 and 2018 data was linked to BCHI data using the national register number. The overall linkage rate was 92.3% and 94.2% for HISlink 2013 and HISlink 2018, respectively. Linked BHIS-BCHI data were used in validation studies (e.g. self-reported breast cancer screening; chronic diseases, polypharmacy), in policy-driven research (e.g., mediation effect of health literacy in the relationship between socioeconomic status and health related outcomes, and in longitudinal study (e.g. identifying predictors of nursing home admission among older BHIS participants). The linkage of both data sources combines their strengths but does not overcome all weaknesses. The availability of a national register number was an asset for HISlink. Policy-makers and researchers must take initiatives to find a better balance between the right to privacy of respondents and society's right to evidence-based information to improve health. Researchers should be aware that the procedures necessary to implement a link may have an impact on the timeliness of their research. Although some aspects of HISlink are specific to the Belgian context, we believe that some lessons learned are useful in an international context, especially for other European Union member states that collect similar data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Digital de Derecho Administrativo is the property of Universidad Externado de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Historia i Polityka is the property of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper provides a comprehensive quantitative assessment of the employment performance of first- and second-generation immigrants in Belgium compared to that of natives. Using detailed quarterly data for the period 2008–2014, we find not only that first-generation immigrants face a substantial employment penalty (up to − 30% points) vis-à-vis their native counterparts, but also that their descendants continue to face serious difficulties in accessing the labour market. For descendants of two non-EU-born immigrants the social elevator appears to be broken. Indeed, estimates suggest that their employment performance is no better than that of their parents (whose penalty averages 19% points). Immigrant women are also particularly affected. While they are all found to face a double penalty because of their gender and origin, for women originating from outside the EU the penalty is generally even more severe. Among the key drivers of access to employment, we find: (1) education (especially for second-generation immigrants from non-EU countries), and (2) proficiency in the host country language, citizenship acquisition, and (to a lesser extent) duration of residence for first-generation immigrants. Finally, estimates suggest that around a decade is needed for the employment gap between refugees and other foreign-born workers to be (largely) suppressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Healthcare literature suggests that leadership behavior has a profound impact on nurse work-related well-being. Yet, more research is needed to better conceptualize, measure, and analyse the concepts of leadership and well-being, and to understand the psychological mechanisms underlying this association. Combining Self-Determination and Job Demands-Resources theory, this study aims to investigate the association between engaging leadership and burnout and work engagement among nurses by focusing on two explanatory mechanisms: perceived job characteristics (job demands and resources) and intrinsic motivation. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 1117 direct care nurses (response rate = 25%) from 13 general acute care hospitals in Belgium. Validated instruments were used to measure nurses' perceptions of engaging leadership, burnout, work engagement, intrinsic motivation and job demands and job resources. Structural equation modeling was performed to test the hypothesised model which assumed a serial mediation of job characteristics and intrinsic motivation in the relationship of engaging leadership with nurse work-related well-being. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit of the measurement model. The findings offer support for the hypothesized model, indicating that engaging leadership is linked to enhanced well-being, as reflected in increased work engagement, and reduced burnout. The results further showed that this association is mediated by nurses' perceptions of job resources and intrinsic motivation. Notably, while job demands mediated the relationship between EL and nurses' well-being, the relationship became unsignificant when including intrinsic motivation as second mediator. Conclusions: Engaging leaders foster a favourable work environment for nursing staff which is not only beneficial for their work motivation but also for their work-related well-being. Engaging leadership and job resources are modifiable aspects of healthcare organisations. Interventions aimed at developing engaging leadership behaviours among nursing leaders and building job resources will help healthcare organisations to create favourable working conditions for their nurses. Trial Registration: The study described herein is funded under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme from 2020 to 2023 (Grant Agreement 848031). The protocol of Magnet4Europe is registered in the ISRCTN registry (ISRCTN10196901). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2021, the federal government of the United States expanded a set of income transfers that led to strong reductions in child poverty. This research note uses microdata from more than 50 countries and U.S. data spanning more than 50 years to place the 2021 child poverty rate in historical and international perspective. We demonstrate that whether using the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), relative poverty measures, or an absolute poverty measure, the U.S. child poverty rate in 2021 was at its lowest level since at least 1967. The U.S. tax and transfer system reduced the 2021 SPM child poverty rate by more than 75% relative to the pre-tax/transfer child poverty rate; this reduction was three times the mean reduction effect between 1967 and 2019. These policy changes improved the country's standing from having a relative poverty rate twice that of Germany's in 2019 to the same as Germany's in 2021. Moreover, the U.S. progressed from reducing child poverty at less than half the rate of Norway in 2019 to a rate comparable to Norway in 2021. However, the U.S. success was temporary: after the expiration of the 2021 income provisions, the child poverty rate doubled and returned to being higher than in most other high-income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Persisting high poverty and social exclusion rates remain a key challenge of European welfare states. The socio-economic consequences following the COVID-19 crisis are challenging the protection of social citizenship and social rights of the most vulnerable. We examine the role of the European Union (EU) in supporting the most vulnerable citizens by focusing on the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD). Our key question is, if and in which ways the EU strengthens social citizenship and social rights through FEAD. We base our analysis on a document analysis of the Regulation, Member States' operational programmes and results of a survey with food aid organizations in Belgium, Lithuania and Portugal. Our findings suggest that FEAD represents a contradictory case of European action in the field of social citizenship and social rights. On the one hand, FEAD is a highly targeted social policy instrument. On the other hand, food aid, as the main provided instrument, is based on charity and not on social rights. Accompanying social inclusion measures could support beneficiaries in the take-up of social rights, but these measures lack clear rules for implementation and monitoring. We conclude that FEAD seems to contribute to the institutionalization of charitable food aid within national welfare systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2022, Europe experienced unprecedented citizen mobilizations to help Ukrainian refugees. Based on two parallel lines of scholarship, we examined individual prosocial dispositions and superordinate identities related to intentions to help Ukrainians. Employing a French‐speaking student sample in Belgium (N = 374), in Study 1, we showed that dispositional prosociality and European identification were both positively related to intentions to help Ukrainians. An interaction qualified these main effects, so that highly prosocial European identifiers were particularly willing to help. With a nationwide quota sample of the French‐speaking population in Belgium (N = 371), in Study 2, we identified two processes mediating the relationship of dispositional prosociality and European identification with intentions to help Ukrainians. On the one hand, dispositional prosociality was positively related to empathy with Ukrainians, which in turn predicted participants' helping intentions. On the other hand, European identification was positively related to both empathy and identity fusion with Ukrainians, which further predicted participants' helping intentions. Overall, these findings suggest that individual prosocial dispositions and superordinate identities represent two cumulative pathways to intergroup helping. Concluding, we discuss common and specific processes related to intentions to help Ukrainians, compared with other refugee groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Constitutionally, Belgium represents the most extreme case of regional entities wielding power over EU external trade policymaking. Formally, the Flemish, Walloon and Brussels regions can wield veto power over Belgian positions. Yet, only once has a Belgian region actually made use of this capacity, when Wallonia temporarily blocked the conclusion of the EU trade agreement with Canada in 2016 (CETA). We show that political actors – legislative and executive – could only activate this constitutional possibility in conjunction with other necessary conditions: a high degree of societal mobilization and, above all, inter-party competition across different levels of government. As the Walloon Parti Socialiste seized the moment, it reinforced the paradox of weakness and strengthened the EU's trade bargaining power towards Canada. We finish by discussing the spill-over effects of the 2016 CETA episode into the shaping of future EU trade policies, as well as into future intra-Belgian EU policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problems with aphids in small grain cereals, either direct by feeding, or indirect by transmission of Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus, are expected to increase due to climate change and a recent ban on neonicotinoid seed treatments by the European Union. Moreover, insecticide resistance against pyrethroid insecticides is reported at multiple locations throughout the world. Therefore, a better understanding of cereal aphid population dynamics and increased attention towards an integrated pest management is needed. In this study, cereal aphids were monitored on 193 maize and small grain cereal fields throughout Flanders, Belgium. The population dynamics and species distribution were observed throughout the year and the effects of spatio-temporal variables were explored. A significant negative effect was found of grassland in a 1,000 m radius and a positive effect of grain maize in a 3,000 m radius around a small grain cereals field on the maximum infestation rate with aphids in autumn within this field. In a 3,000 m and 5,000 m radius, a significant positive effect of grain maize and a significant negative effect of other small grain cereals was found on the maximum infestation rate during the whole growing season within this field. The mean daily average temperature from 118 to 19 d before sowing had a significant positive effect on the maximum infestation rate in autumn. Mean precipitation, wind speed, and humidity from 52 to 26, 46 to 23, and 107 to 13 d before sowing respectively, had a significant negative effect on the maximum infestation rate in autumn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Visionary E-Journal / Vizyoner Dergisi is the property of Suleyman Demirel University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Based on an analysis of gender equality provisions in national collective agreements, this article investigates the influence of European Union (EU) gender and macro-economic policy on gender equality outcomes in Belgium since the signature of the Treaty of Rome in 1957. We show that, over time, EU gender equality policies have led to the adoption of provisions promoting formal gender equality and the integration of women in the labour market. At the same time, EU macro-economic policies have stimulated labour flexibility, promoting part-time work largely filled by women, and imposed wage moderation, which has fundamentally hampered the correction of historical indirect gender discrimination in wages. Overall, EU policies have stimulated the transformation of the conservative male breadwinner model of this coordinated market economy (CME) into a gendered 'one-and-a-half earner' model, a transformation partially enforced through the increased interference of the state transposing EU policies. Our study advances the current literature by pointing to the limitations of prevalent methodologically nationalist explanations of gender equality outcomes in CMEs. More specifically, it shows that the gender equality provisions of national collective bargaining agreements in CMEs cannot be understood independent of EU gender and macro-economic policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Brexit referendum in June 2016 marked a critical point for European integration and has quickly attracted attention from scholars. However, the literature so far has focused on the UK and the EU level, neglecting the symmetric risk exposures and the diverging views around Brexit within the Member states. This article aims at contributing to filling this gap by analyzing to what extent the attention paid to Brexit differs across parliaments in a multilevel setting and whether parties emphasize the same issue across different levels? It relies on a unique database of parliamentary questions in the Belgian (regional and federal) parliaments between 2013 and 2017 and combines social network analysis and a loglinear modeling to analyze how Brexit has been framed and discussed in Belgium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A retrospective material and energy flow analysis of the European flat glass industry over 75 years. • A long-term study of the use of raw materials and energy for architectural glass manufacturing. • A comparative analysis of the intensity and the total emissions of CO 2 resulting from the manufacturing process. • CO 2 emissions fell significantly until the 1980s, but have then levelled off and even increased. • Discussion on measures and research needs to foster decarbonisation through reuse and recycling of glazing. In our built environment, flat glass is an indispensable material. Its production requires the mining of raw materials and the use of fossil fuels and results in the emission of pollutants including CO 2. In Western European countries, these emissions have been the target of a series of energy efficiency measures and emission reduction policies since 1945. Beginning with that year, this article studies the material history of the flat glass industry in Belgium, France and the EU and analyses the evolution of the flows of materials, energy and CO 2 related to the manufacturing process. Based on a retrospective material and energy flow analysis (MEFA), the objective is to assess the environmental footprint of the architectural flat glass sector and to provide an understanding of the socioecological patterns that have shaped its metabolism. Based on an extensive data collection, this paper is the first publication of long-term time series on the manufacturing of architectural glass. The findings reveal two major concerns: on the one hand, energy efficiency measures have weakened ever since the 1990s, despite the tightening of the European environmental policies; on the other hand, the demand for architectural glass in the EU remains particularly high, resulting in a production rate that uses considerable energy and exploits a large amount of raw materials. The relative decoupling of the energy and CO 2 intensities seems to have reached a threshold and has not resulted in an absolute decoupling of environmental burdens from industrial growth. We discuss measures and research needs to support a decarbonisation of the flat glass sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Dual Nutri- & Eco-Scoring system improves nutritional quality of food choices. • But, environmental impact is not improved by dual Nutri-& Eco-scoring system. • Specific dietary recommendation improves nutritional quality and environmental impact. • Improvements are mostly achieved by decreases in consumption of harmful products. The application of Nutri-Score on food products is ubiquitous throughout Europe and studies demonstrating its potential to stimulate healthier food choices are accumulating. At the same time, a strong need exists to evenly harmonize and activate the communication of environmental impacts on food products, in synergy with the Nutri-Score. This raises the question of whether the Nutri-Score could be expanded to an 'Eco-Score' that would similarly encourage environmentally friendly food choices. This paper reports a randomized control trial, in which a representative sample of 805 Belgian consumers was asked to hypothetically buy ingredients for a meal in a small-scale mock-up E-grocery environment. The experiment tested whether a combined Nutri-Score and Eco-Score affected the nutritional quality and environmental impact of consumers' food choices. This effect was compared to general and specific dietary recommendations on the one hand, and to detailed impact tables on the other hand. Since visual distraction often plays a role in informative persuasion, the treatments were evaluated subject to different levels of distraction caused by product images. The average nutritional quality index (NQI) and environmental impact index (EII) of the selected baskets were calculated to evaluate the effects of the manipulations. We find that a joint Nutri-Score and Eco-Score label improves the NQI but not the EII. The general- and specific recommendation as well as the detailed information also improved the NQI. However, the specific recommendation was the only treatment that also improved the EII. The improvements in NQI due to the scores could be explained by a reduced consumption of pork. The improvements in EII induced by the specific recommendation could mainly be explained by a reduction in beef consumption. Only very mild indications were found that product images interfered with the effect of the scores. This study provides some initial evidence and support for the use of dual Nutri-Score – Eco-Score label to induce transitions towards healthier and more sustainable diets. We also find that recommendations outside the classic Front-Of-Package label framework could be a promising way to realize such a transition. However, it remains to be tested whether similar effects occur in real E-groceries and on a longer time scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population growth has determined two different types of urban development: the vertical growth, tending to compactness, and the horizontal one which privileges a more dispersed and sprawled expansion. Those two urban forms have different impacts on environmental sustainability influencing, among others, the microclimate conditions of a city, the energy demand and its economic cost, and the provision of Ecosystem Services. European policies are oriented towards sustainable development of urban areas reducing the environmental footprint and restoring degraded ecosystem through a Green infrastructure deployment. Understanding the urban form, and specifically, the typology of the building form is crucial for policymakers and urban planners to define strategies for a higher degree of sustainability. The lack of data and the heterogeneity of information across Europe on the built form have hindered the operationalisation of European strategies and their downscaling into national or regional policies. The paper aims to fill this gap proposing a methodology based on a cluster analysis that estimates the built form of Belgium at LAU2 level for addressing single specific actions towards environmental sustainability goals. The cluster analysis uses data traditionally surveyed by national censuses, ensuring the replicability of the method for the upcoming 2021 census, and also the opportunity to update it continuously. • Urban form is useful to set environmental sustainability policies. • We provide a methodology to fill the data gap and assess built form at LAU2 level. • The Cluster analysis can approximate built form using a set of available variables. • The research outputs can address the transposition of EU policy into national and regional ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young EU citizens are encouraged to enhance their 'employability' by taking advantage of intra-EU mobility, but, for many, moving to another EU country can instead generate disadvantages in the labour market. Drawing on a qualitative study on the experiences of university-educated young Nordics and southern Europeans working in precarious jobs in Brussels, we examine how their access to income support in the context of mobility shapes their access to financial independence. We argue that the variation in European welfare models regarding young peoples' social entitlements impacts this access in multiple and complex ways. The article advances a tripartite approach that looks at the regulation and enforcement of conditionality of social entitlements on the levels of EU, their country of origin and their country of destination. The analysis shows how, in Belgium, precarious EU migrant citizens are denied access to income support due to the interplay between general welfare conditionality for all claimants and recently reinforced conditionality affecting EU migrant citizens in particular. In these situations, the de-familialising Nordic welfare models showed an aptitude for shielding their young citizens. The young southern Europeans, on the other hand, often had no access to income support in any country, which forced them to choose between family dependency and unfiltered exposure to precarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agroforestry can contribute significantly to carbon sequestration in agricultural lands, as carbon accumulates both in tree biomass and the soil. One of the oldest, yet declining, forms of agroforestry in Europe are hedgerow-bordered fields. An analysis of historical maps of our study area in Belgium shows that 70% of the hedgerow network was cleared since 1960, creating a large number of 'ghost' hedgerows. We selected arable fields next to hedgerows, 'ghost' hedgerows and grass strips to study how hedgerow trees influence SOC stocks and how much of these are still present after hedgerow clearing. SOC stocks to a depth of 23 cm reached up to 81.7 ± 28.8 Mg C ha−1 in hedgerows, storing a considerably larger amount of soil carbon compared to grass strips (56.6 ± 14.5 Mg C ha−1). These built-up stocks were completely gone in 'ghost' hedgerows (57.9 ± 14.1 Mg C ha−1). In the fields adjacent to hedgerows, SOC stocks were only slightly (and insignificantly) increased compared to stocks in fields with grass strips (56.4 ± 6.3 vs 55.6 ± 5.0 Mg C ha−1) with an exponential decay up to 30 m from the margin. This trend was still limitedly detectable in 'ghost' hedgerowbordered fields, however stocks were not elevated anymore (53.9 ± 6.1 Mg C ha−1). Since 1960, 4 957 ± 1 664 Mg C from the soil alone were released back into the atmosphere due to hedgerow removal in the study area. The implementation of a strict hedgerow conservation policy would thus be a highly effective climate change mitigation measure in agricultural landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The peacock butterfly is abundant and widespread in Europe. It used to have a single generation per year: adults born in summer overwintered and reappeared in spring to reproduce. However, recent flight patterns in western Europe show three peaks during the year: a first one in spring (overwintering butterflies), a second one in early summer (offspring of the spring generation), and a third one in autumn. Hitherto, it was unclear whether this third autumn flight peak was a second new generation or consisted of butterflies flying again in autumn after a summer rest. Based on hundreds of thousands of observations and thousands of pictures submitted by naturalists from the public to the online portal 'observation' in Belgium, we demonstrate that Peacocks shifted towards two new generations per year in recent decades. Mass citizen science data has become increasingly important in tracking the response of biodiversity to rapid environmental changes (e.g., climate change). The peacock butterfly is abundant and widespread in Europe. It is generally believed to be univoltine (one generation per year): adults born in summer overwinter and reappear again in spring to reproduce. However, recent flight patterns in western Europe mostly show three peaks during the year: a first one in spring (overwintering butterflies), a second one in early summer (offspring of the spring generation), and a third one in autumn. It was thus far unclear whether this autumn flight peak was a second new generation or consisted of butterflies flying again in autumn after a summer rest (aestivation). The life cycle of one of Europe's most common butterflies is therefore still surprisingly inadequately understood. We used hundreds of thousands of observations and thousands of pictures submitted by naturalists from the public to the online portal observation.orgin Belgium and analyzed relations between flight patterns, condition (wear), reproductive cycles, peak abundances, and phenology to clarify the current life history. We demonstrate that peacocks have shifted towards two new generations per year in recent decades. Mass citizen science data in online portals has become increasingly important in tracking the response of biodiversity to rapid environmental changes such as climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]