Search

This paper exposes the contradictions and lack of commonality in the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), as well as the wide discrepancy between the European Union’s (EU) human rights rhetoric and exclusionary practices. It examines in detail the Dublin System, which determines the state responsible for processing an asylum claim. This examination demonstrates the differences between an appearance of unity and solidarity on asylum within the EU, but a reality of divergent policies and nationalist approaches to asylum. The failure of countries to fully apply EU law has major negative consequences for asylum seekers and refugees. Finally, the paper explores four possible future directions for the CEAS: disintegration and a return to national asylum systems, strict enforcement of existing EU law, the European Commission’s Dublin IV proposal, or a supranational EU asylum system.

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, accelerated initiatives tocombat terrorism have been criticized for overstepping the bounds of universal human rights norms. A defining feature of European Union (EU) policy as a normative power is how it navigates the customary frictions between human rights and counterterrorism by committing to “combat terrorism globally while respecting human rights, and make Europe safer, allowing its citizens to live in an area of freedom, security and justice.” This paper argues that the threat of transnational terrorism has led Europe to stray from its normative position. This is most clearly understood by examining the securitization of EU interactions with the Mediterranean - particularly North Africa - with regard to migration policy. Migration is considered as “transformed into a key element in the context of transnational threats,” and indeed EU Member States are targeted by Islamist terrorists entering EU soil by way of the Middle East or the Maghreb. Finally, this paper explores how the post-9/11 threat environment - anintensified “global risk society” -has led the EU to downplay its traditional role in ensuring protection of universal human rights through such normative instruments as the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

For the past several decades, the prospect of Turkey’s accession to the European Union has been met with no shortage of obstacles. Turkey had formally applied for candidacy in 1987, but was not granted candidacy status approval by the European Commission until 1999. Furthermore, it has been indicated that the process of Turkey’s accession to the EU will continue until at least 2014. Despite what some describe as both a “long…and torturous” road still ahead, both the Turkey and the EU have remained on the path towards a Turkish EU membership. What are the driving forces behind the accession and what are the future challenges to be faced? Will the overall benefits overcome the acquired and perceived costs? The following paper takes a look at these questions and provides a cost-benefit analysis of Turkey’s accession to the EU from both the perspective of Turkey and the EU member states. It argues that while Turkey and the EU do in fact face many challenges ahead, there are also important advantages that can be expected for both sides from Turkey’s accession. This paper concludes that these advantages constitute the driving forces toward a mutually beneficial Turkish EU membership.

This paper provides an overview of territorial patterns of COVID-19 deaths in four European countries severely affected by the pandemic, Spain, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom. The analysis focuses on cumulated COVID-19 mortality at the sub-regional level, following the territorial subdivision of countries adopted by the European Union. The paper builds upon a dataset with highly granular information on COVID-19 deaths assembled from various sources. The analysis shows remarkable differences in territorial patterns of COVID-19 mortality, both within and across the four countries reviewed. Results somewhat differ depending on the aspect considered (concentration of deaths or mortality rates) but, in general, Italy, France and Spain display significant territorial disparities, with selected sub-regions being disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Instead, the picture is more uniform in the UK, with comparatively lower differences across the various sub-regions. These findings suggest that analyses of COVID-19 mortality at the national level (and, sometimes, even at the regional level) may conceal major differences and therefore be of limited use, both analytically and from an operational viewpoint.

This exploratory study examines the extent to which non-spatial determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) organize themselves in a manner that mimics the spatial proximity of twenty-five Eurasian transition economies. The Kohonen algorithm is used to create a self-organizing map (SOMs) of a data set that features vectors of twenty-one socioeconomic variables. In this analysis, clusters emerge among the Central European, Balkan, Baltic, and Caucasus/Central Asian regions, leaving Russia as a regional outlier. By introducing SOMs to the discussion of FDI and the factors governing its distribution, we demonstrate an untapped utility in the visualization and analysis of economic data. Introduction An interesting development in the transition of Central and Eastern European and Central Asian states (hereafter "transition economies") is the division of the region into groupings by academics and practitioners alike. These sub-regional groupings of countries are made on the basis of divergent initial conditions as well as the extent of political and economic reforms (DeMelo, Denizer, Gelb, and Tenev, 1997). Many of these groupings reflect the spatial proximity of countries (Michalak, 1995), and some of the groups have formally organized themselves as "blocs" in an effort to coordinate their transitions. One example of this is the Visegrad Group (Visegrad Group, 2002), which has initiated collective cultural, economic, and political efforts highlighted by cooperation in European Union (EU) accession talks. Academic researchers have also identified geographic clusters of countries that share certain macroeconomic characteristics. For example, Michalak (1995) subdivided the region into six distinct areas: the Visegrad Four (Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia), the Balkans (former Yugoslavia plus Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova), the Baltics (Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia), Russia, the western ex-Soviet Republics (Belarus and Ukraine), and the southern ex-Republics (the remaining states of South Central Asia and the Caucasus). With the exception of the former Yugoslavia, where fortunes have polarized between Slovenia and Croatia in the north and Bosnia/Serbia in the south, these zones remain coherent in their progress toward market economies and democratic reforms, a pattern that is mimicked by the inflows of FDI. Most interestingly, each of these zones is fairly contiguous in its geography. Perhaps the most consequential grouping of the transition economies is the one defined by the European Union (EU, 2002), as it provides the blueprint for EU expansion during the first decade of the new millennium. The EU reports that the following countries fulfill the political criteria, and are on target to complete the other requirements for accession in 2004: Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia (2). The Commission identifies Bulgaria and Romania as the second tier of candidates, eligible to pursue the goal of 2007 membership. In this paper we attempt to determine the extent to which the distribution of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the region mirrors the geographic clustering of the countries under investigation. We start by removing all geographic references from the analysis, focusing instead on twenty-one non-spatial macroeconomic determinants of FDI. In order to group the transition countries according to their abilities to attract FDI, we employ a Kohonen/Self-Organizing Map (SOM) clustering algorithm. The resulting map shows that the distribution of the determinants of FDI, as well as FDI itself, closely mirrors the geographic clustering of the countries in the region. This result suggests a strong link between geography, FDI inflows, and economic and social conditions of the recipient country, without depicting specific causal relationships. The manner by which the countries are arranged on the self-organizing map in this study is of great interest, with implications for policy and our understanding of differential levels of progress among the transition economies. …

Urban food security in India is a matter of growing concern. It is estimated that by 2005, 60% of India's population will be living in urban areas. The presence of heavy metals in human body always draws scientific concern as these are considered responsible for affecting health, especially in these days where the release of toxic wastes in the environment has been increased. The increasing trends in food contamination in urban areas are largely attributed to the polluted environment in urban agriculture, contaminated food transport and supply chains; poor market sanitary conditions, and the use of contaminated or waste water for irrigation purposes. The objectives of this paper to measure the levels of heavy metal contamination of fruits in Bangalore markets and assess how the heavy metal contamination might have impacted food safety standards vis a vis heavy metals on urban consumers. The results show that urban consumers are at greater risk of purchasing fresh fruits with high levels of heavy metals beyond the legally permissible limits as defined by the Indian Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954. It must be noted here that these norms are less strict than international food safety norms like Codex Alimentarius or European Union standards. It is therefore suggested here that care should be taken in the following: reduce pollution at water source points; improve post harvest handling; enhance better coordination in fresh crops trading system to improve food safety standards; improve sanitary conditions for the city food markets; and increase awareness in consumers and policy makers on the dangers of heavy metal contamination in the food intake. Keywords: Heavy metals; Prevention of Food Adulteration Act; Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) DOI: 10.3126/kuset.v4i1.2880 Kathmandu University Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology Vol.4, No.1, September 2008, pp 17-27

On 27 September 1938, on the eve of his departure for Munich, Neville Chamberlain contemptuously discounted the importance of Czechoslovakia in world affairs. He thought it incredible and fantastic that Britain might find itself entangled in "... a quarrel in a far-away country between people of whom we know nothing!" A year later Poland was overrun and France and Britain were at war with Germany. World War n was under way. Ten years later, the developments in Czechoslovakia once again marked a turning point in world politics. The communist coup in Prague brought a swift response in the West. Within a month's time the Western European Union came into being, and in a little more than a year the North Atlantic Treaty was signed. The movement towards the formation of a West German State and its inclusion in the western de

B EFORE dealing with the positive part of this paper, I would like to clear the ground by making certain assumptions. First, the military, political, and economic consolidation of Western Europe is essential not only for the survival of the Continental countries themselves but also for that of Great Britain. It is one of our most vital interests. Secondly, this consolidation must be within the framework of The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). At the same time NATO is not, in itself and in its present form, a substitute for European Union. This is not merely an individual opinion. It is the opinion of the American President; it is the view of both sides of Congress, as was shown in the Strasbourg debate of November I95I; it is the opinion of the Western European governments and, so far as the European Defence Community (EDC) is concerned, it is the official opinion of the NATO Council (December I952 Resolutions). If we accept this view, there are three courses open to Western Europe

[Abstract] Member countries of European Union, Romania and Spain are implementing EU policies in all fields including trade with other countries or between them. The trade is a sector of activity that has a large internal organization with complexity and significance starting from the activities of distribution to export-import activities. The evolution of economic and social systems of each country can be achieved through trade. The purpose of this paper is to make a comparison between the economic status of Romania and Spain, between the trade conducted by the two countries but also an analysis of commercial relations between them. It will be used in this analysis statistical data provided by the World Trade Organization, the National Institute of Statistics of Romania, the National Statistics Institute of Spain and studies in this regard so far.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the European Union’s (EU) involvement in the protection of cultural diversity, both within and outside the EU, after the entering into force of the Lisbon Treaty, in 2009, and the adoption of the UNESCO Convention of 2005. The author examines whether this involvement can be depicted in concrete measures aiming at the effective internal and external implementation of the provisions of the UNESCO Convention of 2005. The author further seeks to analyse whether the entailed consequences of EU’s actions, including the erosion of the Member State's competences in the cultural field, was translated in concrete measures or if it still remains at the political discourse level.

The double crisis we witnessed last autumn dates back to six months ago, yet it may already be possible to outline a schematic picture of its repercussions on the international organizations in Europe. I shall describe neither the structures of these organizations nor the way they work, but, rather, the political context, which alone permits us to evaluate their potential for action and influence on the European scene. This paper will therefore deal first with the immediate consequences of the Budapest massacres and with the unsuccessful enterprise of the Anglo-French forces in Suez. It will then try to evaluate the present political motivations of the French, British, and German policies, and this will lead to an examination of the political decay of both NATO in Europe and the Western European Union. A cursory glance at what is usually called the European parliaments—already in existence or in the process of being created—will lead us to conclusions in which the Algerian question and the question of German reunification will figure more predominantly than international organizations whose juridical future seems more certain than their political effectiveness.

SUMMARY The researches were made on the machine of fertiliz er distribution MA 3,5, which has a capacity of 3,5 m 3 . It is used for transport and spreading solid chem ical fertilizers. It is tracted by tractor U 650 and is actioned from the p ower prize of tractor and from the right support wheels. This machine is formed of frame with catching equipment, bin, distribution equipment, transmision and mechanisms of adjustment and getting in function. The metal frame is supported by 2 pairs of wheels w ith tires, which afford a big mobility during work to the machine . . The distributor is of centrifugal type, formed of a horizontal disc with 6 pallets with adjusted position. Above the disc is found an adjus ting channel which conducts the material brought by the transporting band to the distributor . In the paper are presented the researches made with the adjustments of this machine, such as: the adjustment of the quantity of distrib uted material depending on the ha doze realized through the change of section of evacuatio n window with the shut off valve ; the adjustment of speed of transporting band through ch anging the transmission report between the motion wheel of machine and that of motion axe of transporting band; the adjustment of pallets on the distribution disc from the medium po sition through the oval holes depending on the distributed material; the adjustment of supply ing channel from above the distribution disc for a proper distribution from it and the disc wall . All these researches were made in order to improve the parameters of functioning of this machine , so that our agriculture to be compet itive with that of European Union.

For the last three years, the United States government and the European Union have been negotiating a Mutual Recognition Agreement for conformity assessment. These negotiations are limited to specific equipment sectors and to conformity assessment. The product sectors that may be included in the Agreement include: telecommunication equipment; pharmaceuticals; medical devices; recreational crafts; and others. The FCC participated in these negotiations for telecommunications and EMC at the request of the US industry, the office of the United States trade representative and the Department of Commerce, who are leading these negotiations for the USG. The agreement, which is expected to be signed by both parties in 1997, will allow for these two sectors, US manufacturers and laboratories, to test and approve in the United States certain telecommunications equipment bound for the European market. Conversely, European manufacturers will be allowed to test and approve in Europe similar equipment bound for the US market. This paper provides an overview of these negotiations from the FCC perspective and outlines a number of the steps the US Government and the FCC must take to implement the agreement.

This report outlines and assesses the substantial shifts in both collective and individual employment law in the United Kingdom since 1979. Against the background of a unique legal tradition and recent labour market trends, the paper summarises the step-by-step strategy of restricting trade union immunities in relation to industrial action, etc. It suggests that many new features, such as compulsory strike ballots will survive a future change in political control. On employee statutory rights the direction of change has been less consistent. Major tensions are apparent between the Conservative Government's deregulatory instincts and both the standard-setting directives from the European Union and significant court judgments on issues such as equal opportunities and equal pay.

Milk is a product of mammary secretions and is an ideal food for children and adults, regardless of age, working conditions and with few exceptions, the state of health. For this reason milk was called "white blood" or "elixir of live" for children and adults. Hygiene indicator is considered the TNG. NSC is the number of somatic cells, which emphasize udder health. This paper presents the centralization of these parameters in Cluj. It also presents to consumers the milk quality situation upon the following parameters: fat%, protein%, impurification grade; inhibitory substances; cryoscopic point. Materials and methods are in accordance with the specific procedures used in the Sanitary and Veterinary Laboratory and for Food Safety, from Cluj-Napoca, like the following: for the determination of the protein content the reference would be SR EN ISO 8968 / 2:2002, for freezing point the reference would be SR EN ISO 5764:2003. The results obtained are reported for the period January 2006 May 2009. Of the total number of samples, the percentage allocation by type of analysis is as follows: for the processing units: from 4529 samples 20% had fat> 3.2, 14% had protein> 3.2, 13% have cryoscopic point C; for the collection centers: from 19,602 samples 17% had fat> 3.2, 17% had cryoscopic point C and 13% had protein > 3.2, 11% had NSC / ml 3.2, 15% had NSC / ml

On November 14 2012, the European Union (EU) issued a proposal toimplement a directive obligating publicly listed companies to meet a 40 percent quota for female representation on their boards of directors by 2020. This proposal is evidence of a break with historically dominant forms of governance employed in the policy areas of employment equality and corporate composition. Accordingly, this paper elucidates the proposed gender quota’s impact on the dominance of three forms of governance employed in the policy areas of employment equality and corporate composition, namely: regulatory, coordination, and Gender Mainstreaming forms of governance. This analysis yields the conclusion that the success of Gender Mainstreaming as the driving force of the proposal also facilitated a shift from coordination towards regulatory forms of governance in the two policy areas. The true significance of these findings has yet to be determined as this proposal may mark either a permanent shift or an historical anomaly in EU governance in the policy areas of employment equality and corporate composition.

thnomusicology today claims to be an independent discipline, independent though closely allied to musicology at large, anthropology, folklore, and possibly also linguistics, psychology, sociology, and even further: literature, history, physics, physiology, and others. In the last twenty years, there has appeared a stream of publications -journals, texts, histories-which underscore this claim to independence, and though some representatives of this field deplore what appears to be a splintering and a tenency to overspecialization, there is no doubt that the amount of material in ethnomusicology-here I am thinking of raw material for research, published material, as well as human personnel--is now so large that it must be handled in a fashion separate from other disciplines. Furthermore, while ethnomusicology has often been treated as a subdivision of musicology, anthropology, or folklore, this association has not always supplied the methodological integrity required, nor has it made possible the kind of relationship between raw material and methodology which is desirable. The need for reference tools in ethnomusicology is one of today's important problems. I should like to survey some of these needs, not necessarily with the idea of stimulating immediate action, for some of the tools I contemplate can certainly not be manufactured for decades to come. But I want to focus attention on the fact that the amount of published material and of knowledge in ethnomusicology is today so large that reference works of various sorts are badly needed and should be planned. It is at this point that the bibliographic and classificatory skills of the librarian could be of great value to the ethnomusicologist. I should like to discuss briefly bibliographic tools, source catalogs, dictionaries, and encyclopedic works. Bibliographic control of ethnomusicological publications has always been difficult. Articles and essays appear in the media of many different disciplines, and materials useful for research are sometimes in the disguise of casual travel reporting and general entertainment. The lack of definite boundaries for ethnomusicology is also problematic; are we to include the music of primitive cultures only, or also the music of Oriental high cultures? And how about folk music? In this paper I should like to make the definition as broad as possible. But this problem stood in the way of Jaap Kunst, the third edition of whose Ethnomusicology (The Hague, 1959), is certainly the best attempt at bibliographic control of the field. Kunst comes close to being exhaustive in material on primitive music, except for what may have appeared in the Soviet Union and in other Eastern European countries. On Oriental music he is also very inclusive, but in the field of European and New World folk music he admittedly covers only some of the more important works. Kunst's third edition also constitutes a beginning of a Western European union list of ethnomusicological publications. Most ethnomusicologists will probably be satisfied with Kunst's listing as a standard bibliography, except for folk music. The problem now is to establish control of currently appearing materials, for especially in Eastern Europe and Asia the amount of publication is increasing. Our journal Ethnomusicology, makes a brave attempt to present current bibliography, but it is dependent on random contributions by subscribers. Music Index now indexes regularly some of the periodicals devoted primarily to ethnomusicology. But a large number of publications is still omitted, since ethnomusicology is not the primary aim of Music Index. What is needed, evidently