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Il contributo presenta le conclusioni della prima fase della ricerca sulle catene di appalto (sub-contracting chains), coordinata dalla Confederazione europea dei sindacati (CES). I sei casi-studio svolti hanno mostrato come, nei settori esaminati (l'agroalimentare, le costruzioni, i tra-sporti e l'industria dell'abbigliamento), l'appalto sia divenuto "il" business model, ossia la normale strategia da adottare per diminuire il costo del lavoro e aumentare i profitti, soprattutto quando si partecipa a mercati globali altamente competitivi. Nel contributo vengono illustrate le forme legali e illegali di sfruttamento lavorativo che hanno luogo nelle catene di appalto e ven-gono evidenziate le difficoltà dei lavoratori di organizzarsi collettivamente a causa della fram-mentazione del ciclo produttivo.

The aim of this contribution is to analyse what these strong expectations by EPSU are based on. Did the EU indeed create institutional settings that justify those expectations and, consequently, did the Commission break the “promise”? Moreover, what narratives have coloured these institutional settings and to what extent has this contributed to such expectations? Three obvious narratives can be distinguished. The first narrative relates to the establishment of the social dialogue in historical perspective starting with the Val Duchesse meetings. The second narrative follows the regulatory developments in the field of EU social policy in general, with an emphasis of the roles of the Commission and Social Dialogue in those regulatory mechanisms. This is based on a review of a selected number of key documents dealing with, among others, EU social policy. The third narrative follows the perception of the social dialogue in the doctrine, especially in handbooks on EU labour law. These narratives together have created a kind of epistemic community about how to understand Social Dialogue in general and the relationship between Social Partners and the Commission. Understanding these narratives is important for any contextual as well as teleological interpretation of Articles 154 and 155 TFEU. Furthermore, combined these narratives may also provide insight in why there is apparently a gap between the expectations, of at least EPSU, and the practice that the indication of “broken promise” is given.

The Mediterranean region is facing many challenges, some of which can be addressed by nature-based solutions such as urban forests and green space. However, at best, urban forest research from Mediterranean countries has been only briefly addressed in review papers up to date. This Scopus-based review paper provides first insights into the development of urban forest research in the Mediterranean in the 20-year period from 1996 to 2015. The purpose of the review was to a) analyse distribution of urban forest research in the Mediterranean and identify countries that are forerunners based on the number of publications, b) to analyse distribution of research themes across the Mediterranean and per country, and hence point to research gaps and needs. Researchers from Italy, Turkey and Spain were the most productive in the analysed period. Research is mainly concentrated in the North, while it is scarce to non-existent in South and Eastern Mediterranean countries (excluding Turkey and Greece). Papers dealing with pollution, human health and sociocultural values were the most frequent. Some countries exhibited research specialisation with regard to certain themes. For instance Italian researchers mostly focused on topics related to pollution and urban forest management, the majority of Spanish papers addressed urban forests in the context of human health, while sociocultural values were the main research theme for researchers from Turkey. Papers were analysed also based on research methods, approaches and study locations. Suggested future research includes analysis of the quality of knowledge related to urban forests in the Mediterranean as well as of collaboration between researchers, research institutions and countries.

Journey to Better Health (J2BH), funded by Howard County Health Department, is an innovative health education and social support program that builds partnerships with Faith Based Organizations (FBOs) to empower congregants better manage/prevent chronic diseases and reduce hospitalizations. J2BH offers evidence-based chronic-disease prevention and self-management classes such as National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP), Hype Down and Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP). Enrollees are paired with volunteer community companions for social support. J2BH evaluation assessed program effectiveness and identified strategies for program improvement. Changes in enrollees’ health and behavioral outcomes were quantitatively assessed by exploring trends and associations using pre- and post-program data. Interviews with enrollees, community companions and program staff identified program barriers and facilitators. J2BH signed covenants with 9 FBOs in the first 18 months and screened 426 congregants for eligibility. Of those screened, 62% were pre-diabetic, 68% pre-hypertensive/hypertensive and 75% overweight/obese. 10% of eligible congregants enrolled in NDPP, 9% in Hype Down and 4% in CDSMP. Participants improved health outcomes at program completion. 82% of Hype Down enrollees had a reduction in blood pressure levels. 76% of NDPP enrollees reduced/maintained weight, for an average reduction of 3.6%. For CDSMP, Body Mass Index and blood pressure levels showed improvement. All three groups reported improved self-efficacy. Promising practices included leveraging Howard County General Hospital resources, categorizing FBO partnership levels and customizing outreach and services based on need. Recommendations for process improvement included improved advertising, additional ways to motivate program participation, expanding staff size, and refresher/online training for community companions.