Commission Communication Research Articles

Analysis of critical raw materials policy for electrical and electronic equipment: Planning for a truly circular economy

The European Union's objectives under the Green and Digital transitions, are contingent on the decarbonisation of essential sectors such as energy, transportation, and communications. At present, the EU does not have sufficient identified mineral resources, nor processing capacity, to supply many of its strategically defined materials. The success of these objectives hinges on the EU's ability to secure a stable and consistent supply of critical raw materials (CRM). Using a systematic three-part assessment of mandated and non-mandated EU policies, European Commission communications, and a review of CRM, the findings reveal that despite efforts to enhance local supply and diversify foreign sources of CRM, there is a lack of cross-sector coherence across social, economic, and technical aspects of recycling. This is further exacerbated by inefficient retention of waste-hosted critical raw materials. Failure to adopt integrative policy measures may result in the EU's continued dependency on undiversified foreign sources for its supply of critical raw materials, thereby compromising its strategic autonomy as well as the goals of the Green and Digital transitions. Improved design of electrical and electronic equipment and processing of waste from these products could conceivably provide a mechanism for a continuous and retained supply of critical raw materials, culminating in a potentially significant resource stream for the Union. The EU can improve resource efficiency, reduce its dependence on imports, and facilitate a truly circular economy by adopting a comprehensive and symbiotic policy framework that quantifies material resources in waste and that recognises the product design stage as an integral facet of the product recycling stage, herein referred to as “forwardcycling”.

Pekanbaru City General Election Commission (KPU) Communication Strategy to Increase Political Participation of Beginner Voters in the 2024 Presidential Election

Pekanbaru City General Election Commission (KPU) Communication Strategy to Increase Political Participation of Beginner Voters in the 2024 Presidential Election

Legal provisions for the facilitation of the transition to a circular economy in the Polish legal system

The transition to a circular economy (CE) is a priority objective for European Union (EU) Member States. Specifically, this goal is stated in the 8th Environmental Action Programme (which outlines a programme until 2030), the European Green Deal, European Commission communications, and the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC as amended by Directive 2018/851. As a member of the EU, Poland is obliged to align its waste management practices with the CE; this work is reflected in legislative changes related to waste, packaging, and the municipal maintenance of cleanliness and order. This article presents the legal status of the transition to a CE in Poland, including the established legal instruments. The Polish legal system has developed measures to protect the environment, life, and human health by preventing and reducing waste and improving the efficiency of raw material use. Waste management is consistent with the waste hierarchy, with a focus on maximising recovery (material and organic recycling, energy recovery), an extended producer responsibility system, and strict requirements for recovery and recycling rates, with a particular focus on plastic packaging. In Poland, the CE Roadmap—which includes a legislative toolkit on sustainable industrial production, sustainable consumption, bioeconomy, new business models, and CE implementation and monitoring – has been developed for the transformation toward a CE. Poland’s priorities in this regard include: (1) innovation, strengthening cooperation between industry and the scientific sector, resulting in the implementation of innovative solutions in the economy; (2) creating a European market for secondary raw materials, where their movement would be easier; (3) ensuring the high quality of secondary raw materials that results from sustainable production and consumption; and (4) developing the service sector.

Carbon Farming and the Commission Proposal for a Regulation on a Certification Framework for Carbon Removals: a Legal Perspective

Abstract Carbon farming is a term associated with land-based practices, agricultural practices that aim at reducing emissions and sequestering carbon. These are, for example, agroforestry practices and practices that result in the maintenance and enhancement of soil organic carbon through the exploitation of the carbon cycle and the sequestration potential of soils. Given the evident links with climate change mitigation, the subject matter of carbon and carbon removals has seen important developments in the European Union (EU) in the past few years. This has culminated in the adoption of a Commission Communication on sustainable carbon cycles and a Commission Proposal for a Regulation on a certification framework for carbon removals. This contribution is meant to address the content and the potentially problematic aspects of the Commission Proposal from a legal perspective.

The reform of the EU electricity market: An Italian point of view

This article aims to provide a critical analysis of the European Commission communication for a reform of electricity market design, proposed primarily after the energy crisis deriving from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In particular, the present document highlights some reflections for more in-depth analyses of the electricity market modelling trends in response to crisis factors of a purely endogenous nature (e.g. drought, heat waves, a gradual phasing out of electric power generation with regulating capacity and its replacement with intermittent generation, simultaneous stresses) in relation to a profoundly changing ecosystem.

10.C. Round table: EU Global Health Strategy: Mapping European support for improving health and health systems globally

Abstract In November 2022, the European Commission unveiled its new Global Health Strategy. Featuring three cross-cutting priorities, the Strategy calls for the mobilisation of a “wide number of policies to work on a global health agenda” (1). The Strategy also highlights the importance of establishing a “permanent mapping of key measures and financing efforts of the EU and its Member States to better understand what actions are taking place and to allow for tying means to the strategy's priorities”(1). The EU's ongoing actions are already delivering more for health systems globally than one would expect - and it has many policy tools and support instruments which affect Global Health. These instruments vary greatly in their intent and design, with some targeted at strengthening health systems and promoting health and wellbeing, while others contribute to these objectives more indirectly by generating spillover effects. The European Observatory's upcoming policy brief ‘European support for improving health and care systems globally’ aims to unpack the key EU instruments available in policy areas including: • Trade in goods and services • Public investment and fiscal instruments • Official development assistance and humanitarian aid • Solidarity, voice, and multilateralism • Research and training partnerships This roundtable will delve into the main priorities of the Strategy and reflect on upcoming plans for its realisation. Engaging with the audience, the panel will explore the need for transparency, alignment, and coordination of the existing instruments across the different policy areas. It will also discuss opportunities for collaboration between the European level and the EU Member States. This facilitated roundtable discussion will explore how resources such as the Policy Brief can serve as a steppingstone to map and make sense of the diverse range of EU actions relevant for Global Health, in order to maximise synergies, transparency and policy consistency for successful coordination and implementation of the Strategy. (1) EU Global Health Strategy - Better Health for All in a Changing World. Commission Communication COM(2022) 675, https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/eu-global-health-strategy-better-health-all-changing-world_en Key messages • The EU already has more policy instruments with an impact on Global Health than one would expect. • Delivering on the priorities of the new EU Global Health Strategy will require taking stock of ongoing EU actions and forging meaningful synergies for cross-sectoral collaboration. Speakers/Panelists Scott Greer University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA Nicole Mauer European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, Brussels, Belgium Elena Petelos EUPHA-HTA, EUPHA-GH

The European Commission as Political Entrepreneur – The Europe 2020 Strategy

This study deals with the European Commission Communication Europe 2020, which was a direct result of the global economic crisis that began in 2007-2008. The focus is to explore how the Commission gained an extended role as political entrepreneur by launching the Europe 2020 Strategy and turning crisis into a window of opportunity. Europe 2020 was a Commission initiative to deal with the crisis by promoting smart, sustainable and socially inclusive development beyond the narrow scope of economic growth. The Commission addressed the economic crisis as an existential threat to European economy, but also to wealth, health integration and stability. It is argued that the crisis management of the Commission, was, in times of weakened member-state capacities, a result of political entrepreneurship.

Communication strategy in socialising analogue switch off in North Sulawesi

This research delves into the efficacy of the North Sulawesi Broadcasting Commission's communication strategy in facilitating the analogue switch-off programme. The study employs qualitative research methods, utilising in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, and adopts Hafied Cangara's communication strategy framework, based on Laswell's theory , to analyse the Commission's approach. The outcomes reveal that the Commission's communication plan effectively conveyed the intended message to the public. It achieved its objectives of disseminating information and educating the populace about the switch-off process. Nonetheless, the plan could have been further enhanced to better address the diverse needs and concerns of the audience. The findings offer valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with implementing the analogue switch-off programme, especially concerning formulating efficient communication strategies that can effectively reach all segments of Society. By shedding light on these aspects, this research significantly contributes to the broader discourse on digital television and its profound influence on broadcasting policies in Indonesia.

6.C. The revised EU health security framework

Abstract As a response to the pandemic, the Commission's communication of 11 November 2020 proposed building blocks for a European Health Union (EHU) and advocated the strengthening of existing structures and mechanisms for better EU level protection, prevention, preparedness and response against human health hazards. It recommended a reinforced framework for cross-border cooperation against all health threats to protect better human lives and the internal market as well as to maintain the highest standards in the protection of human rights and civil liberties, and a strengthened EU role in international cooperation to prevent and control cross-border health threats and improve global health security. By upgrading the EU health security framework for cross-border health threats, the building blocks of the European Health Union bring greater overall impact while fully respecting the Member States’ competence in the area of health. Concretely, before the end of 2022, two pieces of legislation will have been adopted: the upgrading of Decision 1082/2013/EU and the strengthened mandate of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) that go hand in hand. The new Regulation on serious cross-border threats to health, the overarching legislative piece of the EU Health Union Package, aims at a stronger and more comprehensive legal framework for the Union to better prepare and respond to serious cross-border threats to health and public health emergencies. It better governs actions at Member States and Union level on prevention, preparedness and response, surveillance, risk assessment, and early warning. Further, it ensures better arrangements for joint procurement at EU level. With its revised mandate, the ECDC will be able to issue recommendations to Member States regarding preparedness and response, host a new network of EU reference laboratories and establish an EU Health Task Force for crisis preparedness and rapid public health interventions in case of a major outbreak. The regulation reinforcing EMA's role in crisis preparedness and management of medicinal products and medical devices puts some of the structures and processes established during the COVID-19 pandemic on a permanent footing. EMA is now responsible for monitoring medicine shortages, as well as reporting shortages of critical medicines during a crisis. It will also coordinate responses of EU / EEA countries to shortages of critical medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics in crises. The EU Health Security Framework will link up to IHR (where EU is requesting to become a contracting party) and the pandemic treaty, and the parallel developments to improve pandemic preparedness and response in G7 and G20 framework (also new global health strategy). The revised legislation addresses the weaknesses evidenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and support actions that can be financed via the EU4Health programme and other EU funding instruments. DG SANTE and ECDC will present the new legislation; two Member States will share their views on the newly adopted legislation. HaDEA will present the funding opportunities through EU4Health to support the implementation of th e two new legislation. Speakers/Panellists Ingrid Keller European Commission, Luxembourg, Luxembourg Florina Telea European Commission, Brussels, Belgium

Coverage and Performance Evaluation of VHF and UHF Electric Field Strength Distribution in Urban Area of Ilorin, Nigeria

This paper evaluated the coverage and performance of VHF and UHF signal level from two different transmission stations in the urban area of Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. The performance characteristics of the two bands are of special importance regarding coverage and quality requirements. Effective communication links require direct line of sight; however, this cannot be achieved in a build-up areas where obstacles are present along the communication paths, which in turns result in signal strength degradation. In this work, the signal strength and performance of Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), Ilorin, and Kwara State Television (KWTV) were investigated along some six selected routes. The measurement was taken with a spectrum analyzer. Global positioning system (GPS) device was used to measure the coordinates between the transmitter and receiver during measurement. Microsoft Excel software was used to show the graphical variation of the field strength. Furthermore, the result obtained reveal the performance of the two transmitting stations under National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Federal Communication Commission (FCC) thresholds, the highest percentage coverage recorded from the two stations along route 3 are 66.48% for VHF and 6.92% for UHF. The need for repeater stations was suggested to routes with poor coverage so as to improve the signal quality based on NBC standard.

RUSSIAN AND NORTHERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES COOPERATION IN DEVELOPING ARCTIC TOURISM

The Arctic as a territory of strategic presence is in the field of close attention of many players in the geopolitical and international economic arena. The Arctic tourism development over the past 15 years is due not only to the influence of business, social and cultural factors, as well as the growing interest of consumers to get a unique experience of travel to northern tourism destinations but is also associated with the development of global economic processes and diplomatic relations, which determine successful bilateral cooperation in interdepartmental and intergovernmental level. Multilateral cooperation and the implementation of jointly adopted tourism development programs within the framework of the activities of international organizations are also of great importance. With the restrictions on international and domestic travel in two recent years, the global tourism market entered a crisis state, which affected the dynamics of tourist arrivals in the Arctic and slowed down this development. The author, drawing attention to the current bilateral and intergovernmental agreements on cooperation in tourism between Russia and the Nordic countries and the Plan of significant events in connection with Russia's chairmanship in the Arctic Council in 2021–2023 proposes to support a peaceful and friendly policy of good-neighbourliness and cooperation in matters of sustainable tourism development in the Arctic, despite the claims of the European Union for interference in Arctic affairs, which were reflected in the European Commission's Joint Communication dated October 13, 2021.

60 Years of Harmonization Initiatives on Corporate Taxation

In this article, the author outlines the trajectory of corporate taxation harmonization initiatives over the past 60 years, from the 1962 Neumark Report to the May 2021 Commission Communication on Business Taxation. She concludes that the key to further harmonization is the Commission’s ability to seize on political momentum resulting from international events, rather than producing comprehensive reports in the area of direct taxation or watering down the unanimity requirement.

Territorial Conflict, Domestic Crisis, and the Covid-19 Pandemic in the South Caucasus. Explaining Variegated EU Responses.

Territorial Conflict, Domestic Crisis, and the Covid-19 Pandemic in the South Caucasus. Explaining Variegated EU Responses.

The General Election Commission (KPU) Communication Model in Increasing Voter Participation in the Election of the Governor of Sumut 2018 in Labuhanbatu Selatan District

This study aims to find out The General Election Commission (KPU) Communication Model in Increasing Voter Participation in the Election of the Governor of Sumut 2018. This research is included in qualitative research. Qualitative research is a social research which fundamentally relies on observing humans in their own domain and relating to those people who seek toreveal actual facts / phenomena that occur in the field. Based on the results of research that has been carried out with the title "Communication Model of the General Election Commission (KPU) in Increasing Voter Participation in the 2018 North Sumatra Governor Election in South Labuhanbatu Regency", the researchers concluded as follows: The General Election Commission of South Labuhanbatu Regency will collect data on the List of Candidates for Permanent Voters who will be given outreach. The General Election Commission of South Labuhanbatu Regency conducts outreach for novice voter candidates in high school equivalent to students who are already in class XII The General Election Commission of South Labuhanbatu Regency carried out the dissemination of the Governor Election to Farmers and Fishermen Communities. The General Election Commission of South Labuhanbatu Regency Strengthens the Synergy of the General Election Commission (KPU) with Local Community Organizations (Ormas). The General Election Commission of South Labuhanbatu Regency conducted socialization through audio and visual media. The General Election Commission of South Labuhanbatu Regency uses the Question and Answer method, the community asks questions related to procedures and so on then the officer answers or vice versa .

Eighty-six EU policy options for reducing imported deforestation

Eighty-six EU policy options for reducing imported deforestation

ЭТИКА ИСКУССТВЕННОГО ИНТЕЛЛЕКТА В РАЗВИТИИ ПРАВОВЫХ СИСТЕМ СОВРЕМЕННОСТИ

The review examines the ethical aspects of the use of artificial intelligence systems and their legal regulation both at the international legal level and in individual countries and jurisdictions. The key provisions of the EU General data Protection Regulation (GDRP) 2018 and other EU documents are analyzed, in particular, the resolution on civil Law Rules on Robotics 2017 of the European Parliament and the European Commission's communication on Artificial Intelligence for Europe 2018, as well as issues of legal regulation of AI ethics in China, the United States, and other countries.

EU Rule of Law: The State of Play following the Debates Surrounding the 2019 Commission’s Communication

In this paper we analyze the state of the debate on the Rule of Law challenges and developments in the European Union leading to the release of the 2019 Commission Communication ‘Strengthening the Rule of Law: A Blueprint for Action’ and provide a detailed assessment of the Communication itself. We explain why the shortsighted approach of the Commission gives rise to worry. All the boxes seem to be ticked during this discussion and reflection exercise, many a conclusion are drawn; yet, the outcome has seemingly brought the Commission nowhere.

Data for characterizing human exposure to chemicals and their contribution to human diseases: IPCHEM, HBM4EU

Abstract Human exposure to chemicals can occur via different sources and routes. Understanding the (combined) exposure to chemicals is often hampered by a lack of data or difficulties in sharing data. This was recognized in the Commission Communication on Chemical Mixtures (252, 2012) and the Information Platform on Chemical Monitoring (IPCHEM) was developed. The aim of IPCHEM is to support a coordinated approach for collecting, storing, sharing and assessing data on the occurrence of chemicals and chemical mixtures in humans and the environment. IPCHEM covers four thematic areas to support a holistic approach to exposure assessment, including human biomonitoring, environmental monitoring, food and feed monitoring and indoor air and consumer products. The shared occurrence data support exposure assessment, the identification of sources and hot spots, the analysis of time trends and can also support the evaluation of the impact of regulatory measures to restrict exposure to specific chemicals. In particular, human biomonitoring data can provide insights into internal combined exposure, integrating across different exposure sources and routes. The ongoing EU funded project HBM4EU generates and uses human biomonitoring to assess human exposure to chemicals in Europe, to better understand the associated health impacts and to improve chemical risk assessment. Associations between chemical exposures and development of disease can be further supported using toxicological/mechanistic information to establish causal links. The presentation will focus on relevant types and sources of data available to support health impact assessments of chemical exposure.

The Noble or Sour Wine: European Commission’s Competing Discourses on the Main CAP Reforms

AbstractIn this article, we apply discourse analysis to the European Commission's Communications on reforms of the European Union's Common agricultural policy (CAP). The results of the historical discourse analysis of the European Commission’s strategy documents in the form of Communications on the CAP from 1991 to 2017 showed that the discourse was a hybrid, modified according to the specific political economic context and the European Commission’s need to justify the CAP reforms. In the first two Communications of 1991 and 1997, the neomercantilist and neoliberal discourses dominated to justify the reduction of market price support. In the Communications of the 2000s the neoliberal and multifunctionality discourse dominated to justify further CAP reforms based on decoupling and liberalisation of support. In the last Communication from 2017 the multifunctionality discourse in populist form prevailed to find the new societal argumentation for maintaining the policy.

EU level actions and instruments to support the implementation of integrated care

Abstract Issue/Problem The significance of integrated care as a means for improving health outcomes and the effectiveness and sustainability of health and care systems is acknowledged in several policies at national and EU level, for example: the European Commission’s Communication on effective, accessible and resilient health systems, the 2017 European Semester: Communication on Country Reports, the Joint Report on Health Care and Long-Term Care Systems and Fiscal Sustainability by the European Commission and the Economic Policy Committee, the Companion Report 2017 of the State of Health in the EU and the most recent Commission Communication on the digital transformation of health and care in the Digital Single Market. As such, there may be no doubt about whether one needs to transform the health and care model and move to integrate care, but the question is how to design and implement integrated care successfully. One pre-condition for this to happen, is for health authorities to have adequate capacity and relevant know-how. Results The European Commission aims at assisting Member State authorities at national, regional and local levels to fulfil this pre-condition and proceed with their health system reforms. There is a number of instruments, initiatives and funding support to raise the capacity of national and regional healthcare authorities to adopt and scale up integrated care. Lessons There is an increasing demand and need to provide support and assistance to Member states to drive the transformation of healthcare systems towards more coordinated, integrated and sustainable healthcare systems.