Control In Europe Research Articles

Narrating Difficult Histories: Interwar Border Crossing in Evelyn Waugh’s Vile Bodies (1930) and Christopher Isherwood’s Down There on a Visit (1962)

ABSTRACT The interwar border crossings in Vile Bodies (1930) and Down There on a Visit (1962) reveal difficult and often lost histories of violations of freedom of expression and persecutions of sexual minorities. Drawing on archival material, including literary manuscripts and historical British Government records, to shed new light on the two novels, this essay demonstrates how border controls in Europe attracted urgent attention in the shadow of war and how customs, at the forefront of national security, were consequently relied upon as an ever crucial institution responsible for protecting the nation states and their citizens from “undesirable aliens”. Waugh and Isherwood criticised the injustice and violence of the border control policies and practices that failed to balance the self-interest of the nation states and humanitarian concerns. Narrating the difficult histories of the shadow of the shadow and experimenting with comedy and satire to narrate violence, both writers themselves crossed borders.

EUROPEAN UNION COMPETENCES IN THE AREA OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES – EXPERIENCES AND LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE COVID-19 CRISIS

In the European Union, healthcare and public health are mostly within the competence of Member States. Still, in a number of sub-domains, coordination between Member States led to the adoption of legislation that formed the healthcare acquis, together with a whole set of programs and initiatives aimed at improving public health within the Union. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) was formed in 2004 to help EU institutions and Member States identify and assess the risk of current and emerging threats to human health from communicable diseases. At the end of July 2020, Member States reached a general agreement on the recovery plan, but the final agreement had not been adopted by the end of the year. On the other hand, in the spring of 2020, EU launched a global action for universal access to tests, treatments and vaccines against coronavirus and for global recovery, while in October 2020, it presented the strategies on vaccine allocation and additional Covid-19 response measures. In November 2020, a new framework was proposed for the improvement of the response to cross-border health threats, as well as for the expansion of the role of EU agencies – ECDC and the European Medicines Agency, related to coordination of preparedness measures and response to public health threats. This initiative came within a wider proposal entitled “European Health Union”. Hence, soon after the crisis broke out, different initiatives were launched to improve the institutional system for communicable disease control in Europe and assistance provided to the Member States. Still, these changes remain within the framework prescribed in the contracts and keep the responsibility, for the most part, at the level of Member States with the possibility of EU assisting, coordinating and helping the Member States in the situations that exceed their capacities; they also emphasize that the main role of the Union can and should be in the field of economic assistance, which is what the unique proposed assistance package has shown.

Основные шаги на пути к контролю за вооружениями в Европе

The purpose of this article is to analyze and prepare specific recommendations on key, but still unresolved, topical issues of arms control in Europe. The recommendations, in particular, include the further prevention of the deployment of new medium- and shorter-range missiles, non-strategic ("tactical") nuclear weapons, as well as the identification of prospects for limiting the conventional arms race and issues of means to prevent dangerous military incidents. In this regard, the article analyzes a promising set of measures for creating a mutual system of European security and resolving a number of key problems in this area through the prism of the issues of the INF Treaty, TNW and other international documents and treaties, suggests concrete steps and ways of effective implementation in this direction. The article used systematic, retrospective, comparative, hermeneutic methods of scientific research. The novelty of the approach lies in the fact that the article does this in the context of an analysis of the aggravation of the situation around Ukraine, its attempts to join NATO and Russian demands to the United States and NATO on the need for legally binding guarantees of mutual security made in November-December 2021. The six concrete steps proposed by the authors towards arms control in Europe, as well as a set of measures in the field of limitation and reduction of conventional weapons in Europe, consisting of twelve points, are also innovative. The authors focus on the need to reduce the number of non-strategic nuclear warheads and their placement, eliminate certain classes of non-strategic nuclear weapons, exchange information on the types and number of delivery systems of non-strategic nuclear warheads, formalize obligations not to dock non-strategic nuclear warheads with their delivery systems, as well as obligations not to exceed the aggregate limit on non-strategic and non-deployed strategic warheads, conduct periodic mutual on-site inspections. The authors see promising measures to create a flexible and constructive security architecture in the European region in the intensification of both diplomatic and military dialogue between Russia and NATO, in the formation of legally fixed measures to prevent the threat of mutual military clashes, in the resumption of joint work on cooperation in airspace and in marine areas, in the development of new procedures for de-escalation military incidents and conflicts. The practical and theoretical significance of the work lies in the systematic analysis of a set of important security measures on the European continent after a fundamental change in the world security system, including the termination of almost all international arms control agreements. This was especially relevant already at the beginning of 2022 in the situation of Russia conducting a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine and increasing the likelihood of a military nuclear conflict between Russia and NATO.

Cancer outcome research - a European challenge Part II: Opportunities and priorities.

In Part I of our review of cancer outcome research, we analysed pros and cons of various measures relevant to quantifying the burden of cancer. Based on our recommendations in Part I, we now discuss in Part II opportunities and priorities in four areas of outcome research: primary prevention; early detection screening; treatment; and quality‐of‐life assessment. We recommend the establishment of an infrastructure that facilitates high‐quality research in these areas: (a) progress in primary prevention can be assessed most directly by monitoring cancer incidence although the interpretation of temporal trends is notoriously confounded by numerous factors that complicate causal inference. (b) preventive screening, with the aim to prevent advanced disease, appears to work well in in some tumours but not in others. It will require randomized control trials (RCTs) to quantify benefits and harms although conclusive studies are increasingly difficult to undertake. We therefore propose learning screening programmes (randomization at the time of rolling out population‐based programmes) as the most feasible approach. (c) New therapeutic interventions tailored to the individual patient often require assessment in RCTs with rather complex and dynamic structure, making their design and analyses increasingly challenging but also more suited to be executed as academic, PI‐initiated trials. (d) We next discuss assessment of quality‐of‐life aspects. Quality of life is a neglected component in outcome research with an urgent need for development, validation and standardization. We finally recommend four initiatives that would pave the way for a valid and informative assessment of the goals for improved cancer control in Europe as defined by the European Academy of Cancer Sciences.

Population genetic structure of raccoons as a consequence of multiple introductions and range expansion in the Boso Peninsula, Japan

The raccoon (Procyon lotor) is an invasive carnivore that invaded various areas of the world. Although controlling feral raccoon populations is important to reduce serious threats to local ecosystems, raccoons are not under rigid population control in Europe and Japan. We examined the D-loop and nuclear microsatellite regions to identify spatially explicit and feasible management units for effective population control and further range expansion retardation. Through the identification of five mitochondrial DNA haplotypes and three nuclear genetic groups, we identified at least three independent introductions, range expansion, and subsequent genetic admixture in the Boso Peninsula. The management unit considered that two were appropriate because two populations have already genetic exchange. Furthermore, when taking management, we think that it is important to monitor DNA at the same time as capture measures for feasible management. This makes it possible to determine whether there is a invasion that has a significant impact on population growth from out of the unit, and enables adaptive management.

Tackling the Threat of Rabies Reintroduction in Europe.

Rabies is one of the oldest, most important zoonoses worldwide due to its extreme and inevitably lethal nature, causing one death every 9 min worldwide. Recent reports have demonstrated that the Lyssavirus continues more alive than ever, despite the control carried out against the virus throughout Europe. In this context, this work reviews the main immunological implications, transmission risk factors and current prevention measures for virus control in Europe, and especially in Spain.

A Farewell to Arms: Arms Embargo Busting and Arms Control in Europe and the European Union

A Farewell to Arms: Arms Embargo Busting and Arms Control in Europe and the European Union

Addressing the Threat of Uncontrolled Escalation by Means of Conventional Arms Control in Europe

nato and Russia have given up on cooperative approaches and returned to deterrence; in parallel, arms control regimes are collapsing or eroding. Any deterrence relationship involves a danger of uncontrolled escalation, aggravated by uncertainty, sub-regional crises and a larger role for nuclear weapons. This article explores the possibilities for addressing these threats by means of sub-regional conventional arms control, combining disengagement with transparency and verification measures. Such an approach would address the real threat, mainly by adapting existing agreements, and would also be inexpensive in financial terms.

Perceptions of German Leadership

This article examines perceptions of Germany in Ireland during the Euro crisis. It explores debates about a “normalization” of Germany’s role in Europe and its European identity, calling for a focus on external perceptions of Germany as key to understanding the extent to which Germany is viewed as “normal” from the outside. Through a presentation of findings from qualitative analysis of political speeches and newspaper articles, it shows that perceptions of Germany are filtered through discourses on Irish national identity that place Irish economic interests and national sovereignty at the heart of Irish engagement in the EU. Whereas Irish leaders argue in favor of further integration as a means to regain economic sovereignty, opposition actors and the conservative press see Germany as exercising economic control of Europe. The Irish case demonstrates that Germany’s past continues to shape the way in which its leadership in Europe is perceived from the outside.

Summer brood interruption as integrated management strategy for effective Varroa control in Europe

Most Varroa induced colony losses occur during the autumn or winter season as a consequence of an elevated Varroa infestation level and an insufficient health status of the adult bees. Even with an initial low Varroa infestation in early spring, critical mite and virus infection levels can be reached before winter if colonies continuously rear brood throughout the whole season. To overcome this challenge, beekeepers can artificially interrupt brood production by suitable management procedures, depending on their type of beekeeping operation. To assess their efficacy, associated workload, and impact on colony development, different methods for brood interruption (queen caging with the combination of oxalic acid treatment, total brood removal, trapping comb technique) were tested during two seasons in 11 locations on 370 colonies in 10 European countries. A protocol was developed to standardize the methods’ application across different environmental conditions. The efficacy of queen caging depended on the mode of oxalic acid application and ranged from 48.16% to 89.57% mite removal. The highest efficacies were achieved with trickling a 4.2% solution (89.57%) and with the sublimation of 2 g of oxalic acid (average of 88.25%) in the broodless period. The efficacy of the purely biotechnical, chemical-free trapping comb and brood removal methods did not differ significantly from the queen caging groups. We conclude that a proper application of one of the described brood interruption methods can significantly contribute to an efficient Varroa control and to the production of honey bee products meeting the highest quality and food-safety standards.

Risk perception of COVID-19 among Portuguese healthcare professionals and the general population

Risk perception assessment of COVID-19 among Portuguese Healthcare Professionals (HCPs) and the general population (GPop) was evaluated in a snowball sample of 3403 individuals, 54.9% of HCPs believed there was a high probability of becoming infected, in contrast with 24.0% of the GPop (P<0.001) and, in more than a quarter, that this could happen to their family. Regarding prophylactic isolation, more than 70% agreed with its effectiveness. A large proportion perceived that health services were poorly prepared (50.1% GPop vs 63.5% HCPs, P<0.001). Regarding health authorities' communication, about 60% were “moderately” satisfied. The opinion that the pandemic could be controlled in 3–6 months was held by 46.7% of the GPop and 52.8% HCPs (P=0.01).

THE CONFINEMENT OF ATHLETES BY COVID-19: EFFECTS ON TRAINING, WELLBEING AND THE CHALLENGES WHEN RETURNING TO COMPETITION

THE CONFINEMENT OF ATHLETES BY COVID-19: EFFECTS ON TRAINING, WELLBEING AND THE CHALLENGES WHEN RETURNING TO COMPETITION

The confinement of athletes by COVID-19: effects on training, wellbeing and the challenges when returning to competition

The confinement of athletes by COVID-19: effects on training, wellbeing and the challenges when returning to competition

Pharmaceutical expenditure control in Europe: time to move from pricing to budgeting?

Pharmaceutical expenditure control in Europe: time to move from pricing to budgeting?

Firms’ performance and board size: A simultaneous approach in the European and American contexts

ABSTRACT The relation between performance and board size (BS) is analysed in the American and European contexts. It is found that return on assets (ROA) depends on BS defined as an endogenous explanatory variable. This potentially non-monotonous effect is modelled by introducing firm size and number of segments by board member as explanatory variables for ROA. BS net effect after accounting for the indirect effect resulting from these variables is negative. Differences in the results obtained for Tobin’s Q, strategic investors’ weight and equity to total assets, between America and Europe, suggest a more preventive management control in Europe.

Editorial Foreword

The theme of the 2019 conference of the Romanian Association for Baltic and Nordic Studies was crafted with our regretted colleague and distinguished academic Leonidas Donskis. In the meanwhile, conformism seems to have pervaded larger categories of public in East-Central Europe and beyond, and new “illiberal democracies” evolved. A composite of authoritarian leader and godfather have taken the reins of power in the area. Populist parties and movements are on the rise. Resurgent nationalisms are again offered as a substitute to solutions. The refugee crisis lingers on and no common decisions have been adopted within the EU to solve it on the basis of the European values. The EU institutions are in need of reform and decisions on the course of the organization and its future enlargement process are still pending. The conference aimed at analysing two often interrelated phenomena: dissent and conformism. In the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars nationalism and eventually modern political ideologies became the main competitors for power and control in Europe. Nationalisms unleashed the forces of destruction during the world wars while the clash of ideologies set off ahead of the French Revolution shaped the destiny of Europe during the 20th century. Dictatorships and even more so totalitarian regimes required unwavering conformism and full devotedness from their subjects, while encouraging dissent in the competing camp. Conformism has shown many faces from the Antiquity to Contemporary Age, from pretence to obedience, and an individual person could evolve during his/her lifetime between the two extremes. Sometimes, as many dystopian novels reveal, the conformist grows into dissident and even becomes a major target of his/her former patrons. Conversely, former dissidents can return to loyalty, and often the prize to be paid is betrayal of former affined spirits. The archives of Scandinavian, Baltic and Black Sea regions preserve numerous documents of such instances. Conformism can also take the form of what Zygmunt Bauman and Leonidas Donskis called “liquid modernity”, the situation of an individual who flows from one attitude to another, from one perspective to the other, from a set of values to an opposing one: The liquid modern variety of adiaphorization is cut after the pattern of the consumer–commodity relation, and its effectiveness relies on the transplantation of that pattern to interhuman relations. As consumers, we do not swear interminable loyalty to the commodity we seek and purchase in order to satisfy our needs or desires, and we continue to use its services as long as but no longer than it delivers on our expectations – or until we come across another commodity that promises to gratify the same desires more thoroughly than the one we purchased before. All consumer goods, including those described as ‘durable’, are eminently exchangeable and expendable; in consumerist – that is consumption inspired and consumption servicing – culture, the time between purchase and disposal tends to shrink to the degree to which the delights derived from the objects of consumption shift from their use to their appropriation.

The Future of Competition Policy in Europe – Some Reflections on the Interaction Between Industrial Policy and Competition Law

The paper explores the interaction between industrial policy and competition law, in particular merger control in Europe. It reflects on the tensions, actual and perceived, between these two policies and critically assesses the substantive and institutional solutions that have been proposed, in particular in the recent Franco-German Manifesto for a European industrial policy fit for the 21st Century.

Tobacco control in Europe: A review of campaign strategies for teenagers and adults.

In Europe the prevalence of tobacco use in adults and adolescents is among the highest within the WHO regions. Many resources have been allocated toward the prevention and support for smoking cessation. However, the implemented strategies in Europe have not been systematically evaluated. A systematic literature review was carried out to identify studies that analyzed the efficacy of the main smoking-prevention campaigns conducted in Europe. PRISMA guidelines were used to systematically review and extract data. A total of 24 studies meeting inclusion criteria were identified. Each article was thoroughly reviewed and evaluated for quality, design, and methodology, with reference to the main areas of intervention: school (8); mass media (4) and technological tools (4); smoke-free environments (3); packaging (2) and taxes (3). The school programmes focusing on building skills to recognize and resist negative influences, the intensive use of media and technological equipments, health warnings and excise taxes have showed to be effective tools in reducing the tobacco use. Intervention programmes to implement tobacco control policies and smoking cessation are active in many European countries. However, these programmes need to be constantly sustained to achieve a long term efficacy.

Sodium-glucose co-transporter inhibitors as adjunctive treatment to insulin in type 1 diabetes: A review of randomized controlled trials.

Many patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) struggle to achieve glycaemic control and experience significant fluctuations in glucose concentrations, despite insulin treatment. Sodium‐glucose co‐transporter (SGLT)‐2 inhibitors and dual SGLT‐1/2 inhibitors increase glucose elimination via the kidneys and reduce hyperglycaemia via insulin‐independent mechanisms. This review examines available efficacy and safety data for these agents under investigation as adjunctive therapy for T1D. Across randomized trials of up to 52 weeks, SGLT‐2 inhibitors or SGLT‐1/2 inhibitors as an adjunct to insulin demonstrated significant reductions in glycated haemoglobin, glucose exposure, and measures of glycaemic variability, as well as increased time in the target glycaemic range, compared with placebo. Non‐glycaemic benefits included reductions in body weight and insulin doses, as well as improvements in some cardiovascular risk factors and treatment satisfaction. SGLT‐2 inhibitors and SGLT‐1/2 inhibitors were associated with similar rates of hypoglycaemia but a higher incidence of genitourinary infections, compared with placebo. Diabetic ketoacidosis occurred more often with SGLT‐2 inhibitors and SGLT‐1/2 inhibitors vs placebo, although the incidence was generally low. Risk mitigation strategies in light of clinical trial data are also discussed. Positive data from randomized controlled trials of the SGLT‐2 inhibitor dapagliflozin have led to the approval of dapagliflozin as an adjunct to insulin in adults with T1D having body mass index ≥27 kg/m2 in whom insulin does not provide adequate glycaemic control in Europe and to approval as an adjunct to insulin for adults with T1D in Japan.

A Regional Look at Tobacco Control in Europe: the Case of Belgium, Georgia, Poland and Romania

A Regional Look at Tobacco Control in Europe: the Case of Belgium, Georgia, Poland and Romania