Europe In Relation Research Articles

Contemporary Components Connected to the Evolution of Football

Romanian football is deeply ingrained in the national culture and is heavily impacted by public life. It is also generally recognized as a social phenomena in many different contexts. Moreover, the sector has historically been linked to certain political and ideological stances, which add to the extremely antagonistic environment. The purpose of this research is to conduct a longitudinal study of Romania's own coefficients and examine the statistical findings about the evolution of domestic clubs in Europe in relation to past performances, rather than comparing Romania's coefficients with those of other nations. The results indicate that integrating stakeholders and developing new ties can increase industry trust.

The security of the eastern flank states in the light of Russia's military operations in Ukraine

The article focuses on the security of the eastern flank countries in the light of Russia's military operations in Ukraine, including: the security of the eastern flank in respect of military operations in Ukraine, Western efforts to secure the eastern flank, the challenges for the security of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe in relation to refugees and migration. In the search for an answer to the question: What impact does Russia's military operations in Ukraine have on the security of the eastern flank countries? the literature on the subject was studied, Russian normative acts were analysed and official statements of experts in the media were quoted, as well as the views of specialists dealing with the security issues of the countries of this region. Directions of actions improving the security of these countries were presented. The results of the conducted research indicate that the eastern flank countries alone would not be able to repel a possible Russian aggression against any of these countries at the current stage of modernization of their armies. Only close cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the deployment of more American troops on the territory of the eastern flank countries guarantee security. The content cited in the article aims to update opinions on the level of security of the eastern flank countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic and refugees. A scoping review

Abstract Refugees increasingly become part of the European societies. Afghans, Syrians, Ukrainians fled their countries due to war, conflicts, persecution, and settled, temporary or not, in more stable countries. During pandemics, with openness towards foreigners shrinking, and borders closing, the situation of refugees might become uncertain. Our scoping review explores what academics considered relevant about refugees to Europe in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings reveal increasing resentment against immigrants, a need for redesigning European migration policies, preparing welfare systems, asylum protection mechanisms, and societies as a whole, in order to prevent disruptions in the eventuality of large-scale crises. Such implications are to also be considered for the consequences of the current Russian aggression on Ukraine.

Discord and deception: Germany’s failure to woo the USA in Asia and the Pacific before 1914

ABSTRACT This essay examines the key background issues that caused increasing friction between the two United States and Imperial Germany; particularly, it considers from Germany’s geopolitical perspective its motivations for seeking American cooperation in East Asia and the contradictory approaches it followed. Issues are analysed that contributed to increasing German-American friction and Germany’s often manipulative actions to entice cooperation from the United States, prevent close Anglo-American cooperation, counteract British imperial and commercial influence, and neutralize Japanese ambitions. German politicians hoped that a subsidiary effect of the shifting of power relationships in the Asian-Pacific region would be the strengthening of Germany’s position in Europe in relation to Russia. Although geographically on the European periphery, the Asia-Pacific region was an area of long-term focus in Germany’s push for world power status under Wilhelm II. This foretold a clash with the United States. In the long term, German preoccupation with a possible Anglo-American alliance, erratic policy changes, and clumsy attempts to woo the US to its side only resulted in reactions that further alienated the Americans.

Proposal for the Preparation of New Building Standards in Poland to Protect against Earthquakes in the Next 50 Years

This article aims to implement new building standards for residential and industrial construction in Poland to protect against earthquakes. For more than 20 years, Europe has experienced an increasing number of earthquakes. Failure to prepare residential and industrial buildings for such an event can result in extensive damage, death, and injury. It is therefore reasonable to ask what losses Poland could suffer after even a single strong earthquake. An estimate of the losses after such an event is presented. It is crucial for many buildings and mines in Poland. It is also important to prepare the population for such an event. In addition, it is also crucial for many Central European countries, as governments have not received training on how to behave during an earthquake. The lack of such training could cause panic during such an event. Poland is rich in natural resources, with many coal and lignite mines. A strong earthquake can threaten these as well as residential, public, industrial, and other buildings. This article provides an overview of earthquake events in Europe in relation to events worldwide and proposes solutions based on the experience of other countries. Here is a proposal to prepare new standards for buildings in Poland for protection against earthquakes in the next 50 years, based on the experience of other countries.

Access to novel cancer medicines in four countries in Central and Eastern Europe in relation to clinical benefit

Almost 100 novel cancer medicines have been approved in Europe over the last decade. Limited public health care resources in countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) call for a prioritization of access to effective medicines. We investigated how both reimbursement status and waiting time to reimbursement correlate with the magnitude of clinical benefit provided by novel medicines in four selected countries (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia). A total of 124 indications of 51 cancer medicines with marketing authorization by the European Medicines Agency in 2011-2020 were included and followed up until 2022. Data on reimbursement status and waiting time to reimbursement (i.e. time from marketing authorization to national reimbursement approval) were collected for each country. Data were analyzed in relation to clinical benefit status (i.e. substantial versus nonsubstantial clinical benefit) of indications according to the European Society for Medical Oncology Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale (ESMO-MCBS). The degree of reimbursement differed between countries with 64% of indications with reimbursement in Czechia, 40% in Hungary, 51% in Poland, and 19% in Slovakia. In all countries, a significantly greater proportion of indications with a substantial clinical benefit was reimbursed (P < 0.05). The median waiting time to reimbursement ranged from 27 months in Poland to 37 months in Hungary. No significant differences in waiting time in relation to clinical benefit were observed in any country (P= 0.25-0.84). Cancer medicines with a substantial clinical benefit are more likely to be reimbursed in all four CEE countries. Waiting times to reimbursement are equally long for medicines with or without a substantial clinical benefit, indicating a lack of prioritization of fast access to medicines delivering a substantial benefit. Incorporation of the ESMO-MCBS in reimbursement assessments and decisions could aid in better utilization of limited resources to deliver more effective cancer care.

The large Gunnera's (G. tinctoria and G. manicata) in Europe in relation to EU regulation 1143/2014.

Incorrect labelling of plants in the horticultural trade and misidentification is widespread. For the inspection services of the EU member states, correct identification of G. tinctoria has become important since the species was added to the List of Union concern in accordance with EU regulation 1143/2014 in August 2017. In the horticultural trade Gunnera plants are generally of modest dimensions and rarely flowering, so that the major distinguishing morphological characters for the identification of the two large species, G. tinctoria and G. manicata, are missing. As G. tinctoria is included in the EU regulation, its trade is prohibited, although the closely related species, G. manicata is not included on the list. Given that it is often difficult to distinguish between these two large herbaceous species using morphological attributes we used standard chloroplast DNA barcode markers, supplemented at a later stage by ITS markers. Plant material of putative G. tinctoria or G. manicata was obtained from the native and introduced range, both from "wild" sources, botanical gardens, and the horticultural trade. In western Europe plants circulating in the horticultural trade turned out to be predominantly G. tinctoria, with only one plant in cultivation identified as true G. manicata and the G. manicata found in botanical gardens was a hybrid recently described as G. x cryptica.

European Integration Processes in EECCA: Dependencies and Drivers

The study was conducted using comparative quantitative and qualitative analysis of World Bank and International Monetary Fund data for 1989-2020 and 2000-2020. Two-factor linear econometric models of economic growth in 11 countries of Central and Eastern Europe (depending on their exports and debt) were built on the basis of such analysis. The study also relied on data from the Pew Research Center's Spring 2019 Global Attitudes Survey regarding EU citizens’ attitudes toward integration. The research findings were used to examine the causes and consequences of European integration for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Since 2004, when the first wave of EU enlargement took place, the combined weight of the economies of Central and Eastern Europe in relation to the EU has increased from 6.7% to 10.8% in 2020. On the other hand, none of the countries that have joined the EU have reached Europe-wide labor productivity. Assessment of the possible accession of other countries of the former eastern bloc revealed that Kazakhstan, where productivity in 2020 reached 58.4% of the average achieved in the EU, has the most enabling economic environment. In this context, Kazakhstan outperformed Bulgaria, where such a parameter amounted to 53.5%. During 1995-2000, the multiple of the ratio between the minimum and maximum levels of per capita GDP in the group of countries under study ranged from 6.3 to 7.7 times. Fifteen years after the first wave of accession to the EU, this figure has decreased to 2.5 times. Proposals to reduce regional economic inequality based on the econometric models have been developed.

Cardiometabolic Profile and Outcomes in Migrant Populations: A Review of Comparative Evidence from Migrants in Europe in Relation to Their Country of Origin.

The potential effect of migration on increasing cardiometabolic risk factors remains partially understood. We aim to synthesize the evidence comparing the burden of diabetes and adiposity of migrating populations in Europe, with that of their country of origin. We conducted a scoping literature review. We searched PubMed for studies investigating the effect of migration on diabetes or adiposity outcomes among migrants in countries from the European Union or the United Kingdom compared to the population in the country of origin. Studies were qualitatively synthesized in evidence tables and the demographic characteristics, study design, risk factors investigated, and outcomes were quantitatively summarized using measures of central tendency. Of 1175 abstracts retrieved, 28 studies were eligible. Most of the studies included migrating populations residing in Western (50%), Northern (39%), and Southern Europe (11%) originating from countries in Africa (46%), Asia (29%), or European overseas (25%) regions of which 85% were classified as low-middle-income countries. Most of the studies (93%) had a cross-sectional design. The median number of individuals in the country of origin was greater [917; IQR: 231-1378] than in the receiving country [249; 150-883]. Thirty-five percent of the studies investigated migration as an independent risk factor, whereas 28% contextualized migration into lifestyle changes. The majority of the studies (57%) reported both diabetes and adiposity outcomes. Within the limited evidence available, controversial results were found as some studies showed poorer outcomes for the migrating populations, while others showed the opposite. Studies assessing the impact of migration by comparing migrating populations and the population of origin on diabetes and adiposity outcomes have gained interest. So far, the available evidence is highly heterogeneous to inform public health strategies in the receiving countries. We recommend further research including a more robust methodology and in-depth characterization of the migrant populations.

I Often Came Across Rivers that House Gods

Abstract This study examines the question of how religious knowledge of the Umbanda religion is transferred from Brazil to German-speaking Europe in an interreligious network. Since the personalization of the Umbandistic spirits is not familiar in the cultural context in Europe, an emotional archive through the body becomes significant. In understanding the different aspects of religion in Africa, Brazil and Europe in relation to kinship, regionality, personality and nature, which are reflected in the sacred dimension, the focus is laid on the ontological understanding of the spiritual world and its understanding of nature and human beings. The argument of a shift of attention in the Umbanda religion to a stronger focus on nature in Central Europe is based on an observation of a change of the entanglements and borders of the religious field of Umbanda in German-speaking Europe integrating a great part of psychological aspects, especially a newly-founded therapy of nature.

Long-Term Occurrence and Fate of Microplastics in WWTPs: A Case Study in Southwest Europe

Microplastic (MP) water pollution is a major problem that the world is currently facing, and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) represent one of the main alternatives to reduce the MP release to the environment. Several studies have analysed punctual samples taken throughout the wastewater treatment line. However, there are few long-term studies on the evolution of MPs over time in WWTPs. This work analyses the performance of a WWTP sited in Southwest Europe in relation with annual occurrence and fate of MPs. Samples were monthly taken at different points of the facility (influent, secondary effluent, final effluent, and sludge) and MPs were quantified and characterised by means of stereomicroscopy and FTIR spectrophotometry. The majority of MPs found in wastewater and sludge samples were fragments and fibres. Regarding to the chemical composition, in the water samples, polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polypropylene (PP) stood out, whereas, in the sludge samples, the main polymers were PET, polyamide (PA) and polystyrene (PS). The MPs more easily removed during the wastewater treatment processes were those with sizes greater than 500 µm. Results showed that the MPs removal was very high during all the period analysed with removal efficiencies between 89% and 95%, so no great variations were found between months. MP concentrations in dry sludge samples ranged between 12 and 39 MPs/g, which represented around 79% of the total MPs removed during the wastewater treatment processes. It is noticeable that a trend between temperature and MPs entrapped in sewage sludge was observed, i.e., higher temperatures entailed higher percentage of retention.

Use of the Natural Outdoor Environment in Different Populations in Europe in Relation to Access: Implications for Policy.

This cross-cultural study explores the relationship of natural outdoor environment (NOE) use with NOE access. Most urban planning recommendations suggest optimal accessibility to be 300 m–500 m straight distance to spaces with vegetation of at least 1 hectare. Exploring this recommendation, we used data (n = 3947) from four European cities collected in the framework of the PHENOTYPE study: Barcelona (Spain), Doetinchem (The Netherlands), Kaunas (Lithuania) and Stoke-on-Trent (United Kingdom) to obtain residential access to NOE (straight or network distances, using 300 m and 150 m buffers, to NOE larger than 1 hectare or 0.5 hectare) and use of NOE (i.e., self-reported time spent in NOE). Poisson regression models were used to examine the associations between residential access and use of NOE. The models with the strongest association with time spent in NOE in the combined sample were for those living within 300 m straight line distance to either 0.5 ha or 1 ha NOE. Noting that the only indicator that was consistent across all individual cities was living with 150 m network buffer of NOE (of at least 1 ha), this warrants further exploration in reducing recommendations of 300 m straight-line distance to 150 m network distance to 1 ha of NOE for a general indicator for cities within Europe.

Hypertension determinants among Ghanaians differ according to location of residence: RODAM study.

Hypertension prevalence is high among African migrants, but the determinants of hypertension in migrants in Europe in relation to the population in the country of origin still needs to be elucidated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the determinants of hypertension in Ghanaians residing in Ghana and Europe. The current study used baseline data of 5659 participants, aged 25-70 years, of the Research on Obesity and Diabetes among African Migrants study. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess sociodemographic, lifestyle, psychosocial, anthropometric and health factors independently associated with hypertension in Ghanaians living in rural and urban Ghana, and Ghanaian migrants living in Europe. Across all sites, older age (both sexes; odds ratio 1.07, 95% confidence interval 1.06-1.08) and diabetes (females only; 2.02, 1.54-1.67) were independently associated with hypertension. The other determinants of hypertension differed between geographical locations. Higher waist circumference (1.12, 1.05-1.20) was independently associated with hypertension in rural-Ghanaian males, as was higher body mass index (1.15, 1.03- 1.28) in urban-Ghanaian males, higher waist circumference (1.04, 1.01-1.07) and diabetes (1.75, 1.17-2.63) in European-Ghanaian males. In European-Ghanaian females, high alcohol intake (1.88, 1.01 -3.53) and waist circumference (1.04, 1.02- 1.06) were associated with hypertension, whereas in rural-Ghanaian females, a higher educational level (0.28, 0.08-0.98) was inversely associated with hypertension. The current study identified several modifiable determinants of hypertension in Ghanaians, with differences between populations residing in various geographical locations. This highlights the importance of development and implementation of context-specific interventions targeting these determinants to reduce the burden of hypertension among Ghanaian migrants and nonmigrants.

Twenty-first-century African and Asian Migration to Europe and the Rise of the Ethno-topographic Narrative

The first two decades of the twenty-first century have witnessed a rise in the publication of narratives concerning contemporary African and Asian migration to Europe, written individually or collectively, by Asian, African and/or European authors. While scholarly attention has increasingly turned to these texts, our purpose is to further investigate them from a pan-European perspective and to propose a model for their analysis as a distinct literary genre. We therefore introduce the "ethno-topographic narrative" to define, classify and systematically analyze twenty-first-century migration narratives published in Europe in relation to theory, method, corpus, generic type, individual or collective authorship, border and periphery/center, literal and figurative spaces, and multi-voiced modes of narration, including the gaze of the migrant, among other literary and taxonomic criteria. Focusing on five representative samples from Germany, Sweden, Italy, the UK and Greece, we argue that the new geopolitically-charged genre to which these texts belong constitutes a dynamic part of European literatures that attempts to unsettle the monolithic European canon, rejecting, as it does so, the label of the “exotic” text displaying “foreign” characters. Our approach is grounded on the implications of the three components of ethno-topographic (ethnos, topos, graphein), which enable a tripartite form of literary analysis.

Disentangling responses to natural stressor and human impact gradients in river ecosystems across Europe

Abstract Rivers are dynamic ecosystems in which both human impacts and climate‐driven drying events are increasingly common. These anthropogenic and natural stressors interact to influence the biodiversity and functioning of river ecosystems. Disentangling ecological responses to these interacting stressors is necessary to guide management actions that support ecosystems adapting to global change. We analysed the independent and interactive effects of human impacts and natural drying on aquatic invertebrate communities—a key biotic group used to assess the health of European freshwaters. We calculated biological response metrics representing communities from 406 rivers in eight European countries: taxonomic richness, functional richness and redundancy, and biomonitoring indices that indicate ecological status. We analysed metrics based on the whole community and a group of taxa with traits promoting resistance and/or resilience (‘high RR’) to drying. We also examined how responses vary across Europe in relation to climatic aridity. Most community metrics decreased independently in response to impacts and drying. A richness‐independent biomonitoring index (the average score per taxon; ASPT) showed particular potential for use in biomonitoring, and should be considered alongside new metrics representing high RR diversity, to promote accurate assessment of ecological status. High RR taxonomic richness responded only to impacts, not drying. However, these predictors explained little variance in richness and other high RR metrics, potentially due to low taxonomic richness. Metric responsiveness could thus be enhanced by developing region‐specific high RR groups comprising sufficient taxa with sufficiently variable impact sensitivities to indicate ecological status. Synthesis and applications. Metrics are needed to assess the ecological status of dynamic river ecosystems—including those that sometimes dry—and thus to identify priority sites requiring action to tackle the causes of environmental degradation. Our results inform recommendations guiding the development of such metrics. We propose concurrent use of richness‐independent ‘average score per taxon’ indices and metrics that characterize the richness of resistant and resilient taxa. We observed interactions between aridity, impacts and drying, highlighting that these new metrics should be region specific, river type specific and adaptable, promoting their ability to inform management actions that protect biodiversity in river ecosystems responding to climate change.

Freedom of Religion and the Accommodation of Religious Diversity: Multiculturalising Secularism

The classical liberal concern for freedom of religion today intersects with concerns of equality and respect for minorities, of what might be loosely termed ‘multiculturalism’. When these minorities were primarily understood in terms of ethno-racial identities, multiculturalism and freedom of religion were seen at that time as quite separate policy and legal fields. As ethno-religious identities have become central to multiculturalism (and to rejections of multiculturalism), specifically in Western Europe in relation to its growing Muslim settlements, not only have the two fields intersected, new approaches to religion and equality have emerged. We consider the relationship between freedom of religion and ethno-religious equality, or alternatively, religion as faith or conscience and religion as group identity. We argue that the normative challenges raised by multicultural equality and integration cannot be met by individualist understandings of religion and freedom, by the idea of state neutrality, nor by laicist understandings of citizenship and equality. Hence, a re-thinking of the place of religion in public life and of religion as a public good and a re-configuring of political secularism in the context of religious diversity is necessary. We explore a number of pro-diversity approaches that suggest what a respectful and inclusive egalitarian governance of religious diversity might look like, and consider what might be usefully learnt from other countries, as Europe struggles with a deeper diversity than it has known for a long time. The moderate secularism that has historically evolved in Western Europe is potentially accommodative of religious diversity, just as it came to be of Christian churches, but it has to be ‘multiculturalised’.

Trends in Colouring Blue Glass in Central Europe in Relation to Changes in Chemical Composition of Glass from the Middle Ages to Modern Age

The study deals with the development of the chemical composition of blue glass from the 13th to the 19th century in the region of Bohemia (Central Europe). Nearly 100 glass samples (colourless, greenish, and blue) were evaluated by an XRF method to distinguish the colouring components of blue glass. As early as in the 13th century, blue glass based on ash containing colouring ions of Co and Cu was produced here. To achieve the blue colour of glass, a copper-rich raw material was most likely applied. This information significantly complements the existing knowledge about glass colouring in the Middle Ages, as the glass of later periods was typically coloured with raw materials containing cobalt.

Implementation and Access to Pre-exposure Prophylaxis for Human Immunodeficiency Virus by Men Who Have Sex With Men in Europe.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a significant public health intervention with proven efficacy and safety in the prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, which has taken a considerable amount of time to reach Europe in relation to their transatlantic counterparts, namely, the United States of America (USA). There, it is perceived as being an essential prevention tool to be integrated within existing medical, behavioral and structural interventions in place for the management and containment of HIV infection in men who have sex with men (MSM). In a region such as Europe, with approximately double the USA population, it is estimated that not even 10% have proper access to PrEP, and given the lack of coordination with healthcare, taking PrEP has to be at their own expense. Here, we identify the reasons behind the 4-year lag in the approval of PrEP in the European Union/European Economic Area (and Europe in general) and explore the efficacy and effectiveness of PrEP needed to be confirmed with some implementation or demonstration studies conducted in the region. Independent of the data gathered, access of MSM to PrEP is far from ideal in Europe and much still needs to be done. The demonstration of the cost-effectiveness of PrEP alongside other social and behavioral factors needs to be addressed, while the clear populations within MSM that will benefit from this intervention are properly identified and make use of the latest recommendations of the World Health Organization that consider not only daily PrEP but also event-driven PrEP. The momentum for the proper implementation of PrEP in the EU is not lost, and with the existence of generics and even new formulations, there is a renewed opportunity for unleashing the public health benefits arising from this pharmacological tool with other interventions in place (e.g., condoms, testing, and counseling).

Smart economic development patterns in Europe: interaction with competitiveness

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the smart economic development (SED) patterns in Europe in relation to competitiveness. Motivational focus corresponds to global events: the fourth industrial revolution, transition to a low-carbon economy, economic shocks (such as the 2008 financial crisis, Brexit or the coronavirus pandemic), which requires rethinking development policies, targeting competitiveness increase and reducing imbalances in economic development.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis includes self-organising neural networks cluster analysis and correlations, comparative analysis of SED indicators structure and cumulative index estimation with World Economic Forum (WEF) global competitiveness index. The panel data set of 19 years from 2000 to 2018 for 30 European countries.FindingsOverall, cross-country examination suggests that European countries of higher competitiveness illustrate higher estimates in SED. The key determinants are juridical fairness, social responsibility, competence building, intelligence and welfare employment to develop smart patterns for reaching higher competitiveness.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations relate to the particular sample of European countries and gathering statistical data and a methodology of the SED index calculation. In addition, the paper contains a macroeconomic environment focus on competitiveness estimation. Further research may be improved with micro and mezzo environment incorporation at a cross-country analysis level.Practical implicationsBy linking well-known terms of competitiveness and economic development with a concept of smartness, new approaches to policymaking emerged. The methodology presented in this paper has implications for territorial cohesion policies, competitiveness and branching strategies. The combination of SED sub-indexes and WEF GCI might aid a more accurate ex ante measurement.Social implicationsThe findings are essential for fostering a smart approach in economic development for long-term competitiveness.Originality/valueThis paper provides original empirical evidence about the relationship between SED and competitiveness and adds new knowledge that smartness becomes a way for building countries’ competitiveness by identified two profiles of SED patterns by development stages, namely, integrated to economic development and institutional-based which is divided to focus and balanced.

Rural and urban migration to Europe in relation to cardiovascular disease risk: does it matter where you migrate from?

ObjectivesTo assess whether the environmental context (i.e. rural vs urban) in which individuals in low- and middle-income countries have resided most of their lives is associated with estimated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk after migration to a high-income country. Study designData from the Research on Obesity and Diabetes among African Migrants (RODAM) study were used including 1699 Ghanaian participants aged 40–79 years who had migrated to Europe from Ghana (1549 of urban origin, 150 of rural origin). MethodsTen-year CVD risk was estimated using the Pooled Cohort Equation, with estimates ≥7.5% defining elevated CVD risk. Comparisons between urban and rural origin migrant groups were made using proportions and adjusted odds ratios (ORs). ResultsThe proportion of migrants with an elevated CVD-risk score was substantially higher among rural migrants than among urban migrants (45% vs. 37%, OR = 1.44, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.03–2.02), which persisted after adjustment for education level, site of residence in Europe (London, Amsterdam or Berlin), length of stay in Europe, physical activity, energy intake and alcohol consumption (OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.05–2.67). ConclusionOur findings indicate that migrants who spent most of their lives in a rural setting before migration to Europe may have a higher CVD risk than those of urban origins. Further work is needed to confirm these findings in other migrant populations and to unravel the mechanisms driving the differential CVD risk between urban and rural migrants.