Agenda Of European Commission Research Articles

Rethinking the As-Efficient Competitor Test: Assessing the wider impact of the CJEU’s Judgment in Unilever and its Implications in Shaping the European Commission's agenda to Reform Article 102 TFEU

Rethinking the As-Efficient Competitor Test: Assessing the wider impact of the CJEU’s Judgment in Unilever and its Implications in Shaping the European Commission's agenda to Reform Article 102 TFEU

A relations-based evaluation framework to support collaborative research and innovation (R&I) networks

The majority of the projects funded under the European Research Framework Programme (FP) require a collaborative effort in order to tackle complex societal challenges. The underlying assumption is that collaborative networks boost research productivity and the attainment of the goals set out by the European Commission's agenda. In general, the production of scientific knowledge increasingly takes place within networks and consortia with a wide diversity and interlinkages of disciplines, expertise, backgrounds and approaches. This relational dimension has become even more important in the Horizon Europe FP, which has moved from a project-focused to a mission-oriented approach whereby a portfolio of projects is managed in coordination in order to stimulate cross-learning and experimentation. Starting from key concepts and theories of evaluation research, including ten years of experience for the Italian National Research Council (CNR) team as an internal evaluator, we are proposing a new approach, namely a Relations-based Evaluation (RE) approach, that analyses, assesses and builds relationships, both internal and external, with the ultimate aim of supporting collaborative research and innovation (R&I) projects. The framework originated within the context of EU projects and deals with the specific case of consortia funded under the EU FPs. However, it could be easily applied to other types of research consortia and project networks with similar features.

Power or Luck? The Limitations of the European Commission's Agenda Setting Power and Autonomous Policy Influence

AbstractBuilding on the existing research on the European Commission's agenda‐setting powers, this study examines the relationship between the policy priorities of the Commission and those of the other key policy actors in the European Union to determine the impact of other EU institutional actor preferences on the success of Commission priority initiatives. By using new and existing datasets to compare the European Commission's Work Programmes with European Council Summit Conclusions, the European Parliament's own initiative reports and Council Presidency Work Programmes, we are able to analyse the effect of policy priority congruence on the Commission's success and measure the autonomous policy influence of the Commission more accurately. Our results demonstrate that the Commission's priority initiatives are significantly more likely to result in legislative outcomes when they address policy topics already highlighted (whether fortuitously or as a result of Commission efforts) by the other key EU institutions. They also suggest that interpretations of the EU political system that ascribe the role of political executive to the Commission misconstrue its role.

Perception of basic income in relation with some socio-demographic features in the area of Split-Dalmatia county

As a measure of social policy, basic income represents monthly benefit unconditionally delivered by the state to all members of the society on individual basis, with the aim to secure provision of basic egsistential needs. Although the idea of basic income has long history, the concept recently became more important, particularly in the EU countries, with attempts of civic initiatives to raise the issue within the agenda of European Commission. Having in mind the lack of research in this area, particularly research on citizens? attitudes towards basic income and possibitlites to introduce it as a measure of social policy, the research was implemented with aim to explore some socio-demographic determinants of attitudes towards basic income and motivation for work. The pilot research was conducted in 2014 over sample of 247 respondents using Questionnaire of attitudes towards basic income and Questionnaire on socio-demographic features of respondents. The research results indicated relatively positive attitudes of respondents towards basic income, while at the same time the possibilities to introduce such a measure was estimated in less positive manner. In regard to the work motivation, majority of respondents expressed their willingness to continue to work even in the situation in which basic income would be introduced.

City Size and Economic Performance: Is Bigger Better, Small More Beautiful or Middling Marvellous?

This article discusses the contribution that second-tier cities can and do make to the economic performance of national economies across Europe. It reviews the competing theories about size, investment and economic performance. It presents a range of evidence about the performance of over 150 European capital and second-tier cities in 31 countries. It identifies some key policy messages for local national and European policy-makers. It presents evidence that decentralizing responsibilities, powers and resources, spreading investment and encouraging high performance in a range of cities rather than concentrating on the capital city produces national benefits. It argues that in a period of austerity national governments should resist pressures to concentrate investment in capital cities and invest more in second-tier cities when there is evidence that: (i) the gap with capitals is large and growing (ii) the business infrastructure of second-tier cities is weak because of national underinvestment and (iii) there is clear evidence about the negative externalities of capital city growth. It argues that the issues have slipped down the European Commission's agenda and it should do more to ensure its strategies help realize the economic potential of second-tier cities in future.

The EU Approach to Regulating Nanotechnology

The European Union's (EU) nanotechnology strategy aims chiefly to catch up the lag behind the US and Asia. The health risks posed by the commercial use of nanomaterials have recently come onto the European Commission's agenda. The Commission has not so far seen a need for specific legislation to govern nanotechnologies - a view not shared by either Parliament or the European trade union movement. The European Trade Union Confederation wants the EU to bring the Community legislative framework into line with the precautionary principle. Nanotechnologies may be an economic opportunity that the EU cannot ignore, but their unregulated development is causing growing concern among trade unions due to the health risks posed by certain types of nanomaterials. In this publication, ETUI researcher Aida Ponce combines a detailed survey of European policy in the area with an exploration of the ethical and social issues surrounding nanotechnologies.

Forecasting the environmental and socio-economic consequences of changes in the Common Agricultural Policy

A framework is described that has been used to assess the effect of the European Commission's Agenda 2000 proposal on the Dumfries and Galloway region, Scotland. The model assesses the impact of agriculture on land-use patterns, the environment and socio-economics of the region. It incorporates a farm-type linear programming sub-model with environmental and socio-economic sub-models. In the environmental model, the environmental factors and management practices for each of the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute (MLURI) Land Cover classifications that were relevant to farm activity were defined. The changes in management practices and the Land Cover type of the 10 nearest parcels of land were used to determine the likelihood of a parcel of land changing its associated vegetation type. Using the March 1998 Agenda 2000 proposals, the linear programming model predicted that net farm incomes would fall and the environmental sub-model estimated that approximately 2.6% of the land area would change its vegetation type. The model predicted that diversity in the landscape would be reduced by the proposals. The changes in farm output would also result in falling incomes and employment across the region.

An Assessment of the Impact of Implementing the European Commission's Agenda 2000 Cereal Proposals for Specialist Wheatgrowers in Denmark

This paper undertakes an assessment of the impact of implementing the European Commission's Agenda 2000 cereal proposals for specialist wheatgrowers in Denmark. The economic model of a representative farm developed in Rygnestad and Fraser (1996) is extended to include a model of nitrate leaching and then used to simulate the impact of implementing the proposals. The results of this simulation are compared and contrasted with those of the sectoral and regional impact studies reported in European Commission (1998b). In particular, the proposals are shown to have an environmentally‐beneficial effect in terms of reduced nitrate leaching, with the magnitude of this effect dependent both on the quality of land and on the ex ante set‐aside rate.

Élargissement agricole de l'Union européenne à l'Est : les surplus de main-d'œuvre contre les surplus de produits

Under the European Commission's Agenda 2000 proposals, CEECs' agriculture would not, after EU accession, obtain compensation for cuts in support prices in the EU 15. The aim is notably to keep these countries from further overproducing. However, a comparative analysis of the sector on both sides hardly supports this view. The competitive recovery of farm production in the CEECs is hindered owing to the ability, given the high rural jobless rate, of the dual structures inherited from Communism to lastingly shield underproduce ve labor. This pattern is protected through customs, land policy, and loose regulations about the quality of agri-food produce. The early removal of this protection on EU accession would cause an agricultural recession, a further deterioration of this sector's trade balance with the EU 15 and a sharp drop in farm labor. All this would mainly affect livestock production while fostering grain surpluses. The social consequences could be delayed by transition periods, and mitigated by appropriate rural development policies.

Landscapes and livelihoods: environmental protection and agricultural support in the wake of Agenda 2000

The European Commission's Agenda 2000 for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy is not the radical overhaul of agricultural support that was expected. Regarded not as the conclusion, however, but as the start of a process of reform that will increasingly be subject to external influence, the proposals mark an important stage on the road to an integrated European Rural Policy. So far as landscape protection is concerned, two key questions need to be asked: first, how successful have policy makers been in tackling one of the underlying causes of environmental destruction by decoupling agricultural support from farmers’ production decisions? Second, to what extent have they succeeded in recoupling support to wider social and environmental objectives? This article assesses Agenda 2000 in these terms. It goes on to discuss what decoupling and recoupling might mean for the future relationship between farming livelihoods and the conservation of agricultural landscapes in the context of a more liberalized system of agricultural support.

Women and Social Policies in Europe: Work, Family and the State.

This text aims to provide a thoroughly documented overview of social policies affecting women in Germany, Italy, Denmark, Britain, Ireland, Norway, France and Sweden. The central theme of the book is the relationship between women's paid and unpaid work, something very few European governments have been prepared explicitly to address as a social issue and which has yet to enter the European Commission's agenda. Contributors discuss the literature on women and welfare in the particular country concerned, and outline the developments in social policies relating to women and the position of women in regard to reproductive and labour market behaviour in the post-War period. The essays analyze the assumptions behind policies affecting women's family and work lives and discuss specific legislative approaches to securing equality. A concluding chapter discusses the European Community's contribution to the goal of equal opportunities for both men and women. The main aim of this text is to provide students with a source of easily accessible information about a major issue in social policy - the relationship between men and women, the family and employment.