European Union Standards Research Articles

The challenge of implementing European Union environmental law in the new member states: The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive in the Czech Republic and Poland

This article examines the problematic implementation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) in the Czech Republic and Poland from the perspective of the scholarly debate on European Union (EU) and post-accession compliance, focusing on the competing ‘goodness of fit’ and administrative-legal approaches to explaining variations in compliance with EU rules. It finds that administrative shortcomings of various kinds are a major reason for implementation problems in both countries, and that problems have also stemmed from the multilevel nature of the implementation process, which places a heavy administrative and financial burden on municipalities, and requires cooperation between national and local government authorities. In the Czech case, however, the ‘misfit’ between EU standards and contracting and regulatory practices in the Czech water sector has also undermined UWWTD compliance, through its negative impact on the country's ability to access EU funding.

Experiences in reforming the Albanian Veterinary Services towards meeting the OIE and European Union standards

Experiences in reforming the Albanian Veterinary Services towards meeting the OIE and European Union standards

H. Montenegro

The year was rich in new developments, especially in two areas: climate change and horizontal legislation. Some of the highlights include ratification of international agreements, and in the field of European integration process, preparatory work in order to meet the requirements of the opening benchmark for the European Commission acquis Chapter 27: Environment. However, this goal proved to be difficult to reach given that previous reforms have been related mainly to legislation and the costs for a more substantial approach to the reforms. Pursuant to the National Strategy for the transposition, implementation and enforcement of the European Union (EU) acquis on Environment and Climate Change with the action plan for the period 2016–20, the total cost of harmonization with the EU standards by 2035 for the sector of environment and climate change will amount to €1.42 billion (Report of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism on the Implementation of the National Strategy with Action Plan 2016–20, Podgorica, December 2017).

Development of a Fast, Sensitive and Robust LC-MS/MS Method for the Analysis of Natamycin in Wine

Natamycin is a naturally occurring antifungal agent used to inhibit the growth of moulds and yeasts. Characteristics such as low effective concentrations, broad applicability and neutral flavour impact make this compound an ideal preservative. Although widely used in the global food industry, natamycin is forbidden in wine in the European Union (EU). It is a permitted wine additive in South Africa, although export wines must comply with EU standards. Germany in particular implemented strict measures to prevent wines containing natamycin from entering their market. Sensitive analytical methodologies with the capacity to regulate this segment of the wine export industry are therefore required. Here we report on the development of a simple, robust and fast liquid chromatography-electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometric (LC-ESI-MS/MS) method for the determination of natamycin in wine. Sample cleanup involves dilution followed by direct elution of natamycin from aminopropyl SPE cartridges. Recoveries are better than 80% relative standard deviation (RSD < 10%), while the limit of detection (LOD) of the method is 0.0003 mg/L, which renders it compliant with EU standards. The method also yields qualitative information for positive compound identification. The degradation of natamycin in wine was also studied and kinetic parameters are reported in this matrix for the first time. The activation energy for the decomposition reaction is ~80 kJ/mol and the half-life under normal wine storage conditions is in the order of 20 days. As in the wine matrix, natamycin in aqueous calibration standards are labile, necessitating regular preparation and cold storage of standard solutions to ensure accurate quantitation.

Pogłębiona i kompleksowa strefa wolnego handlu — nowa forma współpracy gospodarczej Unii Europejskiej z krajami partnerskimi Europy Wschodniej i Kaukazu Południowego w ramach Europejskiej Polityki Sąsiedztwa

Deepen and congeneric free trade area — a new form of business collaboration of the European Union with its neighbours from Eastern Europe and the South Caucasus within the European Neighbourhood Policy The European Neighbourhood Policy ENP was developed in 2004, with the objective of avoiding of new dividing lines between the enlarged EU and its neighbours and strengthening the prosperity, stability and security of all participants. Within the ENP the European Union offers its neighbours a privileged relationship building upon a mutual commitment to common values, political association and deeper economic integration. The ENP links partner countries with the EU’s internal market and its social and economic model. For partners, this means adopting basic rules on equal opportunities, economic participation and fair competition. The ENP builds upon the legal agreements in place between the EU and the partner countries: Partnership and Cooperation Agreements or Association Agreements. Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova signed Association Agreements with the EU on 27 June 2014. The deep and comprehensive free trade agreement is part of a new generation of Association Agreements with eastern partner countries which provides a long-term foundation for future economic relations with the European Union. It was agreed that Association Agreement should take an ambitious and innovative approach, include a deep and comprehensive free trade area and go qualitatively beyond the current Partnership and Cooperation Agreement wherever possible. It contains binding, rule-based provisions and cooperation developed further than in traditional agreements and it is wide-ranging, covering all areas of interest. The deep and comprehensive free trade area is part of the Association Agreement which offer a new framework for modernising partner countries trade relations and for economic development by the opening of markets via the progressive removal of customs tariffs and quotas, and by an extensive harmonisation of laws, norms and regulations in various trade-related sectors, creating the conditions for aligning key sectors of the eastern partners economy to European Union standards. The deep and comprehensive free trade areas are expected to bring many economic benefits for Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine by offering businesses access to the EU’s single market — the largest in the world.

European Union Market Access Conditions and Africa's Extensive Margin of Food Trade

AbstractThis paper examines the impact of two European Union (EU) market access regulations in the food sector presumed to simultaneously affect firms’ decisions to export food products to the EU. We analysed EU pesticide standards on African exports alongside a complementary non‐tariff measure in the form of a minimum entry price regulation, which aims to protect EU growers of certain fruits and vegetables against international competition. Analysis was based on Africa's exports of tomatoes, oranges, and lime and lemon to the EU between 2008 and 2013, using the gravity model of trade. Our results show that EU market access conditions constitute significant barrier to the formation of new trade relation between the EU and Africa. In addition, initiation of trade relationships is contingent not only on market access conditions but also on domestic market constraints in Africa. These results imply that negotiating preferential entry prices duties and the removal of domestic market restraints as well as strengthening domestic capacity to comply with EU standards to enhance continuous market access for the continent could stimulate food trade along the extensive margin.

Water Quality Survey of Streams from Retezat Mountains (Romania)

Abstract The Retezat Mountains, located in the Southern Carpathians, are one of the highest massifs in Romania and home of the Retezat National Park, which possesses an important biological value. This study aimed at the investigation of water quality in creeks of the Southern Retezat (Piule-Iorgovanul Mountains) in order to provide information on pollutants of both natural and anthropogenic origin, which could pose a threat for the human health. Heavy metal and other inorganic ion contents of samples were analyzed with on-site and laboratory measurements to estimate water quality. The samples were investigated using microwave plasma - atomic emission spectrometry to quantify specific elements, namely aluminium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, lead and zinc. The results were compared with the European Union and Romanian standards regarding drinking water and surface water quality. The studied heavy metals have been found to be in very low concentrations or under the method’s detection limit. Thus, in the microbasin corresponding to the sampling points, there seems to be no heavy metal pollution and, from this point of view, the samples comply as drinking water according to the European Union and Romanian recommendations. Our findings confirm that the Retezat Mountains are still among the least contaminated regions in Europe and that the ecosystem and the human health is not negatively influenced by water quality problems.

Energy resources in the Republic of Serbia: Development policy

ABSTRACTBy joining the Energy Community and obtaining candidate status for accession to the European Union (EU), Serbia has committed to harmonize its energy policy to the legislation of the EU. The backbone of this policy is the power sector, which will continue to be the foundation of future development. In fact, the power sector is probably the closest to EU standards. This paper presents the energy resources in Serbia and the potentials that can be used to define the power sector policy. It is expected that lignite and large hydropower plants (HPPs) will become the basis of the energy system in the future, but with a significant increase in the share of renewable sources, primarily wind energy and biomass. One of the main objectives is to reach a 50:50 ratio of electricity produced from renewable and non-renewable sources in the period 2020–2030.

THE SHADOW BANKING AS AN EXAMPLE OF INEFFICIENCIES IN THE FUNCTIONING OF THE BANKING SYSTEM IN POLAND

Recreate in Poland since 1989 the market of the financial system accelerated the processes of globalization and adaptation in relation to European Union standards. The objective nature of the processes of economic globalization necessitates the planned use of its positive effects with regard to the potential risks of possible future outbreak of another global financial crisis and economic future. Accordingly, the financial system in Poland is effectively developed and demonstrated in the future greater resistance to another global or regional financial crises, it is necessary to improve all these aspects, the determinants of the imperfections of the current functioning of the domestic banking system. One of the most important factors of this improvement is to reduce the possibility of para-banking business entities operating in the field of so-called. Shadow banking. These processes should be correlated with the adjustment of the national banking standards of the European Union's financial system. These processes are also inevitable, an important aspect of the ongoing economic globalization.

Occurrence and factors associated with aflatoxin contamination of raw peanuts from Lusaka district's markets, Zambia

Peanuts, one of the most susceptible crops to aflatoxin (AF) contamination, are widely produced and consumed in Zambia. This cross-sectional study was designed to determine the levels of AFs in raw peanuts sold in Lusaka district's markets as well as identify factors associated with increased AF presence. Raw peanut samples were collected from open markets and supermarkets and analyzed for aflatoxin contamination using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A questionnaire was also administered to the peanut vendors to investigate factors contributing to increased levels of AFs in peanuts. Of the 92 samples, 51 (55.4%; 95% CI: 44.9–65.4) tested positive for presence of AFs. The overall median and geometric mean ± standard deviation (SD) concentration for AF were 0.23 ppb (range: 0.014–48.67 ppb) and 0.43 ± 9.77 ppb, respectively. The association between market types and presence of AFs was not statistically significant (Pearson Χ2 = 0.0587, p = 0.809). Of 51 samples that tested positive to AF, 6.5% and 12% were above the maximum permissible limits (MPLs) set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and European Union standards, respectively. There was a significant difference in the levels of AF between Chalimbana and Kadononga (p<0.0001), and also Chalimbana and Makulu red (p<0.0001). Chalimbana was the most at risk of AF contamination, when compared to other peanut varieties. The high level of AFs in raw peanuts from both supermarkets and open markets samples constitutes a health hazard for the population of Lusaka district. Therefore, intervention strategies that reduce the levels of AF contamination in peanuts should be given priority.

European Union's Standards and Food Exports from Africa: Implications of the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme for Coffee and Fish

The preponderance and stringency of product standards have implications for global trade, especially for developing countries. Despite the importance of this issue to Africa, only a few empirical studies exist in the area. It is on this basis that this study draws its objective, which is to investigate the impact of EU standards on Africa's exports in relation to the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme. A two-step Heckman model is adopted using mostly unexploited standards data from Perinorm International. A high-value commodity (fish) and traditional cash crop (coffee) are selected. The findings show that at the extensive margin of export, standards are trade-inhibiting for fish and coffee. At the intensive margin, the standards are trade-inhibiting in coffee exports while trade-enhancing in fish exports.

Technology of Water Purification With Chlorinated Derivatives and Assessment of Risk Associated With Human Exposure to These Substances

In the given paper the authors consider the technology of water purification with consideration to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), European Union (EU) and standards of developed countries. Carcinogenic Unit Risk (UR) magnitude for people constantly exposed to the analyzed carcinogens in the course of a lifetime is estimated. The authors calculate and evaluate unique carcinogenic risk as a complementary probability of cancer development during the whole life of CR when introducing EU standards into water purification technology.

Assessing Air Quality in Turkey: A Proposed, Air Quality Index

The annual air quality indices are aimed at better taking into account of long-term exposure to air pollution. This type of indices offer decision-makers condensed environmental information for performance monitoring, policy progress evaluation, benchmarking comparisons, and decision-making. This paper evaluates the air quality of eight Turkish cities in view of the European Union (EU) norms. The proposed index aggregates concentrations of three air pollutants, namely sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter and it is built by using 2014 data from 20 air quality monitoring stations. According to the results obtained from the calculation, the EU standards were exceeded at 14 stations, while at six stations the situation is better than the norms. These results indicate that Turkey has failed in fulfilling the European air quality standards.

Managing Swedish forestry's impact on mercury in fish: Defining the impact and mitigation measures.

Inputs of anthropogenic mercury (Hg) to the environment have led to accumulation of Hg in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, contributing to fish Hg concentrations well above the European Union standards in large parts of Fennoscandia. Forestry operations have been reported to increase the concentrations and loads of Hg to surface waters by mobilizing Hg from the soil. This summary of available forestry effect studies reveals considerable variation in treatment effects on total Hg (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) at different sites, varying from no effect up to manifold concentration increases, especially for the bioavailable MeHg fraction. Since Hg biomagnification depends on trophic structures, forestry impacts on nutrient flows will also influence the Hg in fish. From this, we conclude that recommendations for best management practices in Swedish forestry operations are appropriate from the perspective of mercury contamination. However, the complexity of defining effective policies needs to be recognized.

Why the EU Still Matters in Turkish Domestic Politics: Insights from Recent Reforms in Migration Policy

In view of Turkey’s increasing distance from the European Union (EU), the continued partial alignment with EU standards is often attributed either to domestic factors, or to diffusion processes induced by external actors other than the EU. However, based on interviews with officials from Turkey and the European Commission on recent reforms in migration policy, this article argues that two factors are responsible for continued EU influence on policy processes. First, the EU is still able to set incentives for compliance. Second, the instrument for pre-accession assistance has an impact that goes beyond that of a mere facilitator of domestically defined interests.

From halt to hurry: external and domestic influences on Ukrainian asylum policy

The European Union (EU) and Ukraine have cooperated on asylum policy for many years with the aim of introducing EU and international standards in Ukraine. Reforms, however, were developing slowly and have accelerated only after 2010. This timing represents a puzzle because the reforms advanced most significantly in a situation when Ukraine’s orientation toward the EU became more reluctant again while it increased toward the Russian Federation. The latter in turn became increasingly hostile toward EU activities in Ukraine and eager to pull Ukraine toward the Eurasian Customs Union as an alternative integration project. The timing of reforms can be explained by paying more attention to domestic forces. On the one hand, these forces operate with some degree of independence from the country’s geo-strategic orientation, responding to sector-specific costs and benefits, and in particular, sector-specific conditionality. On the other hand, the more autocratic rule under former President Yanukovych ended a period of unproductive political muddle and facilitated the adoption of EU rules. Russian influence did not play a role in this particular policy sector, which was thus de-coupled from the broader macro-level developments.

TO THE CHARACTERICTICS OF THE HUMAN RUGHTS LEGAL PROTECTION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

Specifics of human rights institution development and formation in the European Union are researched. The problem of the human rights protection and corresponding standards of such rights were analyzed in the scientific works of such scholars as Tabushka S., Nanette N., Allan R., Entin K., Ispolinov А., Belova G., Gaja G. These scientists researched different aspects of evolution and elaboration of human rights protection in the primary and secondary legislation of the European Union, namely role of the Court of European Union in this process, amendment of the founding treaties of the European Union bearing in mind necessity of the human rights protection clauses. At the same time it is worth mentioning that within Ukrainian scholars the problem of European Union human rights standards has not been sufficiently researched, notwithstanding fact that after signing Agreement on Associated Partnership between Ukraine and European Union that very the problem of approximation of Ukrainian legislation in the sphere of human rights towards European Union standards became of paramount importance. That is why the goal of this article to research and suggest some particular suggestions for amendment of the Constitution of Ukraine in the realm of fundamental human rights and freedeoms. Norms of the Charter of the Fundamental Rights of the European Union are analyzed through the prism of Charter understanding as the main legal instrument of human rights protection in this international organization, as well as perspectives of legal protection enhancing of human rights in this international formation are researched. A special emphasis is being made in relation to the possible accession of the European Union to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of the Council of Europe. Efforts are being made for analyzing draft legal instruments on the accession of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights – Agreement on Accession. Key words : Human Rights, European Union, Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Locating Biobanks in the Canadian Privacy Maze.

Although Canada has not yet enacted any biobanking-specific privacy law, guidance and oversight are provided via various federal and provincial health and privacy-related laws as well as via ethics and policy documents. The primary policy document governing health research, the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans, provides the framework for the strong role of Research Ethics Boards in Canada, and limits research funding from Canada's three main federal funding agencies to those who agree to adhere to its policies. The broad consent model is gaining traction in Canada, although lack of legal and constitutional precedence for the broad consent or opt-out options makes this an evolving issue. In general, data is required to be coded; more specific security measures are outlined in guidelines that may be implemented by local policy. International sharing is allowed, and Canada meets the European Union's standards for receipt of data and samples.

Case Study of Chimney and Flue Fires in Timber Constructions in Slovak Republic

In the past, due to a harmonization of standards of the Slovak Republic to European Union standards, there was the amendment of Act no. 455/1991 Coll. on small business. Based on adjustments related regulations was a canceled competence requirement of persons performing regular cleaning and inspection of the chimney. According to statistics of Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic is a chimney still one of the most common reasons of fire in residential buildings. The article deals with the analysis of fires caused by chimneys and flues. The main goal is to point out the necessity to solve this problem by stricter regulations on testing and approval of the chimney.

Microbiological Examination of Bulk Tank Goat’s Milk in the Castilla y Leon Region in Northern Spain

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the microbiological status (mesophilic aerobic microorganism counts) of 68 samples of bulk tank goat's milk and determine the risk associated with the foodborne pathogens Staphylococcus aureus, enteropathogenic and Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, and Cronobacter sakazakii. Most samples (83.8%) complied with the limits of mesophilic aerobe counts set in the European Union for milk of species other than cows. A total of 144 isolates of coagulase-positive staphylococci were characterized, and 11 (7.6%) of them carried staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) genes of the classical types (encoding SEA to SEE), distributed as follows: 4 carried the SEA gene, 1 the SEB gene, and 6 the SED gene. C. sakazakii was not detected in any sample. Regarding detection of E. coli virulence-related genes in enriched milk samples, 12 milk samples were positive only for the presence of stx genes, 4 were positive for both stx and eae genes, and 20 were negative for stx amplification and positive for eae amplification. Seven enteropathogenic E. coli and 9 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli isolates (one of them of serogroup O157) were recovered. In conclusion, goat's milk produced on farms in Castilla y León is generally in accordance with European Union standards, but the presence of pathogenic E. coli isolates indicates that the consumption of raw goat's milk may pose a risk to public health.