South European Regions Research Articles

Global approaches to tackling antimicrobial resistance: a comprehensive analysis of water, sanitation and hygiene policies

BackgroundUnsafe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) contributes to a high burden of disease and exacerbates factors that promote the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Enforceable policies are foundational to curbing...

Current exposure to phthalates and DINCH in European children and adolescents - Results from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies 2014 to 2021.

Phthalates are mainly used as plasticizers for polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Exposure to several phthalates is associated with different adverse effects most prominently on the development of reproductive functions. The HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014-2021) have investigated current European exposure to ten phthalates (DEP, BBzP, DiBP, DnBP, DCHP, DnPeP, DEHP, DiNP, DiDP, DnOP) and the substitute DINCH to answer the open policy relevant questions which were defined by HBM4EU partner countries and EU institutions as the starting point of the programme. The exposure dataset includes ∼5,600 children (6-11 years) and adolescents (12-18 years) from up to 12 countries per age group and covering the North, East, South and West European regions. Study data from participating studies were harmonised with respect to sample size and selection of participants, selection of biomarkers, and quality and comparability of analytical results to provide a comparable perspective of European exposure. Phthalate and DINCH exposure were deduced from urinary excretions of metabolites, where concentrations were expressed as their key descriptor geometric mean (GM) and 95th percentile (P95). This study aims at reporting current exposure levels and differences in these between European studies and regions, as well as comparisons to human biomonitoring guidance values (HBM-GVs). GMs for children were highest for ∑DEHP metabolites (33.6μg/L), MiBP (26.6μg/L), and MEP (24.4μg/L) and lowest for∑DiDP metabolites (1.91μg/L) and ∑DINCH metabolites (3.57μg/L). In adolescents highest GMs were found for MEP (43.3μg/L), ∑DEHP metabolites (28.8μg/L), and MiBP (25.6μg/L) and lowest for ∑DiDP metabolites (= 2.02μg/L) and ∑DINCH metabolites (2.51μg/L). In addition, GMs and P95 stratified by European region, sex, household education level, and degree of urbanization are presented. Differences in average biomarker concentrations between sampling sites (data collections) ranged from factor 2 to 9. Compared to the European average, children in the sampling sites OCC (Denmark), InAirQ (Hungary), and SPECIMEn (The Netherlands) had the lowest concentrations across all metabolites and ESTEBAN (France), NAC II (Italy), and CROME (Greece) the highest. For adolescents, comparably higher metabolite concentrations were found in NEB II (Norway), PCB cohort (Slovakia), and ESTEBAN (France), and lower concentrations in POLAES (Poland), FLEHS IV (Belgium), and GerES V-sub (Germany). Multivariate analyses (Survey Generalized Linear Models) indicate compound-specific differences in average metabolite concentrations between the four European regions. Comparison of individual levels with HBM-GVs revealed highest rates of exceedances for DnBP and DiBP, with up to 3 and 5%, respectively, in children and adolescents. No exceedances were observed for DEP and DINCH. With our results we provide current, detailed, and comparable data on exposure to phthalates in children and - for the first time - in adolescents, and - for the first time - on DINCH in children and adolescents of all four regions of Europe which are particularly suited to inform exposure and risk assessment and answer open policy relevant questions.

Are European natural gas markets connected? A time-varying spillovers analysis

This paper examines the European natural gas market connectedness. Four main markets from the North-Western and South European regions are investigated with the Diebold-Yilmaz connectedness approach derived from the time-varying parameters VAR model with stochastic volatility. We show that the European natural gas market becomes increasingly integrated. Our results update previous findings, which pointed to the leading role of the British NBP as a source of shocks to natural gas price and volatility. Instead, we demonstrate that the two leading markets in Europe are the Dutch TTF and the German NCG. In recent years, however, the observed dominance of the indicated markets weakens, while spillovers from the Italian PSV gain importance. This could indicate the growing role of the supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the launch of the pipeline from the Caspian Sea to Italy.

OP0219 HIGH INCIDENCE OF MIS-C AND OTHER AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES AFTER SARS-COV-2 INFECTION COMPARED TO COVID-19 VACCINATION IN PEDIATRIC POPULATION FROM SOUTH CENTRAL EUROPE

BackgroundIn contrast to adults, children are less likely to develop serious disease upon infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) but are at increased risk for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases linked to the virus (1). The reported incidence of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) varied from 0.2 to 11.4/100,000 persons under 21 years (2,3). It is yet unknown whether MIS-C can recur after SARS-CoV-2 reinfection or COVID-19 vaccination.ObjectivesTo estimate the incidence and describe the spectrum of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection and coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination in pediatric patients from two neighbouring South Central European countries and regions, Slovenia and Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG), Italy.MethodsWe performed a multi-centre prospective cohort study of all children and adolescents (under 18 years) newly diagnosed with MIS-C or other inflammatory/autoimmune diseases linked to SARS-CoV-2 infection, who were admitted to the pediatric tertiary care hospitals in Slovenia or FVG, Italy during the period from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021. These hospitals serve a combined population of 587,053 children and adolescents. Only patients who had positive anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and/or positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test within 3 months prior to disease onset were considered for estimating the disease incidence. We obtained the number of patients with serious adverse events (SAE) after COVID-19 vaccination and the number of patients with severe COVID-19 in the same population. This study was conducted as a part of the EU interregional Italy-Slovenia project CATTEDRA (Cross border cooperation for innovative diagnosis of rare diseases in paediatrics).Results192 children and adolescents were diagnosed with inflammatory and autoimmune diseases linked to SARS-CoV-2 (Figure 1). Median age at diagnosis was 11.9 years (IQR 7.6 -14.7). All included patients were White. Incidence of MIS-C was one in 921 children and adolescents after SARS-CoV-2 infection and one in 5870 of all children and adolescents. Cumulative incidence of MIS-C since the start of the pandemic was 17/100,000 children and adolescents. Until December 31, 2021, 92,139 children and adolescents (15.7 %) received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Three patients presented with inflammatory/autoimmune disease after COVID-19 vaccination, including 2 patients with MIS-C and one patient with myositis. All 3 had evidence of recent SARS-CoV-2 infection in form of positive anti-N SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. In the same period, 15 children and adolescents were hospitalised with severe COVID-19. Seven patients from our cohort were vaccinated against COVID-19 median 8 months after MIS-C and further 6 patients had a SARS-CoV-2 reinfection 3-14 months after MIS-C. None of them experienced SAE or recurrence of MIS-C.Figure 1.Inflammatory and autoimmune diseases linked to SARS-CoV-2 and severe COVID-19 in pediatric population in Slovenia and FVG, ItalyCOVID-19=coronavirus disease, FVG=Friuli Venezia Giulia region in Italy, MIS-C=multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, SARS-CoV-2=severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2ConclusionMIS-C was the most common manifestation and its incidence in this predominantly white population was higher than previously reported. Based on our limited experience, MIS-C does not seem to recur after SARS-CoV-2 reinfection or COVID-19 vaccination, however long-term data are lacking. Autoimmune diseases were much more common after SARS-CoV-2 infection than after COVID-19 vaccination. Hospitalisations due to MIS-C were seven times as frequent as hospitalisations due to severe COVID-19 in children.

The state of adolescent medicine as a specific field: an international exploratory survey.

The emergence of adolescent medicine (AM) as a specific area of training and health care delivery is progressing at various pace around the world. The objective of this exploratory survey was to inquire about the existence of official bodies and institutions offering recognition of the discipline as a specific field and on the status of related training initiatives. A questionnaire was spread among a convenience sample of 21 colleagues involved in adolescent health care around the world, and answers were collected and analysed manually. All 21 colleagues from the North and South American, African, Asian and European regions have responded. Only seven countries report the existence of adolescent inpatient wards in some hospitals, while 16 have specialized outpatient clinics; in only eight countries is formal mandatory training in AM required for paediatricians; in seven others, such a stay is available but optional. Six countries have implemented a systematic assessment tackling AM in the certification process of paediatricians and just four recognize AM as a sub-specialty. Only two countries mention compulsory training in AM for family doctors. Fourteen countries report on the existence of an AM association. Despite an encouraging number of initiatives testifying the growing place of AM in the practice of medicine, our data bring a worrisome portray of the status of AM in the involved countries and call for the development of appropriate health care and training centres.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH: A REGIONAL ANALYSIS OF EUROPEAN CONTINENT

This study aims to examine the relationship between the non-renewable energy consumption of the countries and their economic status since energy consumption and production appear to be interconnected phenomena. This study analyses the Eastern, Middle, North, South, and Western regions of the European continent from 1990 to 2014. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to analyze the relationship between non-renewable energy consumption and economic growth in the European continent by region. The study adopts a panel causality process to examine the relationship between two phenomena. According to the empirical analyses, there is bidirectional causality between non-renewable energy consumption and economic growth in Eastern, Middle, North, and South European regions whereas a unidirectional relationship from non-renewable energy consumption to economic growth in the Western. Non-renewable energy consumption and economic growth are still interconnected phenomena in the European countries even though climate concerns, environmental precautions, and promotion to reduce unsustainable production.

Microwave-Assisted Extraction as a Green Technology Approach to Recover Polyphenols from Castanea sativa Shells

Chestnuts (Castanea sativa) are valuable fruits that are extremely economically important for south European mountainous regions. During chestnut processing, large amounts of C. sativa shells (CSS)...

Worry about crime in Europe: A model-based small area estimation from the European Social Survey

Worry about crime is known to be higher in some European regions than others. However, cross-national surveys, which are the main source of information to map worry about crime across Europe, are designed to be representative of large areas (countries), and regions often suffer from small and unrepresentative sample sizes. This research produces reliable model-based small area estimates of worry about crime at regional level from European Social Survey data, in order to map the phenomenon and examine its macro-level predictors. Model-based small area estimation techniques borrow strength across areas to produce reliable estimates of parameters of interest. Estimates of worry about crime are higher in most South and East European regions, in contrast to Northern and Central Europe.

Austerity HRM practices, work deterioration and possible recovery policies: A cross-European survey in the airport workplace

This study investigates the austerity HRM practices implemented in European airports during the economic crisis, the subsequent deterioration of working conditions and possible recovery policies. The survey results indicate that austerity HRM practices, especially work flexibility, increased workload and workplace discrimination, are strongly and positively correlated with work deterioration. Moreover, the impact of the crisis is not homogeneous across airports, since public airports and those located in South European regions and in countries displaying a high Economic Crisis Index suffer the most. Notwithstanding, a combination of micro-, meso- and macro-policies has the potential to alleviate the detrimental effects of the crisis on airport workplaces.

Uncomplicated Hydatid Cysts of the Liver: Clinical Presentation, Diagnosis and Treatment

Hydatid cyst of the liver is zoonosis caused by the larval stages of taeniid cestodes belonging to the genus Echinococcus and is still endemic in the South European regions, Asia, South America, North Africa, Australia, New Zealand and several Asian and European countries. The diagnosis of non complicated hydatid cyst of the liver depends on clinical suspicion. They appear in two ways as general (systemic) symptoms, and local symptoms based on the site and organ on which larva settles. While cysts sometimes recover spontaneously, more severe clinical presentations are observed in immunosuppressive individuals. Ultrasonography is the gold standard diagnostic tool and E. Granulosus antigen 5 (Ag5) and antigen B (Ag B) obtained from cyst fluid are used as a serologic diagnostic method in combination with the imaging method. The current treatment of hydatid cyst of the liver varies from surgical intervention to minimally invasive treatments (percutaneous drainage) or medical therapies. Surgery is still the best treatment tool. Percutaneous drainage and treatment of the cyst is a good option to surgery in selected cases. Multiple, superficial single cysts are the most suitable ones for surgical treatment. Also for complicated infected cysts pressing biliary tree and vital organs, surgery should be the first choice of treatment coming to mind. We believe that the laparoscopic approach should be safe to uncomplicated cysts. The purpose of our article is to provide a current review of clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic features of hydrated cyst diseases.

The Sound of Fatih Akın’s Cinema: Polyphony and the Aesthetics of Heterogeneity in The Edge of Heaven

Fatih Akın’s film sound (music/dialogue) highlights his aesthetic imagination of a diverse Europe. One means by which this is achieved is through Akın’s collaboration with DJ Shantel. Using examples from Auf der anderen Seite (The Edge of Heaven , 2007), I argue that Akın’s linguistic and musical soundtrack invites the moviegoer to aesthetically experience a heterogeneous European polyphony. Shantel’s dubbed/remixed music from North, South, and East European regions, as well as the various languages, dialects, and accents of the filmic characters testify to both a filmic normalization of multilingualism and musical heterogeneity, and even to a connection between different (film) histories.

European characterization factors for damage to natural vegetation by ozone in life cycle impact assessment

Spatially explicit characterization factors (CFs) for tropospheric ozone damage on natural vegetation caused by anthropogenic NOx and NMVOC emissions are presented for 65 European regions. The CFs were defined as the area-integrated increase in the potentially affected fraction (PAF) of trees and grassland species due to a change in emission of NOx and NMVOCs. The CF consists of a Fate Factor, quantifying the relationship between the emission of precursor substances and ozone exposure, and an area-integrated Effect Factor, quantifying the relationship between ozone exposure and the damage to natural vegetation. The relationships describing the ecological effects of a pollutant were based on a lognormal relationship between the PAF and ground level ozone concentration. We found higher CFs for NOx compared to NMVOC, and these were largest in south European regions. Furthermore, we found that both the fate factor and effect factor contribute to the spatial differences found in the CFs. Our study shows that effects caused by ozone exposure from NOx emissions are larger than those of acidification caused by NOx, indicating the importance of including ozone effects to natural vegetation in life cycle assessment studies.

Comparative Sequence Analysis of Genes Encoding Outer Proteins of African Swine Fever Virus Isolates from Different Regions of Russian Federation and Armenia

African swine fever (ASF) is an economically important disease of domestic pigs. ASF is endemic in most of sub-Saharan Africa, including Madagascar Island; the highest incidence of disease being recorded from the West and East Africa to the Southern Africa. Disease outbreaks have also occurred in Europe, South America and the Caribbean. In 2007 it was introduced into Georgia, and has since spread throughout the Caucasus and into southern Russia. There is no vaccine or treatment available to control ASF virus. Therefore timely ASFV detection and characterization are critical to understand and contain its spread. In this report, we describe the nucleotide structure analysis of genes E183L, KP177R and O61R encoding for proteins p54, p22 and p12, respectively, for different ASFV isolates collected within three years from South European regions of Russia and Armenia. The comparative analysis of these demonstrated variability in p12 sequences of the isolates from different geographic regions and hosts, whereas p54 and p22 sequences were conserved among the isolates. However, hydropathy profile analyses did not reveal any structural variations for all three proteins. It suggests that p12 genes, but not p54 and p22 genes, is under strong selective pressure and can be a valuable genomic marker for studying of evolutionary pathways and genetic diversity of ASFV isolates.

The Macroeconomic Determinants of Banking Efficiency: An Empirical Analysis of South Africa Against the Rest of the World

The efficiency of a nation’s banking industry is a critical factor in the quest to realize economic growth and prosperity for its citizens. This study identifies a host of macroeconomic factors which have been shown to have a strong causal link with the efficient operation of a given banking industry. The efficiency of the South African banking industry is found to be lagging behind most of the twenty representative countries, notwithstanding the way one classifies efficiency. Only among some nations from the South American and Eastern European regions is South Africa’s banking industry efficiency profile comparable.The increase in the size of skilled and available work force, the growth in the size of real spendable per capita GDP, the wide availability of technology and computers, all positively increase the efficient operation of a banking industry. The erosion of an economy’s currency has a negative effect on efficiency but this is not found to be significant across all efficiency measures. The findings point to significant drivers, that if found to be lacking, are likely to indicate a climate of inefficiency. Finally we use Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to measure the efficiency of Decision Making Units (DMU’s), in this case, individual banks. However, unlike other studies, we use it as a robustness check of the previous empirical results. These two distinct methods yield near identical results. We conclude that the major causes of inefficiency seem to be structural; the concentrated ownership of the sector, interlocking directorships on bank boards and the oligopolistic nature of the industry mean that South Africa’s customers are paying too high a price for intermediary services.

Diversity of white and narrow-leafed lupin genotype adaptive response across climatically-contrasting Italian environments and implications for selection

White lupin (Lupinus albus) and narrow-leafed lupin (L. angustifolius) have special interest as high-protein feed crops but their cultivation is limited by low grain yields. This study aimed to support breeding programs targeting Italy or other climatically variable south-European regions by investigating within-species adaptation patterns across contrasting Italian environments. An additional aim was comparing species for yielding ability. Eight narrow-leafed and six white lupin cultivars featuring different origin, phenological type (Mediterranean in both species; winter in white lupin; spring in narrow-leafed lupin) and plant architecture (determinate or indeterminate in both species; tall or dwarf in white lupin) were evaluated in a Mediterranean and a subcontinental-climate site under autumn and late-winter sowing. Additive main effects and multiplicative interaction was preferable to joint regression for modeling yield responses. In both species, cross-over GE interaction was observed (P < 0.05), autumn-sown Mediterranean and subcontinental environments were the most-contrasting for GE effects, and widely adapted material included cultivars of Mediterranean phenological type with indeterminate growth. Material with determinate growth was not among the best-yielding entries in any environment, whereas a dwarf winter-type white lupin entry was specifically adapted to autumn-sown subcontinental environments. White lupin displayed larger genetic variation than narrow-leafed lupin for phenology and other traits. Relationships of morphophysiological traits with grain yield were environment-specific and were locally high for some white lupin traits (early flowering, long reproductive phase, high aerial biomass, low proportion of pod wall). White lupin exhibited higher yielding ability than narrow-leafed lupin in all environments but the late-winter sown Mediterranean one, when comparing locally top-yielding cultivars.

Influence of raw matter origin and production period on fatty-acid composition of dry-cured hams

We have here investigated the fatty acid composition in the muscle (Mm. biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus) of Vipava and Vipava-style hams made from fresh pork legs that originate from Slovenia, and from Germany and Italy, respectively. Dry-cured hams are produced under technology protected according to recognized geographical indications for Vipava ham, a salt-cured ham that is air-dried rather than smoked. The fatty acid compositions of samples were determined by gas-liquid chromatography following in-situ transesterification. On average, hams contained 6.89% of intramuscular and intermuscular fat, with the fatty-acid composition as 50.0% monounsaturated, 11.8% polyunsaturated (PUFA) and 38.0% saturated fatty acids. The origin of the raw matter has significant influence the PUFAs in hams, which were 2.0% lower in products from pigs of Slovenian (own) rearing. The important indicators of lipid nutritive value, as P/S ratio (0.31), content of n-3 (0.68%) and n-6 (9.02%) PUFAs, and ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs (14.1), are similar to those cited in the literature for other types of dry-cured hams from south European regions produced from pigs reared under intensive systems.

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR AN EFFICIENT USE OF ENERGY

Efficient use of energy in greenhouses has been subject of research and development for decades. The final energy efficiency, e.g. the amount of energy used per unit of product, is determined by improvements in energy conversion, reductions in energy use for environmental control and the efficiency of crop production. The new European targets on reduction of CO2 emission have resulted in a renewed interest in innovative technologies to improve energy efficiency in greenhouses designed for Northas well as South European regions. In this paper an overview of the recent developments is presented from both the Northwest European as well as the Mediterranean perspective. The developments range from new modified covering materials, innovative and energy conservative climate control equipment and plant response based control systems, to integrated energy efficient greenhouse designs. INTRODUCTION After the first “energy crisis” in the early 1980ies, where the limited supply of energy caused the first significant increase in energy prices, the energy use of greenhouses has again become a major research issue. The need for (energy) cost reduction becomes of higher importance when energy forms a substantial fraction of the total production costs. For Italy, it has been calculated that energy use for conditioning is already about 20-30% of the total production costs (De Pascale and Maggio, 2004), while in France it is 12-14% on average (Boulard, 2001) and 22% for vegetables, which is comparable to the northern regions (van der Knijff et al., 2004). The absolute use, however, differs between the specific locations: e.g. for Finland the total energy consumption, has been estimated at 1900 MJm per year (Olofsson et al., 2006), for The Netherlands 1500 MJ m (van der Knijff et al., 2004) and for southern France 500-1600 MJ m (Vesine et al., 2007). With the recently more pronounced interest in global warming and climate change, the use of fossil fuel is on the political agenda again (see Al Gore’s recent movie: An inconvenient truth). The international Kyoto protocol resulted in a new worldwide goal and many governments have set maximum CO2 emission levels for different industries, e.g. for The Netherlands: -30% CO2 emission in 2020 compared to 1990. The greenhouse industry is thereby again confronted with economical, political and social pressure to reduce the energy use and improve the energy efficiency. There are mainly two ways to increase the energy efficiency: • reduction of the energy input into the greenhouse system • increase the production per unit energy. The first strategy can be divided in two different parts: 1) efficient conversion technology to maximize the conversion of the energy source into a usable form (e.g. heat, 49 Proc. IS on Greensys2007 Eds.:S. De Pascale et al. Acta Hort. 801, ISHS 2008 cold, light) and 2): the reduction of the energy loss to the environment. The increase of the production per unit of energy, can be achieved in many ways, especially under sub optimal growing conditions. In fact, all cultivation measures which increase the production like improved irrigation, better nutrition, pest and disease control, a better utilization of the available greenhouse area etc, in the end also improve the energy

Distribution of steroidal saponins in Tribulus terrestris from different geographical regions

The steroidal saponins of Tribulus terrestris L. (Zygophyllaceae) are considered to be the factor responsible for biological activity of products derived from this plant. The activity depends on the concentration and the composition of active saponins, which in turn is influenced by the geographical origin of plant material. Samples of T. terrestris collected in Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Macedonia, Turkey, Georgia, Iran, Vietnam and India were analyzed by LC-ESI/MS/MS for the presence and the concentration of protodioscin ( 1), prototribestin ( 2), pseudoprotodioscin ( 3), dioscin ( 4), tribestin ( 5) and tribulosin ( 6). The flavonoid rutin ( 7) was also included in the comparison. The results revealed distinct differences in the content of these compounds depending on region of sample collection, plant part studied and stage of plant development. The samples from Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Serbia, Macedonia, Georgia and Iran exhibited similar chemical profile and only some quantitative difference in the content of 1–7 with protodioscin ( 1) and prototribestin ( 2) as main components. The Vietnamese and Indian samples exhibit totally different chemical profile. They lack 2 and 5, while tribulosin ( 6) is present in high amounts. Compounds different from 1 to 7 are dominating in these 3 samples. The presented results suggested the existence of one chemotype common to the East South European and West Asian regions. Most probably, the Vietnamese and Indian samples belong to other chemotypes which are still to be studied and characterized. No clear correlation between the burrs morphology and the chemical composition of the samples has been found.

Mediterranean sheep and goats production: An uncertain future

European sheep and goat production, in the Mediterranean areas represent important economic, environmental and sociological issues. Our article aims at comparing the situation of the main small ruminant systems in South European regions (Spain, France, Italy and Greece), and their possible future evolution. On the average, the income of milk systems tends to be higher than meat systems thanks to a good market price. Moreover, the dependence on subsidies is greater in meat systems and in extensive systems. However, milk systems seem more sensitive to the market situation for example, Italian products in the USA and products from Greece with respect to certain foreign companies. Sheep and goat production, being frequently the only possible enterprises in less favoured areas, are often fundamental to maintaining social activities and to keep the vegetation out of danger from fire. However, in Greece and Spain some intensive systems are becoming established in the more fertile plain areas. The roads to success are rather uncertain considering the new CAP reform as nearly all these systems seem to be dependent on the important European subsidies. Nevertheless, we have identified different ways to progress according to systems and regions. Such an uncertain future could be easier to forecast if those involved in the sheep and goat sectors worked more collectively in Europe.

The Armorica ‘microplate’: fact or fiction? Critical review of the concept and contradictory palaeobiogeographical data

The problem of an ‘Armorica microplate’, detached from Gondwana and having had during part of the Palaeozoic an independent latitudinal evolution, is reconsidered in terms of a critical review of the palaeomagnetic data that were the very roots of this concept and through an alternative approach based on palaeoclimatic and palaeobiogeographical data. Palaeomagnetic data for the Silurian and the Devonian of the south European regions supposedly constituting the Armorica microplate remain rare and ambiguous. Those from Gondwana are more numerous but contradictory enough to give rise to diverging models regarding the latitudinal evolution of this continent. Consequently, the reality of an Armorica microplate cannot be considered as established. On the contrary, lithological indicators of palaeoclimate and palaeobiogeographical data are in total harmony and indicate that, in actual fact, the southern European regions remained permanently closely connected with Gondwana, of which they composed the northern margin. Although repeatedly maintained for more than 20 years, the concept of an Armorica microplate can thus be considered a fiction. This conclusion should lead to the dismissal of geodynamical models proposed for the Variscan Belt to which this concept was integrated and are contradicted by inescapable palaeobiogeographical constraints.