scholarly journals Introduction: The European Union, the Insurance Industry and the Public-Private Mix in Healthcare

Author(s):  
Cyril Benoît ◽  
Marion Del Sol ◽  
Philippe Martin

AbstractResearch has paid little attention to date on how the European Union (EU) affects private (usually voluntary) health insurance at domestic level and more broadly, the political economy of the public-private mix in healthcare. Our argument in this Introduction is that EU law and regulation is, essentially, likely to do so through the provisions applicable to the insurance sector as a whole. We then explain why it could potentially be a vehicle for transformative changes of private health insurers, and why, by extension, it could interact with the prior effects of domestic policy choices in healthcare. Ultimately, such interactions could also help change the nature and scope of health coverage. On the basis of these statements, we develop an analytical approach to elucidate, characterize and prove this influence. We then outline the research design and case selection processes and discuss the various methods applied in the nine contributions to this book. After a short summary of their respective findings, we reflect in a concluding section on how they echo wider debates in the literature on the role of private actors in contemporary Welfare States and on EU influence in healthcare.

Author(s):  
Francesco Giumelli ◽  
Michal Onderco

Abstract While the current practice of the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, and the United States leans towards imposing only targeted sanctions in most of the cases, private actors often complain about inability to process financial transactions, ship goods, or deliver services in countries where sanctions targets are located. The impact of sanctions often ends up being widespread and indiscriminate because sanctions are implemented by for-profit actors. This article investigates how for-profit actors relate to the imposition of sanctions, how they reflect them in their decisions, and how they interact with the public authorities. The findings of our research show that for-profit actors, with the possible exception of the largest multinationals, do not engage with public authorities before the imposition of sanctions. The behaviour of for-profit actors in the implementation phase is in line with the assumption of firms and business as profit-maximisers. Weighting the profits from business against the costs of (non-)compliance and make the decisions that in their view maximise their profit. Indeed, de-risking seems to be the most common approach by the companies due to the uncertainties produced by the multiple and overlapping sanctions regimes imposed by the United Nations, the European Union, and the United States.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 3985
Author(s):  
Adam Kozień

The concept of sustainable development is widely used, especially in social, environmental and economic aspects. The principle of sustainable development was derived from the concept of sustainable development, which appears in legal terms at the international, EU, national and local levels. Today, the value of cultural heritage that should be legally protected is indicated. A problematic issue may be the clash in this respect of the public interest related to the protection of heritage with the individual interest, expressed, e.g., in the ownership of cultural heritage designates. During the research, scientific methods that are used in legal sciences were used: theoretical–legal, formal–dogmatic, historical–legal methods, as well as the method of criticism of the literature, and legal inferences were also used. The analyses were carried out on the basis of the interdisciplinary literature on the subject, as well as international, EU and national legal acts—sources of the generally applicable law. Research has shown that the interdisciplinary principle of sustainable development, especially from the perspective of the social and auxiliary environmental aspect, may be the basis for weighing public and individual interests in the area of legal protection of cultural heritage in the European Union. It was also indicated that it is possible in the situation of treating the principle of sustainable development in terms of Dworkin’s “policies” and allows its application not only at the level of European Union law (primary and secondary), but also at the national legal orders of the European Union Member States.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
E Webb ◽  
W Palm ◽  
E van Ginneken ◽  
S Lessof ◽  
L Siciliani ◽  
...  

Abstract Background At the request of the European Commission, the Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and the HSPM network have undertaken a study to explore gaps in universal health coverage in the European Union and increase the level of granularity in terms of areas or groups where accessibility is sub-optimal. Methods To explore these gaps more systematically a survey was developed based on the so-called cube model that comprises different dimensions determining health coverage, including population coverage, service coverage and cost coverage. In addition, access can also be hampered by other factors, which relate more to the physical availability of care, a person's ability to obtain necessary care or the attitude of the provider. The survey was sent to country contacts from the Health Systems and Policy Monitor network. Results Within the diversity of country cases found in the survey, the most significant barriers for accessing health care still seem to be associated with social and income status, rather than specific medical conditions. However, groups like mentally ill, homeless, frail elderly, undocumented migrants are more likely to face multiple layers of exclusion and complex barriers to access. Conclusions Health system interventions can close access gaps for these vulnerable groups and address inequities in access to care. Through detailed coverage design countries can indeed determine the extent to which financial hardship and catastrophic out-of-pocket spending can be prevented. Furthermore, scope exists to improve current data collection practice.


Author(s):  
Marta Pietras-Eichberger

The study analyzed selected issues related to the scope of human rights and freedoms during the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland and Russia. The author wanted to compare the regulations issued by a Member State of the European Union and a country outside the European Union, often using undemocratic methods of exercising power. The work focuses on research problems related to the principles of protection, the confrontation of individual interests with the public interest, and the impact of the regimes introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic on human rights law in both countries. The thesis of the study is that in the event of a threat to public health, analogous restrictions on human rights are introduced both in an undemocratic country and in a country belonging to international structures identifying with democratic values. The state of the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed, and in some area even contributed to the creation of mechanisms reserved for crisis situations, posing a direct and real threat to public safety and health.


Author(s):  
Lucía CASADO CASADO

LABURPENA: Ekonomiako Lankidetza eta Garapenerako Erakundeak eta Europar Batasunak bultzatutako erregulazioa hobetzeko politika gero eta gehiago garatu da Espainian eta 2015ean bultzada esanguratsua jaso du, urriaren 1eko 39/2015 Legea, Herri Administrazioen Administrazio Prozedura Erkideari buruzkoa, onartuta. Lege horrek titulu berria dakar —VI.a— legegintza-ekinbidea eta erregelamenduak eta bestelako xedapenak emateko ahalmena arautzeko. Bertan, legegintza-ekinbidea eta lege mailako arauak egiteko ahala erabiltzeari, erregelamenduak egiteko ahala erabiltzeari, erregulazio onaren printzipioei, araudiaren ebaluazioari, arauen publizitateari, arauen plangintzari eta herritarrek lege mailako arauak eta erregelamenduak egiteko prozeduran parte hartzeari buruzko xedapen batzuk jasotzen dira. Lan horrek arlo horretan 39/2015 Legeak sartutako berritasunak aztertzen ditu, tokiko ikuspegitik, haren xedapenak administrazio publiko guztiei eta, beraz, toki-administrazioei ere, aplikatzen baitzaizkie. Helburu nagusia Legeak tokiko arauak egiteko ahalean daukan eragina aztertzea eta, ondorioz, arlo horretan tokiko eremuan sartzen diren berritasun nagusiak zehaztea da, haren aplikazioak ekar ditzakeen erronka, arazo eta zalantza batzuk ikusteko eta balizko irtenbideak emateko. RESUMEN: La política de mejora de la regulación, impulsada por la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económico y por la Unión Europea, se ha desarrollado en España de forma reciente y ha recibido un impulso significativo en 2015, con la aprobación de la Ley 39/2015, de 1 de octubre, del procedimiento administrativo común de las administraciones públicas. Esta Ley incluye un nuevo Título —el VI—, destinado a regular la iniciativa legislativa y la potestad para dictar reglamentos y otras disposiciones. En él se recogen algunas previsiones sobre el ejercicio de la iniciativa legislativa y la potestad para dictar normas con rango de ley, el ejercicio de la potestad reglamentaria, los principios de buena regulación, la evaluación normativa, la publicidad de las normas, la planificación normativa y la participación de los ciudadanos en el procedimiento de elaboración de normas con rango de ley y reglamentos. Este trabajo se centra en el análisis de las novedades incorporadas en esta materia por la citada Ley 39/2015 desde una perspectiva local, dada la aplicación de sus previsiones a todas las administraciones públicas y, por consiguiente, también a las administraciones locales. El objetivo primordial es analizar la incidencia de esta Ley sobre la potestad normativa local y, en consecuencia, determinar las principales novedades que se incorporan en esta materia en el ámbito local, con el fin de apuntar algunos retos, problemas e incertidumbres que su aplicación puede suscitar y aportar posibles soluciones. ABSTRACT: Policies to improve regulation promoted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Union have recently been applied in Spain and in 2015 received a significant boost with the passing of Law 39/2015, of 1 October, on common administrative procedure for the public administrations. This Law includes a new Section (VI) which regulates legislative initiative and the power to create regulations and other provisions. The law contains provisions regarding the execution of legislative initiative and the power to create regulations with the force of laws, the exercising of regulatory power, the principles of good regulation, regulatory evaluation, regulatory publicity, regulatory planning and the participation of citizens in the process of creating legislation with the force of laws and regulations. The present study analyses the changes made to local regulatory powers by the aforementioned Law 39/2015, given that its provisions are applicable to all public administrations and, therefore, also to the local administrations. The primary objective is to analyse the effect of this Law on local regulatory powers and, therefore, to determine the principle new changes that have been made to local regulatory powers, with the aim of identifying the challenges, problems and uncertainties that may arise through the application of the Law and to propose possible solutions.


Author(s):  
Jacinto J. Marabel

Durante muchos años, la Unión Europea exigió al Reino de España articular una serie de medidas tendentes a garantizar los procedimientos de recurso en materia de adjudicación de contratos públicos. La materia tiene una importancia crucial en las políticas europeas y su impacto económico llega a alcanzar la quinta parte del PIB del conjunto de los Estados miembros. Por esta razón, se hizo necesaria la creación de órganos independientes con competencia en la resolución de este tipo de conflictos que velaran por el principio de libre concurrencia. El Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea considera que la naturaleza y funciones de tipo de órganos, que a partir del Tribunal Central de Recursos Contractuales se han extendido a gran parte de las Comunidades Autónomas, son asimilables a las de los órganos jurisdiccionales.For many years, the European Union demanded the Kingdom of Spain to articulate a series of measures to ensure the review procedures in the field of public procurement. The matter is of crucial importance in European policies and their economic impact can reach a fifth of the GDP of all the Member States. For this reason, the creation of independent bodies with competence in the resolution of such conflicts that shall ensure the principle of free competition was necessary. The Court of Justice of the European Union considered that the nature and functions of type of organs, which starting from the Public Procurement Review Central Administrative Court have been extended to much of the Autonomous Communities, are similar to the justice courts.


Author(s):  
Sami Tlais ◽  
Hayat Omairi ◽  
Ali Al Khatib ◽  
Hassan HajjHussein

In light of recent news reporting the use of banned colorants in Lebanese-made pickled turnips exported to the European Union (EU) by the Rapid Alert System of Food and Feed (RASFF), The Lebanese Consumer Protection Association tested samples of pickled turnips being sold to the public and confirmed the use of rhodamine B. Many products were pulled off the market and were replaced with new products that were supposed to be free of any banned colorants. We selected 5 different brands of pickled turnips and tested them for pH, salinity, nitrites, and colorants. We tested the salinity using two methods: evaporation and titration. The concentration of nitrites was tested by absorbency method. The presence of colorants was determined using TLC and absorbency method. We determined that the newly released pickled turnips comply with the rules and regulations adopted by the Lebanese Standards Institution (LIBNOR) and the international standards according to the Codex Alimentarius.


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