Crime, organised crime and corruption in post-communist Europe and the CIS

2009 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Organised Crime ◽  
Weak States ◽  
External Agents ◽  
Contradictory Evidence ◽  
Fortress Europe ◽  
Post Communism ◽  
Communist Countries ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

This article examines the incomplete and sometimes contradictory evidence on the crime, organised crime and corruption situations in post-communist states, and then seeks to explain the apparent increase in all three in early post-communism. Among the factors considered are the impact of weak states and economies, neo-liberalism, globalisation, Schengen and Fortress Europe, the Communist legacy (the ‘ghost from the past’), and collusion. The article then examines the dynamics of criminality and malfeasance in the region, and provides evidence to suggest that the crime and corruption situation has stabilised or even improved in most post-communist countries in recent times. The factors considered for explaining this apparent improvement are the role of external agents (notably the EU), the move from transition to consolidation, and the role of political will.

scholarly journals Impact of a simultaneous reduction in fishing subsidies and introduction of efficient management of rents: the case of the Northwest Spanish fleet

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eugenia Merayo ◽  
Staffan Waldo ◽  
Max Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Simultaneous Reduction ◽  
Effort Level ◽  
Efficient Management ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
Management Scheme ◽  
Fishing Sector ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

Subsidies to the fishing sector have long been criticized for fueling over-fishing, and a reduction in subsidies is currently on the agenda in the negotiations within the World Trade Organization (WTO). This article analyzes the role of subsidies and other management measures for Spain, one of the largest fishing nations within the EU. A static bio-economic model is used to analyze the effect of simultaneous elimination of subsidies and introduction of an economically efficient management system for the Northwest Spanish fleet. It is concluded that improvements in management would bring substantial rents to the industry, up to €164 million, irrespective of subsidy level, but also a reduction in fishing effort of almost 60%. Under a management scheme that maximizes economic rents, elimination of subsidies in the fishery would increase social welfare, induced by a decrease in the equilibrium fishing effort level. However, the impact of subsidies under this scheme is limited.

scholarly journals The EU Falsified Medicines Directive: Key Implications for Dispensers

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. maapoc.0000024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard D. Naughton
Keyword(s):  
Pharmaceutical Companies ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
European Directive ◽  
2D Barcode ◽  
Market Authorization ◽  
Falsified Medicines ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

The EU Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) mandates the serialisation of prescription-only medicines using a two-dimensional (2D) barcode by pharmaceutical companies and the systematic verification of this 2D barcode in pharmacies. This European directive has ramifications for many stakeholders, including market authorization holders, wholesalers, parallel importers, and dispensers. Focusing primarily on the impact on UK dispensers, the following questions are addressed in this article: Where should the affected medicines be scanned? and who will pay for the incoming changes to practice? The role of the EU FMD in terms of drug recalls, the preparation required for EU FMD compliance, and the potential for added healthcare value are also discussed. Dispensers must prepare for the February 2019 EU FMD deadline date by choosing a point within their dispensing processes to scan medicines. Dispensers must also budget appropriately for the incoming costs associated with new hardware and processes.

scholarly journals The Increasing Power of the European Parliament: Negotiating the eu-India Free Trade Agreement

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 473-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Frennhoff Larsén
Keyword(s):  
Free Trade Agreement ◽  
Trade Agreement ◽  
European Parliament ◽  
Trade Negotiations ◽  
International Level ◽  
Game Analysis ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

AbstractSince the Lisbon Treaty increased the legal role of the European Parliament (ep) ineutrade policy, there has been a debate about the extent to which these legal competencies have translated into actual influence over the content and outcome ofeutrade negotiations. Using the trade negotiations between theeuand India as a case study, this article argues that the impact of theephas indeed been significant. Through two-level game analysis, which extends its domestic focus to include theepas a domestic constituent, it demonstrates how theephas affected theeuwin-set in ways that have both hindered and facilitated agreement at the international level between theeuand India. It also shows how theephas affected the negotiating dynamics and how theeunegotiators have had their preferences somewhat compromised by theepin their attempt at reaching an agreement with India.

scholarly journals Rola dużych gospodarstw rolnych we wzroście produktywności pracy rolnictwa polskiego na tle sytuacji w innych wybranych krajach Unii Europejskiej

2018 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wojciech Józwiak ◽  
Zofia Mirkowska ◽  
Wojciech Ziętara
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Labor Productivity ◽  
Productivity Growth ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
Large Farms ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Group 1

The study focuses on the analysis of labor productivity in Polish agriculture in 2005 and 2016 in comparison to selected EU-15 countries (group 1) and some countries that joined the EU after 2004. In group 1, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany are included, while in group 2 - the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia and Hungary. The analysis particularly considers the role of large farms, the size of which was contractually agreed at 30 ha of UAA. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of large farms on the level of labor productivity in total farms and to determine the possibility of reducing the differences between labor productivity in Polish large farms in relation to analogous farms in EU-15 countries, and determining whether changes occurring in Poland differ from those occurring in large farms in other post-socialist countries. In both groups of countries there was a decrease in the number of farms and an increase in labor productivity in agriculture in general and in surveyed classes in large farms. In the countries of group 2. the rate of labor productivity growth was higher than in group 1. However, it slightly reduced the differences. Labor productivity in agriculture in the countries of Group 1 was significantly higher than in Group 2. The increase in the number and share of large farms in the structure of farms was positively correlated with labor productivity in agriculture.

scholarly journals Spain

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Skorupska
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
State Government ◽  
State Level ◽  
Regional Level ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Autonomous Communities ◽  
Government Relations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

One objective of this chapter is to characterize the activities between Spanish communities and Chinese provinces and cities – their intensity, scope, advantages and obstacles that they face. The question relates to a broader perspective – the bilateral state government relations and the EU-China cooperation: is there any correlation between the relations at the state level and the regional level? Moreover, one of the ultimate goals of the whole project is to analyse the impact of the EU-China relations on paradiplomacy. Do the autonomous communities see any role of the EU in their activities with Chinese partners? Do they need any support from the European Union to have more intense or effective cooperation with this Asian partner?

scholarly journals The Limited Role of the European Union in the Management and Governance of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 482-506
Author(s):  
Joelle Grogan
Keyword(s):  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
States Of Emergency ◽  
National Governments ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

Abstract Building on two global Symposia hosted by the Verfassungsblog and convened by the author, the 2020 “COVID-19 and States of Emergency” and the 2021 “Power and the COVID-19 Pandemic”, in addition to the findings of the Democracy Reporting International ‘Rule of Law Stress Test’ which surveyed EU Member States’ responses to the pandemic, this article investigates the impact of the pandemic on governance and legal systems within the EU, and evaluates the actions taken by EU institutions and national governments in response to the health crisis against the standards of the rule of law.

The role of EU-ETS Mechanism as Environmental Investment Promoter in Europe and Developing Countries

2014 ◽  
pp. 85-134
Author(s):  
Carlos Díaz Valdivia
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Phase I ◽  
Interest Rates ◽  
Kyoto Protocol ◽  
Energy Prices ◽  
Eu Ets ◽  
Environmental Investment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

This research attempts to provide a better understanding about the role of the European Union Emission Trading System (EU-ETS) as private environmental investment promoter. It explores the macroeconomic behavior of private environmental investments before and after the implementation of EU-ETS in 2005 until the end of Phase I of the mechanism. Also, private environmental investments are contrasted with variables like: economic growth, interest rates, and energy prices (gas and electricity) in order to quantify the impact of these on private environmental decisions and evaluate the level of impact (slow, moderate and strong) of all these variables together with the EU-ETS implementation on private environmentalinvestment decisions. For this purpose it is used a statistical approach through multiple linear regressions for the cases of Germany, Spain, France and The Netherlands and a single panel estimation with data information of all the countries mentioned. The results show that the signature of Kyoto Protocol in year 1997 -as a preamble of EU-ETS- provided a perverse incentive on private environmental investments until 2004. During Phase I (2005–2007) of the EU-ETS mechanism, private environmental investments showed an important positive recovery that was not enough to reach pre Kyoto Protocol levels. Finally, it is analyzed the investment in developing countries through CDM projects.

The impact of the European Union visa liberalisation process on the reduction of organised crime and corruption in Kosovo

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 123-139
Author(s):  
Paulina Szeląg
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Statistical Data ◽  
European Parliament ◽  
Organised Crime ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Track Record ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

On January 19, 2012, the European Commission (Commission) decided to launch a visa liberalisation dialogue with Kosovo, and on June 14, 2012, it handed over to Kosovo’s government a ‘Roadmap Towards a Visa-free Regime’. This document included 95 requirements that Kosovo had to fulfil. By 2016, the Commission had adopted four reports on progress made by Kosovo in the visa dialogue. In a report issued on May 4, 2016, the EC proposed to the Council of the EU (Council) and the European Parliament (EP) to lift visa requirements on the citizens of Kosovo. The Commission stressed that by the day of the adoption of the proposal by the EP and the Council, Kosovo must have ratified the border/boundary agreement with Montenegro and strengthened its track record in the fight against organised crime and corruption. On July 18, 2018, the Commission confirmed in a report on the progress made by Kosovo in the visa dialogue, that the country had fulfilled the last two requirements included in the roadmap. The aim of this article is to analyse the visa-liberalisation dialogue between the European Union (EU) and Kosovo and whether liberalisation through a visa-free regime with Kosovo had an influence on reducing organised crime and corruption in Kosovo. The article is based on an analysis of primary and secondary sources, as well as statistical data.

Romania's Foreign Trade and of Other Former Communist Countries in 2003-2012

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 19-31
Author(s):  
Marian Zaharia ◽  
Aniela Balacescu ◽  
Radu Serban Zaharia
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Foreign Trade ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Significant Decline ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Comparative Statistical Analysis ◽  
Communist Countries ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

During 2003-2012, economies of most EU countries, have gone through periods of growth and decline, the most significant decline being recorded in 2009, due to strong economic crisis which has affect the EU and not only. The main purpose of this article is to assess the impact that the economic crisis has had on each of the five former communist countries analyzed, namely Romania, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria. This study is a comparative statistical analysis of evolutions of the volumes of exports and imports both within EU and outside. It also, are analyzed their trade balances evolutions, and were identified, for three of them, among which Romania, valid models of evolution for the period under review.

Tied hands? Italian political parties and Europe

Modern Italy ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolò Conti
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Party System ◽  
Electoral Competition ◽  
Party Competition ◽  
Disruptive Effect ◽  
European Elections ◽  
Multi Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

Italian political parties have been involved for almost three decades in a multi-level electoral game encompassing the election of national, supranational and local institutions. The content of the electoral competition has also changed to include not only nationwide, but also sub-national and supranational issues. This article analyses the interaction between Italian parties and the theme of European integration. The aim is to explore the role of contentious European Union matters in domestic electoral competition, specifically at the time of European elections. Such a role is important to understand to what extent the Italian parties politicise the EU issues during EP elections, and to determine the impact of such issues on the Italian party system and on its patterns of policy competition. In particular, the article will explore whether Europe as an issue has been internalised along the main patterns of party competition or has produced a disruptive effect and forms of realignment.

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