scholarly journals Skills building seminar: How to improve vaccination coverage in the European Union?

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  

Abstract In recent years, the European Union (EU) has been facing several serious outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases, including measles. Vaccination coverage rates for the first dose of the vaccine against measles vary from 85% in Italy to 99% in Luxembourg and Hungary, with the average for the EU (93.6%) falling below what is required to ensure herd immunity. Similar variations can be seen for other vaccinations, including influenza immunization programmes targeting older adults who are at greater risk of severe complications. Of particular concern is that in a number of EU countries anti-vaccine groups, aided by social and mainstream media, and sometimes populist politicians, are gaining traction and have started to influence public and health worker attitudes towards the safety and effectiveness of vaccinations. The EU has started to respond to these developments in a number of ways. In his 2017 State of the Union address, Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, has called for action to increase vaccination coverage and to ensure that everyone in the EU has access to vaccines. This was followed by a number of new policy and research activities initiated by the European Commission. The workshop provides an overview of some of these activities. It starts with an introductory presentation on recent initiatives of the European Commission to support national vaccination efforts. This is followed by a presentation on the work of the Expert Panel on effective ways of investing in Health and their report on vaccination programmes and health systems in EU countries. A third presentation presents EU-funded research on vaccine hesitancy in EU member states, based on the largest ever study on attitudes to vaccines and vaccination in the EU. A final presentation explores a study undertaken for the European Commission by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies on the organization and delivery of vaccination programmes in EU member states, based on detailed country fiches. The workshop will provide opportunity for the audience to comment on and discuss presentations and to consider current policy options in Europe to address vaccine hesitancy and improve vaccination coverage through health system interventions. It will be of interest to public health researchers, practitioners and policy-makers from across Europe. Key messages The workshop provides a forum for discussing European initiatives to overcome vaccine hesitancy and improve vaccination coverage. It explores policy options at the European and national level.

Author(s):  
Tomasz Rokicki

The main purpose of the paper was to present foreign trade in lamb meat concerning exchanges between the countries of the European Union. In a targeted manner, all EU member states were selected for research as of 31/12/2018 (28 countries). The research period concerned the years 2005-2018. The sources of materials were literature and Eurostat data. For analysis and presentation of materials, descriptive, tabular and graphical methods, dynamics indicators based on a constant and variable basis, the Gini concentration coefficient, Lorenz curve concentration analysis and Pearson’s linear correlation coefficient were applied. The export of lamb meat in relation to other EU countries accounted for over 90% of total export of this type of meat. In the case of imports, it was just over 50%. There were countries only selling to other EU countries and those with buyers from outside the EU. The situation was similar in import. The concentration of lamb meat export and import decreased, faster for imports. There were also positive average relationships between foreign trade in lamb meat in relations with other EU countries and basic economic parameters.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (8) ◽  
pp. 54-63
Author(s):  
Iveta Adijāne

There still is a lack of unity among EU Member States on asylum issues, both, in the practical application of the existing legal framework and in the direction of the common asylum system. Latvia is subject of both international and European Union common asylum conditions. Any changes in the scale of the European Union affect Latvia, and the world situation in the field of refugees also affects our country. The aim of this article is to analyse the current situation of asylum in the EU, touching upon main trends in the world of refugees, and to identify the main problems in the existing asylum procedure in the EU. In order to achieve objectives, following research methods were used: monographic research of theoretical and empirical sources in order to analyse and evaluate various asylum domain information, analytical method in order to acquire legislative content and verities, comparative method in order to discover differences in legislation of asylum procedure in EU countries, systemic method in order to disclose interconnections in legislation, descriptive statistics method and correlation analysis in order to analyse process of asylum procedure and determine interconnections in asylum procedure time frame between legislation and practical instances in EU countries.


ICR Journal ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 186-189
Author(s):  
Christoph Marcinkowski

Cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Malaysia started with the 1980 European Commission-ASEAN Agreement which has made it possible for Malaysia to benefit from a number of ASEAN and Asia-wide cooperation programmes. The EU Delegation to Malaysia was opened in 2003 and since then dialogue, policy interaction and cooperation with both federal and state authorities, the Malaysian and EU business community as well as the civil society has increased progressively. Moreover, Malaysia is also the EU’s second most important trading partner in ASEAN. No bilateral preferential trade arrangements exist between Malaysia and the EU, but under the new Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), in force since January 2006, the share of Malaysia’s merchandise exports to the EU eligible for preferential treatment rose from 16 per cent to 81 per cent. Over 70 per cent of Malaysia’s exports to the EU now enter duty-free. Malaysia records a trade surplus with most EU Member States.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 3186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madalina Popescu ◽  
Eva Militaru ◽  
Amalia Cristescu ◽  
Maria Vasilescu ◽  
Monica Maer Matei

Healthcare systems aim to provide access to good quality care, while ensuring equity and solidarity. The fiscal sustainability of healthcare systems has become a matter of concern in recent European Union (EU) debates, considering the ever increasing need for adequate healthcare determined by factors such as aging population, investments in technology and infrastructure, medical products and wages. Our paper seeks to measure the health system performances of the EU countries by building up a composite index, which will then be used as a tool in investigating the relationship between health performance and the fiscal sustainability of health systems. A principal components analysis (PCA) was applied to build the composite index through the use of the most relevant health indicators provided by Eurostat and the Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform. The composite index offers a comprehensive performance assessment and provides a clear ranking of the EU countries based on their health system performances. Further investigation of the link between health performance and fiscal sustainability revealed that higher ranks are associated with higher shares of health expenditures in gross domestic product (GDP), a large share of employment in the health sector, and higher duration of working life. These patterns are followed by efficient health systems, encountering reduced sustainability risks.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
I de La Mata

Abstract Background Vaccination is the main tool for primary prevention of disease and one of the most cost-effective public health measures available. Immunisation through vaccination is the best defence we have against serious, preventable, and sometimes deadly, contagious diseases. Thanks to widespread vaccination, smallpox has been eradicated, Europe made polio-free, and many other diseases almost eliminated. Methods This presentation provides an overview of recent European Union (EU) initiatives to support national vaccination efforts. Results The EU has launched a number of initiatives to strengthen national vaccination efforts. In December 2018 the European Council adopted a Recommendation to strengthen the EU cooperation on vaccine-preventable diseases. The initiative aims to tackle vaccine hesitancy, improve coordination on vaccine procurement, support research and innovation, and strengthen EU cooperation on vaccine-preventable diseases. EU countries are encouraged to develop and implement national vaccination plans with initiatives to improve coverage, and to introduce routine vaccination status checks. The European Commission is also reinforcing its support to national vaccination efforts to increase coverage, including through the preparation of a Joint Action on vaccination co-funded by the Health Programme. Launching in 2018, the Joint Action will address vaccine hesitancy and seek to increase vaccination coverage in the EU. It is coordinated by INSERM (France) and involves 23 countries (among them 20 EU countries). Conclusions Vaccination policy is a competence of national authorities, but the European Commission assists EU countries in coordinating their policies and programmes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robardet ◽  
Bosnjak ◽  
Englund ◽  
Demetriou ◽  
Martín ◽  
...  

The elimination of rabies transmitted by Classical Rabies Virus (RABV) in the European Union (EU) is now in sight. Scientific advances have made it possible to develop oral vaccination for wildlife by incorporating rabies vaccines in baits for foxes. At the start of the 1980s, aerial distribution of vaccine baits was tested and found to be a promising tool. The EU identified rabies elimination as a priority, and provided considerable financial and technical resources to the infected EU Member States, allowing regular and large-scale rabies eradication programs based on aerial vaccination. The EU also provides support to non-EU countries in its eastern and south eastern borders. The key elements of the rabies eradication programs are oral rabies vaccination (ORV), quality control of vaccines and control of their distribution, rabies surveillance and monitoring of the vaccination effectiveness. EU Member States and non-EU countries with EU funded eradication programs counted on the technical support of the rabies subgroup of the Task Force for monitoring disease eradication and of the EU Reference Laboratory (EURL) for rabies. In 2018, eight rabies cases induced by classical rabies virus RABV (six in wild animals and two in domestic animals) were detected in three EU Member States, representing a sharp decrease compared to the situation in 2010, where there were more than 1500 cases in nine EU Member States. The goal is to reach zero cases in wildlife and domestic animals in the EU by 2020, a target that now seems achievable.


1996 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Josef Mervart

From the comparisons presented, it can be deduced that total assets in the Czech Banking sector are lower than is usual in EU member states. Although the concentration of assets in the Czech Banking sector is above average for the EU, the assets of our largest banks are still lower than those of the larger banks in comparable EU countries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (05) ◽  
pp. 160-163
Author(s):  
Sevil Aliheydar Damirli ◽  

As in any community, coexistence and cooperation only works if it is well organized. In the EU, there are EU bodies for this purpose. We all know that living together of different members can often lead to a dispute. In the European Union, the subject of dispute can not only be the violation of primary law, but also the violation of secondary community law. In order to better understand the important role of the Commission in the EU, we examine in this paper its composition and Tasks. We know that the European Union is based on the rule of law. This means that every EU activity is based on treaties that have been accepted by all EU Member States on a voluntary and democratic basis. A contract is a binding agreement between the EU member states. It sets out the objectives of the EU, the rules governing the EU institutions, the decision-making process and relations between the EU and its Member States. Therefore it is important to adhere to these treaties to carry out community policy. According to Art. 258 and 259 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, actions for breach of contract can be filed against a Member State by the EU Commission or another Member State (1, Art.258-259). For the European Commission, as the «Guardian of the Treaties», this option is a particularly important instrument of power politics that it can use against member states' governments that do not recognize or do not comply with the norms of Community law. In practice, the infringement procedures requested by the Commission are of particular importance for ensuring compliance with Community law by the Member States. In no other area does the Commission have so much power and independence against the Member States. Now we should take a closer look at the EU institution and especially the EU Commission.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 91-104
Author(s):  
Roman I. Tashian ◽  
Bohdan P. Karnaukh ◽  
Iryna O. Dzera

Abstract The article deals with the problems of the development of property law in the legislation of Ukraine considering the experience of the countries of the European Union (EU). It is emphasised that the development of property law of Ukraine is determined primarily by the European tendencies of harmonisation, convergence and Europeanisation of the rights of EU Member States. The scientific doctrine of EU countries in the field of development and improvement of property law has been researched. The authors extrapolate the experience of regulation of property law in the EU countries on the development of the legal system of Ukraine. The principles of European property law are analysed: these are the principles of specificity, openness and transparency. It is concluded that recognising the existence of an EU system of substantive law will allow introducing appropriate substantive remedies that can successfully exist in addition to legal obligations.


Author(s):  
Damian Dobosz ◽  
Anna Niziołek

The notification of the issues connected with tax optimization perceived as state aid on the example of the decision of the European Commission in the case of the Apple groupThis article will attempt to indagate the decision of the European Commision EU 2017/1283 of the 30th of August 2016 on state aid implemented by Ireland to Apple. According to the statement of the European Commission, whilst issuing tax ruling practice which allowed the companies Apple Operations Europe hereinafter referred to as „AOE” and Apple Sales International hereinafter referred to as „ASI” to determine their corporate tax liability in the years when they were in force, Ireland has unlawfully granted state aid to AOE, ASI and the Apple group. Consequently, Ireland was required to recover the receivables. This study will be concerned with the basic concepts related to tax optimization. The discussion also delves into the most significant thesis of the aforementioned decision of the European Commission as well as to the other investigations referring to the issue of the unlawful state aid. In this essay an examination will be made to outline that the tax practices of the global concerns might have a strong impact on the stabilization of the internal market, especially whilst the competition and consumer protection law is concerned. Further analysis devotes to the negative outcomes for the EU member states and the European Union itself.


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