scholarly journals Sufficient strategies for travel quarantine and testing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chad R. Wells ◽  
Jeffrey P. Townsend ◽  
Abhishek Pandey ◽  
Meagan C. Fitzpatrick ◽  
William Crystal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Destination Country ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Traffic Light ◽  
Policy Tool ◽  
Hospitalization Rates ◽  
Closure Policy ◽  
Antigen Testing

AbstractA major policy tool used by governments during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the imposition of quarantine and testing requirements on international travel, extending even to the extreme approach of closing national borders.However, both approaches have far-reaching socioeconomic implications. Therefore, we evaluated the implications of quarantine and testing compared to the reductions achieved by border closure on in-country imminent transmission based on country-specific prevalence, daily incidence, vaccine coverage, immunity, age-demographics, and travel flow. We considered travel quarantines of 0–14 days with and without RT-PCR or antigen testing for COVID-19 in 31 European countries. Our analysis demonstrates that for the vast majority of origin-destination country pairs, there are combinations of short-duration quarantine and testing that are as effective as border closure. Furthermore, for most origin-destination country pairs, travel with testing and no quarantine will reduce imminent in-country transmission more than would border closure. We find that the duration of quarantine is predominantly influenced by country prevalence and quantity of travel. With higher prevalence in the origin country compared to the destination country, the minimum duration of quarantine increases from zero to beyond fourteen days (at which point border closure would likely be practical). Asymmetry in travel flow can also cause an increase or decrease of infections within the destination country, respectively resulting in longer and shorter quarantines. We apply the same framework to genetic variants of concern to limit their spread as a consequence of travel; the widespread variant of concern B.1.1.7 yields similar sufficient quarantine and testing regimes, whereas the lower-frequency, geographically heterogeneous 501Y.V2 variant requires longer, more specific quarantines. We show that adaptation of our analytical framework to the European Union traffic-light country risk stratification provides a simplified policy tool. Lastly, we examined the effect of travel quarantine and testing or border closure policy on hospitalization in the destination country. We find that hospitalization rates in the destination country are far more sensitive to changes in the vaccine coverage than on the duration of the travel quarantine or the country of origin. Our analysis provides rigorous guidelines enabling travel between most countries during early and late phases of pandemic disease.

RESILIENCE TECHNIQUES OF INTERNATIONAL COURTS IN TIMES OF RESISTANCE TO INTERNATIONAL LAW

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-32
Author(s):  
Salvatore Caserta ◽  
Pola Cebulak
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
International Law ◽  
Land Rights ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
The European Union ◽  
International Courts ◽  
Court Of Justice ◽  
Indigenous Groups ◽  
The Caribbean ◽  
Caribbean Court Of Justice

Abstract International courts are increasingly called upon to adjudicate socially divisive disputes. They are therefore exposed to a heightened risk of backlash that questions their authority and impedes the implementation of their judgments. This article puts forward an analytical framework for mapping the resilience techniques used by international courts to counter this growing resistance. Case studies involve the Court of Justice of the European Union, which has been cautious in its stance regarding democratic backsliding in Hungary and Poland, and the Caribbean Court of Justice, which has engaged in legal diplomacy while adjudicating both on the land rights of indigenous groups and on Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer and Intersex (LGBTQI) rights. It is argued that, in order to effectively avoid and mitigate backlash, international courts should deploy resilience techniques that go beyond merely exercising their judicial function. The successful deployment of resilience techniques can allow international courts to become significant actors in global governance during a time of crisis for the international liberal order.

EU-Sanktionspolitik in geopolitischen Zeiten: Europas schärfstes Außeninstrument und seine Herausforderungen

IG ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 278-294
Author(s):  
Niklas Helwig ◽  
Juha Jokela ◽  
Clara Portela
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
European Union ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Global Competition ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Policy Tool ◽  
Restrictive Measures ◽  
Fine Tune ◽  
The Eu

Sanctions are one of the toughest and most coercive tools available to the European Union (EU). They are increasingly used in order to respond to breaches of international norms and adverse security developments in the neighbourhood and beyond. However, the EU sanctions policy is facing a number of challenges related to the efficiency of decision-making, shortcomings in the coherent implementation of restrictive measures, as well as the adjustments to the post-Brexit relationship with the United Kingdom. This article analyses these key challenges for EU sanctions policy. Against the backdrop of an intensifying global competition, it points out the need to weatherproof this policy tool. The current debate on the future of the EU provides an opportunity to clarify the strategic rationale of EU sanctions and to fine-tune the sanctions machinery.

scholarly journals UNWTO World Tourism Barometer and Statistical Annex, October 2020

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1-36 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
International Travel ◽  
International Tourism ◽  
The European Union ◽  
International Tourist ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Slow Virus ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Main Barrier ◽  
The Impact

International travel plunges 70% in the first eight months of 2020 International tourist arrivals (overnight visitors) declined 70% in the first eight months of 2020 over the same period of last year, amid global travel restrictions including many borders fully closed, to contain the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. International arrivals plunged 81% in July and 79% in August, traditionally the two busiest months of the year and the peak of the Northern Hemisphere summer season. Despite such large declines, this represents a relative improvement over the 90% or greater decreases of the previous months, as some destinations started to reopen to international tourism, mostly in the European Union. The decline in January-August 2020 represents 700 million fewer international tourist arrivals compared to the same period in 2019, and translates into a loss of US$ 730 billion in export revenues from international tourism, more than 8 times the loss in 2009 under the impact of the global economic crisis. Asia and the Pacific, the first region to suffer the impact of the pandemic, saw a 79% decrease in arrivals in January-August 2020. Africa and the Middle East both recorded a 69% drop this eight-month period, while Europe saw a 68% decline and the Americas 65%. Data on international tourism expenditure continues to reflect very weak demand for outbound travel, though in several large markets such as the United States, Germany and Italy there is a small uptick in spending in the months of July and August. Based on latest trends, a 75% decrease in international arrivals is estimated for the month of September and a drop of close to 70% for the whole of 2020. While demand for international travel remains subdued, domestic tourism is strengthening recovery in several large markets such as China and Russia. The UNWTO Confidence Index continues at record lows. Most UNWTO Panel Experts expect a rebound in international tourism by the third quarter of 2021 and a return to pre-pandemic 2019 levels not before 2023. Experts consider travel restrictions as the main barrier weighing on the recovery of international tourism, along with slow virus containment and low consumer confidence.

scholarly journals Elusive Migration Systems. Lessons from Europe’s new migratory map

2016 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-49
Author(s):  
Daniel Göler
Keyword(s):  
Analytical Framework ◽  
The Political ◽  
The European Union ◽  
European Regions ◽  
New Era ◽  
Migration System ◽  
Migration History ◽  
Global Population ◽  
Migration Systems ◽  
European Migration

Europe is facing a new era of migration. During the last decades, the European migration system underwent several shifts due to different reasons. A basic observation is that general changes, on the political map for example, do not necessarily have the same consequences in European regions, even in seemingly similar contexts. The major changes started in 1990 accelerated with the enlargement of the European Union in 2004 and found its continuation by crisis-driven migration from south European countries into Western European labour markets after 2008. All of these "migration waves" have been topped by a massive inflow of refugees in 2015 creating new migratory map of Europe. Thus, important stages of contemporary and present European migration history are interpreted as indicators for a surplus in diversity, flexibility and spontaneity and will serve for formulating the hypothesis of Elusive Migration Systems as an analytical framework and a kind of hypothesis to study new features of migrants? trajectories, which became more and more variable. Being grounded may be the wish of the majority of Europeans and, in effect, the global population, but being on the move, voluntarily or forced, is reality for a certain number of migrants inside and heading towards Europe.

eParticipation in Europe

2015 ◽  
pp. 118-134
Author(s):  
Efthimios Tambouris ◽  
Ann Macintosh ◽  
Efpraxia Dalakiouridou ◽  
Simon Smith ◽  
Eleni Panopoulou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Current State ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
European Policies ◽  
Vast Range

During the past few years, information and communication technologies and especially the internet are increasingly used in a vast range of human activities, including citizens' interaction with government. In this context, advanced technologies are also being used to more actively engage citizens in democratic processes, which are termed as electronic participation (eParticipation). eParticipation has attracted considerable attention worldwide. In Europe, a large number of initiatives have been funded providing valuable lessons. The aim of this chapter is to map the current state of eParticipation in Europe and provide practical recommendations. More specifically, the authors first present the results of a review of policy documents in the European Union in order to understand how eParticipation fits into European policies. They then present an analytical framework to aid theoretical understanding of eParticipation, followed by the results of a European study on eParticipation initiatives. Based on all these, the authors propose a number of recommendations on eParticipation for policy makers, practitioners, evaluators and research funders.

Space, Mobility and Legitimacy

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ettore Recchi
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Technological Progress ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
International Travel ◽  
The European Union ◽  
International Mobility ◽  
Dependent Variables ◽  
History Of ◽  
Widespread Phenomenon

While migration has always existed, and its consequences have always been important, few people have lived a mobile life in the history of mankind. Population immobility has recurrently been part and parcel of political strategies of social control and domination. Since the second half of the 20th century, however, the extent of geographical movements of individuals has expanded enormously. In particular, the size and scope of international travel has increased at an exponential pace. Favored by globalization and technological progress, transnationalism, initially linked to migration, has emerged as a relatively widespread phenomenon that involves a growing portion of the general population, especially, but not only, in developed countries. Mainly on the basis of research carried out in Europe, there is evidence that transnational practices tend to strengthen cosmopolitanism and the legitimacy of supranational polities (particularly the European Union [EU]), while it is less clear whether they entail denationalization. Further research is needed to improve the quality of independent and dependent variables in this area and assess the effect of international mobility and transnationalism outside the European context.

scholarly journals An Investigation of Economic Sanctions and Its Implications for Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 74
Author(s):  
Frederick Appiah Afriyie ◽  
Jisong Jian
Keyword(s):  
Civil Wars ◽  
Economic Sanctions ◽  
The United States ◽  
West African ◽  
African Continent ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Policy Tool ◽  
The Us ◽  
Definition Of

Economic sanctions are not only applied to countries in Africa by the United Nations (UN), the European Union (EU) and the United States (US) but also by the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as well. The African continent is considered to be the most affected in terms of the influences of more economic sanctions from the UN, EU, and the U.S than any other continent across the globe and these sanctions normally comes into force as a result of conflicts, civil wars and also unconstitutional overthrow of a constitutionally elected government. Also these sanctions come to serve as a punishment and a deterrent to those who deviate from or go against internationally agreed laws.Undeniably, in recent years economic sanctions have become more effective and an efficient known foreign policy tool used as the number one alternative to halt wars or military takeovers.Despite economic sanctions being widely accepted by the international community as the most effective panacea and also a preferred choice, when it is imposed on a state, it has serious repercussions on the innocent citizens while the initiators or the main officials in various positions for whom these sanctions were intended for are always left off the hook.This paper therefore investigates the merits and the demerits that are associated with economic sanctions both within some countries on the African continent and the non-African continent. In addition, we will elaborate on the implications of such sanctions relative to the Africa Continent. The paper is divided into four sections. The first section of this paper elaborates on the introduction, the importance of economic sanctions and the types of sanctions. The second section deals with the definition of economic sanction, explains the sanction process at EU, AU, UN and the US and the final part looks at both the positive and negative effects of economic sanctions.

scholarly journals RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS IN BREAST CANCER TREATMENT: A HEALTH PRODUCTION APPROACH

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 371-379
Author(s):  
Ruth Puig-Peiro ◽  
Anne Mason ◽  
Jorge Mestre-Ferrandiz ◽  
Adrian Towse ◽  
Clare McGrath ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Relative Effectiveness ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
International Studies ◽  
Health Production ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Health Production Function ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
Added Benefit ◽  
The Impact

Background: Pharmaceuticals’ relative effectiveness has come to the fore in the policy arena, reflecting the need to understand how relative efficacy (what can work) translates into added benefit in routine clinical use (what does work). European payers and licensing authorities assess value for money and post-launch benefit–risk profiles, and efforts to standardize assessments of relative effectiveness across the European Union (EU) are under way. However, the ways that relative effectiveness differs across EU healthcare settings are poorly understood.Methods: To understand which factors influence differences in relative effectiveness, we developed an analytical framework that treats the healthcare system as a health production function. Using evidence on breast cancer from England, Spain, and Sweden as a case study, we investigated the reasons why the relative effectiveness of a new drug might vary across healthcare systems. Evidence was identified from a literature review and national clinical guidance.Results: The review included thirteen international studies and thirty country-specific studies. Cross-country differences in population age structure, deprivation, and educational attainment were consistently associated with variation in outcomes. Screening intensity appeared to drive differences in survival, although the impact on mortality was unclear.Conclusions: The way efficacy translates into relative effectiveness across health systems is likely to be influenced by a range of complex and interrelated factors. These factors could inform government and payer policy decisions on ways to optimize relative effectiveness, and help increase understanding of the potential transferability of data on relative effectiveness from one health system to another.

scholarly journals Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Testing in Croatia: Risk Perception Plays an Important Role in the Epidemic Control

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dragan Primorac ◽  
Vitorio Perić ◽  
Vid Matišić ◽  
Vilim Molnar ◽  
Renata Zadro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Perception ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Area Under The Curve ◽  
Clinical Score ◽  
International Travel ◽  
Preventative Measures ◽  
History Of ◽  
Antigen Testing ◽  
Test Result

Aim: To explore the clinical presentation and epidemiological history of the subjects who underwent SARS-CoV-2 antigen testing.Methods: We included 1,000 consecutive subjects who presented themselves at the diagnostic clinic in Croatia and analyzed their symptoms and epidemiological history. All subjects were classified into three groups, according to their reason of arrival; symptomatic, contacts of confirmed patients, and those who were tested due to administrative reasons.Results: On average, there were 24% of positive antigen results; the positivity rate was 51% among symptomatic, 16% in contacts, and 5% of administrative patients. The commonest symptoms of the disease included febrility and anosmia. We developed a clinical score to predict SARS-CoV-2 positivity, which had an area under the curve of 79.3 [95% confidence intervals (CI) 75.8–82.8]. Contact with the isolated person [odds ratio 0.54 (95% CI 0.31–0.94)] and international travel had a protective effect [0.20 (0.09–0.43)], suggesting that risk perception and mandatory pretravel measures had a key role in the determination of the infection risk.Conclusions: A combination of clinical symptoms can have reasonable predictive power for an antigen-positive test result. Risk perception seems to have a role in the epidemic spread, probably via stricter adherence to personal preventative measures.

scholarly journals EU’s human rights dialogues with Belarus and the developments around presidential elections

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 378-390
Author(s):  
Madalin-Catalin Blidaru
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Presidential Elections ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Policy Instrument ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Policy Tool ◽  
Additional Support

. The 2020 presidential elections in Belarus were characterised by widely recognised human rights violations. The European Union decided not to recognise the results after important declarations and consultations among its leaders. However, the European Union and Belarus were engaged in a structured human rights dialogue. The author discusses the links between the human rights dialogue as a foreign policy instrument and the dynamics around the 2020 presidential elections in Belarus. The hypothesis stresses that the evolution of the bilateral dialogues provides information on the developments within the relations between the European Union and Belarus. The case study, based on extensive analysis of official documents, finds additional support for the claim against the effectiveness of the human right s dialogues with third parties. Apart from a better understanding and a channel of dialogue with the country, the human rights topics recreated an environment in which it justified the return to restrictions and sanctions against individuals involved in illegitimate actions. The historical analysis of the presidential elections, particularly the climate around their organisation, the assessment of the human rights dialogues as a policy tool, and the analysis of the official dialogues on the thematic areas of concerns from the human rights dialogues support this hypothesis. 

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