scholarly journals Artikel

2007 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 371-394
Author(s):  
Jenny Cisneros Örnberg ◽  
Hildigunnur Ólafsdóttir

The growth of the EU internal market has made it more difficult to maintain effective national regulation in the area of public health. The EEA agreement and EU membership of the Nordic countries resulted in the abolition of all of the monopolies on alcohol except at the retail level. The article examines how the Nordic alcohol retail monopolies have developed and reacted to national and international pressures on their activities from the mid 1990s to 2006. The article also analyzes what effects the changing surroundings of the Nordic alcohol monopolies have had on the monopolies' present tasks, positions and political aims. The method used in this study is document analysis and interviewing. The material analysed includes annual reports of the Nordic alcohol monopolies, their web pages, reports and brochures, and the laws and regulations pertaining to the monopolies. The article shows that the monopolies have worked purposefully to make themselves popular with the public, with an increased focus on customer service. These changes are based upon both international pressures and changes in perspective within politics in general, where a slow transition from a collectivist solidarity perspective to a more individualistic lifestyle perspective can be discerned.

2021 ◽  
pp. 145507252199570
Author(s):  
Marjut Salokannel ◽  
Eeva Ollila

Background: Use of snus and snus-like nicotine products is increasing, in particular among young people, in several Nordic countries and Estonia, while snus is legally on the market only in Sweden and Norway. Snus is available in a great variety of tastes and packaging particularly catering for young users. Recently, strong snus-resembling nicotine pouches have emerged on the market. This research investigates the regulatory means to counteract this development. Methods: European Union (EU) and national tobacco control legislation, case law of the European Court of Justice (CJEU) and relevant public health studies are analysed. Results: The research finds that the judgement of the CJEU relating to the sale of snus on Finnish ferries has not been enforced. Permitted large traveller imports for personal use have contributed to wide availability of snus in Finland. Even if the legislation in Sweden is in conformity with the exemption it obtained in the Accession Treaty, the public health impact of snus use for young people in its neighbouring countries has become considerable. Nicotine pouches, -which are not regarded as medical products in terms of medicine legislation, lack harmonised EU-wide regulation. Controlling smuggling across open borders is challenging. Conclusions: The legislation at the EU and national levels should be able to protect young people from new tobacco and nicotine products. It is urgent to harmonise regulation relating to new tobacco and nicotine products taking as a base a high level of protection of health as required in the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU.


2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (01) ◽  
pp. 63-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Serra-Sutton ◽  
Alejandro Allepuz ◽  
Mireia Espallargues ◽  
Gerold Labek ◽  
Joan M. V. Pons

Objectives:Registers have proven to be a valuable instrument in the evaluation of arthroplasty procedures and the performance of implants. The aim of this study was to describe the structure, functioning, and content of arthroplasty registers in Europe and other parts of the world.Methods:A search of technical reports was carried out through the Internet and in Medline/PubMed. The exhaustiveness of the information was confirmed using the links to Web pages of other registers and contacts with key people. Aims, methods in data collection and evaluation, internal structure and organization, participants, validity of the data, and other variables were assessed for each arthroplasty register using a qualitative content analysis of the texts.Results:Fifteen arthroplasty registers were identified which published sufficient information to conduct a comparative analysis. Eight additional registers were identified but no information was available on the Internet or in English. Most registers were initiatives of an orthopaedic society receiving governmental funding. Data were collected using standardized clinical forms and additional information from clinical-administrative datasets or other registers (mortality, implant costs, hip fractures). The main outcome measure of these registers is survival of the prostheses. Registers use the Internet and their annual reports as the main strategy for the dissemination and feed-back of their results.Conclusions:Scientific or professional societies and the public health administration should collaborate in the development of arthroplasty registers. To adequately assess the results of observational data information on the structure, the process of arthroplasty interventions and patients characteristics should be collected.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladislav Krastev ◽  
Blagovesta Koyundzhiyska-Davidkova ◽  
Nadezhda Petkova

Abstract In 2000, the global policy against the phenomenon of “corruption“ was launched by the United Nations, and in 2003 the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) was adopted, which Bulgaria ratified three years later. Two months after the adoption of this international convention, Bulgaria became part of the European Union. The accession was accompanied by the creation of “specific accompanying measures” aimed at correcting identified deficiencies in various areas, including measures against corruption. As a result of the annual reports of the European Commission on Bulgaria’s progress on the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism, anti-corruption law-making has begun to develop and improve. Serious progress in this direction is the creation of legislation in the area of “conflict of interest”, which is not exactly corruption but creates prerequisites for its development, especially in the public sphere. The paper presents the result of the analysis of the created anti-corruption legislation after the accession of the Republic of Bulgaria to the EU. Particular attention is paid to the law adopted in 2018 regulating anti-corruption measures, as well as the terms and procedure for the seizure of illegally acquired property for the benefit of the state.


2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolò Conti ◽  
Vincenzo Memoli

In the recent past, attitudes towards the EU have become problematic in many member states. Even those countries that traditionally were more optimistic have actually experienced important declines in their popular backing of the European integration process. We examine the public attitudes towards the EU that have recently emerged in Italy, a country where support for EU membership has declined substantially. Making use of recent data and novel research techniques, the article sheds light on the explanatory power of different theoretical perspectives to explain these attitudes. Utilitarianism has emerged as the key explanatory factor, whereas other theories appear much less relevant in the Italian context.


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

Abstract On March 29th 2019, the United Kingdom (UK) was due to exit the EU in a process known informally as ’Brexit’. This exit and entry into a 2-year transition is a period of unprecedented political and social upheaval - with many unknowns and much uncertainty attached to the outcomes and future impact. In preparation for Brexit, Public Health Wales commissioned the Wales HIA Support Unit to carry out a health impact assessment of Brexit in Wales to support and inform its and other public bodies planning and future work. This paper examines the unique HIA carried out between July and December 2018 on the impact of the UK withdrawal from the EU in Wales. It discusses the robust, participatory process undertaken, the stakeholders involved and the benefits reaped from this. It highlights the evidence gathered and analysed including the collection methods, the complex nature of the work and disseminates the main findings from the HIA including the potential determinants of health and population groups identified. Finally, it describes the challenges faced, how these were overcome, and the huge benefits, impact and influence it has had to date across a wide range of UK and Welsh organisations and public bodies. This work demonstrates continued leadership in the field of impact assessment and spearheads the requirement for public bodies to carry out HIAs as part of the forthcoming statutory requirements of the Public Health (Wales) Act 2017 an can inform practice at a global level. Key messages HIA can inform and influence action in response to important strategic decisions. The Brexit HIA is a unique example which can inform international HIA practice.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Gregor David Coster

<p>Health needs assessment (HNA) is one of the features of the New Zealand health system established by the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000. District Health Boards (DHBs) are to conduct HNAs, and planning of health services is intended to take into account the health needs of the population. Key questions for research relate to the impact of HNA on DHB planning and purchasing in a political/bureaucratic model of governance. This research was undertaken within a public policy framework that focused on evaluating the reforms against policy goals and expectations, and particularly against the influences that might be predicted from the HNA and prioritisation policy. Consideration was given to the range and effectiveness of past HNAs as well as the expectations and experiences of the DHB model in regard to HNA. Document analysis and 34 interviews were conducted regarding 50 HNAs conducted in the public health sector from 1991-2000 to assess their impact on service delivery, decision-making, and policy. Document analysis was undertaken on DHB HNAs, prioritisation frameworks, board priorities, District Strategic Plans, and District Annual Plans for each of 20 DHBs. Planning and Funding managers were interviewed using semi-structured interview techniques to ascertain their experiences and views regarding the use of HNAs in planning. Grounded theory approaches were mainly used for the interview analysis. Case studies of five DHBs provided an in-depth understanding of the connections between health needs assessment, prioritisation, District Strategic Plans and District Annual Plans. Collection of contextual data provided an understanding of the influence of other policy decisions made locally or nationally. Using triangulation, conclusions were drawn regarding the effectiveness and impact of HNA and prioritisation on planning and health service purchasing by DHBs. The implications for public policy were then considered. Recent needs assessments conducted by DHBs mostly met the minimum requirements of the Ministry of Health, but the quality was variable. DHB Planning and Funding Managers were unanimously positive regarding the usefulness of HNAs, and felt that there were good connections between them and the planning process (Connection Score). However, the impact of HNAs on planning and purchasing measured using document analysis (Impact Factor) was lower than expected. A number of barriers to effective use were identified. More focused HNA by DHBs is recommended with the use of mixed scanning approaches and service development groups directed towards specific service planning areas. Recommendations are made regarding future policy for HNA and prioritisation.</p>


Author(s):  
V. O. Tyumentsev

The subject of this article is the competence of the European Union (EU) in the public health field within the territory of the Member States of this organization. The purpose of this article is to analyze how the EU's competence is distributed in relation to the competence of the member states using the primary treaty of the organization as a source. The article examines the powers of the EU organization within both the main and additional competence and analyzes how the EU interacts with the member states in the framework of health protection in accordance with the legal provisions of the primary source. The main and additional competence of the EU is considered separately, and there is also an analysis of the features and possible prospects of the legal regulation of health protection within the relevant branch of the law of the European Union.


Author(s):  
Staņislavs Keišs ◽  
Alla Seregina

The article investigates the structure and dynamics of public debt of Latvia for the period from 2006–2016 year. The relevance of the study long-term effects of public debt on the economy of Latvia is predetermined by a significant increase in its volume of low GDP growth rates in recent years. This article discusses conceptual approaches and criteria for evaluation of the public debt. An analysis of the main reasons for the growth of public debt of Latvia after joining the EU, considers its specific characteristics and consequences as compared with the more developed EU countries on the basis of these annual reports of Latvia Treasury over the past ten years. Analysis of the structure of the debt of Latvia on maturity shows that an effective public debt management necessarily involves consideration of the long-term effects of the growth of public debt to the public. High level of the external indebtedness in the structure of Latvian public debt is a factor of the growth of “debt overhang” even following Maastricht criterions of public debt. As a result of the research is justification of differentiated approach necessity to the evaluation of public debt with considering of intertemporal effects.


Significance The annexe aims to prevent Bulgaria vetoing the EU-NM inter-governmental conference (IGC) in December. Working groups from both foreign ministries have been created to discuss their differences and attempt to resolve them by November 10, when Zaev meets his Bulgarian counterpart in Sofia. Impacts A Bulgarian veto of the IGC would be a blow to Germany, which has pushed hard for greater openness to Western Balkan applicants. It would also be a blow to Greece, which forced painful concessions on Skopje in 2018 with the promise of EU membership negotiations. Another postponement of negotiations would weaken the coalition in Skopje, embolden EU-sceptical parties and disappoint the public. NM's Albanian minority would blame 'Yugo-nostalgia' and Serb influence on ethnic Macedonians, echoing accusations regularly voiced in Sofia.


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