scholarly journals European Union: Seasonal Workers under COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 45-51
Author(s):  
Olga Potemkina ◽  

The article deals with the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the seasonal workers in the EU. Based on the examples of several Member States, in particular Germany and France, the author demonstrates the problems that seasonal workers and their employers, as well as governments, have experienced because of the closed borders and restrictions on the seasonal workers trips to their place of work. The article analyses the measures taken by the governments in the world and the EU Member States, in particular, to resolve the situation and further use of seasonal labor. At the same time, the author points out the emerging threats to the health of mobile workers due to the inability to comply with preventive requirements, as well as cases of violation of their rights by employers. Recommendations of the EU Commission to Member States on ensuring freedom of movement, social rights and protection of health of seasonal workers are presented. At the same time, the author comes to the conclusion that restoring the channels of disrupted seasonal migration will depend on uncertain circumstances, which may prompt producers in the agricultural industry to rethink their business models by reducing their reliance on cheap labor.

Author(s):  
Gijsbert Wieringa ◽  
Josep Queraltó ◽  
Evgenija Homšak ◽  
Nuthar Jassam ◽  
Etienne Cavalier ◽  
...  

AbstractEuropean Union (EU) Directive 2013/55/EC (The Recognition of Professional qualifications) allows Member States to decide on a common set of minimum knowledge, skills and competences that are needed to pursue a given profession through a Common Training Framework. To be adopted the framework must combine the knowledge, skills and competences of at least one third of the Member States. Professionals who have gained their qualifications under a Common Training Framework will be able to have these recognised automatically within the Union. The backbone of the European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine’s (EFLM) proposed Common Training Framework for non-medical Specialists in Laboratory Medicine is outlined here. It is based on an Equivalence of Standards in education, training, qualifications, knowledge, skills, competences and the professional conduct associated with specialist practice. In proposing the recognition of specialist practice EFLM has identified 15 EU Member States able to meet Equivalence and in whom the profession and/or its training is regulated (an additional EU Commission requirement). The framework supports and contributes to the Directive’s enabling goals for increasing professional mobility, safeguarding consumers and ensuring a more equitable distribution of skills and expertise across the Member States. It represents EFLM’s position statement and provides a template for professional societies and/or competent authorities to engage with the EU Commission.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (127) ◽  
pp. 95-103
Author(s):  
N. Mushak

The article is devoted to the legal analysis of the EU common policy in order to provide protection to third country nationals. To control the issues caused by a significant increase of the number of asylum seekers and refugees into the territory of the EU Member States the European Union is developing a common policy on asylum and protection of third-country nationals crossing the external borders of the EU Member States. The EU common policy in this area is the European Union coordination policy to establish common rules for asylum for third-country nationals; establish common rules to provide the additional security for third-country nationals who without obtaining the European asylum in whole, however, need the international protection; to create a common system of temporary protection for displaced persons in regard of their substantial influx; to determine common procedures for granting and withdrawing of a single asylum status or additional protection. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the asylum procedure of third-country nationals. As well as issues related to the protection of external borders, visa and immigration policies TFEU predicts a joint adoption by the European Parliament and the Council decision under the ordinary legislative procedure, id est voting for proposal of the EU Commission. Simultaneously, under the TFEU, if within one or more EU Member States there is an emergency situation characterized by a sudden influx of third-country nationals, the EU Council for the EU Commission proposal and acting after the consultations with the European Parliament may adopt temporary measures in favor of the interesting Member States. Nowadays the European Union is in dynamic and permanent development process of a common policy to provide protection to third-country nationals. This policy is implemented through the use of the EU method of coordination in matters relating to the establishment of the common status of asylum for third-country nationals; determining the status of a common additional protection for third-country nationals; the introduction of a common system of temporary protection for displaced persons; establishing of common procedures for granting and withdrawing of a common asylum status or additional protection.


Author(s):  
Deirdre Ahern

AbstractWith transformative evolution involving crypto-assets, machine learning applications and data-driven finance models, complex regulatory and policy issues are emerging. Inadequate frameworks in FinTech markets create regulatory friction and regulatory fragmentation. These limitations continue to feature when piecemeal regulatory transition occurs. The danger of EU Member States being left behind in the FinTech innovation race if the regulatory landscape is cumbersome or incomplete for new business models is real. Regulatory lag and regulatory friction also act as a ‘disenabler’ for ease of cross-border FinTech trade in the EU. This article critically engages with the manner in which the regulatory sandbox has rapidly gained critical mass in Member States as a valuable adaptive measure supporting a route to market for FinTech entrepreneurs. Against the backdrop of the European Commission’s Digital Finance Strategy, the article further advances scholarship on FinTech in the EU by probing the EU’s resulting regulatory dilemma, undertaking a systematic evaluation of the continuum of complex policy options available to the European Union in response to the spreading regulatory sandbox phenomenon.


2003 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-192
Author(s):  
Yusaf Akbar

This paper examines the development of EU regulations in the car distribution sector. In the span of approximately fifteen years, the sector has shifted from being regarded by its critics as being one of the most protected havens of European industry to one faced with open competition. The paper claims that the inability of the car industry to resist liberalization in this sector is related to several factors. First, there was declining support from member states for their national producers, in part explained by global shifts in ownership and production which rendered concepts of “national producer” problematic. Second, technological changes combined with the impact of globalization on in the industry undermined the case for a link between sales and service of cars. Third, DG competition, led by Mario Monti, wished to push through the ability of consumers to make cross-border purchases of cars. Fourth, a more general logic embedded in the Single European Market programme (SEM) had led to several decisions to prosecute EU car producers for infringing SEM rules and thereby undermining the ability of EU member states to protect their “national producers.” This has implications more broadly: will increasing globalization of industrial ownership further undermine the state-firm nexus in the EU, thus reducing the propensity of national industries to resist liberalization? In this context, will member states be prepared to give the EU Commission a freer hand in forcing through liberalization in the remaining sectors that remain problematic?


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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Bruzelius

This article stresses the need to study how European Union (EU) member states define and implement the concept of habitual residence to assess boundaries of welfare in the EU. It focuses specifically on EU migrant citizens’ social rights and draws on comparative qualitative research on two EU member states – Germany and Sweden. The article first clarifies the differences between legal and habitual residence, and distinguishes between legal definitions of habitual residence and administrative formalities tied to such definitions. After examining legal definitions at the EU level, it goes on to consider additional definitions found in each member state case and administrative formalities attached to these definitions. Following this, implications for EU migrant citizens’ social rights in each country are assessed. The analysis reveals how administrative processes of residence registration shape conditionality. In this way, administrative aspects of habitual residence can have far-reaching exclusive effects on EU migrant citizens’ access to social benefits and services in the destination member state, as well as inhibit their ability to enjoy their right to freedom of movement. The article thus illustrates the inherent tension between free movement and residence-based social rights in a Union with devolved social provision.


2021 ◽  
Vol 117 (4) ◽  
pp. 48-57
Author(s):  
KORTUKOVA Tamara

Background. Citizens of Ukraine are one of the largest groups of seasonal workers in the European Union. At the same time, Ukrainian migrant workers often suffer violations of their rights abroad. In this aspect, Ukraine has an urgent task to protect the rights of Ukrainian seasonal migrant workers abroad. For European Union, despite the economic crisis that has led to higher unemployment, there is an urgent need for seasonal workers in the EU Member States, due to the fact that seasonal work is generally not attractive for the EU labor market. The aim of the article is to determine the features of protection of the rights of Ukrainian seasonal migrant workers in the European Union. Materials and methods. The research is carried out on the basis of general and special research methods, in particular, such as: discourse and content analysis, system analysis method, induction and deduction method, historical-legal method, formal-legal method, comparative-legal method, and others. Results. Seasonal work is one of the types of temporary employment, which is limited to a certain period of time. In the European Union, seasonal work is not attractive to citizens of the European Union. In this regard, it should be noted that the Member States of the European Union have a long practice of attracting seasonal migrant workers to their labor market, which was especially intensified in the post-war period, characterized by labor shortages on the European continent, which led to this policy development. Today, with the onset of the global pandemic COVID-19 and the starting of lockdown, the European Union still needs seasonal migrant workers, especially in the agricultural sector, to perform seasonal work. In this area, the EU has developed supranational legislation, which was analyzed in the article. Conclusion. Given that Ukrainians are one of the largest groups of seasonal workers in the European Union, it is important for Ukraine to protect its citizens abroad, which, in particular, can be strengthened by signing bilateral agreements with EU Member States on employment and social protection of Ukrainian citizens; agreements on mutual employment of employees; agreementson employment and cooperation in the field of labor migration, etc. Keywords: labor migration; seasonal migration; the right to equal treatment; Seasonal Workers Directive; bilateral agreements on labor migration.


Author(s):  
S. Mesman

In the past, only sporadic incursions of bluetongue (BT) occurred, mainly in Southern Europe. The disease showed a tendency to disappear naturally, probably because the necessary climatic, environmental and entomological conditions to ensure virus spread and persistence did not occur. The situation has how­ever changed dramatically in the last decade. Until three years ago, the disease mainly affected the Mediterranean Basin. Since fall 2006 new serotypes have emerged and the unprecedented spread of BTV-1 and BTV-8 caused outbreaks in many countries of the European Union (EU).  The EU Commission responded to the changing BT disease situ­ation by developing continuous finely-tuned EU-legislation in close cooperation with EU Member States, and by allocating funding to implement vaccination programmes in the States. EU rules on BT are highly influenced by changes in the disease situ­ation, experiences in the Member States, results of the ongoing data gathering, and research on BT disease and its vectors. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the risk assessor and produces scientific opinions and advice to provide a sound basis for European policies and legislation. Also, the EU Commission has ensured considerable financial support to the vaccination programmes that have been put in place in several Member States for the years 2007 and 2008.  Community rules on BT lay down general provisions for the control and eradication of BT, as well as detailed rules on disease control, monitoring, surveillance and restrictions on movements of susceptible animals. All BT outbreaks must be notified by EU Member States to the Animal Disease Notification System (ADNS). In addition, information that has been gathered in the course of implementing BT monitoring and/or surveillance programmes must be transmitted to BT-Net system. Monthly, six-monthly and annual reports are required. Data and maps can be viewed on BT-Net:http://eubtnet.izs.it/btnet/reports/ EpidemiologicalSituation.html  The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health (SCoFCAH) plays a key role in the EU decision-making process. Representatives of EU Member States meet on a monthly basis with the European Commission. Updates on the epidemiological situation of BT (and other animal diseases) are presented by the Member States (presentations are available on SANCO web­page). The EU Commission consults SCoFCAH on new proposals for an opinion after which the measure can be formally adopted in accordance with the appropriate procedure.  With the support of the Member States experts in the technical working groups and the representatives at SCoFCAH, Regulation (EC) No 1266/2007 has been amended several times to respond better to the evolving disease situation. Together with appropri­ate surveillance and restrictions on animal movements, mass vaccination of all susceptible and reachable animals in the restricted zones with all available vaccines is currently the pre­ferred option as regards effective BT control.


Author(s):  
Irina PILVERE ◽  
Aleksejs NIPERS ◽  
Bartosz MICKIEWICZ

Europe 2020 Strategy highlights bioeconomy as a key element for smart and green growth in Europe. Bioeconomy in this case includes agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food and pulp and paper production, parts of chemical, biotechnological and energy industries and plays an important role in the EU’s economy. The growth of key industries of bioeconomy – agriculture and forestry – highly depends on an efficient and productive use of land as a production resource. The overall aim of this paper is to evaluate opportunities for development of the main sectors of bioeconomy (agriculture and forestry) in the EU based on the available resources of land. To achieve this aim, several methods were used – monographic, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, statistical analysis methods. The findings show that it is possible to improve the use of land in the EU Member States. If all the Member States reached the average EU level, agricultural products worth EUR 77 bln would be annually additionally produced, which is 19 % more than in 2014, and an extra 5 billion m3 volume of forest growing stock would be gained, which is 20 % more than in 2010.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 634-638
Author(s):  
Joanna Szwacka Mokrzycka

The objective of this article is to present the standard of living of households in Poland in comparison with other EU member states. The starting point for analysis was the economic condition of Poland against the background of other EU member states. The next step consisted of assessment of the standard of living of inhabitants of individual EU member states on the basis of financial condition of households and the structure of consumption expenditure. It was found that the differences within the EU in terms of economic development and the standard of living of households still remain substantial.


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