scholarly journals The EU-SENSE System for Chemical Hazards Detection, Identification, and Monitoring

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 10308
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Gawlik-Kobylińska ◽  
Grzegorz Gudzbeler ◽  
Łukasz Szklarski ◽  
Norbert Kopp ◽  
Helge Koch-Eschweiler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dispersion Model ◽  
Sensor Nodes ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Chemical Hazards ◽  
Chemical Agents ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
System Architecture Design ◽  
The Eu

Chemical reconnaissance, defined as hazards detection, identification, and monitoring, requires tools and solutions which provide reliable and precise data. In this field, the advances of artificial intelligence can be applied. This article aims to propose a novel approach for developing a chemical reconnaissance system that relies on machine learning, modelling algorithms, as well as the contaminant dispersion model to combine signals from different sensors and reduce false alarm rates. A case study of the European Union Horizon 2020 project–EU-SENSE is used and the main features of the system are analysed: heterogeneous sensor nodes components, chemical agents to be detected, and system architecture design. Through the proposed approach, chemical reconnaissance capabilities are improved, resulting in more effective crisis management. The idea for the system design can be used and developed in other areas, namely, in biological or radiological threat reconnaissance.

scholarly journals Innovation Ecosystems in the EU: Policy Evolution and Horizon Europe Proposal Case Study (the Actors’ Perspective)

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 4735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara González Fernández ◽  
Renata Kubus ◽  
Juan Mascareñas Pérez-Iñigo
Keyword(s):  
Natural Environment ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Policy Action ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Innovation Ecosystems ◽  
Knowledge Triangle ◽  
Process Perspective ◽  
Innovation Support ◽  
The Eu

At the European Union (EU) level, innovation matter is acknowledged as crucial for progress and sustainability. Related policy action is materialized through Horizon Europe, the 9th Framework Program (FP) for research and development (R&D). The present 8th FP, Horizon 2020, is already considered the biggest public innovation support program in the world. Accordingly, the 9th FP is a cornerstone of innovation ecosystems configuration in the EU and, thus, should be carefully evaluated. In this paper, the analysis of the forthcoming FP proposal is made and a previously developed framework for the structural advancement assessment of innovation ecosystems was applied. The Actor’s viewpoint from the “innovation helix” is especially advantageous for a thorough evaluation. In conclusion, the Horizon Europe proposal does take into account the knowledge triangle or triple helix (Academia, Government, Industry) with “tacit”, however not very explicit, commitment towards complementing Society and Natural Environment dimensions. The process perspective of innovation is highlighted, particularly in terms of overcoming the “valley of death”; nevertheless, private innovation financing levels are still a matter of concern. If the sustainability is to be achieved, consistently allowing for socioecological transformation, authors recommend the orchestration of efforts, especially in the involvement of Society and implication in innovation, as well as in the Natural Environment orientation.

scholarly journals Member States’ social security agreements with India

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-187
Author(s):  
Pauline Melin
Keyword(s):  
Social Security ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Current Approach ◽  
Legal Analysis ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Bilateral Agreements ◽  
Country Case Study ◽  
The Eu

In a 2012 Communication, the European Commission described the current approach to social security coordination with third countries as ‘patchy’. The European Commission proposed to address that patchiness by developing a common EU approach to social security coordination with third countries whereby the Member States would cooperate more with each other when concluding bilateral agreements with third countries. This article aims to explore the policy agenda of the European Commission in that field by conducting a comparative legal analysis of the Member States’ bilateral agreements with India. The idea behind the comparative legal analysis is to determine whether (1) there are common grounds between the Member States’ approaches, and (2) based on these common grounds, it is possible to suggest a common EU approach. India is taken as a third-country case study due to its labour migration and investment potential for the European Union. In addition, there are currently 12 Member State bilateral agreements with India and no instrument at the EU level on social security coordination with India. Therefore, there is a potential need for a common EU approach to social security coordination with India. Based on the comparative legal analysis of the Member States’ bilateral agreements with India, this article ends by outlining the content of a potential future common EU approach.

scholarly journals Corporate Social Responsibility Information in Annual Reports in the EU—A Czech Case Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radka MacGregor Pelikánová
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Annual Reporting ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Eu

The commitment of the European Union (EU) to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is projected into EU law about annual reporting by businesses. Since EU member states further develop this framework by their own domestic laws, annual reporting with CSR information is not unified and only partially mandatory in the EU. Do all European businesses report CSR information and what public declaration to society do they provide with it? The two main purposes of this paper are to identify the parameters of this annual reporting duty and to study the CSR information provided by the 10 largest Czech companies in their annual statements for 2013–2017. Based on legislative research and a teleological interpretation, the current EU legislative framework with Czech particularities is presented and, via a case study exploring 50 annual reports, the data about the type, extent and depth of CSR is dynamically and comparatively assessed. It appears that, at the minimum, large Czech businesses satisfy their legal duty and e-report on CSR to a similar extent, but in a dramatically different quality. Employee matters and adherence to international standards are used as a public declaration to society more than the data on environmental protection, while social matters and research and development (R&D) are played down.

scholarly journals The Influence of the European H2020 Program on the Development of Regions: The Multiplier Impact of EU Funding in the Regions under Horizon 2020 in NUT III - North

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 853-871
Author(s):  
Natacha Jesus Silva ◽  
Diamantino Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
Regional Economy ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Northern Region ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Final Phase ◽  
Investment Funds ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Regional Investment ◽  
Partnership Agreement ◽  
The Eu

The partnership agreement between the European Union and the Member States for the implementation of the European Structural and Investment Funds for the period 2014 to 2020 is in its final phase. This study analyzes the multiplier impact on regional investment of the European funds made available to the northern region of Portugal - NUTS III, until September 2018 and intends to answer the following questions: What is the amount invested in the regional economy for each euro of support allocated by the EU through the H2020 program, and what is the percentage distribution of community support versus investment per area of intervention?

An integrated approach to assess both risk and impacts related with geo-resources exploration and exploitation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Vittoria Gargiulo ◽  
Alexander Garcia ◽  
Ortensia Amoroso ◽  
Paolo Capuano
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Probabilistic Approach ◽  
Energy Resource ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Risk Sources ◽  
New Perspective

<p>To the welfare of both economy and communities, our society widely exploits geo-resources. Nevertheless, with benefits come risks and even impacts. Understanding how a given project intrinsically bares such risks and impacts is of critical importance for both industry and society. In particular, it is fundamental to distinguish between the specific impacts related to exploiting a given energy resource and those shared with the exploitation of other energy resources. In order to do so, it is useful to differentiate impacts in two categories: routine impacts – caused by ordinary routine operations, investigated by Life-cycle assessment with a deterministic approach – and risk impacts – caused by incidents due to system failure or external events, investigated by risk assessments with a probabilistic approach. The latter category is extremely interesting because it includes low probability/high consequences events, which may not be completely independent or unrelated, causing the most disastrous and unexpected damages. For this reason, it is becoming more and more crucial to develop a strategy to assess not only the single risks but also their possible interaction and to harmonize the result obtained for different risk sources. Of particular interest for this purpose is the Multi-Hazard/Multi-Risk Assessment.</p><p>The aim of our work is to present an approach for a comprehensive analysis of impacts of geo-resource development projects. Routine operations as well as risks related to extreme events (as e.g.,seismic or meteorological) are linked using a Multi-Hazard Risk (MHR) approach built upon a Life-Cycle analysis (LCA). Given the complexity of the analysis, it is useful to adopt a multi-level approach: (a) an analysis of routine operations, (b) a qualitative identification of risk scenarios and (c) a quantitative multi-risk analysis performed adopting a bow-tie approach. In particular, after studying the two tools, i.e. LCA and MRA, we have implemented a protocol to interface them and to evaluate certain and potential impacts.</p><p>The performance of the proposed approach is illustrated on a virtual site (based on a real one) for geothermal energy production. As a result, we analyse the outcome of the LCA, identify risk-bearing elements and events, to finally obtain harmonised risk matrices for the case study. Such approach, on the one hand, can be used to assess both deterministic and stochastic impacts, on the other hand, can also open new perspective in harmonizing them. Using the LCA outputs as inputs of the MRA can allow the analyst to focus on particular risk pathways that could otherwise seem less relevant but can open new perspective in the risk/impact evaluation of single elements, as we show in this case study.</p><p>This work has been supported by S4CE ("Science for Clean Energy") project, funded from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 - R&I Framework Programme, under grant agreement No 764810 and by PRIN-MATISSE (20177EPPN2) project funded by Italian Ministry of Education and Research.</p>

The European Union and Israel since Oslo

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry van Bommel
Keyword(s):  
The European Union ◽  
Cooperation Agreement ◽  
Scientific Cooperation ◽  
Association Agreement ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Political Relations ◽  
Peace Initiatives ◽  
The Eu

This chapter discusses the strengthening of ties between the EU and Israel during the breakdown of Oslo as well as during other fruitless peace initiatives. Shortly after the Oslo process began, the EU and Israel initiated negotiations on broadening their cooperation. This led to the signing of the EU–Israel Association Agreement in 1995. As well as economic cooperation, which was established as early as 1975 in a cooperation agreement, this new treaty included other areas, such as scientific and technical research. In more recent years the relationship between the EU and Israel has been deepened further. In 2014 the EU and Israel signed the Horizon 2020 scientific cooperation agreement, which gives Israel equal access with EU member states to the largest-ever EU research and innovation program. In itself, there is nothing wrong with the deepening of economic, scientific, cultural, and political relations between countries. However, the deepening of relations between the EU and Israel means indirect support for the Israeli occupation and the policy of expanding the settlements.

scholarly journals Science and Technology Policy Research in the EU: From Framework Programme to HORIZON 2020

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junic Kim ◽  
Jaewook Yoo
Keyword(s):  
Technology Policy ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Science And Technology Policy ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Framework Programme ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
The Eu

Science and Technology policy is regarded as an essential factor for future growth in the EU, and Horizon 2020 is the world’s most extensive research and innovation programme created by the European Union to support and encourage research in the European Research Area (ERA). The purpose of this study is to analyse and evaluate the changes to the EU’s science and technology policies from Framework Programme to Horizon 2020 and to provide vital information to research organisations and academia to conceive and conduct future research on international cooperation with the EU. Through a policy analysis, this study summarised the four science and technology policy implications: (1) building ecosystems through mutual complementation among industries, (2) solving social problems through science and technology, (3) strengthening SMEs’ participation, and (4) sharing knowledge and strengthening collaboration with non-EU countries.

Religion in the EU: Using Modified Public Reason to Define European Human Rights

2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1439-1468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian M. Awe
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
John Rawls ◽  
Public Reason ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Public ◽  
Common Value ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Dialectical Process ◽  
Comprehensive Doctrines ◽  
The Eu

At the current stage of its evolution, the European Union (“Union” or “EU”) has reached a juncture where many leaders and scholars believe that greater integration is both desirable and necessary. Presumably, a primary method by which greater solidarity and integration can be achieved within the EU is through the public inclusion of common value-laden concepts – as defined through a dialectical process – present within comprehensive doctrines such as religion. To date, however, an effective and inclusive means for utilizing religion in this manner has yet to be formulated. In response, this article takes two prominent paradigms – Jurgen Habermas' intersubjective discourse theory and John Rawls' liberalism – to approach the problem and draws from them a new solution that, while tied to their theoretical underpinnings, is nonetheless a novel approach to achieving greater integration within the Union. Under this new framework, the process of legislatively defining human rights allows the morality common to European comprehensive doctrines – including official and unofficial religions – to bolster the Union's solidarity, legitimacy, and democracy both procedurally and substantively.

‘But the Last Word Is Ours’: The Monopoly of Jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union in Light of the Investment Court System

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 1187-1220
Author(s):  
Francisco de Abreu Duarte
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
General Framework ◽  
External Action ◽  
The Other ◽  
Court System ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Court Of Justice ◽  
The One ◽  
The Eu

Abstract This article develops the concept of the monopoly of jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) through the analysis of the case study of the Investment Court System (ICS). By providing a general framework over the criteria that have been developed by the Court, the work sheds light on the controversial principle of autonomy of the European Union (EU) and its implications to the EU’s external action. The work intends to be both pragmatic and analytical. On the one hand, the criteria are extracted as operative tools from the jurisprudence of the CJEU and then used in the context of the validity of the ICS. This provides the reader with some definitive standards that can then be applied to future cases whenever a question concerning autonomy arises. On the other hand, the article questions the reasons behind the idea of the monopoly of jurisdiction of the CJEU, advancing a concept of autonomy of the EU as a claim for power and critiquing the legitimacy and coherence of its foundations. Both dimensions will hopefully help to provide some clarity over the meaning of autonomy and the monopoly of jurisdiction, while, at the same time, promoting a larger discussion on its impact on the external action of the EU.

scholarly journals An AHPSort II Based Analysis of the Inequality Reduction within European Union

Mathematics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 646
Author(s):  
Álvaro Labella ◽  
Juan Carlos Rodríguez-Cohard ◽  
José Domingo Sánchez-Martínez ◽  
Luis Martínez
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Discussion Section ◽  
Academic Literature ◽  
Eu Countries ◽  
Agenda 2030 ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Proper Analysis ◽  
The Eu

Nowadays, sustainability is an omnipresent concept in our society, which encompasses several challenges related to poverty, inequality, climate change and so on. The United Nations adopted the Agenda 2030, a plan of action formed of universal Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs) and targets, which countries have to face in order to shift the world toward a sustainable future. One of the most relevant SDGs since the onset of the financial crisis in 2007 has been the so-called reduced inequalities, which consists of dealing with the inequality of opportunities and wealth between and within countries. However, reducing inequalities depends on many heterogeneous aspects, making it difficult to make a proper analysis that evaluates the European Union (EU) countries performance of this goal. In this study, we introduce a novel approach to evaluate the inequalities in EU countries based on a sorting a multi-criteria decision-making method called AHPSort II. This approach allows to obtain a classification of the EU countries according to their achievements in reducing inequalities to subsequently carry out a deep performance analysis with the aim of drawing conclusions as to the evolution of inequality in them along the years. The results are consistent with the main international organizations’ reports and academic literature, as shown in the Discussion Section.

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