The Legal Status of “Migrants” according to the European Union Legislation

Given that “migration” is a global phenomenon, the international community as a whole had to provide it with a legal basis and to find global solutions, as proven à l’évidence by both the international and the European legislation and the “Global Compact for Migration” approved by the European Council. As is well known, the European Union legislation consists of the texts of its official instruments, such as conventions, treaties, declarations, etc., in which we also find, in fact, the principles stated in the international instruments, which have, indeed, the force of jus cogens for all the states of the world, concerning the universal human rights, including, thus, the rights of the migrants. However, even in terms of their policy regarding migrants, the member states of the European Union have not only applied the principles stated in these international instruments, but they also have enacted a special legislation, and they have taken concrete measures for the implementation of its rules. In the present article I offer the reader the possibility to become acquainted not only with the text of the legislation of the European Union regarding migrants, but also with the policy and the actions taken by the European states for the implementation of the international legislation, and of the European one regarding the social rights of the migrants as workers.

A Review on Utilization Routes of the Leather Industry Biomass

The use of biomass to produce bioenergy and biomaterials is considered a sustainable alternative to depleting fossil fuel resources. The world tanneries consume 8–9 MT of skin and hide every year producing 1.4 MT of solid waste. Most of the solid biomass generated from tanneries is disposed of as waste in the environment using either landfilling or thermal incineration. Disposal of this waste into the environment affects the ecosystem, causing bad odor (air pollution) and has an antagonistic impact on the environment. Due to this, European Union legislation bans the landfilling of biomass. This study aims to comprehensively review the possible valorization routes of leather processing industry biomass into high-value biomaterials. Leather biomass (trimmings, shaving, splitting, and buffing dust) mainly contain 30%–35% collagen protein, which is produced by acid or alkali hydrolysis. The biopolymers obtained from leather industry biomass can be utilized in the production of several high-value materials. In addition, leather processing industry biomass also contains fat, which can be converted into a bio-surfactant, and other useful biomaterials. Keratin protein can also be extracted from the hair waste of hides and skins. The increased demand for biomaterials makes the using of leather industry biomass very attractive. From this study, it can be concluded that the conversions of leather processing industry waste to valuable biomaterial can protect the environment, generate additional income for leather industries, and pave way for sustainable and renewable biomaterials production.

Europejskie miasta od nowa

European Cities Reloaded. Stress or Relaxation? This article justifies the thesis that the full implementation of the Smart City concept (re-development of cities around the world) will significantly reduce the stress in which their inhabitants live. The article starts with introducing the very concept of Smart City: why there is a need to rebuild cities and what it is all about. Then, it lists the basic stressors related to living in a city, and finally indicates which Smart City activities (standardized by ISO and implemented by the European Union legislation) counteract the aforementioned stressors.

The Legal Regulation of Crowdfunding in the European Union

The paper examines the provisions of the current European Union legislation in the field of crowdfunding in order to establish the features of the legal regulation of the issue in question. The author examines the prerequisites for the adoption of the first special acts regulating crowdfunding at the level of the European Union. The paper designates the scope of regulation of the basic act on European crowdfunding–Regulation (EU) 2020/1503 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 October 2020 on European providers of crowdfunding services for businesses, and amending Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 and Directive (EU) 2019/1937. It also describes the basic requirements for the providers of crowdfunding services, the rules for the provision of crowdfunding services in the territory of the European Union and highlights the procedures necessary to implement the provisions of the Regulation under consideration. It is noted that the structure of crowdfunding regulation within the European Union is not uniform, crowdfunding activities are cross-border, and certain forms of crowdfunding are not subject to regulation by existing regulations.

The Philosophy of the European Union Legislation Formation in the Field of Local Governance Construction

The article is devoted to substantiating the philosophical and legal approach to the law within the framework of the formation of a legal framework in the field of creating a qualitatively new system of local self-government. The article examines the problems of jurisprudence from the standpoint of the philosophy of law within the framework of local government. In the article, the author also examines the historical and methodological aspects of the development of the philosophical foundations of the formation of the system of local self-government as the most important moment in the formation of European liberalism due to its genesis. The purpose of the article is to describe the direct influence of the philosophy of law on the formation and development of the legal worldview of building a system of local self-govern­ment. Throughout its history, the European Union has developed a set of standards on which local self-government systems of EU member states and applicants for this status are built. The complexity and simultaneous importance of legislative regulation of the functioning of this system are evidenced by the fact that the legislation and principles of international law used by the EU in the field of local self-government are among the “youngest” ones.

Monitoring survey of nitrate content in beetroot, radish and cabbage in Poland

Background. Nitrates, compounds commonly occurring in nature, are present for example in vegetables, where they accumulate and become their contaminants. It is estimated that approximately 70-90% of nitrates intake comes from vegetables, which are therefore the main source of human exposure to these compounds through dietary intake. The European Union legislation limits nitrates as contaminants to three leafy vegetables, i.e. lettuce, spinach and rucola. The EU Member States are obliged to monitor nitrate levels in vegetables which may contain significant levels of these compounds. Objective. To present the results of monitoring surveys on nitrate levels in radish and beetroot as well as in cabbage carried out in Poland between 2012 and 2019. Material and methods. A total of 966 vegetable samples were tested. Chemical analyses were carried out in accredited laboratories of the State Sanitary Inspection. Analyses were performed by spectrophotometric methods using nitrate reduction on cadmium columns or by HPLC. Results. The median nitrate content in beetroot was 1,260.0 mg NO− 3 /kg, whilst at the 95th percentile level - 3,222.2 mg NO−3 /kg. The levels of nitrates in beetroot preserves were lower: 1,030.3 mg NO−3 /kg (median) and 2337,2 mg NO−3 /kg (95th percentile). The median content of nitrates in radish and cabbage was 1,337.0 mg NO−3 /kg and 369,0 mg NO−3 /kg respectively, while at the 95th percentile the content of these compounds was found to be 3,381.5 mg NO−3 /kg and 1545,8 mg NO−3 /kg, respectively. Conclusions. The nitrate content in radish and cabbage does not pose a risk to the health of consumers, whilst the consumption of beetroot containing significant amounts of the above mentioned compounds may result in exceeding the ADI especially for young children.