Search Results (10)

The growing incorporation of environmental policy into international trade has transformed the competitiveness of export industries and raised risks for carbon-intensive products. Focusing on China’s aquatic product exports to the European Union, this study examines how a CBAM-related carbon exposure index is associated with export performance and what this implies for trade competitiveness and adaptation. We construct an HS6-level panel for three aquatic product groups and three EU importers over 2015–2024, combining observed trade, tariff and macroeconomic data with constructed indicators of embedded carbon exposure derived from MRIO-based emission intensities and CBAM rules. Using a structural-gravity framework estimated with PPML (HDFE-PPML), we find a negative association between carbon exposure and export values in a simple specification, but this effect weakens and becomes statistically insignificant once richer importer–year and product fixed effects are introduced. Overall, the results suggest that the early CBAM transition has not yet produced a robust impact on China–EU aquatic trade, but they highlight emerging vulnerabilities for carbon-intensive products and the need for exporters and policymakers to pursue adaptation strategies that safeguard long-run trade competitiveness. Full article

Nowadays, the use of digital services is indispensable to the daily activity of businesses or end users. Digital services and online platforms contribute to the internal market by opening new business opportunities, increasing industry competitiveness, and widening consumer choice. While digital services have contributed to boosting innovation and developing new business models, a few online platforms act as gatekeepers by controlling a large digital market, likely leading to unfair practices and conditions for business users and end users. Against this background, this paper discusses the rationale and the necessity for regulating digital technology development in the digital market. It analyses the EU’s approach to adapting competition policy for the digital age. This paper argues that the Digital Markets Act will undoubtedly impact business models in the digital market and regulatory framework at the national level. However, its fundamental success will depend on whether the Commission has the appropriate tools to address the development of new technologies. Full article

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a widespread infectious disease that is currently a major cause of economic losses in pig production. In Hungary, a National PRRS Eradication Program has been introduced to attain a more efficient, economic, and competitive international market position. The program has been also approved by the EU, but the resulting legal obligations have imposed a burden on Hungarian producers to comply with EU competition rules. The implementation of the program has been carried out by the veterinary authorities with the consent of, continuous support from and monitoring conducted by organisations within the pig sector as well as a scientific committee. The PRRS eradication program in Hungary was based on a regional territorial principle and was compulsory for all pig holdings within the regions. In Hungary, large fattening farms operate as all-in/all-out or continuous flow systems. Large-scale breeding herds are predominantly farrow-to-finish types. Although its significance has decreased in recent decades, 20% of the Hungarian pig population is still kept on small (backyard) farms (<100 animals). All PRRSV-infected large-scale farms had to develop a unit-adapted eradication plan, including external and internal biosecurity measures, vaccinations, etc. It was crucial to render each fattening unit free of the disease, as fattening units play a significant role in spreading the virus within the country. The eradication efforts mainly implemented were depopulation–repopulation methods, but on some farms a testing and removal method has been used. As the eradication progressed over the years, the introduction of infected fattening pigs was restricted. Thanks to these measures, Hungarian large-scale fattening farms became PRRSV-free by the end of 2018. The PRRSV-free status of small-scale herds was achieved by the end of 2015 and was maintained between 2016 and 2021. By 31 December 2021, all breeding pigs in large-scale farms in Hungary were free of wild-type PRRS virus. By 31 March 2022, the total pig population of the country, including all backyard farms and fattening units, achieved PRRSV-free status. The future goal is to ensure and maintain the PRRSV-free status of Hungary via strict import regulations of live animals combined with the continuous and thorough screening of incoming and resident herds for the presence of the virus. Full article

This study aims to answer the following research questions: (a) to what extent do EU rural development supports for investments address territorial differences of rural areas, especially concerning the differences between rich and intensive areas, on one hand, and marginal and peripheral rural areas on the other hand; (b) how does present governance and the delivery system of measures supporting rural investments contribute to the financial support of marginal and peripheral rural areas? To respond to these questions, the research examined 747 calls for tender in all Italian regions related to 16 types of investment measures and a global amount of EUR 67 billion Euros and 49,410 representative projects approved in 17 Italian regions during the period 2014–2020. Delivery mechanisms included the rules that have been set up to define recipient eligibility and selection criteria of the rural development programmes. The distributive effects of RDP investment support measures appear evidently uneven, especially in agricultural and agro-industrial competitiveness measures, which are mainly allocated in already dynamic and strongly competitive areas. Delivery mechanisms boost disparities when funds are allocated through the “open competition” approach. Instead, the modulation of territorial criteria in the implementation phase can provide effective results in terms of reducing disparities in fund allocation and outreaching the most lagging areas. There are two main novelties of this research: (a) the analysis of territorial criteria in the calls for tenders for investment support, and (b) the effects of these criteria on expenditure distribution at the municipal level (LAU2 in the EU nomenclature). This study has been carried out outside the formal methodological approaches promoted by the European Commission for RDP evaluation and might be considered a complementary approach to evaluation reporting activity. This study might provide two significant contributions to the debate on rural areas. First, a “combined” approach to the definition of rurality (mixing “structural” and “locational” approaches) might provide a better analytical framework in line with the evolution of the literature on rurality. Second, the delivery systems that put more emphasis on territorial targets, as they were presented in this study, might be an essential component of a place-based policy. Full article

Graphene, with its amazing prospects and nonpareil aspects, has enticed scientists and researchers all over the globe in a significant fashion. Graphene, the super material, endlessly demonstrates some of the substantial, as well as desired, mechanical, thermal, optical, and chemical characteristics which are just about to bring about an unprecedented transformation in the science and technology field. Being derived from graphite, graphene is made of one-atom-thick, two-dimensional carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice. This Nobel-prize-winning phenomenon includes properties that may result in a new dawn of technology. Graphene, the European Union’s (EU) largest pledged project, has been extensively researched since its discovery. Several stable procedures have been developed to produce graphene nanoparticles in laboratories worldwide. Consequently, miscellaneous applications and futuristic approaches in artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology, biomedical and nanomedicine, defence and tactics, desalination, and sports are ruling over the next generation’s fast-paced world and are making the existing market competitive and transformative. This review sheds light upon the ideology of the preparation and versatile application of graphene and foretells the upcoming advancements of graphene nanoparticles with the challenges rearing ahead. The study also considers graphene nanoparticles’ diverse fields and portends their sustainability with the possibility of their acceptance in the commercial market as well as in common usage. Full article

Hydrocarbons are traditional subjects to European Union (EU) law (“acquis communitaire”). A short historical review reveals that quasi all aspects of upstream and downstream segments are covered by the legislation. The results of applied information extraction and elaborated quantitative analysis indicate that the intensity of legislation making correlates with global drivers such as oil price booms, and technology developments such as extraction of unconventional hydrocarbons by hydraulic fracturing. A quarter of a century after the Hydrocarbons Directive was published and transposed by Member States (MS), data allow us to make a semi-quantitative assessment on the implementation, the major drivers of governments’ publication activity, and the impact on the oil and gas production. Another specific relevance of this study is on non-energy minerals management of the EU, whether the introduction of similar competitive bidding rules would induce a greater interest of investors, and the enhanced competition could bring more benefits to the states by the rejuvenation of the critical minerals extractive sector. The preliminary findings show that in some MS there is a positive correlation between the concession call publication activity and hydrocarbons production. To confirm these conclusions the analysis of an extended dataset including exploration data, investments, and social impacts is needed in order to screen the effect of global market trends, the exhaustion of domestic geological reserves, and the different policy environments. Full article

This article intends to launch a discussion on the possibilities of introducing more sustainability into the rules on granting State aid. State aid law constitutes a crucial part of the internal market regulation. In principle, granting public support to companies is prohibited in the European Union (EU) as such state intervention distorts competition. In some cases, however, aid may be allowed if it pursues a legitimate public policy objective such as research, regional development, transport or environmental protection. In 2017, the EU Member States spent EUR 116.2 billion, i.e., 0.76% of GDP, on State aid at the EU level. While aid to the environment and energy saving promotes sustainability, the question is whether other types of aid also do so. This article provides a brief explanation of the rationale behind State aid control, explains how ‘good aid’ may be approved by the European Commission or EFTA Surveillance Authority (ESA) before it is granted by the Member States and proposes taking a closer look at the current guidelines for granting aid in the transport sector. This sector has a serious impact on the environment and human well-being, while it is heavily subsidised by the state. Full article

This paper investigates the regulatory rules of market transparency which could be applied within the wholesale electricity market and market for frequency and voltage control in the Web-of-Cells (WoC) decentralized power control architecture, which has been developed in the ELECTRA Project to respond the challenges and needs of the future power system (2030+). In this decentralized functional architecture for frequency and voltage control, the European Union (EU) power grid is divided into grid control areas, i.e., cells, which are defined as portions of the grid having adequate monitoring infrastructure and local reserves capacity, allowing voltage and balancing (frequency) problems to be solved at cell level, under the responsibility of a Cell System Operator (CSO) (present Distribution System Operator (DSO)/Transmission System Operator (TSO)). In order to foster the practical realization of the WoC-based architecture, the related wholesale electricity market and market for frequency and voltage control are proposed considering the competitive market principles, including transparency. The critical review of the existing EU regulations dealing with this issue suggests respecting the valid provisions on market transparency while tailoring them into the WoC-based architecture. Moreover, in order to take into account the WoC peculiarities, a set of integrations to the current regulatory rules is also proposed, addressing: (1) disclosure of information in respect to attributes of emerging technologies such as renewable energy sources (RES), distributed energy resources (DER), storage; (2) provision of generation and load forecast information; (3) process of procurement of flexibilities; (4) retail market transparency; (5) disclosure of privacy-sensitive household attributes; and (6) disclosure of information on market for frequency and voltage control. Full article

The power sector is currently experiencing a dynamic transformation, resulting not only from EU directives, but also from current problems, mainly related to ensuring energy security for customers. For this reason, in Poland, it was decided that the model of electricity market operation needed to be changed. A dual market has been created, and a separated segment is the capacity market. This solution operates, in addition to other power mechanisms, in many European Union countries, e.g., in France, Great Britain, and Italy. The experience of these countries indicates the positive impact of the power market on various aspects of the power sector, such as legal, economic, technical and technological, social, and infrastructural aspects, mainly due to technological neutrality and open competition between power suppliers. The creation of the structure of an energy market drastically changes the rules of energy management, which requires investigations concerning the impact of those factors on the energy sector in Poland. The aim of this work is to examine the impact of the power market on the Polish power sector, and to determine the impact of individual consequences on several predefined areas. For this purpose, a questionnaire survey was used. The purpose of a detailed analysis is to develop probable scenarios for the sustainable development of the Polish energy sector. Full article

Background: Recently, collaboration between regulators and payers was set up and was mainly focused on evidence generation along product clinical development. However, neither the regulatory path nor the new active substance status (NASs) was considered. Granting NASs will provide the product with 8 years of data protection and 2 years of market exclusivity during which no generic could enter the market. Objective: To review the economic impact (for payers) of NASs granted by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for dimethyl fumarate (DMF), developed by Biogen and approved for multiple sclerosis (MS) as Tecfidera^® on 3 February 2014. Method: We reviewed the available DMF-containing products and identified their indication and price through relevant databases and official Web sites. The economic impact of Tecfidera^® on payers’ budgets was calculated assuming NASs was or was not granted. The forecast was identified in Datamonitor. Results: Results identified four products already containing DMF as the main or unique active substance. This would have potentially prevented Tecfidera^® from being granted NASs. The EMA Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) denied Tecfidera^® NASs and, following a company appeal, reversed its position opening as polemic. The impact of that decision has been evaluated at €7 to €10 billion over a 10-year period. Conclusion: NASs is a critical decision because it does have a major budget impact for payers, and it prevents generic competition. Current European Union (EU) regulations on that topic are unclear and open up too many interpretations thus distorting fair trade and affecting payers’ bills. Greater clarity and more stringent rules are required to prevent mistrust of this EMA decision. Full article