Search Results (1,053)

Background: Since 2014, all Australian jurisdictions have progressively amended legislation to authorise pharmacists to administer vaccines, evolving from restricted pilots to an essential public health pillar. Objective: This review analyses the longitudinal evolution of pharmacist-administered vaccinations (PAVs), documenting changes in authorised vaccines, age eligibility, and regulatory frameworks across all Australian jurisdictions. Methods: A retrospective review of Australian jurisdictional legislation, regulations, and policy documents was undertaken. Searches included official legislative registers, Government Gazettes, Health Department protocols, and professional guidance published by Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) and The Pharmacy Guild of Australia between 2014 to 2026. Documents were independently reviewed by five authors, followed by secondary verification and consensus-based adjudication to resolve discrepancies and confirm findings. Results: PAVs scope was expanded from a single influenza pilot in 2014 to include over 21 vaccine-preventable diseases by 2026. The COVID-19 pandemic catalysed rapid reform, leading to the standardisation of age eligibility (largely ≥5 years). A landmark milestone occurred in 2025 when South Australia enabled pharmacists to administer any vaccine within their professional scope. Conclusion: Legislative reforms have significantly enhanced vaccine accessibility. However, jurisdictional fragmentation persists. National harmonisation, using a competency-based model similar to South Australia, is recommended to streamline delivery and optimise public health outcomes. Full article

Background and Objectives: As Romanian health systems deploy artificial intelligence (AI), uptake depends on navigating the EU AI Act, GDPR, the Medical Device Regulation (MDR), and national rules. We measured AI legislation literacy, governance readiness, and adoption intentions among Romanian healthcare professionals, identified implementation phenotypes, and tested whether confidence mediates the literacy–adoption link. Materials and Methods: In a multicenter cross-sectional survey (N = 109), participants completed a 20-item AI Legislation Literacy Index (0–20) plus scales rated form one to five measuring legislative confidence, adoption intention, readiness, trust, and perceived compliance burden. We used PCA and k-means clustering, multivariable logistic regression for high adoption intention (≥4), and covariate-adjusted mediation (5000 bootstrap resamples). Results: Mean age was 38.7 ± 9.8 years, and 60.6% of participants were female. Literacy was moderate (11.2 ± 4.1/20) and familiarity favored GDPR (69.7%) over the EU AI Act (25.7%). Literacy correlated with confidence (=0.52), whereas confidence correlated with adoption intention (=0.41); trust correlated positively (=0.44) and burden correlated negatively (=−0.29) with adoption. High adoption intention was noted in 50.5% of participants and was independently associated with higher literacy (aOR 1.85 per +1 SD; 95% CI 1.20–2.85), higher trust (aOR 1.72; 1.13–2.63), lower burden (aOR 0.64; 0.43–0.95), and prior AI training (aOR 2.10; 1.03–4.29). Three phenotypes emerged (Confident Adopters n = 44; Cautious Compliers n = 36; Skeptical Low Literacy n = 29), with adoption scores of 4.2 ± 0.5 vs. 3.1 ± 0.7 in the highest and lowest groups. Mediation showed a partial indirect effect via confidence (0.13; 95% CI 0.05–0.24). Conclusions: AI legislation literacy, confidence, trust, and perceived burden are key, modifiable determinants of AI adoption intentions; phenotype-guided strategies can target training, governance support, and post-deployment monitoring readiness. The revised framing explicitly situates these determinants within recent AI-specific regulatory and technical developments, including high-risk AI obligations, AI-enabled medical device change control, generative/large multimodal model risks, and lifecycle monitoring. Full article

Ireland was an early offshore wind pioneer, with Arklow Bank Phase 1 commissioned in 2004 as one of the world’s first commercial offshore wind farms (OWFs). Despite this early start, offshore wind development (OWD) in Ireland remained limited for almost two decades. In recent years, however, the Government of Ireland has declared ambitious offshore renewable energy (ORE) targets, aiming to deliver up to 37 GW of capacity by 2050. One of the key constraints during this period has been the absence of a coherent and integrated marine planning and consenting framework capable of supporting large-scale ORE. This paper examines the evolution of Ireland’s ORE planning and consenting regime, tracing the transition from fragmented, largely “developer-led” arrangements toward a more coordinated and “state-led” framework. It reviews key legislative and policy developments, including the National Marine Planning Framework, the Maritime Area Planning (MAP) Act 2021, the establishment of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority (MARA), and the introduction of Designated Maritime Area Plans (DMAPs), particularly the South Coast DMAP. The paper also situates Ireland’s recent reforms within selected leading European jurisdictions, highlighting persistent challenges related to governance coordination, permitting complexity, and regulatory sequencing in offshore wind deployment in Ireland. Full article

The research explores the application of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) within the context of Greek public administration to see whether its legislative transposition has had real impacts on enhancing good governance, accountability, and the protection of data subjects’ rights. Following a doctrinal and comparative approach to law, based on principles of public and administrative law, it analyses the rules governing data protection both at the EU level, as well as the corresponding national implementing legislation (Law 4624/2019), and the practices of supervision authorities, focusing especially on the procedural aspect of GDPR transposition, supported by an empirical examination of selected decisions of the Hellenic Data Protection Authority (HDPA) (2025–2026). Within such a framework, compliance with GDPR becomes one of the main aspects of the European administrative governance system, being associated not with mere legislative requirements, but also with other important elements, such as transparency, proportionality, institutional trust, and efficiency of public services. Greece provides a relevant context for examining the implementation of the GDPR through the high standards of HDPA within public administration. The findings indicate that GDPR compliance in public administration is primarily a matter of governance rather than merely legal alignment. The comparative analysis with recent European Data Protection Board (EDPB) opinions and coordinated supervisory activities further demonstrates that the governance challenges identified in Greece are broadly consistent with those observed across the European Union. The findings suggest that the Greek supervisory framework operates within the wider European system of GDPR governance and exhibits a level of institutional maturity and regulatory alignment comparable to contemporary European supervisory practice. Full article

Morocco has developed one of the most comprehensive sustainability governance architectures among middle-income emerging economies, yet the relationship between its formal regulatory ambition and on-the-ground implementation effectiveness remains poorly understood. This narrative literature review provides an integrated, critically analytical account of Morocco’s sustainability governance system, organised around three interlocking dimensions: (i) a progressively strengthened legislative corpus anchored by the 2011 Constitution and Framework Law 99-12; (ii) a portfolio of national sustainability strategies aligning domestic policy with Paris Agreement commitments, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and (iii) corporate sustainability practices driven by regulatory obligations, international supply chain pressures, and ESG disclosure norms. Drawing on 124 sources, comprising 62 peer-reviewed articles, 38 legislative texts, and 24 institutional reports, and applying institutional isomorphism theory as an integrating analytical lens, the review advances three theoretical propositions concerning the conditions under which formal governance architectures translate into effective sustainability outcomes. It further proposes a validated conceptual framework and develops a comparative positioning of Morocco against peer economies (Tunisia, Egypt, South Africa, and Turkey). Critical implementation gaps are identified in enforcement capacity, SME integration, sustainability data infrastructure, and green finance, contributing a balanced and evidence-grounded assessment of Morocco’s sustainability transition. These findings offer actionable insights for policymakers, regulators, and business leaders operating in the Moroccan and broader African context. Full article

Energy communities (ECs) are becoming a key institutional instrument for decentralizing the European energy transition, yet their implementation remains constrained by fragmented legal interpretation, uneven national transposition, and unresolved socio-technical coordination problems. This review synthesizes the peer-reviewed literature, EU primary legal texts, and national legislation to clarify the distinction between Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) and Citizen Energy Communities (CECs), alongside the amendment relationship between the RED II and RED III directives. The analysis demonstrates that the scalability of these initiatives depends less on theoretical legal recognition and more on aligning operational frameworks, including metering, settlement, cybersecurity, and equitable allocation rules. The Romanian case illustrates this challenge clearly: rapid prosumer growth creates valuable distributed generation but also exposes physical grid constraints, asymmetric socio-economic participation capacity, and weak experience with cooperative energy governance. To address these vulnerabilities, this paper contributes a focused analytical framework linking energy justice, peer-to-peer game-theoretic modeling, and the strategic integration of “anchor-prosumers.” The study argues that larger renewable self-consumers can act as stabilizing community anchors when internal energy prices are designed between wholesale export values and retail import prices, thereby improving both producer incentives and consumer affordability. Future research developments, including targeted surveys and longitudinal empirical validations, will sustain this claim and optimize the socio-economic resilience of decentralized energy markets. Full article

Background/Objectives: South Korea has experienced a rapid transition from widespread food insecurity and undernutrition to a comprehensive and institutionalized nutrition policy system. This study aimed to examine the historical evolution of Korean nutrition policy and nutrition education from the 1960s to the present and to explore its implications for global nutrition governance and nutrition-related Official Development Assistance (ODA). Methods: A narrative review was conducted using historical documents, government reports, nutrition policies, national health plans, legislation, and previous academic studies related to Korean nutrition policy and nutrition education. Results: Korean nutrition policy evolved through several developmental phases, including an aid-dependent relief period, a state-led food security and school feeding expansion phase, a preventive health and nutrition education phase, and a stage of legal and institutional consolidation. More recently, policies have shifted toward evidence-based, equity-oriented, and life-course approaches. Korea has also expanded its nutrition policy experience through ODA initiatives by supporting institutional development, workforce training, community-based nutrition education, and adaptable nutrition management systems in developing countries. Conclusions: Korea’s experience demonstrates how long-term governmental commitment, legislation, surveillance systems, and nutrition education can contribute to national nutrition improvement during rapid socioeconomic transition. These findings may provide useful insights for countries facing the double burden of malnutrition and seeking sustainable and adaptive nutrition policy systems. Full article

Informed consent is a core ethical and legal requirement in clinical practice. For individuals with aphasia, language impairments can hinder communication during consent processes. However, aphasia is primarily a language disorder and does not inherently imply cognitive impairment, a distinction frequently overlooked in clinical and legal settings. This scoping review examines how decision-making capacity (DMC) is assessed and supported in adults with aphasia, and outlines the clinical, ethical, and medico-legal implications for consent procedures. The review followed PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A systematic search of biomedical and legal databases was conducted without time restrictions. Studies addressing informed consent or DMC in adults with aphasia were included and analyzed using a qualitative thematic approach. Out of 519 records, 9 studies (2010–2024) from Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland met inclusion criteria. These studies often referenced national legislation and rights-based frameworks to define clinical responsibilities. Three main themes emerged: (1) DMC assessments rely heavily on language, with limited involvement of speech–language pathologists (SLPs), despite their role in reducing bias; (2) supported communication strategies—such as simplified language, visual aids, alternative response formats, and structured tools—can uncover “hidden competence”; and (3) structural barriers, including time constraints, insufficient training, and limited access to aphasia services, restrict implementation. Current evidence remains limited, largely qualitative, and insufficient to support definitive clinical recommendations. Incorporating supported communication, multidisciplinary assessment, and thorough documentation may enhance fairness and legal robustness. Future research should focus on validating aphasia-sensitive tools and evaluating their impact on outcomes and medico-legal risk. Full article

Risk assessment is a cornerstone of effective occupational health and safety (OHS) management, yet its efficacy often varies in practice. Evaluating legislative frameworks is essential for enhancing the practical application of safety standards. This study examines the state of the risk assessment process in Croatia from the perspective of OHS experts to provide recommendations for improvement and standardization. A digital survey was conducted among registered OHS experts via the national Information System for Occupational Safety (ISZNR). Data from 967 OHS experts were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The hypothesis that current risk assessment processes are insufficiently effective was partially accepted, as a significant portion of the surveyed OHS experts perceive them as having limited functional effectiveness. While 33% of experts view the current prescribed mandatory risk assessment methodology as effective, more than half of respondents (56%) identified that risk assessments are predominantly adjusted to formal requirements rather than to actual work conditions. Statistical analysis showed no significant differences in perceptions of risk assessment effectiveness based on OHS experts’ support for mandatory legal frameworks for standardization (Q19; p = 0.259) or the active usage of digital tools (p = 0.984). However, a statistically significant relationship was observed regarding general attitudes toward quality improvement through standardization (Q17; p < 0.05) and the perceived utility of digitalization (p < 0.001). The study concludes that the current process requires further improvement and suggests detailed sectoral analyses for future research. Full article

The aim of the study was to assess changes in athletes’ opinions on medical care in Polish Paralympic sport in 2004–2024 in the context of the evolution of the national legal framework. Against this background, to identify potential discrepancies between formal guarantees and functional access, the study analysed: (i) the evolution of Polish legal and organisational solutions governing medical care for Polish Paralympic athletes, and (ii) the longitudinal change in the opinions of Polish Paralympic athletes concerning the availability and quality of care in 2004–2024. The scope of the national legal framework was limited to statutory acts and regulations adopted by Polish institutions, understood as primary legal sources; the exegesis of normative material was supplemented with relevant documents from the legislative process. A total of n = 522 athletes with visual and locomotor impairments were examined, representing 97.4% of all Polish representatives who participated in the Summer Paralympic Games between 2004 and 2024. The study used a diagnostic survey protocol employing a questionnaire, as well as descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and Student’s t-tests. The results indicate a clear increase in the percentage of athletes declaring participation in regular preventive examinations, as well as a significant improvement in evaluations of cooperation with physicians and physiotherapists when comparing 2004 with the period 2012–2024. At the same time, empirical data demonstrate that the introduction of legal solutions does not ensure full access to specialised medical care, and that the formal establishment of obligations and procedures does not automatically translate into the immediate adaptation of organisational practices. Full article

Central European, especially the Hungarian and Polish experiences, reveal a profound paradox, anti-immigration policy narratives, yet immigration laws and policies support reliance on migrant workforce (non-EU migrants). The question arises: why is that? The aim of this research is to examine the ways in which Poland and Hungary have managed the challenges of labor migration in the region, arising from the demographic crisis and labor shortages in the region. The research will use a socio-legal approach in the analysis of the changes in the laws of the two countries, government strategies, statistics, and political discourse in the period from 2023 to 2025. The assessment of the two countries will reveal a contrast in the political narrative and the implementation of the laws. Hungary maintains a narrative of strict migration and quotas, while at the same time liberalizing economic migration. Poland, on the contrary, has adopted a liberal yet selective migration strategy in the new laws that incorporate digital administrative tools, integration, and a points system for economic migrants. The research will reveal that both countries have moved from being net emigration countries to being net immigration countries, despite the political narrative. The research will conclude that the migration policies of the two countries have been influenced by the need to address the structural labor shortages in the region and not political ideologies. Experiences in Central Europe, specifically those of Hungary and Poland, show a unique contradiction of having anti-immigration politics and legislation providing for easier access to the countries’ borders to non-EU workers to solve problems of labor shortages. This paper will discuss the approaches of these two countries to dealing with labor migration in light of declining populations and increased need for migrant workers. Comparative socio-legal research is conducted in the course of this project, where recent legislative amendments, policies, statistics, and political discourse in relation to labor migration are reviewed within the period from 2023 to 2025. The research shows that while maintaining its conservative and securitized narrative, Hungary makes some concessions for economic migration through specific legal channels. Meanwhile, Poland has managed to build up an open and selective approach by combining labor market demands with digitization and points-based policy making. The results suggest that both nations operate in an environment of net immigration despite their official rhetoric implying otherwise. In conclusion, policies towards labor migration in Central Europe remain economic in nature, which produces contradiction between politics and reality. Full article

This article investigates how EU and Member State legislation contributes to advancing circularity in the textile value chain, a priority sector due to its significant environmental impacts and economic relevance. The research aims to address the lack of comprehensive analysis of national legislation supporting textile circularity and to assess its alignment with the evolving EU framework. An inventory and critical analysis of legislative measures adopted at EU and Member State levels, covering all phases of the textile value chain, has been developed, based on review of the literature, screening of European Environment Agency and European Commission reports, and targeted web search. Results show that recent reforms of EU legislation, such as the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and the revised Waste Framework Directive, have marked a shift toward a more systemic, lifecycle-oriented regulatory framework promoting textile circularity. Moreover, approximately 130 national policy initiatives and legislative measures exceeding EU requirements have been identified, with legislation focusing especially on the consumption and end-of-life stages and relevant innovation in countries such as France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. However, regulatory gaps remain, particularly regarding consumption, prevention of textile waste, secondary raw materials market, and recycling capacity. The findings also highlight the importance of stronger policy coherence between EU and national legislation. Full article

Surface water degradation has intensified due to anthropogenic pressures, especially in urban areas, where unplanned land use compromises the integrity of aquatic ecosystems. This study investigated the relationship between water quality and land use in a Permanent Preservation Area (PPA) within an urban perimeter in Caçador, Santa Catarina, Brazil. Monthly sampling was conducted throughout 2024 at 11 points distributed along urban and rural sections of the river and its tributaries. Physicochemical and microbiological parameters were evaluated, and the Water Quality Index (WQI) established by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) was calculated in order to associate the results with the sampling points, complemented by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to identify multivariate patterns of spatial variability in water quality across the study area. In parallel, the PPA within the urban perimeter was delimited according to current environmental legislation, and land use was classified using ArcGIS and Google Earth Pro. The results revealed greater water quality degradation in urban stretches of the river, particularly at sampling point SP7, which recorded the lowest dissolved oxygen concentration (3.10 mg L⁻¹), alongside elevated values of biochemical oxygen demand (5.23 mg L⁻¹), total phosphorus (2.94 mg L⁻¹), nitrate (18.75 mg L⁻¹), and thermotolerant coliforms (2759.20 MPN 100 mL⁻¹). The WQI ranged from 40.18 (SP7: bad category) to 73.57 (SP1: good category), reflecting a pronounced spatial gradient of water quality degradation associated with increasing urbanization along the river course. Mapping of the PPAs revealed that only 43.72% of the total area was covered by native vegetation, while the remaining 56.28% was occupied by anthropogenic land uses, including miscellaneous use (30.32%), agriculture (9.09%), buildings (6.09%), roads (4.64%), and railway infrastructure (5.81%). PCA accounted for 89.06% of the total data variance and indicated that greater interaction of sampling points with urbanized areas was consistently associated with reduced water quality, thereby demonstrating the direct influence of anthropogenic activities on the environmental parameters assessed throughout the study area. These findings demonstrate that land use patterns directly affect water quality and reinforce the need for riparian forest restoration, expanded sanitation infrastructure, and more sustainable urban planning. Full article

The Court of Justice of the European Union’s Grand Chamber judgement in Public.Resource.Org v Commission (“Malamud”) raises fundamental questions about the relationship between EU law and the European standardisation system. By holding that harmonised standards referenced in the Official Journal must be accessible to the public free of charge, the Court reaffirmed the principle that individuals must be able to know the norms governing their legal rights and obligations. While widely welcomed as a victory for transparency and the Rule of Law, the judgement poses significant challenges to the longstanding governance and funding model of European standardisation, which relies heavily on copyright-based revenues generated by European Standardisation Organisations and national bodies. This article examines the practical and institutional consequences of the Malamud ruling and explores viable compliance pathways for the EU standardisation system. After outlining the role of harmonised standards within the New Legislative Framework and their growing importance in regulatory regimes such as the Artificial Intelligence Act, it analyses the judgement’s implications for access to law and the copyright status of standards. The article then evaluates a range of implementation models, including Commission-hosted publication, read-only access portals, licencing buyouts, and expanded use of common specifications. It argues that a Commission-hosted publication model, supported by revised funding arrangements, offers the most coherent pathway to reconcile open access with the continued functioning of the European standardisation infrastructure, and proposes corresponding reforms to Regulation 1025/2012. Full article

The article examines how recent developments in EU copyright law affect Slovenian legislation. The Slovenian system of collective management of copyright and related rights is currently under scrutiny by the European Commission, which has initiated infringement proceedings for failure to correctly apply the InfoSoc Directive and the Collective Rights Management Directive. The forthcoming Streamz decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union, initiated by the Belgian Constitutional Court, may further influence Slovenian copyright rules, given that both Slovenia and Belgium have implemented the Digital Single Market Directive by similar means. A pressing issue in Slovenian copyright law—recently addressed by the Higher Court of Ljubljana—concerns the collection, management, and distribution of the private copying levy as a permissible limitation to exclusive authors’ rights under the InfoSoc Directive. A thorough analysis of these issues reveals a complex interplay between EU and national law regarding the collective management of exclusive authors’ rights and various remuneration rights. Adopting a legal-dogmatic approach and applying textual, purposive, systematic and comparative legal methods, the article provides an overview of Slovenia’s copyright protection system, identifies potential incompatibilities with EU law, and proposes legislative solutions. Full article