Verwaltungsrechtliches Gutachten: Juristische Übungsarbeit (German Edition)

Professor Christian Tams

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Issues of International Responsibility'. Concepts for International Law: Contributions to Disciplinary Thought. Elgar original reference series. The Statute of the International Court of Justice: From Paradigm to Periphery by Katja Creutz. Finnish Yearbook of International Law Frankfurt investment and economic law series. International Investment Law and History.

The UN Convention against Corruption. AJIL Unbound , , pp. The Use of Force in International Law: European Yearbook of International Economic Law. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea: Law on the Use of Force and Armed Conflict. Exceptions to the Prohibition of Forcible Intervention. Identifying Linkages, Mapping Interactions. Foreign Investment Law Journal , 31 2 , pp. Centre for Global Cooperation Research. Freiheit und Regulierung in der Cyberwelt: Rechtsidentifikation zwischen Quelle und Gericht.

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Whaling in the Antarctic: Queen Mary studies in international law European Journal of International Law , 26 4 , pp. Publications on ocean development. Sovereignty, Statehood and State Responsibility: Essays in Honour of James Crawford. International Investment Law and Development: Emerging technologies, ethics and international affairs. Law and Practice of International Courts and Tribunals , 14 1 , pp.

European Journal of International Law: Research Handbooks in International Law. Research Handbook on the Law of Treaties. Internationale Politik 3 , pp. Hague Yearbook of International Law United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Principles of Shared Responsibility in International Law: An Appraisal of the State of the Art. Studies on shared responsibility in international law. Journal of World Investment and Trade , 15 , pp. Aus Kiel in die Welt: Kiel's Contribution to International Law. Duncker und Humblot, pp. Leiden Journal of International Law , 26 3 , pp.

The International Responsibility of the European Union. Legacies of the Permanent Court of International Justice. Leiden, The Netherlands, pp. The International Responsibility of the European Union: European and International Perspectives. Queen Mary studies in international law. The Oxford Guide to Treaties. Trade, Investment and Finance. The Future of International Law. The Charter of the United Nations: A Commentary [3rd ed. International Investment Law and Its Others. The Sources of Rights and Obligations.

Israel Law Review , 45 1 , pp. The Vienna Conventions on the Law of Treaties: From Clinical Isolation to Systemic Integration? European Journal of International Law , 22, pp. Vereinte Nationen , 59 5 , pp. Girls of this age are not physically or mentally ready for marriage, sex or pregnancy and are more likely to suffer physically, mentally and socially. According to Human Rights Watch, the Yemeni girl was not the first child bride to die.

In , a year-old Yemeni bride died from internal bleeding following intercourse with an older man and, prior to that, another child bride had died after spending several days in labour struggling to give birth. It is understandable that Baroness Ashton has urged the Yemeni Government to ban child marriage but what is being done to ensure that this policy is actually implemented, not just in Yemen but in all areas of the world where child marriage is commonplace? Since child marriage is a spread practice in Yemen, the statement was the occasion to address the general issue of child marriage in Yemen and to remind the obligations that Yemen has as a signatory to the UN Convention on the protection of the rights of the child.

There seems to be general agreement within the Yemen National Dialogue Conference's Working Group for Rights and Freedom to set the minimum age at marriage at We are hopeful that the setting of a minimum age at marriage will be one of the outcomes of the National Dialogue and we hope that all the stakeholders work constructively towards an effective implementation in all regions of the country. The EU is ready to support the Yemeni government in this regard. He has also sent a copy of the letter to the Ararteko asking him, in his capacity as the Basque Country Ombudsman, to take any appropriate action to safeguard the rights of minors.

Although culture is in principle a Member State competence, the Union does have some powers in the area of cultural policy. Accoridng to its rules a Member Sates has jurisdiction over a media service provider established on its territory and consequently is responsible to ensure, through monitoring and enforcement activities that media service providers under its jurisdiction comply with the provisions of the directive. At the same time the directive gurantees the protection of general interests, such as protection of minors.

The Honourable Member of the European Parliament refers to the situation where Basque Public Television was requetsed by the Spanish Government's representative to stop broadcasting a programme that allegedly infringed provisions on protetcion of minors as trasposed in the national law. The parliamentary question by the Honourable Member does not provide sufficient information to assess whether the programme in question indeed had infringed the above mentioend provisions of the Diretcive. Therefore, the Commission services are not able at this stage to state whether indeed the provisions of the AVMS Directive were infringed.

Dichos planes incluyen, entre otras cosas, objetivos relativos a sucursales, niveles de empleo y estructura de costes. As part of the major restructuring under way in the Spanish banking sector, banks which have received state aid are closing branches and cutting back staff in an effort to stem their losses. Is the Commission monitoring redundancy programmes related to the restructuring of Spanish banks? Does it think that equal treatment is being provided for all the workers affected by the various redundancy programmes in Spain linked to the terms of the memorandum of understanding?

The Commission does not specifically monitor redundancy programmes related to the restructuring of Spanish banks. The Commission monitors the implementation of the restructuring plans of the Spanish banks which received state aid. The plans include inter alia targets in terms of branches, employment levels and cost structure.

These targets are clearly linked to the redundancy measures put in place by the banks. It is however up to the banks to achieve these targets in the most efficient way and in full respect of existing legislation. Such consultation covers ways of avoiding or reducing the number of collective redundancies and of mitigating their consequences through accompanying social measures. The latter may vary from one company to another.

Position du Conseil concernant la situation en Syrie. L'UE ne cesse de soutenir une solution pacifique au conflit syrien. The desire to promote peace and to prevent armed conflicts, both within Europe and beyond, is one of the cornerstones of the European project. Most European countries and their peoples want no part in a military intervention against the Syrian regime. Rather, they would prefer to see a diplomatic solution found and chemical weapons destroyed, as advocated successfully by Russia.

Dialogue between the Syrian Government and its domestic opponents is still preferable to Islamist movements seizing power, be they members of the Muslim Brotherhood or Salafists. The EU has consistently supported a peaceful solution to the Syrian conflict. The EU reiterates that the objective of the Conference must be the swift establishment, by mutual consent, of a transitional governing body TGB with full executive powers and control of all governmental and all security institutions. The EU has maintained high-level contacts with all relevant stakeholders to gather international and opposition support for the Geneva II Conference.

Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Rania Al Abdullah, Queen of Jordan, have called for a global increase in spending on education, particularly for children in crisis situations. Queen Rania believes that education is essential for these children, given that learning can provide them with a sense of normality, enabling them to cope with the difficult situations which they have had to endure. According to the humanitarian organisation Save the Children, just 1.

What more can be done to guarantee that Syrian child refugees will be able to exercise their right to learning and an education? The EU is aware of the appeal and shares the importance of supporting education for children, particularly in crisis situations. The EU expects to allocate additional funds in specifically targeting the impact of Syrian refugees.

There are currently various international initiatives which put the spotlight on child education e. The EU is committed to continue support in the field of education in Syria and in the countries which are currently hosting large numbers of Syrian refugees. Varje medlem i OECD: How does the Commission plan to assess the risks that people with disabilities may face during the reallocation of public spending?

The Commission pays due attention to the situation of people with disabilities and more generally to the social impact of budgetary consolidation measures in EU countries. In the context of the European Semester, the Commission puts considerable emphasis on inclusion of those furthest from the labour market.

In this context, a number of Country Specific Recommendations in focus on persons with disabilities. The Social Investment Package underlines the need for Member States to invest in services that enhance human capital, raise people's capacity to participate in society and the economy and strengthen people's capability to cope with risks. Redes sociales y perfiles de fallecidos. Los familiares de las personas fallecidas pueden intentar borrar el rastro de su pariente en las redes sociales, pero es un proceso largo y complicado que muchas veces no llega a buen fin.

Respuesta conjunta de la Sra. Borgerne har i stigende grad taget digitaliseringen til sig. Borgerne gemmer i stigende grad fotos, personlige papirer og dokumenter digitalt. One of these problems is the removal of the profiles of deceased persons from the networks. Currently, all textual and audiovisual material that deceased persons have uploaded to the network remains available to everyone, which may be unpleasant and painful for their families. People have increasingly embraced digitisation. This is a positive thing, but it also presents challenges.

People increasingly store photographs, personal papers and documents in digital format. This is a sound and secure form of storage, but it is almost too secure. We are currently in the process of building up an enormous digital heritage, which we cannot safeguard for family members because we have no legislation in this area. Is this something that the Commission is aware of, and are there any legislative initiatives on the horizon to safeguard our digital heritage? Does it think this something that the forthcoming Data Protection Regulation will address?

The farm is not a typical work place and, as such, standard health and safety regulations are not always suitable or relevant. Factoring in the long hours in all weathers, the wide variety of hazards facing farmers — mechanical, electrical, chemical, biological, as well as respiratory disease and zoonosis, coupled with the isolated nature of the work — it is apparent that health and safety concerns in agriculture are not the same as in other sectors.

The risk factors are higher and more frequent, and when it is considered that farms are often not just a place of work but also a family homestead the risks are multiplied. It is disappointing that efforts to undertake an own-initiative report in the Parliament on improving farm safety have been halted, despite the joint commitment of the Agriculture and Employment committees. Does the Commission consider it beneficial to create a list of indicators to determine how farm safety can be improved and to facilitate a review of risk assessment measures regarding best farm practices?

In practical terms, could the Commission ensure that agricultural machinery operators increase safety features on all farm machinery, and particularly the PTO shaft? It should be noted that the Commission has launched a comprehensive review of the 24 EU health and safety Directives. The Commission will inform the other EU institutions and bodies of the results available by the end of and of any suggestions on how to improve the operation of the regulatory framework. Investment under Rural development would allow farmer to have access to modern and safe mechanical equipment.

Training activities to reduce work related accidents as well as advice to individual farmers covering occupational safety standards could also be funded. The uptake of these funding opportunities is only possible when Member States or regions include these measures in their Rural Development Programmes. Those implementing measures include the safety requirements for the risks related to tractors T and C category vehicles at their workplace; in particular the ones corresponding to PTO shaft are covered through standards.

C'est le cas pour le PTCI: Records are being kept of the TFTA agreement negotiations, which have been embarked on by the Commission in the utmost secrecy. Those records are equally secret. Indeed, only MEPs on the Committee on International Trade may see those records — at meetings held in camera with no agenda, in English only, and with no interpretation into the EU's official languages or even into the Commission's other working languages French and German.

Is the Commission waiting for the agreement to be signed before informing the public's representatives what is in it? Why are the secret records being drawn up only in the language of the United States? Is English soon to become the EU's sole language? The way in which the negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership TTIP are conducted does not differ from any other trade negotiations. International negotiations, especially where they concern important economic interests, imply a certain degree of confidentiality. But confidentiality does not mean secrecy and does not prevent the Commission from informing the public of the main elements in the negotiations.

In an unprecedented step, the Commission has published the EU's initial position papers. Throughout the negotiations, the Commission communicates with industry, consumer groups, trade unions, NGOs and civil society at large, including via its civil society dialogues. As such, the Commission organised a meeting after the first round of negotiations to inform civil society and enable them to interact with the negotiators. The TTIP negotiations are part of a democratic process: If so, what amount of support was provided in and ? We have obtained an analysis from an ecological services expert which shows that the swift designation of that valuable wildlife area, which in this case was carried out within six months, only took account of a single, incomplete growing season.

The Commission is aware of the fact that the designation process, carried out over a relatively short time, resulted in some cases in designation of the sites for which the boundaries do not necessarily precisely correspond to location of the habitat types or habitats of the species of Community interest. If the local authorities consider that the boundaries should be corrected they may contact the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Kielce. It has to be noted, however, that any such correction must be based solely on scientific considerations.

Er schied aus dem Amt aus, nachdem er in dieser Position nicht wiederernannt wurde.

Nach seinem Weggang von Europol arbeitete er als deutscher Regierungsbeamter weiter. Jeder Europol-Beamte ist in Bezug auf bedeutende Informationen, die der Geheimhaltung unterliegen, zu Verschwiegenheit und Geheimhaltung verpflichtet. According to the ORF report, these advisory reports also discussed matters of relevance to European Union security policy.

Is this advisory work by the former Europol director compatible with his previous office? In the event of allegations of this nature, which agency is responsible for investigating whether there has been a violation in this case? The Director was appointed by the Council in for a four-year period as Director of Europol. He left office after not being reappointed in this position.

Following his departure from Europol, he continued to work as a German Government official.

University of Glasgow - Schools - School of Law - Our staff - Christian J Tams

He retired in Any of his advisory activities undertaken after his retirement, in particular his duties and obligations as a retired police officer, are primarily governed by German administrative law and would have to be assessed notably against this background. Every Europol official has a duty of discretion and confidentiality relating to information significant enough to require confidentiality, even after termination of office, unless this information has been made public or accessible to the public.

It is important to note as the official in question was a German civil servant, it is German law on activities carried out during retirement that would apply in the case of any breach of those duties and obligations. Furthermore, the Commission is not responsible for issues of conflict of interest arising in agencies, although it does share responsibility for applying the aforementioned rules in its capacity as a member of the Europol Management Board. Misure sanitarie adottate da regioni italiane in contrasto con la direttiva sull'assistenza sanitaria transfrontaliera.

La Regione Campania, mediante decreto n. Non ritiene la Commissione doveroso impedire che la crisi economica possa determinare scelte protezionistiche di tale tipo da parte di amministrazioni pubbliche? To find a way out of the health budget deficit in which they find themselves, other Italian regional authorities, including that of Molise, are considering, from the solutions put forward by the governmental technical panel, introducing protectionist measures in their questionable financial recovery plans for healthcare, in order to impose a quota on the flow of patients across regional borders.

Does the Commission not believe that it must prevent the economic crisis from giving rise to protectionist choices of this kind by governments? L'UE sostiene le iniziative avviate da tali paesi per contrastare la radicalizzazione e prevenire gli atti di terrorismo. Il Consiglio Affari esteri del giugno ha ribadito l'impegno dell'UE a collaborare con il Pakistan per combattere il terrorismo, anche assicurando i colpevoli alla giustizia. Essa mantiene stretti rapporti con i partner internazionali per potenziare il sostegno e le azioni di follow-up contro la radicalizzazione e il finanziamento del terrorismo, sia in Kenya che nella regione.

Il suo obiettivo principale consiste nel sensibilizzare al problema della radicalizzazione, intensificare la ricerca e promuovere il dialogo a tutti i livelli.

Research interests

Can the European institutions firmly condemn these attacks which once again victimised Christians and members of other religious minorities? They must put in place effective measures to prevent or sanction violations of FoRB and ensure accountability. The EU support these countries' efforts to tackle radicalisation and to prevent acts of terrorism.

The EU is liaising with international partners to increase support and follow-up action to combat radicalisation and financing of terrorism, both in Kenya and in the region. Its key focus is to promote awareness on radicalisation, increase research and promote dialogue at all levels. The EU also cooperates with the UN, and notably the Alliance of Civilisations, that addresses inter-religious dialogue.

Inoltre, sono emerse serie preoccupazioni in merito al possibile utilizzo indebito da parte degli Stati Uniti d'America dei dati di carattere finanziario trasferiti dal sistema Swift in seguito all'accordo UE-USA. Tutte le vicende ricordate, compreso l'allarme relativo all'utilizzo del sistema Swift, hanno come copertura legale la lotta al terrorismo internazionale. According to international press reports, the competent authorities in Brussels have launched an investigation to determine the nature of a number of illegal intrusions into the system of Belgacom, the largest telephone and Internet telecommunications operator in the capital of Europe.

If the reconstruction were to be confirmed by the investigators, we would be facing yet another case of EU sovereignty being violated, not to mention the fundamental freedoms of its citizens and businesses. After the Echelon case and the latest scandal over the PRISM system, the Belgacom affair is set to prove that the confidentiality of online and telephone communications in Europe is seriously at risk.

All the events referred to, including the alert over the use of the Swift system, are covered by international anti-terrorist legislation. What steps will it take to ensure greater protection of the confidentiality of telecommunications in Europe? Does it think it should propose setting up a special investigation committee to get to the bottom of the PRISM case and similar incidents? The Commission is therefore not going to propose suspending this Agreement. On the issue of protection of personal data, including when transferred through telecommunications, the Commission welcomes the vote in the LIBE Committee on the data protection reform package.

The Commission considers that the vote is an important signal of progress in the legislative procedure and is committed to ensuring a swift adoption of the data protection reform before the end of this parliamentary term. The proposal is undergoing first reading before Parliament and Council. How is Antonio Tajani going to put these words in practice? What concrete steps will he take to help European industry? Is Antonio Tajani ready to fight against the efforts to set new climate change goals for ? Is his approach shared by the majority of Commission members or does it represent an isolated activity without the broader support of that Institution?

Indeed, there is no intrinsic contradiction between competitiveness, decarbonisation and resource efficiency. Adequate climate and energy policies can help to incentivise investment and can create jobs and growth in low-carbon and energy technologies. The EU has consistently and firmly stated its position that settlements are illegal under international law, constitute an obstacle to peace and threaten to make a two-state solution impossible. This policy, unanimously agreed by Member States, is best served by a constant engagement at all levels with Israeli authorities, enabling to systematically convey EU concerns on the settlement issue and on the respect for human rights both within Israel and in the occupied territories.

The EU has clearly indicated to Israel that an upgrade in bilateral relations will be based on shared values and seen in the context of the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict through the implementation of the two-State solution. Abilitazione dei docenti di scuola media inferiore e superiore. Tuttavia, i decreti ministeriali attuativi prevedono una discriminazione fra coloro che hanno frequentato la Scuola di specializzazione per l'insegnamento secondario SSIS e coloro che hanno conseguito l'abilitazione in altri Stati europei.

Ritiene la Commissione che la mancata previsione di uno sbocco professionale per gli abilitati TFA, discriminati rispetto agli abilitati SSIS e agli abilitati in altri Stati membri dell'UE, sia conforme a quanto richiesto in chiusura della citata procedura di infrazione? Il fatto di prevedere uno sbocco professionale in Italia per gli insegnanti che hanno seguito un tirocinio formativo attivo TFA non rientra nelle competenze della Commissione. However, the implementing ministerial decrees discriminate between those who attended a teacher-training college for secondary education Scuola di specializzazione per l'insegnamento secondario SSIS and those who gained their qualification in other European countries.

Does the Commission believe that failure to provide a career route for TFA-qualified teachers, which is discriminatory with respect to teachers who qualified at SSISs and in other EU Member States, is in accordance with what was called for at the conclusion of the infringement procedure? The issue of providing a career route in Italy for teachers who have undergone a tirocinio formativo attivo TFA or active teaching traineeship does not fall within the competence of the Commission. The rise of extreme chauvinistic movements in Europe is not a new problem.

However, the overall jump in their ratings has been triggered by the recession and the harsh measures imposed under the memoranda. He appears to have been murdered by a member of the far-right organisation Golden Dawn. The Council has not discussed the specific issues raised by the Honourable Member. An agreement on the adjustment programme for Greece was reached in in order to address the challenges revealed by the crisis and considering the persistent macroeconomic imbalances and deteriorating competitiveness of the Greek economy.

The ownership of the programme is Greek and its implementation is the responsibility of the Greek authorities. It should be noted that employment and social policies fall very largely under the national competence of the Member States. All the institutions involved have recognised that the programme demands great sacrifices from the Greek people and, given the serious situation facing their country, these sacrifices are indispensable for economic recovery and will contribute to the future stability and welfare of the country. The Spanish Government and the Autonomous Government of the Canary Islands have consistently backed the construction of the port and its ancillary infrastructure, arguing that, despite its major environmental impact, the project had special interest status.

The judgment issued by the Supreme Court confirms that the building work being carried out on the port of Granadilla, as approved by the Canary Island authorities, is completely unlawful. From now on, all measures taken under the Specific Local Development Plan must be regarded as null and void and work on the expansion of the port and its ancillary infrastructure will have to be halted. The initial construction work has already had a serious environmental impact which may be irreversible, however.

No public authority has taken responsibility for this damage. Is the Commission familiar with the judgment handed down by the Spanish Supreme Court? Does the Commission not believe that, in the light of that judgment, the Spanish Government must halt work on the port of Granadilla immediately?

Does the Commission plan to put pressure on the Spanish authorities to halt the construction work? In line with the shared management principle, it is the responsibility of the Member State to ensure the respect of EU and national law and to declare only legal and regular expenditure incurred and paid with respect to projects. The Commission considers that it is not for the Commission to interpret the judgment of the Supreme Court and draw conclusions. It is up to the national authorities to assess whether the works on the port of Granadilla should stop and inform the Commission accordingly.

In the meantime, the Commission confirms that to date no EU funds have been disbursed to the major project Port of Granadilla. Gebrek aan handhaving EU-regels betreffende welzijn van varkens. Uit eerder onderzoek van CiWF blijkt dat ook in 74 boerderijen in Duitsland, Denemarken, Hongarije, Spanje, het Verenigd Koninkrijk en Nederland regels uit dezelfde richtlijn worden overtreden. Varkens hebben hierdoor zwaar te lijden onder ruimtegebrek, vieze stallen, gebrek aan stalverrijking en de daaruit voortvloeiende ziektes en verwondingen. Geven de bijgevoegde onderzoeken de Commissie aanleiding om verdere acties te ondernemen en daarmee te bewerkstelligen dat bestaande regelgeving wordt nageleefd?

Wanneer gevallen van niet-naleving worden geconstateerd, zijn de lidstaten zelf in de eerste plaats verantwoordelijk voor de handhaving van het recht van de Unie binnen hun rechtsgebied. Hoewel de Commissie de handhaving van de bestaande wetgeving inzake dierenwelzijn van groot belang acht, kan zij alleen optreden wanneer duidelijk is dat een lidstaat stelselmatig nalaat die wetgeving te handhaven. Eerder dit jaar zijn inbreukprocedures in verband met de groepshuisvesting van zeugen ingeleid.

Wat de verstrekking van los materiaal en het vermijden van het couperen van staarten betreft, is voor een andere aanpak gekozen. De Commissie weet dat de situatie in sommige lidstaten onbevredigend is, maar de lidstaten moet actief bijstand worden geboden bij de toepassing van deze voorschriften door middel van capaciteitsopbouw. Om die reden heeft de Commissie toegezegd om in nauwe samenwerking met de lidstaten richtsnoeren inzake afleidingsmateriaal voor varkens en staartbijten te ontwikkelen.

De Commissie zal dit beleid voortzetten en alleen in laatste instantie inbreukprocedures tegen de lidstaten inleiden. A previous CiWF investigation highlighted that rules stipulated by the same directive have also been breached by 74 farms in Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Spain, the UK and the Netherlands. This causes pigs to suffer from a lack of space, filthy stalls, a lack of stall enrichment and the illnesses and injuries resulting from this. If not, why not? If so, what practical steps are Member States which have had proceedings initiated against them currently taking to guarantee the welfare of pigs as soon as possible?

Do the enclosed investigations provide the Commission with the opportunity to take further action to ensure compliance with existing regulations? If so, what new action will the Commission now take? Member States' have the primary responsibility to enforce Union law within their jurisdiction when instances of non-compliance are discovered. Although enforcement of existing animal welfare legislation is important for the Commission, the latter can only intervene when it is clear that a Member State systematically fails to enforce such legislation. Infringement proceedings were launched earlier this year as regards group housing of sows.

Administrative law

A different approach has been chosen regarding the provision of manipulable material and avoidance of tail-docking. While the Commission is aware that in some Member States the situation is unsatisfactory, it is necessary to actively assist Member States in the application of these requirements through capacity building.

It is for this reason that the Commission has undertaken to develop guidelines on enrichment material for pigs and tail-biting in close collaboration with the Member States. The Commission will continue to proceed along these lines and will only use infringement proceedings as a last resort against Member States. Independencia y objetividad de la autoridad competente. This legal change will allow a third party to acquire the aforementioned gas for the ACS company. Until now, only the Escal company could buy the gas. The Castor project, which was completed some time ago but was not implemented until recently, has been carried out in the context of overcapacity in the gas system due to the crisis and a bubble in the number of facilities.

On the basis of the information provided by the Honourable Member, the question raised does not seem to relate to European law and should be answered by the national competent bodies in the light of the relevant Spanish administrative law. The European Union is not a party to this agreement.

The aim of these amendments is twofold: Does the Commission agree that the UPC Agreement affects or alters the scope of existing common rules, and specifically the Brussels I Regulation recast? In addition, the entry into force of the UPC agreement has been made dependant on the amendment of the Brussels I Regulation.

In areas of exclusive competence, Member States may adopt legally binding acts if authorised by the Union. Quelle est la position de la Commission? A study conducted in France is raising hopes for a one-day breast cancer treatment. There are many advantages to one-day breast cancer treatment. Its simplicity makes it possible to make the disease less alarming, to obtain better compliance and to increase treatment options, explains the radiation oncologist responsible from the Montpellier Cancer Institute ICM. This technique is based on the latest medical advances.

The technique involves delivering highly targeted radiation during surgery, after ablation of the tumour, making it possible to spare the surrounding healthy tissue. Specifically, it is intended for cancers sensitive to hormone therapy in menopausal women, provided there is a good early prognosis, as the risk of local recurrence is higher in young women. Until now, the most appreciable advances have been made in surgery, in order to limit ablation mastectomy in favour of conservative surgery. Other European countries, such as the UK and Italy, have already used this technique to treat thousands of patients.

Can it substantiate the analyses and conclusions of this study? The Commission is aware of the clinical study conducted by the Montpellier Cancer Institute ICM on a one-day breast cancer treatment referred to by the Honourable Member. The treatment consists of combining the excision of the tumour, intraoperative breast irradiation and cosmetic surgery into one operation. The authors of this publication conclude that this is a feasible therapeutic approach for early breast cancer in selected patients with an excellent prognosis and a very low recurrence risk.

As a matter of policy, the Commission does not judge individual research publications that do not directly relate to its funding activities. Some Europeans, acting on the advice of their osteopaths, have recently exchanged their iPhones for a different type of device producing less electromagnetic radiation. Does it recognise hypersensitivity syndrome? The symptoms seem to be almost always the same: Identifying whether exposure can cause short-term symptoms such as headaches, fatigue and dizziness has attracted a substantial amount of research. The independent Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks has a standing mandate to evaluate the risks arising from exposure to electromagnetic fields based on new scientific evidence.

While some studies reported an association between individual symptoms and Radio Frequency exposure, there was no consistency in these findings. An update of the Committees opinion is ongoing and it is expected to be finalised by end This opinion will review all scientific studies published after , including those on the association between Radio Frequency and symptoms. The Commission has no role in the recognition of specific diseases or syndromes.

The Commission welcomes enhanced access of consumers in Europe to renewable energy technologies, which helps them becoming active participants in the energy markets. Innovative retail strategies may contribute thereto. The Commission has carried out an anti-dumping investigation into imports of solar panels from China and recently concluded that they were dumped and have caused injury to the European producers. For that reason, the Commission has sought and reached an amicable solution in the form of a price undertaking with the Chinese exporters that enables them to continue exporting solar panels but at non-dumped prices.

La crise italienne peut-elle, selon vous, faire replonger la zone euro dans la crise? Does the Commission share the view that the euro should be devalued so that the European economy can get back on its feet? Could a bond buyback scheme like that employed in the United States be a solution, even if it is an unconventional measure? The Commission does not wish to comment on the actions of individual policymakers in Member States within a domestic policy context. Recent episodes of political uncertainty in some Member States have not led to significant cross-country spillovers on financial markets, testifying to the increased resilience of the euro area as a whole.

This reflects several factors, including progress with reform efforts by Member States, action by the ECB to remove redenomination risks and the ongoing strengthening of the EMU governance framework. The euro exchange rate floats freely in foreign exchange markets and, over time, it should reflect the economic fundamentals of the euro area as a whole. The Commission does not issue opinions on the valuation of the euro and does not take actions to intervene in currency markets nor does it intervene in the monetary policy decisions of the independent ECB.

Monetary policy decisions in the euro area, including potential bond-purchase schemes by the central bank, are the exclusive competence of the ECB. The Commission is not in a position to comment on the ECB's management of its bond portfolios, in respect of the ECB's independence as enshrined in the Treaty. Each day of the shutdown would appear to incur a major financial loss for the country and therefore has consequences for its partners. Up to now, analysts have been forecasting a GDP increase of 2. The US shutdown is a cause for concern for Europe. Should this situation persist, could it not slow down the recovery that is under way?

Europe is a major trading partner of the United States and could be more directly affected by the shutdown.

April 2018

What figure would the Commission put on the potential daily losses? Therefore it may lower Q4 GDP growth from 0. As such it will not have a big impact on GDP growth in The only impact on trade would occur through a weaker US demand for imports including EU goods. Or un belge sur deux effectue ses achats sur internet. In principle, a website based abroad that sells products, for example, in Belgium, has to apply the Belgian VAT rate, but there are no checks. However, one in every two Belgians buys online. How does the Commission plan to respond to thwart companies that take advantage of the Internet to flout tax laws?

The organisation and the management of tax systems is primarily the responsibility of the Member States; this means that the assessment, collection, auditing and the recovery of VAT fall under the responsibility of Member States. In particular, the control of sales over the Internet distance selling is the responsibility of national tax administrations, including situations where the seller operates across borders.

There exists no information at the European level that Member States neglect the risk of VAT fraud linked to the sales over the Internet, neither as regards pure domestic nor as regards cross-border sales. In order to assist the Member States in their efforts to fight fraud more efficiently, the Commission provides the legal framework allowing Member States to smoothly cooperate in this field and it offers them the tools for combating cross border fraud cases.

For example the E-audit project group set up under the Fiscalis programme enables Member States to share best practice on auditing e-commerce and on Internet monitoring and search tools. What does the Commission plan to do so that these funds are injected more effectively into the DRC for the good of the Congolese people? The EU's development projects in DRC are designed to improve the situation of the Congolese people mainly those most vulnerable and in need.

The best way to ensure that our funds benefit the population is to closely follow and monitor the implementation of the projects to ensure the achievement, even at a slow pace, of the expected results. Moreover, the increase in the number of ruptured PIP implants started as early as and Afssaps should have reacted in , or at the latest, whereas the French health authorities announced their recommendation that all women should have their implants removed as a precaution in late Does it plan officially to call on the French authorities or the former authorities to explain themselves?

These proposals will considerably reinforce the rules governing medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices in the European Union. As soon as the French authorities communicated the measures taken to address the PIP breast implants scandal, the Commission organised meetings with national authorities in order to facilitate the exchange of information between France, the other Member States and our main international partners.

Ces concessions signifient-elles la fin de toutes les poursuites? The Commission has stated that the new concessions proposed by Google could bring an end to its investigation into the search giant. If not, what is the point of already having made a statement on this issue?

Do these concessions spell the end for all prosecutions, with no fine? Not even a symbolic fine for the time the institutions have spent on this case, but especially for the manipulation to which millions of Internet users have fallen prey? The revised proposal covers all entry points for searches on Google such as voice searches and searches entered in toolbars.

Rival links are displayed in a larger space, with a visible frame. They will be accompanied with an icon, and dynamic text. Rival links may also be shaded to be better highlighted, with a different colour than the one used for ads. Google has changed the granularity of the auction for the selection of rival links. In Google's revised proposal, the granularity will be the same as the one of Google's AdWords auctions. Google proposes to improve the granularity of the opt out option for third party content to a subdomain by subdomain level, as well as to tighten the non-retaliation clause to ensure that the use of the opt out has no impact on AdWords ranking in addition to natural search ranking.

Google proposes to implement a general principle not to prevent porting or managing of user campaign data across Google AdWords and non-Google advertising service. It is too early to prejudge the decision that wil be taken in this case. The Commission is seeking feedback from the market on Google's revised proposal.

The next steps to be taken will be decided based on the basis of the assessment of that feedback. The euro area crisis has led Europeans to consider and work on strengthening and deepening economic and monetary union. Until now, work has focused on budgetary, financial and economic aspects, with the social dimension put on the back burner.

At stake are macroeconomic policies that continue to prioritise austerity, social spending cuts, wage cuts and privatisations. Budgetary consolidation lies at the heart of all policies, even though its effects are totally incompatible with the fight to reduce poverty. Moreover, tax systems are such that the burden is shared very unevenly: The idea should be championed that social spending is an investment, not a burden. The Commission also stands accused of paying too little attention to the social impact of the recommendations it makes to each Member State. How did this perception come about?

Should an EU-level multidimensional strategy not be put in place, to fight poverty? The Platform against Poverty and Exclusion is the flagship designed to help achieve the poverty target and works to develop strong partnerships with civil society for the design and implementation of policy reforms. The Social Investment Package, adopted by the Commission in February, calls on Member States to improve the adequacy and sustainability of social protection systems, and includes a recommendation on Investing in Children to break intergenerational cycles of disadvantage.

The Commission is fully aware of the obligation under the horizontal social clause to carefully anticipate and assess social impacts in the design and implementation of its policies and activities. The Impact Assessment IA system takes these requirements into account, while social inclusion and social protection is one of the domains defined in the Commission's impact assessment guidelines. The Commission's IA Guidelines clarify for which policy initiatives an impact assessment has to be carried out. The Guidelines are currently under revision and the public will be consulted on the draft revision.

Do the changes recently made by the Commission to the legislation on medical devices go far enough and will they protect diabetic patients? What does the Commission have to say about that? The proposed changes appear to be a step in the right direction, but would they not leave patients in a position where they would not be protected against any harm? They reinforce the approval system in particular for high-risk devices, introduce stricter rules for notified bodies, reinforce the requirements for clinical evidence and strengthen the rules on vigilance and market surveillance.

These improvements to the regulatory framework will allow for safer and better performing devices to reach patients, including devices intended for diabetes, such as glucose meters and insulin pumps. The main reasons were a lack of clear evidence of the added value for patient safety of such agency. It also appeared questionable whether a separate agency would have the critical mass in terms of cost efficiencies. Even though devices intended for diabetics are not considered as high risk devices class III and as such are not envisaged to undergo the new approval procedure, the Commission is confident that the overall improvements of the legislative framework will ensure a high level of patient safety in the Union for all devices.

Les robots ne seront pas totalement autonomes. Human-replacing robots are something that the Commission is starting to introduce with its Petrobot project. It says that granting legal status to robots and intelligent systems is an option and nothing more. The technology is not yet ready to deliver the degree of autonomy to grant personality or legal status to robots.

However the relevant ethical, legal and societal issues linked to future systems, endowed with more intelligence and autonomy, are seriously taken into account by the robotics and artificial cognitive systems community. Granting robots a legal personality is an academic discussion at the moment, and the Commission is funding activities adressing legal issues related to robotics e.

Fully autonomous systems are not a reality now. There are clear worldwide trends indicating that we could see such systems in the future. Developing policy options and understanding the legal consequences of fully autonomous systems is thus important preparation for the future. Several projects dedicate resources to legal and ethical analysis. A human would however still perform the higher level control with better and safer working conditions.

The robot will not be fully autonomous. Even if some low-level tasks can be executed autonomously, the goal is not to replace humans, but to assist them. Many tasks are dull, dangerous and dirty, and robots, like other machines, can make the job of humans easier.

What other advanced or completed projects on this subject have been granted aid by the Commission? Although HCV is not yet completed, the Commission can confirm that in the field of advanced hybrid powertrains, progress was achieved in the reduction of the weight and the volume of motors and associated transmissions, power electronics, batteries, advanced powertrain controls and architectures in order to improve the energy efficiency and reduce CO 2 and polluting emissions.

However, to improve market penetration of these technologies, further research is needed. In that regard, research for electric hybrid powertrains for all types of vehicles including vans will be supported in the area of road transport research in Horizon Does this not prove that, without milk quotas, the market will be impossible to regulate? The number of Member States exceeding their milk quotas remains limited and the concerned surplus production accounts for 0.

Moreover it cannot be derived from the facts mentioned that quotas are the only way to regulate the milk market. Moreover in the framework of the reform of the CAP no adaptations were proposed in this sense, nor by the Council, nor by the EP. La Commission corrobore-t-elle l'information suivante: Does the Commission intend to impose an outright ban on the use of mercury in sodium methylate production?

Europe is the only region in the world which still permits the use of raw mercury. Can the Commission confirm the following information: The Commission points out that the scoring was done using calculations based on World Bank Doing Business data. Can the Commission explain which criteria were used to arrive at this result and how they were weighted? The operating environment of businesses is multi-dimensional in all countries and all indicators are by definition only estimates of reality.

Despite this, the long-established methodology of the World Bank is widely used and is considered to be one of the most reliable and illuminating indicator. It should be emphasised that because small businesses have fewer resources and less experience, the business environment has a larger effect on their operations. Consequently, the indicator is geared towards the problems of smaller businesses. The composite indicator on business environment used in the report includes the following seven sub-indicators: Three indicators compiled by the World Bank were not deemed relevant in the context of EU economies integrated in the internal market getting electricity, paying tax and trading across borders.

These seven sub-indicators have an equal weight in the final composite indicator they are normalised to a figure between 0 and 1, where 0 is the worst possible Member State performance and 1 the best one. The country score for a given year is the average of the seven sub-indicators. Possibili finanziamenti a favore del Centro Culturale Gruppo Jobel.

Tali punti di contatto, presenti in tutti i paesi partecipanti al programma Cultura, sono incaricati di fornire assistenza gratuita ai potenziali beneficiari. This centre was conceived as an operational instrument capable of meeting all national and international cultural needs, and today undertakes various activities, such as: Gruppo Jobel is a credible entity involved in the technical study and interpretation of theatrical and literary culture.

Among the works it has produced, particular importance was given to choosing topics of high human and social value. Furthermore, the centre has a research workshop for theatre, cinema and dance, which has enabled vital collaboration with schools, cultural bodies and associations. Thanks to these activities, Gruppo Jobel has also received a prestigious institutional award from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. Can the Commission state whether there are any programmes or funding under the programming period for activities carried out in general by cultural centres? It should in principle be possible for Gruppo Jobel Cultural Centre to apply for funding under the new programme, as long as the conditions for participation set out in the relevant calls for proposals are respected, including in particular the involvement of partners from a number of other countries.

It should be noted that the selection process — carried out with the help of independent external experts — is highly competitive and only the very best applications will eventually receive a grant. These contact points exist in all countries taking part in the Culture Programme and are responsible for providing free assistance to potential beneficiaries. The Culture contact points are gradually being replaced by the Creative Europe Desks, which will assist applicants under the new Creative Europe Programme. Kan kommissionen bestrida denna information?

Is the Commission in a position to deny this information? Could information that verifies or falsifies these allegations be made available to the public? CERT-EU has received from the Belgian competent authorities information on the technical indicators of the alleged compromise in relation to the incident to which the Honourable Member refers.

However, these indicators do not allow one to attribute the incident to a specific group or organisation. The Commission considered this issue in the impact assessment accompanying the proposal SWD final and concluded that limited costs would be imposed on Member States as a result of the introduction of Union standard forms. These costs are expected to be circumscribed to the printing of forms, the creation of templates for computer usage and to minor training and promotion activities. These limited costs would be outweighed by the positive impact that the forms would have on the lives of EU citizens and businesses as well as on public administrations in terms of costs and time saved in understanding and translating public documents in cross-border scenarios.

Concerning the risk of document fraud, the Commission would inform the Honourable Member that the proposal aims not only at simplifying the lives of citizens and businesses but also at establishing more effective measures to prevent fraud through a system of administrative cooperation between Member States.

Citizens and businesses should therefore have the choice to produce either the original of a public document or its certified copy, or a non-certified copy if presented together with the original. Under the proposal, this choice must be applied in a uniform manner and may not be constrained by Member States requiring original documents exclusively.

Concerns have been raised by constituents of mine with regard to the outworking of EU cabotage legislation. In light of recent proposals by the Commission to clamp down on the provision of drug precursors, can the Commission detail the steps it will take to ensure that Member States are not constantly one step behind the criminals producing these substances?

What awareness campaigns or strategies has the Commission put in place to ensure that users of these substances are aware of the dangers they entail? The European legislation on drug precursors places control measures on economic operators and national authorities, in order to avoid diversion of drug precursors from legal uses to the production of illegal drugs. The Commission and the Members States' competent authorities regularly discuss strategies to communicate information to companies legally using drug precursors.

The focus of awareness campaigns towards the general public should be on drugs rather than drug precursors, also to avoid spreading of information on how to manufacture those drugs. The plucking of feathers from live geese is forbidden by EU legislation on animal welfare. As Member States are primarily responsible for the implementation of EU welfare legislation, a number of concerns have been raised by constituents of mine who fear that this legislation is not being properly implemented. With this in mind, can the Commission clarify:.

Very few Member States harvest feathers, i. This practice is not illegal. I have been contacted by a constituent of mine regarding the lack of enforcement powers held by the European Medicines Agency EMA in relation to the labelling of medicines and medical leaflets for visually impaired people. My constituent requires large-print patient advisory leaflets. However, when my constituent used a medicine that was licensed through another European route, the manufacturer in question refused to provide large-print leaflets. The enforcement of such provisions is of the competence of National Competent Authorities regarding medicinal products placed on their market.

However, the Black Sea Synergy has been marred by multiple setbacks and a lack of sufficient results since its adoption in What progress has been made since , and what measures have been adopted in order to ensure the drafting and implementing of the Black Sea Synergy? The Black Sea Synergy is a bottom-up initiative geared towards strengthening regional cooperation via concrete initiatives.

The goal is to bring added value to the citizens of the region while ensuring environmental sustainability. As envisaged in the European Commission's Communication, the Black Sea Synergy encompasses a range of cooperation areas, including environment, integrated maritime policy, research and innovation networks, cross-border cooperation, education, energy, transport and others. Despite notable successes in the areas of environment, research and innovation and cross-border cooperation, the Black Sea Synergy can do more, and the time has come to reflect anew on how to take the initiative forward.

The EU should reinvigorate its approach by taking into account the diversity of its relationships in the region, and engaging with other cooperative frameworks including the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organisation. It should also take better advantage of the full range of EU internal and external policies and instruments. Under the Geneva Convention, hostages are recognised as protected persons, and so the forcible return of these people to Iran, where they might face persecution because of their resistance to the Iranian regime, constitutes a serious breach of international law.

On that occasion she met with senior representatives of the Government of Iraq and highlighted to them the importance of ensuring that the rights of minorities and refugees in Iraq were protected. She was pleased to learn recently that some progress is being made in the protection of the residents of Camp Hurriya and that additional security measures have been taken, including the installation of bunkers and T-walls under the United Nations' supervision. The attacks on Camp Ashraf and the previous on Camp Hurriya, remind us of the urgency to accelerate this process, with the cooperation of both the residents and third countries that are ready to receive them.

Actions and projects carried out under the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region could benefit the non-EU countries in the region and they would support integration processes and cooperation between countries in the area. What kind of funding is available for Danube strategy activities, accessible to non-EU countries in the Danube region? They share coordination tasks of priority areas, and national contact points of all countries are equally involved in all settings and discussions, such as in the High Level Group, a steering platform of all 28 EU Member States.

The main difference remains in the level of funding. This can be partly addressed through private funds, as for example in the lifting of shipwrecks in Serbia, by involving financing institutions and banks, as done via the Danube Financing Platform, and through the use of the Instrument for Pre-Accession. In the period, the proposed regulations require from Member States a reference to the priorities for cooperation and macro-regional strategies in their Partnership Agreements and relevant programmes.

Following the same logic, IPA beneficiaries are requested to establish 7-year national and regional strategies for the Instrument for Pre-Accession IPA II with their country or multi-country indicative strategy papers. For the first time, the participating countries will be able to negotiate with their neighbours to take on board elements they consider vital, using the platform of the strategy.

Non-EU countries are full partners and projects from these countries can be funded within the programme. The EU Battlegroups are the only EU military units that are on standby for possible rapid response operations on the part of the Union, but they have been used very rarely. There are questions over their viability and over how they can be flexibly employed in conjunction with other Union instruments.

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