Journal articles on the topic 'ACP-Group countries'
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1
BOSSCHE, Olivier VAN DEN. "Lomé et la coopération industrielle CEE-ACP en 1975: entre Nouvel ordre économique international et poursuite des intérêts industriels européens." Journal of European Integration History 25, no. 2 (2019): 243–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.5771/0947-9511-2019-2-243.
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In 1975, the Lomé Convention, which manages relations between the EEC and the countries of the ACP (Africa Caribbean Pacific) group, introduces a chapter on "industrial cooperation". This new policy aims to develop production sectors (industry, agriculture, mining and tourism) in the ACP countries, and embodies the egalitarian partnership discourse specific to the New International Economic Order. Using unpublished archives from the European Commission, the ACP Secretariat, the Centre for Industrial Development and interviews with the administrators in charge in the 1970s, we study the complexity of the networks of internal and external actors at DG- VIII responsible for setting up EEC-ACP industrial cooperation in Brussels. In doing so, we show that industrial cooperation is created out of the political will to rethink relations between European countries and previous African colonies in the framework of the NIEO; we also show the persistence of interests from private European economic circles, which remain close to the European Commission.
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Bartelt, Sandra. "ACP-EU Development Cooperation at a Crossroads? One Year after the Second Revision of the Cotonou Agreement." European Foreign Affairs Review 17, Issue 1 (February 1, 2012): 1–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.54648/eerr2012001.
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The article presents the second Revision of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)-European Union (EU) Partnership Agreement (Cotonou Agreement (CA)) and contains an outlook on the future of the relations between the EU and the ACP Group of States, taking also into account the restructuring of the EU's external relations under the Lisbon Treaty and the establishment of the new European External Action Service (EEAS). The second Revision of the CA was signed in June 2010.Ten years after the conclusion of the CA, its second revision sought to find a balance between the increasing trend towards differentiation within the ACP Group and the unity of the ACP Group of States. The EU side felt that developments in the regional dimension had to be addressed, such as the relations with the African Union as a key interlocutor for peace and security in the pan-African dimension and the conclusion of (interim) Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). Moreover, the 2010 Revision coincided with the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty on 1 December 2009. The restructuring of the EU's external relations under the Lisbon Treaty and its impact on the relations between the EU and ACP also influenced the 2010 Revision, as the ACP were concerned about the loss of their special status under the new treaty regime. In addition, at the administrative level, the bilateral relations with the ACP countries will be dealt with by the EEAS and not by the former Commission's Directorate-General for development, which means a potential loss of exclusivity for the ACP Group.
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Del Biondo, Karen. "EU Aid Conditionality in ACP Countries: Explaining Inconsistency in EU Sanctions Practice." Journal of Contemporary European Research 7, no. 3 (September 21, 2011): 380–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.30950/jcer.v7i3.294.
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The EU is often criticised for using negative conditionality only in poor, strategically less important countries in the ACP region. However, whether and why there is inconsistency within the group of ACP countries has not been properly investigated. Therefore, this article investigates the reasons for the EU’s non-application of Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement in five countries that can be considered typical cases where negative conditionality is generally imposed, namely countries that experienced flawed elections over the last ten years: Ethiopia, Rwanda, Nigeria, Kenya and Chad. On the one hand, the study confirms previous findings that security interests tend to trump the EU’s efforts to promote democratisation. On the other hand, the article adds that democratisation might not only conflict with the EU’s interests, but also with its objective to promote development and poverty reduction.
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Rakotoarisoa, Manitra A. "Will Liberalizing the Services Trade between Developing and Developed Countries Solve Employment Problems in a Post-Pandemic Recovery? The Case of ACP-EU Services Trade." SocioEconomic Challenges 5, no. 4 (2021): 74–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.21272/sec.5(4).74-89.2021.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the asymmetric employment problems in the global services sector. Would a liberalization of the highly protected services trade between the rich and poorer countries help solve such problems? This paper contributes to answering that question by analyzing the impacts on welfare and employment of an hypothetical liberalization of the services trade between the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) and their rich partners in the European Union and the United Kingdom (EU+UK). For both the ACP and EU +UK, their service sectors play important role in their economy, especially in providing jobs. The services sectors employ the majority of unskilled labor and the large majority of skilled labor. For instance, in the EU+UK, 67% of employed unskilled and 82% of employed skilled workers are in the service sectors; the respective figures for ACP countries are 54% and 90%. These figures indicate that any change in trade policies for the services sector will affect not just the services but also other sectors such agriculture and manufacturing in ACP and EU countries. To analyze the impacts of services trade liberalization on welfare an employment, I use a Computable General Equilibrium model that takes into account the labor productivity gaps among trading countries. Results show that although ACP services represents only about 24% of ACP’s total exports to and 28% of ACP’s total import from the EU+UK, halving the bilateral tariffs in services trade will generate for the ACP a welfare gain 3.4 times larger than the gain under elimination of bilateral tariffs on goods. Such liberalization of services trade will generate significant endowment effects equivalent to 410,000 new jobs per year, mostly in the services sector. The employment and welfare gains will also reach other sectors, including agriculture, as services trade costs are reduced. The liberalization of services trade will raise wages, especially for ACP’s skilled labor. All these ACP’s gains will increase further if its labor productivity improves. Despite a slight decline in wages for EU+UK’s skilled labor, the EU+UK will gain about 7.8 billion USD in welfare. Overall, liberalization of the services trade between ACP and EU+UK will help solve their employment problems and should not be delayed.
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Doval Hernandez, Violeta. "Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) between the EU and Western Africa:." ESIC Digital Economy and Innovation Journal 1, no. 3 (July 4, 2022): e53. http://dx.doi.org/10.55234/edeij-1-3-053.
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In the context of Cotonou and Post Cotonou Partnership Agreements stablished between the European Union and former colonies named by the group of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP), this paper investigates the possible risks over ACP of one of the Agreement main objectives: the Free Trade Areas or EPAs (Economic Partnership Agreements).With this purpose, the paper uses as a case study the analisis of Western African, focusing on the particular context of Senegal. The selected region presents some of the paradox that are communly seen in ACP countries: an outstanding wealth in natural resources, together with some of the lowest indicators of Human Development in the world. Thus, despite the region hosts up to 267 international companies exploiting the mining sector (International Transparency, 2013) and one of the world richest maritime areas, basic needs for its population are still a challenge. To adress such complex matter as an International Trade Agreement launched by the European Union with a wide block of countries of ACPs the paper presents a survey including both primary and secondary data collection in a mixted methodology which combines quantitative and qualitative data. In-depth interviews were carried out at two Directorates of the European Commission to responsibles for external relations with West Africa. In Senegal, officials of public institutions and civil society representatives were consulted. The research concludes that the EU policies promoted with ACP countries in EPAs framework show serious contradictions with the social, environmental and economic priorities of the mostly classified as Least Developed Countries in Western Africa region. Thus, for Senegal case, the policies would increase the risk of increasing dependency on food imports and food insecurity.
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Chiang, Fu-Ming, Ying-Wei Wang, and Jyh-Gang Hsieh. "How Acculturation Influences Attitudes about Advance Care Planning and End-of-Life Care among Chinese Living in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia." Healthcare 9, no. 11 (October 30, 2021): 1477. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9111477.
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Background: Understanding attitudes towards life and death issues in different cultures is critical in end-of-life care and the uptake of advance care planning (ACP) in different countries. However, existing research suffers from a lack of cross-cultural comparisons among countries. By conducting this comparative study, we hope to achieve a clear understanding of the linkages and differences among healthcare cultures in different Chinese societies, which may serve as a reference for promoting ACP by considering cultural differences. Methods: Our researchers recruited Chinese adults who could communicate in Mandarin and lived in metropolitan areas in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia. Focus group interviews were conducted, and the interview contents were recorded and subjected to thematic analysis. Results: Between June and July 2017, 14 focus groups with 111 participants were conducted in four regions. With traditional Chinese attitudes towards death as a taboo, many participants felt it would be challenging to discuss ACP with elderly family members. Most participants also desire to avoid suffering for the self and family members. Although the four regions’ participants shared a similar Chinese cultural context, significant regional differences were found in the occasions at which participants would engage in end-of-life discussions and select settings for end-of-life care. By contrast, participants from Singapore and Australia exhibited more open attitudes. Most participants from Taiwan and Hong Kong showed a preference for end-of-life care at a hospital. Conclusions: The developmental experiences of ACP in Western countries, which place a strong emphasis on individual autonomy, cannot be directly applied to family-centric Asian ones. Healthcare professionals in Asian societies should make continuous efforts to communicate patient status to patients and their family members to ensure family involvement in decision-making processes.
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Crawford, Gordon. "Whither Lomé? The Mid-Term Review and the Decline of Partnership." Journal of Modern African Studies 34, no. 3 (September 1996): 503–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022278x00055579.
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The signing in Mauritius on 4 November 1995 of the amended fourth Lomé Convention, the aid and trade co-operation agreement between the European Union (EU) and the ACP Group of 70 African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries, brought the Mid-Term Review to its formal completion after protracted negotiations. Established in 1975, Lomé has long been the centre-piece of EU development assistance. In quantitative terms, the European Development Fund, the financial instrument of Lomé, has comprised the largest single portion of EU aid, averaging almost 45 per cent of all disbursements in recent years.1 Qualitatively, Lomé has been regarded as a model of North—South cooperation, mainly due to three special features: it was founded on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and interdependence; it is a legally binding contract negotiated between two sets of countries; and it involves ongoing dialogue through three joint institutions, the ACP—EU Council of Ministers, the Committee of Ambassadors, and the ‘parliamentary’ Joint Assembly.
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Nwobike, Justice. "The Application of Human Rights in African Caribbean and Pacific–European Union Development and Trade Partnership." German Law Journal 6, no. 10 (October 1, 2005): 1381–406. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s2071832200014383.
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The Africa Caribbean Pacific–European Union (ACP-EU) Development and Trade Cooperation Relationship is currently regulated by the Cotonou Partnership Agreement. This agreement, which has been described as “the only one of its kind in the world” is based on the three pillars of politics, trade, and development between the EU and its Member States on the one hand and a group of developing countries on the other.
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K. K, Kalpana Devi, and Prakash Sahaya leon J. "Toxic Effect Of Cypermethrin On Enzymes In Freshwater Fish Oreochromis Mossambicus (Tilapia)." International Journal of pharma and Bio Sciences 11, no. 6 (December 2, 2021): 137–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.22376/ijpbs/lpr.2021.11.6.l137-143.
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In agriculture, excessive use of various pesticides had increased in developing countries. These pesticides may be highly toxic, not only to aquatic organisms like fishes but also to humans. In recent years, synthetic pyrethroids were developed for major uses in various agriculture practices and public health purposes. We aim to find the toxic Effect of Cypermethrin on Freshwater Fish Oreochromis mossambicus (Tilapia). The fish Oreochromis mossambicus were exposed for 30 days to various sub lethal concentrations (1/10, 1/20, and 1/30) of cypermethrin. After completion of a 30 days exposure, the fish Oreochromis mossambicus was sacrificed and tissue samples of muscle, liver, and kidney were analyzed. Decreased value of ALP, ACP, and Increased value of AST, ALT was observed in all the sub lethal exposure of cypermethrin on treated freshwater fish Oreochromis mossambicus at 30 days on comparing with the control group. High variation of AST and ALT were observed in the liver at 1/10th concentration of cypermethrin and elevated variation of ALP and ACP was observed in the liver at 1/10th concentration of sub lethal level for 30 days exposure. While comparing with the control group, the effects of cypermethrin on experimental fish showed increased levels of AST, ALT in the tissues of muscle, liver, and kidney of O. mossambicus, and the level of ACP and ALP were found in a decreased manner. Increased levels of ALT and AST activity observed in freshwater fishes may be due to the reduction of metabolic activity and concentration of ACP and ALP in various tissues due to cellular necrosis. In the present study, we found that the effect of cypermethrin alters the activity of various enzymes in freshwater fish Oreochromis mossambicus. It is concluded from this study that exposure to cypermethrin affects the enzyme activities of fish.
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Delputte, Sarah. "The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly Seen by its Members: Empowering the Voice of Peoples Representatives?" European Foreign Affairs Review 17, Issue 2 (May 1, 2012): 241–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.54648/eerr2012023.
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This article examines the role of the European Union's (EU) Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) with the Africa-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) group of states. Bringing together 105 countries from four different continents and characterized by a more than forty-five-year long continuity and a high degree of institutionalization, the JPA is a unique institution in the EU's network of inter-parliamentary diplomacy. Despite its increased importance in the past decade, the role of the JPA remains understudied in academic literature. The analytical framework for examining this role consists of two parts. While the first part is based on a document analysis and expert interviews, the second part investigates the JPA members' own role conceptions by means of semi-structured interviews with delegates from the European Parliament and national ACP parliaments. We argue that the role of the JPA is (1) to advocate the empowerment of the ACP national parliaments, (2) to socialize parliamentarians towards a democratic culture, and (3) to monitor the implementation of the Cotonou agreement. The conclusion reads that, while the role of the JPA has been strongly extended, there are some serious endogenous and exogenous problems that have a major impact on its activities and its influence.
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Devisscher, Purdey. "Legal Migration in the Relationship between the European Union and ACP Countries: The Absence of a True Global Approach Continues." European Journal of Migration and Law 13, no. 1 (2011): 53–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/157181611x553655.
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AbstractFor a long time, the relationship between the European Union (EU) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) was characterized by the focus on trade issues. In recent years however, other policy aspects have emerged, amongst which migration. This evolution results from the gradual recognition of the importance of migration in the Union’s external relations. The mainstreaming of migration in the relations with third countries raised the need for a Global Approach to Migration (2005) connecting illegal and legal migration, as well as introducing a positive migration-development nexus. The acknowledgement of a possible positive contribution of legal migration ‐ if well managed ‐ for developing countries, has resulted into new concrete initiatives such as circular migration, mobility partnerships and the Blue Card Directive. A closer look at the policy frameworks, as well as specific measures demonstrate however, that a true comprehensive approach is a long way from home. It is examined if the specific EU-ACP relationship offers a different point of view and effectively makes migration work for the development of both parties. More specifically, do the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) correspond to the abovementioned goal? A comprehensive and coherent legal framework that unites the interests of the Union and its Member States, on the one hand, and those of the developing countries, on the other hand, seems a distant perspective. It is concluded that ambitious policy objectives have been set and are waiting to be addressed by corresponding policy frameworks and legal commitments.
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Chase, Claude S. K. "MFN in the CARIFORUM-EC Economic Partnership Agreement: Policy Blunder or Legal Inconsistency?" Legal Issues of Economic Integration 38, Issue 2 (May 1, 2011): 189–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.54648/leie2011011.
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The Carribbean Forum-European Communities (CARIFORUM-EC) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) represents a new era of development cooperation and trade relations between the European Union (EU) on the one hand, and a subgrouping of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) group of countries on the other hand. The inclusion of Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clauses in the EPA, which require CARIFORUM countries to extend to the EU any more favourable treatment granted to third parties in future Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) has generated some controversy. This note critically examines the arguments that have been levelled against the inclusion of these clauses from legal and policy perspectives. Notwithstanding the often nebulous distinction between law and policy, it will be argued here that questions of policy and issues of law must be bifurcated in order to meaningfully assess the value of MFN clauses in the EPA. A paradigm for assessing such clauses in other so-called North-South FTAs is also suggested.
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Ntwaagae, Charles. "Commentary: An African Perspective Services Negotiations." Global Economy Journal 5, no. 4 (December 7, 2005): 1850062. http://dx.doi.org/10.2202/1524-5861.1149.
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A commentary on J. Robert Vastine's article "Services Negotiations in the Doha Round: Promise and Reality." Charles T. Ntwaagae is Ambassador-Permanent Representative to the UN and WTO in Geneva. He has served in the Botswana Public Service over the past 28 years, during which he held several senior policy level positions. These include Executive Director of the National Environment Secretariat, Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Housing and Environment, and Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. As Ambassador-Permanent Representative, he has served in various capacities, including Chairman of the Africa Group, Co-ordinator of ACP Ambassadors in the WTO and Chairman of Commonwealth Developing countries in the WTO. As of January 2006, he will be serving as Permanent Secretary of Botswana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
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Delputte, Sarah, Cristina Fasone, and Fabio Longo. "The Diplomatic Role of the European Parliament’s Standing Committees, Delegations and Assemblies: Insights from acp–eu Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation." Hague Journal of Diplomacy 11, no. 2-3 (March 11, 2016): 161–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1871191x-12341338.
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This article focuses on the contribution that the European Parliament’s standing committees, delegations and inter-parliamentary assemblies make as diplomatic actors in the post-Lisbon Treaty period. These three types of bodies and institutions are grouped together, because in practice they work in complementary ways. The committees play a coordinating role, the delegations act as ‘embassies on the move’ and the participation of the European Parliament in inter-parliamentary assemblies represents the clearest institutional sign of the European Parliament’s external action. The article focuses on a case study: the involvement of the European Parliament in the eu’s partnership with the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of countries (acp) through the Development Committee (deve), the competent European Parliament delegation, and the activities within the Joint Parliamentary Assembly. The article aims to analyse whether and how the European Parliament is able to play a distinctive diplomatic role through its standing committees, delegations and inter-parliamentary assemblies.
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Nyirenda, Yalenga, Abdi-Khalil Edriss, and Horace Phiri. "Trade Impacts of EU-ESA EPA Transitional Period On Malawi Sugar Exports." European Scientific Journal, ESJ 13, no. 13 (May 31, 2017): 390. http://dx.doi.org/10.19044/esj.2017.v13n13p390.
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The renunciation of the Sugar Protocol between European Union (EU) and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries in 2007 initiated a gradual reform process that will culminate into a reciprocal Duty Free Quota Free non-preferential access for all sugar producers in 2017. This paper analyzes how the reforms implemented this far have affected Malawi sugar exports. Since expansion of regional trade is seen as one of the adaptation measures for affected sugar industries. The study also analyzed the effect of regional integration areas. The results show that the EU sugar price reforms and elimination of country specific quotas had a positive influence of exports. Malawi being a low cost producer, it was not affected by falling prices and benefited to expanded access granted by a group safeguard. However, the production quotas for EU producers and high tariffs nonpreferred producers meant that Malawi was still shielded from competition that will prevail when the EU market is fully liberalized.
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Aher, Rahul Balasaheb, and Kunal Roy. "Computational Approaches as Rational Decision Support Systems for Discovering Next-Generation Antitubercular Agents: Mini-Review." Current Computer-Aided Drug Design 15, no. 5 (September 23, 2019): 369–83. http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1573409915666190130153214.
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Tuberculosis, malaria, dengue, chikungunya, leishmaniasis etc. are a large group of neglected tropical diseases that prevail in tropical and subtropical countries, affecting one billion people every year. Minimal funding and grants for research on these scientific problems challenge many researchers to find a different way to reduce the extensive time and cost involved in the drug discovery cycle of these problems. Computer-aided drug design techniques have already been proved successful in the discovery of new molecules rationally by reducing the time and cost involved in the development of drugs. In the current minireview, we are highlighting on the molecular modeling studies published during 2010-2018 for target specific antitubercular agents. This review includes the studies of Structure-Based (SB) and Ligand-Based (LB) modeling and those involving Machine Learning (ML) techniques against different antitubercular targets such as dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), enoyl Acyl Carrier Protein (ACP) reductase (InhA), catalase-peroxidase (KatG), enzyme antigen 85C, protein tyrosine phosphatases (PtpA and PtpB), dUTPase, thioredoxin reductase (MtTrxR), etc. The information presented in this review will help the researchers to get acquainted with the recent progress in the modeling studies of antitubercular agents.
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Szynol, Monika. "The Impact of Brexit on the EU Development Policy: Selected Political Issues." TalTech Journal of European Studies 10, no. 1 (June 1, 2020): 3–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/bjes-2020-0001.
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Abstract The European Union (EU) is the most generous donor of international development cooperation—it transfers more than a half of the world’s Official Development Assistance (ODA). In fact, the EU development policy is depending on three major contributors: France, Germany and the United Kingdom (UK), which are also among the top countries making the largest transfers to development cooperation. However, special attention should be paid to the UK, belonging to the avant-garde of international development cooperation. The United Kingdom is not only a part of the EU assistance wallet but also an important partner in shaping the development policy. This article attempts to answer the main research question: what impact will Brexit have on the EU development policy? The analysis covers the political plane, and the following elements will be taken into consideration: the impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the organisation on shaping the EU development policy (its geographical and thematic concentration), and the ability to fulfil development commitments, which were undertaken by the Member States and the organisation. Consequently, Brexit may lead to reshaping the EU partnership with the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), as well as undermine the EU’s ability to meet its obligations in the development area.
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Mishra, Sapna, and Murad Ghanim. "Interactions of Liberibacter Species with Their Psyllid Vectors: Molecular, Biological and Behavioural Mechanisms." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23, no. 7 (April 5, 2022): 4029. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms23074029.
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Liberibacter is a group of plant pathogenic bacteria, transmitted by insect vectors, psyllids (Hemiptera: Psylloidea), and has emerged as one of the most devastating pathogens which have penetrated into many parts of the world over the last 20 years. The pathogens are known to cause plant diseases, such as Huanglongbing (citrus greening disease), Zebra chip disease, and carrot yellowing, etc., threatening some very important agricultural sectors, including citrus, potato and others. Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the causative agent of citrus greening disease, is one of the most important pathogens of this group. This pathogen has infected most of the citrus trees in the US, Brazil and China, causing tremendous decline in citrus productivity, and, consequently, a severely negative impact on economic and personnel associated with citrus and related industries in these countries. Like other members in this group, CLas is transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina citri) in a persistent circulative manner. An additional important member of this group is Ca. L. solanacearum (CLso), which possesses nine haplotypes and infects a variety of crops, depending on the specific haplotype and the insect vector species. Ongoing pathogen control strategies, that are mainly based on use of chemical pesticides, lack the necessary credentials of being technically feasible, and environmentally safe. For this reason, strategies based on interference with Liberibacter vector transmission have been adopted as alternative strategies for the prevention of infection by these pathogens. A significant amount of research has been conducted during the last 10-15 years to understand the aspects of transmission of these bacterial species by their psyllid vectors. These research efforts span biological, ecological, behavioural and molecular aspects of Liberibacter–psyllid interactions, and will be reviewed in this manuscript. These attempts directed towards devising new means of disease control, endeavoured to explore alternative strategies, instead of relying on using chemicals for reducing the vector populations, which is the sole strategy currently employed and which has profound negative effects on human health, beneficial organisms and the environment.
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Juvonen, Eeva, Inna Sareneva, Katri Haimila, Anu Elina Korhonen, and Susanna Sainio. "Transfusion Of Thawed Rare Red Blood Cell Units In Finland." Blood 122, no. 21 (November 15, 2013): 4823. http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood.v122.21.4823.4823.
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The Finnish Red Cross Blood Service performs blood grouping of all blood donations in Finland and serves as a national reference laboratory in pre-transfusion testing of patients. In addition to ABO and RhD blood groups, other Rh antigens and K antigen are also determined from all red cell units. The antigens of JK, FY, and MNS blood group systems are analyzed from selected donors. The extensive donor typing procedure includes antigens from KEL, LW, LU, CO, DO, DI, YT, GE and CROM blood group systems, performed either serologically or by genotyping. Patients negative for a high frequency blood group antigen present a challenge for transfusion laboratories. A blood group is considered rare if the prevalence is 1:1000 or less, with the most common rare phenotypes in Finland being LWa neg, Jk:-3 and Pk. To ensure the availability of matching blood for patients with a rare blood group, we started a freezing program of rare blood in Finland with Haemonetics ACP 215 process in April 2010. The system is closed, therefore after thawing the units are safe for use for 7 days. 18 blood groups which were included in the program were determined based on the known rare blood groups in the Finnish population. Blood groups which are globally rare but more common in Finland, such as Jk:-3 and LWa neg, are represented in our storage and also available internationally. The aim of the present study was to analyze the status of the freezing program of rare red blood cells in Finland. For the analysis we asked the transfusion data of rare red blood cell units delivered to 10 national and 2 international hospitals. Results: In 2010-2012, altogether 204 units of rare blood were stored, including units of all the predefined rare phenotypes except Vel neg. With the exception of Vel neg, Hrs neg and Oh blood groups, we have been able to meet the need for rare blood in Finland using Finnish donors. Altogether 55 units have been thawed and distributed to 27 adult patients. The indication was delivery in 3 cases, surgery in 6 cases, and chronic anemia in 4 cases. For the present analyses the transfusion data of 49 units was available. The data of 6 Coa neg units is missing. Altogether 22 / 49 (45%) of the units were transfused. In 14 cases the blood was transfused to the patient it was intended for, and in 8 cases to another patient, 27 units were discarded. There were no transfusion associated complications. The hemoglobin response was evaluable in 7 patients. In 4 patients with a chronic anemia the median blood hemoglobin response per a unit was +8 g/l, range +2 - +16 g/l. In 3 patients with blood loss during an operation the median increase in blood hemoglobin value was +7 g/l per unit, range +4 – +12 g/l. Conclusions: Compared to the common 24 hour eligibility of thawed red cell units, our units valid for 7 days are preferable in countries like Finland with long distances and in international rare blood deliveries. We have been able to offer rare blood to Finnish patients. The hemoglobin response was reasonable and there were no transfusion associated complications. Our next challenge will be to recruit Finnish blood donors with different ethnic backgrounds (eg. immigrants) and identify their rare blood groups. We have already expanded our program to include rare combinations of common blood groups. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
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Beddows, D. C. S., M. Dall'Osto, R. M. Harrison, M. Kulmala, A. Asmi, A. Wiedensohler, P. Laj, et al. "Variations in tropospheric submicron particle size distributions across the European continent 2008–2009." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 14, no. 8 (April 30, 2014): 4327–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-4327-2014.
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Abstract. Cluster~analysis of particle number size distributions from~background sites across Europe~is presented. This generated a total of nine clusters of particle size distributions which could be further combined into two main groups, namely: a south-to-north category (four clusters) and a west-to-east category (five clusters). The first group was identified as most frequently being detected inside and around northern Germany and neighbouring countries, showing clear evidence of local afternoon nucleation and growth events that could be linked to movement of air masses from south to north arriving ultimately at the Arctic contributing to Arctic haze.~The second group of particle size spectra proved to have narrower size distributions and collectively showed a dependence of modal diameter upon the longitude of the site (west to east) at which they were most frequently detected.~These clusters indicated regional nucleation (at the coastal sites) growing to larger modes further inland. The apparent growth rate of the modal diameter was around 0.6–0.9 nm h−1. Four specific air mass back-trajectories were successively taken as case studies to examine in real time the evolution of aerosol size distributions across Europe. ~While aerosol growth processes can be observed as aerosol traverses Europe, the processes are often obscured by the addition of aerosol by emissions en route. This study revealed that some of the 24 stations exhibit more complex behaviour than others, especially when impacted by local sources or a variety of different air masses. Overall, the aerosol size distribution clustering analysis greatly simplifies the complex data set and allows a description of aerosol aging processes, which reflects the longer-term average development of particle number size distributions as air masses advect across Europe.
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Brunner, Dominik, Tim Arnold, Stephan Henne, Alistair Manning, Rona L. Thompson, Michela Maione, Simon O'Doherty, and Stefan Reimann. "Comparison of four inverse modelling systems applied to the estimation of HFC-125, HFC-134a, and SF<sub>6</sub> emissions over Europe." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 17, no. 17 (September 11, 2017): 10651–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-10651-2017.
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Abstract. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are used in a range of industrial applications and have largely replaced previously used gases (CFCs and HCFCs). HFCs are not ozone-depleting but have large global warming potentials and are, therefore, reported to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Here, we use four independent inverse models to estimate European emissions of the two HFCs contributing the most to global warming (HFC-134a and HFC-125) and of SF6 for the year 2011. Using an ensemble of inverse models offers the possibility to better understand systematic uncertainties in inversions. All systems relied on the same measurement time series from Jungfraujoch (Switzerland), Mace Head (Ireland), and Monte Cimone (Italy) and the same a priori estimates of the emissions, but differed in terms of the Lagrangian transport model (FLEXPART, NAME), inversion method (Bayesian, extended Kalman filter), treatment of baseline mole fractions, spatial gridding, and a priori uncertainties. The model systems were compared with respect to the ability to reproduce the measurement time series, the spatial distribution of the posterior emissions, uncertainty reductions, and total emissions estimated for selected countries. All systems were able to reproduce the measurement time series very well, with prior correlations between 0.5 and 0.9 and posterior correlations being higher by 0.05 to 0.1. For HFC-125, all models estimated higher emissions from Spain + Portugal than reported to UNFCCC (median higher by 390 %) though with a large scatter between individual estimates. Estimates for Germany (+140 %) and Ireland (+850 %) were also considerably higher than UNFCCC, whereas the estimates for France and the UK were consistent with the national reports. In contrast to HFC-125, HFC-134a emissions from Spain + Portugal were broadly consistent with UNFCCC, and emissions from Germany were only 30 % higher. The data suggest that the UK over-reports its HFC-134a emissions to UNFCCC, as the model median emission was significantly lower, by 50 %. An overestimation of both HFC-125 and HFC-134a emissions by about a factor of 2 was also found for a group of eastern European countries (Czech Republic + Poland + Slovakia), though with less confidence since the measurement network has a low sensitivity to these countries. Consistent with UNFCCC, the models identified Germany as the highest national emitter of SF6 in Europe, and the model median emission was only 1 % lower than the UNFCCC numbers. In contrast, the model median emissions were 2–3 times higher than UNFCCC numbers for Italy, France, and Spain + Portugal. The country-aggregated emissions from the different models often did not overlap within the range of the analytical uncertainties formally given by the inversion systems, suggesting that parametric and structural uncertainties are often dominant in the overall a posteriori uncertainty. The current European network of three routine monitoring sites for synthetic greenhouse gases has the potential to identify significant shortcomings in nationally reported emissions, but a denser network would be needed for more reliable monitoring of country-wide emissions of these important greenhouse gases across Europe.
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Zwakman, M., K. Pollock, F. Bulli, G. Caswell, B. Červ, J. J. M. van Delden, L. Deliens, et al. "Trained facilitators’ experiences with structured advance care planning conversations in oncology: an international focus group study within the ACTION trial." BMC Cancer 19, no. 1 (October 31, 2019). http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12885-019-6170-7.
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Abstract Background In oncology, Health Care Professionals often experience conducting Advance Care Planning (ACP) conversations as difficult and are hesitant to start them. A structured approach could help to overcome this. In the ACTION trial, a Phase III multi-center cluster-randomized clinical trial in six European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia, United Kingdom), patients with advanced lung or colorectal cancer are invited to have one or two structured ACP conversations with a trained facilitator. It is unclear how trained facilitators experience conducting structured ACP conversations. This study aims to understand how facilitators experience delivering the ACTION Respecting Choices (RC) ACP conversation. Methods A qualitative study involving focus groups with RC facilitators. Focus group interviews were recorded, transcribed, anonymized, translated into English, and thematically analysed, supported by NVivo 11. The international research team was involved in data analysis from initial coding and discussion towards final themes. Results Seven focus groups were conducted, involving 28 of in total 39 trained facilitators, with different professional backgrounds from all participating countries. Alongside some cultural differences, six themes were identified. These reflect that most facilitators welcomed the opportunity to participate in the ACTION trial, seeing it as a means of learning new skills in an important area. The RC script was seen as supportive to ask questions, including those perceived as difficult to ask, but was also experienced as a barrier to a spontaneous conversation. Facilitators noticed that most patients were positive about their ACTION RC ACP conversation, which had prompted them to become aware of their wishes and to share these with others. The facilitators observed that it took patients substantial effort to have these conversations. In response, facilitators took responsibility for enabling patients to experience a conversation from which they could benefit. Facilitators emphasized the need for training, support and advanced communication skills to be able to work with the script. Conclusions Facilitators experienced benefits and challenges in conducting scripted ACP conversations. They mentioned the importance of being skilled and experienced in carrying out ACP conversations in order to be able to explore the patients’ preferences while staying attuned to patients’ needs. Trial registration International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number registry 63110516 (ISRCTN63110516) per 10/3/2014.
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Hřích, Jan. "Probable consequences for the czech republic in implementing the acquis communautaire in the sphere of commercial policy." Prague Economic Papers 10, no. 3 (2001). http://dx.doi.org/10.18267/j.pep.177.
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The article brings some empirical conclusions regarding the possible consequences of implementing of the common commercial policy of the European Community (EC) for the Czech foreign trade and the whole economy after the CR's EU accession. The analysis comes to conclusion that the impacts will be differentiated according to various groups of countries (depending on commercial-policy approach of EC toward the concrete group). However, the general consequences of acceptance of EC commercial policy (of course not the overall consequences of EU accession) should be very moderate. Nevertheless, the competitive pressures in some labor-intensive branches (especially textiles) could increase in a very limited extent as a result of acceptance of EC preferential trade systems toward various groups of developing countries (e.g. ACP countries, Mediterranean countries).
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Constant LaForce, Vanessa. "The EU-Caribbean Trade Relationship Post-Lisbon: The Case of Bananas." Journal of Contemporary European Research 10, no. 2 (May 30, 2014). http://dx.doi.org/10.30950/jcer.v10i2.486.
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This article examines, from a legal perspective, the Lisbon Treaty changes over the European Union’s (EU) common agricultural policy (CAP) and their impact on developing countries. The study focuses particularly on the Caribbean region of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP group), which signed an Economic Partnership Agreement with the EU in 2008, and will use bananas as the exemplar commodity. The Lisbon Treaty which entered into force in December 2009 has brought important institutional changes within the EU and altered the distribution of responsibility over European policies. The European Parliament (EP) now exercises legislative functions ‘jointly’ with the Council over fields falling outside EU trade policy but which often have trade-related impacts. This is the case of the CAP which is now a shared rather than an exclusive competence policy area. The EU is an important market for developing countries’ export of agricultural food products. However, there is a risk that the EP positions, pressured by consumer opinion, could influence the negotiating process leading to the reinforcement of the EU’s protectionist agriculture policy. This subject is of high importance given the end of the so-called ‘banana war’ in 2009 against the EU banana import regime, allowing better access for Latin American countries’ bananas to the EU market. This article argues that ACP countries will not be affected by the EU internal changes post-Lisbon. They have managed to legally maintain special trade arrangements with the EU under the Economic Partnership Agreements, which provide them with favourable trading conditions, particularly for agricultural food products.
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Vandenbogaerde, Isabel, Aline De Vleminck, Joachim Cohen, Mariëtte Nadine Verkissen, Lore Lapeire, Francesca Ingravallo, Sheila Payne, et al. "Advance care planning—family carer psychological distress and involvement in decision making: the ACTION trial." BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, February 17, 2022, bmjspcare—2020–002744. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjspcare-2020-002744.
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ObjectivesFacilitated advance care planning (ACP) helps family carers’ to be aware of patient preferences. It can improve family carers’ involvement in decision making and their overall experiences at the end of life, as well as, reduce psychological stress. We investigated the effects of the ACTION Respecting Choices (RC) ACP intervention on the family carers’ involvement in decision making in the last 3 months of the patients’ life and on the family carers’ psychological distress after 3 months of bereavement.MethodsOver six European countries, a sample of 162 bereaved family carers returned a bereavement questionnaire. Involvement in decision making was measured with a single item of the Views of Informal Carers–Evaluation of Services Short Form questionnaire. Psychological distress was measured with the Impact of Event Scale (IES).ResultsNo significant effect was found on family carers involvement in decision making in the last 3 months of the patients’ life (95% CI 0.449 to 4.097). However, the probability of involvement in decision making was slightly higher in the intervention arm of the study (89.6% vs 86.7%; OR=1.357). Overall, no statistical difference was found between intervention and control group regarding the IES (M=34.1 (1.7) vs 31.8 (1.5); (95% CI −2.2 to 6.8)).ConclusionThe ACTION RC ACP intervention showed no significant effect on family carers’ involvement in decision making or on subsequent psychological distress. More research is needed about (1) how family carers can be actively involved in ACP-conversations and (2) how to prepare family carers on their role in decision making.Trial registration numberInternational Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number ISRCTN17231.
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Meinders, Marjan J., Giovanni Gentile, Anette E. Schrag, Spiros Konitsiotis, Carsten Eggers, Pille Taba, Stefan Lorenzl, et al. "Advance Care Planning and Care Coordination for People With Parkinson's Disease and Their Family Caregivers—Study Protocol for a Multicentre, Randomized Controlled Trial." Frontiers in Neurology 12 (August 5, 2021). http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2021.673893.
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Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with motor- and non-motor symptoms. When the disease progresses, symptom burden increases. Consequently, additional care demands develop, the complexity of treatment increases, and the patient's quality of life is progressively threatened. To address these challenges, there is growing awareness of the potential benefits of palliative care for people with PD. This includes communication about end-of-life issues, such as Advance Care Planning (ACP), which helps to elicit patient's needs and preferences on issues related to future treatment and care. In this study, we will assess the impact and feasibility of a nurse-led palliative care intervention for people with PD across diverse European care settings.Methods: The intervention will be evaluated in a multicentre, open-label randomized controlled trial, with a parallel group design in seven European countries (Austria, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Sweden and United Kingdom). The “PD_Pal intervention” comprises (1) several consultations with a trained nurse who will perform ACP conversations and support care coordination and (2) use of a patient-directed “Parkinson Support Plan-workbook”. The primary endpoint is defined as the percentage of participants with documented ACP-decisions assessed at 6 months after baseline (t1). Secondary endpoints include patients' and family caregivers' quality of life, perceived care coordination, patients' symptom burden, and cost-effectiveness. In parallel, we will perform a process evaluation, to understand the feasibility of the intervention. Assessments are scheduled at baseline (t0), 6 months (t1), and 12 months (t2). Statistical analysis will be performed by means of Mantel–Haenszel methods and multilevel logistic regression models, correcting for multiple testing.Discussion: This study will contribute to the current knowledge gap on the application of palliative care interventions for people with Parkinson's disease aimed at ameliorating quality of life and managing end-of-life perspectives. Studying the impact and feasibility of the intervention in seven European countries, each with their own cultural and organisational characteristics, will allow us to create a broad perspective on palliative care interventions for people with Parkinson's disease across settings.Clinical Trial Registration:www.trialregister.nl, NL8180.
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Sakr, Rafael Lima. "Regionalism as development: The Lomé Conventions I and II (1975–1985)." Leiden Journal of International Law, November 28, 2022, 1–27. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s092215652200067x.
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Abstract Lomé Conventions I (1975) and II (1979) were the first regional trade agreements (RTAs) between the European Community (EC) and the group of postcolonial countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP). Specialized scholarship offers rich analyses of those Conventions; however, little is known about the role of law and lawyers in their making, and their relevance for present-day debates about RTAs. This article advances existing knowledge in two ways. First, it historicizes the more visible role of law in constituting Lomé as a legal regime for governing EC-ACP regionalism. It then argues that the Conventions were distinct from existing RTAs due to their unique centrality on social and economic development; and from present-day RTAs, because they were conceived not simply as instrumental to but also as constitutive of development. Second, by historicizing the less visible role of law and lawyers in the Lomé regime, the article identifies that a specialist conception of South-North RTAs was refined to govern which ideas, projects, norms, and institutions were applicable to Lomé. This distinct conception – called the development framework – was critical in creating the conditions of possibility for decision-makers negotiate, interpret, and manage the Conventions. Those findings challenge conventional wisdom on two grounds. They suggest that Lomé was unique not for embodying a new model but for consolidating the development framework’s dominance. They contest present-day understanding of RTAs as textual manifestations of a universal concept by demonstrating the existence of competing conceptions, which express distinct notions of RTAs’ purpose, content, and form.