Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers

This chapter describes how the EU has acquired more influence on policymaking and research concerning migrant integration in the member states, and how it has made use of expert knowledge in its efforts to develop a common policy. Two important milestones are described and analysed in detail by a former senior EU administrator who was closely involved at the time: the Communication on a Community Integration Policy (2000) and the Common Basic Principles for Integration (2004). In both cases there was a very strong input of researchers to European policymaking. This was facilitated by the fact that there was not at first great interest from other policy areas in the European Commission nor from national governments. The research-policy nexus that developed at this period also had an impact on the development of this nexus at the national level in several of the EU’s member states. Since then, the Commission has been playing an active role in planning research and highlighting its outcomes, for example through its successive Framework Programmes, by promoting research co-operation between member states and by trying to improve the collection of basic and comparable statistics.

Regulation 1/2003 and the Modernisation Package fully applicable since 1 May 2004* A. Overview of the new rules As from 1st May 2004, the new enforcement system for Articles 81 and 82 of the…

PURPOSE: This paper aims to describe the impact of the COVID-19 containment measures on the provision of drug treatment and harm reduction services in European prisons in15 countries during the early phase of the pandemic (March -June 2020). DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The paper is based on a mixed method research approach that triangulates different data sources, including the results of an on-line survey, the outcome of a focus group and four national case studies. FINDINGS: The emergence of COVID-19 led to a disruption in prison drug markets and resulted in a number of challenges for the drug services provision inside prison. Challenges for health services included the need to maintain the provision of drug-related interventions inside prison, while introducing a range of COVID-19 containment measures. To reduce contacts between people, many countries introduced measures for early release, resulted in around a 10% reduction of the prison population in Europe. Concerns were expressed around reduction of drug-related interventions, including group activities, services by external agencies, interventions in preparation for release and continuity of care. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Innovations aimed at improving drug service provision included telemedicine, better partnership between security and health staff and an approach to drug treatment more individualised. Future developments must be closely monitored. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The paper provides a unique and timely overview of the main issues, challenges and initial adaptations implemented for drug services in European prisons in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The number of tattooed persons has been continuously increasing in the last few years, particularly in the younger population. At the same time, the possibility of purchasing tattoo inks online is easier than ever worldwide. Consumers are not always sufficiently aware of the possible health problems associated with this 'cool fashion' if hygiene conditions are not respected and/or if the injected mixtures contain dangerous chemicals. Concerns about the possible health risks associated with such practices arise from the absence of a clear legislative framework, the lack of proper risk assessment of the chemicals used, and non-harmonised or missing hygiene and purity requirements, among other factors. There is a general consensus among all active stakeholders that EU harmonised rules would help to ensure a consistent high level of protection of consumers across the EU.

Abstract The key legal text governing public access to EU documents is Regulation 1049/2001. In contrast to the previous legal regime, the Regulation dismisses the so called authorship rule, which aligns it with recent developments in the field of the law of transparency and, notably, of international environmental law (Aarhus Convention). The European institutions are hence tasked with making all documents accessible to the public, which include both those originating with them and those from third parties. Yet unlike the Aarhus Convention, the Regulation has a blind spot, which leads to the important question of whether a Member State can simply order the institutions to withhold any of its documents whenever it chooses to do so. For the first time, the European Court of Justice is being asked to hand down a judgment on this question. The author suggests that the Court may wish to consider an interpretation of Regulation 1049/2001 that adjusts it further to the international standard as set by the Aarhus Convention.

Fatherhood programs have increasingly been recognized as a promising approach to prevent violence against women and children (VAWC), yet there remains limited synthesis across programs to clarify the core components that drive change. Most existing studies focus on individual program evaluations. Identifying shared principles or pathways can inform broader implementation and scale. To address this gap, this analysis identified program elements that effectively engage fathers to reduce VAWC by conducting a case analysis of two evidence-based fatherhood programs, Bandebereho and REAL (Responsible, Engaged, and Loving) Fathers, and presenting a joint Theory of Change (TOC). Programs were identified through a rapid review of evidence on fatherhood violence prevention programs and selected for their engagement of fathers, published evaluations with positive effects in reducing violence against women and children, adaptation and scale-up in a low resource setting, and having at least one available representative. Authors met regularly over 18-months conducting a desk review of program documentation, building understanding on program strategies and evidence, discussing similarities and differences between the programs, and identifying key elements. Analysis was collated in an excel matrix and utilized to create a pictorial TOC which was reviewed and validated by researchers and implementers from each program. The TOC highlights program principles, key stakeholders, training, program components, change catalysts, and intermediate outcomes on the pathway to impact. Despite being developed in unique contexts by different teams, programs displayed strikingly similar components and pathways of change leading to measured outcomes demonstrating positive impacts on prevention of violence against women and children. This TOC reflects evidence-based insights into the core components and pathways through which fatherhood programs may reduce violence against women and children. Although developed from two rigorously evaluated programs, the shared elements identified can serve as a foundation for future research and program development. This initial framework can help guide intervention design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation to promote effectiveness and sustainability in future violence prevention initiatives that engage fathers. Further testing and validation across diverse contexts are needed to assess the theories broader relevance.

Regulation 1/2003 and the Modernisation Package fully applicable since 1 May 2004* A. Overview of the new rules As from 1st May 2004, the new enforcement system for Articles 81 and 82 of the…

<h3>Background</h3> Availability of data on the external causes of injuries/accidents which includes product related information is a prerequisite to guide targeted preventive actions in the area of consumer product safety and to support market surveillance enforcement and policy efforts in the EU. <h3>Description of the problem</h3> Unlike in the USA, no common injury database with meaningful information to support product safety work is currently in force in the EU. Data on injuries/accidents are collected in an extremely patchy and diverse way across Member States. Yet, the amount of data available at national level in diverse fields (e.g. injury datasets, fire statistics, poison centres) can potentially provide relevant information for market surveillance and product safety policy and enforcement purposes. However, it is frequently not comparable due to lack of harmonised methodology and classification, covers only a limited number of injury types or has a limited territorial coverage. <h3>Results/Changes</h3> EC (DG JUST and DG JRC) collaborate on injuries/accident data collection for product safety and market surveillance with the aim to: map existing data collection systems on injuries/accidents of relevance for product safety and market surveillance in MS; explore innovative IT tools to improve systems’ interoperability; develop a methodology to organise/filter/extract/use available data trends; identify possible alternatives/solutions with a view to increase the availability of injury/accident data useful for product safety purposes and assessing the related costs. <h3>Conclusions</h3> European Commission works towards adding EU value to existing national data collections in MS on accident/injuries in support of product safety and market surveillance with traceable policy impact and societal benefits: informing and boosting the effectiveness of product safety policy actions; improving product safety standards; reducing societal burden of injuries and accidents due to unsafe products and related health costs.

Annual Conference organized by Concurrences in partnership with Allen & Overy, Covigton & Burling, Clifford Chance,Compass Lexecon, Jones Day, RBB Economics (Panel Sponsors), Cleary…

A l’aube de son indépendance, la Belgique a connu, sur le plan judiciaire, deux événements majeurs, étroitement liés, qui conditionneront l’évolution de la magistrature pendant de nombreuses décennies. Le premier est le vote d’une loi d’organisation judiciaire, le 4 août 1832, qui constitue en fait la première loi organique en la matière de la Belgique indépendante. Cette loi crée la cour de cassation, promise depuis 1815 par le régime hollandais, ainsi qu’une troisième cour d’appel à Gand. L...

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) released its much anticipated interim report (the “Interim Report”) on its market study into online platforms and digital advertising (the “Market…

Commission defines principles of competition for the packaging waste recovery markets* I. Context The Commission has received notifications of a number of comprehensive, nation-wide…

Resumo: Este estudo tem a intenção de avaliar algumas características discursivas e estilísticas da composição dialógica dramá­ tica. Busca, assim, verificar a necessidade da integração de elementos extratextuais em comparação a um texto mais convencional, por exemplo, um romance, e a leitura da men­ sagem nele implícita. Nessa linha argumentativa, considera como fundamental a função textual de elementos como a representação física e expressão oral dos atores, o papel do diretor, luzes, trilha musical, espaço físico do palco e mesmo o interesse da platéia pelo texto teatral sendo apresentado.Palavras-chave: dialogismo, funcionalidade, imaginação, integração.Abstract: This paper has the intention to evaluate some discoursive and stylistics caractheristics of dramathic dialogic composition. Its main goal is to analyse the necessity of integration of extratextuals components in comparasion to a more text convencional, for ex., a novel, and the reading of its message. In this argumentative way, this paper considers as fundamental the textual function of some components like the phisical representation and oral expression of the actors, the function of director, spotlights, soundtrack, phisical space of the stage even same the interest of the audience in the theatrical text that has being shown.Keywords: dialogism, functionality, imagination, integration.

Regulation 1/2003 and the Modernisation Package fully applicable since 1 May 2004* A. Overview of the new rules As from 1st May 2004, the new enforcement system for Articles 81 and 82 of the…

Commission persuades Saeco to implement an international guarantee for its products and closes the complaint file* The Commission has addressed the problem of territorial restrictions of…

Hypertension is a prevalent chronic condition among Filipinos and is one of the leading causes of mortality, as it does not commonly manifest itself. The cornerstone of recommended care for hypertension is early detection, lifestyle changes, and medication adherence. However, adopting health-promoting behaviors is not as easy as it seems, for it is affected by one's social context and health beliefs. This paper aimed to determine health-seeking Behavior and interpersonal influences, those resulting from one's norms, social support, and modeling, as theorized by Pender. This study utilized the descriptive research design, participated by 60 hypertensive residents from an urban barangay in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines using a modified survey questionnaire from The Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) for gathering data and descriptive statistics as statistical techniques. Results yielded that the majority of the participants belonged to the age group of 65 and above, were female, and married. Seeking consultation is the most practiced health-seeking Behavior, followed by self-medication, lifestyle modification, and the least was alternative management. Norms and social support were very influential in managing hypertension, while modeling was only somewhat influential. Enforcing health-seeking Behavior through setting expectations and providing support can be effective in managing the disease. This study promotes awareness that the direct involvement of significant others in caring for hypertension may efficiently produce positive outcomes and significantly reduce mortality.

With the fast growing value of personal data and its use as an input to provide an ever-expanding number of services in the digital economy, the interplay between data protection rules and…

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to characterise the agreement of the CE-certified automated robotic ultrasound system ARTHUR v.2.0, combined with the AI model DIANA v.2.0, for grading osteophytes in hand osteoarthritis (OA), using expert rheumatologist assessment as the reference standard. METHODS: Thirty patients with hand OA underwent ultrasound of MCP, PIP, and DIP joints with ARTHUR v.2.0 and subsequently by an expert rheumatologist. Osteophytes were graded (0-3) using the OMERACT system. Agreement was assessed using weighted Cohen's kappa (κ), Percent Exact Agreement (PEA), Percent Close Agreement (PCA), sensitivity, and specificity. Comparisons were made against both the primary rheumatologist and an independent blinded external assessor (EA). RESULTS: ARTHUR v.2.0 successfully scanned 703/840 joints (83.7%), with lower success in DIP joints. Agreement between ARTHUR+DIANA and the rheumatologist showed κ = 0.49, PEA 53.7%, and PCA 90.7%. Compared to the EA, the automated system showed κ = 0.46 and PCA 90.5%. Agreement between the rheumatologist and EA showed κ = 0.67 and PCA 97.5%. Binary agreement for disease presence (≥ Grade 2) for the automated system was 81.6% compared to the rheumatologist, although sensitivity was limited (36.5%). CONCLUSIONS: ARTHUR v.2.0 combined with DIANA v.2.0 achieved binary agreement comparable to expert-expert comparisons, although with limited sensitivity, and moderate agreement on the full 0-3 OMERACT scale. A decomposition analysis indicated that acquisition-related variability contributed substantially to the overall discrepancy. Refinement of AI threshold calibration and distal joint acquisition, and evaluation in larger and more diverse cohorts, is warranted to further improve sensitivity for osteophyte detection.

The establishment of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers ( ksc ) was not without its controversies, including that there seems to be a grain of truth in the charge that the court will investigate, prosecute and convict only ethnic Albanians, given apparent jurisdictional limitations of the ksc . Since perceptions are shaped by information, this article examines the ksc ’s Outreach Program based on the four pillars of successful outreach identified through examining experiences in other international courts and tribunals: 1) Early outreach; 2) Transparency; 3) Engagement with relevant actors in Kosovo and the region; and 4) Physical presence in Kosovo. The article then explores the interaction between its Outreach Program and its jurisdictional set-up. The article hypothesises that although the performance of the ksc Outreach Program has learnt lessons from past tribunals, the jurisdictional set-up of the ksc poses challenges for the Outreach Program to convey an effective narrative of neutrality.

Etant donne l'augmentation rapide de la valeur economique des donnees personnelles et leur utilisation dans l'offre d'un nombre toujours plus important de services en ligne, la question de…