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Inclusion of package leaflets in paper format is a legal requirement in European Union (EU), therefore the electronic package leaflet (ePL) is a relatively unknown phenomenon in medicinal products in Europe. Introduction of ePL only would be a more sustainable format of providing the product information than paper package leaflet. Furthermore, ePL would support health care professionals' comprehension of product use through electronic searchability and facilitate access to up-to-date product information in respective language used. It could also help us to tackle the availability issues and be a further step towards common packages. With this commentary, our aim is to review the ongoing ePL pilots in hospital settings in Europe and identify the benefits and challenges of ePL. Based on our review, there is a broad general support for the removal of paper package leaflets from hospital products. Packages without paper package leaflets are considered more sustainable due to savings in production and materials. Furthermore, ePL could be a facilitator for common packages in EU-countries with the benefit of reducing pharmaceutical waste and drug shortages. The most important benefit from both pharmaceutical industry and healthcare professionals' interest is that current and on-line updated product information is always electronically available, especially from drug safety perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to examine and provide a holistic assessment of the "Space and Security" Policy in Europe, taking into consideration the European and national Space Strategies, Programmes and Governance. The importance of security in European Union (EU) activities is increasing after a decade of unprecedented crises and challenges of multidimensional nature. Space, as an enabling tool in support of multiple policy areas, can contribute to national and supranational security objectives. Space can contribute to and ultimately reinforce the European integration process. The first part of this paper focuses on the description of the security aspects of the space activities in Europe. The analysis includes the two main extents of space security – security from space and security in space. The second part focuses on the security aspects of the European Union (EU), European Space Agency (ESA) and National Space strategies, policies and programmes. The importance of coordination and cooperation between the stakeholders is emphasised. The final part considers how the European "Space and Security" strategies and policies contribute to European Space Integration. • Overview of Space and Security in Europe. • Understanding of the Space Strategies, Programmes and Governance of ESA, EU and selected Member States. • Identification of security dimension of space activities from a space policy perspective. • Analysis of Space and Security Policy in the Frame of European Space Integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of defining and establishing professional standards for Clinical Microbiology (CM) in Europe has long been highlighted, starting with the development of a European curriculum. The first European Curriculum in Medical Microbiology (MM) was adopted by the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) council in 2017. This paper assesses how training programmes in CM in Europe align with the European curriculum, just under 5 years after its introduction, and reviews what methods of assessment are in use to assess the CM trainees' progress during training programmes. Using an internet-based platform, a questionnaire was circulated to the full, associate and observer members of the UEMS MM section. Information collected related to the structure, content and delivery of CM training in the participating countries, as well as methods of assessment used to evaluate training progress. Twenty-one countries responded, from a total of 30 countries invited to participate. All had a structured CM training programme, with a curriculum, dedicated trainers and a record of training activities. Fifteen countries require trainees to pass an exit examination, and over 60% of countries participate in continuous workplace-based assessment. Of the participating countries, 57% meet the European Training Requirements recommendation that duration of specialist training is 60 months. Regarding core competencies, all trainees gain experience in laboratory skills and infection prevention and control, but the emphasis on clinical management and antimicrobial stewardship is more varied across countries. The UEMS MM curriculum has been largely adopted by 21 countries within less than 5 years of ratification, which speaks optimistically to a future of standardized quality training across Europe. The introduction of a pilot European Examination in Clinical Microbiology in 2021 is the start of a pan-European assessment of the success of the implementation of this curriculum and the first step in quality assurance for CM training in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Lack of a clear path in the fight against energy poverty across the European union. • Energy poverty related to the residential sector allows new solutions to be developed. • Current energy poverty indicators provide an incomplete analysis of vulnerability. Abstract The term energy poverty (EP), mostly used to capture problems related to an inadequate access to energy suppliers in developing countries, and that of fuel poverty (FP), commonly employed when households suffer from insufficient monetary resources to pay for their basic energy needs, are used interchangeably by many researchers. Energy poverty and/or fuel poverty are considered to be an indication of domestic energy deprivation or energy vulnerability and remain a global problem that has been accentuated in Europe due to the economic crisis. This work has made a comprehensive review of the current concepts and indicators of FP, and of current initiatives to tackle this issue, across Europe, thereby raising the discussion of how energy vulnerability factors fit FP situations: available infrastructure, energy efficiency, social and economic poverty, and wellbeing and health. In this context, the first weak spot of the FP indicators and initiatives analyzed is that most factors that influence the everyday activities of a household are not considered (comfort, health, and wellbeing), resulting in an incomplete analysis if these are used in an isolated way. This paper provides a multiple-indicator approach to understand an FP situation beyond its traditional definition, thereby establishing a starting point for the reflection of vulnerability in policy decisions and methodological implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive is one of the most relevant environmental regulations in Europe. It affects approximately 50,000 installations belonging to the most polluting industrial sectors. Several scholars have studied the effects of the Directive at the firm level, investigating its effects on environmental performance and competitiveness. Despite this, few studies have focused on experiences related to the transference of the Directive's principles to countries beyond the borders of the European Union. This paper describes a case study that assessed the transposition of the European Union Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control scheme to Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia by means of a method designed for this purpose, which provides the guidelines for analysing and benchmarking policy and legislative frameworks in these Mediterranean Partner Countries by supplying information on the European integrated system for Pollution Prevention and Control. The paper outlines the methodological approach adopted in the two-year international 7th Framework Programme project, Boosting Best Available Techniques in the Mediterranean Partner Countries , pointing out various policy scenarios suitable for implementing the key principles of this scheme in Southern Mediterranean countries. The evaluation of these scenarios establishes the steps to take in order to gradually approach the adoption of the most relevant aspects of the European Union's Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control system and the adoption of the Best Available Techniques in the Mediterranean Partner Countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the fast growth of consumption, the promotion of purchasing green products could be a way to minimize the environmental impact and achieve the sustainable consumption. Considering that there is a lack of studies about green purchase behavior and its determinants in all European Union countries (EU), the aim of this paper is to evaluate the main determinants of green purchase behavior by applying the Theory of Planned Behavior. Referring to Hostefe's cultural dimensions we revealed how cultural aspects contribute to purchase behavior. The results showed that there were observed big differences in terms of green purchase behavior in the EU countries and it did not depend on economic development significantly. The subjective norms and interaction of knowledge and confidence in green products significantly determined the green purchase behavior in all countries. According to the cross-culture studies, all cultural dimensions did not have significant influence on green purchase behavior. However, cultural dimensions are related to factors which directly influence green purchase behavior. Therefore, due to the process of the EU cultural convergence and economic crisis, it could have indirect impact on green purchase behavior. These findings have important implication for marketers and policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores flows and stocks, at the scale of the European Union, of certain rare earth elements (REEs; Pr, Nd, Eu, Tb, Dy and Y) which are associated with products that are important for the decarbonisation of the energy sector and that also have strong recycling potential. Material flow analyses were performed considering the various steps along the value chain (separation of rare earth oxides, manufacture of products, etc.) and including the lithosphere as a potential stock (potential geological resources). Results provide estimates of flows of rare earths into use, in-use stocks and waste streams. Flows into use of, e.g., Tb in fluorescent lamp phosphors, Nd and Dy in permanent magnets and Nd in battery applications were estimated, for selected reference year 2010, as 35, 1230, 230 and 120 tons respectively. The proposed Sankey diagrams illustrate the strong imbalance of flows of permanent magnet REEs along the value chain, with Europe relying largely on the import of finished products (magnets and applications). It is estimated that around 2020, the amounts of Tb in fluorescent lamps and Nd in permanent magnets recycled each year in Europe, could be on the order of 10 tons for Tb and between 170 and 230 tons for Nd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]