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  Study on an interim evaluation of the Open Method of Coordination (OMC) for the sustainable development of EU aquaculture
  Final report

  As the competency for the management of aquaculture lies largely with the Member States, the Commission has adopted an ‘Open Method of Coordination’ (OMC) approach to facilitate the work of EU Member States in developing sustainable and competitive aquaculture across the EU. Its focus has been m...

  As the competency for the management of aquaculture lies largely with the Member States, the Commission has adopted an ‘Open Method of Coordination’ (OMC) approach to facilitate the work of EU Member States in developing sustainable and competitive aquaculture across the EU. Its focus has been mainly upon simplifying administrative procedures, including aquaculture in spatial planning, improving the competitiveness of EU aquaculture production and promoting a level playing field for EU operators. This interim evaluation examines the period 2013 to 2017, covering all OMC tools (Strategic Guidelines (2013), guidance on EU legislation, multi-annual national plans, exchange of good practices) and covering all Member States except Luxembourg. The evaluation has determined that the OMC approach has been broadly effective in identifying commons needs, setting and addressing the priorities of the 2013 Strategic Guidelines, particularly by focusing national actions through the creation of formal multi-annual national plans and through regular, demand-driven exchange of views and best practises. It is a relatively low cost, light touch approach that is valued for its flexible, non-prescriptive and demand-driven nature that helps ensure its continued relevance. This said, it is six years since the 2013 ‘Strategic Guidelines for the sustainable development of EU aquaculture’ were adopted. The OMC design needs revisiting to ensure that it still addresses the main priorities of the EU aquaculture sector as we move towards the next EMFF funding period over 2021 – 2027. Whilst many of the current priorities, such as simplifying administrative procedures and ensuring the competitiveness of EU aquaculture still remain important, there are emerging areas such as integrating aquaculture into the blue economy and the development of non-food aquaculture that may need greater support through the OMC in the future.

  • Published: 2019-07-30
  • Corporate Author(s): AND international ; Coffey ; Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (European Commission) ; POSEIDON
  • Subject: administrative formalities, aquaculture, competitiveness, EU Member State, European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, open method of coordination, report, sustainable development, sustainable fisheries
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  Cluster programmes in Europe and beyond
  

  This report provides an overview of national and regional cluster support in Europe as well as a selection of non-European countries, based on information on cluster policies and cluster programmes or other interventions to support cluster activities. With this horizontal overview, it complement...

  This report provides an overview of national and regional cluster support in Europe as well as a selection of non-European countries, based on information on cluster policies and cluster programmes or other interventions to support cluster activities. With this horizontal overview, it complements the Smart Guide to Cluster Policy that identified good practices.

  • Published: 2019-07-24
  • Corporate Author(s): CSIL ; Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (European Commission) ; Fraunhofer ISI ; MERIT ; SPI
  • Personal Author(s): Amichetti, Clarissa ; Carneiro, Jessica ; Delponte, Laura ; Dosil Mayán, Noelia ; Meyborg, Mirja ; Schnabl, Esther ; Wintjes, René ; Stahlecker, Thomas ; Zenker, Andrea ; Notten, Ad
  • Subject: aid to undertakings, business cluster, business start-up, company growth, entrepreneurship, industrial policy, innovation, modernisation of industry, public financing, regional development, regional policy, report, research and development, technological change, technology park, technology transfer
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  Apprenticeship review
  Croatia : improving apprenticeships through stronger support and care

  This publication is the fi nal report of Cedefop’s thematic country review of apprenticeship in Croatia. The review took place between January 2017 and June 2018 at the request of the Ministry of Science and Education of Croatia. It examined the unifi ed model of education (jedinstveni model obr...

  This publication is the fi nal report of Cedefop’s thematic country review of apprenticeship in Croatia. The review took place between January 2017 and June 2018 at the request of the Ministry of Science and Education of Croatia. It examined the unifi ed model of education (jedinstveni model obrazovanja) three-year programmes for trades and crafts (CROQF level 4.1). The report presents key fi ndings and suggestions for action to improve and further develop the model in line with the curriculum reform and labour market needs. The analysis is based on the information collected from stakeholders from diff erent levels (students, practitioners, institutional actors, the social partners and policy-makers) and in-depth discussions with the steering group.

  • Published: 2019-06-19
  • Corporate Author(s): Cedefop
  • Subject: apprenticeship, Croatia, educational system, professional qualifications, report, vocational education, vocational training
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  Digitalisation in Austria
  State of play and reform needs

  This report provides an overview and analysis of the state of digitalisation in the Austrian economy. Austria aims to become a European Innovation Leader and digitalisation provides an important lever with which to achieve this goal. The performance of the Austrian economy in the realm of digita...

  This report provides an overview and analysis of the state of digitalisation in the Austrian economy. Austria aims to become a European Innovation Leader and digitalisation provides an important lever with which to achieve this goal. The performance of the Austrian economy in the realm of digitalisation is mixed: - The ICT producing sector measured in value added to GDP is small compared to the Innovation Leaders’ ICT sectors. ICT exports are also below this reference group. The gap between Austria and the Innovation Leaders regarding ICT exports is increasing. - Closer analysis reveals a more differentiated picture: The weakness is mainly due to ICT services. The ICT producing sector in Austria is small, but its exports are remarkably complex, and its patenting performance is on a par with Innovation Leader countries. - Strengths exist in terms of industry 4.0 technologies, both with regard to their adoption in the manufacturing sector and with regard to innovation and technology development. Especially in the machinery and equipment sectors, the patent quality of non-ICT patents referencing digital technologies is high. - The diffusion of key digital technologies in comparison to Innovation Leaders presents a heterogeneous picture. Austria scores better in categories related to Industry 4.0 and manufacturing, such as the adoption of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, radio-frequency identification technologies (RFID) and customer relationship management (CRM) software; but its performance is lower in the adoption of technologies such as cloud computing and social media. - The performance in some digitalization indicators is driven by the sectoral composition of countries. After correcting for these composition effects, the performance of Austria regarding the adoption of social media improves and the performance in RFID deteriorates in comparison to the non-corrected ranking.

  • Published: 2019-06-13
  • Corporate Author(s): AIT ; Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (European Commission) ; WIFO
  • Personal Author(s): Bärenthaler-Sieber, Susanne ; Dachs, Bernhard ; Risak, Martin ; Hölzl, Werner ; Kügler, Agnes ; Reschenhofer, Peter ; Friesenbichler, Klaus ; Reinstaller, Andreas ; Bock-Schappelwein, Julia
  • Subject: Austria, digital technology, digitisation, information technology, innovation, report
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  Specific Support on the development of the human capital for research and innovation in Latvia
  Background report

  The Horizon 2020 Policy Support Facility (PSF) has been set up by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) of the European Commission under the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation ‘Horizon 2020’. It supports Member States and countries associated to Horizon 202...

  The Horizon 2020 Policy Support Facility (PSF) has been set up by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD) of the European Commission under the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation ‘Horizon 2020’. It supports Member States and countries associated to Horizon 2020 in reforming their national science, technology and innovation systems. This report provides background information on the Latvian research and innovation system with specific focus on human capital for research and innovation. It includes a concise overview of Latvia’s current performance in research and innovation, and the defined national priorities and targets for research and innovation system development, as well as recent achievements in fulfilling the set objectives. The report summarises information on the governance of the Latvian research and innovation system and the landscape of research performers. It also includes a section on bibliometric analysis. Details on the most relevant R&D and human resource statistics are provided by outlining the key indicators. Current initiatives and measures targeting human resources development in research and innovation are described.

  • Published: 2019-08-07
  • Corporate Author(s): Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
  • Subject: action programme, EU research policy, innovation, Latvia, organisation of research, report, research and development, staff
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  Costanza
  A numerical code for the study of the reactor spatial dynamics in two groups

  This report describes a numerical code for the study of the spatio-temporal dynamics of a reactor. It is written for the reactor TESI in particular, which operates in conditions of prompt criticality. This example was chosen because the classical method of the kinetic eq. is based on the assumpt...

  This report describes a numerical code for the study of the spatio-temporal dynamics of a reactor. It is written for the reactor TESI in particular, which operates in conditions of prompt criticality. This example was chosen because the classical method of the kinetic eq. is based on the assumption that the reactor is very near criticality. The numerical method, based on the direct solution of the time-dependent diffusion equation, in condition of prompt criticality, should give more accura­te results than the classical one. Although a very special type of reactor is studied here, this work is meant to be a preliminary work for a more general code for power reactors.

  • Published: 2019-08-20
  • Corporate Author(s): Commission ; Joint Research Centre (European Commission)
  • Personal Author(s): Vincenti, E ; Monterosso, R ; Agassi, A
  • Subject: digital technology, nuclear reactor, nuclear technology, report, resistance of materials
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  Competitiveness of corporate sourcing of renewable energy
  Annex C to part 2 of the study on the competitiveness of the renewable energy sector, Synopsis report: Online survey and interviews with EU stakeholders

  The present Annex summarises the main findings of an online survey on corporate sourcing of renewable energy (RE) which was prepared in cooperation with the Directorate-General for Energy (DG ENER) of the European Commission and administered by the Study Team via the SurveyMonkey® platform, betw...

  The present Annex summarises the main findings of an online survey on corporate sourcing of renewable energy (RE) which was prepared in cooperation with the Directorate-General for Energy (DG ENER) of the European Commission and administered by the Study Team via the SurveyMonkey® platform, between July and September 2018. Survey results are complemented by data and information provided by selected stakeholders consulted via semi-structured interviews.

  • Published: 2019-08-21
  • Corporate Author(s): CEPS ; COWI ; Directorate-General for Energy
  • Personal Author(s): Schmitt, William ; Zarra, Antonella ; Simonelli, Felice
  • Subject: air conditioning, competitiveness, energy market, energy policy, EU Member State, heating, physical process, renewable energy, report, sample survey
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  EU actions for cross-border healthcare
  Significant ambitions but improved management required. Special report No 07, 2019

  The 2011 Cross‐border Healthcare Directive seeks to ensure EU patients’ rights to access safe and high‐quality healthcare, including across national borders within the EU. These rights are also intended to facilitate closer cooperation between Member States on eHealth and the treatment of rare d...

  The 2011 Cross‐border Healthcare Directive seeks to ensure EU patients’ rights to access safe and high‐quality healthcare, including across national borders within the EU. These rights are also intended to facilitate closer cooperation between Member States on eHealth and the treatment of rare diseases. We concluded that although EU actions in cross-border healthcare enhance Member States’ collaboration, the benefits for patients were limited. We found that despite the progress made on providing EU citizens with information on cross-border healthcare, in some areas this information remains difficult to access. We identified weaknesses in the Commission’s strategic planning and project management. We make recommendations focusing on the Commission’s support for national contact points, the deployment of cross-border exchanges of health data, and EU’s actions in the field of rare diseases.

  • Published: 2019-08-28
  • Corporate Author(s): European Court of Auditors
  • Subject: audit, cross-border cooperation, directive (EU), e-Health, EU action, exchange of information, health care, health care system, illness, medical computing, medical data, orphan disease, patient's rights, report, right to health
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  Civil society monitoring report on implementation of the national Roma integration strategy in Poland
  Focusing on structural and horizontal preconditions for successful implementation of the strategy

  The main goal of the “Integration Programme for the Roma Community in Poland 2014-2020”, which is the Polish National Roma Integration Strategy, is to increase the social integration through educational activities (including cultural, historical and civic education), vocational development, heal...

  The main goal of the “Integration Programme for the Roma Community in Poland 2014-2020”, which is the Polish National Roma Integration Strategy, is to increase the social integration through educational activities (including cultural, historical and civic education), vocational development, health and improvement of the housing situation. Gender and anti-discrimination were two areas that were not included in the Programme. The lack of support in these areas is one of the Programme’s major weaknesses because the social exclusion of Roma is not only a result of poverty, but also a result of continuous prejudice and discrimination. While the antigypsyist manifestations intensify and the level of social acceptance towards Roma declines during times of crisis, the Programme does not take them into account. According to the Supreme Audit Office, the previous Roma Programme 2004-2013 was carried out properly although was not fully effective. We must wait for the final evaluation of the Roma Programme 2014-2020, however, even at this stage, we can see a change in the authorities’ attitude to the Roma Programme – less attention, fewer consultations, smaller-scale activities, especially at the local level. An audit carried out in 2016 by the Supreme Chamber of Control to assess a status of the Programme’s implementation by municipalities in the Malopolska Voivodship shows that in the area of education there is no major improvement in the learning outcomes of Roma children; in the areas of health and labour, actions were taken only sporadically and only in controlled municipalities with no effects. None of the controlled units created a local strategy of the Roma social integration, despite the fact that according to the Roma Programme’s assumptions it should constitute a basic scope of support and include, and offer long-term, intensive and comprehensive aid adjusted to the needs of specific Roma families living in the municipality. The Roma Programme’s funding is mainly provided by state budget resources, which is an expression of a political will to improve the situation of Roma in Poland. The Roma Programme was initiated by the decision of the previous government and is continued by the new one.

  • Published: 2019-07-26
  • Corporate Author(s): Art Foundation Jaw Dikh ; Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (European Commission)
  • Subject: anti-discriminatory measure, civil society, dropout, education policy, ethnic discrimination, European Regional Development Fund, European Social Fund, operational programme, Poland, report, Roma, social integration
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  Civil society monitoring report on implementation of the national Roma integration strategies in Germany
  Focusing on structural and horizontal preconditions for successful implementation of the strategy

  Over the past ten years, policies aiming at the social inclusion of disadvantaged Sinti and Roma and at combating antigypsyism have been strengthened. An explanation for this development is manifold. First, the adoption of the European Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies has pushe...

  Over the past ten years, policies aiming at the social inclusion of disadvantaged Sinti and Roma and at combating antigypsyism have been strengthened. An explanation for this development is manifold. First, the adoption of the European Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies has pushed the German government, regional and local authorities to strengthen measures. Second, a high proportion of citizens from Bulgaria and Romania – Roma and non-Roma – arriving in the cities are socially disadvantaged, resulting into social policy challenges. The cities have been reacting to these challenges. Third, the federal government strengthened programs of civic education which are supposed to counter the increasing right-wing extremist tendencies in the society. These policy developments have been pushed at the same time by Sinti and Roma organisations which have been fighting for decades for achieving changes in terms of non-discrimination and equal treatment. Since Sinti and Roma have been recognised as an autochthonous national minority in 1998, institutional settings have been established to address the minority affairs. In the Bundestag (the federal parliament), issues concerning Sinti and Roma are debated by a discussion group on ‘National Minorities’. Over the last two legislative terms, several parliamentary questions were submitted on the subject and parliamentary hearings have taken place. Just recently, in 2015, an Advisory Committee for Questions of German Sinti and Roma was established at the Federal Ministry of the Interior, which is the National Roma Contact Point (NRCP). Nevertheless, the NRCP has no mandate to draft programmes or coordinate programmes with the federal states or local administrations. Ministries at federal and regional (Länder) level are responsible for programmes aiming at promoting the equal treatment and social integration of Sinti and Roma. Over the last five years, stronger investments have been done in measures aiming at equal treatment of Sinti and Roma. At federal level, programmes have been set up to promote the equal treatment and empowerment of disadvantaged Sinti and Roma, and to fight antigypsyism. Officially, data on ethnic origin is not collected in Germany. This has to do with the National Socialist persecution and murder of Jews, and Sinti and Roma. This position on data collection is shared by the Minority Council that represents the four autochthonous national minorities and ethnic groups in Germany. Sinti and Roma organisations are consulted by various public institutions at federal, regional and local level. Several regional states (Länder) have concluded agreements with Sinti and Roma organisations for a better safeguarding of their minority rights.

  • Published: 2019-07-26
  • Corporate Author(s): Central Council of German Sinti and Roma ; Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (European Commission) ; Documentation and Cultural Centre of German Sinti and Roma ; Sozialfabrik / Research and Policy Analysis
  • Personal Author(s): Ruiz Torres, Guillermo
  • Subject: anti-discriminatory measure, civil society, dropout, education policy, ethnic discrimination, European Regional Development Fund, European Social Fund, Germany, operational programme, report, Roma, social integration