Cross-country polarisation in CO2 emissions per capita in the European Union: changes and explanatory factors

In this study, we analyse the degree of polarisation-a concept fundamentally different from that of inequality-in the international distribution of CO2 emissions per capita in the European Union. It is analytically relevant to examine the degree of instability inherent to a distribution and, in the analysed case, the likelihood that the distribution and its evolution will increase or decrease the chances of reaching an agreement. Two approaches were used to measure polarisation: the endogenous approach, in which countries are grouped according to their similarity in terms of emissions, and the exogenous approach, in which countries are grouped geographically. Our findings indicate a clear decrease in polarisation since the mid-1990s, which can essentially be explained by the fact that the different groups of countries have converged (i.e. antagonism among the CO2 emitters has decreased) as the contribution of energy intensity to between-group differences has decreased. This lower degree of polarisation in CO2 distribution suggests a situation more conducive to the possibility of reaching EU-wide agreements on the mitigation of CO2 emissions.

Explanatory factors of CO2 per capita emission inequality in the European Union

The design of European mitigation policies requires a detailed examination of the factors explaining the unequal emissions in the different countries. This research analyzes the evolution of inequality in CO2 per capita emissions in the European Union (EU-27) in the 1990-2006 period and its explanatory factors. For this purpose, we decompose the Theil index of inequality into the contributions of the different Kaya factors. The decomposition is also applied to the inequality between and within groups of countries (North Europe, South Europe, and East Europe). The analysis shows an important reduction in inequality, to a large extent due to the smaller differences between groups and because of the lower contribution of the energy intensity factor. The importance of the GDP per capita factor increases and becomes the main explanatory factor. However, within the different groups of countries the carbonization index appears to be the most relevant factor in explaining inequalities.

Participació de Catalunya en convocatòries del 7è Programa marc d'R+D de la UE. Període 2007-2009

Resum de l'informe "Participació de Catalunya en convocatòries del 7è Programa marc d'R+D de la UE. Període 2007-2009" elaborat per investigadors del Grup de Recerca AQR - Institut de Recerca en Economia Aplicada (IREA) de la Universitat de Barcelona, que pretén donar a conèixer la realitat de la participació catalana en el 7è Programa Marc de la Unió Europea, el principal instrument europeu de finançament de la recerca, durant el període 2007-2009.

Does the EU financing system contribute to shadow economic activity?

Financial contributions to the EU budget depend basically on official GDP. This means that countries with higher shadow economic activity contribute less than they should contribute in a system based on actual GDP and therefore could reduce their incentive to fight against such activities. In this paper we investigate if the EU financing system really has an influence on the intensity with which governments in EU member states fight against shadow economic activity. We find that the EU net contributors significantly fight more intensively against shadow economic activity while EU net receivers significantly fight less. As a result, shadow economic activity is higher in net receiver and lower in net contributor countries than it were in comparison with a scenario of nationally balanced EU funding. Quantitatively and averaged over the time period 2001-2007, the diagnosed effect amounts to a stimulation of hidden economic activity by almost 10% for particular economies. JEL classification: C31, D63, F33, H21, H26. Keywords: EU financing system, shadow economy, tax auditing.

The Role of the European Union in the Processes to Ban Cluster Munitions

At the end of 2008 the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) that outlawed almost all types of cluster munitions was signed. It was the product of the so-called Oslo process, which had been set up two years earlier as a reaction to the failure to add a new protocol banning cluster munitions to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). The position of the EU in these two processes was ambivalent: on the one hand it belonged to the strongest proponents for a new protocol within the CCW, but on the other hand the member states were in general not able to act jointly in the Oslo Process. According to this working paper especially the aspect of national security and the related relationship to the United States influenced the stances of many member states and complicated the formation of a common European position. There were common normative values of the EU detected, which played a role in the CCW, but they were only secondary to other interests of the member states.

Microsoft vs. Google: ¿vulneración del derecho europeo de la competencia?

El present Treball de Fi de Carrera desenvolupa un anàlisi del concepte y el Dret de la competència, orientat a establir els fonaments per a la configuració de la normativa comunitària sobre l’abús de la posició dominant y la seva vertebració en el cas Microsoft. Tot això de forma que permeti, en ultima instancia, resoldre si Google podria vulnerar el dret europeu de la competència.

Estratègies per redimensionar la relació entre la UE i la CPI després de Kampala

Fins a la primera Conferència de Revisió de l’Estatut de la Cort Penal Internacional (CPI), que se celebrà a Kamapala el juny de 2010, tant la Unió Europea (UE) com els seus estats membres s’havien mostrat com alguns dels principals promotors d’aquesta nova institució. Aquesta política, tanmateix, pot resultar afectada pel que succeí a Kampala. El fet que s’abordés un tema tan delicat com és la competència de la Cort per jutjar un crim d’agressió ha creat una divisió entre els estats de la Unió, que en pot posar en perill la implicació en aquest model de lluita contra la impunitat. Aquest policy paper pretén oferir propostes concretes per tal que la política de cooperació de la UE amb la Cort – tot i la disputa sobre l’agressió – no només no es redueixi, sinó que, fins i tot, i tant com sigui possible, sigui cada vegada més efectiva.

El dret civil català davant la transposició de la directiva 2008/112, relativa a certs aspectes contractuals de l’aprofitament per torns de béns mobles i immobles

L’objectiu principal d’aquest estudi consisteix a determinar quines implicacions té en l’ordenament jurídic civil català l’aprovació de la Directiva 2008/122, del Parlament Europeu i del Consell, 14.1.2009, relativa a la protecció dels consumidors respecte a determinats aspectes dels contractes d’aprofitament per torn de béns d’ús turístic, d’adquisició de productes de vacances de llarga durada, de revenda i d’intercanvi.

Catalonia’s participation in calls of the EU 7th Framework Programme for RTD. Period 2007-2009

English translation of the Executive summary of the report “Catalonia’s participation in calls of the EU 7th Framework Programme for RTD. Period 2007-2009” drawn up by researchers of the AQR Research Group – Research Institute of Applied Economics (IREA) of the University of Barcelona. It aims to find out the reality of the Catalonia’s participation in the EU 7th Framework Programme, the main European financial instrument for research during the period 2007-2009.

Nanomaterials in the European Union [the quest for a regulatory regime]

Mentre que les nanotecnologies s'espera que porti beneficis importants en molts sectors i contribuir a la competitivitat, hi ha un creixent cos de dades científiques que indiquin que hi ha motius raonables per témer que els nanomaterials en particular pot donar lloc a els possibles riscos i efectes nocius per a la salut i el medi ambient. El meu objectiu és examinar com la Unió Europea està donant forma a un règim regulatori per nanomaterials: l'opció regulatòria escollida, la legislació vigent aplicable i la seva eficàcia (amb especial atenció sobre REACH buits normatius), la posició adoptada per la els diferents actors en aquest procés i l'evolució prevista legal en el curt termini.