An Evaluated Certification Services System for the German National Root CA - Legally Binding and Trustworthy Transactions in E-Business and E-Government

National Root CAs enable legally binding E-Business and E-Government transactions. This is a report about the development, the evaluation and the certification of the new certification services system for the German National Root CA. We illustrate why a new certification services system was necessary, and which requirements to the new system existed. Then we derive the tasks to be done from the mentioned requirements. After that we introduce the initial situation at the beginning of the project. We report about the very process and talk about some unfamiliar situations, special approaches and remarkable experiences. Finally we present the ready IT system and its impact to E-Business and E-Government.Comment: 6 pages; 1 figure; IEEE style; final versio

A characteristics framework for Semantic Information Systems Standards

Semantic Information Systems (IS) Standards play a critical role in the development of the networked economy. While their importance is undoubted by all stakeholders—such as businesses, policy makers, researchers, developers—the current state of research leaves a number of questions unaddressed. Terminological confusion exists around the notions of “business semantics”, “business-to-business interoperability”, and “interoperability standards” amongst others. And, moreover, a comprehensive understanding about the characteristics of Semantic IS Standards is missing. The paper addresses this gap in literature by developing a characteristics framework for Semantic IS Standards. Two case studies are used to check the applicability of the framework in a “real-life” context. The framework lays the foundation for future research in an important field of the IS discipline and supports practitioners in their efforts to analyze, compare, and evaluate Semantic IS Standard

Comparative analysis of delivery of primary eye care in three European countries

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Cryptographic security mechanism of the next generation digital tachograph system

JRC is in the process of evaluating the impact of update of the cryptographic security mechanisms for the next generation Digital Tachograph. The purpose of this document is to give background information about the cryptographic security mechanisms and vulnerabilities regarding the security mechanisms of the current Digital Tachograph System along with suggestions for the next generation Digital Tachograph security mechanisms. This document can be referred as an important reference to update the technical appendixes of the Tachograph regulation.JRC.G.7-Digital Citizen Securit

The Brazilian offshore oil and gas industry: potential and market entry for Friesland Kabel

ProjectThe Brazilian oil and gas offshore exploration faces a high demand for advanced technology and know-how. For that reason, foreign suppliers of subsea equipment are increasingly attracted by this dynamic market. Against this background, this project develops an international strategy for the German marine cable distributor Friesland Kabel within the Brazilian offshore oil and gas supply chain. The project thus critically analyzes the external business environment and internal corporate resources by applying the PEST analysis, the Porter´s 5 Forces model and the VRIO framework. Core elements of the market entry strategy include a mission and vision statement, an objective setting, an entry mode selection, a SWOT analysis, a marketing concept and a strategic action plan. All business concepts and theories applied are prepared and assessed in detail. The result of the study shows, that despite the recent economic downturn in the country and the oil and gas industry, there is a certain market potential for Friesland Kabel in the long term. Additionally, the developed strategic measures provide a guideline about how the company can overcome main business barriers and leverage opportunities.Em vista da exploração de petróleo e gás offshore no Brasil existe uma grande demanda de tecnologia de ponta e know-how. Por causa disso, fornecedores estrangeiros de equipamento naval ficam cada vez mais atraídos por esse mercado dinâmico. Neste contexto, o projeto desenvolve uma estratégia internacional para o fornecedor alemão de cabos navais Friesland Kabel, dentro da cadeia de suprimentos brasileira de petróleo e gás offshore. O estudo analisa criteriosamente o ambiente de negócios externo e os recursos corporativos internos aplicando os modelos PEST, Porter´s 5 Forces e VRIO. Os elementos centrais da estratégia de entrada no mercado incluem a declaração de missão, visão e objetivos, seleção de modo de entrada, análise de SWOT, conceito de marketing e por fim um plano de ação. Todas as teorias e os conceitos de negócios são preparados e analisados em detalhe. O resultado do estudo mostra que apesar da crise econômica enfrentada pelo país e tmabém pela indústria de petróleo e gas, existe um certo potencial de mercado para Friesland Kabel no longo prazo. Além disso, as medidas estratégicas fornecem as ferramentas para superar os obstáculos ao comércio e aproveitar as oportunidades

Current use and legal status of crop protection inputs

This deliverable presents the results of the survey carried out in the frame of Tasks 3.1. and Task 5.1 in the Horizon 2020 Project Organic PLUS. A common table/questionnaire for both tasks was used in order to map the use of contentious inputs linked to plant protection (mainly Cu, S and mineral oils), and the use of peat, plastic and fertilisers used in growing, in 10 countries participating in Organic-PLUS (Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey and UK). The survey was carried out mainly by interviewing one to three experienced advisors per crop, asking them to fill in a table describing a typical organic production of the relevant crop, emphasising the use of various inputs. In some cases the survey was based on already available data of the Organic-PLUS partner while an online questionnaire was also developed and used (e.g. CUT for Poland). The collected raw material is presented in a separeate report, the D3.1 Annex I. Statistical data concerning the organic farming in the countries under study are also presented. The deliverable includes also documentation of current policies and legal status of the use of contentious plant protection products in organic farming with emphasis on potato, tomato, citrus and olive crops. Copper-based products are used in plant protection as bactericides and fungicides. Copper is the only active ingredient with a strong antimicrobial effect and a wide range of action that is approved for use in organic farming particularly for grape, potato and apple crops. Recently, the demonstrated adverse effects on the environment (on soil organisms and auxiliary species) have led to a reduction in its use in several European countries. The current regulation in EU related to the use of copper in organic production sets the limit of up to 6 kg copper per ha per year. For perennial crops, Member States may, by derogation, provide that the 6 kg copper limit can be exceeded in a given year provided that the average quantity actually used over a 5-year period consisting of that year and of the four preceding years does not exceed 6 kg. Among the investigated crops (mainly citrus, olive, tomato, potato, strawberry), large amounts of copper are used mainly by Mediterranean growers in citrus, olive and potato. For crops like citrus and olives the limit of 6 kg per ha and per year may not be always respected. Tomato producers apply high amounts of copper in winter crops (greenhouses). In the case of Norway, the use of copper and mineral oil were not permitted for organic growing until March 2017, when the EC regulations were implemented. However, the national limit for copper in Norway is 4 kg per ha and year, thus it is easier for these growers to comply with lower limits of copper use than those in EU. In Denmark, copper is not used in organic agriculture at all because national authorities have not (yet) been asked to approve any commercial product containing copper, or they have not approved it. Many alternatives to copper are under development, but few are already available on the market, and fewer still are currently used by growers to a substantial extent. Alternatives with a low concentration of copper ion are demonstrating good levels of efficacy. Possibly, a reduction of the concentration of copper, together with more efficient formulations, could reduce the presence of copper in the crops (and soils). Nevertheless, abandoning copper cannot be easily achieved through a simple substitution strategy (for instance, replacing copper by biocontrol products); it requires a more or less profound reconstruction of the crop production system, including changing cultivars (in favour of resistant ones), developing prophylaxis and sanitation measures, adjusting fertilisation, etc. This requires an integrative approach, which is still under-developed. Regarding sulphur, this substance is very common for organic vegetable growers, especially for greenhouse growers. The uses of sulphur can move from 10 to 100 kg/ha/year depending on the production system and the incidence of pests. However, it is seldom considered that the use of sulphur is problematic, except as a main component of sulphites in wine production. It is a sort of universal phytosanitary product: repellent to pests, killer of mites, and effective against powdery mildews. However, it is not selective, and it has harmful effects on beneficial arthropods. So, the use of sulphur can limit biological control. Alternatives to sulphur are not currently applied mainly for economic reasons since sulphur is cheap compared to other compounds. Moreover, since sulphur can be an alternative to mineral oil, its use is not easily reduced. Mineral oils are applied to exclusively control insects and mites in citrus and olive orchards and occasionally in tomato. There are not many data available for the use of mineral oils but from the data presented it was found that in some cases (e.g. in citrus) they are considered as the main contentious input. The wide spectrum of this substance makes it more versatile than other alternatives. In other cases, mineral oils are of minor use, and can easily be replaced by organic oils

The Organic Market in Switzerland and the EU - Overview and market access information for producers and international trading companies

The organic market is highly diverse. Production standards and certification and trade rules place considerable demands upon market participants. At the same time, this market holds out excellent opportunities for creative and circumspect producers, processors and traders. To operate successfully in organic import and export business alike, it is crucial to have accurate information on the potential of the specific organic market and on the conditions governing market access. The attractively designed handbook offers the very latest market information for producers an international trading companies, organized both by product group an by country on 80 pages. This second edition is updated in all chapters and has in addition three new markets: Austria, Italy and Sweden. In addition, the handbook provides an easily accessible overview of the - in some instances - quite complicates - import requirements applicable in Switzerland and the EU. In a further 50-page appendix, the handbook contains an extensive collection of addresses (trading companies, authorities, certification bodies, organizations etc.) and Internet Websites. The second edition of this handbook has been produced in English

Environmental Policy Update 2012: Development Strategies and Environmental Policy in East Africa

The seven chapters that comprise this report explore ways to integrate sustainability goals and objectives into Ethiopia's current development strategies