‘Europe 2020’ and the EU Public Procurement and State Aid Rules: Good Intentions That Pave a Road to Hell?

In 2010, the European Union launched ‘Europe 2020, a strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’ whose goals in employment, innovation, education, social inclusion and climate/energy need to be reached by 2020. Although such a project has undeniable benefits, the authors of this paper analyse the shortcomings of ‘Europe 2020’ in the field of EU public procurement rules and the latter’s interconnected relationship with State aid rules. The paper is divided into two main parts. The first part considers whether social and environmental considerations in a public tender could lead to a violation of the EU’s public procurement and/or State aid rules. The paper analyses and presents the possible ways in which social and environmental considerations may lead to discrimination, the prevention of which is one of the basic principles of EU law in general and public procurement rules in particular. Further, the authors analyse the link between public procurement and State aid rules. The second part evaluates the public procurement directives and the La Poste case to find out whether the new directives create new risks of infringing State aid rules. The paper points to the contradictions between public procurement and State aid rules. In doing so, the authors take a critical approach to the new public procurement rules and the difficult task of achieving simplification, flexibility, legal certainty, greater sustainable and inclusive growth while at the same time not jeopardising State aid rules

Students' empathy and classroom climate as predictors of attitudes towards immigrants: a case study in three EU countries

The development of positive attitudes towards immigrants among students can be addressed at the individual level through their empathic abilities and at the school or classroom level, where the classroom climate plays an important role.In the present study, we have taken a closer look into the relationship between attitudes towards immigrants, two components of empathy (perspective taking, empathic concern), quality of student-teacher relations (both positiveand negative) and inclusive classroom climate(presented as perceived intercultural sensitivity of teachers) in a sample of 814 8th-grade students in three EU countries (Slovenia, Croatia, and Sweden). The findings showonlyempathy (especially perspective taking) was associated with better attitudes towards immigrantsin all three countries. Additionally, in two out of three countries, the importance of the relationship with teachers and inclusiveclassroomclimate was important as well. The results are discussed in the light of guidelines for school practice

Optimiranje analitičkog postupka određivanja fosfata u deterdžentima i otpadnim vodama praonica

Prisutnost fosfata u prirodnim vodama može imati razoran učinak na ekologiju vode zbog pretjeranog rasta biljaka, a upravo su deterdženti, uz umjetna gnojiva jedan od najvećih izvora fosfata kao zagađivala. U radu su određeni optimalni uvjeti za spektrometrijsko određivanje fosfata u deterdžentima i otpadnim vodama praonica rublja uz reagens amonijev molibdat tetrahidrat. S obzirom na veliki raspon koncentracija fosfata u navedenim uzorcima i značajnom utjecaju matice na određivanje, bilo je potrebno je modificirati cjelokupni mjerni postupak te provesti postupak validacije metode. Određene su karakteristike metode (linearnost, točnost i preciznost, donja granica dokazivanja i donja granica kvantifikacije). Određena je i količina EDTA koja uzrokuje smetnje pri spektrofotometrijskom određivanju fosfata metodom molibdenskog plavila. Također je ispitano nekoliko metoda priprave uzorka praškastog deterdženta za spektrometrijsko određivanje fosfata: direktno određivanje fosfata iz otopine deterdženta, određivanje fosfata nakon hidrolize natrijevog trifosfata s kiselinama i određivanje fosfata nakon oksidativne razgradnje s H2SO4 i H2O2. Kao standardni deterdžent korišten je deterdžent točno poznatog sastava (ECE Colour fastness Test Deterdžent 77)

External Developmental Assets and Positive Identity Among Emerging Adults in Norway, Romania, Slovenia, and Turkey

The present study adopts The Developmental Assets and Positive Youth Development (PYD) perspectives which (in contrast to the deficit-based approaches which highlight risks and deficit in youth development) claim that young people have potencies to achieve optimal development if supported by their social environment. Extant research indicates that developmental assets are linked with a variety of thriving indicators. The present research aimed to contribute to the PYD research by examining the external developmental assets (support, empowerment, and boundaries and expectations) emerging adults (N = 2055; age range = 18–28) perceived in their social environment and the level of their positive identity in four countries (Norway, Romania, Slovenia and Turkey), which have different rankings in economic, human, and youth development indices. The present study also tested a path model, which examines the links between external development assets and positive identity. Findings indicated that although there are differences in the reports of external developmental assets and positive identity, external assets and positive identity are similarly and positively linked across the four countries. The findings build on the existing literature by showing that developmental assets are conducive to positive outcomes cross-nationally despite country-level differences in the experience of external assets. Policy implications of the findings were discussed from the perspective of ecological theory as well as Developmental Assets and Positive Youth Development Frameworks.publishedVersio

Overview of the harmful entomofauna in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) production in the world

Intenziviranjem uzgoja šipka javljaju se problemi sa štetnicima i bolestima. Štete se očituju smanjenim urodom i kvalitetom ploda, ali do sada toj problematici nije posvećivana potrebna pozornost te nema potpunih podataka o pojavi štetnika i gospodarskoj značajnosti šteta koje prouzrokuju. U radu je na temelju literaturnih izvora opisana sistematska pripadnost najznačajnijih štetnika šipka. Cilj ovog rada je prikazati štetne vrste u nasadima šipka i štete koje uzrokuju na temelju pregleda znanstvenih i stručnih rezultata stranih istraživača.Intensification of pomegranate production has resulted in problems with pest and diseases. Damage is manifested in reduced yield and fruit quality, but so far this issue has not been given the necessary attention and there is no exact data on the incidence of pests and the economic significance of the damage they cause. In the paper, based on literature sources, systematic affiliation of the most important pomegranate pests is described. The aim of this paper is to give an overview of harmful entomofauna and the damage they cause based on scientific and expert results of foreign researches

THE EU’S SINGLE RESOLUTION BOARD: AN EU AGENCY BUILT ON SAND OR ON A ROCK?

The main topic of this paper is the validity of the establishment of an EU agency, the Single Resolution Board, ie whether it was created on a valid legal basis in accordance with the Treaty of Lisbon. More broadly, but also on a smaller scale, the topic of the paper is also whether the creation of an EU agency, such as the SRB, is a prime example of transition from a system of EU vertical federalism to a system of EU horizontal federalism and whether that transition is in accordance with the constitutional framework of the EU. The paper will also give an explanation of the three stages of the European Banking Union, the term ‘resolution’, and a brief overview of the SRB