Consumer protection and new contract law in the European Union and in Italy

This paper deals with the recent normative modifications introduced in the European Union by the Directive 2011/83/EU (aimed to realise a full harmonisation of member states’ rules in some aspects of consumer and contractual law), and consequently in Italy, through the Legislative Decree No. 21/2014 (which transposed the supranational source). As it is known, the principal legal instruments used in the last years by the EU to protect the weak parties are the ‘information duties’ and the ‘right of withdrawal’. The new rules try to strengthen them, but the implementation of the European Directive in Italy gives rise to many arguable points and perplexities

ANONYMITY AND OPENNESS IN GAMETE DONATION: THE RUSSIAN POLICY ON THE THIRD-PARTY REPRODUCTION

The Russian Federation is one of the few jurisdictions where recipients and gamete donors have a wide scope of choice between anonymous, identifiable, and known donations. This paper examines how the Russian law regulates this sphere and how it is applied in practice basing on data collected in the largest reproductive cells bank in Russia. It demonstrates that the Russian Federation should be regarded as a country in which there is no single dominant approach to the matter of donor anonymity. The assessment of this ‘freedom of choice’ is not unambiguous. It gives recipients and donors the right to decide which option is the most suitable for their needs and motivations, simultaneously not resolving which values take precedence over others. The donor-conceived persons’ right to disclose donor’s identifying data sometimes may conflict with the donor’s right to protect their privacy and usually, jurisdictions decide which one has the priority.  &nbsp

NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND THE DISCOURSES OF HUMAN RIGHTS, POLITICS, AND SOCIETY

Modern societies are associated with the constant flow and acceptance of information and communication technologies at home, in the workplace, in the process of education, even in recreational activities. The development of new technologies has not only challenged human rights, but also politics and society in general. Even more importantly, this new technological level has also empowered transnational corporations operating in the digital environment as hosting providers to perform quasi-public functions in the transnational context. New technologies have the potential to make significant positive contributions to the prevention, promotion, and protection of human rights and democratization, decentralization, and digitalization of politics and the advancement of society as a whole

CONSUMER PROTECTION AND NEW CONTRACT LAW IN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND IN ITALY

This paper deals with the recent normative modifications introduced in the European Union by the Directive 2011/83/EU (aimed to realize a full harmonization of member states’ rules in some aspects of consumer and contractual law), and consequently in Italy, through the Legislative Decree No. 21/2014 (which transposed the supranational source). As it is known, the principal legal instruments used in the last years by the EU to protect the weak parties are the ‘information duties’ and the ‘right of withdrawal’. The new rules try to strengthen them, but the implementation of the European Directive in Italy gives rise to many arguable points and perplexities

Os setenta anos da Convenção Europeia de Direitos Humanos e as muitas dúvidas ainda existentes sobre sua real eficácia na Itália

The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR), signed on 4 November 1950 in Rome, by the representatives of the Member States of the Council of Europe, allows individuals to sue their governments for violation of human rights. Despite its importance in guaranteeing the supreme interests of the person, 70 years after the signing of the ECHR, there are still many doubts regarding the real effectiveness that this Convention should have in the hierarchy of sources at national level. In Italy, some judges started disapplying national norms conflicting with the ECHR. But, in 2007, the Corte Costituzionale decided to put a stop to this trend, which constituted an undue ‘constitutional exception’ to constitutional supremacy and derogated from centralized constitutional review. This approach suffers some criticism. In order to ensure a real effectiveness of the ECHR system, there is a need to strengthen and enhance the authority of Convention rights at national level, also by ensuring rapid and effective implementation of the judgments of the Court.1. Premessa. La Convenzione europea dei diritti dell’uomo come strumento di controllo del grado di civiltà dei Paesi del Vecchio Continente. – 2. Il fondamento costituzionale della CEDU in Italia. – 2.1. Segue I tentativi mal posti e mal riusciti di discostarsi dalla giurisprudenza della Corte costituzionale. 3. Il problema dell’efficacia diretta della Convenzione europea dei diritti dell’uomo negli ordinamenti statali. – 4. Conclusioni. La necessità di riconoscere alla CEDU il giusto ruolo (centrale) in Europa nella garanzia dei diritti dell’uomo.A Convenção para a Proteção dos Direitos Humanos e das Liberdades Fundamentais (CEDH), assinada em 4 de novembro de 1950 em Roma pelos representantes dos Estados Membros do Conselho da Europa, permite que indivíduos processem seus governos por violação dos direitos humanos. Apesar de sua importância em garantir os interesses supremos da pessoa, 70 anos após a assinatura da CEDH, ainda existem muitas dúvidas sobre a real eficácia que esta Convenção deve ter na hierarquia de fontes em nível nacional. Na Itália, alguns juízes começaram a desaplicar normas nacionais em conflito com a CEDH. Mas, em 2007, a Corte Costituzionale decidiu interromper essa tendência, que constituiu uma “exceção” indevida à supremacia constitucional e derrogou a revisão centralizada. Essa abordagem sofre algumas críticas. Para garantir uma eficácia real do sistema da CEDH, é necessário fortalecer e aumentar a autoridade dos direitos da Convenção em nível nacional, garantindo também a implementação rápida e eficaz dos acórdãos do Tribunal de Estrasburgo

Il diritto di proprietà nella Convenzione europea dei diritti dell’uomo e la necessità di una maggiore tutela dello stesso a livello nazionale.

L’articolo si concentra sullo sviluppo e il trattamento del diritto di proprietà, sancito nell’art. 1 del Primo Protocollo Addizionale alla Convenzione europea per la protezione dei diritti dell’uomo e delle libertà fondamentali (CEDU) e applicato dalla Corte europea dei diritti dell’uomo (che ha il potere di ritenere gli Stati responsabili di un mancato rispetto dei diritti contenuti nella Convenzione). Uno dei temi più complessi e controversi relativi al diritto di proprietà ha riguardato proprio la possibilità di includere quest’ultimo tra i diritti umani. Considerando la scelta operata da tutte le moderne Carte dei diritti, la questione sembra ormai risolta. Il vero problema è identificare i precisi obblighi esistenti in capo agli Stati nei confronti del diritto in esame. Nonostante la loro importanza nel garantire alcuni interessi supremi della persona, a distanza di 70 anni dalla firma della CEDU, ci sono ancora molti dubbi sul ruolo che la Convenzione europea e il diritto di proprietà dovrebbero avere in Italia. Al fine di garantire una reale efficacia del sistema CEDU, è necessario rafforzare e rendere effettiva a livello nazionale l’applicazione dei diritti proclamati nella Convenzione

IL PRIVATE ENFORCEMENT IN ITALIA DELLA CARTA DEI DIRITTI FONDAMENTALI DELL’UNIONE EUROPEA A VENT’ANNI DALLA SUA PROCLAMAZIONE

L’articolo analizza il contenuto e l’efficacia della Carta dei diritti fondamentali dell’Unione europea, proclamata solennemente a Nizza nel dicembre del 2000, concentrandosi sugli strumenti utilizzati in Italia per garantire un suo pieno private enforcement

Il danno da perdita del rapporto parentale nella giurisprudenza italiana

Il presente lavoro si occupa di uno dei più controversi e complessi temi della responsabilità civile in Italia, ossia quello concernente la risarcibilità dei danni non patrimoniali sofferti per la perdita di un parente. Nonostante l?assenza di una specifica disposizione nel codice civile italiano, la Corte di Cassazione ha stabilito che questi danni possono essere liquidati, ma solo se sussistono condizioni ben precise, determinate dallo stesso Supremo Collegi

Experimental Set-Up of the Production Process and Mechanical Characterization of Metal Foams Manufactured by Lost-PLA Technique with Different Cell Morphology

A flexible and versatile method for manufacturing open-cell metal foams, called lost- PLA, is presented in this work. With a double extruder 3D printer (FDM, Ultimaker S3, Utrecht, The Netherlands), it is possible to make polymer-based samples of the lost model. Through CAD modeling, different geometries were replicated so as to get black PLA samples. This method combines the advantages of rapid prototyping with the possibility of manufacturing Al-alloy specimens with low time to market. The production process is articulated in many steps: PLA foams are inserted into an ultra-resistant plaster mix, after which the polymer is thermally degraded. The next step consists of the gravity casting of the EN-6082 alloy in the plaster form, obtaining metal foams that are interesting from a technological point of view as well as with respect to their mechanical properties. These foam prototypes can find application in the automotive, civil and aeronautical fields due to their high surface/weight ratio, making them optimal for heat exchange and for the ability to absorb energy during compression. The main aspects on which we focus are the set-up of the process parameters and the characterization of the mechanical properties of the manufactured samples. The main production steps are examined at first. After that, the results obtained for mechanical performance during static compression tests with different geometry porosities are compared and discussed. The foam with truncated octahedron cells was found to show the highest absorbed energy/relative density ratio