Poveznice i isključenja između Briselske uredbe Ia i međunarodnih konvencija o prijevozu

Despite the crucial role played by transports in the sound development of the internal market, the new EU Regulation No 1215/2012 (“Brussels 1A Regulation”) does not clarify the relationship between its own rules and the provisions on jurisdiction or recognition and enforcement of judgments laid down by the international conventions in the transport sector. As a matter of fact, the EU Court of Justice (“ECJ”) has laid down a test establishing the conditions upon which – pursuant to Art. 71 – issues of jurisdiction or recognition and enforcement of judgments are to be dealt with in accordance with an international convention instead of with the Regulation. However, the said test (i) does not seem apt, as such, at ensuring that degree of predictability as to the courts having jurisdiction and therefore legal certainty for litigants, which – as remarked by the ECJ itself – should underlie judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters; (ii) has been conceived with specific regard to the case when issues of jurisdiction or recognition and enforcement of judgments fall within the scope of application of both the regulation and the CMR convention. On the other hand, the so-called “disconnection clauses” – which can be almost invariably found in the acts whereby the EU has acceded to the various transport conventions and which serve the purpose of granting the primacy of EU law – raise problems as to how they should operate in practice vis-à-vis the Brussels Ia Regulation. In the light of the above still open issues, the paper is aimed at (i) ascertaining whether the ECJ, in setting out the terms whereby the Regulation should interface with the transports conventions, will either stick to the approach so far consolidated or revise it with a view to making it consistent with the principles of legal certainty and predictability as to the court having jurisdiction, (ii) clarifying the conditions that must be met for a given transport convention to be deemed to fall within the scope of Art. 71 of the Regulation; (iii) assessing how to handle the relationship between the Regulation and the transport conventions not covered by Art. 71; (iv) examining whether such relationship is governed by a specific clause (disconnection clause); (v) searching for an interpretative solution which permits, even in the absence of such a specific clause, to establish with a reasonable degree of certainty which provisions – among those of Brussels Ia and those laid down in the relevant transport convention – are to be applied for the purposes of establishing jurisdiction or recognising the effects of judgements in the case at stake.Unatoč ključnoj ulozi prometa u razvoju unutarnjeg tržišta nova Uredba EU-a br. 1215/2012 (“Briselska uredba Ia”) ne pojašnjava odnos između vlastitih pravila i odredaba o nadležnosti ili priznavanju i izvršenju presuda propisanih međunarodnim konvencijama u sektoru prijevoza. Sud Europske unije zapravo je utvrdio test za određivanje uvjeta prema kojima se – u skladu s člankom 71. – rješavanju pitanja nadležnosti ili priznavanja i izvršavanja presuda u skladu s nekom međunarodnom konvencijom umjesto s dotičnom Uredbom. Međutim, taj se test (i) ne čini pogodnim kao takav za osiguravanje potrebne razine predvidivosti u određivanju nadležnog suda te time pravne sigurnosti za stranke u postupku, što je – kako je sam Sud EU-a predvidio – osnova za pravosudnu suradnju u građanskim i trgovačkim stvarima; (ii) zamišljen je imajući u vidu slučajeve u kojima pitanja nadležnosti ili priznavanja i izvršenja presuda ulaze u područje primjene i Uredbe i konvencije CMR. S druge strane, nije jasno kako takozvane “isključujuće odredbe” – koje gotovo beziznimno nalazimo u aktima kojima je EU pristupio raznim konvencijama o prijevozu i čija je svrha davanje prednosti pravu EU-a – trebaju funkcionirati u praksi u odnosu na Briselsku uredbu Ia. Uzimajući u obzir navedena otvorena pitanja, ciljevi ovoga rada su (i) utvrditi hoće li se Sud EU-a, pri utvrđivanju uvjeta pod kojima se Uredba treba povezati s konvencijama o prijevozu, držati dosadašnjeg pristupa ili ga revidirati kako bi ga uskladio s načelima pravne sigurnosti i predvidljivosti vezano uz određivanje nadležnog suda; (ii) pojasniti uvjete prema kojima se za određenu konvenciju o prijevozu smatra da ulazi u okvir članka 71. Uredbe; (iii) ispitati najbolji pristup odnosu između Uredbe i konvencija o prijevozu koje nisu obuhvaćene člankom 71.; (iv) ispitati je li taj odnos uređen određenom odredbom (isključujućom odredbom); (v) potražiti interpretativno rješenje koje omogućava, čak i ako ne postoji konkretna odredba, utvrđivanje s razumnom razinom sigurnosti koje se odredbe – između odredbi Briselske konvencije Ia i onih određene konvencije o prijevozu – trebaju primijeniti kako bi se odredila nadležnost ili priznali učinci presuda u određenom predmetu

Guidelines for the monitoring of Lucanus cervus

Lucanus cervus is one of the most charismatic saproxylic beetles, widely distributed in Europe. The species is typical of mature deciduous forests, especially oak woodlands. Loss and fragmentation of suitable habitats is one of the major threats for this species which is included in Annex II of the Habitats Directive. Despite several studies carried out in the last years for the monitoring methods of the species, an analytical comparison between them is still lacking. The aims of this paper are (i) to review the current knowledge about systematics, ecology and conservation practices on L. cervus and (ii) to present the research carried out during the Life MIPP project, in order to define a standard monitoring method with a suitable protocol to be used for addressing the obligations of the Habitats Directive. Overall, five methods were tested during three years in two different study areas. Based on these results, a suitable standard method for L. cervus is proposed in this paper and, in order to assess the conservation status of populations and to compare them over time, a simple method for the calculation of a reference value is provided

Tools for optimal operation and planning or urban distribution systems

This paper reports on the results of the implementation of a set of software tools for the comprehensive analysis and optimisation of distribution systems, developed jointly by Azienda Energetica Metropolitana (AEM) Torino S.p.A. and Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica Industriale - Politecnico di Torino. The software tools cover several aspects of distribution system analysis, fault current calculation, reliability assessment, total operating cost evaluation, optimal reconfiguration, optimal planning and service restoration

Updated distribution of Osmoderma eremita in Abruzzo (Italy) and agro-pastoral practices affecting its conservation (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

New records of Osmoderma eremita (Scopoli, 1763) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) are reported for Abruzzo (Italy), together with a review of its distribution in this region. O. eremita is a saproxylic beetle dependent on the presence of hollow deciduous trees with abundant wood mould in their cavities. The major threats for the species are habitat loss and fragmentation. EU Habitats Directive requests to the member States its protection and the monitoring of its conservation status. Detection of its occurrence is the first step to protect the species. The surveys have been carried out in ten sites of Abruzzo by using black cross-windows traps baited with specific pheromone. The species has been recorded for the first time in the Sant'Antonio forest and its presence is confirmed in the Peligna Valley, after a decade. The populations seem to be confined to small patches of suitable habitats. At local level, the abandonment of the pollarding practice (willow and beech forests) and the use of pollarded trees as biomass for fuel are the major threats for this species. Indeed some key actions, such as the protection of old hollow trees and the continuation of pollarding practice in rural landscape, could be key factors for the conservation strategies of the species in the study area

A first assessment of genetic variability in the longhorn beetle Rosalia alpina (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from the Italian Apennines

The Rosalia longicorn (Rosalia alpina) is a strictly protected saproxylic beetle, widely distributed in Central and Southern Europe and mainly associated with ancient beech forests. To improve knowledge about the conservation status of R. alpina in Italy, available molecular markers (microsatellites and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I(COI)) were tested for the first time on Italian populations. The study was performed in four sampling sites distributed in two areas placed in Northern (“Foreste Casentinesi” National Park) and Central Apennines (“Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise” National Park) where populational data about Rosalia longicorn were collected in the framework of the European LIFE MIPP Project. The genetic relationship among Apennine and Central/South-eastern European populations was explored by a comparison with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) data from literature. Microsatellite markers were only partially informative when applied to R. alpina Italian individuals, although providing some preliminary indication on an extensive gene flow among populations from the Apennines and local ongoing processes of genetic erosion. Genetic data are consistent with previous ecological data suggesting that the maintenance of variability in this species could be related to both habitat continuity and preservation of large senescent or standing dead trees in forests. Finally, a peculiar origin of the Apennine populations of R. alpina from a putative “Glacial Refugium” in Italy was inferred through COI data. The high genetic distance scored among the analysed populations and those from Central and South-eastern Europe indicates that the R. alpina deme from Apennine Mountains might represent a relevant conservation unit in Europe. Further genetic analyses will allow assessing other possible conservation units of R. alpina and, thus, defining large-scale conservation strategies to protect this endangered longhorn beetle in Europe

Naringenin is a powerful inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro

Recently, an interesting review appeared in Pharmacological Research presented a list of candidate drugs against SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 [1]. In the present insight, we highlight novel experimental evidence that the flavanone Naringenin, targeting the endo-lysosomal Two-Pore Channels (TPCs), could be added to the list of potential weapons against SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 disease

Current Methods to Unravel the Functional Properties of Lysosomal Ion Channels and Transporters

open18siA distinct set of channels and transporters regulates the ion fluxes across the lysosomal membrane. Malfunctioning of these transport proteins and the resulting ionic imbalance is involved in various human diseases, such as lysosomal storage disorders, cancer, as well as metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. As a consequence, these proteins have stimulated strong interest for their suitability as possible drug targets. A detailed functional characterization of many lysosomal channels and transporters is lacking, mainly due to technical difficulties in applying the standard patch-clamp technique to these small intracellular compartments. In this review, we focus on current methods used to unravel the functional properties of lysosomal ion channels and transporters, stressing their advantages and disadvantages and evaluating their fields of applicability.openFesta M.; Minicozzi V.; Boccaccio A.; Lagostena L.; Gradogna A.; Qi T.; Costa A.; Larisch N.; Hamamoto S.; Pedrazzini E.; Milenkovic S.; Scholz-Starke J.; Ceccarelli M.; Vitale A.; Dietrich P.; Uozumi N.; Gambale F.; Carpaneto A.Festa, M.; Minicozzi, V.; Boccaccio, A.; Lagostena, L.; Gradogna, A.; Qi, T.; Costa, A.; Larisch, N.; Hamamoto, S.; Pedrazzini, E.; Milenkovic, S.; Scholz-Starke, J.; Ceccarelli, M.; Vitale, A.; Dietrich, P.; Uozumi, N.; Gambale, F.; Carpaneto, A

Non-Gaussian power grid frequency fluctuations characterized by Levy-stable laws and superstatistics

Multiple types of fluctuations impact the collective dynamics of power grids and thus challenge their robust operation. Fluctuations result from processes as different as dynamically changing demands, energy trading and an increasing share of renewable power feed-in. Here we analyse principles underlying the dynamics and statistics of power grid frequency fluctuations. Considering frequency time series for a range of power grids, including grids in North America, Japan and Europe, we find a strong deviation from Gaussianity best described as Lévy-stable and q-Gaussian distributions. We present a coarse framework to analytically characterize the impact of arbitrary noise distributions, as well as a superstatistical approach that systematically interprets heavy tails and skewed distributions. We identify energy trading as a substantial contribution to today’s frequency fluctuations and effective damping of the grid as a controlling factor enabling reduction of fluctuation risks, with enhanced effects for small power grids