The fusion approach – applications for understanding local government and European integration

The article explores the theoretical capabilities of the fusion approach as a conceptual ‘kit’ to explain the ‘bigger picture’ of European integration from a local government perspective. Fusion addresses the rationales and methods facilitating the transfer of policy-making competences to the European level. It understands European integration as a merging of public resources and policy instruments from multiple levels of government, whereby accountability and responsibilities for policy outcomes become blurred. The article argues that the fusion approach is useful to explain the systemic linkages between macro-trajectories and the corresponding change at the local level; the fusion dynamics of the local and European levels in a common policy-cycle; and the attitudes of local actors towards the EU. Although the article concludes that local government is rather modestly ‘fused’ into the EU, fusion approaches allow examining the extent to which the local level has become integrated into the European governance system

Future research on european union cohesion policy: A master class during the open days 2014

[No abstract available

Effect of Pulsed Electric Fields Treatment and Mash Size on Extraction and Composition of Apple Juices

International audienc

Solvent-Free Extraction: Myth or Reality?

International audienceOne of the many environmental challenges faced by Extraction field is the widespread use of organic solvents. With a solvent based extraction the solvent necessarily has to be separated from the final extract. A large number of these solvents are toxic that pose a risk to workers and community members and virtually all of them are classified as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that contribute to smog. In this context, the development of solvent-free extraction processes is of great interest in order to modernize classical processes making them cleaner, safer and easier to perform. This chapter presents a picture of current knowledge on innovative solvent-free methods of natural products extraction. It provides the necessary theoretical background and some details about extraction using the most innovative, rapid and green techniques such as microwaves, instant controlled pressure drop (DIC) process and Pulsed Electric Field (PEF): the technique, the mechanism and some applications