Setting up a Common European Asylum System : Report on the application of existing instruments and proposals for the new system

The study assesses firstly the evaluation process of the first generation of asylum instruments while underlining the possibilities to improve it. It analyses secondly the asylum "acquis" regarding distribution of refugees between Member States, the eligibility for protection, the status of protected persons regarding detention and vulnerability, asylum procedures and the external dimension by formulating short-term recommendations of each area. Its last part is devoted to the long term evolution of the Common European Asylum System regarding the legal context including the accession of the EU to the Geneva Convention, the institutional perspectives including the new European Support Office, the jurisdictional perspective, the substantive perspective, the distributive perspective and the external perspective

Supracricoid partial laryngectomy in the management of t3 laryngeal cancer

Objective. To evaluate the oncologic results only in T3 glottic and supraglottic cancers regarding supracricoid partial laryngectomy (SCPL) not requiring total laryngectomy and to assess functional results by self-evaluation by the patient. Study Design. Case series with medical record review. Setting. Single tertiary care center. Subjects and Methods. Thirty-two patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, previously untreated, who underwent SCPL with cricohyoidopexy or cricohyoidoepiglottopexy were reviewed. Results. At 1, 3, and 5 years, the disease-free survival rates were 96.9%, 89.4%, and 78.2%; overall survival rates were 96.9%, 93.2%, and 87.3%; local control and locoregional control rates were 100%, 96.2%, and 96.2%; and distant metastasis-free survival rates were 100%, 100%, and 88.2%, respectively. Aspiration pneumonia was the most common complication observed. The 3 laryngeal functions (speech, swallowing, and breathing) were spared in 83.9% of patients. Conclusion. Supracricoid partial laryngectomy for selected glottic and supraglottic T3 tumors has excellent oncologic and functional results

Pelagic habitats under the MSFD D1: scientific advice of policy relevance

Pelagic habitats are a policy priority below Descriptor 1 (Biodiversity) of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). They are addressed under the D1C6 criterion, stating “the condition of the habitat type, including its biotic and abiotic structure and its functions…, is not adversely affected due to anthropogenic pressures”. The evaluation of pelagic habitats status is challenged by the functional and structural characteristics of pelagic habitat diversity and processes. To date, pelagic habitats assessments are lacking in common criteria and methodologies that characterize the habitat while accounting for the effects of anthropogenic pressures to achieve the Good Environmental Status (GES). It is therefore necessary to prioritise communication between scientific and policy communities and frame pelagic research to agree on common methods and approaches at regional or EU scale. This is key for achieving harmonised and comparable pelagic assessments for the MSFD. This report summarizes the outcomes on the assessment workflow of pelagic habitats of the JRC “MSFD pelagic habitats” workshop (9th and 10th March 2021), and the need for coordinated evaluations of the scientific challenges of policy relevance. Recommendations on the MSFD implementation of D1C6, that were generated from the experts during the workshop, will be communicated to the MSFD policy groups and the EU Member States competent authorities to support future harmonised assessment of pelagic habitats.JRC.D.2 - Water and Marine Resource