Editorial: Pauvreté, exclusion sociale et stratégies de résistance en Europe rurale – Armoede, sociale uitsluiting en strategieën van verzet in ruraal Europa – Poverty, social exclusion and coping strategies in rural Europe

An overview of Belgian post-war rural geography highlights at least three clear research programmes. First of all, many publications have focused in detail on contemporary social-economic and spatial aspects of agriculture, obviously still being the most important form of landuse in the remaining Belgian countryside. The majority of these contributions offered valuable descriptions and explanations on landuse, crops, income structure of farming enterprises, the problem of successors on the fa..

Editorial: Pauvreté, exclusion sociale et stratégies de résistance en Europe rurale – Armoede, sociale uitsluiting en strategieën van verzet in ruraal Europa – Poverty, social exclusion and coping strategies in rural Europe

An overview of Belgian post-war rural geography highlights at least three clear research programmes. First of all, many publications have focused in detail on contemporary social-economic and spatial aspects of agriculture, obviously still being the most important form of landuse in the remaining Belgian countryside. The majority of these contributions offered valuable descriptions and explanations on landuse, crops, income structure of farming enterprises, the problem of successors on the fa..

Belgian agriculture and rural environments

Over recent years, the rural world has changed from being mono-functional to being multi-functional, partly as a result of the evolution of modern society, which now demands areas for activities such as tourism, recreation and rural housing. Agriculture often plays a minor role in such profound transformations. It is faced with stronger rules to protect nature and with tough competition for the use of rural space. Those working in agriculture are confronted with low incomes and find it increasingly difficult to catch up with the income earned in other sectors. The first and the second section of this article therefore deal with such present-day economic and environmental problems that are related to Belgian agriculture and the remaining rural environments. These problems are discussed and differentiated according to the regions that are taken into account. A third section assesses the answer of the Common Agriculture Policy to these problems.Récemment le monde rural est passé du monofonctionnel au multifonctionnel, entre autres à cause de l’évolution de la société exigeant de l’espace pour des fonctions qui se développent comme le tourisme et la récréation, l’habitat en milieu rural. Dans ces mutations profondes l’agriculture se retrouve souvent dans une position minoritaire, non seulement matériellement mais également du point de vue psychologique. L’agriculture doit faire face à des règles plus strictes pour la conservation de la nature et est sujette à concurrence pour l’utilisation de l’espace. Les agriculteurs sont confrontés à des bas revenus et ne parviennent pas à rattraper les revenus des autres secteurs. La première et la deuxième partie de cet article traitent donc des problèmes économiques et environnementaux de l’agriculture belge et de l’espace rural subsistant. Ces problèmes, qui ne sont pas les mêmes partout en Belgique, sont analysés et différenciés par région. Une troisième partie a trait à la réponse de la Politique Agricole Commune à ces problèmes

Making sense of big data in health research: Towards an EU action plan.

Medicine and healthcare are undergoing profound changes. Whole-genome sequencing and high-resolution imaging technologies are key drivers of this rapid and crucial transformation. Technological innovation combined with automation and miniaturization has triggered an explosion in data production that will soon reach exabyte proportions. How are we going to deal with this exponential increase in data production? The potential of "big data" for improving health is enormous but, at the same time, we face a wide range of challenges to overcome urgently. Europe is very proud of its cultural diversity; however, exploitation of the data made available through advances in genomic medicine, imaging, and a wide range of mobile health applications or connected devices is hampered by numerous historical, technical, legal, and political barriers. European health systems and databases are diverse and fragmented. There is a lack of harmonization of data formats, processing, analysis, and data transfer, which leads to incompatibilities and lost opportunities. Legal frameworks for data sharing are evolving. Clinicians, researchers, and citizens need improved methods, tools, and training to generate, analyze, and query data effectively. Addressing these barriers will contribute to creating the European Single Market for health, which will improve health and healthcare for all Europeans

Polarisation socio-spatiale et stratégies de survie dans deux quartiers bruxellois.

Socio-Spatial Polarisation and Survival Strategies in two Brussels' Neighbourhoods. Socio-spatial polarisation in the Brussels urban region can be dealt with at three levels at which different spatial processes are operating. The first level operates to distinguish the city from its periphery and results from the economic growth and suburbanisation of the 1960s. The second level of polarisation occurs within Brussels itself and relates to mechanisms in the housing market and the impact of economic crisis on these. Thirdly, in certain districts of Brussels there is a spiral of degradation, both in environmental and in social terms. They are becoming something like the 'no go areas' of American cities. Two such disadvantaged areas are examined here. Both are close to the city centre, on the old industrial axis, and both have strong concentrations of foreigners. Although apparently similar, the two areas actually offer very different opportunities for community development and social integration, essentially related to the heterogeneity of the environment and the social cohesion of the populations concerned.La polarisation socio-spatiale de la région urbaine de Bruxelles peut se décomposer en trois niveaux qui mettent en jeu différents processus spatiaux. Le premier niveau, résultat de la croissance économique et de la suburbanisation des années soixante, se joue entre la ville et sa périphérie. Le second s'opère à l'intérieur de Bruxelles, par les mécanismes du marché du logement et l'impact de la crise économique sur celui-ci. Enfin, dans certains quartiers de Bruxelles apparaît une dégradation en spirale, tant sur le plan de l'environnement que sur le plan social. Ils se rapprochent alors des 'no go areas' des cités américaines. Dans ce contexte, deux quartiers défavorisés seront présentés. Ils sont l'un et l'autre proches du centre- ville, de l'ancien axe industriel et offrent une forte concentration d'étrangers. Apparemment similaires, ils présentent des possibilités d'organisation et d'insertion sociale très différentes, essentiellement liés à la mixité de l'environnement et à la cohésion sociale de la population.Mistiaen Pascale, Meert Henk, Kesteloot Christian. Polarisation socio-spatiale et stratégies de survie dans deux quartiers bruxellois.. In: Espace, populations, sociétés, 1995-3. Les marginalités urbaines. pp. 277-290