Policy-Making in the EU: Achievements, Challenges and Proposals for Reform. CEPS Paperbacks. June 2009

This report is the product of a joint project initiated by the Centre for European Policy Studies and the Swedish Confederation of Enterprise. Three expert groups of academics, policy-makers, business representatives and other stakeholders were formed to analyse the major issues and challenges facing the European Union today and to put forward recommendations for reform that can realistically be implemented in the short and medium term. The expert groups focused on EU Decision-Making, Better Regulation and Implementation & Subsidiarity

Experiences of family physicians after a CME ultrasound course

Background. Ultrasonography is an inexpensive, safe, noninvasive tool for obtaining diagnoses without performing further imaging tests, and for the timely referral of patients to further diagnosis or specialist care. Objectives . To determine which ultrasound tests are most often performed by family physicians, and what factors contribute to their use of ultrasound imaging. Material and methods . This survey-based study using the authors’ questionnaire was conducted in March 2016 among 81 primary care physicians who had completed weekend courses on ultrasound abdominal cavity imaging. Results . Family physicians most often took ultrasounds of the abdominal cavity (35/50; 70%) and thyroid gland (35/50, 12%). The odds of an ultrasound being performed at primary care centers with at least two physicians with the necessary skills were about 29.29 times higher than at centers with less than two skilled physicians (OR 29.29, 95% CI 3.77, 1347.92). Family physicians (46/81; 56.79%) referred 274 patients for further specialist diagnosis. The diagnosis of neoplastic disease was confirmed in 168 cases (168/274; 61.31%). The anomalies that were most often detected by family physicians using ultrasound imaging included: cholelithiasis (24/50; 48%), renal cysts (16/50; 32%), nephrolithiasis (5/50; 10%), aortic aneurysms (2/50; 4%). Conclusions . Family physicians’ ability to perform ultrasound scans increases the probability of other doctors acquiring this skill. Weekend courses for family physicians significantly shorten patients’ waiting time for such examinations. A network of professional and upto-date workshops improving the practical skills of family physicians in ultrasound diagnostics, as well as peer review groups focused on ultrasound diagnostics performed by family physicians, are recommended

Massage-induced morphological changes of dense connective tissue in rat’s tendon

The aim of the experiment was to determine if possible changes in connective tissue induced by massage could have a positive effect justifing the use of massage in all post-traumatic connective tissue conditions, e.g. tendon injuries. The investigations were performed in a group of 18 Buffalo rats. The rats were divided into two groups (experimental and control). To standardize the massage procedure, it was performed with an algometer probe of 0.5 cm2 with constant pressure force of 1 kG (9,81 N). To analyse the number and diameter of collagen fibrils, two electron micrographs were performed for each rat of the collected segments of tendons of rat tail lateral extensor muscle. After image digitalization and calibration, the measurements were carried out using iTEM 5.0 software. The number of fibrils, their diameter and area were measured in a cross-sectional area. An increase of the number of collagen fibrils was observed in the tendons of massaged animals compared to the control group. Our study demonstrated that massage may cause a beneficial effect on metabolic activity of tendon’s fibroblasts and, in consequence, may be applied for more effective use of massage for the prevention of tendon injury as well as after the injury has occurred. (Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica 2013, Vol. 51, No. 1, 103–106

The European Commission after Enlargement: Does more add up to less? CEPS Special Reports, February 2008

This comprehensive study documents the evolution of the European Commission since the 2004 enlargement, based on extensive data and interviews with Commission and Council officials, senior diplomats and external observers. Contrary to what many had expected, the Barroso Commission has not shown signs of paralysis since the new countries joined the Union. Despite the larger College and the broader range of socio-economic realities in the enlarged Union, the number of legislative acts has remained almost as high as under Prodi and that of non-binding acts has even increased. According to the study, two main developments explain this continuity: the Barroso Commission has been more careful to avoid controversy and its internal management is now more streamlined

Ratification of the Lisbon Treaty: Problems not only in Ireland. EPIN Working Papers No. 18, September 2008

After the Irish voters rejected the Treaty of Lisbon in a public referendum on 12 June 2008, European Union leaders decided nevertheless to continue the ratification process, with the aim of achieving 26 ratifications by mid-October 2008. This plan failed, however, due to rising political and legal problems in a number of countries. Apart from its rejection in Ireland, the Treaty of Lisbon’s ratification is now being contested in the Constitutional Courts of Germany and the Czech Republic and it faces political challenges in the Czech Republic and Poland. This paper presents the state of play of the ratification process and the national debates in the four countries where the treaty’s future is most called into question: Ireland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland

The Ever-Changing Union: An Introduction to the History, Institutions and Decision-making Processes of the European Union. 2nd Revised Edition. CEPS Paperbacks. April 2011

This fully revised, second edition of the Ever-Changing Union provides a concise overview of the EU’s history, institutional structures and decision-making processes. It looks at the fundamental principles of European integration and describes the progress of this integration from its beginning. It also covers the EU’s main institutions and how they interact in the decision-making process as a whole. This new edition focuses on the changes introduced by the Lisbon Treaty and explains how the EU’s external action is conducted by the post-Lisbon EU. Other additions to this second edition are new sections on the EU budget, the euro and its governance, lobbying and interest representation. This book is written for those with an initial or occasional interest in European policies and politics. More particularly, the authors believe it will be useful for civil servants, diplomats, business and NGO representatives, as well as students and scholars who encounter the EU in their work

Inching towards a Second Irish Referendum. CEPS Commentaries, 15 December 2008

Since the Irish rejection of the Treaty of Lisbon on 12 June 2008, the European decision-making machinery has done what it does best: cooling down a hot political debate and carefully building a consensus. The European Summit has now determined what concessions will be made to the Irish in exchange for their ratification of the treaty: the College of Commissioners will continue to comprise one member per country beyond the year 2014 and Ireland will receive “necessary legal guarantees” on certain sensitive matters. Despite this progress, however, the authors warn that it may prove inadequate to extract approval from the Irish in a second referendum