The Administrative Board of Review of the European Central Bank: Experience After 2 Years

This article examines the administrative remedy provided by the Administrative Board of Review (ABoR) of the European Central Bank (ECB), as part of the broader issue of the right of defence of natural and legal persons vis-à-vis ECB supervisory decisions within the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM). After presenting an overview of the review panels established in the financial sector in the EU, the article describes the experience with the ABoR by analysing its composition, its mandate and scope of review, the main procedural aspects and the relationship with judicial proceedings before the European Court of Justice. Particular attention is given to the substantial issues dealt with by the ABoR in its Opinions and to some of the major challenges faced in the first 2 years of practice. Among them is the assessment of the correct application of national laws implementing EU legislation by the ECB. The paper identifies two aspects giving particular cause for concern and requiring legislative reforms: (1) the assessment of the suitability of the members of management bodies (fit and proper assessment) and (2) the inclusion of bank holding companies within the scope of banking supervision

Facile fabrication of hybrid titanium(IV) isopropoxide/pozzolan nanosheets (TnS-Pz) of high photocatalytic activity: characterization and application for Cr(VI) reduction in an aqueous solution

This paper presents the synthesis of a hybrid material through the use of natural pozzolan and titanium(IV) isopropoxide using the sol-gel method and its application in the photocatalytic hexavalent chromium reduction. The characterization data indicated a mesoporous material possessing a surface area of 271.7 m(2) g(-1). The morphology studies (SEM and TEM) showed nanosheet hybrid structures. The analysis of DRUV, FTIR, XRD, and Mossbauer spectroscopy provides a different electronic structure of the synthetized material when compared with the originals, proving the hybridization process between pozzolan and titanium(IV) isopropoxide. The photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) using the hybrid material showed a better performance than conventional photocatalysts (precursor and TiO2-P25). Operational conditions such as chromium initial concentration (0.02-0.20 mM), solution pH (3-6), and type of scavenger (citric or tartaric acid) were evaluated in order to determine the best experimental conditions for the Cr(VI) photoreduction. At their optimum (catalyst load of 15 mg L-1, tartaric acid as scavenger, [scavenger](0)/[Cr(VI)](0) M ratio = 3:1, pH 3, and 25 degrees C), the total photoreduction of 0.20 mM Cr(VI) was achieved in 180 min. The novel hybrid materials synthesized from pozzolan and titanium(IV) isopropoxide showed to be a potential catalyst for the Cr(VI) reduction in aqueous solution