European evidence-based guidance on prevention and control of HCV in prison settings (poster)

EMCDDA, ECDC, Lisbon, September 2018

Summary

In the 31 EU/EEA countries, more than 590 000 persons are held in a custodial facility on any given day. According to recent reviews of prison studies from EU countries, prison prevalence estimates for HCV ranged from 4.3 % to 86.3 %.

People in prison also tend to have multiple complex health and social care needs resulting from a mix of specific socio-economic determinants and environmental factors. A significant proportion of people in prison have a history of drug use, and a strong association has been found between prison history and HCV prevalence in people who inject drugs.

Prisons are settings of increased risk for HCV transmission, while representing a unique opportunity to address the healthcare needs of those people in prison who belong to hard-to-reach and medically underserved groups in the community, such as people who inject drugs.

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What drives the use of CDS by EU investment funds?

A high reliance on CDS is seen, in particular, among fixed income funds that invest in less liquid markets, and alternative funds that implement hedge-fund-like strategies. The main driver of net CDS exposures is fund size.

This article also investigates the bond-level drivers of funds’ net single-name CDS positions and finds that CDS positions on investment-grade bonds issued by sovereign issuers – most of which are emerging markets – tend to be larger. The analysis also sheds light on tail-risk for funds from the use of CDS: Directional funds that belong to a large group are the most likely to have sell-only CDS exposures, exposing them to significant contingent risk.

The EESC backs the Commission's proposals to invest in sustainable, safe and smart mobility, says EESC President Luca Jahier

EESC President Luca Jahier and European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc engaged in a fruitful debate on mobility at the EESC plenary session on 20 September 2018. An adequate regulatory framework for a well-functioning Single European Transport Area, digitalisation in land transport technology, better interoperability between the various existing electronic road toll systems and investment in clean electricity were at the heart of the debate with EESC members.

The Third Mobility Package was published in May 2018 and finalises the Commission’s ambitious agenda for the modernisation of mobility. The EESC will discuss and adopt its opinions on this subject at the October plenary session.

“The EESC carefully followed all the mobility packages and actively contributed to shaping the new policies,” stated Mr Jahier. “We are happy to see that the Commission has taken action with the “Europe on the Move” initiatives for a fundamental modernisation of European mobility and transport. We are joining forces to invest in sustainable, safe and smart mobility,” he continued.

Ms Bulc pointed out that the three mobility packages reflect the vision of the European Commission to focus on decarbonisation, digitalisation, investment and innovation. “Our objective is to have European mobility that is safe, secure, clean, inclusive and efficient,” said Ms Bulc. “In particular, with the Third Mobility Package, our target is safe mobility with 0 fatalities, clean mobility with 0 pollution and autonomous mobility with 0 paper,” she added.

Mr Jahier expressed the EESC’s overall support for the Third Mobility Package and made the following points:

A regulatory framework matching an ambitious Single European Transport Area

A well-functioning Single European Transport Area depends on an adequate regulatory framework. The EESC is of the opinion that the proposed legislative changes regarding access to the profession, market access and working conditions mostly fail to resolve the problems they address. Therefore it is vital and urgent to put forward new solutions.

Land transport technology

Land transport technology will most likely be revolutionised by digitalisation and automation. This new technology has the capacity to both improve transport market efficiency but also to provide analytical data to assist in the enforcement of existing legislation and the protection of human and social rights. The EESC thus encourages the Commission to pursue the “Vision Zero by 2050” project further.

Improving interoperability between EU electronic road toll systems

Likewise, the EESC strongly supports the Commission’s proposal to overcome the poor interoperability between the various existing electronic road toll systems in Member States.

Focusing on producing clean electricity

The EESC also emphasises that the production of clean electricity is indispensable for the successful introduction of electric vehicles.

Mr Jahier also mentioned the revised regulation on the Connecting Europe Facility for the 2021-2027 period. In its opinion, adopted at the plenary session on 19 September 2018, the EESC stresses that this proposal has a strategic importance and calls for a stronger budget post-2020, encourages further synergies between the transport, energy and digital network sectors, and urges the Commission to maintain the commitment to spending most of the energy budget on electricity projects. The current planned budget for transport, as proposed by the Commission, is EUR 30,615 million.

For more information, please contact:
EESC Press Unit – Marco Pezzani
+ 32 (0)2 546 97 93 · Mob. +32 (0)470 881 903
marco [dot] pezzanieesc [dot] europa [dot] eu

Interview with Fausto Parente, Executive Director of EIOPA on personal pensions conducted by Lukas Blekaitis, the Lithuanian news agency ELTA

European Border and Coast Guard: Agreement reached on operational cooperation with Serbia

The Agency will be able to assist Serbia in border management and carry out joint operations with Serbia, in particular in the event of a sudden change in migratory flows.

Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos said: “Today is another milestone in our cooperation with Serbia on migration, border management and security. I want to thank the Serbian authorities for their efforts, willingness and commitment to reach this agreement. Step by step, we are better protecting the EU’s external borders, and we are doing so also by cooperating more closely with partner countries in our direct neighbourhood and beyond. I look forward to finalising the agreement soon and hope to also swiftly conclude the ongoing negotiations with other Western Balkan partners.”

Supporting and cooperating with non-EU countries is essential for the protection of the EU’s external borders. In 2016, the Commission strengthened the European Border and Coast Guard’s mandate to allow for deployments in the EU’s immediate neighbourhood. Last week, following President Juncker‘s State of the Union Address 2018, the Commission proposed to further reinforce the European Border and Coast Guard, giving it the right level of ambition and allowing the joint operations and deployments to take place in countries beyond the EU’s immediate neighbourhood.

Today’s status agreement with Serbia is the third agreement initialled with partner countries from the Western Balkan region, following Albania in February and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in July. Negotiations with Montenegro and with Bosnia and Herzegovina are ongoing.

Next Steps

The draft status agreement initialled today with Serbia will be formally signed at a later date, after both sides complete the necessary legal procedures. The European Parliament’s consent is also required.

Once the agreement enters into force, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency will be able to carry out operational activities and deploy teams in the regions of Serbia that border the EU, in agreement with both the Serbian authorities and the authorities of the bordering EU Member States.

Background

The European Border and Coast Guard Agency can already carry out deployments and joint operations on the territory of neighbouring non-EU countries, subject to the prior conclusion of a status agreement between the European Union and the country concerned. Under the new proposal to further reinforce the European Border and Coast Guard, such agreements could also be concluded with countries beyond the EU’s immediate neighbourhood.

For More Information

Press Release: European Border and Coast Guard: agreement on operational cooperation reached with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Press Release: Border management: European Border and Coast Guard Agency strengthens operational cooperation with Albania

Website: The European Border and Coast Guard Agency

Website: Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs