Comparative Studies on US Lacey Act Amendment and EU Timber Regulation

The US and EU markets are the main destinations of Chinese forest products.Through analyzing the similarities and differences between the US Lacey Act Amendment and the EU Timber Regulation,the paper focused on how to realize better compatibility and practicality of Chinese timber legality verification scheme in terms of verification standard setting,verification procedures,pilot work of timber legality verification scheme,capacity-building trainings and studies on key problems.     

中国对EU水产品出口贸易的SWOT分析

文章运用SWOT分析法系统地分析了中国对EU水产品出口贸易具有的内部优势和劣势、面临的外部机会和威胁。研究表明，中国对EU水产品出口虽然受到外部威胁和自身条件的影响，但优势大于劣势，机遇大于挑战，存在着较强的贸易结构互补性。中国对EU水产品出口发展空间较大，可以预见将继续增长。最后，从政府和企业视角分别提出了相应的出口战略措施。     

欧盟兽药上市审批制度

介绍了欧盟兽药上市审批新制度:中央审批和相互认可.对这两种审批程序的法律依据、审评机构、适用范围以及具体审批过程等做一梗概说明,供我国从事兽药法规管理的相关人员参考.     

European hemp industry: Cultivation, processing and product lines

Summary Two fibre plants are under cultivation in the European Union – flax on approximately 125,000 ha and hemp on approximately 15,500 ha in the year 2004. Seeds, hurds and especially fibres of hemp are used for further processing. The most important markets for hemp fibres produced in the EU are pulp and paper and the automotive industry. Just under 5% of the EU hemp fibres were used in the construction sector. Approximately 95% the whole production of 40,000 t of the hemp hurds are used as animal bedding and 95% of the estimated 6000 t per year hemp seeds are sold for animal feed, mainly as bird feed.     

The expanding role of animal welfare within EU legislation and beyond

Animal welfare is being accorded an increasingly important role in today's civil society. Within the EU, this has been enshrined within the specific “Protocol on Protection and Welfare of Animals” annexed to the EC Treaty, obliging Member States and the EU Institutions to pay full regard to the welfare of animals when formulating and implementing Community legislation. There is a growing body of EU legislation on this issue, founded on sound scientific principles (including the role of EFSA in providing independent scientific advice), taking account of public concerns, stakeholder input and possible socio-economic implications. Recent CAP reforms also testify to animal welfare's growing stature in policy-making, with the introduction of the principle of cross-compliance regarding eligibility for direct payments and additional financial incentives for producers to achieve higher standards. Animal welfare is being increasingly perceived as an integral element of overall food quality, having important knock-on effects on animal health and food safety. On a worldwide level, the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) has embarked on an initiative to develop global animal welfare guidelines and standards mandated by 167 member countries and the issue remains on the agenda for future WTO negotiations. Consumers demand higher standards of animal protection and it is incumbent upon policy-makers and legislators to respond accordingly.     

Patent protection in the field of animal breeding

Abstract

There are a rapidly growing number of patent applications relevant for the animal-breeding sector. Patent law is general in form and is seldom adapted to single areas of innovation. It was initially created for the purpose of granting exclusive rights to technical inventions; and it was taken for granted that higher animals, food production and pharmaceuticals were too important for mankind to be included under exclusive private rights. When patent law now is becoming increasingly in use in the animal sector, it is an unanswered question how the law will apply to this particular field of innovation. There is legal uncertainty of how the courts will apply the general law to this particular field. Patent law has the potential to alter the existing legal conditions for competition and investments in the field of animal breeding, and needs therefore a higher level of awareness among policy makers, animal breeders and farmers.     

2008--2010年欧盟动物（源）产品兽药残留监控情况分析

欧盟实施的残留监控计划经过多年的发展,已经逐步形成了一套完整、系统和科学的残留监控模式。本文对2008--2010年欧盟委员会发布的残留监控报告进行总结分析,以期能为我国全面了解和掌握欧盟残留监控的相关资料,完善我国兽药残留监控体系,突破国际贸易壁垒提供一定参考价值。     

欧盟海洋综合战略框架指令及其对中国海洋生态文明建设的借鉴

欧盟海洋综合战略框架指令采用基于生态系统管理方法,以实现其海洋环境良好状况,对我国海洋生态文明红线制度的建设具有借鉴作用。文章分析了该指令的构成及其实施指标等,比较其与我国海洋生态红线制度的异同点。最后,文章认为欧盟指令的协调机制值得借鉴,把海洋生态文明建设相关管理制度整合起来,形成综合有机的框架体系;完善公众参与制度对于落实海洋生态文明建设也是至关重要的。     

中欧蔬菜农药登记和限量标准差异及技术壁垒措施解析——以西兰花为例

我国出口欧盟的蔬菜产品屡受欧盟技术性贸易壁垒的限制。本文以农药残留超标出口受阻的典型蔬菜品种西兰花为例,研究中欧农药残留限量标准及农药登记情况,通过对比西兰花农药登记情况、农药残留限量标准、农药管理差异,分析中欧差距,为应对技术性贸易壁垒提出以下建议:加快建立和完善中国特色的农药登记和农药残留限量标准法规;增强农药信息开放性;积极应对欧盟WTO/SPS通报;以及设置贸易壁垒限制劣质产品的进口。     

Assessing the potential of marine Natura 2000 sites to produce ecosystem‐wide effects in rocky reefs: A case study from Sardinia Island (Italy)

1. A number of policy measures have been adopted to cope with ongoing ocean degradation. Marine protected areas (MPAs) are among them. MPAs and their coverage have increased worldwide, including in EU waters. Natura 2000 (Nat2000) sites are at the core of the EU biodiversity conservation strategy and have been established to protect habitats and species included in two EU directives. Besides their specific objectives, their potential to contribute to an ecosystem‐wide conservation and their complementarity with other national and supranational initiatives (e.g. nationally established MPA networks, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the Convention on Biological Diversity Ecosystem‐Based Approach) have been called into question.
2. Using visual censuses on rocky reefs, the biomass of whole fish assemblages and of a set of ecologically important species (widely used as indicators of coastal marine ecosystem health) have been assessed to evaluate the potential ecosystem‐wide effectiveness of Nat2000 marine sites located along the coasts of Sardinia (Italy). The assessment was performed in six fully protected MPAs, in 12 Nat2000 sites established or extending at sea, and in 18 adjacent unprotected control sites.
3. Results show that the highest fish biomasses are observed in fully protected MPAs. The values observed at Nat2000 sites do not differ or only slightly differ from those observed at control sites. This shows that Nat2000 sites may not presently contribute to effectively protect fish and the related rocky reef ecosystems.
4. These results do not dismiss at all the role of Nat2000 sites relative to the objectives for which they have been established. However, they show that to achieve ecosystem‐wide benefits it is crucial to rethink and broaden the scope of Nat2000 sites and adapt their management to that. By providing sounder and more comprehensive management plans, and implementing more consistent ecosystem‐wide conservation measures, Nat2000 marine sites could become an extraordinary tool at the EU scale, capable of delivering wider ecological benefits.