The COVID-19 pandemic is in its third year and it has affected all continents, causing the biggest international crisis after the Second World War. Although the global vaccination process began in ...the beginning of 2021, continuous mutations and the emergence of new coronavirus strains have made it impossible to put the pandemic under control, leading to a wave of massive spread of the disease across the planet and causing the death of several millions of people. The very present anti-vaccine propaganda and the expressed resistance to vaccination have made the vaccination process of the population in many countries much slower and with less coverage than expected. Authorities in many countries have resorted to radical measures in the past period, including closing borders, rigorous surveillance, long-lasting and discriminatory restrictions on freedom of movement and assembly. The circumstances of the pandemic outbreak are not much clearer today than they were in the beginning, which is in favour of the widespread conspiracy theories, being promoted through social networks and internet portals. Economic consequences of the coronavirus are primarily linked to a significant decline in global GDP, reduced investment and the range of international trade, the rise in unemployment, the rise of fiscal and public debts, especially during the first year of the pandemic. At the same time, the most powerful corporations, primarily in the pharmaceutical industry, reached the point of making extra profits. The already existing inequalities in healthcare and economic positions within national countries, as well as the differences among countries and regions, increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the general trend of increasing state aid and subsidies, the consequence of the coronavirus affected more vulnerable social groups much more severely. With general negative consequences in the medium term, the pandemic could encourage the acceleration of technological innovations, further change son the labour market and development of artificial intelligence in the long run. The world will not be the same in any case after the coronavirus, and along with other, things will change towards creating a safer society, with a higher level of healthcare and safety cultures.
(Series Information) European Papers - A Journal on Law and Integration, 2023 8(3), 1513-1522 | European Forum Insight of 16 February 2024 | (Table of Contents) I. Introduction. - II. Who are the ...oligarchs in third countries? - II.1. Targeting leading businesspersons: the precedent of Syria. - II.2. Targeting Russian businesspersons: emerging trends. - III. Losing the status of Russian oligarch: any possibility to be de-listed? - IV. Conclusions. | (Abstract) This Insight examines the developments in the EU restrictive measures against Russia in the aftermath of the full-scale aggression in Ukraine, focusing on the novel "(g) criterion" designed to target Russian businesspersons (often referred to as Russian oligarchs). The analysis illustrates the recent litigation before the General Court, in which targeted individuals seek to annul their designations. It highlights that, compared to previous sanctions practice, the new criterion adopts an innovative sector-based approach, establishing a new link between businesspersons operating in certain economic sectors and vital source of revenue for the Russian government. The Insight further explores the Court's cautious stance on de-listing Russian businesspersons, emphasizing the prudent assessment of evidence and circumvention attempts. Finally, the Insight points to the broad implications of the "(g) criterion" and suggests that the Council holds considerable political discretion in exerting maximum pressure on Rus-sia's business elite, with the ultimate objective of reducing the Kremlin's ability to finance its war.
Purpose
The COVID-19 outbreak witnessed in the first months of 2020 has led to unprecedented changes in society’s lifestyles. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the effect of this ...unexpected context on sleep.
Methods
During the COVID-19 outbreak, we performed an online survey with individuals formerly recruited for validation of the Spanish version of the sleep questionnaire Satisfaction, Alertness, Timing, Efficiency, and Duration (SATED). In the current survey, we asked the participants to complete the previously answered questionnaires including the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a modified version of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the SATED questionnaire. We also assessed the mood by the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire.
Results
The 71 participants were mostly women (75%) with a mean (± SD) age of 40.7 ± 11.9 years. Comparing the previous PSQI score to that during the COVID-19 outbreak, we observed worsening sleep quality (5.45 ± 3.14 to 6.18 ± 3.03 points,
p
= 0.035). In parallel, there was an increase in the negative mood (
p
= 0.002). Accordingly, the decrease in sleep quality was substantially correlated with negative mood (
p
< 0.001). There were no differences in the ESS or SATED.
Conclusions
The COVID-19 outbreak–associated events correlate with decreased sleep quality in association with an increase in negative mood. Considering the importance of sleep for a healthy life, and in particular for immune function, efforts should be made to improve awareness on this matter and to offer psychological assistance to affected individuals.
The EU Treaties provide several possibilities to sanction EU Member States for failing to comply with EU law. The EU has a legal basis for so-called EU sanctions in Article 215 of the Treaty on the ...Functioning of the EU, aimed at third countries (i.e. countries outside the EU) and their legal entities (e.g., in Belarus, Russia). Over recent years, sanctions against third countries have become increasingly frequent. This article delves into the legal framework for adopting EU sanctions, the potential legal protection available to sanctioned individuals, and the relevant case law of the Court of Justice of the EU. In this context, the question of whether Abramovich or some other Russian citizens on the sanctions list can access funds from EU bank accounts or enter the EU will be addressed.
In this article, the author analyzes the problem of the impact of international sanctions on the initiation of arbitration and the conduct of arbitration proceedings, which is little studied in ...international legal doctrine. This research revealed that international sanctions do not affect the validity of the arbitration agreement per se, but could affect the ability of designated subjects to pay arbitration fees, inter alia making other mandatory payments in the course of arbitration due to which the arbitration may not be initiated or may be terminated. International sanctions do not suspend the activities of arbitration institutions per se. Arbitration institutions shall develop compliance mechanisms that facilitate the rapid finding of certain solutions for arbitration institutions and other subjects in the context of the application of international sanctions. Arbitrators should also conduct compliance procedures to, inter alia, further assess whether their decisions in a particular arbitration case would not violate their own national laws.
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