JT03285111European energy policy faces a number of interrelated challenges, including making the transition to a low-carbon economy, increasing cross-border competition in electricity and gas markets and diversifying Europe's energy supply. The EU has developed a comprehensive strategy in all of these areas, encapsulated in 2020 targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, raising renewable energy and increasing energy efficiency. These targets are underpinned by an Emissions Trading Scheme, legally binding reduction commitments by member states for the emissions not covered by the trading scheme, the third energy liberalisation package and the Energy Security and Solidarity Plan. The steps the EU have taken are worthwhile but there is also room for improvement. To ensure that the transition to a low-carbon economy is achieved at a low cost, the EU should seriously consider including all transport sectors in the Emissions Trading Scheme when practical and appropriate, and ensure that only sectors rigorously identified as being at genuine risk of carbon leakage should continue to receive free allowances until 2020. Consideration should be given to making use of an EU-wide market instrument to deliver the EU's renewable energy target, and it will be important to ensure that the 10% renewable transport fuel target efficiently achieves its objectives of sustainability and security of supply given the high cost of many renewable transport fuels. Measures to raise energy efficiency will have to be designed carefully so that the overall cost of mitigation is not raised. The Commission's third energy market liberalisation package should be strengthened by requiring full ownership unbundling of transmission service operators and ensuring the powers of the proposed Agency for Co-operation of Energy Regulators are broad enough to contribute effectively to a truly single European energy market. This Working Paper relates to the 2010 Economic Survey of the European Union. (www.oecd.org/eco/surveys/EuropeanUnion) JEL Classification: Q4; Q5.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) in December 2019 and has since unleashed a global pandemic, with over 518 million cases as of May 10, 2022. Neonates represent a very small proportion of those patients. Among reported cases of neonates with symptomatic COVID-19 infection, the rates of hospitalization remain low. Most reported cases in infants and neonates are community acquired with mild symptoms, most commonly fever, rhinorrhea and cough. Very few require intensive care or invasive support for acute infection. We present a case of a 2-month-old former 26-week gestation infant with a birthweight of 915 grams and diagnoses of mild bronchopulmonary dysplasia and a small ventricular septal defect who developed acute respiratory decompensation due to COVID-19 infection. He required veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support for 23 days. Complications included liver and renal dysfunction and a head ultrasound notable for lentriculostriate vasculopathy, extra-axial space enlargement and patchy periventricular echogenicity. The patient was successfully decannulated to conventional mechanical ventilation with subsequent extubation to non-invasive respiratory support. He was discharged home at 6 months of age with supplemental oxygen via nasal cannula and gastrostomy tube feedings. He continues to receive outpatient developmental follow-up. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of a preterm infant during their initial hospitalization to survive ECMO for COVID-19.
JT03285103 ABSTRACT/RÉSUMÉ Making the Luxembourg labour market work betterRapid economic growth over the past two decades has substantially increased employment in Luxembourg, which has largely been met by in-flows of cross-border workers and, to a lesser extent, immigration. Unemployment has remained low compared to other European countries. These significant social changes have been absorbed without substantially widening income disparities, facilitated by the generous welfare system made affordable by the strong economy. However, this favourable overall picture masks weaknesses in the design of labour market institutions and social transfers that reduce incentives to work for resident workers. Despite the strong economy, this has resulted in lower employment rates for certain groups of residents, notably those who are second-earners, younger or older, or from poorer socioeconomic backgrounds. Furthermore, the incentives provided by existing labour market institutions could make adjustment to changed economic prospects more difficult. The functioning and adaptability of the labour market could be improved without undermining social cohesion through a range of related measures. This could include aligning minimum wage adjustments more closely with economic conditions, which could be achieved through a Minimum Wage Council, and softening employment protection legislation. To raise incentives of residents, social benefits should be decoupled from average wages, and social transfers could be reoriented towards in-work social benefits. La croissance rapide économique que le Luxembourg a connue au cours des deux décennies écoulées s'est traduite par une expansion considérable de l'emploi, attirant principalement des travailleurs frontaliers et, dans une moindre mesure, de la main-d'oeuvre immigrée. Le chômage est resté faible en comparaison des autres pays européens. Ces importantes évolutions sociales ont été absorbées sans accentuation notable des disparités de revenu, grâce à un système généreux de protection sociale que le Luxembourg a pu s'offrir du fait de la vigueur de son économie. Cette belle image d'ensemble masque toutefois des faiblesses dans la conception des institutions du marché du travail et des transferts sociaux qui émoussent les incitations à travailler pour les résidents. Malgré le dynamisme de l'économie, il en est résulté des taux d'emploi moins élevés pour certains groupes de résidents, notamment ceux qui font fonction de second apporteur de revenu, les jeunes ou les seniors, ou ceux qui sont issus de milieux socioéconomiques moins favorisés. Par ailleurs, les incitations offertes par les institutions du marché du travail existantes pourraient rendre plus difficile l'ajustement à l'évolution des perspectives économiques. Il serait possible d'améliorer le fonctionnement et l'adaptabilité du marché du travail sans saper la cohésion sociale par une série de mesures associées. Il s'agirait notamment de fixer les ajustements de salaire minimum plus étroitement en fonction de la situation économiqu...
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