& British writer Samantha Harvey's novel 'Orbital' wins the Booker Prize for fiction By www.washingtontimes.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 17:35:09 -0500 British writer Samantha Harvey won the Booker Prize for fiction on Tuesday with "Orbital," a short, wonder-filled novel set aboard the International Space Station. Full Article
& Democrats for Life wins 97% of endorsed elections in rebuke to party's abortion stance By www.washingtontimes.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 17:46:04 -0500 Democrats for Life of America said Tuesday that 97% of its endorsed candidates won their races in last week's election, which raises the question: Is there such a thing as a pro-life Democrat? Full Article
& Puigdemont, presidente Catalogna: faremo rispettare l'esito del referendum sull'indipendenza By www.collectiuemma.cat Published On :: Thu, 10 Aug 2017 12:00:00 +0200 La Catalogna marcia verso il referendum del 1 ottobre per l'indipendenza dalla Spagna. I gruppi separatisti hanno consegnato al Parlamento regionale la legge per la convocazione del voto, che Madrid definisce illegale e promette di fermare a tutti i costi. "Piuttosto che rinunciare al referendum mi faccio arrestare", risponde il presidente catalano Carles Puigdemont. Mario Magarò lo ha intervistato a Barcellona – VIDEO: See more at: http://www.rainews.it/dl/rainews/media/Son-magaro-barcellona-020817-171-0752614e-56b1-4312-9f2a-d84557ecbc57.html RAI News Mario Magaró 02-08-2017.- Full Article
& La questione catalana è una questione politica europea By www.collectiuemma.cat Published On :: Sun, 17 Sep 2017 14:45:00 +0200 Lo scontro tra Madrid e Barcelona è al suo culmine: i catalani vanno avanti verso il referendum del 1° ottobre mentre Madrid promette che la consulta «non si celebrerà». All'orizzonte un conflitto ancora più fosco, dove tutto è possibile, che fa sorgere più di qualche domanda IL SOLE 24 ORE di ALESSANDRO GIBERTI 12.09.2017 Le forze politiche dormienti di Madrid si sono accorte ieri l’altro che la Catalunya vuole decidere se dividersi dal resto di Spagna. Dopo l’approvazione ufficiale per parte catalana del referendum del 1° ottobre prossimo (1-O) e l’immediata sua sospensione da parte del tribunale Costituzionale di Madrid, sono arrivate le denunce dalla Procura generale per il presidente della Generalitat de Catalunya Carles Puigdemont e tutti i membri del suo Governo e per la presidente del Parlamento catalano Carme Forcadell. I catalani hanno tirato dritto approvando la “Ley de Transitorietad”, con la quale si fissano i termini della cosiddetta “disconnessione” della Catalunya dal Regno di Spagna e le basi della successiva fondazione della Repubblica catalana in caso di vittoria del sì al referendum. In mezzo abbiamo visto tentativi di sequestri da parte della Guardia Civil spagnola di urne e schede elettorali dell’1-O con irruzioni in tipografie e stamperie considerate “vicine” al Governo catalano e la solita imponente Diada di ieri, che sarebbe la festa nazionale catalana, cioè di tutti i catalani, ma che è ormai interamente consacrata alle ragioni del referendum. Lasciando perdere la cronaca – al momento non si sa nemmeno se si voterà, figurarsi con quali garanzie e in quale clima – quel che importa è capire se quello che sta succedendo tra Madrid e Barcelona sia ancora circoscrivibile in termini di scontro politico locale o se sia legittimo chiedersi se questa vicenda catalana non sia un po’ più larga, ovvero se non sia una questione che intacchi i principi democratici generali, ovvero se non sia una questione politica europea. Dovessimo trattare la vicenda dal primo punto di vista, non ci sarebbero dubbi: forzando la mano, Barcelona sta minacciando l’ordine costituzionale di un Paese membro dell’Unione europea. Di conseguenza le ragioni di Madrid prevarrebbero su quelle catalane e lo Stato spagnolo sarebbe pienamente autorizzato a contrastare, da ogni punto di vista, le minacce al proprio ordine costituito. Però il milione di persone scese in piazza ieri a Barcelona, per la sesta Diada multitudinaria consecutiva (fino al 2011 a celebrare la giornata della Catalunya erano sì e no 15mila persone), non sono figlie del caso. Non credo si possa più fingere che piazza e Governo non siano originate dal medesimo movimento politico-ideale, maggioritario in Catalunya, che chiede a gran voce di essere ascoltato: quello del “derecho a decidir”, cioè del voto. Il problema qui è far calare il costituzionalismo sull’80 per cento dei catalani favorevoli al voto – queste le stime – come fosse l’ultima istanza di una traiettoria che ha viste esplorate tutte le altre opzioni possibili. Ma non è così: ci sono stati anni di sviluppi politico-elettorali e infinite possibilità di mettere in marcia risposte che avrebbero attutito il colpo e magari anche indirizzato il procés fuori dal vicolo cieco referendario, ma si è deciso di non fare nulla che non fosse frustrare le aspirazioni di un’intera comunità politica, fino farla diventare maggioritaria. Ora le forze politiche dormienti di Madrid si sono messe a parlare nientemeno che di “colpo di Stato”. Un colpo di Stato passato attraverso elezioni “autonomiche” (regionali), elezioni politiche nazionali e un referendum ancorché fake. Siamo di fronte a una nuova fattispecie dottrinale: il colpo di Stato a suon di voti. Solo pochi giorni fa, Mariano Rajoy ha dichiarato, testuale, che la «Spagna è un Paese che vive in pace da più di 40 anni». Non stupisce quindi che la questione catalana sia la peggiore gestione di un problema interno che si ricordi da quella di Eta, esattamente nei supposti quarant’anni di pace. Con «nessuno poteva immaginare di assistere a uno spettacolo così antidemocratico», vale a dire l’approvazione in un Parlamento – in un Parlamento! – di una legge ancorché contraria alla Costituzione e la successiva puntualizzazione che «in Spagna si può essere indipendentisti o qualsiasi altra cosa, quel che non si può fare è conseguirlo», Rajoy ha ridotto in un colpo solo popolo sovrano e principio democratico a forme di passatempi non cogenti. La supposta “perversione antidemocratica” del Parlamento di Catalunya, nel quale a dare «grande prova di democrazia» è una minoranza che abbandona l’emiciclo è l’ultimo ribaltamento della realtà operata da Madrid in tutta la storia recente della questione catalana. L’Aventino non può diventare il metro di giudizio ufficiale dello stato di salute di una democrazia parlamentare. Se ogni qual volta una minoranza – e la minoranza happens all the time – prende ed esce dall’aula parliamo di deficit di democrazia che ce ne facciamo del fondamento della democrazia rappresentativa e cioè del principio di maggioranza? La risposta all’80 per cento dei catalani che chiede di votare non può più essere esclusivamente giuridica: deve essere politica. Siamo arrivati troppo in là perché si chiuda il becco a un’intera comunità brandendo solo la Carta fondamentale. Non perché non si possa, ovvio che si possa, ma perché non funziona. E non funziona perché le democrazie non funzionano contro la volontà maggioritaria di una comunità politica. Pur non condividendo le forzature di leggi, norme e regolamenti, e riconoscendo che l’inflazionatissimo “principio di auto-determinazione dei popoli” poco c’entri in questa questione, non dimentichiamoci che siamo europei, siamo occidentali e siamo democratici. Da questa parte di mondo facciamo parlare le persone. Se l’80 per cento di un popolo vuole parlare, deve poterlo fare. Se l’idea è quella di mettere a tacere 7 milioni di persone tre settimane prima del momento culminante di una vicenda politica lunga un decennio semplicemente perché si è deciso di ignorarne l’esistenza fino all’altro ieri non si può in tutta onestà fingere che la cosa appartenga alla normale dialettica democratica (lasciando perdere in questa sede le ragioni storiche: la Generalitat è un’istituzione politica del XIV secolo, precedente a qualsiasi idea di comunità politica spagnola). Infine, davanti a «il referendum non si celebrerà» e «la democrazia risponderà con fermezza» ripetendo più volte «senza rinunciare a nulla», qual è il sottotesto democratico delle parole di Rajoy? Fino a che punto possiamo spingere l’immaginazione? Se i dirigenti politici catalani venissero condannati (già successo), inabilitati (già successo) e magari anche incarcerati (ancora no, ma è tecnicamente possibile) che cosa dovremmo fare come europei? L’esistenza di prigionieri politici in un Paese membro è conforme ai principi della Ue? È più grave la persecuzione politica o il mutamento democratico di un ordinamento? La legge sta sopra il popolo o emana dal popolo? Siamo sicuri che la questione catalana sia una questione meramente spagnola? Full Article
& INDIPENDENTISMO E LIBERTÀ D’ESPRESSIONE. Spagna: una questione di giustizia irrisolta e multiforme By www.collectiuemma.cat Published On :: Sun, 13 May 2018 19:15:00 +0200 AFFARI INTERNAZIONALI 3 Maggio 2018 ELENA MARISOL BRANDOLINI Da alcuni mesi, in Spagna la giustizia occupa la scena mediatica. È successo con la vicenda catalana, in cui il ricorso ai tribunali e alla legalità ha sostituito la politica fin dal principio. Poi si è compreso che si trattava solo della punta dell’iceberg e quello che c’era sotto è venuto a galla un po’ alla volta. Si è visto allora che la giustizia spagnola presenta vari problemi. Sul piano della legislazione, come dimostra il recente caso della sentenza nei confronti degli uomini della ‘Manada’, autori di violenza sessuale, ma puniti per il reato di abuso, differenza prevista nel codice penale. O nella legislazione anti-terrorista, che ha così tanto ampliato il campo di applicazione per cui ora “tutto è Eta”: una rissa da bar che coinvolge due poliziotti della Guardia Civil, la canzone di un rapper, l’interruzione del transito su un’autostrada. Sul terreno dell’ordinamento, con istituti come l’Audiencia Nacional erede del tribunale franchista e quindi inesistente altrove. Su quello infine della debole separazione fra i poteri dello Stato, con una tendenza alla ‘giudiziarizzazione’ della politica e con il rischio di farne il mezzo di competizione tra i partiti della destra spagnola. A farne le spese è la libertà d’espressione A farne le spese è la libertà di espressione che la sezione spagnola di Amnesty International segnala essersi ridotta. Perciò la censura si allarga, rasentando il ridicolo nel sequestro di fischietti e magliette di colore giallo nella finale di calcio della Copa del Rey. A farne le spese sono le persone che rischiano il carcere, stanno per finirci o ci sono da tempo, imputate di delitti che non hanno commesso. E’ il caso di rappers, utenti delle reti sociali, comici, militanti di movimenti. E’ il caso dei nove prigionieri politici catalani in regime di carcerazione preventiva: Oriol Junqueras, Dolors Bassa, Carme Forcadell, Quim Forn, Raül Romeva, Josep Rull, Jordi Turull, e i Jordis, Jordi Sánchez e Jordi Cuixart, leader del movimento indipendentista, in cella da oltre sei mesi per avere convocato una manifestazione sotto il dipartimento di Economia. Contro l’indipendentismo, il giudice istruttore Llarena del Tribunal Supremo ha costruito un vero e proprio teorema accusatorio, teso a dimostrare l’uso della violenza nei fatti occorsi nell’autunno 2017, per cui 13 dei 25 imputati nella macro-causa lo sono per ribellione, delitto punito con 25-30 di carcere. La violenza, pur se non esercitata direttamente dagli accusati, sarebbe quella da questi indotta nel comportamento della polizia spagnola il giorno del referendum per farne rispettare il divieto, o quella che si sarebbe potuta determinare per la presenza intimidatoria di un grande assembramento di persone il 20 settembre. Un’imputazione per un delitto inesistente, a detta di diversi giuristi stranieri e di alcuni spagnoli; contestata da Amnesty International che critica il regime di carcerazione preventivo in cui si trovano i Jordis. Per la semplice ragione che è mancante del suo presupposto, la violenza appunto, poiché il movimento indipendentista catalano è sempre stato pacifico e di massa. La processione dei capi d’accusa Tanto che la giustizia spagnola starebbe meditando un’eventuale riconsiderazione di questa imputazione attribuita ad alcuni degli esiliati, fino a sostituirla con l’accusa di sedizione, che prevede pene inferiori. Questo, in attesa di riuscire a dimostrare il delitto di malversazione di fondi pubblici, di cui sono accusati tutti i componenti dell’ex-governo per il referendum. Considerando che la Generalitat aveva il bilancio controllato dal governo spagnolo fin dal 2015 e commissariato negli ultimi giorni del settembre scorso. Contraddizione che ha aperto un inedito conflitto tra il ministro del Tesoro Montoro, che deve mostrarsi commissario efficiente, e il giudice Llarena, che teme di vedere compromesso l’altro aspetto del suo impianto processuale. Per entrambi i delitti la giustizia spagnola ha infatti chiesto l’estradizione degli imputati esiliati: di Carles Puigdemont, prima a Bruxelles e ora in libertà condizionata in Germania, di Clara Ponsatí in libertà condizionata nel Regno Unito, di Toni Comín in libertà condizionata a Bruxelles e di Marta Rovira rifugiatasi in Svizzera, imputati di ribellione; di Lluís Puig e Meritxell Serret a Bruxelles accusati di malversazione; mentre per Anna Gabriel non c’è richiesta di estradizione dalla Svizzera, perché imputata di disobbedienza. Il movimento indipendentista si è sempre appellato a una mediazione europea senza successo, perché la Commissione ha continuato a sostenere che si tratta di una questione interna allo Stato spagnolo. La strategia di Puigdemont è stata quella d’internazionalizzare il conflitto, per evidenziare il carattere politico della persecuzione giudiziaria. Il suo arresto in Germania e quello successivo di altri cinque dirigenti dell’indipendentismo hanno suscitato più di una perplessità nelle opinioni pubbliche europee e sui media internazionali. Il tribunale tedesco non ha riconosciuto gli estremi di violenza per l’estradizione di Puigdemont; la giustizia britannica si è presa del tempo per esaminare le carte relative all’imputata Ponsatí; in Belgio, la giustizia sta istruendo la richiesta relativa agli altri imputati; la Svizzera ha già detto che non concederà estradizioni per ragioni politiche. E il Comitato dei Diritti Umani dell’Onu, sollecitato da Jordi Sánchez perché era stato impedito a presentarsi come candidato a president della Generalitat, raccomanda che ne siano garantiti i diritti politici. Una vicenda tutta spagnola su cui peserà il giudizio di almeno altri quattro paesi europei. Full Article
& IL CASO PUIGDEMONT: LA "PROVA DEL FUOCO" DEL MANDATO D'ARRESTO EUROPEO By www.collectiuemma.cat Published On :: Mon, 06 Aug 2018 13:15:00 +0200 DIRITTO PENALE CONTEMPORANEO 4 luglio 2018 | Luigi Foffani Per leggere la decisione dell'OLG del 5 aprile 2018, clicca qui. Per leggere la decisione definitiva dell'OLG del 12 luglio 2018, clicca qui. 1. La mattina del 25 marzo 2018 Carles Puigdemont, ex-Presidente della Generalitat de Catalunya, viene fermato alla guida di un automobile su un’autostrada dello Schleswig-Holstein, pochi chilometri dopo l’ingresso nel territorio della Repubblica Federale Tedesca. Puigdemont – che risiedeva a Bruxelles dal 28 ottobre 2017, per sfuggire al mandato di cattura del Tribunal Supremo spagnolo – si era recato in Danimarca per una conferenza e stava rientrando in Belgio attraverso la Germania. Contro di lui viene emessa una richiesta di mandato d’arresto europeo (MAE) per i delitti di “ribellione” (“rebelión”: art. 472 CP esp) e peculato (“malversación de caudales públicos”: art. 432 e 252 CP esp). L’Oberlandsgericht dello Schsleswig-Holstein, con la decisione del 5 aprile 2018 respinge senza esitazione la richiesta di mandato d’arresto europeo per quanto riguarda il delitto di “rebelión”: tale delitto infatti non ricade in alcun modo nel “campo d’applicazione del mandato d’arresto europeo” descritto dall’art. 2 della Decisione quadro del 13 giugno 2002 “relativa al mandato d’arresto europeo e alle procedure di consegna tra Stati membri” (2002/584/GAI) ed anche la richiesta di estradizione appare a prima vista inammissibile per la mancanza di una “beiderseitige Strafbarkeit” (“doppia incriminazione”). Diversamente invece non sarebbe inammissibile – secondo l’OLG Schleswig-Holstein – la richiesta di mandato d’arresto europeo in relazione al secondo delitto (peculato, “malversación de caudales públicos”, “Veruntreuung öffentlicher Gelder”), che sarebbe riconducibile alla fattispecie di corruzione richiamata dalla Decisione quadro; ma la richiesta del Tribunal Supremo spagnolo – secondo l’OLG – “non contiene una sufficiente descrizione delle circostanze, sulla base delle quali il reato sarebbe stato commesso, con una necessaria concretizzazione del rimprovero penale, che renda possibile la sua riconducibilità al comportamento addebitato all’imputato. […] Non è chiaro peraltro se lo Stato sia stato realmente gravato di questi costi, nella misura in cui questi siano stati effettivamente pagati con fondi del bilancio regionale e se l’imputato abbia occasionato queste spese”. La decisione dell’OLG Schleswig-Holstein risulta pienamente corretta e convincente, sulla base della disciplina europea e nazionale del mandato d’arresto europeo e dell’estradizione. 2. Quanto al primo e più importante punto (il supposto delitto di “rebelión”) è del tutto evidente l’inesistenza in concreto del requisito della “doppia incriminazione” (“beiderseitige Strafbarkeit”, “double criminality”), necessario per dar corso alla richiesta di estradizione ai sensi del § 3 comma 1 della legge sulla cooperazione giudiziaria internazionale in materia penale (Gesetz über die Internationale Rechtshilfe in Strafsachen, IRG). Il comportamento tenuto da Puigdemont e dagli altri leader indipendentisti durante tutto il percorso politico-istituzionale che ha portato al referendum dell’1 ottobre 2017 e alla successiva dichiarazione unilaterale di indipendenza del 27 ottobre sarebbe infatti – sulla base di una ipotetica applicazione al caso in esame del diritto tedesco – penalmente irrilevante. Il delitto di “Hochverrat gegen den Bund” (“alto tradimento contro lo Stato federale”) – punito dal § 81 StGB con l’ergastolo o con una pena detentiva non inferiore a 10 anni – richiede infatti che si sia concretamente perseguita la separazione di una parte del territorio nazionale “con violenza o tramite minaccia di violenza” (“mit Gewalt oder durch Drohung mit Gewalt”). L’OLG Schleswig-Holstein richiama correttamente la giurisprudenza del Bundesgerichtshof tedesco, che richiede per l’applicazione in concreto di una così grave fattispecie incriminatrice – ed anche della molto più lieve ipotesi della “violenza contro un organo costituzionale” (“Nötigung eines Verfassungsorgans“: § 105 comma 1 StGB) – che la violenza impiegata o minacciata dai rivoltosi abbia concretamente annullato la libertà di decisione nel caso specifico dell’organo costituzionale destinatario della violenza. Un’ipotesi che – come correttamente rileva l’OLG Schleswig-Holstein – mai si è concretamente verificata durante il processo indipendentista dei mesi scorsi, né nei confronti del Parlamento catalano, né nei confronti delle Cortes spagnole. Ma a ben vedere anche sulla base del diritto spagnolo – che l’OLG Schleswig-Holstein non prende in considerazione, in quanto una simile analisi non rientrava nelle sue competenze – l’imputazione formulata dal Tribunal Supremo spagnolo risulta del tutto inverosimile. Il delitto di “rebelión”[1] (art. 472 e 473 CP) punisce infatti con una pena elevatissima (reclusione da 25 a 30 anni, poiché il Tribunal Supremo contesta a Puigdemont e agli altri imputati l’aggravante di aver “distratto i fondi pubblici dalla loro legittima destinazione”) “los que se alzaren violenta y públicamente para cualquiera de los fines siguientes” (“coloro che si sollevino violentemente e pubblicamente per qualsiasi delle seguenti finalità”), fra le quali finalità viene prevista espressamente “declarar la indepedencia de una parte del territorio nacional” (art. 472 n. 5° CP esp.). L’unico elemento di questo gravissimo delitto che possa ragionevolmente ritenersi integrato dal processo indipendentista catalano è l’evento, ossia la dichiarazione unilaterale di indipendenza del 27 ottobre 2017, in esecuzione del risultato del referendum dell’1 ottobre (dichiarato preventivamente illegittimo dal Tribunal constitucional). È indiscutibile dunque l’esistenza della finalità tipica del delitto di “rebelión” a carico di Puigdemont e degli altri imputati, ma è altrettanto evidente l’assoluta inesistenza della condotta materiale tipica di tale grave delitto e soprattutto di un qualsivoglia nesso di causalità fra la condotta e l’evento che rappresentava l’obiettivo di tale illecita finalità. L’art. 472 descrive la condotta tipica come il fatto di “alzarse violenta y públicamente” per conseguire una delle finalità penalmente rilevanti della “rebelión” (quale appunto la separazione della Catalunya dallo Stato spagnolo). In realtà chiunque sia stato in Catalunya nei mesi scorsi ha potuto rilevare il carattere assolutamente pacifico del processo indipendentista: l’unica violenza è stata quella delle ripetute cariche di polizia dell’1 ottobre per tentare di impedire l’esercizio del voto in quello che il Governo spagnolo ed il Tribunal constitucional avevano definito come un referendum illegale e incostituzionale. Ma quand’anche si fossero verificate delle manifestazioni pubbliche di violenza nelle settimane e nei mesi antecedenti al referendum e alla successiva dichiarazione unilaterale di indipendenza, e quand’anche si potesse dimostrare la riconducibilità degli atti di violenza alle decisioni assunte dall’ex Presidente della Generalitat e dalla cupola dei partiti e movimenti indipendentisti – come tenta di dimostrare il provvedimento del Tribunal Supremo spagnolo – ciò che comunque sarebbe inesistente ed indimostrabile sarebbe il nesso di causalità fra gli atti di violenza (condotta tipica del delitto di “rebelión”) e l’evento rappresentato dalla dichiarazione unilaterale di indipendenza della Catalogna. Quest’ultima infatti è derivata da un voto espresso dalla maggioranza del Parlamento catalano il 27 ottobre 2017 in esecuzione del risultato del referendum dell’1 ottobre e la maggioranza in questione era esattamente quella corrispondente ai seggi conseguiti dai partiti indipendentisti alle ultime elezioni catalane. I partiti indipendentisti (Junts x sì e CUP) avevano espressamente dichiarato già in campagna elettorale l’intendimento di giungere a promuovere un referendum sull’indipendenza, nonostante la ferma e reiterata opposizione del Governo spagnolo e le prese di posizione in senso contrario del Tribunal constitucional. Il voto del Parlamento catalano del 27 ottobre 2017 è null’altro che la naturale e fedele conseguenza delle elezioni catalane del 27 settembre 2015, per nulla influenzato dalle ipotetiche manifestazioni di violenza che il Tribunal Supremo spagnolo imputa all’azione politica dell’allora Presidente della Generalitat e degli altri leader indipendentisti. In conclusione, dunque, del delitto di “rebelión” previsto dal Codigo penal spagnolo può essere contestata a Puigdemont e agli altri imputati solo ed esclusivamente la finalità – dichiarata pubblicamente, perseguita con coerenza ed infine conseguita, sia pure in termini assolutamente effimeri e più simbolici che reali – di separare la Catalogna dallo Stato spagnolo. Troppo poco, evidentemente, per ritenere integrati gli elementi costitutivi di un gravissimo delitto che il legislatore spagnolo aveva pensato e descritto con riferimento a vicende di tutt’altra natura, come un tentativo di colpo di stato, un’insurrezione armata, un sollevamento di gruppi militari o paramilitari[2], ecc. È vero che il delitto di “rebelión” è stato costruito dal legislatore spagnolo come una fattispecie a dolo specifico, che non richiede la realizzazione materiale della finalità secessionista; ma è altrettanto evidente che – se non si vuole cadere nella deriva di un “Gesinnungsstrafrecht” di matrice chiaramente autoritaria – la consumazione di un reato di tale gravità non può non presupporre una condotta violenta non solo soggettivamente indirizzata, ma anche oggettivamente idonea, a realizzare la predetta finalità secessionista. Mutatis mutandis, sarebbe come se i consigli regionali di Lombardia e Veneto, anziché assumere alcuni mesi or solo la legittima iniziativa di un referendum popolare per promuovere una maggiore autonomia delle rispettive Regioni, avessero voluto organizzare un referendum per la secessione dallo Stato italiano: la reazione delle autorità governative statali sarebbe stata verosimilmente quella di promuovere un conflitto di attribuzioni fra i poteri dello Stato davanti alla Corte costituzionale; ma certo a nessun ufficio di procura sarebbe venuto in mente di promuovere un’azione penale per “attentato contro organi costituzionali o contro le assemblee regionali” ex art. 289 c.p. o addirittura un’“insurrezione armata contro i poteri dello Stato” ex art. 284 c.p. Ciò che è avvenuto in Spagna, viceversa, è stata una repentina criminalizzazione del conflitto politico-territoriale catalano attraverso un uso assai discutibile e spregiudicato dello strumento penale. L’evidente forzatura interpretativa della ricostruzione operata dal Tribunal Supremo spagnolo è verosimilmente alla base di ciò che l’OLG dello Schleswig Holstein non scrive nella propria decisione, ma sembra implicitamente ritenere: il venir meno nella vicenda in esame del principio della fiducia reciproca fra gli ordinamenti che è alla base della Decisione quadro sul mandato d’arresto europeo e di tutto il sistema della cooperazione giudiziaria europea e la convinzione (anch’essa implicita) che in Spagna non vi sarebbero oggi le condizioni per un giusto processo (“fair trial”) nei confronti di Puigdemont per il delitto di “rebelión”. Una convinzione implicita che trova conferma nel fatto che da molti mesi numerosi esponenti del decaduto Governo catalano ed altri leader indipendentisti si trovino in custodia preventiva per la medesima contestazione del delitto di “rebelión”. 3. Quanto infine al secondo punto della decisione dell’Oberlandsgericht dello Schleswig Holstein, suscita perplessità l’affermazione – sostenuta nella richiesta di mandato d’arresto europeo avanzata dal Tribunal Supremo spagnolo e ripresa in termini adesivi dalla decisione dell’OLG – secondo la quale il delitto di peculato (“malversación de caudales públicos”, “Veruntreuung öffentlicher Gelder”), contestato dal Giudice istruttore del Tribunal Supremo a Puigdemont e ad altri esponenti del decaduto Governo catalano, sarebbe riconducibile alla fattispecie della corruzione presente nel catalogo dei reati presupposto del mandato d’arresto europeo. Non vale infatti sostenere che la Convenzione ONU sulla corruzione del 2003 ed altre iniziative internazionali intendono la corruzione in senso ampio ed atecnico, come comprensiva anche di altre figure di reato del settore pubblico, come appunto la “malversación de caudales públicos”. Un conto infatti è una convenzione internazionale che – nel generico intento politico di contrastare fenomeni di corruzione intesa nel senso più ampio del termine (in senso sociologico più che giuridico-penale) – chieda ai legislatori nazionali di incriminare anche altre ipotesi di reato diverse dalla specifica fattispecie della corruzione; cosa completamente diversa invece è una Decisione quadro che – comportando l’adozione di misure restrittive della libertà personale nella forma del mandato d’arresto europeo – va interpretata in senso tecnico e restrittivo in ordine al “campo d’applicazione del mandato d’arresto europeo” di cui all’art. 2 della Decisione quadro. In ogni caso gli strumenti della cooperazione giudiziaria internazionale avrebbero comunque potuto essere utilmente attivati in forma di richiesta di estradizione, poiché sussiste senz’altro, nell’ipotesi in esame, il requisito della doppia incriminazione: la “malversación de caudales públicos” di cui agli art. 432 e 252 CP esp. – sostanzialmente equivalente alla fattispecie di peculato ex art. 314 c.p. it. – trova infatti corrispondenza nella più generale fattispecie di “Untreue” o “infedeltà patrimoniale” (§ 266 StGB), suscettibile di trovare applicazione anche nel settore pubblico in presenza di condotte di “Veruntreuung öffentlicher Gelder” (“gestione infedele di fondi pubblici”). La richiesta del Tribunal Supremo spagnolo non trova tuttavia accoglimento – come già segnalato all’inizio di questo commento – per la carente descrizione, da parte dell’autorità richiedente, delle circostanze di fatto sulla base delle quali si sosterrebbe la responsabilità dell’imputato da estradare[3]. Un ulteriore ed evidente sintomo di quella implicita carenza di fiducia – da parte dell’autorità giudiziaria a cui è rivolta la richiesta di estradizione – circa la fondatezza dell’impianto accusatorio costruito dal Giudice istruttore del Tribunal Supremo spagnolo contro i leader del processo indipendentista. 4. In conclusione: dopo questa decisione interlocutoria – alla quale ha fatto seguito una rinnovata richiesta delle autorità giudiziarie spagnole, che insistono con fermezza nella pretesa di sottoporre a processo l’ex Presidente della Generalitat Carles Puigdemont – siamo in attesa della decisione definitiva dell’OLG dello Schleswig Holstein. Qualunque sarà la decisione definitiva, essa segnerà comunque una pietra miliare – in un senso o nell’altro – nella storia del mandato d’arresto europeo e della cooperazione giudiziaria europea. 5. Nelle more della conclusione di questo breve commento è sopraggiunta finalmente la decisione definitiva dell’OLG Schleswig-Holstein del 12 luglio 2018, che sostanzialmente conferma la decisione precedente, negando l’estradizione per il delitto di “rebelión” ed ammettendola invece per la “malversación de caudales públicos”. Una settimana più tardi – il 19 luglio – il Giudice istruttore del Tribunal Supremo Pablo Llarena ha deciso, con suo autonomo provvedimento, di rifiutare l’estradizione “dimezzata” [4] e di ritirare tutte le richieste di estradizione e di ordine d’arresto europeo nel frattempo indirizzate in Belgio, Scozia e Svizzera contro altri politici indipendentisti di primo piano rifugiatisi all’estero per sfuggire all’arresto in Spagna. Sembra dunque chiudersi definitivamente – con un passo indietro dell’autorità giudiziaria spagnola (a malincuore e non senza considerazioni polemiche nei confronti della pronuncia della magistratura tedesca) – la partita europea e internazionale per la soluzione penale della questione independentista catalana[5] e la palla ritorna nuovamente nel campo della politica: una politica che – con nuovi attori protagonisti (tanto a Barcellona – con la Presidenza della Generalitat di Quim Torra – quanto a Madrid, dopo la caduta a sorpresa del governo di Mariano Rajoy e l’arrivo alla Moncloa di Pedro Sanchez) – tenta di riprendere – con estrema prudenza da ambo le parti, ma con qualche nuova timida speranza – la difficile via del dialogo e della ricerca di una soluzione politica condivisa alla crisi costituzionale aperta dalla domanda di indipendenza di una parte (sia pur lievemente) maggioritaria della società civile e politica catalana. _____________________________________ [1] Sul quale v. per tutti in dottrina il recentissimo contributo di M. Cugat Mauri, La violencia como elemento del delito de rebelión, in Liber Amicorum. Estudios Juridicos en Homenaje al Prof. Dr. Dr.h.c. Juan M. Terradillos Basoco, Valencia, Tirant Lo Blanch, 2018, p. 567-582. [2] Esempio paradigmatico fu il tentativo di colpo di stato militare che ebbe luogo il 23 febbraio 1981, nel quale una parte dell’esercito spagnolo comandato dal tenente colonnello Tejero fece irruzione nel Parlamento durante il voto di fiducia al Primo Ministro Adolfo Suarez, prendendo in ostaggio parlamentari e governo, mentre altri gruppi militari invadevano alcune strade di Valencia con carrarmati e soldati ed intendevano inviare una divisione di carristi a Madrid per occupare la capitale. [3] Di fronte per di più a dichiarazioni pubbliche della stessa autorità governativa spagnola (l’ex Ministro delle Finanze Montoro) che a suo tempo aveva riconosciuto che per la realizzazione del referendum indipendentista catalano non erano stati impiegati fondi ricavati dal bilancio pubblico. [4] Probabilmente si è tenuto in conto in questa decisione il rischio che per il solo delitto di “malversación de caudales públicos” difficilmente sarebbe stato sostenibile un lungo protrarsi della custodia cautelare in carcere di Puigdemont, e che una volta liberato questi avrebbe potuto esercitare senza limiti il proprio mandato di parlamentare catalano e finanche essere nuovamente eletto come Presidente della Generalitat. [5] V. ad es.: Llarena da por perdida la batalla europea de la rebelión, in La Vanguardia, ed. online, 19 luglio 2018. Full Article
& Stellenausschreibung: Wissenschaftliche/r Mitarbeiter/in für das EU BON Projekt am Museum für Naturkunde Berlin By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:21:00 +0200 Job alert: Research assistant at Museum für Naturkunde Berlin The Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin offers a job opportunity with the EU BON project (WP1+WP2 tasks) - fluency in German is a must! The position is set for a two-year contract with a possibility for further extensions. More information about the position, the application process and job requirements is available below and in the document attached.## Zur Unterstützung der Beteiligung des MfN an EU BON ist am Museum für Naturkunde Berlin zum nächstmöglichen Zeitpunkt eine vorerst auf 2 Jahre befristete (mit der Option der Verlängerung)Position eines/einer Wissenschaftlichen Mitarbeiters/in mit 75% der regelmäßigen wöchentlichen Arbeitszeit Entgeltgruppe E13 TV-L Berlin zu besetzenAufgabengebiete:Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeit und eigenständige Durchführung spezifischer Aufgaben innerhalb des EU BON Projektes, vor allem innerhalb der Arbeitspakete 1 (Datenquellen) und 2 (Datenintegration), i.b.- Datenrecherche und Erstellung von Übersichten für EU BON relevanter Daten- und Informationsquellen;- Bewertung und Lückenanalyse bestehender Datenbanken und Informationssysteme zur Biodiversität;- Harmonisierung, Aktualisierung und Koordinierung taxonomischer Referenz-Datenbanken i.b. für Europa;- Unterstützung der Einführung und Verbesserung von Datenstandards zur Verbesserung der Integration und Interoperabilität unterschiedlicher Datenebenen- Mitwirkung bei Erprobung neuer Datenerhebungsansätze und –verfahren, auch im Gelände- Planung und Durchführung von Projekttreffen und -veranstaltungen- Erstellung von Ergebnisberichten und wissenschaftlichen Präsentationen / Veröffentlichungen. Bewerbungsschluss: 28.02.2013 Full Article News
& Job alert: Two positions at Estación Biológica de Doñana (Spain) By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:28:00 +0200 Estación Biológica de Doñana seeks applicants for two positions with the following profiles. 1. Telecommunication Engineer or similar to work in the EU project Building the European Biodiversity Observation Network (EU BON) The main tasks will be: To validate the application of data architecture to data from testing sites, looking for accessibility to stakeholders. To assist validate EUBON tools for the analysis and interpretation of data from the web server. Candidate should catalyze the understanding between informatics and biologists, understanding data architecture, protocols for data warehouse and metadata registry and catalogue while keeping the ability of understanding requirements from both scientist and managers. Previous professional experience on biodiversity datasets, systematic protocols of data entrance (e.g. cybertracker software), data management (e.g. mysql), data mining and data patterns (e.g. Clementine software, neural networks) and web portals will be valued. Period: Abril 2013- December 2016 Salary: 40000-45000 € per year before taxes Candidates should send a curriculum vitae and contact details of two referencence persons to Carlos Rodríguez before March 15th. 2. Informatics engineer or similar to work in the EU project Building the European Biodiversity Observation Network (EU BON) He/she will be the person in charge of data architecture that will guide the development, integration, and interoperability efforts within the project starting from the information architectures of relevant infrastructures such as GBIF; LTER, GOESS, GEOBON, LifeWatch, and INSPIRE. The architecture will highlight the relevant components of registry, portal, semantic mediation, workflows, and e-services. The task will address heterogeneity of projects and networks by ensuring that the developments of the project can be migrated to permanent infrastructures. He/she will be leading the creation of the European Biodiversity Data portal as the main GEOBON information hub. It is required to be fluent in English, being able of attend several international meetings and report the activity of the team. Period: April 2013-February 2015 Salary: 40000-45000€ per year before taxes Candidates should send a curriculum vitae and contact details of two reference persons to Carlos Rodríguez before March 15th. Full Article News
& New "LinkOut" tool by National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) providing easy link to PubMed and GenBank data By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:48:00 +0200 A new "LinkOut" feature introduced by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) NCBI’s allows the easy linking to content on PubMed and GenBank. Dryad has already introduced the feature benefitting from easy and fast linking of associated content to the two resources. PubMed and GenBank, from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), are hugely popular resources for searching and retrieving article abstracts and nucleotide sequence data, respectively. PubMed indexes the vast majority of the biomedical literature, and deposition of nucleotide sequences in GenBank or one of the other INSDC databases is a near universal requirement for publication in a scientific journal. LinkOut allows the data from an article to be distributed among repositories without compromising its discoverability. Dryad, intends to expand on this feature in a couple of ways. First, it is planned to make Dryad content searchable via the PubMed and GenBank identifiers, which because of their wide use will provide a convenient gateway for other biomedical databases to link out to Dryad. Second, open web standards will be used to expose relationships between content in Dryad and other repositories, not just NCBI. Original source: Dryad news and views Full Article News
& ENVIMPACT CONFERENCE: "Environmental research: Experiences on best practices towards Horizon 2020" By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Wed, 08 May 2013 14:15:00 +0300 The "Environmental research: Experiences on best practices towards Horizon 2020" conference will be held the 30th of May 2013 in Brussels at the Museum of Natural Sciences. Organizers of the event are the APRE (Agency for the Promotion of European Research), and the ENVIMPACT consortium. The event will gather European Commission representatives, researchers, FP7 project's participants, governmental, academic and industrial stakeholders of the Central East European countries with the aim of presenting the current and future tools and trends for dissemination and exploitation of R&D results with a special focus on the thematic areas of research in air pollution, chemical pollution and environmental technologies, especially in the Central-Eastern European (CEE) countries. The agenda of the conference and the press release are downloadable at the link: http://download.apre.it/envimpact_presskit1.zip The registration is free, please register at http://www.envimpact.eu/index.cfm?action=article&publication_id=922 ENVIMPACT project has been launched on 1st January 2011. This initiative is funded by the European Commission under FP7, DG Research and Innovation, with the objectives to improve the current communication and dissemination of environmental research results deriving from Central-Eastern European (CEE) countries. Full Article News
& "Biodiversity and Integrated Environmental Monitoring": A new book explores the challenges in front of biodiversity data management and implementation in the future By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 13:24:00 +0300 The Brazilian initiative PPBio (The Program for Research on Biodiversity) launches a new book based on over a decade of experience in implementing the biodiversity monitoring system RAPELD in the Brazilian Amazon. Richly illustrated and written in simple language, the book "Biodiversity and Integrated Environmental Monitoring" addresses the issues that led to the system development, covering topics such as the spatial organization and representation of biological diversity, environmental monitoring, and data management. Monitoring of biodiversity is not merely an academic endeavor. Although scientific aspects such as representation of biodiversity and biodiversity data integration, management and preservation are of a great importance, it is also essential to think about the political context in which decisions will be made and how to incorporate political stakeholders and decision makers. "As this important book makes clear questions about biodiversity are far from purely scientific. Biodiversity matters. Our needs to assess it embed in a complex of questions posed by managers, policy makers and those who live in or otherwise benefit from biodiversity.", explains Dr Stuart L. Pimm in the preface of the book. "So how do we ensure that data collected now will be useful for purposes we cannot yet imagine at some unexpected time in the future? Or provide comparison to some other place that we might survey some day?" Those and many more questions regarding biodiversity data management and policy involvement are discussed in the new book "Biodiversity and Integrated Environmental Monitoring". Full Article News
& Postdoctoral position on species and population dynamics at Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), Spain By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Fri, 05 Jul 2013 11:39:00 +0300 Funded by the "Severo Ochoa" Excellence Program awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, the Doñana Biological Station (www.ebd.csic.es) seeks a Postdoctoral fellow for two-years with a potential extension of one year with the aim of analyzing temporal trends of species distribution and abundance in the Doñana natural area (SW Spain), and their relation with environmental pressures such as climate change, land-use change, and water quality. Period for application: From 5th July to 5th August, 2013. For more information please see the pdf file below. Full Article News
& Handling "big data" is no small feat By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 16:05:00 +0300 Policy-makers and science and industry representatives are discussing how to make large amounts of Earth observation data accessible to a wider user community. To explore this idea, some 250 science, industry and policy-making representatives and national delegates from Europe, the US, Australia, China and Africa met at ESA’s ESRIN centre in Frascati, Italy last week for ESA’s first ‘Big Data from Space’ event. Representatives from ESA and NASA opened the event together with the European Commission. European Commission Directorates-General for Enterprise and Industry, Research and Innovation and Communications Networks, Content and Technology, along with representatives from the European Environment Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Open Geospatial Consortium acted as session chairs. Javier de la Torre, representing the EU BON partner Vizzuality gave a presentation 'Global Deforestation through Timeme: Big Data Meets Scalable Visualizations,' which included some of the work Vizzuality is doing toward the EUBON project. The event concluded with a strong call by all parties for the ability to handle and use big Earth observing data. This could potentially open new opportunities for research and international cooperation schemes such as programmatic and industrial coordination. Full Article News
& Populations of grassland butterflies decline almost 50 % over two decades By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 16:02:00 +0200 By http://www.eea.europa.eu/ Grassland butterflies have declined dramatically between 1990 and 2011. This has been caused by intensifying agriculture and a failure to properly manage grassland ecosystems, according to a report from the European Environment Agency (EEA). The fall in grassland butterfly numbers is particularly worrying, according to the report, because these butterflies are considered to be representative indicators of trends observed for most other terrestrial insects, which together form around two thirds of the world’s species. This means that butterflies are useful indicators of biodiversity and the general health of ecosystems. Seventeen butterfly species are examined in 'The European Grassland Butterfly Indicator: 1990–2011’, comprising seven widespread and 10 specialist species. Of the 17 species, eight have declined in Europe, two have remained stable and one increased. For six species the trend is uncertain. Butterflies examined in the report include the Common Blue (Polyommatus icarus), which has declined significantly, the Orangetip (Anthocharis cardamines), which seems to be stable since 1990, and the Lulworth Skipper (Thymelicus acteon), which shows an uncertain trend over the last two decades. Hans Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director, said: "This dramatic decline in grassland butterflies should ring alarm bells – in general Europe’s grassland habitats are shrinking. If we fail to maintain these habitats we could lose many of these species forever. We must recognise the importance of butterflies and other insects – the pollination they carry out is essential for both natural ecosystems and agriculture." more... Full Article News
& Job Alert: GEO BON Executive Director, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg in cooperation with GEO BON and iDiv By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 14:45:00 +0200 The Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg offers in cooperation with GEO BON and iDiv the position of Executive Director for the duration of 30 months (initially limited till September 30th, 2016 with possibility of extension). The Executive Director will work in close collaboration with the incoming Chair of the GEO BON Steering Committee, Prof. Henrique M. Pereira (iDiv) and the incoming vice-chair, Dr. Mike Gill (Environment Canada), thematic workgroup coordinators, regional BON coordinators, the GEO BON Steering Committee and the GEO secretariat. Requirements:• Ph.D. in ecology or related field• excellent diploma or master degree in a relevant field• demonstrable experience in project management with executive leadership in organizations a plus• excellent communication skills, fluency in English, knowledge of other languages being a plus• willingness to travel abroad frequently, outgoing and at ease in multicultural backgrounds Topic/job description:• Providing visible leadership for GEO BON and representing GEO BON at scientific and policy meetings• Creating funding opportunities through engagement with potential donors• Coordinating activities of GEO BON Working Groups and Regional Observation Networks• Liaising with national and regional organizations involved in biodiversity monitoring and reporting• Organize the Steering Committee, All-hands and other meetings of GEO BON and manage the communication activities of GEO BON, including a regular newsletter and a website• Manage, as and when required, activities and inputs requested by the GEO secretariat Applications should be directed to emily.keller@idiv.de and addressed to Henrique M. Pereira, Professor of Biodiversity Conservation, iDiv. Applications should be in a single PDF file with reference file number (D 189/2013). Applications are accepted until January 6th, 2014. For more information see attached the full text of the job offer. Full Article News
& UN's message on the International day for biological diversity By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Thu, 22 May 2014 15:24:00 +0300 This year’s International Day for Biological Diversity falls in the International Year of Small Island Developing States and is being observed under the theme of "Island Diversity". For some 600 million island-dwellers -- nearly one-tenth of the world’s population and representing one in three United Nations Member States -- biodiversity is integral to their subsistence, income, well-being and cultural identity. Half the world’s marine resources lie in island waters. Biodiversity-based industries such as tourism and fisheries account for more than half the gross domestic product of small island developing states. Coral reefs alone provide an estimated $375 billion annual return in goods and services. Many island species on land and sea are found nowhere else on Earth. Legacies of a unique evolutionary heritage, they hold the promise of future discoveries -- from medicines and foods to biofuels. Yet, reflecting a global pattern, island biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate in the face of growing risks. Rising sea levels caused by climate change, ocean acidification, invasive alien species, overfishing, pollution and ill-considered development are taking a heavy toll. Many species face the prospect of extinction. People’s livelihoods and national economies are suffering. The process to define a post-2015 development agenda and the Third Conference on Small Island Developing States in Samoa in September of this year both offer opportunities to attend to the unique needs of small island developing states and reverse the global decline in biodiversity. Because of their vulnerability, small island developing states are demonstrating a growing understanding of the links between healthy ecosystems and human well-being. Many have made local, national and regional commitments to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity, including through ratifying important instruments such as the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization. I call on all countries around the world to follow suit and ratify the Protocol without delay. Around the world, many innovative partnerships are being forged to preserve marine and coastal resources, enhance resilience to climate change and develop sustainable tourism, fisheries and other industries. On this International Day, let us commit to adopting, adapting and scaling up best practices so we can protect fragile ecosystems for the benefit of all the islanders -- and indeed people everywhere -- who depend on them. Full Article News
& Postdoctoral position on Biological Invasions at Doñana Biological Station (Spain) By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 23 Jun 2014 09:41:00 +0300 Funded by the "Severo Ochoa" Excellence Program awarded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, the Doñana Biological Station (www.ebd.csic.es) seeks a Postdoctoral fellow for two-years with the aim to conduct research in the field of Biological Invasions. EBD-CSIC is interested to examine the multifaceted causes and consequences of biological invasions, a key component of global change. The ultimate goal is to improve our knowledge of the factors that influence the success and impacts of invasions by plants and vertebrates. For this purpose, we investigate species traits conferring invasive potential, the vulnerability of ecosystems to be invaded, and the sensitivity of native biodiversity to invasions under different environmental conditions and scenarios of global change. Deadline for interested applicants: 17th June-17th July, 2014 Please see attached file for more details (download, pdf) Full Article News
& European Space Agency's call for proposals: Data User Element INNOVATOR By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 23 Jun 2014 10:38:00 +0300 European Space Agency (ESA) has released its call for proposals for the next projects in the Data User Element (DUE) INNOVATOR arena. Projects are expected to contributed to various international efforts, and CliC and the Cryosphere in a Changing Climate Grand Challenge are specifically mentioned. We encourage those of you interested in submitting a proposal to consider tying your efforts to some of the ongoing and developing CliC activities. The full call for proposals can be downloaded here. The DUE INNOVATOR III will consist in a suite of up to 12 projects of maximum two year time duration and of value up to 200 K euro each. The DUE INNOVATOR III projects will give to the end-users, industry and research communities the opportunity to develop and demonstrate innovative Earth Observation (EO) services and products using existing ESA, ESA third-party mission and other EO datasets. These original projects, if successful, may constitute future large scale activities within the Agency's Data User Element (DUE) programme. The DUE INNOVATOR III application areas and service themes are open, but require a targeted end-user community that will directly benefit from these new services and products. At least one end-user entity shall be actively involved in each DUE INNOVATOR III project and will be responsible for providing the detailed service and product requirements, as well as support the interpretation and validation of the service products, and assess the adequacy of and benefits of the service. Each project will be carried out up to 24 months and will consist of three phases: - Specification and demonstration; - Implementation and validation; - Evaluation and evolution scenario. EO topics already covered by past or ongoing projects within the ESA DUP/DUE, EOMD, GSE, EU Framework Programmes or National programmes will not be considered for funding. Spanish Tenderers are advised that although Spain is participating in EOEP-4, its contribution is already earmarked for specific elements in EOEP-4 aiming at ensuring continuity with activities stemming from the previous period. Therefore, for this ITT, entities which have their registered office in Spain are not entitled to take part in a bidding consortium, either as Prime Contract or as subcontractor. Full Article News
& ECOSCOPE seminar: Observation systems & EBVs concept By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 16:20:00 +0300 ECOSCOPE (Network of Biodiversity Research Observatories) associates the SINP (Information System on Nature and Landscapes) to a shared event that will focus on the complementarity between "research - expertise" on biodiversity through the emerging concept of "Essential Biodiversity Variables" (EBVs). The seminar, scheduled for Monday, November 3, 2014 in Paris, is open to scientists, observatories’ managers and their teams, and to all who are involved in the study of the state and dynamics of biodiversity for research and expertise. The aims of this seminar are to increase awareness and understanding of EBVs, their interest for observatories (visibility, synergies) to benefit to observatories’ scientific managers and data users. It is also to define how this concept can be implemented at national scale, in connection with international initiatives. Programme will be available in available in September, for registration: follow the link ! Full Article News
& Special "Biodiversity and Conservation" sessions featured at ISRSE 36 By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 16:54:00 +0300 36th International Symposium on Remote Sensing of Environment (ISRSE) will take place on May 11-15, 2015 in Berlin, Germany. The event will feature special sessions "Biodiversity and Conservation" aiming to show the developments and potential of remote sensing within biodiversity and conservation science. This 36th Symposium will represent a major event in the long series of internationally recognized ISRSE meetings. The overall theme of the symposium is the use of Earth Observation systems and related Remote Sensing techniques for understanding and managing the Earth environment and resources. Find out more about this session in the brochure attached below or n the event website: www.isrse36.org/ Full Article News
& Re-publication of 'Flora of Northumberland and Durham' (1831): A dramatic account of change By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 14:55:00 +0300 The classical treatise "Flora of Northumberland and Durham" by Nathaniel John Winch is re-published through the innovative Advanced Books platform as an example of combining modern information technology together with historical scholarship to create a new sort of resource and data re-use. This publication will be supporting ongoing research on the botany of the region, which can be seen as a model for other regions in Europe. The on-line semantically enriched re-publication marries the meticulous detail of old books with the interconnectedness of the internet bringing advantages of the digitization and markup efforts such as data extraction and collation, distribution and re-use of content, archiving of different data elements in relevant repositories and so on. "Historic biodiversity literature is not just of cultural interest, it can be used to chart biogeographic change and help us understand the impacts of environmental change on biodiversity. Even if we are trying to predict future scenarios for biodiversity, understanding the changes of the past will help understand the changes we should expect in the future" said Dr Quentin Groom from the Meise Botanical Garden, Belgium, who initiated the project and marked up the original text. The North-east of England has seen many changes since the publication of Winch's Flora. In the 19th Century the area was a powerhouse of the industrial revolution. It was an important coal mining area and significant for the production of iron and steel. It was also a centre for industries such as shipbuilding and engineering. In contrast the uplands in the west of the region were some of the most isolated areas in England, covered in blanket bog and rarely visited. Since that time heavy industry and mining have declined, but the population has continued to grow. Agriculture and forestry have become mechanized changing the countryside perhaps beyond the recognition of Winch. Many of the plants and localities he mentions have disappeared and a large number of new species have been introduced. The local botanists are still very active in the region. With GPS systems and modern maps they are mapping the region's flora in ever more detail. The extensive efforts of Quentin Groom from the Botanic Garden Meise and editor of this re-publication combined with the cutting-edge technologies for semantic enhancements used by Pensoft's Advanced Books platform, have resulted in additional details including links to the original citations and coordinates of the mentioned localities. In some cases the habitat that Winch described for a locality differs dramatically from what can be found in the same location nowadays. The flora, for example, frequently mentions Prestwick Carr, an area of lowland bog, once full of rare species. Sadly it was largely drained just thirty years after the publication of the flora. Yet in recent years the Northumberland Wildlife Trust has been working to restore the bog to its former glory. "When reading Winch's flora, it is easy to see what has been lost, but more importantly what remains to be conserved", comments Groom. The re-publication of Winch's flora is just one step towards fully understanding all the impacts on wild plants of all the environmental changes that have occurred since the 19th century. Nevertheless, digitization of this flora not only tells us about plants but also about the history of science. Between the lines of this flora one can see a rudimentary understanding of ecology and the beginnings of research on phytogeography. Consider that in 1831 Charles Darwin set sail on the Beagle, collecting and cataloguing biodiversity around the world, much as Winch had done in North-east England over the preceding 30 years. Field botany at the time was not just a hobby, but a serious pursuit that led to many new discoveries. Understanding the causes of biodiversity change is only possible if you have data over a long period. The North-east England has an enviable botanical history dating back to William Turner (1508-1568), the so-called, Father of English Botany, who came from Morpeth in Northumberland. Yet he was only the first in a long list of North-eastern botanists, including John Wallis (1714-1793), Nathaniel John Winch (1769-1838), John Gilbert Baker (1834-1920), George Ralph Tate (1805-1871), Gordon Graham and George Swan (1917). Their publications and the works of many others have contributed to a large corpus of literature on the region's flora. Full Article News
& New UN- report released on mobilizing data revolution for a sustainable development: "A world that counts" By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 17:44:00 +0200 A new report "A world that counts - Mobilising the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development" was recently published. The document points out the need for globally available and freely accessible data to monitor progress of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to hold governments accountable and foster sustainable development. This issue needs to be solved in a timely manner, as the gaps between developed and developing countries, between information-rich and information-poor people are increasing. Furthermore, better integrated, timely and validated information can lead to better decision-making and real-time feedback to the citizens. However, still some challenges remain, and the report points out recommendations to overcome existing limitations (countries have poor data, data arrives too late, many issues are barely covered), e.g. through a global "Network of Data Innovation Networks" that connects both organizations and experts. The report was written by UN-IAEG, which is the United Nations Secretary-General’s Independent Expert Advisory Group on a Data Revolution for Sustainable Development and is available online here: http://www.undatarevolution.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/A-World-That-Counts.pdf Full Article News
& Conservation Biology Special Section: "Conservation in Europe as a model for emerging conservation issues globally By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 01 Jun 2015 15:06:00 +0300 A Special Section: "Conservation in Europe as a model for emerging conservation issues globally" is featured in the Early View module of Conservation Biology online. The section includes: Mapping opportunities and challenges for rewilding in Europe Silvia Ceaușu, Max Hofmann, Laetitia M. Navarro, Steve Carver, Peter H. Verburg and Henrique M. Pereira DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12533 Conservation in Europe as a model for emerging conservation issues globally Luigi Boitani and William J. Sutherland DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12530 The alignment of agricultural and nature conservation policies in the European Union Ian Hodge, Jennifer Hauck and Aletta Bonn DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12531 Scenarios of large mammal loss in Europe for the 21st century Carlo Rondinini and Piero Visconti DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12532 On how much biodiversity is covered in Europe by national protected areas and by the Natura 2000 network: insights from terrestrial vertebrates L. Maiorano, G. Amori, A. Montemaggiori, C. Rondinini, L. Santini, S. Saura and L. Boitani DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12535 The role of agri-environment schemes in conservation and environmental management Péter Batáry, Lynn V. Dicks, David Kleijn and William J. Sutherland DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12536 Framing the relationship between people and nature in the context of European conservation John D. C. Linnell, Petra Kaczensky, Ulrich Wotschikowsky, Nicolas Lescureux and Luigi Boitani DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12534 Full Article News
& Climate Change & Biodiversity: What may happen to bony fishes in the North Sea? By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Tue, 02 Jun 2015 14:44:00 +0300 Sustainable governance of our biological resources demands reliable scientific knowledge to be accessible and applicable to the needs of society. To achieve this, the EU BON project aims to develop a European Biodiversity Observation Network that facilitates open access to biodiversity data of relevance to environmental policy, and to develop innovative platforms for sharing and conveying this information through visually effective and policy-relevant media. As part of this endeavour, EU BON partners FishBase Information and Research Group (FIN), the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (MfN), and the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre collaborated to produce an infographic titled ‘Climate Change & Biodiversity: What may happen to bony fishes in the North Sea?’. This infographic explains the economic and ecological importance of bony fishes in the context of the North Sea. It also visualises potential changes to species diversity and composition over time, using habitat suitability and climate change predictions. These changes have been projected to 2100 based on modelled environmental conditions under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s A2 emissions scenarios. The projections have direct policy relevance to Aichi Biodiversity Target 10 of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which seeks to understand trends in climatic impacts on community composition in ecosystems, and to thereby minimize these impacts. The infographic was published on the 1st June 2015 on page 26 of The Parliament Magazine’s ‘Green Week’ edition (Issue 413), which is distributed to all members of European Parliament, the European Commission, Presidency Office, Party political groups, and various other EU institutions, with over 50,000 readers worldwide. Full Article News
& 9th GEO European Projects Workshop is on & streamlined live By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 15 Jun 2015 15:30:00 +0300 The 9th GEO European Projects Workshop is now taking place on 15 and 16 June 2015 in Copenhagen, co-organised by the Danish Meteorological Institute, the European Commission and the European Environment Agency. While registration is now closed, due to demand the event will be recorded and streamed live on http://stream.dvc.dk/9thgeo/ for those who are interested to follow. The objective of the GEO European Projects Workshop is to bring together European players interested in and actively contributing to the Global Earth Observations System of Systems (GEOSS). The aim is to enable participants to present their work and discuss how Europe can contribute to this international effort. Its timing has been set to maximise early insight and awareness of the new Implementation plan for the next decade of GEO as well as input to and awareness of Horizon 2020 work programme for 2016 and 2017. Building on the experience from previous GEO European Projects Workshops, it is intended to continue working towards greater involvement of the European private sector, especially SMEs, in GEO. The workshop will also focus on user engagement, and the priorities for future flagship initiatives, foreseen to be strengthened in the next phase of GEO, in order to fulfil GEO's ambition to provide information for decision making. More information available on the official event page: http://geo.pbe.eionet.europa.eu/ Full Article News
& Streamlined import of specimen & occurrence records into taxonomic manuscripts By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Fri, 30 Oct 2015 10:55:00 +0200 Substantial amount of documented occurrence records is awaiting publication stored in repositories and data indexing platforms, such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD Systems), or Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio). In order to streamline the authoring process, save taxonomists time, and provide a workflow for peer-review and quality checks, Pensoft has introduced an innovative feature that makes it possible to easily import occurrence records into a taxonomic manuscript. Prior to this development, Pensoft's ARPHA Writing Tool (AWT) only used the "upload from Excel" approach for this workflow. Although this method significantly simplified the process of importing materials and is actively used by the authors, it still required one extra transposition step. Now, we added a new even more user-friendly option. By simply specifying an identifier (ID) in the relevant box, the new import plugin allows for occurrence data, stored at GBIF, BOLD systems, or iDigBio, to be be directly inserted into the manuscript. It all happens in the user-friendly environment of the AWT, where the imported data can be then edited before submission to the Biodiversity Data Journal. Not having to retype or copy/paste species occurrence records, the authors save a lot of efforts. Moreover, they automatically import them in a structured Darwin Core format, which can be easily downloaded from the article text into structured data by anyone who needs the data for reuse after publication. Another important aspect of the workflow is that it will serve as a platform for peer-review, publication and curation of raw data, that is of unpublished individual data records coming from collections or observations stored at GBIF, BOLD and iDigBio. The work has been partially supported by the EC-FP7 EU BON project (ENV 308454, Building the European Biodiversity Observation Network) and the ITN Horizon 2020 project BIG4(Biosystematics, informatics and genomics of the big 4 insect groups: training tomorrow's researchers and entrepreneurs), under Marie Sklodovska-Curie grant agreement No. 542241. Full Article News
& EU BON at the BACI Workshop "Remote sensing applications related to land use/change" By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Wed, 25 Nov 2015 15:28:00 +0200 From 9 to 11 November in Vienna, Austria the EU H2020 project Detecting changes in essential ecosystem and biodiversity properties – towards a Biosphere Atmosphere Change Index: BACI has organised a special workshop titled "Remote sensing applications related to land use/change" with the aim to facilitate co-design and co-production of knowledge with regard to innovative applications of remote sensing products. EU BON project partner Duccio Rocchini was among the invited lecturers at the event. His talk titled "Like in a Rubik’s cube: Recomposing Biodiversity Information by Remote Sensing Data" introduced some experience from EU BON. The overarching objective of BACI is to tap into the unrealized potential of existing and scheduled space-borne Earth observation data streams to detect changes in ecosystem functioning and services that have repercussions for essential biodiversity variables, land use potentials, and land-atmosphere interactions. Full Article News
& Museum für Naturkunde & the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum are hosting two events in June, 2016 By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 21 Dec 2015 18:59:00 +0200 The Museum für Naturkunde and the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum are honored to be hosting the 31st Annual Meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) as well as the 2nd International Conference on Biodiversity Biobanking of the Global Genome Biodiversity Network (GGBN) in Berlin from June, 20 to June, 25, 2016. The conferences will be held in parallel at the andel’s Hotel Berlin, Landsberger Allee. SPNHC conference web site: http://www.spnhc2016.berlin/, conference theme: "Green Museum – How to practice what we preach?" GGBN conference web site: https://meetings.ggbn.org/conference/ggbn/2016/index, conference theme: "Meeting the Challenge: How to Preserve a Cross-Section of the Tree of Life" The registration for both conferences is now open. Please check the conference web sites for information on the conference program, field trips, social events, accommodation, registration and abstract submission. All social events and field trips as well as the opening session on Tuesday are joint events for attendees of both conferences. During lunch and coffee breaks one will have the chance to visit the vendor booths and chat with attendees of both conferences. The sessions of both conferences cover complementary topics to avoid duplications. Full Article News
& MUSE talk: "Biodiversity from space: old theories, new frontiers" By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 18 Jan 2016 10:03:00 +0200 On December 2 EU BON partner Duccio Rocchini, the Edmund Mach Foundation, gave a talk "Biodiversity from space: old theories, new frontiers" at MUSE, who recently joined the list of EU BON associated partners. The talk was aimed at explaining how to protect the Earth's biodiversity through the use of images from space. Introduction from the talk; Credit: Duccio Rocchini Satellite images, space station, drones: does this have to do with biodiversity? Duccio Rocchini, researcher at the Department of Molecular Ecology and Biodiversity of the Edmund Mach Foundation explain how biodiversity can benefit from it. In his research Rocchini tries to understand how to monitor biodiversity and its changes in space and time, through the use of satellite images. Such images may in fact help to identify spots in biodiversity and provide basic data for developing models of distribution of species at risk. Full Article News
& We’ve been busy: EU BON discusses its Biodiversity Portal prototype & strategies for focused biodiversity data mobilization By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Tue, 17 May 2016 17:48:00 +0300 April proved to be an eventful month for EU BON, hosting the presentation of two major project results, not only within the same month, but in the course of one week. While CSIC and partners were launching the beta-version of the long-waited Biodiversity Portal in Seville, another EU BON team was busy to search for Integrated approaches for focused biodiversity data mobilization in Stockholm. About the Portal: In a dedicated session at the WP2 meeting in Seville, Spain, EU BON partners had the chance to view their work for the last couple of years materialising into one of the main expected project results - the European Biodiversity Portal. That said, what was then presented on 29 April is a beta version, with the final release of the portal planned to become available in early 2017. Participants at the Seville Workshop, April 2016. Credit: A. Hoffmann Nonetheless, this beta version already addresses the main aim to offer a unique service for analysing and understanding biodiversity change in Europe. For instance, users can explore how relative abundance of species (within a larger group) changes over time by using big data mediated by GBIF. There is also a spatial browser for locating datasets in any part of the world, which may be usable for computing the EBVs for species populations. Additionally, an online analytical data processing (OLAP) toolbox has been included in this release. Based on GEOSS technology, the new portal lets users harvest and simultaneously access data from several directories, including GBIF, LTER, EuMon (coming), PESI, and GEOSS sources. This release also highlights the products of the EU BON project, including new methods and analyses packed in factsheets and infographics for the convenience of scientists and policy users alike. Explore the portal’s beta version here. Suggestions of how to develop the beta portal further towards the full release are appreciated. Use the feedback form at the welcome page. Integrated biodiversity data mobilization: It is a challenge for Bioinformatics group in Europe and around the world to find better ways to integrate different systems and technology. In EU BON’s Task 1.4 the approach to solving this issue was to integrate different systems managing natural history collections and molecular data systems using the best techniques available. In a dedicated workshop, which took place in Stockholm, Sweden, developers in the sphere of bioinformatics were presented with the project’s Data Mobilization Toolkit. This particular workshop was mainly focused on Docker as a tool to move towards a more integrated environment. Docker has revolutionized system integration and in the workshop the Swedish team shared their experience with dockerizing the DINA-system. Discussions during the Stockholm workshop; Credit: Karin Karlsson The workshop ended with a hackathon where they together explored the possibilities for using Docker in selected parts of integrating Pluto-F, JACQ and DINA. Full Article News
& EU BON workshop "Biodiversity research for and by citizens in Eastern Europe: tools, information services and public engagement" By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Thu, 07 Jul 2016 16:09:00 +0300 The EU BON workshop "Biodiversity research for and by citizens in Eastern Europe: tools, information services and public engagement" was organized to present the EU BON citizen science gateway, share accomplishments of the project, promote products, raise and discuss challenges of citizen science and facilitate networking between countries, especially eastern and central European countries. There were 33 participants from Baltic countries and Finland and EU BON partners from Norway, Spain, Israel and Brussels. First day was showcasing the citizen science initiatives in Estonia, following best practice examples from EU BON consortium. During the second day the participants got a chance to learn the tools and methods for citizen science data management by ECSA and EU BON. This was followed by world cafe style discussion about the needs of citizen science initiatives and Pan-European citizen science gateway. One of the important conclusions for Baltic countries is that there is a need for stronger collaboration and supportive infrastructure to make citizen science more effective and also deliver accessible data to research community. Some workshop participants also took part of Tartu Mini-BioBlitz on 29th June, first BioBlitz in Estonia. BioBlitz participants observed 239 species of animals, plants and fungi . . Workshop agenda Read a first hand report form the workshop in the two great blog posts by Egle Marija Ramanauskaite (a workshop participant from Lithuania): http://seplute.tumblr.com/post/146841955105/citsci-overtakes-the-baltics-citizen-science http://seplute.tumblr.com/post/146844410470/citizen-science-workshop-in-tartu-recap-of-day-2 Full Article News
& Article Alert: Measuring Rao's Q diversity index from remote sensing: An open source solution By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Fri, 26 Aug 2016 10:47:00 +0300 Key in ensuring the effectiveness of conservation efforts and maintaining ecosystem health, measuring biodiversity can benefit greatly when remote sensing data comes into the equation. A new EU BON related paper, published in the journal Ecological Indicators, proposes open source solutions for measuring the important Rao's Q index, when it comes to remote sensing data. Abstract: Measuring biodiversity is a key issue in ecology to guarantee effective indicators of ecosystem health at different spatial and time scales. However, estimating biodiversity from field observations might present difficulties related to costs and time needed. Moreover, a continuous data update for biodiversity monitoring purposes might be prohibitive. From this point of view, remote sensing represents a powerful tool since it allows to cover wide areas in a relatively low amount of time. One of the most common indicators of biodiversity is Shannon's entropy H′, which is strictly related to environmental heterogeneity, and thus to species diversity. However, Shannon's entropy might show drawbacks once applied to remote sensing data, since it considers relative abundances but it does not explicitly account for distances among pixels’ numerical values. In this paper we propose the use of Rao's Q applied to remotely sensed data, providing a straightforward R-package function to calculate it in 2D systems. We will introduce the theoretical rationale behind Rao's index and then provide applied examples based on the proposed R function. Original Source: Rocchini, D., Marcantonio, M., Ricotta, C. (2017). Measuring Rao's Q diversity index rom remote sensing: an open source solution. Ecological Indicators, 72: 234-238. [5years-IF: 3.649] DOI:10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.07.039 Full Article News
& EU BON's Final Brochure showcases selected outcomes from the project By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 27 Mar 2017 18:32:00 +0300 EU BON presents its Final Brochure summarising the major outcomes of the EU-funded project EU BON "Building the European Biodiversity Observation Network" which aims to advance biodiversity knowledge by building a European gateway for biodiversity information and by integrating and harmonising a wide range of biodiversity data. Other goals of the project are the establishment and adoption of new data standards, the development of tools, the integration of advanced techniques for data analysis and the development of new approaches and strategies for future biodiversity monitoring and assessment. The project represents a joint effort of 31 partners from 15 European countries, Israel, the Philippines, Brazil and more than 30 associated partners. Download the full booklet here. Full Article News
& How to improve the science-policy interface: have your say in EKLIPSE's questionnaire By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 27 Nov 2017 12:22:00 +0200 EKLIPSE is an EU-funded project that aims to develop a mechanism for supporting better informed decisions about our environment based on the best available knowledge. This short video (4 minute) explains the EKLIPSE process and you can find out more about our science-policy activities on the EKLIPSE website. The project now invites you to describe your views on how to improve the science-policy interface related to biodiversity and ecosystem services and potential ways in which you, or your background organization, would like to contribute to the EKLIPSE mechanism. Have your say here! Full Article News
& ECOPOTENTIAL Workshop "SPACED: Using Earth Observations to Protect Natural Landscapes" By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Thu, 07 Dec 2017 10:33:00 +0200 The ECOPOTENTIAL H2020 project, focusing its activities on blending Earth Observations from remote sensing, field measurements, data analysis and modeling of current and future ecosystem conditions and services, is organizing this workshop in Brussels on the 10th of January 2018, from 9.00 to 17:30. The main objective of the workshop is to prospect the state-of-the-art of Remote Sensing as a Sentinel tool to monitor, characterize and understand the state, ongoing changes and effectiveness of conservation and management actions of natural landscapes and to facilitate an open debate among scientists and the involved Institutions. This workshop is part of the multiple events organized by the ECOPOTENTIAL Project on the week of 9th-12th of January 2018, starting on Jan 9th with the opening of the photo-exhibition with the same title, on display at the European Parliament. Registration: http://ves.cat/emIm Agenda: http://www.ecopotential-project.eu/images/ecopotential/img_news/Spaced-workshop-AGENDA-Jan-10-2018.pdf Event's website: http://www.ecopotential-project.eu/2015-08-19-15-19-05/2015-10-16-13-48-29/205-spaced-using-earth-observations-to-protect-natural-landscapes.html Full Article News
& 2<sup>nd</sup> meeting pro-iBiosphere By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:38:00 +0200 Pro-iBiosphere meeting 2 will be held from 11 to 14 February 2013 in Leiden. It will consist of three workshops on: e-platforms & e-tools for taxonomy Legacy literature – Semantic mark-up generation, data quality and user-participation infrastructure Prospective Literature – Toward Best Practices for data acquisition and curation using e-tools for taxonomy. More information can be found at: http://wiki.pro-ibiosphere.eu/wiki/Workshops_Leiden_February_2013 Full Article Events
& iMarine Invitation-only Workshop - 14th & 15th May 2013 By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 08 Apr 2013 10:37:00 +0300 iMarine e-Infrastructure for data driven decision making and researchiMarine is organising an invitation-only workshop to discuss data driven decision making and research on 14th & 15th May 2013 at DG Connect, Avenue de Beaulieu 33 (BU33), Room 0/54, Brussels, Belgium.The goal of iMarine is to facilitate policy makers in addressing the global challenges impacting on the marine ecosystem, the fisheries sector, local economies and communities and to demonstrate that science based policy making can benefit from a large and distributed e-Infrastructure for cross-disciplinary data collection, harmonization and analysis necessary for the management and conservation of marine living resources. Full Article Events
& 3<sup>rd</sup> meeting pro-iBiosphere By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:44:00 +0200 Pro-iBiosphere meeting 3 will be held from 20 to 24 May 2013 in Berlin. It will consist of three workshops on: 1) Coordination and routes for cooperation across organizations, projects and e-infrastructures 2) Measuring and constraining the costs of delivering services 3) Stakeholder requirements Second Management committee meeting and Advisory Board meetings will be held from 23-24 of May 2013. More information can be found at: http://wiki.pro-ibiosphere.eu/wiki/Workshops_Berlin,_May_2013 Full Article Events
& Biodiversity Day at GEO-X "From observation to decision" By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Wed, 11 Dec 2013 18:35:00 +0200 Tue, 14th Jan 2014, 9:00-16:45, GEO-X Plenary, CICG Room 2 (entrance floor), Geneva The Swiss Government, with the help of the Swiss Biodiversity Forum, is organizing this Biodiversity Special Event in the frame of the 10th GEO Plenary meeting and Ministerial Summit in Geneva, to raise awareness of the importance of the biodiversity and ecosystem services activities in GEO (Global Earth Observation). The programme offers talks on Biodiversity Observation Networks at all scales, on how to use spatial data for ecosystem assessments, and provides case studies on how to connect different user needs with biodiversity and ecosystem observations. Moreover, there will be a poster presentation of different biodiversity observation projects in Switzerland in the Swiss Pavillon, and a panel discussion on "How to improve biodiversity information and use it for decision making". (see the attached programme). The event is open to the public. Registration is free of charge. Lunch is only provided to registered participants. Please register until the 10th of January 2014 at: http://www.biodiversity.ch/e/events/geo-x/ Full Article Events
& Workshop "iMarine data platform for collaborations" By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Fri, 07 Feb 2014 09:58:00 +0200 A key goal of the iMarine initiative is to support stakeholders in a sustainable use of the marine ecosystem. On 7th March 2014, iMarine is organizing an interactive workshop "iMarine data platform for collaborations" to showcase how its powerful data infrastructure is capable of addressing the challenges of the Ecosystem Approach. The workshop also offers important opportunities to work together on developing plans related to iMarine sustainability, such as the public partnership model concept, as well as engage new potential users and partners for the future. The workshop is co-located with the Fishery Dependent Information conference and will take place at Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy. Participation is free of charge but subject to registration. Full Article Events
& BiodiversityKnowledge at the EU parliament "Towards a consolidated Network of Knowledge on biodiversity and ecosystem services in Europe" By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 13:27:00 +0300 On the 1st of April, between 9:30 and 16:30, the BiodiversityKnowledge project organises a conference where outcomes will be presented and widely discussed with policy makers, science and other stakeholders at the European parliament in Brussels. As final result, BiodiversityKnowledge will present a stakeholder’s document outlining a recommended design on how such a Network of Knowledge could operate and produce added value. EU BON will be also presented at the confernce as one of the knowledge providers of the Network of Knowledge. To counteract biodiversity loss, efforts have considerably increased over the past years to strengthen the science-policy-society interface on biodiversity and ecosystem services. There is indeed an active landscape of projects, institutions, organisations and individuals in Europe involved in this interface, all aiming to improve the knowledge flow so that decisions at different policy levels (from European, to national and local levels) are based on the best available knowledge. With the 7th Environmental Action Programme and the start of Horizon2020 and its focus on innovative solutions for society, the need for more concerted activities in this context become even more important. In this context, BiodiversityKnowledge (FP7 KNEU), an EU-funded coordination action has been set up to help to map, mobilise and organise this landscape focusing on the knowledge holders’ community. For this the project has been developing and testing a prototype Network of Knowledge since 2011 with more than 300 active participations of representatives of the biodiversity and ecosystems services knowledge community. Stakeholders involved ranged from practitioners and researchers to policy-makers. Please find the conference agenda attached below. Full Article Events
& SUSTAIN-EU-ASEAN cluster meting: organic and non-organic resourches & climate actions and cities By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 16:38:00 +0300 SUSTAIN-EU-ASEAN organises the first bi-regional cluster meeting during which projects from both Southeast Asia and Europe can meet in person! This cluster meeting will take place in Bogor, Indonesia on 19 Aug 2014, in parallel with the ASEAN Science and Technology Week (ASTW). The two tematic clusters are: Climate Action and Cities: this cluster brings together a number of projects dealing with the effects of climate change on urban space (also referring to issues like water management, etc.) Organic and Non-Organic Resources: this cluster contains projects that deal with a range of resources and materials problems crucial for economic and social well-being in Southeast Asia Purpose of the meeting/Goals: Meet and get to know fellow projects working on similar topics of relevance to ASEAN Discuss results and synergies, exchange on methodologies, plan for joint events, applications, publications, etc. or simply see what's going on in the other region in this topic. Plan concrete next joint steps with projects in the cluster. Benefit from SUSTAIN EU-ASEAN support (e.g. in your dissemination, exploitation and development activities) and inputs (on the funding environment) Share your views on thematic gaps in current research - SUSTAIN is mandated to carry the message to the European Commission Find more information in the attached brochure. Full Article Events
& SUSTAIN-EU-ASEAN - Media Training By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 16:42:00 +0300 In parallel with the ASEAN Scientific and Technology Week in Bogor, Indonesia, SUSTAIN EU-ASEAN is organizing several events, including the project Cluster Meetings and the first media training workshop, scheduled for the 21st of August. The media workshop aims to help scientists and researchers to increase their impact outside the academic world by learning how to inform and influence policy makers and media representatives. Through various practical exercises, the workshop will enhance participants’ written communication and presentation skills, as well as mastering the visual aspects of communicating with audiences through body language and posture. The specific objectives of the training are to: Analyze the objectives and priorities of the media; Define a storyline and create persuasive and innovative messages; Improve skills in presenting to large audiences; Gain control of interviews with journalists using effective verbal skills; Manage energy and project confidence in interviews with journalists. Read more in the Draft agenda below. Full Article Events
& ECOSCOPE - SINP joint seminar on Observation systems & EBVs concept By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 16:06:00 +0300 ECOSCOPE (Network of Biodiversity Research Observatories) associates the SINP (Information System on Nature and Landscapes) to a shared event that will focus on the complementarity between "research - expertise" on biodiversity through the emerging concept of "Essential Biodiversity Variables" (EBVs). The seminar scheduled for Monday, November 3, 2014 in Paris is open to scientists, observatories’ managers and their teams, and to all who are involved in the study of the state and dynamics of biodiversity for research and expertise. The aims of this seminar are to increase awareness and understanding of EBVs, their interest for observatories (visibility, synergies) to benefit to observatories’ scientific managers and data users. It is also to define how this concept can be implemented at national scale, in connection with international initiatives. Programme will be available in available in September, for registration: follow the link ! Full Article Events
& Second EU BON WP6 & 7 Workshop By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 15:24:00 +0200 The second EU BON WP6 & 7 Workshop will take place from 16 to18 Feb 2015 in Aix-en-Provence, France. The objective of the workshop is to further develop on cross WP and task interactions and to define outputs. Full Article Events
& Ecology at the interface: 13th European Ecological Federation (EEF) & 25th Italian Society of Ecology’s (S.It.E.) joint conference By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 15 Jun 2015 15:03:00 +0300 The 13th European Ecological Federation (EEF) and 25th Italian Society of Ecology’s (S.It.E.) joint conference will take place in Rome from 21st - 25th September 2015. "Ecology at the Interface" focuses on interactions at all biological levels, from membrane exchanges to food web dynamics, in addition to physical ecotones, from deep sediment-bottom water to land-atmosphere, and disciplinary ecotones linking ecology to sociology, economics, law, technology and other fields of knowledge concerning daily human life. For 5 full days the conference expects about 1500 participants from all over Europe, proposing a rich programme articulated in a number of plenary and contributed sessions, symposia, workshops andround tables. Deadlines for symposia and workshop proposals and abstract submission are available here and the first circular here. The proposed venue is the Congress Centre of Rome - EUR. You can download the full brochure here. For more information visit the official conference website. Full Article Events
& GBIF GB22, Nodes Training Sessions & Global Nodes Meeting, Madagascar By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Fri, 27 Mar 2015 11:15:00 +0200 The official Governing Board meeting, including the GBIF symposium, will take place on 8-10 October in Antananarivo, Madagascar. Prior to that there will be Training sessions for Nodes on 4-5 October, followed by the Global Nodes Meeting on 6-7 October. Committee meetings will take place on 6 October. A special symposium will be hosted on 7 October where all delegates are invited to attend. After the Governing Board meeting, on 11 October, there is a possibility to visit the Andasibe National Park. Full Article Events
& 3rd EU BON Stakeholder Round Table "Biodiversity data workflow - from data mobilisation to practice" By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 26 Oct 2015 15:13:00 +0200 The 3rd EU BON Stakeholder Round Table "Biodiversity data workflow - from data mobilisation to practice" will take place on 10&11 December 2015 Granada, Spain. One main objective of the round table is to understand how the workflow from data mobilisation to decision making functions in practice, including within the context of EU BON. Firstly, we want to evaluate what kind of (biodiversity) data are available and what workflows and best practices already exist. Secondly, we want to assess which gaps still exist and what will be needed to improve the current situation to overcome existing barriers. Please register here: http://societas.biodiv.naturkundemuseum-berlin.de/?q=node/64 Full Article Events
& 2016 Annual LTER-Europe & eLTER project meetings By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Thu, 10 Mar 2016 10:34:00 +0200 The Annual meetings of the LTER-Europe network and the eLTER H2020 project will take place between 13 and 17 June, 2016 in Latvia. The annual LTER-Europe meeting will take place during this week, along with the annual eLTER H2020 project meeting. The current outline schedule (subject to change) is: Monday 13 June, 18:00 - 22:00: Welcome party Tuesday 14 June, 09:00 - 17:00: LTER-Europe meeting Wednesday 15 June, 09:00 - 18:00: eLTER H2020 project meeting Thursday 16 June, 09:00 - 18:00: eLTER H2020 project meeting Friday 17 June, 09:00 - 12:00: eLTER Core Team meeting For updated information go to: http://www.lter-europe.net/events/lter-europe-2016 Full Article Events
& 31st Annual SPNHC Meeting: "Green Museum – How to practice what we preach?" By www.eubon.eu Published On :: Mon, 21 Dec 2015 18:52:00 +0200 The Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and the Botanischer Garten und Botanisches Museum Berlin are organizing the 31st Annual Meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) to be held from June 20 through 25, 2016, in Berlin, Germany. Under the heading "Green Museum – How to practice what we preach?" this meeting of the society evaluates green thinking in collections, museums and botanical gardens. In a world of climate change and ever decreasing biodiversity, sustainability should be the criterion that ideally determines all planning and decisions, ranging from field work to construction projects, from ethical aspects to cost-benefit analyses. In practice this often is compromised by constraints beyond the control of the institution, be it monetary, legal or other. The conference will offer a forum to discuss possible ways of reconciling the seemingly opposing requirements. More information here. Full Article Events
