Turkey and European Union Relations: Concept of Customs Union

Turkey is the only pluralist secular democracy in the Moslem world and has always targeted herself as being part of the western world and values. Turkey started to establish close economic relations with Europe by the 1963 Ankara Agreement. By 1995, Turkey abolished most of the barriers in her trade through a customs union agreement with the European Union. Customs union is widely discussed in the sense that the terms of trade between the two sides have not evolved in favour of Turkey. However evidence shows that Turkey did not experience any extreme changes in its import figures as were feared before the beginning of the agreement. As a result of customs union, economically Turkey became more advantageous than many other candidate countries despite her unhealthy economic statistics especially in the area of inflation and per capita income. Turkey would have the chance to benefit more from the customs union after it completes its ongoing economic reforms, which would bring more stability and power to the Turkish economy.

Cyprus-EU Relations: Possible Scenarios For The Future

Cyprus Problem is being discussed from a different perspective since the application of South Cyprus for full membership to the European Union. Today the problem came to a turning point where the efforts for solving the problem would end up at a point where the division of the island becomes permanent. The study first evaluates the relations between Cyprus and the Union. Then it examines the application of GCA to the EU, the reasons for application, Turkish Cypriot’s response to the application and possible future scenarios that are likely to take place. It is concluded that the acceptance of Cyprus to the Union in its current state is a highly possible scenario and this would lead to the permanent division of the island.Cyprus problem; EU; Turkish Cyprus; GCA

Farmers perceptions of climate change related events in Shendam and Riyom, Nigeria

Although agriculture in Nigeria is the major source of income for about 70% of the active population, the impact of agrarian infrastructure on boosting productivity and supporting livelihoods has increased. Climate change and the increasing trend of climate-related events in Nigeria challenge both the stability of agrarian infrastructure and livelihood systems. Based on case studies of two local communities in Plateau state in Nigeria, this paper utilizes a range of perceptions to examine the impacts of climate-related events on agrarian infrastructures and how agrarian livelihood systems are, in turn, affected. Data are obtained from a questionnaire survey (n = 175 farmers) and semi-structured interviews (n = 14 key informants). The study identifies local indicators of climate change, high risks climate events and the components of agrarian infrastructures that are at risk from climate events. Findings reveal that, changes in rainfall and temperature patterns increase the probability of floods and droughts. They also reveal that, although locational differences account for the high impact of floods on road transport systems and droughts on irrigation infrastructures, both have a chain of negative effects on agricultural activities, economic activities and livelihood systems. A binomial logistic regression model is used to predict the perceived impact levels of floods and droughts, while an in-depth analysis is utilized to corroborate the quantitative results. The paper further stresses the need to strengthen the institutional capacity for risk reduction through the provision of resilient infrastructures, as the poor conditions of agrarian infrastructure were identified as dominant factors on the high impact levels

Turkey and European Union Relations: Concept of Customs Union

Turkey is the only pluralist secular democracy in the Moslem world and has always targeted herself as being part of the western world and values. Turkey started to establish close economic relations with Europe by the 1963 Ankara Agreement. By 1995, Turkey abolished most of the barriers in her trade through a customs union agreement with the European Union. Customs union is widely discussed in the sense that the terms of trade between the two sides have not evolved in favour of Turkey. However evidence shows that Turkey did not experience any extreme changes in its import figures as were feared before the beginning of the agreement. As a result of customs union, economically Turkey became more advantageous than many other candidate countries despite her unhealthy economic statistics especially in the area of inflation and per capita income. Turkey would have the chance to benefit more from the customs union after it completes its ongoing economic reforms, which would bring more stability and power to the Turkish economy

Biochemical view on: Precocious markers of cardiovascular risk and vascular damage in apparently healthy women with previous gestational diabetes

Women diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus have an increased risk of developing diabetes mellitus, which is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease and insulin resistance. In the recently published article by Zajdenverg et al., they aimed to identify endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular risk factors in women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus. However, authors did not evaluate the role of total homocysteine, which has important effects for endothelial dysfunction. Vitamin B12 and folic acid are important vitamins since their deficiency may lead to the probable microvascular abnormalities by increasing the tHcy, which is an independent risk factor for endothelial dysfunction

Cyprus-EU Relations: Possible Scenarios For The Future

Cyprus Problem is being discussed from a different perspective since the application of South Cyprus for full membership to the European Union. Today the problem came to a turning point where the efforts for solving the problem would end up at a point where the division of the island becomes permanent. The study first evaluates the relations between Cyprus and the Union. Then it examines the application of GCA to the EU, the reasons for application, Turkish Cypriot’s response to the application and possible future scenarios that are likely to take place. It is concluded that the acceptance of Cyprus to the Union in its current state is a highly possible scenario and this would lead to the permanent division of the island