Spanish market

The foundry industry is a major player in the recycling of metals. Steel, cast iron and alirminiirm scrap can all be remelted into new products. The possible negative environmental effects of foundries result from the presence of a thermal process and the use of mineral additives. The environmental effects of a foimdry process therefore mainly relate to the exhaust and off-gases and to the re-use or disposal of mineral residues. 

Dust and particles releases are a general issue in all stages of the foundry process, and for all processes used. Dust is generated in the production and processing of sand moulds and cores, as well as in the finishing of the castings (both from lost moulds and permanent moulds). 

In the foundry process, emissions to air are not limited to one (or several) fixed point(s). The process involves various emission sources (e.g. from hot castings, sand, hot metal). A key issue in emission reduction is not only to treat the exhaust and off-gas flow, but also to capture it. 

Since foundries deal with a thermal process, energy efficiency and management of the generated heat are important enviromnental aspects. However, due to the high amount of transport and handling of the heat carrier (i.e. the metal) and due to its slow cooling, the recovery of heat is not always straightforward. 

---

The article by Rovira10 stands out for the clarity of its ideas. It sets out an up-to-date description of the pharmaceutical industry and the Spanish market before and after the single market, and its chief merit is its suggestions for a common strategy for the EU. The diagnosis focuses on three points the need for different policies for innovative and non-innovative products, the importance of expected benefits as an incentive for innovation and the existence of conflicts of objectives at national level and between national and EU interests, the solution of which requires compromises of different sorts. 

Abarca, M. L., Accensi, F., Bragulat, M. R., Castella, G., and Cabanes, F. J. (2003). Aspergillus carbonarius as the main source of ochratoxin A contamination in dried vine fruits from the Spanish market. /. Food Prot. 66,504-506. 

The evolution of the young Spanish dyestuffs industry after the war was closely observed by the German firms.The latter bitterly complained that the Spanish market... 

Figure 1.3 Market shares for iron castings (data for Spanish market) [108, FEAF, 1999]...

When Rio Tinto Co. of Spain and Mason and Barry of Portugal, licensees under Orkla patents, competed for the Spanish market and Rio Tinto threatened to export to France, Sulfur Export Corp. exerted its influence to prevent such invasion of other markets. 

Another reason why the pharmaceutical industry has invested in the Spanish market has been the availability of experienced and talented staff at competitive wages (63). Spain has the second highest percentage of higher education students within the EU. It has been estimated that the labor cost of scientific personnel is approximately 35% lower in Spain than in the U.S.A. 

The analysis of the contribution made by increased pharmaceutical spending to the growth in the per capita intensity of health resources suffers from major measurement problems that deprive available indicators of any value. Traditional pharmaceutical price indexes (such as the Laspeyres index, used to calculate the pharmaceutical component of the consumer price index) provide little relevant information in a market in which the introduction of therapeutic innovations is of prime importance the indexes show an apparent freeze, and sometimes even a steep drop (as in the Spanish case). However, the steady rise in the average price per prescription paints a very different picture. 

In general, however, this initial analysis is open to doubt, in view of the high degree of intervention in Spanish drug prices and the fact that authorized prices are regarded as maximum prices, although this is not always sufficiently stressed. These two factors complicate any forecast of the possible outcome of the competition induced by RP in the Spanish pharmaceutical market. 

According to the Spanish regulations, the cost of promoting medicines must not exceed 12 per cent of their price. This percentage [.. . ] appears to be far removed from reality [.. . ] Some estimates indicate that commercial processes, comprising promotion and marketing, may amount to between 22 and 28 per cent of the volume... 

Average sum per prescription of pharmaceutical products in the Spanish Social Security market (retailprice plus VAT)... 

Having stated the above, it is absolutely essential to make some comments on the current package of measures regulating the Spanish pharmaceutical market. As we mentioned earlier, the expected effectiveness of tackling the problem of pharmaceutical consumption in a single sphere of intervention (supply, demand or wholesalers) is small. Equally, the study of the impact of any measure of this sort must therefore incorporate an integral approach to the problem (see Table 10.11). 

We can divide the package of measures regulating the Spanish pharmaceutical market up to 1997 into those that directly affect the supply side and those (such as the medicamentazo) that fall on the demand for drag consumption. 

Lopez Bastida s contribution7 also offers a panorama of the Spanish pharmaceutical market, with special emphasis on the more recent measures within economic policy on pharmaceuticals. 

Considering that the consumption pattern observed in the area of the Ebro River basin studied, which covers about half of the population living in the basin, could be representative of the whole Spanish country, the estimated average consumption data were used to calculate the annual consumption of each drug in the whole basin and in the Spanish territory. According to the extrapolated figures, which are shown in Table 2, around 21 tons of cocaine, 8 tons of cannabis, 3 tons of amphetamine and ephedrine, 300 kg of ecstasy and heroin, and 7.5 kg of methamphetamine are annually consumed in Spain. These amounts would move in the black market for around 1,100 million Euros. 

The ancient Hebrews also made iron cooking utensils such as the pan mentioned by Ezekiel (Ezek. 4, 3). Six centuries before Christ, this metal was an important commodity in the market at Tyre Dan also and Javan going to and fro occupied in thy fairs bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were in thy market (Ezek. 27, 19). The American translation by Smith and Goodspeed and the modem Spanish translation render this as wrought iron, or hierro forjado (37, 91). 

---