Profile in ResearchGate: <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Martin-Guillermo-Ramirez">Martin Guillermo Ramírez on ResearchGate</a>

 COVID-19

Quasi nanos gigantum humeris insidentes

La celebración de las Fallas de Valencia y su cremá mañana, me hace pensar que son la gran antesala de las fastuosas Fogueres de Sant Joan en Alacant (Alicante) el próximo mes de junio. Permítaseme un poco de alicantinismo, pero dónde va a parar tener las fiestas en junio que en marzo. Las Hogueras se celebran durante el solsticio de verano (se comienza a celebrar oficialmente cuatro días antes, pero cada vez se adelantan un poco más), terminando con la cremá del 24 de junio, festividad de San Juan (aunque luego sigue el concurso de fuegos artificiales y La Traca en el Postiguet hasta San Pedro, el 29 de junio).

Tanto las Hogueras como las Fallas me han recordado siempre —vaya usted a saber por qué, quizás porque son como unos "Gigantes y Cabezudos" revueltos con mensajes satíficos— a esta frase del título que bien poco tiene que ver con estos festejos, pero lo bueno de los blog personales es que uno puede escribir lo que quiera de lo que quiera, al menos por el momento.

Pues a lo que vamos, según un artículo de José Antonio Monge en la serie "La Aventura de la Historia" en elmundo.es, la expresión completa sería: "Nosotros somos como enanos aupados a hombros de gigantes". Es la traducción castellana de un viejo tópico de la retórica escolástica medieval, atribuido a uno de los más prestigiosos escolásticos (maestros de escuela) de la primera hora (s. XII), Bernardo de Chartres. 

La fuente es un escrito de Juan de Salisbury, uno de sus discípulos más conocidos en la escuela catedralicia de esa ciudad: "Decía Bernardo de Chartres que somos como enanos aupados a hombros de gigantes, de manera que podemos ver más cosas y más lejanas que ellos, no por la agudeza de nuestra vista o por nuestra elevada estatura, sino porque estamos alzados sobre ellos y nos elevamos sobre su altura gigantesca" (Metalogicus, IV). La frase fue retomada por Luis Vives y llegó a los científicos del siglo XVII, significando que sus logros se levantan sobre la obra de sus predecesores. 

http://www.elmundo.es/ladh/numero96/dichosyhechos.html

Otra cita en inglés: We are like dwarfs on the shoulders of giants (discover the truth by building on previous discoveries) so that we can see more than they, and things at a greater distance, not by any virtue of any sharpness of sight on our part, or any physical distinction, but because we are carried high and raised up by their giant size. (Bernard de Chartres)

Isaac Newton la parafraseó: If I have further is by standing on the shoulders of giants.

Eligibility of EU Overseas Countries and Territories in b-Solutions

Questions:

a. Eligibility of Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) of the European Union: Anguilla (UK), Aruba (NL), Bermuda (UK), Bonaire (NL), British Virgin Islands (UK), Cayman Islands (UK), Curaçao (NL), Falkland Islands (UK), French Polynesia (FR), French Southern and Antarctic Lands (FR), Greenland (DK), Montserrat (UK), New Caledonia (FR), Pitcairn Islands (UK), Saba (NL), Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Islands (UK), Saint-Barthélemy (FR), Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (FR), Sint Eustatius (NL), Sint Maarten (NL), Turks and Caicos Islands (UK), Wallis and Futuna (FR).

b. Which neighbouring countries in this case should be considered as eligible ? These of their respective associated countries ( Denmark, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) in Europe or /and these directly neighbouring sea border countries.

Answer:

OCT are not part of the EU and the EU acquis does not apply to them. Therefore they are not eligible.

But we should distinguish Outermost Regions, which are part of the EU: Azores and Madeira (PT), Canary Islands (ES), French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Martin, La Réunion and Mayotte (FR). Anyway, none of their land borders are eligible for b-Solutions: those of the French Guyana with Brazil and Surinam, and the case of Sint Maarten-Saint  Martin.

Additionally, there are several special cases, with ad hoc arrangements in their relationship with the EU. In general:

• Areas that are part of the EU: Åland Islands, Büsingen am Hochrhein, Campione d'Italia and Livigno, Ceuta and Melilla, UN Buffer Zone in Cyprus, Gibraltar, Helgoland and Mount Athos.

• Areas that are not part of the EU: Akrotiri and Dhekelia, Faroe Islands, Channel Islands (Bailiwick of Jersey and Bailiwick of Guernsey), Isle of Man and Northern Cyprus.

Participation of Andorra in b-Solutions

Interesting two questions on flat rates and Andorra:

The Consortium of the Working Comunity of the Pyrenees wants to participate in this call with all health entities to fix emergencies cross-bording issues. They have two questions:

- What about flat rates? 

- Andorra can participate, but its expenses are not elegible, is this correct?

Answers:

- Regarding flat rates, that’s the point. There are no percentages, minimum or maximum expenditure. Eligible costs are travel and accommodation, per diem, external expert fees, and 7% overheads.

- On Andorra, it is not an EU member, but enjoys a special relationship: it is considered as an EU member for trade in manufactured goods (no tariffs), it is member of the EU Custom Union, but it is not considered an EU member for agricultural products. Andorra’s currency is Euro and issues Euro coins. And, its territory is considered within an Interreg A Programme (POCTEFA). Interesting case which it should be simply considered as EFTA for the purpose of this call: its border territory can be considered in its relationship with France and Spain, but the costs incurred by Andorran partners are not eligible.

Questions on eligibility of EGTCs, affiliated entities and budget issues

Question:

The EGTC (European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation) of the municipalities of Gorizia (IT), Nova Gorica (SI) and Šempeter-Vrtojba (SI), EGTC GO are interested in applying for the Call for pilot projects “b-solutions” with a proposal focused on local public transport in the cross-border area.  Beside of the involvement of the two public transport companies of Gorizia and Nova Gorica as “affiliated entities”, they want to know if the Italian Region Friuli Venezia Giulia, as a Managing Authority of the Interreg V CBC Programme Italy Slovenia 2014 2020, can be included in the partnership as an associated partner. Although the call for proposal does not foresee such a type of partner (a body with no allocated budget), they want to stress the relevance for the project of having the MA of the Programme Italy Slovenia on board so as to ensure a wider and meaningful impact of the project in the whole Programme area.

Answer:

On eligibility of partners it applies the following paragraph (page 9, chapter 3 Eligible organisations, fourth paragraph):

Cross-border entities such as European Groupings of Territorial Cooperation (EGTCs), Euroregions, Eurodistricts, Eurocities and similar cross-border structures with legal personality can also apply (even if they are not public bodies). If the applicant is a cross-border entity, the above-mentioned conditions (contiguity to the border; at least one partner from each side of the border; at least one public body) must be met within its own structure. This is to say, the applicant cross-border entity must be composed by at least one public body and at least one member from each side of the border which territory is limited by the national border. If these conditions are met a co-applicant is not required.

Being the EGTC composed by the Italian Municipality of Gorizia and the Slovenian municipalities of Nova Gorica and Šempeter-Vrtojba, we understand that the conditions are fulfilled and the EGTC can be sole applicant in this Call.

Regarding the budget they can design it and distribute the expenses as they wish. There is no indication about equal division among partners or between types of costs, with the exception of indirect costs, with a clear percentage. The only condition is to take into account eligible costs for the grants. Other costs can be paid by other means. They can also include the MA (the Region of FVG) as affiliated entity without budget, they don’t need to establish a new category. The idea of affiliated entities goes in this direction.