Suchergebnisse

Liberal international relations theory posits that the behaviour of states is affected both by domestic interests and other states with which they are linked in significant patterns of interdependence. This article examines the relevance of this proposition to states' behaviour in the most powerful institution in the furthest reaching example of regional integration in the world today: the Council of the European Union. Compared to previous research, more detailed evidence is analysed in this article on the substance of the political debates that preceded Council votes. It is found that states' disagreement with both discretionary and nondiscretionary decision outcomes affects the likelihood that they dissent at the voting stage. Moreover, in line with the theory posited here, the behaviour of states' significant trading partners has a particularly marked effect on the likelihood that they will dissent. ; We also acknowledge the support received by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (project CSO2012-35554) for this research.

Ovo istraživanje ima za cilj utvrditi empirijsku procjenu odnosa između čimbenika održivosti fiskalne politike, poput fiskalnog deficita i gospodarskog rasta u zemljama zapadnog Balkana i zemljama Istočne Europske unije koristeći panel baze podataka za godišnji vremenski raspon od 2000. do 2021. godine. Empirijski model istražuje utjecaj fiskalnog deficita, uz ostale kontrolne varijable poput inflacije, školovanja, ukupnih ulaganja, otvorenosti trgovine i proizvodnog jaza na gospodarski rast u odabranoj skupini zemalja. Za potrebe istraživanja koristili smo statičku i dinamičku panel procjenu tehnike poput fiksnih učinaka s Driscol i Kraay standardnim greškama i sustav GMM. Nalazi potvrđuju da je fiskalni deficit značajno utjecao na razinu rasta u obje skupine zemalja. Osim toga, kada se fiskalne varijable dovedu u interakciju s COVID-19 dummy varijablama, fiskalni deficit rezultira značajnim i pozitivnim učinkom na gospodarski rast. Međutim, kada je fiskalni deficit u interakciji s razdobljem dužničke krize u Euro-zoni, on postaje čimbenik koji pogoršava rast. Ostale kontrolne varijable poput inflacije, otvorenosti trgovine, ukupnih ulaganja i proizvodnog jaza smatraju se važnim čimbenicima u objašnjavanju uspješnost rasta zemalja srednje i istočne Europe i zapadnog Balkana. ; This research aims to provide an empirical assessment of the relationship between fiscal policy sustainability factors, like fiscal deficit and economic growth in the Western Balkan countries and East European Union Countries, using panel-level data for the yearly time span from 2000-2021. The empirical model provides the impact of fiscal deficit, alongside other control variables like inflation, schooling, total investments, trade openness, and output gap on economic growth in the selected group of countries. For the purpose of research, we employed Static and dynamic panel estimation techniques like Fixed Effects with Driscol and Kraay standard errors and system GMM. The findings confirm that fiscal deficit has significantly affected ...

The author focuses on the issue of diversity of identities in the modern world by demonstrating them on the example of the European Union. Much attention is paid to national, transnational and supranational identity issues within the framework of integration integration. ; Автор роботи зосереджує увагу на питанні різноманітності ідентичностей в сучасному світі демонструючи їх на прикладі Європейського Союзу. Велика увага приділяється питання національної, міжнаціональної та наднаціональної ідентичності в межах інтеграційного об'єднання

Abstract Background The recent occurrence and spread of African swine fever (ASF) in Eastern Europe is perceived as a serious risk for the pig industry in the European Union (EU). In order to estimate the potential risk of ASF virus (ASFV) entering the EU, several pathways of introduction were previously assessed separately. The present work aimed to integrate five of these assessments (legal imports of pigs, legal imports of products, illegal imports of products, fomites associated with transport and wild boar movements) into a modular tool that facilitates the visualization and comprehension of the relative risk of ASFV introduction into the EU by each analyzed pathway. Results The framework's results indicate that 48% of EU countries are at relatively high risk (risk score 4 or 5 out of 5) for ASFV entry for at least one analyzed pathway. Four of these countries obtained the maximum risk score for one pathway: Bulgaria for legally imported products during the high risk period (HRP); Finland for wild boar; Slovenia and Sweden for legally imported pigs during the HRP. Distribution of risk considerably differed from one pathway to another; for some pathways, the risk was concentrated in a few countries (e.g., transport fomites), whereas other pathways incurred a high risk for 4 or 5 countries (legal pigs, illegal imports and wild boar). Conclusions The modular framework, developed to estimate the risk of ASFV entry into the EU, is available in a public domain, and is a transparent, easy-to-interpret tool that can be updated and adapted if required. The model's results determine the EU countries at higher risk for each ASFV introduction route, and provide a useful basis to develop a global coordinated program to improve ASFV prevention in the EU.

Between 2018 and 2023 the penetration rate of electricity smart meters in the European Union (EU) is expected to grow from approximately 44% to 71%. The unprecedently rapid development of smart metering (SM) as an ICT-enabled technological novelty is progressing in a complex, multi-actor innovation system, which is strongly driven by EU-level institutions and policies. This paper presents the comprehensive Technology Innovation System (TIS) analysis of electricity SM development in the EU, with a focus placed on regulatory aspects. The article identifies the key elements of the SM innovation system (technologies and infrastructures ; actors and networks ; institutions and policies) and characterises their interaction based on an in-depth desk research and a critical assessment of regulations, statistics and primary and grey literature sources (e.g., market reports). The main enablers and barriers for EU-level SM TIS development are studied. The major driving force for EU-level SM TIS is the clear, yet evolving vision of EU-level actors for the SM deployment, founded on the grounds of energy conservation and empowerment of customers. On the other hand, the major inhibitor is the insufficient regulatory framework for roll-outs at the level of a Member State, which does not fully ensure interoperability, data protection and security standards or organisational effectiveness.

The subsequent volume revolves around the Social-Fields-Approach (SOFIA) as anapproach to conceptualization and operationalisation for the purpose of empiricalresearch. It contributes a new perspective and approach in research on innovation.We believe that SOFIA can have implications for both academic research and practicalapplications in reshaping the existing instruments and governance arrangementsin innovation policy. Whilst applying SOFIA, we urge researchers to leveragethe plurality of different qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method approachesin innovation studies, including less conventional methods, such as QCA (Ragin,2008). Diligent application of SOFIA can also subsequently lead to the developmentof high-level theoretical contributions.

With the use of the analytical works of the prominent Belgian researcher Sven Biscop, the article examines the main topics of discussion regarding changes in the global strategy of the European Union. EU foreign policy has been associated with the concept of "normative power", which is seen as a kind of European "soft power". Due to the influence of the global governance crisis, the COVID pandemic, the shift of USA geopolitical interests from Europe to Asia, China's great-power policy, Russia's geopolitical ambitions and other challenges, EU researchers and politicians are raising questions aimed at changing the strategic culture in order to ensure the primacy of EU vital interests. S. Biscop believes that while developing a new global strategy, it is necessary to turn to the traditions of geopolitics to be ready to protect interests and democratic values with the use of "hard power" both internally and externally. Strategic autonomy is a promising task for the further building of the EU. Under the instruction of the European Commission, the work has begun on the creation of a new political and strategic document "Strategic Compass", its goals include defining the EU targets in the field of security, defense, and identification of threats. The discussion of a new global strategy outlines a trajectory for the transformation of the European Union into a global "Third Pole". Sven Biscop's recommendations show that shaping a new global strategy will require a revision of the concept of "normative power" and turning closer to geopolitical realism.

Many Europeans support common European Union (EU) representation in international institutions. But such a pooling of international political influence raises complex and controversial issues. A common European foreign policy position implies compromise among EU members. The pooling of international representation thus requires, as with many internal EU policies, that member states weigh the potential benefits of a common policy against the potential costs of a policy not to their liking. There can be a tradeoff between the advantages of scale and the disadvantages of overriding heterogeneous preferences. Simple spatial models help to make this point, to clarify the circumstances in which a common European international representation is most likely, and to explain who is most likely to support or oppose a pooling of European foreign policies.