Suchergebnisse

In 2004 the European Union accomplished an expansion of unprecedented scale in the scope of which ten new member states joined the 15 existing members of the community in one huge step. During the period leading up to and immediately following the expansion, a great number of analyses and reports saw the light of day that attempted to evaluate the further development potentials of the ten new member countries. These analyses and reports, however, considered the European Union as if it were a uniform and homogenous population or set and used it as a basis for comparison in their projections. They did so even though this assumption already fails to hold true for the EU15 and that the subsequent accessions and the global economic crisis exacerbated, and in fact, accentuated the differences in the member states' levels of development. Therefore, leaving these false assumptions behind, to gain a more reliable and workable evaluation of the convergence processes of the four Visegrad countries and to make an adequate comparison of the results, I find it highly advisable to consider the problem of catching-up from various aspects and to lay down different performance levels. My analysis only encompasses real convergence, which means that I only analyse the catching-up process and opportunities of the four Visegrad countries with a view to their GDP per capita figures, their main labour market indicators and productivity. In my paper, I present the results of the convergence calculations I did as well as the conclusions that may be drawn from them with the help of multi-level analyses that at the same time allow for describing both the functionality and the efficiency of the European Union. ; In 2004 the European Union accomplished an expansion of unprecedented scale in the scope of which ten new member states joined the 15 existing members of the community in one huge step. During the period leading up to and immediately following the expansion, a great number of analyses and reports saw the light of day that attempted to evaluate the further development potentials of the ten new member countries. These analyses and reports, however, considered the European Union as if it were a uniform and homogenous population or set and used it as a basis for comparison in their projections. They did so even though this assumption already fails to hold true for the EU15 and that the subsequent accessions and the global economic crisis exacerbated, and in fact, accentuated the differences in the member states' levels of development. Therefore, leaving these false assumptions behind, to gain a more reliable and workable evaluation of the convergence processes of the four Visegrad countries and to make an adequate comparison of the results, I find it highly advisable to consider the problem of catching-up from various aspects and to lay down different performance levels. My analysis only encompasses real convergence, which means that I only analyse the catching-up process and opportunities of the four Visegrad countries with a view to their GDP per capita figures, their main labour market indicators and productivity. In my paper, I present the results of the convergence calculations I did as well as the conclusions that may be drawn from them with the help of multi-level analyses that at the same time allow for describing both the functionality and the efficiency of the European Union.

The importance of green and renewable energy sources, as well as environmental awareness, is playing an increasing role in our lives as we move forward in time. Even at the conceptual level, it is already understandable and clear to most people what should or could be done to protect the Earth. The use of renewable energy sources, such as the energy of the sun, wind, water, and geothermal energy all contribute to the development of the environmental values of the individual and society, which is shaped by knowledge and moral convictions about the environment. As irresponsible energy-wasting behavior is unsustainable in the long run and can lead to the depletion of natural resources, the use of alternative energy sources can provide a solution to this global problem. For this reason, the main goal of the representative research is to examine the possibilities of using and applying green and renewable energy sources in the case of all 25 settlements of the micro-region of Gyöngyös in the region of Northern Hungary. A questionnaire survey was used as the primary research method, the aim of which is to explore the extent of local governments' investments in renewable energy sources, and what other methods these local governments contribute to the development of environmental awareness of the local population. Based on the results obtained, according to the investments of the local governments, solar energy (e.g. solar panels) is the most efficient energy source, which is closely followed by the use of biomass. Developments and investments related to renewable energy are implemented to a significant extent from domestic or European Union tender sources. The amount of renewable energy investments planned in the future is expected to be between HUF 10 and 25 million in the case of smaller local governments, and more than HUF 100 million in the case of larger local governments. ; A zöld- és megújuló enerigaforrások, valamint a környezettudatosság jelentősége egyre nagyobb szerepet játszik az életünkbe, ahogy haladunk előre az időben. Fogalmi meghatározás szintjén is, már a legtöbb ember számára érthető és egyértelmű, hogy mit kellene vagy lehetne tenni a Föld megóvása érdekében. A megújuló energiaforrások használata, mint pl. a nap-, szél-, folyóvizek energiája, illetve a geotermikus energia, mind hozzájárulnak az egyén és a társadalom környezeti értékrendjeinek fejlődéséhez, melyet a környezetről alkotott tudás és morális meggyőződés alakít ki. Mivel a felelőtlen energiapazarló magatartás hosszútávon nem fenntartható, és a természeti erőforrások kimerüléséhez vezethet, így az alternatív energiaforrások használata nyújthat megoldást erre a világméretű problémára. Ennek okán, a reprezentatív kutatás legfőbb célja, a zöld- és megújuló energiaforrások felhasználási és alkalmazási lehetőségeinek vizsgálata, az Észak-magyarországi régióban található Gyöngyösi járás mind a 25 településének esetében. Elsődleges kutatási módszerként kérdőíves megkérdezés került alkalmazásra, melynek célja, hogy az önkormányzatok megújuló energiaforrásokkal kapcsolatos beruházásainak mértékét feltárja, illetve, hogy ezek az önkormányzatok milyen egyéb módszerekkel járulnak hozzá a helyi lakosság környezettudattosságának fejlesztéséhez. A kapott eredmények alapján, az önkormányzatok beruházásai szerint a napenergia (pl. napelemek) a leghatékonyabb energiaforrás, amelyet szorosan követ a biomassza felhasználás. A megújuló energiához kapcsolódó fejlesztések és beruházások jelentős mértékben hazai vagy európai uniós pályázati forrásokból valósulnak meg. A jövőben tervezett megújuló energia beruházások összege, a kisebb önkormányzatok esetében várhatóan többnyire 10 - 25 millió forint között lesz, a nagyobb helyi önkormányzatok esetében pedig, több mint 100 millió forint.