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This article is a review of basic information on health policies and an introduction to the issue of their design and implementation in the Balkans. The purpose of this article is to discuss the general characteristics of health policies in the Balkans, the challenges and opportunities related to their determination, and implementation in the region and selected countries. The materials used in the preparation of the article are international publications and source documents regulating the issues raised in selected countries as well as studies of the International Health Organization. The methods used in the course of the work were analysis of source documents and data analysis. The work resulted in an article that concisely introduces the reader to the complex issue of health policies in a region still recovering from the armed conflict of the 1990s. The analysis of this issue indicates a deep differentiation of the undertaken activities and financing tools while emphasizing the similarity and often commonality of solutions. This is due to the level of development of individual countries, their economic capabilities, and the degree of advancement in integration processes with the European Union.

In the European Union (EU), there are four Baltic Sea Region (BSR) states – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland – which are interlinked by the following facts: the common moment of obtaining EU membership, a common historical path from communism to democracy, and being part of the BSR. Although the selected countries share common roots, it seems that, in terms of the economic development, they may follow a different path. Investment development path (IDP), a concept developed by J.H. Dunning, stresses that the development of a country is a result of being an active exporter of capital. This paper aims to evaluate the progress of the four selected economies in terms of their IDP. The analysis takes into consideration their peculiar economic determinants. The methods used include quantitative and qualitative methods. Among the qualitative methods, a literature review briefly presents Dunning's IDP paradigm. The review of existing empirical research highlights the contributions of the paper. The quantitative methods cover the statistical data illustrating the progress of the selected countries in terms of the IDP. The data were obtained from United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTADStat) and Eurostat. The BSR states under investigation differ in terms of their economic growth. However, they share a common denominator of maintaining the role of importer of capital. The highest dynamics of the growth of the outward stock of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) was observed in Poland and Lithuania. It is Poland and Estonia, however, that seemingly will climb on the ladder of IDP faster than Latvia and Lithuania. In all cases, these countries deal with higher dynamics of annual growth of Outward Foreign Direct Investment (OFDI) than Inward Foreign Direct Investment (IFDI), which suggests that all are at the third stage of IDI. However complex analysis reveals differences that shed new light on the progress of development paths of these BSR states.

The aim of the article is to demonstrate how science and researchcooperation may help to reintegrate the Baltic region in the 21st century withthe participation of Russia. This is done through the analysis of documentsand strategies of Baltic Sea regionalism in the context of the regional knowledgeregime. Attention is paid to different positionalities of the regional actorsand their narratives. The theoretical framework is secured by an analysis ofcritical junctures drawing on case studies from the years 1989-91 and 2014 andthe subsequent reconfiguration of the power / knowledge nexus. The analysisshows that this reconfiguration actively contributes to creating and changingthe content and context of the Baltic Sea regionalism as based on new symbolic,economic, and political capitals. The conclusion points to the potentialof Russia's involvement in the co-creation of the regional knowledge regimeand defines the conditions and methods of possible cooperation.

Views on the institution of direct democracy have changed during the period of democratic transition. The various advantages and positive effects of direct democracy have been confirmed by the practice of some democratic countries. Its educational and political activation value for society was also noted, without which civil society cannot form. The referendum is especially treated as the purest form of correlation between the views of society and the decisions of its representatives. In a situation where two representative bodies are present – the parliament and the president – a referendum is considered a means of resolving disputes between them in important state affairs. The referendum is nowadays becoming more than just a binding or consultative opinion on a legislative act, especially a constitution. First and foremost, it is important to see the extension of the type and scope of issues that are subject to direct voting. Apart from the traditional, i.e., constitutional changes, polarising issues that raise considerable emotion have become the subject of referenda. Problems of this type include, in particular, moral issues, membership in international organisations, and so-called 'New Policy'. This article presents the role and importance of the referendum as an institution shaping the democratic systems of the Black Sea Region.

Youth policy, understood as youth activity and policy for youth,has been developing in the Baltic Sea region for many years. It takes placeon many levels of Baltic cooperation; therefore, this article uses the theory ofmulti-level governance for the analysis. There are some differences in youthpolicy between the communities of the Baltic Sea Region countries. This articleaims to analyse the participation of young people from the regions ofLithuania, Latvia, Poland, and Estonia in the BSR youth policy, based on theexample of the Youth Working Group of the "Baltic Sea States SubregionalCo-operation". The main part of the article is an analysis of interviews withyouth coordinators of "Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation" from selectedcountries. During the study, 5 interviews were conducted, and, thanksto these interviews, the author has made interesting observations on the differencesin involvement of young people from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, andPoland. They indicated, inter alia, disproportional access to participation in thework of the Youth Working Group "Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation"between Estonia and Poland, and Lithuania and Latvia. The results clearlyshow that young people from Polish regions have the greatest opportunitiesto shape youth policy in the Baltic Sea Region.

The aim of the article is to analyse activities of the Assembly of European Regions (AER) as an international interest group of sub-national territorial units at the regional level in Europe. The article presents the genesis of the Assembly, the evolution of its membership, as well as the tools and the channels of lobbying used. The text positively verifies the hypothesis that expansion of the Assembly on administrative regions from Central and Eastern Europe caused that strong political regions from Western Europe lost theirs interests in participating in AER's works which, in turn, weakened the AER's influence in Europe.