scholarly journals Mass immigrations in the 21st century. Case of Belgium and the Netherlands

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-80
Author(s):  
Ryszard Żelichowski

The uncontrolled wave of immigrants to the European Union countries, which reached its peak in 2015, challenged not only the well-established system of asylum policies in the Member States but also revealed the fundamental differences among them concerning the so-called “immigration issue”. The article focuses on the mechanisms and institutions which evolved during the different waves of immigrants in Belgium and the Netherlands. It also looks for an answer to the question: is mass immigration to Europe a threat or an opportunity? Depending on one’s attitude to the topic, the answer may be positive or negative.

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 3765
Author(s):  
Jarosław Brodny ◽  
Magdalena Tutak ◽  
Peter Bindzár

The global economic development is, to a great extent, dependent on access to large amounts of cheap energy sources. The growing social awareness of ecology and the enormous damage to the Earth’s ecosystem due to the production of energy from conventional sources have forced fundamental changes in the energy sector. Renewable energy is considered to be an opportunity for such changes. The current state of the art allows such changes to be made without restricting economic development. Therefore, activities related to the energy transition are being taken all over the world. The European Union has definitely managed to achieve the most tangible effects in this regard. This article presents the findings of the research aimed at presenting the current state of renewable energy in the European Union and analyzing the changes reported in this sector in the last decade. The research was carried out using a selected set of 11 indicators characterizing renewable energy in individual countries. These indicators were selected on the basis of literature review and own studies of the state of renewable energy and its development prospects. Based on these indicators, changes in the energy structure of individual European Union countries between 2008–2018 were determined. The study is divided into two main stages. The principal components analysis (PCA) was used for the first analysis. In turn, the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) was adopted to assess the level of renewable energy development in the European Union countries. Both these methods and the extended statistical analysis were applied to determine the state of renewable energy development in the European Union countries in the studied period and to divide the Member States into classes with different levels of development. The results of the study showed that the EU countries are characterized by significant differences in the development of RES during the period in question. The unquestionable leaders in this respect are Sweden, Austria, Finland, and Latvia. Based on the findings, it is possible to evaluate the effects of activities related to renewable energy development and to prepare assumptions for future activities. Additionally, both the research and its findings broaden the knowledge of the directions of renewable energy development in individual European Union countries. This is particularly important in the context of changes related to the need to reduce harmful substance emissions and the implementation of the European Green Deal idea.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emile Tompa ◽  
Amirabbas Mofidi ◽  
Swenneke van den Heuvel ◽  
Thijmen van Bree ◽  
Frithjof Michaelsen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Estimates of the economic burden of work injuries and diseases can help policymakers prioritize occupational health and safety policies and interventions in order to best allocate scarce resources. Several attempts have been made to estimate these economic burdens at the national level, but most have not included a comprehensive list of cost components, and none have attempted to implement a standard approach across several countries. The aim of our study is to develop a framework for estimating the economic burden of work injuries and diseases and implement it for selected European Union countries. Methods We develop an incidence cost framework using a bottom-up approach to estimate the societal burden of work injuries and diseases and implement it for five European Union countries. Three broad categories of costs are considered—direct healthcare, indirect productivity and intangible health-related quality of life costs. We begin with data on newly diagnosed work injuries and diseases from calendar year 2015. We consider lifetime costs for cases across all categories and incurred by all stakeholders. Sensitivity analysis is undertaken for key parameters. Results Indirect costs are the largest part of the economic burden, then direct costs and intangible costs. As a percentage of GDP, the highest overall costs are for Poland (10.4%), then Italy (6.7%), The Netherlands (3.6%), Germany (3.3%) and Finland (2.7%). The Netherlands has the highest per case costs (€75,342), then Italy (€58,411), Germany (€44,919), Finland (€43,069) and Poland (€38,918). Costs per working-age population are highest for Italy (€4956), then The Netherlands (€2930), Poland (€2793), Germany (€2527) and Finland (€2331). Conclusions Our framework serves as a template for estimating the economic burden of work injuries and diseases across countries in the European Union and elsewhere. Results can assist policymakers with identifying health and safety priority areas based on the magnitude of components, particularly when stratified by key characteristics such as industry, injury/disease, age and sex. Case costing can serve as an input into the economic evaluation of prevention initiatives. Comparisons across countries provide insights into the relevant performance of health and safety systems.


2022 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
pp. 120-129
Author(s):  
Nataliia Bezrukova ◽  
Larysa Huk ◽  
Hanna Chmil ◽  
Liudmyla Verbivska ◽  
Olena Komchatnykh ◽  
...  

Transformation of economies with the application of information and communication technologies not only strengthens the competitiveness of countries in the international market, but also helps optimize and improve business processes in the international business environment. The purpose of the academic paper is to study the impact of digitalization on the development of the world economy on the example of the economies of the European Union member states. The following methods have been used, namely: analysis, description, generalization, induction, deduction, tabular representation, graphical representation, correlation analysis, systematization and grouping. Results: The positions of the European Union member states that are actively implementing the Digital Single Market strategy have been analyzed. It has been established that according to The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), Finland, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and Malta have been among the top 5 leaders with the highest level of digitalization of the economy in 2020. Based on the study of The IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking, it has been found that the European Union member states, which are among the top 10 leading countries, such as: Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands, have a high level of ability and readiness to research and implement digital technologies in order to achieve economic transformation and business transformation. The results of the correlation analysis have revealed the interrelationship between the values of Digital single market – promoting e-commerce for individuals and Enterprises that have provided training to develop / upgrade ICT skills of their personnel (%). It has been proved that Sweden, Malta and Estonia show a very high positive correlation, which indicates that these countries are actively implementing digital technologies in the development of economic processes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-177
Author(s):  
Mădălin-Cătălin Blidaru

"The African continent inherited borders drawn by foreign actors for centuries, with a limited influence exerted by its internal political structures. This impacted its development across decades, acting as a contributing factor to economic, social and political conflicts, some of them resulting in further divisions in time: new states emerged, while the federal structures developed within some states remain unstable. In this paper, the author investigates the current regional groupings of states established in different African frameworks in an attempt to answer the question “how external actors influence and legitimize the development of regions” in 21st century. From a functionalist perspective, it explores the motives for the formation of a wide range of regional integration and cooperation organizations. The case study of G5 Sahel, an institutionalized regional arrangement focused on security and development of its member states, is analyzed as an arrangement emerged with support from France and the European Union. The case study analysis trails the cooperation with these two foreign actors with the G5 Sahel member states in the five years, focused on evolution, financing and joint initiatives – including to what extent these contributed to consolidation of the regional borders. Keywords: region-building, G5 Sahel, regional cooperation, European Union, development cooperation "


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-58
Author(s):  
J. T. Kiss ◽  
I. Kocsis

Abstract In this paper we analyse the trends and developments of energy imports as a percentage of gross inland energy consumption including bunkers in Hungary and the European Union countries between 2000 and 2011. Data show that the average of the energy dependence increased in the EU27 Member States (7.1 percentage points) and in Hungary, too (3.4 percentage points). The energy intensity in Member States is examined as well. According to the data the energy intensity decreased in the majority of the Member States, the average decreased by 16 percent.


2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 199-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Violeta ACHIM ◽  
Sorin Nicolae BORLEA ◽  
Lucian Vasile GĂBAN ◽  
Ionut Constantin CUCEU

This paper’s goal is to highlight how happiness affects the level of shadow economy, by using many control variables within different types of potentially determining factors of shadow economy. Another main contribution consists in the systematic comparison between old and new European Union member states in terms of determinants of shadow economy, including happiness. Our findings consist in the fact that happier people are more likely to act honestly, thus causing a decrease in the size of shadow economy and this result is valid both for old and new European Union countries. In addition, we found that the quality of public governance and the richness of a country are associated with a lower propensity towards shadow economy for all the member states. However, the relationship between public governance and shadow economy are never sig-nificant when the happiness and richness variables vary simultaneously. Our research reveals that the shadow economy in European Union countries is explained in percent of about 62% by richness and happiness of the people. Contrary to our expectations, the fiscal pressure seems not to be a determinant for shadow economy in the European Union space.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-105
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Raczkowska ◽  
Joanna Wrzesińska-Kowal

The article addresses issues concerning the level of income inequalities in the countries of the European Union in 2010 and 2018. Subject literature and secondary Eurostat data were used in order to achieve the aim of the study. The obtained results confirmed the presence of a large variability in the level of income inequalities between countries of the European Union. Bulgaria and Lithuania were the countries characterized by the biggest income inequalities. The smallest income disproportions, independent of the interference of the state, occurred in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia. In addition, in 2018, a relatively large drop in inequality in Poland, as well as an increase in inequality in Luxembourg, Sweden and the Netherlands was observed. The study conducted allows to confirm the hypothesis assumed at the beginning, which states that in countries that are part of the European Community, the governments effectively contribute to the reduction in income inequalities by means of taxes and social remittances. However, a decrease in so-called the Gini gap in most European Union countries means that the effectiveness of redistribution has been decreasing.


Author(s):  
Agnieszka Jakubowska ◽  
Anna Rosa

The aim of the article is to assess the health inequalities in the European Union countries, analyzed in terms of “city-village” in the context of their impact on the potential of human capital. In the research problem, the authors used literature analysis and the data available from Eurostat for EU Member States (NUTS-1). For the purposes of this study, the authors identified the population of men and women in two age groups. The level of self-assessment of the health status of hybrids of EU rural and urban areas was analyzed. The results showed a significantly higher level of health inequality in the “city-country” relationship in the Central and Eastern European member states.


2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klaus Hänsch

Integration in the European Union jeopardizes our democracy; the European Constitution will not stop the substantial erosion of the constitutional institutions of the member states, in particular the parliaments. It will not put an end to the lack of democracy and of separation of powers, nor to inappropriate centralization. Its rejection in France and the Netherlands creates the opportunity to assign to the Union appropriate and transparent structures close to the citizens.This is heavy stuff. It is presented to us by authors who are not known to be Euro-phobes or populists. They don't lose themselves in well-meaning clouds of criticism concerning the length of the Constitution, or in putting the blame on ‘the people in Brussels’. Their concerns have to be taken seriously. That is why their suggestions need to be addressed, both as to principle and detail.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document