scholarly journals Geographical context of energy prices in the European Union Member States with special emphasis on the Slovak Republic

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (24) ◽  
pp. 135-159
Author(s):  
Martin Mačanga ◽  
Martin Plešivčák

Abstract The issue of energy prices presents an extremely topical subject with a major impact on human society. Energy demand is constantly increasing and most regions of the world are facing serious difficulties in ensuring sufficient energy supplies. However, not only global events affect energy prices in the particular country. National energy markets are highly specific and some local factors may also prove significant. In our contribution we focus on the Slovak Republic and try to analyze the major political and economic factors affecting the final price of energy, particularly of gas and electricity. We pay attention to the period from the accession of the country to the European Union in 2004 until 2011 characterised by ‘third liberalisation package’ that is associated with a wide range of major changes. Largely monopolized energy market has been gradually opening up to competition and the countries with regulated prices have been facing the increasing pressure to let the free market decide. Progressive liberalisation of energy markets enables consumers to use the energy services offered by various private companies. This new element operating in the energy sector is largely reflected in final energy prices. Thus, the main goal of this study is to highlight the price disparities between different energy commodities in European Union member states since we are at present witnesses to of significant regional disparities in energy prices. We try to analyze current energy prices with respect to GDP (regarding purchasing power parity as well) to ensure that resulting comparison would reflect the financial potential of the population. Demonstrating the effects of the economic crisis on energy prices in different countries will be another important aspect of this contribution.

2018 ◽  
Vol 325 ◽  
pp. 19-27
Author(s):  
Silvia Ručinská ◽  
Miroslav Fečko

European Union Internal Market has become a key element of the European integration and of a citizens´ daily life. Some of the European Union Internal Market´s components are well established and functioning, others have still to struggle with existing barriers. New information and communication technologies and the digitalisation challenged the European Union Internal Market and the European Union Member States to move into the digital era. European Union Member States are now facing the need to adapt the four economic freedoms as a crucial part of the European Union Internal Market to a digital freedom. The aim of the article is to analyse the current state of play of the European Union Digital Single Market and to identify most common and urgent existing obstacles of the European Union Digital Single Market from the perspective of the Slovak Republic.


2020 ◽  
pp. 203228442097974
Author(s):  
Sibel Top ◽  
Paul De Hert

This article examines the changing balance established by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) between human rights filters to extradition and the obligation to cooperate and how this shift of rationale brought the Court closer to the position of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in that respect. The article argues that the ECtHR initially adopted a position whereby it prioritised human rights concerns over extraditions, but that it later nuanced that approach by establishing, in some cases, an obligation to cooperate to ensure proper respect of human rights. This refinement of its position brought the ECtHR closer to the approach adopted by the CJEU that traditionally put the obligation to cooperate above human rights concerns. In recent years, however, the CJEU also backtracked to some extent from its uncompromising attitude on the obligation to cooperate, which enabled a convergence of the rationales of the two Courts. Although this alignment of the Courts was necessary to mitigate the conflicting obligations of European Union Member States towards both Courts, this article warns against the danger of making too many human rights concessions to cooperation in criminal matters.


Author(s):  
Olena Zayats ◽  
◽  
Tomash Yarema ◽  

The article examines the essence of the global innovation capacity of the member states of the European Union and its interconncetion with involvement in the processes of international economic integration and disintegration. It is noted that the global innovative force has a significant impact on stable economic growth and competitive positions of any economic entity in the world arena. In addition, it was determined that the unification of countries into interstate integration groupings leads to the transformation of the innovation capacity of the member country and the formation of the innovation capacity of the international integration associations. As a result of the study, it was noted that today there is no single methodology for measuring innovative capacity. As part of the innovation capacity research of the European Union member states, the most prominent and frequently used method for measuring the innovation capacity of the country amongst of global economy, namely the global innovation index, is considered. The aim of this article is to compare the positions of the innovative capacity of the member states of the European Union and to study how the integration and disintegration processes in the European Union affect the innovation capacity of participants and, in the prospect, develop a methodology for ranking the innovation capacity of interstate integration associations. The positions of the innovation capacity in the global economy of the European Union member states are analyzed according to the global innovation index. It has been established that five member countries of the European Union are in the top 10 most innovative economies in the world economy. The innovation capacity index of the European Union 2020 is proposed to be calculated and was calculated. It is noted that albeit the ratings do not give any propositions, but only actually determine the state, however, with their assistance it is possible to carry out adequate monitoring, analysis, forecast of activation and measurement of innovation leadership of all economic and innovative entities of the global economy. It has been proved that methodological approaches to measuring the innovation capacity of the subjects of the global economy ought to be improved furthermore ratings should be developed not only in the context of countries, but of international integration associations as well.


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