scholarly journals The Impacts of Urbanisation on Landscape and Environment: The Case of Slovakia

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 60
Author(s):  
Zita Izakovičová ◽  
František Petrovič ◽  
Eva Pauditšová
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
European Union ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Spatial Dimension ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Rural Settlements ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Transport Services ◽  
Quantitative Changes

The development of urbanisation is linked to qualitative and quantitative changes in the landscape and its components aimed at strengthening economic, administrative and cultural-social functions, which are associated with ever-increasing pressures on ecosystems and their individual components. These pressures are subject to various factors—socio-economic, political, environ-mental, etc. In this paper, we present an evaluation of the environmental impacts of the development of urbanisation in Slovakia. Independent Slovakia belongs to the young European states. The communist period lasted from 1948 to 1989. The character of landscape, the quality of the environment and also the degree of anthropisation of territory were dependent on a centrally managed economy. Urbanisation changes began to manifest themselves rapidly after 2000, when the economy was transformed and Slovakia was preparing to join the European Union (Slovakia joined the European Union in 2004). The transformation from central planning into a market economy was the basis of the changes, which was conditioned following strong pressure of investors on the landscape, the construction of technological parks, shopping and logistics centres and transport infrastructure and the construction of residential complexes. According to the European Environment Agency’s study on urban sprawl between the mid-1950s and the end of the 1990s, industry, commercial and transport services have grown at a significant rate and the residential areas at a moderate rate in Slovakia. On the other hand, Slovakia has areas where urbanisation has the opposite trend. Rural settlements are abandoned as well as large areas of agricultural land. The character of land use has fundamentally changed over the past 20 years. These changes not only have a spatial dimension but are associated with the emergence of various environmental problems. The paper deals with the impacts of anthropisation and industrialisation of Slovakia after 2000. The anthropisation process in Slovakia was determined through data processed in GIS and also through the statistical data representing land use. Based on the ecological significance of land use elements, the degree of anthropisation in Slovakiawas calculated.

scholarly journals PROBLEMS OF THE FORMATION OF THE UNITED EUROPEAN TRANSPORT SPACE

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3(72)) ◽  
pp. 117-123
Author(s):  
A.V. RYBCHUK
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Investment Strategy ◽  
Transport Network ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Transport Systems ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Online Information ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Transport Services

Topicality. The relevance of the study is based on the fact that the transport sector of the European Union is at a crossroads today, as it requires a policy that meets the needs of the 21st century and which will contribute to the growth of jobs in the EU. It must avoid constraining mobility, while at the same time responding to a range of social and economic problems that arise. Aim and tasks. The purpose of the article is to develop theoretical, methodological and practical applications, which should justify the optimization of transport services and changes in the design of vehicles and infrastructure of the European Union. In addition, various factors of historical and geographical nature often affect the political merits of States parties. After decades of EU activity, there is currently not a sufficiently compatible and resource saving network of interconnected, trans border transport infrastructure. Reasearch results. The essence of the formation of a united European transport network is the implementation of direct links between the main nodes and the infrastructure that forms the mobility of passengers. Airports, ports, railways, undergrounds and bus stations must increasingly be transformed into multimodal communication platforms for passengers and cargo. Online information, electronic booking and payment systems that combine all vehicles will contribute to multimodal travel. But today legal, administrative and technical barriers multiply and slow down the process of forming a single European transport space. Despite the intensification of rail freight and international passenger transport, access to the transport services market continues to be a serious problem. This is largely due to lack of independence and lack of financial transparency between infrastructure managers and service providers, which can lead to discrimination and distortion of the market. Conclusion. The transport policy of the European Union provides a powerful lever for economic recovery. A new issue for European transport systems is their intermodality, that is, the opportunity for logistic chains to use different consecutive modes of transport according to their specific needs for optimizing costs and environmental impact. This means the implementation of regular, clear efforts at European level country by country, industry by industry, according to different geographical, economic and historical features. An investment strategy in transport infrastructure will make sense only if it is shared by actors in the world market. By means of joint financing of individual objects by business and states, the possibility of creating a single European transport network will be real.

scholarly journals CONTRIBUTION OF TRANSPORT SERVICES TO BULGARIA'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-141
Author(s):  
Galina Zaharieva ◽  
Karina Sarkisyan-Dikova ◽  
Zdravko Lyubenov
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Transport Infrastructure ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Substantial Part ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Full Member ◽  
Transport Services ◽  
Regular Production ◽  
The World

Transport is considered one of the key sectors in terms of economic development. The quality of transport services and transport infrastructure is essential for the growth of the economy, the regular production operations in other sectors of the economy, and the satisfaction of people’s needs. As a full member of the European Union (EU), Bulgaria is committed to adopt and implement all of its internal policies and regulations, including those in the field of transport. Over the last two decades, the Community's efforts have been directed at building a well-functioning single European transport area, a transport system that is competitive and at the same time satisfies the contemporary social and environmental requirements. Therefore, a number of legislative changes concerning all modes of transport (rail, air, road and water) have been made. They all have a certain effect for the sector on a pan-European and national scale as well as for its contribution to economic development.The main objective of this paper is to analyze the contribution of transport services to the economic development of Bulgaria. The analysis is based on statistical data from various sources, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Bank, Eurostat and the National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria. These statistics include the number of persons employed in the sector, the national GDP level, and the volumes of export and import of goods and services. The analysis covers the period 2005-2017, which includes years from Bulgaria’s pre-accession and post-accession period.The results from the analysis show that transport services are a substantial part of the services sector in the country. During the investigated period the actual volumes of both exports and imports of transport services are increasing, while in relative terms the trend is different. A substantial part of the employed persons In Bulgaria are engaged in the sector of transport services – in 2017 they were 210.6 thousand, or 6.7% of all employed persons. Comparatively, according to data from Eurostat, this sector in the European Union provided employment for about 11 million people in 2016, which is more than 5% of the total employment in the Union. The paper also discusses the European regulations concerning the transport sector and the benefits from its development.

Implication of Socio-economic Factors on Land Use and Forest Cover Changes in and Around Magamba Nature Reserve in Tanzania

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-117
Author(s):  
Solomon Jeremiah Sembosi
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Population Pressure ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Rural Settlements ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

Rural settlements in mountainous regions are a typical process that occurs in many places around the world and have a number of implications on the landscape. Among them is a threat it possesses to the conservation and management of Afromontane ecosystems. This study assessed the socio-economic factors that drive the changes in land use and forest cover and the extent of land use and vegetation cover in and around Magamba Nature Reserve. Focus group discussion, direct field observation and household survey were used to acquire socio-economic information that impacts land use and forest cover. Through the use of Remote Sensing and GIS methods Landsat satellite images of 1995, 2008 and 2015 were employed to identify the extent of the changes in land use and forest cover. The perceived factors for the changes include education level, unemployment, landless/limited, landholding, population pressure, expansion of built-up areas and agricultural land at the expense of other land covers. This study revealed the transformation of natural forest and associated vegetation from one form to another. There was a decrease in natural vegetation from 61.06% in 1995 to 26.02% in 2015 and increase in built-up areas by 6.69% and agricultural areas by 4.70%. This study recommends conservation monitoring and strong law enforcement relating to natural resources so as to promote sustainable use of resources to rescue the diminishing ecosystem services.

scholarly journals Economic and financial position of agricultural enterprises in the period before the accession to the European Union

2012 ◽  
Vol 50 (No. 11) ◽  
pp. 486-494
Author(s):  
Z. Chrastinová
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Agricultural Products ◽  
Cold Weather ◽  
Business Success ◽  
Agricultural Cooperatives ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Adverse Weather ◽  
Legal Entities

In the year before the accession to the European Union, the Slovak agricultural sector reported a loss of SKK 2.4 billion and following a profitable year, the earnings were reduced by SKK 2.8 billion. The situation was caused by a number of reasons, namely reduced sales of agricultural products, damage resulting from adverse weather effects (cold weather, hail, drought and  swine fever), as well as widening of the price gap compared to the year before (increasing input prices in agriculture and decreasing purchase prices of agricultural products, especially in livestock production). Legal entities and natural persons experienced mixed business success. While 51% of legal entities made profit, the figure rose to 76% in the group of natural persons. Both the agricultural cooperatives and trading companies performed with a loss. The loss per hectare of agricultural land (a.l.) was substantially lower in the case of business companies. Natural persons - private farmers were profitable over the period. The gap between the profitable and loss-making enterprises has widened. Some 60% of profitable enterprises owned by legal entities made only a small profit below SKK 0.5 million. The loss-making performance was typical for more productive areas of Slovakia. This was related to stronger effects of adverse climate in 2003.

scholarly journals Land-Use Change Impacts from Sustainable Hydropower Production in EU28 Region: An Empirical Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4599
Author(s):  
Mohd Alsaleh ◽  
Muhammad Mansur Abdulwakil ◽  
Abdul Samad Abdul-Rahim
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Land Use ◽  
European Union ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽  
Energy Production ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Hydropower Production

Under the current European Union (EU) constitution approved in May 2018, EU countries ought to guarantee that estimated greenhouse-gas releases from land use, land-use change, or forestry are entirely compensated by an equivalent accounted removal of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air during the period between 2021 and 2030. This study investigates the effect of sustainable hydropower production on land-use change in the European Union (EU28) region countries during 1990–2018, using the fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS). The results revealed that land-use change incline with an increase in hydropower energy production. In addition, economic growth, carbon dioxide emissions, and population density are found to be increasing land-use changes, while institutional quality is found to be decreasing land-use change significantly. The finding implies that land-use change in EU28 region countries can be significantly increased by mounting the amount of hydropower energy production to achieve Energy Union aims by 2030. This will finally be spread to combat climate change and environmental pollution. The findings are considered robust as they were checked with DOLS and pooled OLS. The research suggests that the EU28 countries pay attention to the share of hydropower in their renewable energy combination to minimize carbon releases. Politicians and investors in the EU28 region ought to invest further in the efficiency and sustainability of hydropower generation to increase its production and accessibility without further degradation of forest and agricultural conditions. The authorities of the EU28 region should emphasize on efficiency and sustainability of hydropower energy with land-use management to achieve the international commitments for climate, biodiversity, and sustainable development, reduce dependence on fossil fuel, and energy insecurity.

scholarly journals STUDY OF TARIFFS FOR TRANSPORT SERVICES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES AND THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

2021 ◽  
pp. 39-45
Author(s):  
Z. A. Kapelyuk ◽  
Y. V. Popova
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Railway Transportation ◽  
Tariff Policy ◽  
Transportation Services ◽  
Transport Services ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact

The article analyzes the experience of tariff regulation of the cost of passenger railway transportation services in the European Union and the Russian Federation. The features of tariff regulation are disclosed and eleven countries are classified according to the main categories. Tariff policy for transport services is used to ensure the consistency of economic interests of consumers and is a problematic segment for all types of transport. The article deals with tariff regulation of the cost of services provided by the railway infrastructure. Comparison of domestic and foreign experience in pricing of transport services for further development of Russian Railways is carried out. The setting of tariffs and available discounts, as well as benefits for the purchase of tickets for trains in the countries of the European Union and Russia are considered. The indexation of tariffs for transportation services of Russian Railways depending on the period of the trip and the comfort of the car is analyzed. Conclusions on the impact of mobile tariffs on economic efficiency, as well as the need to improve the tariff policy in the Russian Federation by involving foreign transport companies in implementation.

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