INTERNATIONAL TOURISM AS A NEOLIBERAL PRACTICE OF CHINESE INFLUENCE IN THE WESTERN BALKANS

The article reveals China's geostrategic interests in the Western Balkans. The paper highlights the main directions of Beijing's political and economic cooperation with the countries of the region, the impact of these processes on the foreign policy orientations of the Balkan countries. The focus is on assessing the international political potential of Chinese outbound tourism as a tool for neoliberal influence on the host destinations of the Western Balkans. The work consists of three interrelated parts. The first part, within the neoliberal paradigm, reveals the understanding of tourism as a factor of international political interaction and the establishment of "complex interdependence". For China, which generates the largest outbound tourist flow, these human communications provide the possibility of indirect influence on host destinations through the created economic dependence and the approval of "official tourist destinations." The second part of the study highlights the Chinese approach to the Western Balkans. It is motivated by the implementation of a large-scale project of the New Silk Road "Belt and Road Initiative", designed to create a cross-border transport and logistics network to accelerate the delivery of Chinese goods to European markets. In the context of this project, the countries of the Western Balkans have become a geographical "entry point" for both land and sea corridors of the new Silk Road, which connect the markets of Europe and Asia. The third part of the publication shows that China's international political and investment activity in the Western Balkans is based on a network of transnational social ties created under the auspices of the state. An appropriate place among them is given to tourist flows from China, whose communication strategies influence emotional and commercial involvement, as well as a positive perception of China in the region. It has been concluded that the intensification of tourist contacts and the related liberalization of mobility regimes serve as an important factor in strengthening the complex asymmetric interdependence of the Balkans with China. In the long term, this will strengthen Beijing's position in Europe, especially in the context of global competition with the United States.

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH: OVERVIEW OF SOME URGENT ISSUES FROM NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL LAW PERSPECTIVES

The article analyzes some urgent problems of the legal governance of scientific research, namely the adherence to the principles of academic freedom and academic integrity, as well as protection of the right to science. The article provides the definitions of academic freedom and academic integrity, considers relevant international and national legal documents and case-law. It analyzes main criteria for the free use of quotations which must be adhered to in the context of preserving academic integrity principles and observes practical consequences of different definitions of plagiarism by education and copyright law. The author considers the normative content of the right to science in accordnce with International Law and highlights its importance in times of COVID-19 pandemic. The author concludes that academic freedom, academic integrity and right to science in general are linked to economic, social and cultural rights, especially the right to information, freedom of thought and expression, freedom from discrimination. If a state is not able to exert every effort to implement its positive responsibility (due diligence) regarding human right to science, including to academic freedom, such a state must be held responsible under customary rules of International Law. In case of violations of the principles of academic integrity comes academic responsibility which is the competence of national governmental bodies on science and education. The only exception is plagiarism which is copyright infringment leading to civil or even criminal responsibility and which is the competence of national civil courts.

HOW CAN THE HUMAN RIGHTS LEGAL FRAMEWORK ADDRESS THE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS EXTRATERRITORIALLY?

The armed conflict in Ukraine has been ongoing since 2014. As to date, the total number of recorded deaths has exceeded ten thousands civilians and combatants. Every day, i.e. during the present research, this number has been increasing. As outlined above, the European regional system of human rights protection, epitomised by the ECtHR, addresses this challenge within two interrelated tracks: individual and inter-State applications. The research focuses on landmark decisions of international, regional, and domestic courts in terms of human rights extraterritorially by way of establishing human rights duty-bearer jurisdiction outside states’ boundaries based on effective control test. It scrutinizes the jurisprudence of the ECtHR in terms of inconsistency between Bankovic and Aj-Jedda cases. In turn, the paper aims to model extraterritorial application of human rights law in Ukraine v. Russia inter-State applications (re Crimea and re Eastern Ukraine) based on Loizidou precedent as well as describes new forms of Russia’s violations of human rights in Crimea.

POLAND'S ENERGY SECURITY IN THE PROCESS OF ENERGY TRANSFORMATION

The issue of energy security has been present in the literature for several decades. Scientific studies focus mainly on the theoretical aspect of this concept. Many of them also describe and analyse the practical dimension of energy security, such as: international trade in raw materials, safety of transport of raw materials, energy production and transmission systems. For over a dozen years, the awareness of climate change, its causes and effects has been growing. Countries and international organizations are taking action to reduce greenhouse gases. The European Union is one of the world leaders in this process. Poland as a member state is obliged to implement the adopted energy and climate commitments. The electro-energy sector in Poland is based on the combustion of fossil fuels. Reducing a high share of coal in the energy mix is a long and very costly process. The speed and efficiency of this transformation affects the level of energy security in Poland.

INFORMATION AND ANALYTICAL ACTIVITY IN INTERNATIONAL REGIONAL AND COUNTRY STUDIES

Under the concept of information and analytical activity we understand a kind of special mental, intellectual human activity, as a result of which in the process of successive actions for the search, accumulation, processing, analysis of the original source an analytical forecast or review is created. At present, it is the information and analytical activity that enables managers to make the right decisions in the face of modern, difficult to predict, crisis phenomena of today. Based on the abovementioned, it can be stated that it is the information and analytical processes that allow public authorities of different countries around the world and regional associations to make effective management decisions, predicting in advance the consequences of both decision and no decision. Analytics and information appear to be a new type of product, with universal economic properties, which are defined in unlimited reproduction, accumulation, use and at the same time a way to study phenomena / processes at both macro and micro levels. In scientific research, information analytics primarily performs the task of qualitative and meaningful transformation of primary information, functionally intersecting in this regard with scientific (production of new knowledge) and management (development of solutions, scenarios) activities. Information and analytical activity is interconnected with science through the information method of cognition and scientific analysis of reality, and with management - the applicable nature of analytics (solving specific information needs and problems of the customer). Information and analytical activity is a broader area of research. It includes the selection and systematization of facts on a particular issue, their evaluation, selection, interpretation, clear and thoughtful presentation in oral or written form. It is worth noting that the extraction of necessary materials, activity related to the acquisition, systematization, translation and distribution of books and documents are not included here. Hence the purpose of such activities is to get the most out of the available information in order to understand and assess the situation properly, see it in the long run, and ultimately - to eliminate future threats.

RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN MIDDLE EAST

Improving energy efficiency is one of the main ways to reduce energy pollution that leads to economic development, increasing energy access and better life. That can result in reducing fossil fuel use and growing clean energy supplies. The Gulf countries have as many renewable resources as hydrocarbons like sunshine, considerable wind resources, and geothermal. The economy of the Middle east deeplydepends on fossil fuel export. Declining fossil fuel supplies and rising energy prices are driving global energy supplies to renewables energies. Although the Middle East region, due to its special geographical features, has significant potential for the growth of renewable energy sources, they have not been developed yet. It overviews the energy situation and sustainability, economic potential of renewable energy, policies for energy systems over the recent decades in six resource-rich countries in the middle east. In addition, along with renewable energy technologies, possible ways to solve current environmental problems are recognized. The methodology of this work is PESTLE analysis of these countries' energy status to develop a long-term mechanism for sustainable and secure energy for the Middle East based on Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental. Also, it identifies challenges that restrict the development of renewable energy technologies in the Middle East. By analyzing the status of energy in recent decades, the importance of implementation of effective energy policies to develop sustainable energy can be realized. Key words: energy source, sustainable future, renewable, effective policy, resource-rich countries.

UKRAINIAN-POLISH CENTURY-LONG CO-OPERATION: FROM THE 1920 WARSAW AGREEMENT TO STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP OF THE TWO STATES

The article analyzes the main stages of forming partnership relations between Ukraine and Poland, clarifies historical and political prerequisites of the Ukrainian-Polish dialogue, the role of geopolitical factors in the formation of allied relations in 1919-20, the reasons of inability to implement the 1920 Treaty of Warsaw. It has been proved that the concept of Polish-Ukrainian national reconciliation of Jerzy Giedroyc and the understanding of the intellectual elite of the two peoples became a significant ideological basis for forming a strategic partnership between Ukraine and Poland. It is determined that historical issues are the main obstacle to deepening strategic partnership relations. A mechanism for resolving controversial issues of the Ukrainian-Polish conflict past based on intercultural dialogue, is proposed.

KEY TRENDS IN INTERNATIONAL REGULATION OF INTELLECTUAL MIGRATION

The main purpose of the article is to analyze the regulation of intellectual migration and to determine the levels and mechanism of regulation, to study the features of international migration of highly skilled workers. The advantages and disadvantages for donor and recipient countries of intellectual migrants are considered. The main directions and centers of attraction of migrants in the world are analyzed.

CONSEQUENCES OF BREXIT FOR THE PROSPECTS OF THE UK-EU RELATIONS

The article analyzes the main consequences of Brexit for socio-economic and political development of the UK and the EU. The issuesof British identity, security, migration crisis, as well as the financial and economic crisis have turned to be the key factors that have, in some ways, led to the Brexit referendum and its results. Brexit means a crisis of a single European identity, European integrity and unity. The United Kingdom joined the EEC and then the EU on special terms, which it consistently defended in the future, staying away from most of integration processes. Brexit has political and socio-economic consequences for the development of both the UK and the EU. Adropin GDP and in the pound sterlingrate, rising unemployment, the outflow of migrants, real estate crashmay be the possible consequences of Brexit. A further fragmentation within Britain itself can also be the consequence of Brexit. In London today, there are many contradictions in relations with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the unity of the autonomous regions of Great Britain may be threatened by the strengthening of nationalist movement there.Today, Brexit is considered to be an irrational event that occurred due to a combination of factors and circumstances. Britain is the only country wherethe ruling party raised the question of EU membership. In other EU countries, similar proposals do not come from the majority parties, but from the semi-marginal far-right ones. Brexit has revealed a deep rift in British society on regional, age, social, educational and in general on a class basis. Negotiations on the terms of Brexit were tough and the possibility of Brexit without an agreement was not ruled out.With the exit of the UK, the EU loses its second union economy and the EU budget revenues willbe significantly reduced. The rupture of economic ties with the UK will have a mirror effect on EU countries and their businesses.

ECONOMIC PRODUCTIVITY: FACTOR APPROACHES

The article focuses on economic productivity and have stressed the theory of marginal utility (productivity). In modern researches such aggregate indicators as a total factor productivity and a multifactor productivity prevail. Total Factor Productivity is measured by combining the effects of all there sources used in the production of goods and services (labour, capital, materials, energy, etc.) and dividing it into the output. Multifactor productivity (MFP) is the ratio of total output to a subset of inputs. A subset of inputs might consist of only labour and materials or it could include capital. MFP is the residual contribution to output growth of an industry or economy after calculating the contribution from all its factor inputs. The OECD methodology examines key single-factor (aggregated) indicators of labour and capital productivity, considering total output and costs and, most importantly, the value added, which reflects the real increase in the welfare of the nation.