Hungary: Collecting the First Dividends of Interconnectivity?

Author(s): András Deák / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Hungary is a resource-poor country with only limited and relatively expensive coal (lignite) and hydropower potential. It has a considerable record of hydrocarbon production dating back to the late 1930s, but much of these conventional reserves have already been depleted. Domestic supplies of gas constitute around 20%, internal oil production provides less than 8% of total demand for the time being, and both are in decline. Thus, import dependency has long been a natural, and socially and politically accepted necessity. Hungary built up a significant nuclear component during the mid-1980s in Paks (four Soviet VVER blocs meet around 40% of electricity demand) and relies heavily on natural gas imports.

Poland: Northern Wishes, Southern Promises

Author(s): Aleksandra Gawlikowska-Fyk,Dariusz Kałan / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

In comparison with the other Visegrad countries, Poland’s gas security seems relatively high. This coastal state, unlike the Czech Republic or Slovakia, not only has quite significant domestic output (4.3 bcm in 2012), which accounted for some 29% of the country’s demand, but also has a proportionately low level of natural gas in its TPES (13%). Poland is also a major coal producer, and coal comprises a significant portion of the country’s primary energy supply, ahead of all other sources, including gas. Thus, this data could suggest that Poland—as an insignificant natural gas customer—is not necessarily vulnerable in terms of energy security. However, although the country was only mildly affected by the 2009 cuts of supplies from the east, its position in the gas market is far from being fully protected.

Annexes

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Cross-border concerted and joint inspections in the fight against undeclared work

Author(s): Ruslan Stefanov,Daniela Mineva,Petar Terziev / Language(s): English

As part of the support team of the European Platform tackling undeclared work, CSD is developing a series of papers, analyses and toolkits, aimed at sharing good practices and experiences among the Member States. Since 2016, the European Platform tackling undeclared work provides an EU-level forum that allows different actors, including social partners and enforcement authorities, such as labour inspectorates, tax and social security authorities, to engage in closer cross-border cooperation and joint activities. The Platform’s 2-year work programme for 2019-2020 includes activities enabling Platform members to deal with undeclared work through a holistic approach. The new work programme is building on work to tackle bogus self-employment and fraudulent letterbox companies. Four sectors that are heavily affected by undeclared work have been identified for specific action: agriculture; aviation; tourism; and the hotel, restaurant and catering sector.

Traditional methods used in operational activities

Author(s): Aneta Deneva,Sebastian Narojczyk / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

The purpose of this chapter is to present the traditional methods used in operational management. The methods described include benchmarking, outsourcing, Just-In-Time, kaizen, TotalQuality Management, MRP I, MRP II, and core competencies developed in various periods of the 20thcentury to improve the planning process and efficient management of the flow of resources, goodsand information. Benchmarking consists of comparing the processes and practices used by one’s own enterprise with those used in enterprises considered to be the best in the analysed field. Outsourcing means separating from the organizational structure of the enterprise some functions performed by them independently and transferring them to other entities for execution. Just-In-Time is used toreduce work in progress and inventory levels in production and warehouse processes. Kaizen and TQM are based on the continuous diagnosis and improvement of all elements of the company. MRP methods are based on computer systems and clearly defined, inter alia, the volume of demand, order fulfilment time and provide other data relevant to the company’s logistics system and its operations. Core competencies are company-specific skills that are difficult to copy or win over to competitors.The authors focused primarily on the presentation of the main goals, principles of operation, as wellas the advantages and disadvantages of the selected methods in operational management.

The Polish logistics real estate market as a link in international supply chains during the Covid-19 crisis

Author(s): Waldemar W. Budner / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: The aim of the study is to determine the emerging trends of changes related to the situation of uncertainty and increased risk in supply chains, and at the same time limiting the negative effects of the epidemic on the logistics industry. Design/methodology/approach: The study focuses on the analysis of changes in the logistics real estate market in Poland. The analysis period covers the years 2004–2020. The data used here comes from reports from real estate advisory companies and Statistics Poland. Findings: The last dozen or so years has been aperiod of dynamic development in the Polish market of logistic space and facilities. The year 2019 turned out to be arecord year in the history of the market in terms of the increase in warehouse space and Poland has become the sixth biggest warehouse market in Europe. The year 2020 and SARS-CoV-2 has brought a lot of uncertainty about the future, and the recession has become afact. Practical implications: More than half a year after the outbreak of the pandemic, several emerging trends of changes related to the situation of uncertainty and increased risk in supply chains, as well as approaches to limit the negative effects of the epidemic on the logistics industry, can be observed. These include: an increase in e-commerce preferences in relation to traditional trade; increase in stock levels; relocation of production sites. Originality and value: The observed phenomena indicate moderate optimism and the resilience of the logistics industry in the medium term. In turn, in the long run, production can be expected to be relocated to closer areas (domestic or European) in order to shorten the supply chain.

Innovations on rail freight market

Author(s): Dora Naletina,Mate Damić / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Ten years ago, the European Union recognized the importance of stopping further development of road freight transportation and the need for making rail freight a more prominent branch of industry. Rail transportation used to hold a more relevant position, but because of slow response to changes on the market and no investments in modernization, it now occupies only around 10%of the share in freight transportation in most EU member states. Most members have initiated the implementation of the restructuring and liberalization of rail market, with the aim of establishing a multimodal transportation network and reducing negative impact of road freight on the environment. The Croatian market is no exception, of course. It has liberalized the rail freight market since the Accession to the EU, while the rail passenger traffic is still monopolized by a company owned by the state. The Croatian national carrier HŽ Cargo has decided to face the competition by restructuring the current business and giving a sharper focus on innovation (intermodal terminals, RO-LA, and digitalization of business operations). The above-mentioned topics are analysed in the following chapter.

A Vision Re Trans Meridian Connectivity of Eastern European Union Countries (EEUC)

Author(s): Nikola Yankov / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

In this article we discuss the Eastern European Union Countries (EEUC) issue of the European contenentalisation/re-continentalisation process. We point out how the tracing, projecting and realizing of Trans continental meridian transportation corridors and axes could facilitate the development of peripheric and marginalized regions.The article is presenting a view (vision) regarding the Trans meridian transport connectivity of Eastern European Union countries and in particular – Bulgaria and Romania. It states that concrete transport corridors axes, sub axes and corridors are an important tool for integrated and joint development (economic, social, ecologic) of some less developed regions in the mentioned countries.The article also pointed out that it is needed Transportation grid innovation that make the regional development to happen. They affect the Balkan Peninsula Transport Grid vision with parallel and meridian axes and corridors.

Transformacja łańcucha dostaw. Studium przypadku przejęcia ukraińskiego oddziału globalnej firmy produkcyjnej

Author(s): Adam Sadowski,Tomasz Gresik / Language(s): Polish Publication Year: 0

Supply chain management is subject to transformations that result from both functional and structural changes. The greatest challenges for maintaining the efficiency of the supply chain processes are mergers and acquisitions, which require deep interference in the structure of the supply chain. In the case of global supply chains, it is worth mentioning that the cultural aspects influence transformation and their pace of introduction. In this chapter we presented the process of taking over the Ukrainian branch of the global production company DEF (a fictitious name) and including it in the management structures of Central Europe (CE).

Financial management in supply chain as cross-cultural competence

Author(s): Anna Bruska / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Global character of supply chains imposes on its participants contacts in highly differentiated cultural context. Culturally-led background of business models results in different practices in everyday management of operations in supply chains, among others also in differences in financial management. To be prepared for the cooperation in other cultural milieu, supply chain managers need to be aware of those differences, and to acquire the cross-cultural competence in the financial domain.Three mains culturally formed models of supply chain financing: Chinese, Muslim and European need to be understand and cross-culturally applied to enhance the ability of supply chain managers to support successfully in the international exchange. The text aims to describe the aforementioned models and to explain its consequences for supply chain financing.

ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS OF SPATIAL PLANNING ON THE EXAMPLE OF ROAD TRAFFIC NOISE

Author(s): Kinga Szopinska / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Road noise is one of the main nuisance factors. Its negative impact mainly concerns resi-dential areas, which, located along transport routes, are exposed to spatial conflicts. Elimination of these conflicts requires spatial planning that integrates the economic, social and environmental spheres, which should be taken into account in planning studies shaping spatial policy in municipal-ities. The aim of this study is an attempt to assess the spatial-functional decision to locate a selected road project in the vicinity of an existing residential development in terms of road noise. In order to integrate the environmental and social spheres, a study of the acoustic annoyance of a selected road investment was prepared using direct acoustic measurements and a road noise perception study. A section of the Polish A1 highway was selected for the study.

Splitting of Environmental Taxes Revenues in the EU

Author(s): Jarmila Zimmermannová,Jolana Skaličková / Language(s): Czech Publication Year: 0

Currently, EU member states use different kinds of economic instruments of environmental protection. Besides their environmental impact, the main reason for economic instruments implementation is their fiscal impact, precisely revenues of public budgets. The main goal of this paper is to find similarities in EU-28, to find the groups of countries with the same fiscal impact of economic instruments on public budget revenues. The method of cluster analysis is used, based on EUROSTAT and EEX data sets for the year 2016. Three categories of economic instruments’ revenues (per capita) are selected as a base for cluster analysis, with available data for all EU-28 countries – energy taxes without EU ETS, EU ETS and transport taxes. We can distinguish six clusters in total, precisely group A characteristic by low tax revenues and low EU ETS revenues, group B with high tax revenues and low EU ETS revenues, group C with low tax revenues and high EU ETS revenues, group D represented by middle tax revenues and middle EU ETS revenues, group E and group F, both represented by one country with extremely high tax revenues. Generally, countries of Central and Eastern Europe are not grouped only in one group, they have all low tax revenues, but there are differences in EU ETS revenues. Focusing on northern countries of EU, they are characteristic by rather higher or high tax revenues, but they are also split into different clusters.

LOGISTIČKO OBEZBJEĐENJE JEDINICA 1. KORPUSA ARMIJE REPUBLIKE BOSNE I HERCEGOVINE OD 1992. DO 1995. GODINE

Author(s): Neziran Đogo / Language(s): Bosnian Publication Year: 0

Purpose of this paper is to provide a brief review how system of logistical security of the units within 1st Corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina emerged, its organisation and functioning, given that the 1st Corps as a military formation served within the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Officially, 1st Corps was established on 1 September 1992 under the conditions of aggression against the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the complete blockade and siege of the city of Sarajevo. Observed from the aspect of spatial, temporal and functional features, and given the lack of documentation ‒ as this topic was not elaborated in course of last 30 years ‒ achieving the expected result is a complex task. If we add to this that the logistical system as such is complex, big, open, and integral, complexity of this task is progressively increased. The author is aware that this task cannot be accomplished in this paper. By its specifics and manner of logistical securing of the units within the city under the siege, the time of war beginning in April 1992 until November 1995 is divided into four periods of logistical securing, which will be separately discussed further in the paper. First two periods precede the establishment of the 1st Corps. They are reflected in the fact that the logistics was not organised, that there were no permanent sources to supply the units with material and technical means, that there were no reserve sources, and also that there was no competent staff to carry out these tasks, so that the second period is in fact the beginning of establishment of logistics in the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

CROATIAN ECONOMY IN THE 19TH CENTURY

Author(s): Milan Vrbanus / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

During the 19th century, Croatia was an agrarian country with a predominantly agricultural population, which in Banal Croatia made up more than three quarters of the total number of inhabitants at the turn of the 20th century, with a gradual increase in craftsmen and other occupations. The situation was similar in Istria and Dalmatia. The preconditions for the development of agriculture in Banal Croatia were quite poor in the 19th century. Although arable land accounted for more than half of all land suitable for cultivation, it was unevenly distributed, so most of it was in Slavonia, and the least in Lika and Gorski Kotar. In all these areas, there were good preconditions for forest exploitation and development of wood industry. Agriculture was especially weak in Istria and Dalmatia, where there was a noticeable lack of arable land, which was also of poorer quality, affected by frequent and prolonged droughts.

Dilemmas of organising public transport in COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 times

Author(s): Marcin Jurczak / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

Purpose: The chapter aims to identify the most important challenges related to public transport organisation during COVID and post-COVID times. The author asks several questions: How have the restrictions affected (and still affect) public transport? Can economically efficient public transport services be offered in COVID and post-COVID times? And finally: Is public transport safe for users, and will it be safe in the future? Design/methodology/approach: The chapter is based on the literature review and examination of selected case studies. The analysis is carried out in urban transport, regional and interregional rail transport and international transport (particularly air transport). Findings: The chapter specifies the “dilemmas”, of which the most important is a contradiction between the essential requirement for the operation of public transport (to transport many people in a small space) and the basic principle of minimising the increase in COVID infections (the avoidance of large crowds of people). Research limitations: Quantitative methods could further develop and confirm the study. Practical implications: The chapter diagnoses the main challenges related to the organisation and operation of public transport systems in (socially and economically) uncertain times that lie within areas of interest of both managers and local government authorities. Originality and value: The study contributes to the ongoing discussion on improving publictransport.

Българската енергийна инфраструктура и електрическата мобилност в контекста на Зелената сделка

Author(s): Nikolay Nikolov / Language(s): Bulgarian Publication Year: 0

The ambitious goals of so called „Green deal“ require decrease of the greenhouse gas emissions. That means transformation of all energy production capacity because of the new energy consumers – the electric vehicles. The general energy consumption in Bulgaria increases slightly. The country currently is in line with the goals for share of renewable energy. The transport is the sector with the highest share of consumed energy both in the EU and Bulgaria. With the enlargement of the electric vehicles fleet, it is necessary the standards for charging to be unified. The distribution of charging points needs to be more even, they need to be easier for use and the pricing for the energy to be more transparent and in line with the payment standards in Bulgaria and the EU.

Енергийна трансформация в транспортния сектор – проблеми и проекции в контекста на възстановяването от пандемията от COVID-19

Author(s): Hristina Nikolova / Language(s): Bulgarian Publication Year: 0

The transport sector is the most affected by the impact of the pandemic COVID-19 on a national and global scale. In this regard, the present report offers a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the pandemic on resilience of the development of this sector. Based on this analysis, possible recovery measures in the context of the new energy transition policies formation. That is why the main objective of the research presented in the present report, is to offer options for a sustainable recovery of transport after the COVID pandemic, which will contribute to the realization of an energy transformation of the sector.

Wyższy poziom zarządzania ryzykiem celnym w nowym prawie celnym Unii Europejskiej

Author(s): Dariusz Leśniewski / Language(s): Polish Publication Year: 0

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to demonstrate whether the proposed changes to European Union customs law actually justify the claim that the customs union will be introduced to the next level, based on customs risk management. Design/methodology/approach: The author performs a comparative analysis of the currently functioning customs regulations of the European Union (mainly the EU Customs Code) in the field of customs risk management, the practical approach to risk on the example of the Polish National Tax Administration (KAS) with the change in the European Union customs law regulations planned by the European Commission. The scope of the analysis includes terminology regarding customs risk used in regulations, IT tools, organisational structures of customs administration and the methodology currently used. Further, the study presents the new philosophy of customs risk management, included in the draft of the new Customs Code of the European Union, including the justification for the project. Findings: It is a bit too early to be able to clearly confirm whether the customs union, which is the basis of the European Union, will actually be used and managed at a higher level than now. The reason for this is the lack of all planned regulations, including implementing ones, specifying individual issues of the practical functioning of the new risk-based approach. However, the European Commission’s plans to build a new customs risk management system at the EU level should be assessed positively.

Difficulties, Outcomes, and FutureTendencies in Ecotourism

Author(s): Carmelia Mariana Dragomir Bălănică,Cecilia Șerban / Language(s): English Publication Year: 0

This chapter by Carmelia Mariana Bălănică Dragomir and Cecilia Șerban explores the various facets of ecotourism, including its current challenges, results, and future trends. It discusses the economic and environmental impacts of ecotourism, emphasizing the need for sustainable development. The chapter addresses the integration of global value chains in tourism, the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the role of international environmental treaties. It highlights the necessity of innovative technologies, market incentives, and regulatory frameworks to promote ecotourism. The authors also examine the socio-economic benefits of ecotourism, such as job creation and local community development, while identifying obstacles like underdeveloped infrastructure and legal frameworks.

Трансформация към устойчивост – европейски аспекти

Author(s): Gabriela Metodieva / Language(s): Bulgarian Publication Year: 0

The aim of this paper is to address the European aspects of sustainable transformation, particularly transport mobility and digitalization. The object of the article is digitalization as a path towards sustainability. The subject is the prospects and challenges for transforming towards a sustainable way of living. To cover the goals, the following tasks are set: 1) definition of sustainability and mobility; 2) mentioning the similarities between digitalization and a sustainable mobility model; 3) defining prospects and challenges for implementation. The main results are theoretical and practical application of the conclusions, introduction of good practices and proposals.