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A central question in assessing the foreign operations of Russian state-owned energy enterprises is determining which of their transactions and projects are more weighted in the strategic versus the commercial domain. In the vast majority of cases, both of these elements are in play in Kremlin and energy industry decision-making, hence the need to identify where the preponderance of evidence lies.
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To meet the goal of the study a hypothesis has been formulated as follows: „Russian energy companies in natural gas and nuclear sector act in order to maximize their influence on CEE markets and to strengthen Russian geopolitical influence in this region.“ Secondary goal here is to find out whether the determinants of the Russian companies differ according to various environments in the region or compared to Asia.
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As stated above, the aim of the research was to provide an in depth analysis of Russian operations in the nuclear sector of Central and Eastern Europe. The research sought to unearth whether Rosatom subscribes to specific patterns of conduct with regard to business environment and if so, what are the determining factors of such behaviour. To meet the goals of the study, the following hypothesis was formulated: „Russian state owne denergy companies in the natural gas and nuclear sectors act in order to maximize their influence and market share in CEE markets and strengthen Russian geopolitical leverage and positioning in this region.“
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Natural gas markets in the EU are characterised by the high level of import dependency resulting from the combination of decreasing indigenous production and stable or increasing demand. Despite significant share of LNG, the EU imports most of its consumption from Norway, Russia and Algeria.The producers in this countries are often state controlled and function in close cooperation with the government (Talus, 2014). Given the accusations of Gazprom misusing gas suppliesas a political tool, the EU faces a challenge how to cope with this company as a significant energy supplier.
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Estonia, a former member of the Soviet Union, is highly dependent on Russian natural gas imports. Thus, energy grids of the country are more intertwined with Russia, compared to other European countries. However, Estonia is largely independent in terms of primary energy supply, as majority of energy comes from domestically-available oil shale. Natural gas and other sources therefore represent only about 15% of the primary energy supply (IEA, 2013, p. 20).
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Regarding their geographical closeness and historical interconnection of economies, Russia and Ukraine maintained high level of political and economic cooperation even after the end of the so called Cold War. In the 1990s of 20th century under President Leonid Kuchma Ukrainian foreign policy was characterized by being “multi-vectoral”, when attempts to establish closer relations with EU states and the US were compensated by active political and economic cooperation with Russia.
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The aim of the research was to provide an insight into the conduct of Russian state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in natural gas and nuclear sector and test the following hypothesis:„Russian energy companies in natural gas and nuclear sector actin order to maximize their influence on CEE markets and to strengthen Russian geopolitical influence in this region.“ This section is intended to address the natural gas sector, i. e. Gazprom's conduct in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. For this purpose, a theoretical model based on the strategic approach to energy policy was developed.
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After an exhaustive research process, several popular assumptions about the operations and behaviour of Rosatom and Gazprom were validated, while several others proved exaggerated or outright incorrect. Rosatom, in particular, faces competitors in a high-end (technically), high-cost marketplace,and hence is visible and monitored by prospective sovereign customers. The company, therefore, must show extra caution concerning the politicization of any of its actions for fear of market estrangement.
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Sustainability is a crucial topic in today’s agricultural policy discussion. Agriculture faces 2 challenges—feeding increasing number of people, while being sustainable and reducing negative environmental effects. Agriculture will require “structural transformation” to meet goals of global society—the Sustainable Development Goals. Land management, bio-diversity and soil degradation are often correlated with farming practices. Thus, having sustainable agriculture requires transformation of farming practices, and organic farming belongs to potential directions. For over 3 decades, organic farming has gained on importance, market share as well as popularity among consumers, producers and policymakers. Health concerns, public support and market potential convinced farmers to introduce non-conventional farming practices. On the contrary, organic farming is often criticized for lower production potential, higher pricing and labour intensity. In the Czech Republic current organic production is rather extensive (on pastures), and products are not sold as organic due to the market oversaturation. However, slow but increasing trend in crop production, which could lead to improved farm economies is observed. The future of organic farming development as individual by side effects related to organic farming are considered to be of the key significance for long-term sustainability of agricultural activities. Organic farming is not a solution to current society issues, butit could be considered as innovative alternative approach for future generations.
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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.
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The Czech Republic is not a typical wine-growing country, yet winemaking and viticulture are among the oldest Czech crafts. Although the situation is slightly improving today, domestic wine production is not very preferred by Czech consumers since more than two-thirds of the wine that Czechs drink each year is imported. In the long term, the worst situation prevailed with the sales of a young wine. The cause was twofold: On the one hand, the market was already penetrated by imported Beaujolais nouveau, which became a synonym for the young wine. On the other, a peculiar Czechs’ taste for young wine was also an obstacle. As a young wine, many Czechs drink partially fermented must from grapevine fruits called “Burčák”. The young wine market was therefore seemingly penetrated with a low possibility of new brands entering it. The proposed case study will describe an ongoing campaign in which a new brand, “Svatomartinské víno”, was created. With this brand, it was possible to change the Czech consumers’ view of immature wines fundamentally. Thanks to the innovative branding approach, the product, which Czech consumers had neglected for many years, became a superior and must-have product for broad consumers. Also, the relationship between the brand and consumers has been established. The new brand has become a potential for many other related events. Last but not least, the consumption of domestic wine increased, which led to the support of local wineries and related regions.
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Sustainable development is a way of thinking, which means changing ideas; sustainable development is one direction, which means reviewing plans and objectives; sustainable development is a statement, which means planning and implementing specific actions. Currently, concrete is the most widely used structural material in road infrastructure. Concrete is a sensitive material, cracks and micro-cracks may occur during operation. Although the cracking/micro-cracking of concrete does not implicitly cause structural damage, it creates a path for corrosive factors, which leads to decreased structural durability caused by material changes and reinforcement corrosion. The self-repairing ability of concrete refers to the process of closing cracks to prevent the entry of potentially aggressive agents. Concrete used in bridge construction is usually covered with a waterproof layer and a layer of asphalt mixture, which also acts as a wear layer, but which can prevent the entry of water containing corrosive ions, the natural aggressiveness of the environment or accelerated corrosion by the penetration of thawing substances etc. Road infrastructure repair works affected by degradation processes are costly, time consuming and lead to a reduction in traffic flow, by partially closing it during interventions. To overcome these shortcomings, over time, several types of concrete with self-repairing properties have been developed, based on several methods such as: pipe networks, superabsorbent polymer capsules and textile fibers, bacteria etc.
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The aim of the study is to assess the importance and socio-economic and environmental aspects of the impact of agriculture in the Southwest region for the development of the region itself. To assess the importance of agriculture in the region and the trends in its development, statistical data are used, such as data from expert assessment of specialists from the regional offices of the State Fund „Agriculture“ and the NAAS. On this basis, the peculiarities of the formed model of agriculture in the Southwest region in terms of changes in the size of farms, organizational parameters, diversification of activities, application of agri-environmental practices and others are derived.
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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.
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The present study examines the recent legal changes in Bulgaria, which allow the easier construction of energy facilities for the production of electrical energy from renewable sources on roof and facade structures of buildings, the energy from which will be used only for own consumption. The prerequisites and reasons for the adoption of these legal changes are discussed. The changes in the various laws concerning the construction of this type of energy facilities are listed in detail, and their advantages and disadvantages are analyzed.
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Тhe aim of the study is to outline the specific challenges and complications the EU is facing in the energy sector as a result of the start of the pandemic crisis. The paper explores Europe’s positions in the various energy dimensions by applying a comparative perspective with the world pattern. The author discusses the principal elements of the debate, to what extent the pandemic shocks are perceived and used as opportunities to generate “green growth” and how this issue is rooted in the controversy over the proposed recovery measures to overcome the economic collapse. In the context of the research topic, the analysis showcases the main vectors of EU energy metamorphoses, in order to reveal its potential for transition towards a new energy paradigm.
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The sky, the stars, the rainbow, and the universe have always piqued people’s interest, from ancient times to the present. The night sky can be enjoyed in all its glory in large rural areas that are not harmed by light pollution. For sky observations, places with less light pollution are favored due to heavy light pollution in cities. The concept of astro-tourism was born as a result of this event’s transformation into a tourism activity. Astro-tourism is a sort of nature-based tourism that involves traveling to locations where there is no light pollution to observe the sky and celestial occurrences. The Melik Plateau in Isparta Province has been named the darkest place among Turkey’s National Parks, with little light and air pollution. As a result, the goal of this study is to determine the current state of astro-tourism activities on the Melik Plateau. For this purpose, a SWOT analysis was made regarding the astro-tourism activities of Melik Plateau.
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Vývoj českého energetického sektoru po roce 1989 sledoval dva základní trendy. V prvé řadě potřebu nahradit předcházející system plně kontrolované a direktivně řízené energetiky přímo provázané se zeměmi východního bloku systémem reflektujícím geopolitické, politické a ekonomické zájmy nového státu. To s sebou neslo nutnost privatizace a liberalizace odvětví, snížení jeho celkové energetické náročnosti a zvýšení efektivity, restrukturalizace ekologicky neúnosného uhelného sektoru či omezení neúměrně vysoké energetické spotřeby domácností.
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Ne nadarmo se devatenáctému století říká století páry. Průmyslová revoluce v roce 1848 přinesla zásadní změnu ve výrobě, a to přechod z dosavadních primitivních výrobních postupů (manufaktury) a dosavadního získávání energie převážně ze dřeva, vody a větru k mechanizaci výroby, k významnému zvýšení produkce a s tím spojenému zvýšenípoptávky po energetických vstupech do hospodářství. Tovární velkovýroba, maximálně mechanizovaná využitím parních strojů, je symbolem 19. století. A bylo to právě uhlí, jehož spalováním se pára vyráběla, které se stalo primárním energetickým palivem průmyslové revoluce a které zůstává klíčovým zdrojem energie i v současném světě.
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The aim of this paper is to present the importance that the economic field has in the concept of modern political warfare. Correlating the economic field with that of geopolitics and security has become a variable that NATO member states can no longer ignore. Using the descriptive analysis method, we aim to show the importance that economic policies have in influencing the political and strategic regional landscape, and have chosen the Eastern Flank countries to do that. We plan to test this theory by studying three major areas of economic policies that we consider have impacted the security and defence landscape in recent years. The first area is defence expenditure, the second one is fiscal policies and the third one is energy policies. Recent security events have fundamentally changed the European Union's green energy policies and objectives. Some of them have been postponed, others replaced, therefore, we seek to analyse the way in which European states on the Eastern Flank mitigate these rising issues, in terms of both the energy field and the correlation of energy policies with the other ones.
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