EU Citizens Research Articles

EU Citizens’ Perception of Risks Posed to the Sustainability of EU Food Security

Food security is a core global sustainability challenge and priority of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Events like COVID-19, extreme weather, and global conflicts have significantly impacted food prices, as evidenced by the FAO food price index rising from 95.1 in 2019 to 143.7 in 2022, heightening EU food security concerns. The European Commission responded with a food supply contingency plan. According to Eurobarometer data, our study shows that EU citizens’ food security concerns vary by demographic, political, and socioeconomic factors. While men prioritize external factors like climate change, women express greater concern for local social issues, including small farm viability. Age influences the concern focus, with younger people worried about agricultural stagnation, and older individuals recalling past economic crises. Education and income also play roles, with educated and wealthier citizens worried about environmental risks, and less educated, poorer individuals more concerned about socioeconomic impacts. Political leanings and urban/rural divides shape concerns, as well as EU policy dissatisfaction, which links to worries over economic vulnerability and nationalism. Effective EU food security policies require understanding complex factors, stakeholder collaboration, and tailored strategies for diverse needs. Our findings suggest the need for EU policies to incorporate demographic nuances, ensuring food security sustainability across socioeconomic and political spectrums.

Proficiency in Personalized Medicine and Health Data Sharing in the EU

Abstract Personalized medicine, leveraging genetic, environmental, and lifestyle data, has already transformed healthcare by tailoring prevention, diagnosis, and treatment to individual patients. The successful development and implementation of personalized approaches rely on the public’s proficiency and awareness of personalized medicine, enabling access to innovative techniques and fostering a willingness to share health-related data. We distributed a survey to 6,581 respondents from 8 EU countries: France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Poland, Hungary, and Romania. 52.5% of respondents were female (n = 3,458), with a mean age of 48.5 years (range 18-89 years, median = 49 years, SD = 15.96), and 37.91% of the participants reported achieving tertiary education. Our survey investigates the general public’s knowledge of personalized medicine, support for genetic testing, and willingness to share health data among EU citizens while assessing their perception and acceptance of these medical paradigms. Knowledge levels vary among different EU countries. Only 12.11% of respondents had a high knowledge of the topics presented in this survey. Support for implementing genetic testing in healthcare was high, with 81.52% supporting the implementation of genetic testing in their healthcare systems, and nuanced differences in acceptance were observed based on testing purposes. 52.35% reported willingness to share health data. Both support for implementing genetic testing and the willingness to share health data correlated positively with knowledge and education levels. Geographical differences within the EU highlighted variations in attitudes toward personalized medicine and data sharing, with respondents from Southern Europe displaying higher odds than their peers in Central and Eastern Europe. The results emphasize the need for targeted communication and education strategies to enhance public understanding and trust in personalized medicine and health data sharing. Key messages • High support for genetic testing across the EU highlights the need for enhanced public education on personalized medicine to boost understanding and data sharing willingness. • Geographical differences in attitudes toward personalized medicine in the EU suggest targeted strategies to build trust and knowledge, particularly in Central Europe.

Concept of a medical and public health cancer genomics platform

Abstract Background This study aims to produce the concept of an open-access medical and public health cancer genomics platform aimed at aggregating and sharing documentation of ongoing initiatives and data resulting from the CAN.HEAL project, available for EU researchers, healthcare professionals, policy makers, citizens and patients. Methods The context (reference sector, stakeholders and research evidences), feasibility (privacy management and data processing), and platform’s end users were analysed; the CAN.HEAL project deliverables were listed and clustered; aspects related to the definition of the overall platform architecture and modules integration were studied. Results The project deliverables were catalogued into 8 categories which could be the platform’s cloud interface main labels: results from events, policy papers, newsletters, mapping results and reports, datasets, recommendations and guidelines, use cases, courses and training activities. To define the overall system architecture, the following key activities should be implemented: content management system choice, hosting configuration and setup of the development domain, content management system installation, development of HTML web pages, data entry, data visualisation and graphic layout, and test and debug. To the modules integration purposes the following items should be addressed: creation of a server analytics account; social network integration; activation of additional system for sending newsletters. Conclusions Cloud-based data platform allows to securely manage, integrate, analyse and share large datasets. Establishing an infrastructure to help researchers access, store and analyse large amounts of biological data is of paramount importance both to enable advances in research and support health policy making processes. The CAN.HEAL platform could help aligning clinical and population-based interventions for integrating the genome of Europe biobanking initiative into public health genomics for cancer. Key messages • Connecting healthcare data can support the challenge of accessing the relevant information needed for the policy and decision making processes to effectively promote population health and wellbeing. • The set-up of a medical and public health cancer genomics platform promotes the effective translation of genome-based knowledge and technologies into public policy and health services.

Adapting the Place Standard Tool for Border Regions: The Euregional Approach

Abstract The Place Standard Tool (PST) is a well-established tool that helps policymakers and communities discuss which aspects of a place - like buildings and transportation or the the way people are involved in decision making concerning their surroundings - need attention in order to improve public health. Even though the PST is widely used in many countries, it primarily focuses on a national level, overlooking the fact that 35% of EU citizens live in border regions. Many people living in these areas cross national borders for work, school, or social activities, so their everyday lives span more than one country. Using this tool to develop policies may ignore the real needs of border residents or even exclude their views, which can have a significant impact on their lives. To address this, the euPrevent Active Citizenship Participation (ACP) project adjusted the tool for a cross-border setting in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine (EMR). In this project, the German version of the StadtRaumMonitor, which is based on the PST, was modified to include questions that reach beyond national borders. This adaptation encourages people to respond to questions not just from a national perspective, but also to reflect on their experiences in neighboring countries. It was further translated into the four languages: French, German, Dutch and English, and made available online across the entire border region, which is home to nearly 4 million people. Moreover, the Euregional PST was effectively tested with local and cross-border citizen panels, and it’s set to become a key element in creating a sustainable framework for citizen participation within the EMR. And although this Euregional PST was initially developed for the border regions of the EMR, the modifications are such that the tool can be applied in no matter which European border region. Thereby, the Euregional PST offers a way to create policies that truly reflect the diverse needs and realities of border citizens, all over Europe. Key messages • The Cross-border Place Standard Tool EMR is easy to apply for a broad spectrum of stakeholders in border regions and applicable to all border regions in Europe. • The tool helps preventing policy issues by considering the entire context of people living in border areas.

Public and professional attitudes to the digitisation of health and social care in Ireland

Abstract Background The European Commission has set targets for all EU citizens to have access to electronic medical records by 2030. In Ireland the Sláintecare health reform programme has set goals around the use of digital technologies in health and social care. The Health Information and Quality Authority (an independent authority established to drive high-quality and safe care for people using health and social care services in Ireland) in partnership with the Health Service Executive (public healthcare provider) and the Department of Health (Ministry) conducted a National Engagement on Digital Health and Social Care. The aim of this engagement was to understand the opinion, attitudes and comfort levels of the public and professionals working in health and social care around digitisation of health and social care. Methods The National Engagement on Digital Health and Social Care used a mixed-method approach to data collection. There were two surveys, a national telephone survey with a representative sample of the public (n = 2009) and an online survey with professionals working in health and social care (n = 1020). There were separate focus groups with professionals and with the public, including representatives of minority groups. Results Preliminary results indicate that the public and professionals have positive attitudes to digital health and social care. Of the public surveyed 73% said that they are likely to access their online health record. Professionals feel that when the public have access to information via an online health record they will be better informed about their health (88%). Both the professionals and public feel that it is important to ensure patient choice around the format and delivery of care. Conclusions The research provides valuable insights and gives the public and professionals a platform to voice their opinions and have a meaningful impact on how digital health and social care is developed and implemented in Ireland. Key messages • This research provides unique insights and a deeper understanding into the attitudes of Irish public and professionals working in health and social care towards digital health. • Research findings will inform national policy, legislation and recommendations on the use of digital health tools in Ireland.

Individual right to clean air including compensation for health damage – comment on JP v Ministre de la Transition écologique, C-61/21

Abstract On the one hand, the EU member states are to manage ambient air quality in line with the Air Quality Directive (dir. 2008/50/EC) provisions that put forward local air quality targets. On the other hand, EU citizens have their right to demand that their local authorities pass ‘air quality plans’ for towns or districts where air quality standards were below the so-called limit values. In 2008, in the Janecek Judgement of the Court of Justice of 25.07.2008, C-237/07 Dieter Janecek v. Freistaat Bayern EU:C:2008:447. case the Court of Justice of the EU (the CJEU) for the first time recognised the direct effect of Articles 13 and 23 of this directive, and in this way granted rights to individuals to challenge local air quality plans for their inefficiency. The main point of this article is to prove that EU citizens have a subjective, justiciable right to clean and healthy air, and to examine whether this right entitles them to compensation for health damage due to air pollution, as was the subject matter of the commented case: JP v Ministre de la Transition écologique. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the three conditions of the Francovich rule for state liability established in the Brasserie du Pêcheur case: ‘1. the rule of law infringed must be intended to confer rights on individuals; 2. the breach must be sufficiently serious, 3. and there must be a direct causal link between the breach of the obligation resting on the state and the damage sustained by the injured parties’ Judgement of the Court of Justice of 5.03.1996, C-46/93 and 48/93 Brasserie du Pêcheur EU:C:1996:79. .

Traditional Quizzing with a Twist: Involving University Students in the Development Process

Quizzes have been used for educational purposes for many years. Mainly it has been digital quizzes like Kahoot or ZippyGo. However, there is an ongoing debate on the security of students’ data. As the university cannot be responsible for what is stored in computers outside of Norway and at the same time paying attention to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a critical framework for data privacy across Europe, including the UK, Norway, and the EU (ICO, 2024). The GDPR came into force in 2018, agreeing data privacy laws across all member states. It applies to any organization processing personal data of individuals in the EU, regardless of the company's location. The regulation grants rights such as data access, correction, and deletion, and imposes strict penalties for non-compliance (ICO, 2024). As part of the European Economic Area (EEA), Norway implements the GDPR similarly to EU countries. The regulation applies to Norwegian businesses processing data of EU citizens, ensuring that data privacy standards are uniform across the region (Team, 2016; ICO, 2024). Therefore, utilizing digital games have become increasingly difficult. The students, however, are missing the gaming, and the lecturers are missing the opportunity to utilize games-based learning techniques. This leads the lecturer in the research methodology course to “Go Native” and turn to the “old style” analogue quizzing. However, previous research showed that students are not only engaged in the solving of the quizzes, but also, they engage in the development of the questions and answers for the quizzing, i.e. ‘co-creating’. This paper will present a pilot study of a paper-based quiz developed by university students, and their reactions from this. Through informal interviews, data was collected to establish how they felt about this “old school” quiz type of learning after having had several different digital tools for educational games. In this paper, and based on our previous research findings (from the informal interviews with the students), we will develop this further into a digital but low-tech version of a quiz game; it should be still both fun and educational.

The Experience of Housing Discrimination and Housing Deprivation Across Social Groups in Ireland

This study focuses on housing inequalities across diverse social groups with respect to two housing indicators: subjective housing discrimination; and objective housing deprivation. By scrutinizing the correspondence in inequalities between the two indicators, we enhance the measurement of housing inequality and at the same time we shed light on the relationship between subjective and objective dimensions of housing— a relationship that has received little empirical examination so far. Existing research suggests that housing discrimination can contribute to housing deprivation through two channels: inadequate information and limited economic resources. Our focus is the post-2008 housing market crash era in Ireland. We use two separate large-scale individual-level surveys, the QNHS (2004, 2010, 2014) for analysing housing discrimination and SILC (2014, 2015) for analysing housing deprivation. Our findings reveal a robust convergence between perceptions of housing discrimination and objective housing deprivation across various social groups. Traditionally vulnerable groups—such as young individuals, those with disabilities, non-natives (excluding EU citizenship holders), single parents, and individuals without children—experience both discrimination and deprivation. Notably, certain groups exhibit persistent disparities in discrimination and disadvantage, even after considering factors like human capital, regional and tenure differences.

Bicycling tasks relation to stability measures during alcohol intoxication

Bicycling accidents are a major traffic safety problem and are deemed ‘an unacceptable human and social price for EU citizens’. One of the major causes for bicycling accidents is loss of balance. A related influencing factor is alcohol intoxication. It is a primary, long term, safety objective to develop safety systems for the cyclist. The present work aimed to understand how to measure cyclists’ instability via steering and leaning inputs, while considering that steering and leaning might vary depending on the cycling task being performed. Of 28 participants, 19 were given doses of alcohol up to 1.0‰ and 9 remained sober (control group). Breath alcohol concentration was measured. The participants repeated the cycling test track session five times (with each block lasting 35 minutes). The track session contained three different tasks: cycling slalom, straight, and slowly. Speed, yaw rate, and roll rate were assessed continuously. Yaw rate and roll rate were relatively sensitive for the different cycling tasks. The threshold level of the angular velocity measurements was related to the cycling task performed. Alcohol intoxication at 0.7‰ had a significant impact on performance. The rather simple measurements used can detect instability. Instability should be measured differently depending on the cycling task performed. The study represents a small step towards a safety system for cyclists.

The Dynamic Nature of European Identity

EU citizenship requires a multilayered and dynamic concept of European identity. The idea of European identity embodied in the Declaration on European Identity and within A Charter on European Identity needs to be rethought. These documents should not contain essentialist assumptions based on the difference between "Europe" and "Other" that excludes and marginalizes a number of citizens. European identity should not create new forms of nationalism. That is why the concept of European identity should be flexible and dynamic. The concepts of identity, values, and Europe need to be rebuilt and reinterpreted in a multifaceted, adaptable, and dynamic manner. We can only discuss the dynamic nature of the European Union and the European identity in this sense. The concept of European identity should be developed less in terms of a predetermined past and more in terms of shared projects, long-term goals and connections resulting from a long-term, deliberate process.

Peculiarities of the social structure of the electorate of left-wing parties in the EU countries

The article is devoted to the analysis of the political situation in the European Union, focusing on changes in support for left-wing parties in the context of global challenges. Transformations in the electoral preferences of EU citizens caused by economic and political turmoil and international conflicts are considered. The main focus is on the growing popularity of radical left populist parties. The analysis shows that traditional left-wing parties are losing support due to insufficiently radical proposals, which leads to fragmentation of their electorate. Radicalization of political sentiment is seen as a serious challenge, as radical movements are less predictable and can create political instability in the region. In this regard, analysts are faced with the question of possible changes in the political landscape, which is especially important in the context of tense international relations and sanctions pressure on Russia. The author emphasizes the need to understand political changes and forecast their consequences in order to develop effective electoral forecasts. The article considers the main results of the 2024 European Parliament elections, their impact on electoral preferences and changes in the EU political landscape. The theoretical approaches and empirical studies of leading domestic and foreign scholars in the field of studying party systems are analyzed, which allows us to assess current and future trends in European politics. The work also touches upon the issues of uniting left-wing forces in opposition to right-wing parties, as well as possible scenarios for the development of the political situation in the European Parliament and its impact on international relations and interstate interaction.

Producing white urban Europe? A critical and reflexive reading of academic knowledge production on urban integration of migrants in Western European cities

Abstract In this paper, I review studies of urban integration as analyzed for two groups of mobile newcomers: those designated as “migrants”, that is, mostly marginalized cross-border movers from outside Europe, and mobile EU citizens in Western European cities. This critical and reflexive reading serves to highlight how academic knowledge production on the topic has (re-)produced an image of white urban Europe. While critics of the concept of immigrant integration have suggested that cities and neighborhoods are better sites in which to study migrant integration than the nation-state, the paper demonstrates that studies of urban integration tend to suffer from similar problems, including an ethnonationalist focus and an essentializing of (ethnic) groups. The comparison foregrounds how mobile EU citizens are implicitly thought of as white; their presence in the urban territory is rarely questioned and their practices rarely problematized. In contrast, those designated as migrants are researched with reference to integration, whereby integration means moving closer to white spaces. Thus, studies of the urban integration of migrants use an ethnic framing, while studies of mobile EU citizens focus on class and nationality. The paper thus illuminates how studies of urban integration rely on and reproduce an implicit assumption of whiteness as the norm, even in diverse urban spaces.

Unmasking metabolic disruptors: The NEMESIS project's quest for Novel Biomarkers, Evidence on Adverse Effects, and Efficient Methodologies

Metabolism disrupting chemicals (MDCs) elicit negative effects on metabolically active organs such as the liver and the pancreas, altering normal metabolic processes. Chemicals that are known, or suspected MDCs include compounds found in everyday consumer products and food, making low-dose, continuous exposure inevitable for humans. Through the discovery of chemically induced metabolic disruption, a concern has surfaced whether and how MDCs impact human health and the development of metabolic diseases. This has accelerated research around the topic, and it has been found that exposure to MDCs is linked to increased incidence of metabolic diseases including obesity and liver steatosis. Effective regulatory action is hindered by the lack of accurate methods to identify MDCs. The NEMESIS project addresses this regulatory gap by investigating the mechanisms through which MDCs cause metabolic disruption. The project aims at identifying novel biomarkers of exposure and link exposure to disease outcomes. As chemical toxicity testing is rapidly moving towards new approach methodologies (NAMs), NEMESIS promotes non-animal methodologies by employing state-of-the-art in vitro methods, epidemiological data, systems biology approaches, and seeks to replace mammalian in vivo experiments with alternative models. By understanding mechanisms of MDC-induced metabolic health effects, and through the development of reliable effect biomarkers and testing strategies, the NEMESIS project aims to facilitate more effective regulatory measures to improve and protect the health and well-being of EU citizens. The project is particularly focused on maximizing its impact through effective dissemination and communication efforts, to ensure that the project’s message and results reach a broad audience and are tailored to different population groups. These actions will improve the risk assessment of MDCs and ensure that the EU citizens are informed and protected from the harmful effects of MDCs and can adapt their consumer patterns and behaviors to prevent exposure.

Testing the Inspirational Link between EU Citizenship and Migration Law: C-112/22 and C-223/22 CU and ND on Indirect Discrimination of Long-Term Residents

Testing the Inspirational Link between EU Citizenship and Migration Law: C-112/22 and C-223/22 CU and ND on Indirect Discrimination of Long-Term Residents

The Shifting Landscape of Judicial Independence Criteria Under the Preliminary Reference Procedure: A Comment on the CJEU’s Recent Case Law and the Trajectory of Article 267 TFEU

AbstractThe preliminary reference procedure forms the foundation of judge-to-judge dialogue in the EU, which has been imperative to the inclusion of member state courts in the Union’s judicial system. In response to the Union’s ever-growing rule of law problem, the CJEU strengthened judicial independence criteria to fortify the Article 2 TEU value of the rule of law. Now, it seems the CJEU’s fight to save judicial independence is spilling over into the preliminary reference mechanism as it overhauls its judicial independence standards under Article 267 TFEU. In particular, the CJEU has chosen to treat traditional and non-traditional courts in a divergent way and introduced significant reliance on judicial decisions emanating from outside the immediate CJEU court structure; this multi-dimensional change to the operation of the preliminary reference mechanism has far-reaching consequences. As this article highlights, the most notable consequences are to the uniform application of EU law, the principle of subsidiarity and autonomy of EU law. Perhaps the most important point raised is the effect of the new limitation on Article 267 TFEU references on EU citizens and our right to access the ‘natural judge’ (the CJEU) in matters concerning EU law.

Transnational social fields of Italian Bangladeshis in Europe and beyond: Towards a new geography of ways of belonging

AbstractIn view of the growing onward migration and multisited transnationalism among naturalized EU citizens, this article seeks to advance the current understanding of transnational social fields, cataloguing the complex interplays of migrants' ways of being, belonging, and in‐betweenness across different places and spaces. Drawing on multisited qualitative research with Italian Bangladeshis in Italy and the United Kingdom, the paper presents how their ‘ways of being’ are expressed by maintaining transnational attachments to the country of origin and the wider Bangladeshi diaspora. In addition, they maintain transnational ‘ways of belonging’ by incorporating the Bengali language, culture, traditions, and values, and transmitting them to the next generation. Beyond these multiplicities of being and belonging, the findings put forward two important, yet contrasting, observations. On the one hand, there is an ongoing pursuit of onward migration to the UK among a section of the community—often influenced by social networks and transnational connections with the recognised Bangladeshi diaspora in the UK. Apart from being in the ‘community comfort zone’ and language advantage in the integration process, many migrants perceive living in the UK as having a higher ‘prestige’, ‘class’ or ‘status’ vis‐a‐vis Italy in terms of life quality, wealth, cultural, and religious freedom. On the other hand, another cohort is emotionally and culturally embedded in Italian societies and is in a dilemma of whether to migrate onward. In this process, they constantly blend, shift, and negotiate their ways of belonging. The findings unfold how a new geography of belonging takes shape, characterised by fluidities, multifaceted identities, and everyday life practices in a transnational space.

How Brexit changed migration: French citizens in London from ‘EU movers’ to ‘migrants’

For the French in London, as for other citizens of the European Union, the Brexit process resulted in the end of free movement for EU citizens relocating to the United Kingdom and affected the rights of those already living there. This article traces how Brexit shaped the spatial choices of middle-class French citizens whose status in London changed as they became international migrants with diminished rights in the United Kingdom. This case study, based on longitudinal ethnographic research between 2014 and 2022, sheds light on how relative privilege operates in migration processes and draws attention to the diversity of experience among middle-class migrants when new bordering arrangements are enacted.

Socio-economic inequalities in the use of flu vaccination in Europe: a multilevel approach

BackgroundThe European-wide statistics show that the use of flu vaccination remains low and the differences between countries are significant, as are those between different population groups within each country. Considerable research has focused on explaining vaccination uptake in relation to socio-economic and demographic characteristics, health promotion and health behavior factors. Nevertheless, few studies have aimed to analyze between-country differences in the use of flu vaccination for the EU population. To address this gap, this study examines the socio-economic inequalities in the use of influenza vaccination for the population aged 15 years and over in all 27 EU Member States and two other non-EU countries (Iceland and Norway).MethodsUsing data from the third wave of European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) 2019, we employed a multilevel logistic model with a random intercept for country, which allows controlling simultaneously the variations in individuals’ characteristics and macro-contextual factors which could influence the use of flu vaccination. In addition, the analysis considers the population stratified into four age groups, namely adolescents, young adults, adults and elderly, to better capture heterogeneities in flu vaccination uptake.ResultsThe main findings confirm the existence of socio-economic inequalities between individuals in different age groups, but also of significant variation between European countries, particularly for older people, in the use of influenza vaccination. In this respect, income and education are strong proxy of socio-economic status associated with flu vaccination uptake. Moreover, these disparities within each population group are also explained by area of residence and occupational status. Particularly for the elderly, the differences between individuals in vaccine utilization are also explained by country-level factors, such as the type of healthcare system adopted in each country, public funding, personal health expenditure burden, or the availability of generalist practitioners.ConclusionsOverall, our findings reveal that vaccination against seasonal influenza remains a critical public health intervention and bring attention to the relevance of conceiving and implementing context-specific strategies to ensure equitable access to vaccines for all EU citizens.

THE IMPACT OF BREXIT ON THE PEACE PROCESS IN NORTHERN IRELAND

The article analyzes Brexit as a factor influencing the Good Friday Agreement and the transformation of the peace process in Northern Ireland, as well as the relationship between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is argued that Brexit poses a threat to the security of Ireland and the EU, since it undermines the foundations of the peace process in Northern Ireland and creates the likelihood that the border will be closed on the island of Ireland again. The Good Friday Agreement of 1998 was based on the fact that both signatory states are members of the EU, and many of its provisions will not be implemented after Brexit. It has been proven that after Brexit, the most controversial issue was the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which became the external border of the EU. The border, which was heavily militarized during the conflict, became virtually invisible after its settlement, and people and goods freely cross it. This became possible largely because both Ireland and the UK were part of the EU single market, a common set of rules that ensures the free movement of goods, services, people and finances within the bloc.It is argued that the new relationship between the EU and the UK, which was agreed during 2020 and implemented from January 2021, resulted in an attempt to resolve the complex border issue, which was carried out in the Northern Ireland Protocol. The arrangements of the Northern Ireland Protocol, according to which Northern Ireland, but not the rest of the UK, remains within the framework of the EU single market for goods, make it possible to maintain an open border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The establishment of an open border was a key aspect of the Northern Ireland peace process and the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which ended the conflict in Northern Ireland. It is shown that the Northern Ireland Protocol creates a de facto customs border in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. Mainly to address the concerns of the DUP unionists about the Northern Ireland Protocol, in 2022-2023, the EU and the UK agreed on revised mechanisms for its operation – the Windsor Framework, which entered into force on March 24, 2023. The DUP refused to accept the Framework Program as meeting their interests until early 2024. Further adjustments to its work have not been agreed upon and the formation of a new Northern Ireland executive has not begun. It is proved that Brexit is becoming a new and significant factor in the unification of Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland. Brexit has put the issue of the unification of Ireland at the top of the political agenda of both parts of Ireland. The majority of Northern Irish residents voted to remain in the EU in the 2016 UK referendum. Unification would give Northern Ireland, where both British and Irish citizens live, full EU citizenship.

RESEARCH ON ERROR PROBABILITY ASSESSMENT IN USER PERSONAL DATA PROCESSING IN GDPR-COMPLIANT BUSINESS PROCESS MODELS

The only right strategy for businesses and government organizations in Ukraine and other countries that may face aggression is to recognize themselves as a potential target for cyberattacks by the aggressor (both by its government agencies and related cybercriminal groups) and take appropriate measures in accordance with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The main purpose of the GDPR is to regulate the rights to personal data protection and to protect EU citizens from data leaks and breaches of confidentiality, which is especially important in today’s digital world, where the processing and exchange of personal data are integral parts of almost every business process. Therefore, the GDPR encourages organizations to transform their day-to-day business processes that are involved in managing, storing, and sharing customers’ personal data during execution. Thus, business process models created in accordance with the GDPR regulations must be of high quality, just like any other business process models, and the probability of errors in them must be minimal. This is especially important with regard to the observance of human rights to personal data protection, since low-quality models can become sources of errors, which, in turn, can lead to a breach of confidentiality and data leakage of business process participants. This paper analyzes recent research and publications, proposes a method for analyzing business process models that ensure compliance with the GDPR regulations, and tests its performance based on the analysis of BPMN models of business processes for obtaining consent to data processing and withdrawal of consent to user data processing. As a result, the probability of errors in the considered business process models was obtained, which suggests the possibility of confidentiality violations and data leaks of the participants of the considered business processes associated with these errors, and appropriate recommendations were made.