European Citizens Research Articles

COVID-19 exposure and mental wellbeing of European male employees

Background: The present research intends to identify the determinants of men’s mental wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. The fear and uncertainty caused by this pandemic and its prolongation have caused a considerable rise in mental health disorders. In a very short time, much research has been conducted examining the main consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals’ mental health. Some studies pointed out that COVID-19 stressors significantly affect individuals, and some statistics suggest that the pandemic affects men and women differently. However, the literature on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on men’s mental health remains limited. This research attempted to fill these gaps in the literature by examining an essential research question about the determinants of men’s mental wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This research uses a dataset collected on Eurofound’s Living, Working, and COVID-19 survey, and the full sample consisted of 24,123 European citizens. The sample was split into two main groups: men (N = 3577) and women (N = 8744). This research uses linear regression methodology to investigate the mental wellbeing of male employees. The input method was applied to estimate two regression models, one for men and one for women. Results: Our results revealed that men’s exposure to COVID-19 infection deteriorates their mental wellbeing. Similarly, some organizational factors also determined men’s mental wellbeing, such as working under fixed employment contracts, feelings of doing useful work, and satisfaction with the quality of work. Finally, individual and attitudinal factors contributed to determining the mental wellbeing of male employees, optimism about the future, general health, positive feelings about themselves, and overall life satisfaction. Conclusion: This research deduces that men’s mental wellbeing is determined by factors that are different from those of women employees. In conclusion, this research deduces that men’s good mental wellbeing is determined differently from women employees. Specifically, we identified that exposure to COVID-19, employment contracts at the job, feelings of doing useful work, satisfaction with the quality of work, resilience, age, life satisfaction, general health, optimism about the future, and feeling positive about themselves are the key determinants of men’s health.

How the GDPR protects personal data in the digital age

Recent data scandals like Cambridge Analytica have heightened the need for good data protection frameworks. To address this need, the European Union adopted the General Data Protection (in short GDPR) with the aim to protect the personal data, fundamental rights and freedoms of European citizens. This article explores the ways in which the GDPR has improved the standard of data protection and ensures that data privacy issues are adequately addressed these days. Moreover, it will assess the principle of the GDPR and examine the rights of data subjects.

Vom Friedensprojekt zur Sicherheitsgarantin? Das neue Schutzversprechen der Europäischen Union in Zeiten existenzieller Ungewissheit

This article analyses how and to what extent a new guiding narrative of European integration manifests itself in recent self-portrayals of the European Union (EU) as a guarantor of security and protection. This image creates and reproduces specific conceptions of the EU’s self and its fundamental “raison d'être”. The article shows that security in this context does not primarily denote the defense against concrete threats to the physical security of European citizens or critical infrastructures in a specific policy field. Rather, security is understood as a societal value that includes a much broader and more fundamental promise of stability, comfort and certainty in times perceived as crisis-ridden. The image of the EU as a guardian of comprehensive security and protection thus represents an attempt to provide a response to a widespread perception of a fundamental, often diffuse anxiety regarding the EU’s own ability to cope with current and future challenges facing European societies.

Analysis of the survey results on EU Agencies operational activities related to the COVID‐19 pandemic

The European Union Agencies Network on Scientific Advice (EU-ANSA) supports the cooperation between those European Agencies that provide scientific advice on various areas to European Institutions, for the benefit of European citizens. This report presents the results of a questionnaire that investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the operational activities of the EU Agencies. The aim of the survey was to identify any potential challenges faced by the Agencies in fulfilling their tasks and responsibilities during the pandemic, and to explore opportunities that the Network could provide to support its Agencies with delivering the scientific, evidence-based advice for policy making in times of crisis. Learning from the COVID-19 experience, this report provides recommendations to prepare for future emergencies through coordinated collaboration among EU-ANSA Members and strengthening preparedness of Agencies for crisis situations.

The concept of european identity and its significance for EU policy

The article examines the process of formation and establishment of European identity. The process of forming European identity is directly related to traditional and current ideas about Europe itself and the community of European citizens. Strengthening the identification of its citizens with the process of European integration in general and with EU institutions and policies in particular has become one of the main challenges for the European Union today. The peoples of Europe, creating an increasingly close union among themselves, decided on the concept of a European identity based on common values. Aware of its spiritual and moral heritage, the European identity is based on the universal values of human dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity; it is based on the principles of democracy and the rule of law. It puts man at the heart of its activities by establishing citizenship of the Union and creating an area of freedom, security and justice. The European Union contributes to the preservation and development of these common values, respecting the diversity of cultures and traditions of the peoples of Europe, as well as the national identity of the member states and the organization of their public authorities at the national, regional and local levels; it seeks to promote balanced and sustainable development and ensures the free movement of people, services, goods and capital, as well as freedom of establishment. European identity still continues to develop through aspects such as the currency and common policies and values, as well as on a more symbolic level with the EU flag and anthem.

Nudging consumers towards energy efficiency through behavioural science: Profiling of energy consumers across Europe

Reducing energy consumption to increase energy efficiency and mitigate climate change demands drastic behavioural changes. Accordingly, the European Horizon 2020 founded project called “NUDging consumers towards enerGy Efficiency through behavioral science” (NUDGE) aims is to analyze the behavior of European citizens with concern the energy consumption and to consequently design and test nudging interventions on different segments of the population. Since recent studies have identified ways to influence behaviour through nudging interventions that, without limiting people’s options, can support their behavioural choices in a predictable manner, the NUDGE project – coordinated by the Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy Stitching (IEECP) – is set up to analyse people’s behaviour with concern to energy consumption, and to design and test nudging interventions in households, energy communities, and schools in five EU Member States (Greece, Belgium, Germany, Portugal and Croatia). All interventions are rooted in fundamental principles of behavioural science and based on the results of a general profiling survey that has been disseminated online across Europe from March to June 2021. The survey permitted to assess energy consumers’ attitudes and to consequently profile users into groups based on their behaviour, which allows used to carry out targeted interventions and assess their impact. Such comprehensive approach will be used to derive recommendations tailored to each country and to design more general policies at European level.

Conversion Therapy and its Compatibility with European Human Rights Law

Conversion therapy, which refers to a set of practices that aim to change or suppress the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBTI people, causes harm to young European citizens. Notwithstanding, only three of 44 sovereign states in Europe have banned the practices. Moreover, the European organisations - the Council of Europe and European Union - have not taken sufficient action, although they have certain competences to adopt legislation in the field of LGBTI rights. In the absence of explicit legislation on conversion therapy, the article principally examines conversion therapy under European human rights law. More specifically, the article seeks to answer whether conversion therapy violates the individual rights of recipients and if individual rights grant providers a right to perform the practices under European human rights law. By extension, the article scrutinises whether a domestic ban on conversion therapy in European states can be justified considering the interests of states and providers. Finally, the article encompasses a normative assessment on the future regulation of conversion therapy in Europe.

First Evidence of Microplastics Isolated in Lower Airway of European Citizens

First Evidence of Microplastics Isolated in Lower Airway of European Citizens

How can interoperability stimulate the use of digital public services? An analysis of national interoperability frameworks and e-Government in the European Union

Abstract This article explores the role of interoperability in the development of digital public services in Europe, analyzing the effects of an European Union (EU)-level initiative (the European interoperability framework, EIF) and the development of e-Government services on how citizens interact online with public administrations. The EIF is a common EU framework providing guidance on public sector interoperability. EU countries are not mandated to follow the EIF, but they are encouraged to take up its guidance in their respective national interoperability frameworks (NIFs). Against this background, this article tests two hypotheses: (a) the introduction of NIFs facilitates the online interaction between citizens and public administrations and (b) better e-Government services encourage citizens to interact online with public administrations. Both hypotheses are confirmed by a panel data analysis covering 26 European countries over the period 2012–2019. The analysis relies on a dummy variable reflecting the adoption of NIFs, built by carefully examining official documents of the countries in the scope of the analysis. Based on the empirical results, this article puts forward two main policy recommendations. First, efforts to improve e-Government services across Europe should be intensified in order to support the overarching digital agenda of the EU and increase benefits for European citizens. Second, interoperability should become a central element when designing new digital public services. Therefore, the European Commission could foster a common approach to interoperability of digital public services across the EU by strengthening the governance of interoperability initiatives and encouraging the adoption of specific interoperability requirements.

Общеевропейское политическое пространство: от идеи к реальности

The article examines the processes of formation and institutionalization of the pan-European political space as an important element of the political system of the European Union. The main theoretical approaches to the study of this problem are presented. The analysis of the Europeanization process and its possible influence on the formation of this space is given. The attitude to this process on the part of the EU political elite, as well as ordinary European citizens, is shown. It is demonstrated that the political institutions of the European Union and the European integration itself influence the political culture, the formation of a common European identity of citizens and their political attitudes. The basic principles and elements of the pan-European political space, including pan-European institutions, political parties, mass media, etc., are described, particularly from the perspective of proponents of various description models, inter alia the models of liberal representation, participatory democracy and deliberative democracy. The main aspects of the evolution of the European Union party and political system, which is an important element of the pan-European political space, are presented. It has been noted that since the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, the European parties have significantly increased their role and influence in the pan-European political system. An attempt is made to understand how the elements and models interact with each other, what the positions of specific European parties and their factions in the European Parliament are considering the future EU development. The importance of successful implementation of the “Spitzenkandidaten principle” was specified, which will allow the European party leaders and their election manifestos to become better known and understood not only by politicized voters, but also by a majority of the electorate. The role and influence of the media and cultural sphere on the formation of this space are analyzed.

The Macroeconomic Imbalance Procedure at the Heart of EU Economic Governance Reform

While the euro officially came into being in 1999, it was the introduction of euro notes and coins 20 years ago in January 2002 that made the common currency a tangible reality for European citizens. The circle of member states has since grown from 11 to 19, and a growing section of the population no longer has any personal experience with a “national” currency, yet the debate on the legal and institutional framework underpinning the common currency has never gone away.

Эволюция подхода Европейского cоюза к борьбе с дезинформацией

The article assesses the political and legal framework, the process of evolution and the current state of the structures of the European Union responsible for countering disinformation. The EU’s approach involves the use of a wide range of means – from informing the public to removing online content using artificial intelligence technologies. Different means are used both directly by the EU institutions and by their partners. The growing influence of non-state actors, in particular, business companies that have valuable big data amounts and analysis tools that are less accessible to EU institutions, forced the latter to look for ways to control the online space. The military dimension of strategic communication (and, within its framework, the struggle against disinformation) is manifested in the intensification of EU – NATO cooperation, and (in legal framework) in the inclusion of wars in the list of emergencies in the Digital Services Act. The author reveals that the mechanism of countering disinformation in the EU is actively used for political purposes. Not only the struggle against disinformation, but also strategic communication itself in the EU was initially subordinated to the tasks of limiting the influence of economic rivals and political opponents. Both the previously created tools and the decisions of 2020–2021 that introduce common rules for regulating online content for the EU, in a situation of further deterioration of relations between the EU and Russia, can be used not only to protect the objective rights of European citizens, but also to discredit our country within the framework of psychological warfare.

Case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union with regard to the European Citizen’s Initiative

Under consideration in the present article is the case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union (General court and Court of Justice) in the period 2012–2022 with regard to the European Citizen’s Initiative (ECI). On the first hand under consideration is the relevant case-law of the General court regarding cases about ECI, and on the second hand there is consideration of the respective Court of Justice’s case-law with regard to judgments of the General court that have been appealed before that higher jurisdiction.

Reformuvannia instytutsiinoi systemy Yevropeiskoho Soiuzu za Lisabonskym dohovorom

The article examines the process of reforming the institutional system of the European Union from the creation of the first Communities to the modern European Union. The main constituent acts of the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community have been studied and established. It is stated that in 1965, when the Merger Treaty was signed, the governing bodies of all the Communities were merged into joint institutions: The Commission, the Council, the Assembly and the Court of Justice. This common structure for the three different Communities is considered to be one of the main institutional changes of the European Union. The Maastricht, Amsterdam, Nice and Lisbon treaties are considered. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the Lisbon Treaty of 2007, which introduced significant changes to the institutional system of the European Union. The EU Treaty identifies seven main institutions: The European Council, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Central Bank and the Accounting Chamber. It has been established that in the special institutional structure of the European Union, the European Council, which brings together leaders at national and EU level, sets broad EU priorities. Elected Members of the European Parliament represent European citizens in the European Parliament. The interests of the EU as a whole are defended by the European Commission, which is an executive body. The members of the European Commission are appointed by national governments. Governments defend their country’s national interests in the Council of the European Union. It is determined that within the European Union the bicameral legislature is the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament. The EU Court of Justice, which is the EU’s highest court, regulates differences between EU Member States and the EU itself, between institutions and upholds the rule of European law. It is established that the process of reforming the EU institutional system will continue.

The Future of the European Union After Brexit

The article presents the changes that have taken place since Britain’s decision to leave the Union. This process, which began with the organization of the Referendum in 2016, had a negative impact on both the EU’s domestic and foreign policy, as well as its micro- and macroeconomics. Doubts have been raised about the danger of a total or partial disintegration of the Community, as well as the possibility of the future EU development at several speeds. The question is whether, after Brexit, the gap in living standards between Member States and regions will begin to narrow or will there continue to be a confrontation between small/large in territory and poor/rich in economic development member states. The weakening of the European Union’s political influence worldwide with regard to international organizations (UN, G7, G20, Commonwealth of Nations – composed of 53 English-speaking Member States supporting the Queen of England, etc.) has been noted. The strengthening of Euroscepticism among the citizens of Europe has been noted, as well as the danger of fatigue before the deepening of European integration and the possibility of future EU enlargements with new member states (for example, with the countries of the Western Balkans).

Travelling Europe, Travelling through Crisis: Disintegrated Journeys in Dorota Masłowska’s A Couple of Poor, Polish-Speaking Romanians and Zinnie Harris’s How To Hold Your Breath

The article reflects on the issues of European social, political and ethical disintegration by looking at two plays which represent both geographic and mental migration of European citizens. Zinnie Harris’s play dramatizes a journey by an energetic businesswoman from the state of seeming success to the condition of collapse of the entire continent. Masłowska’s drama tells the story of a couple who have lost their geographic but also existential bearings after a prolonged bout of drug abuse and partying. The article aims at presenting the European continent as a space of alienated social and personal experience, as a community of people in permanent exile from both the private space and the public ideologies. The two plays offer a reflection on the condition of pre-Brexit Europe with the power of capturing representative lives of those individuals who have lost the sense of the common cause.

Citizens' expectations about social protection in multilevel governance: The interplay between national and supranational institutions

AbstractTwo contrasting perspectives can be identified in the current literature on the relationship between European integration and the welfare state. On the one hand, the race to the bottom thesis presumes that welfare spending will be reduced to the lowest common denominator. On the other hand, the upward convergence thesis suggests that European integration supports and strengthens the capacities of national welfare states. This suggests that the consequences of European integration for national social protection systems are ambiguous. The current study contributes to this debate, by investigating the relationship between European integration and the welfare state from the perspective of public opinion. Do European citizens envision a race to the bottom or an upward convergence in social protection, and why so? Analysing data from the European Social Survey in 18 EU countries, the article reveals that the material benefits brought by national and supranational institutions, jointly shape citizens' expectations about the EU–welfare nexus, although in opposite directions. Generous national welfare provision fuels expectations that European integration fosters a race to the bottom for social protection levels, while higher receipts from EU Structural Fund programs and individual trust in EU institutions raise expectations of the EU as a catalyst of upward convergence in social standards. The implications of these findings for social policymaking in multilevel governance regimes are discussed.

O Papel do Tribunal de Justiça da União Europeia Como Guardião do Direito Fundamental Comunitário Europeu à Livre Circulação de Trabalhadores

Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo geral analisar o papel de guardião exercido pelo Tribunal de Justiça da União Europeia (TJUE) para a proteção do Direito Fundamental Comunitário à livre circulação de trabalhadores no âmbito do bloco econômico europeu e a importância do fluxo migratório para a manutenção do referido bloco. O escopo deste artigo analisa, previamente, o surgimento das Comunidades Europeias e a necessidade de defesa, reconstrução e estabilização da Europa após o término da Segunda Guerra Mundial, bem como se debruça sobre os Tratados de Paris e Roma, propulsores das Comunidades Europeias, caracterizados como um ordenamento jurídico autônomo e de grande importância para o desenvolvimento do Direito primário europeu. Em seguida, discorre sobre a circulação dos trabalhadores no âmbito da União Europeia (UE) e o direito do cidadão europeu de procurar emprego, trabalhar, se estabelecer ou prestar serviços em qualquer Estado-membro da UE, para então abordar a temática do papel do TJUE como guardião do Direito Fundamental Comunitário europeu à livre circulação de trabalhadores. Após a análise de recentes julgados da Corte de Justiça europeia resta demonstrada, para a devida manutenção do bloco europeu, a necessidade de proteção à livre circulação de trabalhadores europeus, em respeito aos tratados instituidores da União Europeia. A metodologia empregada na pesquisa é crítico-reflexiva, que se opera através da revisão bibliográfica e da análise de casos concretos apreciados pelo TJUE.

Working from Home in Italy during COVID-19 Lockdown: A Survey to Assess the Indoor Environmental Quality and Productivity

Italians were the first European citizens to experience the lockdown due to Sars-Cov-2 in March 2020. Most employees were forced to work from home. People suddenly had to share common living spaces with family members for longer periods of time and convert home spaces into workplaces. This inevitably had a subjective impact on the perception, satisfaction and preference of indoor environmental quality and work productivity. A web-based survey was designed and administered to Italian employees to determine how they perceived the indoor environmental quality of residential spaces when Working From Home (WFH) and to investigate the relationship between different aspects of users’ satisfaction. A total of 330 valid questionnaires were collected and analysed. The article reports the results of the analyses conducted using a descriptive approach and predictive models to quantify comfort in living spaces when WFH, focusing on respondents’ satisfaction. Most of them were satisfied with the indoor environmental conditions (89% as the sum of “very satisfied” and “satisfied” responses for thermal comfort, 74% for visual comfort, 68% for acoustic quality and 81% for indoor air quality), while the layout of the furniture negatively influenced the WFH experience: 45% of the participants expressed an unsatisfactory or neutral opinion. The results of the sentiment analysis confirmed this trend. Among the Indoor Environmental factors that affect productivity, visual comfort is the most relevant variable. As for the predictive approach using machine learning, the Support Vector Machine classifier performed best in predicting overall satisfaction.

Digital Developments in Society That Persons 75 Years and Older Have Been Part of: A Scoping Review

The population in Europe is ageing and people are becoming more than ever dependent on digital technologies. The present study aims to map relevant evidence about digital developments in society involving people aged 75 and over in European countries. It focuses on their experiences and the main barriers to, and facilitators of, societal digital demands. Scoping reviews can be used when the purpose is to identify types of available evidence and clarify concepts, this process was guided by a framework proposed by Arksey and O`Malley. The studies included in the review covered digital technology, digital devices and telehealth, and the context covered participants` own home or surroundings. A comprehensive search was made on CINAHL, Embase, Pubmed/MEDLINE, Scopus and Open Grey. Out of 727 identified citations, 13 sources which met the inclusion criteria (9 original study articles, 2 theses, 1 letter about a product and 1 project report). The studies included varied in their focus, design and location. Older European citizens have experienced technology making life easier and the opposite. The outstanding facilitator found was that technology should be easy to use. Interestingly, both social support and lack of social support were found as facilitators of using new technology and difficulty in remembering the instructions was seen as an important barrier. As technology develops rapidly, there is a need for new and additional research among older European citizens. Future research should cover participants` access to the devices, social support and the technical solutions most relevant to older people today.