To develop a resilience assessment tool for cardiac care pathways in Europe, informed by stakeholder insights on the impact of COVID-19, emerging innovations and recommendations to enhance resilience. Mixed-methods study comprising three phases: (1) survey among European cardiac care providers; (2) five multistakeholder focus groups and (3) participatory tool development. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data were analysed thematically. The survey targeted cardiology professionals from the 27 European Union Member States and Ukraine who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. Focus group participants were purposefully sampled to represent clinical, organisational and policy perspectives. A total of 177 survey respondents and 40 informants in focus groups. Six key resilience dimensions of cardiac care pathways were identified: workforce, organisation of care delivery, governance and trust, communication and cooperation, medical devices and products, and data collection and use. Staff shortages and infrastructure capacity were key challenges during the pandemic. The most frequent measures were the reallocation of health staff (75%; n=133) and repurposing infrastructures (38%; n=32). Participants discussed the six resilience dimensions around a total of 17 subdimensions and 39 recommended actions to enhance resilience were identified. The resulting resilience assessment tool included four components: (1) mapping a context-specific cardiac care pathway; (2) stakeholder identification critical to participate in collective self-assessment; (3) a preparedness checklist generating a visual heat map and (4) a resource toolkit. The resilience assessment tool offers step-by-step guidance to strengthening cardiac care pathways across six key resilience dimensions, supported by actionable recommendations. The tool enables the identification of context-specific vulnerabilities and improvement priorities, thereby supporting healthcare professionals and policymakers in enhancing preparedness and ensuring care continuity before, during and after crises. Its implementation is currently being piloted in European hospitals to evaluate and refine its practical applicability.

Telemedicine is increasingly playing a vital role in European health systems, offering great potential for improving healthcare access and outcomes. Funded between September 2022 and December 2024, the Joint Action 'Strengthening eHealth including telemedicine and remote monitoring for health care systems for CANcer prevention and care' (eCAN JA) provided evidence-base for person-centred implementation of telemedicine services among cancer patients in the European Union (EU). Through a mixed-method approach, this foresight study gathered insights from key decision-makers in 14 EU Member States and eight cancer patient associations via two surveys and a joint workshop, conducted within the Sustainability Work Package (WP4) of the eCAN JA. Our results show that EU Member States and cancer patients view telemedicine as a useful and complementary tool, however, not as a replacement for in-person services for cancer care. The policy recommendations from our study can be summarised as follows: (i) develop legal frameworks to complement in-person care with telemedicine; (ii) improve digital literacy and information technology infrastructure while ensuring privacy and health equity; and (iii) engage patients in the co-design of telemedicine services. Implementing these recommendations will enhance the integration of telemedicine into cancer care in Europe.

The study examines how economic, environmental, and social sustainability indicators influence sustainable value added in the tourism sector across the 27 European Union (EU) member states. The research addresses the limited evidence on how sustainability inputs shape value creation in tourism, highlighted in prior work such as Trinajstić et al. (2022). The purpose is to identify which sustainability dimensions support stronger long-term performance. A dynamic panel model estimated with the two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) method is used to control for endogeneity and country-specific effects, following the approach of Arellano and Bover (1995). The results show that fixed capital formation and tourism-related turnover increase sustainable value added. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions show a positive association, which reflects current transitional practices. Renewable energy use contributes to stronger sustainability outcomes. Environmental taxes and social indicators show no significant link. The study concludes that economic investment and clean-energy adoption support sustainable value creation in EU tourism. The findings are relevant for policy efforts focused on green transition and long-term sector competitiveness.

We investigate the relationship between the public debt ratio, austerity measures, and ideology and support for austerity policies in European Union (EU) member states from 2010 to 2019. We build and expand upon earlier research. We find a negative effect of austerity on support for austerity. Using a larger data set, we confirm prior findings that rising debt levels are associated with greater public support for austerity. So, we find a thermostatic dynamic: while support initially increases with debt, it declines once citizens experience the tangible effects of austerity. We also show that ideology moderates this relationship, with left-wing individuals’ support more responsive to economic conditions than that of their right-wing counterparts.

Abstract The European Council is one, if not the , key institution of the European Union (EU). Coming together for the first time about 50 years ago, in March 1975, the European Council comprises notably the Heads of State or Government of the EU member states, thus linking national and European levels. It takes important decisions in various policy areas and has regularly expanded the EU’s agenda and competences. In recent years, the European Council has acted as the prime crisis manager. At the same time, because of its requirement for consensus and its own small internal capacities, it is vulnerable to blockades and depends on other EU institutions for the preparation and implementation of its decisions. This article analyzes the European Council as key actor in the EU’s multi-level and multi-institutional system of governance. Comparing and bringing together different theoretical perspectives, it critically examines its various roles, functions, and shortcomings. Contrary to the predominant view, the European Council – despite its intergovernmental composition – tends to strengthen the EU’s supranational procedures. With this institution becoming ever more important and visible, the paper also suggests avenues for the further study of the European Council.

Integrated pest management (IPM) aims to control crop pests while balancing environmental sustainability and farm profitability. Under IPM, pesticides are applied only when pest or disease pressure surpasses economic thresholds, even after the implementation of non-chemical control strategies, thus implying that reducing pesticide use below IPM standards entails economic losses. In response, some European Union member states have introduced compensation schemes for farms adopting pesticide reduction strategies, such as zero-fungicide approaches. However, it remains critical to determine under which conditions these financial incentives sufficiently offset economic losses and support fungicide reduction. Using commodity prices and fungicide application costs observed between 2018 and 2023, IPM-based fungicide use across 25 winter wheat trials generated an average net return of €67 ha-1 if disease monitoring was provided free of charge and €41 ha-1 if the farms had to bear the costs of disease monitoring themselves. The economic viability of compensation schemes depended on several key market factors: higher commodity prices, increased fungicide efficacy and low fungicide application costs enhanced the profitability of fungicide use, while low commodity prices and fungicide efficacy and high fungicide application costs made compensation schemes more attractive. The success of financial incentives for fungicide reduction is challenged by high commodity prices, highly effective fungicides and low-cost application services. Given the strong influence of commodity prices on fungicide profitability, reductions are most likely to occur in lower-value market segments (e.g. grain for animal feed production), where compensation schemes gain economic leverage more easily. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

The exploding food supplement trade makes ensuring and monitoring their proper use and risk minimization by individuals increasingly difficult. Even though there is a common legal framework for those activities in the European Union (EU), too little importance has been given to respecting ethics in making them available to patients. Pharmacists involved in activities related to food supplements could play a decisive role in protecting the rights of patients who use them. The purpose of this study was to determine the position of European pharmacists in this field and to propose ethical standards for their activities related to food supplements. We used textual analysis to investigate the pharmacists' codes of ethics in force in the EU Member States. Our findings led us to develop proposals to optimize the ethical standards for pharmacist activities related to food supplements. To position our proposals internationally, we performed a comparative analysis with ethical standards adopted in Australia and the United States (US). Most of the codes of ethics we analysed address some of those activities through explicit and/or implicit provisions. From those provisions, we derived common ethical standards regarding the responsibility of pharmacists for the quality, safety and effectiveness of food supplements dispensed from pharmacies and for honesty and loyalty in promoting and advertising food supplements. As policy recommendations, we proposed optimized ethical standards, including standards for research and development, marketing notification, manufacturing, wholesale distribution, market surveillance, and risk management of food supplements. In the Australian Code of Ethics and US guidelines, we observed similar standards for most of these activities. Establishing ethical standards for all pharmacists' activities related to food supplements would stimulate discussion, reflection, the evolution of their codes of ethics and practices, and professional development. The standards we proposed could serve as a starting point for developing national and international policies, using the motivational power of ethics. The commitment of professional associations of pharmacists, food companies, and competent health authorities to adopt ethical policies in all activities related to food supplements would make an important contribution to respecting patients' rights in using them.

Retraction Note: Arrests and convictions but not sentence length deter terrorism in 28 European Union member states.

ABSTRACT This study examines the impact of board independence on the relationship between control of corruption and sustainability in the European Union. Using a balanced panel of 4749 firm-year observations across European Union member states from 2014 to 2023, we draw on Refinitiv Eikon data and apply high-dimensional fixed effect (HDFE), multilevel mixed-effects models (Xtmixed) estimations to address unobserved heterogeneity, dynamic persistence, and endogeneity concerns. The results indicate that control of corruption positively affects firms’ ESG performance, and this relationship remains stable across alternative model specifications and estimation techniques. Moreover, the analysis reveals that board independence plays a dual role: while it exerts a positive direct effect on ESG performance, it weakens the marginal impact of control of corruption. This suggests that strong internal monitoring mechanisms may partially substitute for external institutional controls. This study provides evidence of how board characteristics (BIND) interact with institutional control corruption to shape sustainability outcomes. It focuses on the importance of ESG performance and demonstrates that control of corruption enhances the ESG performance in large-listed firms within the European Union, while board independence (BIND) plays a complementary governance role. The results provide valuable insights for strategic decision-makers, especially senior management and corporate executives, to enhance their knowledge regarding ESG performance, aiming to ensure corporate sustainability growth. Policymakers and regulators may use these insights to design initiatives and governance guidelines that encourage transparency, accountability, and responsible corporate behavior, thereby supporting broader sustainability objectives and efforts to address corruption-related challenges.

Abstract This reporting manual provides guidance to European Union Member States for reporting on zoonoses and zoonotic agents in animals, food and feed under Directive 2003/99/EC, Regulation (EU) 2017/625, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/627 and Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2018/772 and also on reporting other pathogenic microbiological agents or contaminants in food. The objective of this manual is to harmonise and streamline reporting by Member States to ensure that the data collected are relevant and comparable for analysis at the EU level. This manual covers all the zoonoses and zoonotic agents included under the current data collection system run by the European Food Safety Authority. Detailed instructions are provided for reporting data in tables and information in free‐text forms. They cover the description of the sampling and monitoring schemes applied by the Member States, as well as the monitoring results. Special reference is made to data elements which enable trends to be identified and the analysis of sources of zoonotic agents at the EU level. This manual is specifically aimed at guiding the reporting of information derived from the year 2025.

Owing to the significant international exposure of its economy, Ireland was one of the countries suffering the greatest losses stemming from the 2007–2008 financial crisis. After a brief presentation of the nature of the subprime crisis, the study describes the economic conditions of the country before the crisis and the impact of the crisis on the Irish economy. This part of the study provides a detailed analysis of the changes triggered by the crisis in the national budget, in sovereign debt and in tax centralisation. The chapter to follow gives an insight into the economic cornerstones and instruments of the Irish contingency measures before presenting an overview of the results of the structural reforms. The study concludes that Ireland’s resolute efforts to restore the budget and to increase the flexibility of the economic structure played a key role in the success of crisis management and in conjunction, these measures resulted in regaining the confidence of the international capital market. In addition, it should not be overlooked that the country recognised the need for and did not hesitate to take recourse to external help in its crisis management. Finally, it is pointed out in the paper that today Ireland is in a position where the economy is well prepared to commence converging to the vanguard of European Union Member States. However, the Irish society will have to pay a steep price for the opportunity of this economic convergence in future, and should also reckon with a number of risk factors in this process.

The article examines the impact of economic freedom on national resilience, with a particular focus on identifying the key components of financial freedom that most significantly enhance institutional and economic resilience. The dependent variable used in the study is the 2925 FM Global Resilience Index. The independent variables include the 2025 Index of Economic Freedom along with its 12 components. The influence of the independent variables on the dependent variable is assessed through correlation analysis using Microsoft Excel. The study focuses on European Union member states. The statistical significance of the obtained correlation coefficients was tested using Student’s t-test. A correlation coefficient of 0.59 between the Index of Economic Freedom and the Resilience Index indicates that countries with higher levels of economic freedom tend to exhibit greater resilience to internal and external challenges. Among the components of the Index of Economic Freedom, Business Freedom demonstrates the strongest correlation with the Resilience Index (r = 0.88), followed by Government Integrity (r = 0.84) and Property Rights (r = 0.75). The study also employs cluster analysis to group EU countries based on those economic freedom indicators that show the most substantial influence on national resilience (r>|0.5|). The results of the cluster analysis reveal three distinct clusters of countries with similar institutional and economic characteristics. By applying both correlation and cluster analysis, the research not only uncovers the interdependencies between economic freedom indicators and national resilience but also provides well-founded recommendations for enhancing adaptability and long-term resilience in the face of contemporary global challenges.

This study empirically examines the impact of internet penetration and digital infrastructure on the structural transformation of the banking sectors in Turkey and 24 European Union member states from 2004 to 2024. Utilizing a comprehensive panel dataset, we analyze how internet usage, mobile cellular subscriptions, and fixed broadband subscriptions affect key banking indicators: employment, branch networks, ATMs, and POS terminals. Controlling for GDP per capita and population, we employ second-generation econometric techniques, including the Pesaran CD test and CADF unit root test, to address cross-sectional dependence, and use fixed and random effects models with Driscoll-Kraay robust standard errors. The findings reveal a dual and contrasting impact of digitalization. We identify a substitution effect, where increased internet and fixed broadband access are significantly linked to a decline in traditional physical infrastructure (bank branches and ATMs) and a slight decrease in banking sector employment, aligning with automation. Concurrently, a complementarity effect, particularly from mobile cellular expansion, shows a positive relationship with employment, indicating new digital roles. ATMs also continue to complement branch networks, reflecting a coordinated physical service strategy. This study's main contribution is providing robust, cross-country empirical evidence that disentangles these substitution and complementarity effects within a single framework. It challenges the one-dimensional view of digitalization's impact, showing that the overall effect on banking structure depends on the specific channel (internet, mobile, broadband), with important implications for policymakers and financial institutions.

Implementation of regional policy has a long tradition in the European economic space. Since the beginning of European integration in the mid-20th century, a common regional policy based on cohesion, solidarity, and redistribution began to take shape. This paper is focused on the examination of the development of regional disparities in EU27 (27 European Union member states). This phenomenon is characterized by its ‘inertial’ nature, despite the implementation of a relatively generous system of instruments, particularly financial ones, in less developed countries and regions. However, it cannot be unequivocally proven that this is caused by inefficient, inappropriate, or misdirected redistribution within the EU27. The neoclassical concept of β-convergence and σ-convergence enables the identification of the RD’s (Regional Disparities) tendency within more than 20 years. To prove the results as accurately as possible and compare the development of interregional disparities, the analysis was conducted on the crucial macroeconomic indicator “GDP” (Gross Domestic Product) expressed in PPP (Purchasing Power Parity), not only at the level of EU (European Union) member states, but also at the regional levels. The results of this research reveal that despite the long-term implementation of the common cohesion policy there is a continuous deepening of interregional disparities at all examined NUTS (Nomenclature of territorial units for statistics) levels.

The pursuit of public governance by public administration institutions requires the requisite expertise, which may be in short supply. We offer a novel study of expertise mobilization in trans-governmental administrative networks and ask: How is administrative expertise shared in European trans-governmental networks, and what explains the structure of interactions and the over-time dynamics ? We answer these questions by theorizing and empirically analyzing interactions among European Union member states in the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument. Established by the European Commission, its purpose is to assist member states in implementing and enforcing the EU acquis . We develop a theoretical framework on temporal robustness of administrative networks, which encompasses networks’ ability to combine stability and change over time. We demonstrate that trans-governmental administrative networks allow for the coexistence of stable roles of member states within agile network structures, even amid political perturbations and discontinuities.

Recent societal transformations have intensified debates on corporate purpose, yet empirical evidence linking these debates to measurable sustainability outcomes remains fragmented. This study advances the literature by conceptualizing corporate purpose as a country-level sustainability orientation and empirically examining how European Union (EU) member states align with distinct corporate purpose models. Using cluster analysis and artificial neural networks applied to data from the Candriam Sovereign Sustainability Report and the Sustainable Development Report, this study identifies three dominant national-level corporate purpose models—traditional, goal-based, and duty-based. The findings reveal a systematic shift toward a sustainability-oriented corporate purpose model, in which social, human, and natural capital play a more decisive role than economic capital alone. Moreover, countries aligned with the duty-based model exhibit significantly higher Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) index scores, providing novel empirical evidence that national sustainability orientations are closely associated with progress toward the SDGs. By linking corporate purpose models to macro-level sustainability outcomes, this research offers a new quantitative framework for understanding how institutional and policy contexts shape contemporary interpretations of corporate purpose and their relevance for sustainable development.

European Union stand out as the region with the largest share of the global chocolate market. Therefore, identifying how and in which countries chocolate can be positioned with a competitive advantage requires a detailed competitive analysis. The purpose of this study is to determine and assess the chocolate industry's level of global competitiveness throughout the 27 European Union member states from 2010 to 2022. In the analysis process, the Revealed Comparative Advantage Index, the Revealed Symmetric Comparative Advantage Index, the Trade Balance Index, and the Product-Mapping method were applied. In the literature, a product-mapping of the chocolate industry in European Union countries was first conducted, providing a competitive analysis in this context. As a conclusion of the competitiveness analysis of the chocolate sector in EU countries, six countries were identified as net exporters with comparative advantage (Group A), 11 countries as net-importers with comparative advantage (Group B), and 10 countries as net-importers with comparative disadvantage (Group D).

The tampon tax refers to the levies imposed on menstrual products, purchased by women due to essential health needs. These taxes are considered indicators of economic policies that reinforce gender inequality and adversely affect women’s daily lives and economic activities, leading to significant issues of social and economic justice. This study addresses the tampon tax not only from a fiscal policy perspective but also within the contexts of gender equality and human rights. Taxation practices on menstrual products across different regions are comparatively analyzed, with a focus on the evolution of the tampon tax from its inception to the present day. Our comparative analysis of European Union Member States and Türkiye provides a robust framework for discussing these issues while drawing attention to the direct impact of such fiscal policies on women’s everyday lives. Consequently, reducing or eliminating Value Added Tax on menstrual products supports efforts to combat menstrual poverty and societal prejudices. This study highlights the urgent need for policies that reduce or eliminate these taxes to mitigate their negative impact on women’s participation in social and economic life.

This paper analyzes the effects of the European integration process on the labor market in candidate countries for European Union (EU) membership, with a special focus on Albania. European integration brings a series of labor market reforms, including alignment of employment policies, increased labor mobility, and adaptation to the demands of an increasingly digitalized economy. The aim is to analyze key trends, challenges, and opportunities brought by European integration to the labor market, as well as to evaluate the policies and reforms being undertaken in Albania to meet EU standards. The comparative analysis includes Western Balkan countries and current EU member states, focusing on unemployment, employment structure, the impact of technology, and migration.

In an era where economies increasingly rely on knowledge and innovation, sustaining long-term growth depends on understanding how education drives productivity beyond conventional measures. Yet, existing studies on the education–growth nexus remain fragmented, often focusing narrowly on schooling attainment while overlooking the complementary roles of lifelong learning and public investment in human capital. Addressing this critical gap, the present study adopts a multidimensional approach to evaluate how educational attainment, adult learning participation, and government expenditure on education collectively shape economic performance across the 27 European Union (EU) member states. Drawing on an unbalanced Eurostat panel dataset (2013–2022), the study employs a fixed-effects regression model with White cross-section robust standard errors to account for heteroskedasticity and serial correlation. The empirical results reveal that all three educational dimensions exert positive and statistically significant effects on GDP, with government educational expenditure emerging as the most influential driver, followed by adult learning participation, underscoring the transformative role of continuous skill renewal in dynamic labor markets. These findings advance Human Capital Theory by framing education not merely as an individual asset but as an interactive, systemic driver of national productivity and resilience. The study offers actionable insights for policymakers, calling for integrated strategies that align formal education, lifelong learning systems, and sustained public investment to foster inclusive, knowledge-driven, and sustainable economic growth across the EU.