Leading EU Countries Research Articles

РАТ У УКРАЈИНИ 2022-2023, КАО НАСТАВАК УКРАЈИНСКЕ КРИЗЕ, ЗАПОЧЕТЕ ЈОШ ФЕБРУАРА 2014

The Ukrainian conflict is the largest armed conflict on the territory of Europe after World War II. This is not only a conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but actually a wider conflict between the holders of the already conceived multipolar world order, represented by Russia, and the defenders of the past monopolar one, represented by America and NATO. In Ukraine itself, there is a conflict between the Russianspeaking population and on the other side the authorities installed after the coup in Kiev in February 2014. Long-lasting Ukrainian crisis then turned into an armed conflict. In fact, the first armed conflict within the Ukrainian crisis already took place during the period 2014- 2015, it had an intra-Ukrainian character and ended with the Minsk 2 Agreement. Sanctions against Russia, as well as parallel crises in Africa, the Far East, Transcaucasia, etc., show the complexity of the international situation. For now, the European Union is an ally of the USA and NATO in the view of the Ukrainian conflict and the introduction of sanctions against Russia. However, the economic damages suffered by the leading EU countries as a result of their involvement in the Ukrainian crisis, sanctions against Russia and various aid to Ukraine, and the reception of refugees, lead these societies to additional crises and social and political divisions. Hence, the ruling elites in the EU countries face the dissatisfaction of the population, especially its leading powers - Germany, France and Italy. China and to some extent other countries of the world, outside the so-called "collective West", generally prefer Russia in the confrontation with the USA, NATO and their allies. Key words: Russia; USA and NATO, "collective West", European Union, Ukraine, Ukrainian crisis, BRICS and SCO powers, multipolar world.

Business’ Attitudes Towards Corruption in Selected Central European Countries

Purpose: Corruption is perceived as a widespread problem throughout the world, including in Central European countries. In terms of corruption, these countries still lag behind the leading EU countries (as indicated by the 2023 Worldwide Governance Indicators). As corruption itself is very difficult to measure, the perception of corruption is often used as a proxy. The aim of this paper is to analyse attitudes towards corruption in selected Central European countries and to draw conclusions on the factors influencing these perceptions. Based on the assumption that the difference between de jure and de facto transparency matters, we selected Czechia, Hungary, and Poland as countries with small differences between these two dimensions of transparency, and Croatia, Slovakia, and Slovenia as countries with large differences.Design/Methodology/Approach: Using Eurobarometer data, we applied logistic regression to analyse attitudes towards corruption in the two groups of countries distinguished by differences in de jure and de facto transparency. Each group, consisting of three Central European countries, was used to create a model, i.e., Model 1 and Model 2, with a total number of observations of 901 and 902, respectively. Both models displayed adequate fit indices and enabled predictions that allowed us to draw conclusions. All respondents were business representatives with decision-making responsibilities in their companies, ensuring that the results reflect company perceptions rather than those of the general public.Findings: Attitudes towards corruption in the countries studied are related to perceptions of patronage and nepotism in business, perceptions of corruption in public procurement, perceived links between politics and business, and attitudes towards tax rates. In the group where there is little difference between de jure and de facto transparency levels, business attitudes towards corruption are also associated with perceptions of adequacy of infrastructure and complexity of administrative procedures. In the countries where these differences are substantial, attitudes towards corruption are related to perceptions of problems arising from frequent changes in the law, problems with debt collection, and differences in views regarding the severity of bribery depending on the value of the bribe.Academic contribution to the field: This research provides a better understanding of the factors influencing the perception of corruption in Central European countries from a business perspective. In doing so, it introduces a methodology that is well-suited for the analysis of survey-collected data, especially since it allows the dependent variable to be categorical. Moreover, by using data from the Transparency Index to differentiate countries, the study has the potential to stimulate further theoretical and empirical research into the relationship between corruption and transparency. Lastly, by linking companies’ perceived problems to overall perceptions of corruption, this paper helps to identify the areas within the studied countries where pockets of corruption are most likely to exist.Originality/Value: Previous research has found that corruption tends to occur when the gap between de facto and de jure transparency is larger. This research demonstrates that the size of this gap can also be successfully used to achieve a better understanding of the factors influencing attitudes towards corruption. Therefore, this paper employs the difference between de jure and de facto transparency as a categorisation criterion to analyse the factors influencing the perception of corruption. This categorisation approach enabled the development of two separate logistic regression models with high predictive power.

Assessing Customer Satisfaction to Support Future Improvement Strategies of Healthcare Systems: Evidences from Russia and Romania

The analyses of current healthcare systems in Russia and Romania made by different scholars in the specialty literature highlight a below-medium health quality index worldwide, which is especially low when compared to leading EU countries. The prevailing need to address health features with quantitative customer research has prompted this paper to focus on the challenges of the healthcare systems in two countries from the customer’s perspective. The main goal of the research is to capture the main problems of the analyzed healthcare systems which require certain improvements, changes, and innovations, and to find proper strategies for their future development from a marketing approach. The attitudes of 410 people from Russia and Romania have been collected using an electronic survey, based on a questionnaire that contained some items concerning the marketing mix in the public and private clinics from the two analyzed countries. These items have been evaluated by respondents from both the importance and satisfaction perspectives, and the Importance–Satisfaction (IS) matrix was used to discover marketing strategies that are the best fit for each component of the marketing mix in the healthcare clinics. The outcomes of this study highlight the need to focus efforts mainly on improving the quality of the services in both countries, with some peculiarities for the public and private sectors. It was also revealed that both countries need massive improvements in their public clinic sectors.

SPAIN: AT THE START OF THE ELECTION CAMPAIGN – 2023

The article analyzes the domestic political and economic results of 2022 in Spain on the eve of the start of the campaign for elections to local and autonomous authorities, as well as to the national parliament of the country. The stabilization of the socio-economic situation became possible in the context of unprecedented financial assistance from the European Union, as well as thanks to the active policy of social interventionism of the center-left government of Spain. Despite the relative internal political stability against the background of negative processes in the leading EU countries, there is no guarantee of maintaining positive dynamics in the economy and social sphere due to the country’s excessive dependence on the economic conjuncture of the European Union. The situation is aggravated by the persistence of the general crisis of the Spanish political system, which has developed because of the compromises of the post-Franco democratic transit period. Against the background of a complex and contradictory situation with the alignment of domestic political forces, the leading Spanish parties have actually come to a consensus in the field of foreign policy based on unconditional loyalty to the common line of the West. This position of the country’s leading parties contradicts the ideas about the national interests of Spain, formed by a significant part of the electorate, both left and right wing. Taking into account the real domestic political and economic situation, as well as due to the weak influence of the foreign policy factor on the Spanish electorate, the author concludes that following the results of the 2023 election campaign in Spain, no political party in the country will be able to form a stable parliamentary majority. Thus, the situation of increasing domestic political instability seems to be real, which could open the way to national politics for new forces capable of reorienting the country’s foreign policy in accordance with the sentiments of a significant part of Spanish voters.

Teaching the block of private law disciplines in the master's degree: new challenges in the conditions of the reform of legal education and distance learning

The article is devoted to the theoretical-applied analysis of the key aspects of the application of the latest methods of teaching the block of private law disciplines in the master's degree in the conditions of the reform of legal education and distance learning in Ukraine. The authors of the article emphasize the need to combine three main components when teaching private law disciplines: 1) characteristics of modern civil legislation; 2) studying the doctrine of civil law; 3) practices of its application. It is pointed out the need to apply the positive experience of the leading EU countries when teaching sectoral legal disciplines; the need for an in-depth analysis of the practice of the European Court of Human Rights; characteristics of civil law institutions in the context of comparative jurisprudence. It is pointed out that classes should be fundamentally problem-based with systematic analysis and analysis of scientific publications. Emphasis is placed on the unique importance of involving students in scientific circles of a civic orientation, participation in conferences and other events of a scientific and practical nature. The prospects of strengthening the practical component during the training of future lawyers through the involvement of practicing lawyers in the educational process were analyzed in detail; changing approaches to the internship process and student practice; reforming the activity of legal clinics with the aim of forming professional competences of the future lawyer in accordance with the Law of Ukraine "On Higher Education". Investigating the issues of distance education in obtaining a legal education, the authors emphasize the relevance of measures taken in the educational process during air raids in wartime conditions and state the perspective of the mixed form of education as a format for the training of future lawyers, which allows to adapt to various unstable and ambiguous conditions, including in the conditions of martial law in Ukraine.

Field germination of seeds, the viability and survival rate of spring barley plants under various variants of the nutrition system in the Southern Steppe of Ukraine

The article presents the results of three-year studies on the influence of various variants of the nutrition system on the field germination of seeds, the viability and survival rate of spring barley plants in the Southern Steppe of Ukraine. Formulation of the problem. Analysis of the spring barley yield in Ukraine indicates a significant lag behind the leading agrarian countries of the EU. Now there is a tendency for a gradual increase in its yield in Ukraine, in particular in 2018, 2019 and 2020 it was 2,75, 3,25 and 3,27 t/ha. At the same time, it is still half as much in comparison with the leading EU countries, which is why there is a need to look for ways to increase the yield of spring barley in specific growing conditions. The purpose of the research was to determine the effect of various options for the main application of complex fertilizers and foliar dressing with various options for a mixture of urea, biostimulant and polymer fertilizers on field germination of seeds, viability and survival rate of spring barley plants in the conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine. Research methodology. The studies were carried out during 2018–2020 on the fields of the educational and experimental farm of the separate structural unit "Novokakhovskiy specialized college of the DmytroMotornyiTavria State Agrotechnological University", located in the central part of the Kakhovka district of the Kherson region. The two-way experiment was carried out by the split-section method in four repetitions and two tiers. Five options for the main application of mineral fertilizers and five options for foliar dressing were studied. The sowing area was 120 m2, and the counting area was 80 m2. Research results. In the course of the research, a tendency to increase the indices of field germination of seeds was established for all variants of the main application of complex fertilizers. It was the highest on the options for using ammonium nitrate phosphate fertilizer at the rate of N30P30K30 and N60P60K60 82.9 %, which is almost 2,0 % higher than in the control. The main application of fertilizers and foliar dressing, by improving nutrition and leveling exogenous stresses, significantly increased the viability and survival rate of spring barley plants. By optimizing the feeding system (variant of the main application of ammonium nitrate phosphate fertilizer N60P60K60, followed by two foliar dressings: during microphase 31 with a mixture of carbamide (N10 kg/ha), Efisoil Renovation at a dose of 0,4 l/ha and Folik Micro at a dose of 1,5 l/ha and during microphase 39 with a mixture of Efisoil Renovation at a dose of 0,4 l/ha together with Folik Micro at a dose of 3,0 l/ha), the safety and survival of plants was 5,6 and 10,5 % higher, respectively, than in the control. Thus, the optimization of the feeding system of spring barley, even under the condition of the same indicators of all other elements of the yield structure, only due to the higher survival rate of plants, provides an increase in grain yield by more than 10,0 %. Key words: spring barley, main fertilization, foliar feeding, field germination, viability, survival rate.

ОБОСНОВАНИЕ ЗНАЧИМОСТИ ТЕХНОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО ПРЕДПРИНИМАТЕЛЬСТВА ДЛЯ ИННОВАЦИОННОГО РАЗВИТИЯ РЕСПУБЛИКИ КАЗАХСТАН

Today technological development is recognized as one of the key factors in increasing the competitiveness of national economies. In this direction, an active scientific search is being carried out both to identify the significance of the technological entrepreneurship phenomenon for innovative ecosystems, and to develop effective mechanisms for its development. This article is the contribution of the authors to the solution of the first scientific problem. The review of the literature on the Republic of Kazakhstan innovative development showed that the existing works either do not cover the significance of technological entrepreneurship for the current stage of economic development, or the studies are focused only on certain aspects of innovative activity. Therefore, a study is required to assess the dynamics and current state of innovation activity in the country and the prospects for the technological entrepreneurship development. In accordance with this goal, official statistical data were collected for the Republic of Kazakhstan for the period 2010–2020, characterizing the level of innovative development of the economy in accordance with the Oslo Manual’s requirements. The compiled time series of data were analyzed through an assessment of the dynamics of changes and compared with similar data from the countries of the European Union. As a result, it was found that in terms of innovative development the Republic of Kazakhstan lags far behind the leading EU countries (Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy) and is at a similar level with such countries as Lithuania, Cyprus, and Malta. For each indicator of innovative activity, the significance of the development of technological entrepreneurship was substantiated from the point of view of realizing the economic and innovative potential of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The study results contribute to the understanding of the strategic opportunities for the development of innovative entrepreneurship in the Republic of Kazakhstan and can be considered both as an achieved result and as a reference point for future measures to stimulate technological innovation.

Вплив новітніх концепцій державного управління в країнах ЄС на розвиток системи соціальної роботи

Розглянуто досвід та інноваційні методи управління і стандартні процедури вдержавному управлінні країн Європейського Союзу та їх вплив на ефективність надання соціальних послуг. Зроблено аналіз розповсюдження неоліберальних політичних переконань та принципів нового державного управління (далі – NPM) у європейських країнах із початку 80-х рр. ХХ ст. і до сьогодні, що суттєво вплинуло на існуючу систему соціальної роботи. Виокремлено дієві інструменти: інформатизація, дебюрократизація, децентралізація, деінституціалізація, деконцентрація (аутсорсинг), приватизація та запровадження економічних механізмів регулювання управлінських процесів і сервісне адміністрування, які можна впровадити у реформування державного управління системою соціальної роботи в українському суспільстві.

Циркулярна економіка в Україні: адаптація європейського досвіду

The article examines the development of the circular economy in Ukraine, as well as the prospects of implementation of the experience of leading EU countries in the field of circular economy in Ukraine. The relevance of the study is that for now in Ukraine very few steps have been taken towards a circular economy, although everyone understands its importance. First of all, the meaning of the circular economy is revealed and the main advantages of its implementation in Ukraine are determined. The advantages of the transition to a circular economy are as follows: significant material savings, sustainable use of resources, stimulating innovations, the ability to meet the needs of the ever-growing population of the Earth, economic growth, and income. The circular or closed-loop economy involves the recovery, reuse, and rational use of resources and, through services and smart solutions, leads to added value. The state of resource management in Ukraine and the EU, in particular waste management, is analyzed. It is established that in the field of waste management Ukraine lags far behind developed European countries. Today, huge amounts of waste have accumulated in Ukraine, and currently, there is no developed infrastructure to decide this problem, and landfills themselves have become sources of great environmental danger. The new EU policy and the policy of Ukraine in the field of circular economy are analyzed. Taking into account the best European practices, recommendations are given to Ukraine on the transition from a traditional, linear economy to a circular economy. The main ones are as follows: it is necessary to change the structure of public procurement and focus on environmentally friendly types of production; it is necessary to accelerate the transition of Ukraine from the traditional model of public procurement to the concept of “green” procurement; it is necessary to develop an effective legislative and regulatory framework for the functioning of the circular economy; it is necessary to move to more efficient business models (such as ecodesign, repair, reuse, recovery and exchange of products and maximum prevention of waste generation) and stimulate the development of environmentally friendly technologies; it is expedient to develop programs of financing of projects in the field of circular economy; it is necessary to promote better awareness of consumers about the concept of “circular” economy, environmental “footprint” of goods and services, as well as sustainable consumption; it is necessary to change the method of production and consumption of goods from short-term to long-term, as well as to encourage the economy, businesses and consumers to maximize waste recycling. It is also established that in general, Ukraine’s policy in the field of circular economy should be formed and implemented at all three levels: national, regional, and global. However, each of us can begin to change in the direction of a circular economy (for example, through conscious consumption and resource conservation). It is also important to realize the importance of sorting garbage because its removal to landfills and finding new ones is not the best solution. Garbage needs to be recycled, and this can only be done if it is sorted.

Polityka Francji i Niemiec wobec niepodległej Ukrainy. Wokół stabilizacji i bezpieczeństwa

This essay provides the shaping of the leading EU countries’ policy towards independent Ukraine. It examines that it was influenced by several factors: including the history of relations between each country with the Russian Empire and the USSR, and the lack of experience in cooperation with Ukraine as an independent state, and geopolitical interests of each state. The German political circles and the media as well as the French ones have been expressed their concern over the possible proliferation of nuclear weapons by Ukraine, which in turn has led to political and economic pressure on Ukraine’s stance on its nuclear status. The essay proves that the issue of nuclear technologies was not limited to the discussion of the former existence of a nuclear arsenal in Ukraine. France and Germany take an active part in the activities in the Chernobyl zone. Leading EU countries in the 1990s hoped there will be democratic changes in Russia, transparency and the development of civil society. Ukraine’s multi-vector policy was incomprehensible to Western countries, as was the security vacuum felt by Ukraine, which was gradually trapped in the geopolitical grip of two defense blocs: NATO in the West and Collective Security Treaty Organisation (Tashkent Pact) in the East. Since 2014, France and Germany have been mediators in the resolution of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in Donbas in the framework of Normandy format, but so far there is no progress in resolving this low-intensity conflict.

ДИНАМІКА ФОНДОВИХ РИНКІВ ПРОВІДНИХ КРАЇН ЄС ТА УКРАЇНИ В УМОВАХ СВІТОВОЇ ПАНДЕМІЇ COVID-19

The article analyzes the stock markets of the leading EU countries - France, Germany, Poland and Ukraine. The article presents the results of the analysis of the dynamics of indexes of represented stock markets, such as DAX in Germany, CAC 40 in France, WIG 20 in Poland and PFTS in Ukraine. The main enterprises included in these indexes of stock exchanges were identified. The impact of Covid-19 on the major indices of Europe's largest markets and, moreover, how they recovered from this economic crisis was assessed. It should be stated that all four countries are quite successful in overcoming the crisis. Among the surveyed countries for the period from 2017 to 2022, the largest growth was recorded in the stock markets of France and Germany, the least - in Poland. Higher growth rates in France and Germany are due to the policy of the European Central Bank, which, like the US Federal Reserve, during the global pandemic significantly increased the money supply, which led to rising stock prices for almost all assets The trend of all four indexes, in the long run, is growing, even with the global economic crises presence. Ukraine is the youngest country in Europe. Though, it should be stated that the Ukrainian stock market is developing slowly, but surely. The article identifies the factors of development of the Ukrainian stock market, the need for further reform and offers recommendations based on the analysis of stock markets in neighboring countries, including Poland, which has retained its national currency, despite participation in the European Union. Ukraine is a strategically important partner for the European Union. Given the fact that Ukraine has clearly defined the vector for Euro-Atlantic integration, a developed stock market is a necessity for its effective interaction with the European Union and the world community in general. An important positive step in the development of the national stock market was the adoption of the regulatory framework for European Union securities in Ukraine. This is a significant incentive for further development of the stock market of Ukraine and its integration into European financial institutions.

Problems and Peculiarities of the Light Industry Development in Ukraine: A Statistical Comparison with EU Countries

The light industry is one of the basic strategic segments of the national economy, providing for 5.0% of budget revenues and 2.6% of Ukrainian merchandise exports, and, therefore, has a considerable potential for further development. The purpose of the article is to identify problems and peculiarities of the light industry development in Ukraine on the basis of a statistical comparison with EU countries. According to the research results, the systemic negative dynamics of the light industry output resulted in a lag between Ukraine and EU countries, e. g. 6 times from Poland, 21 times from Germany, and 73 times from Italy. The light industry in Ukraine (like in the leading EU countries) specializes in manufacturing of final consumption products, which share in the output is more than 60%. However, despite such specialization, nearly 90% of the domestic demand for the light industry goods is met by imports.
 At the same time, the significant export orientation of textile and other light industry industries given that all the production and consumption segments of these industries in Ukraine have a strong import dependence indicates a high share of tolling operations in the Ukrainian exports. The development of the Ukrainian light industry is hampered by the following key problems: high dependence on imported raw materials, supplies and components; low price competitiveness of home-made goods on the domestic market; the reliance of a large part of domestic companies in the industry on consumer-supplied raw materials. Hence, the priority of the government’s industrial policy for the light industry development is to restore (and further increase) raw materials supplies for textile and other domestic industries. The second objective is to create competitive conditions on the domestic market for the light industry by eliminating the shadow turnover in this segment. The third objective is to reduce the commodity exports, along with increasing exports of high quality products with a high share of value added.

European currency system: problems and developments of prospective evaluation

In the article the authors investigated the problems of the European monetary system functioning. It is emphasized that the EU and the Euro zone are currently suffering from strain and unsolved problems, which do not exclude gradual decrease in the EU countries consolidation and influence.
 The aim of the article is to analyze present days’ problems of European Union functioning and European monetary system, in particular evaluation their further development perspectives.
 Debt crisis in the Euro zone sets a question to the single European currency and European integration prospective. It is noted by the authors that as a result of economic crisis Europe are divided into two macro regions, which are unsuccessful “South” and prosperous “North”. Numerous prognoses foresee various scenarios for the situation development, from pessimistic to optimistic ones. However political efforts of the leading EU countries, primarily Germany, France, and the Netherlands are required.

Современные подходы к изучению культурных стереотипов на примере репрезентации образа России во французских медиа

The article deals with the cultural stereotypes concerning Russia’s image abroad, in particular using the case of the French media. Despite the well-established notion of stereotypes as negative images, today the opposite perception of this phenomenon can be seen much more often: some scholars single out these sings as a separate phenomenon and give such “positive stereotypes” the name of “prototypes”. The author examines the evolution of Russia’s image from the perspective of the French printed media. Special attention is devoted to improving tone of references to Russia, which became possible not only due to a realistic immersion into the environment (such as the recently held FIFA World Cup), but also through the contacts of the so called “citizen diplomacy”. The latter type of cross-cultural interaction is crucial to support, given the existing interest on the part of France which is one of the leading EU countries and an important partner for Russia on the international area.

CHINESE VECTOR OF US POLICY IN THE SECOND PART OF THE CURRENT DECADE:ECONOMIC ASPECT

The paper covers new approaches of theUSadministration to foreign economic policy with focus onChina, the wide range of instruments being used against unfair Chinese practicies.USpolicy with some issues shaping theUSparticipation in the world economy and changing relations with main trade partners, includingChina, is being analyzed. The Tariffs being imposed by US and then byChinaare only a piece of the problem. The negotiations over the protection of intellectual property, cyber theft, technology transfers are on the agenda. It is highlighted thatChina’s science and technology capabilities, with growing of research and development spending remaining extremely high, has made it possible to become a prominent player and the largest world’ producer in many technology-intensive industries. Also its relative position is not so strong in the knowledge – intensive services sector, where US and leading EU countries are dominating, China’s growth in this field is far more rapid than developed economies overall. While global economic competition is increasing, it becomes more difficult to reach the bilateral understanding between US andChina.

MODERN WAYS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMATION OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The article identifies six main directions of political and administrative reforms in the leading EU countries: first, informatization and de-bureaucratization; and secondly, new managerialism; thirdly, decentralization; fourthly, service administration; fifth, «Good Governance»; sixthly, the reform of the public service system. Informatization and de-bureaucratization mean the transition from the concept of classical bureaucracy, based on the hierarchy and closedness of the management system, to a new information paradigm based on open network structures and management of results. The new management involves the borrowing of advanced developments and the basic principles of management in business management, which implies a modern view of the organization as a flexible «balancing» system that can adapt to the challenges of the external environment. The most successful ideas in this direction were «organizational cybernetics», the principle of managing the results, reducing microcontrol, active material incentives for labor, and others. Service administration or the idea of the administration as an appeal to the service is a new understanding of state bodies as service providers to citizens. Decentralization (de-concentration, outsourcing) is to lower the decision-making process at grass-roots levels – where problems arise. «Good Governance» is mainly aimed at overcoming such shortcomings in new state management as a secondary issue of solving social problems and, as a result, increasing social inequality and poverty, especially in developing countries; erosion of the role of the state and civil servants in public relations; the emphasis on the universality of the proposed methods of reform rather than the institutional context of each country. Reforming the public service system is the basis of political and administrative reform. At this stage of the reform of the public administration system, it is necessary to carry out an audit of the results of the previous reforms, identify their shortcomings, the results and find out the possible ways of improving the system of public administration. The next step is to formulate a Concept for political and administrative reform of the public administration system.

MACROECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TAX ECONOMIC REFORMS IN EU COUNTRIES

The article substantiates the necessity to introduce systematic and effective tax eco-reforms in the context of resource-oriented economic development by the European Union countries. The performance and effectiveness of the reforms are estimated in relation to the main four groups of environmental taxes: energy taxes, pollution taxes, resource taxes and transport taxes. The macroecological policy of the European Union countries is the object of the undertaken analysis. The article examines the impact of macroeconomic factors on environmental taxes across the EU, using a correlation analysis toolkit. Four groups of macroeconomic parameters were selected for analysis: internal macroeconomic factors (nominal GDP, real GDP, inflation, business cycle stage, budget deficit, energy consumption level); external macroeconomic factors (government debt, exports, foreign direct investments); institutional macroparameters (environmental culture, shadow economy, trust in government) and fiscal macroparameters (tax culture and fiscal freedom). The economic interpretation of the obtained correlates is given. Based on the correlation analysis, stimulators and de-stimulators of tax environmental reforms across the EU were identified. It is established that the factors that positively influence on the tax environmental reforms are the overwhelming majority of the analyzed factors. The formation of indicators of the effectiveness of tax environmental reforms is undertaken for six countries of the Community. In particular, the analysis covers three economic leaders (Germany, the United Kingdom and France) and three leading EU countries in the field of environmental tax collection (Latvia, Greece and Slovenia). The article presents approaches to improving the assessment of the effectiveness of tax environmental reforms based on the consideration of fiscal (budget-filling) and reproductive (multiplicative) functions of environmental taxes. In this regard, the environmental tax multiplier and accelerator, as well as the GDP elasticity coefficient for environmental taxes, were calculated for the analyzed group of countries. The criteria of economic efficiency of tax eco-reforms are proposed. Keywords: environmental taxes, macroeconomic effect, macro-environmental policy, multiplier, accelerator, elasticity

ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN UKRAINE IN THE CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN PRACTICES: EDUCATIONAL ASPECT

The current tendency towards depletion of fuel and energy resources, the growth of prices on energy production and global economic problems stimulate the necessity of introduction of energy efficient technologies. Very important and relevant in this situation is the study of the experience of the EU Member States on energy efficiency in Ukraine and the direct implementation of energy saving projects in Ukraine. In these trends, modern students can and should play an active role. The purpose of our Project is to educate a conscious and responsible future consumer of thermal and electric energy, who will conserve and use efficiently the traditional energy resources and promote the replacement of their alternative energy sources, resting upon the experience of leading EU countries. Implementation of the educational program “Energy efficiency: experience of EU countries for Ukraine” will enable popularization of EU experience in implementation of energy efficient technologies in different economy sectors and acquiring practical skills of project realization aimed at energy saving and reduction of negative impact on environment by future professionals.

Conceptual principles of the organization of the agricultural land land market in Ukraine

The article assesses the current state of the land fund of Ukraine in the light of the transformation processes of ownership. It is determined that after the reforms carried out, along with changes in the forms of land tenure, the forms of management have changed. Attention is drawn to the fact that the forms of management of the individual type, popular in Europe, are gaining momentum in Ukraine, which is manifested in the gradual growth of the area of ​​farms. It is noted that a significant proportion of private land holdings speaks of a sufficiently formed proposal in a potential land market, with regard to which perspectives in the Ukrainian society are being actively debated. The general results of sociological research conducted by a number of scientists in different regions of Ukraine are outlined, and the results of which determine the position of the population regarding the sale of agricultural land. Analyzing statistical data, and assessing scientific developments in the field of land sales, summarized key theses of the global trends in institutional conditions for the functioning of the land market in the leading EU countries. The key features of land resources and their market circulation are outlined. The specificity of the land is determined by the fact that it is immovable, therefore, unlike other resources that can be moved, only the rights to continuity of its use are sold on the land market. The emphasis is placed on the fact that the commodity in such a market is the right to land, which ensures comprehensive and predictable access to opportunities for profit from its exploitation, as well as obligations related to land and its exploitation, in accordance with the objectives of sustainable development. The article describes the price situation on the land market in the EU countries and states that an efficient land market can improve the productivity of the country's economy and increase its recovery, since it will allow landowners to turn their assets into capital that can be used for other purposes and the money received by farmers through the mortgage system, can be used to finance the development of production activities. Conceptual basis for the introduction of the market of agricultural land. land protection of interests of land plot owners; creation of a strong economically active middle class in rural areas; improvement of leasehold land relations; provision of sustainable land use; increase of employment of rural population; prevention of depreciation of agricultural land; introduction of mechanisms for preventing speculation in agricultural land and monopolizing it; increasing capitalization and liquidity of land as an economic asset. In our opinion, the fundamental positions of an efficient agricultural land market are: establishing a private ownership limit in one hand up to 200 hectares; in cultivation for farms – up to 1000 hectares; fixing of the minimum term of lease (already settled up to 7 years); development of a mechanism for preventing speculation and monopolization in the land market by establishing a land sales tax for the first 5 years (at the rate of 100% of the selling price); introduction of antitrust sanctions, by limiting the maximum area of ​​land use by one enterprise – no more than 30% of the area of ​​one OTG; consolidation of land for the establishment of a minimum land parcel that is not subject to parceling; prevention of depreciation of agricultural land through the introduction of a minimum price level; the development of mechanisms for mortgage lending to farmers for the purpose of land acquisition and financing for the development of production. Subjective composition of the land market, to include: citizens of Ukraine; family farms, established by citizens of Ukraine; 3) territorial communities; 4) the state in the person of the special regulatory institute. The main expected results from the introduction of regulated market turnover of agricultural land are: ensuring the constitutional rights of citizens to land and disposing of them; avoidance of depreciation of land; introduction of preventive mechanisms for market circulation of land; increasing the role of the state in the initial stage of the introduction of theland market in terms of its regulation. Key words: land relations, land market, mortgage lending, agriculture.

Developing Professional Pedagogical Competency of Lecturers in the Leading EU Countries

Abstract The article deals with the trends in developing professional pedagogical competency of lecturers in the scientific and educational space of the leading EU countries. Specific attention is paid to the analysis of the approaches to determining core competencies required for professional growth, as well as components and criteria for developing professional pedagogical competency in the education systems of the UK, Germany, France, Austria, the Netherlands, Dennmark, Finland. It is highlighted that despite the availability of relevant documents in an integrated Europe, which contain the conceptual framework for acquiring core (basic) competencies, the terms and their criteria differ in each country. It is indicated that in the European Union there is no single approach to understanding the essence, ways and methods for shaping and developing professional pedagogical competency. It is specified that professional pedagogical competency occupies the most important place among the main competencies of lecturers since it is directly related to the performance of professioal duties. It is clarified that when defining the essence of professional pedagogical competency the EU experts pay considerable attention to such qualities of lecturers as the ability to independently solve complex tasks, acquire new knowledge and skills, have a positive view of one’s own personality, fruitfully communicate with students and colleagues. It is concluded that the current research made it possible to prove a clear orientation of these countries’ state policy towards developing the potential of lecturers, the availability of legal foundations required to ensure support and integrity of lecturers’ professional development, a high level of organization and methodical support of the programmes for lecturers’ professional development, which are characterized by clear goals and expected outcomes.