Production In European Countries Research Articles

Assessing the Carbon Intensity of e-fuels Production in European Countries: A Temporal Analysis

The transport sector heavily relies on the use of fossil fuels, which are causing major environmental concerns. Solutions relying on the direct or indirect use of electricity through e-fuel production are emerging to power the transport sector. To ensure environmental benefits are achieved over this transition, an accurate estimation of the impact of the use of electricity is needed. This requires a high temporal resolution to capture the high variability of electricity. This paper presents a previously unseen temporal analysis of the carbon intensity of e-fuels using grid electricity in countries that are members of the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSO-E). It also provides an estimation of the potential load factor for producing low-carbon e-fuels according to the European Union legislative framework. This was achieved by building on top of the existing EcoDynElec tool to develop EcoDynElec_xr, a python tool enabling—with an hourly time resolution—the calculation, visualisation, and analysis of the historical time-series of electricity mixing from the ENTSO-E. The results highlight that, in 2023, very few European countries were reaching low carbon intensity for electricity that enables the use of grid electricity for the production of green electrolytic hydrogen. The methodological assumptions consider the consumption of the electricity mix instead of the production mix, and the considered time step is of paramount importance and drastically impacts the potential load factor of green hydrogen production. The developed tools are released under an open-source license to ensure transparency, result reproducibility, and reuse regarding newer data for other territories or for other purposes.

Green Hydrogen, a Solution for Replacing Fossil Fuels to Reduce CO2 Emissions

The article examines the role of green hydrogen in reducing CO2 emissions in the transition to climate neutrality, highlighting both its benefits and challenges. It starts by discussing the production of green hydrogen from renewable sources and provides a brief analysis of primary resource structures for energy production in European countries, including Romania. Despite progress, there remains a significant reliance on fossil fuels in some countries. Economic technologies for green hydrogen production are explored, with a note that its production alone does not solve all issues due to complex and costly compression and storage operations. The concept of impure green hydrogen, derived from biomass gasification, pyrolysis, fermentation, and wastewater purification, is also discussed. Economic efficiency and future trends in green hydrogen production are outlined. The article concludes with an analysis of hydrogen-methane mixture combustion technologies, offering a conceptual framework for economically utilizing green hydrogen in the transition to a green hydrogen economy.

Bioinoculants for sustainable production of saffron spice and by-products: overview and prospects

The dried red stigmas of Crocus sativus L. are the precious spice known as saffron. Also called “red gold”, saffron has the highest price among spices due to the intense manual labour required for its production. Both the spice and violet tepals (floral waste) contain bioactive compounds with health-promoting properties. In the last decades, saffron production in European countries has seriously decreased, mainly because manual labour costs have increased and the technology for its cultivation has not progressed. Its production is also challenged, e.g. by climate change and diseases. To improve the profitability of saffron, sustainable practices could be adopted to enhance the quality, productivity, and value of saffron products; inoculants of beneficial microorganisms, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), and industrial application of the tepals as a valuable by-product have been proposed. Recent studies on the use of bioinoculants on saffron have stated that they can limit the application of agrochemicals and improve productive and quality characteristics of this plant. Greater homogeneity in the approach to this type of study is necessary as it would help to make comparisons between bioinoculants and find optimal options for saffron cultivation

FINANCING THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS AND EXPERIENCE FOR UKRAINE

Current trends in the development of agricultural production necessitate the attraction of additional financial resources to finance the agricultural sector, which are specific to each national economy. The article examines the priority directions of development of the mechanism for financing agricultural production in Ukraine in the context of current trends in the implementation of the common agricultural policy in Europe. A comparative analysis of the mechanism of additional financing of agricultural production in the EU countries was carried out in the implementation of the common agricultural policy. Clustering of European countries was carried out while taking into account the existence of patterns in the agricultural market and it was confirmed that these patterns do not determine the features and volumes of additional financing of agricultural production. The existence of twelve possible types of markets of agricultural products in European countries is determined and the existence in practice of six of them is confirmed. It is determined that there are significant violations in the policy of convergence of financing of the agricultural sector declared by the OAP, which confirms the need to reform the Common Agricultural Policy of European countries in the direction of greater compliance with the national problems of the European agricultural sector.It has been determined that there is a specific list of development problems that is not repeated for any of the European countries for the agricultural sector of Ukraine, and its own type of agricultural market has been formed, which also has no correspondence. The article focuses on the need to form in Ukraine a specific mechanism of additional financing of agricultural production, taking into account the problems of development of the national agricultural sector and in the context of the Common Agrarian Policy of the Economic Community, its priorities and direction of reform.

Exploring the potential of biological methanation for future defossilization scenarios: Techno-economic and environmental evaluation

The REPowerEU plan establishes the production objective of 35 billion m3 of biomethane in the European Union (EU) by 2030. Biomethane is an excellent energy vector to promote the defossilization of different sectors within a Power-to-Gas approach. The present study evaluates the economic and environmental implications of producing biomethane from the biogas generated in a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) with a treatment capacity of 100,000 m3/d and 500,000 population equivalents. The techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) were conducted for a biomethane production plant based on biological methanation process using the hydrogen produced in a water electrolyser. The TEA illustrated that the electricity price (0–0.20 €/kWh) features an important impact on the biomethane cost (0.05–0.23 €/kWhHHV) due to the high electrolyser energy consumption. Flexible operation of the electrolyser is economically feasible at load factors above 35 %, which can be attributed to the lower impact of the electrolyser capital cost as the load factor increases. The LCA illustrated that biomethane has a lower global warming impact (<0.28 kgCO2-eq/kWhHHV) than fossil natural gas when the renewable electricity production in the mix is above 62 %. The results highlighted that high carbon prices under the EU Emission Trading System is an important driver to promote biomethane production in European countries since energy production from biomethane could be exempted to acquire emission allowances. This would provide a competitive advantage of biomethane over natural gas when considering the whole supply chain of the energy carrier. Overall, this study demonstrates that biological methanation has the potential to become an important biomethane production technology for future defossilization scenarios.

The diffusion of renewable energy production in European countries: the role of incentives

ABSTRACT The green technologies studied in this work can be considered non-drastic innovations, the diffusion process for which is largely influenced by government sponsorship. The study analyses heterogeneous non-hydroelectric RES-E (solar, wind, biomass and geothermal) support scheme policies in European countries and evaluates their effects on promoting installed capacity and production of electricity in twenty-eight European countries for the years 1995–2015. By applying panel data analysis, we estimate the relative effectiveness of financial and quota system incentives, taking into account the timing of adoption of these policies. The results suggest that price-based incentives (FIP and FIT), compared to quantity-based incentives (RPS), are the most effective mechanisms for diffusing non-hydroelectric renewable energy technologies. A novelty of the research concerns the evidence of a strong incidence of feed-in premium (FIP) incentive. In countries adopting FIP incentives, the production of renewable electric energy registers a step ahead performance compared to those adopting FIT and RPS. The results are confirmed in the robustness check estimations when RES-E sources are unbundled. The paper concludes with a discussion of some policy implications of the results.

Certification and labeling of organic products in European countries: experience for Ukraine

EU countries are currently one of the leading centers of development of the world market of organic agriculture products. The European countries with the largest sales markets for organic food products are Germany, France (EUR 9.1 billion), Italy (EUR 3.5 billion), Switzerland (EUR 2.7 billion). This activity is regulated in detail by the EU legislation: uniform standards are established in the field of production and processing of organic products, the rules for its marking, and the procedure for certification in this field. As rightly noted in the scientific literature, the detailed legal procedure of organic production is a guarantee of consumer rights protection from unscrupulous producers. In addition, almost every EU country has a fairly extensive system of private certification bodies, as well as its own standards, often stricter than the European ones. All this indicates the prestige of the consumption of organic products by the population and, accordingly, quite significant competition among its producers, who do not just try to comply with EU standards, but constantly improve them by obtaining appropriate national certificates. Unfortunately, in Ukraine, and in pre- war times, such production was not particularly popular. As of December 31, 2021. according to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as the Ministry of Agrarian Policy), the total area of agricultural land used for organic production and the transition period was 422,299 hectares (1% of the total area of such land in Ukraine), including the area of agricultural land with organic status is 370,110 hectares, the area of the corresponding land in the transition period is 52,189 hectares. The total number of operators was 528, including 418 agricultural producers. But, taking into account the important role of organic farming, especially in the process of greening agriculture, ensuring soil fertility, protecting the environment, its role, especially in the post-war period, should grow. Therefore, the study of the legal regulation of the certification procedure in this area, on the example of the leading European countries, is particularly relevant.

Determinants of ecological footprint in European countries: Fresh insight from Bayesian model averaging for panel data analysis

This study examines the determinants of the ecological footprint of production in European countries from 1992 to 2020. Using partial and semipartial correlation analyses and Bayesian Model Averaging (BMA) approach for the first time, the research identifies key variables affecting ecological footprint. Using Bayesian methods, posterior inclusion probabilities (PIPs) were calculated for each variable's coefficient estimates, revealing their relative importance. Biocapacity, energy consumption, industrialization, financial development, life expectancy, and globalization displayed notably high PIPs, indicating their strong influence on the ecological footprint. In addition, the study employs cointegration tests to examine the long-run relationship between ecological footprint and explanatory variables. The results indicate significant cointegration between these variables across panels, supported by various test statistics. In the Weighted Pooled DOLS estimation, biocapacity, energy consumption, and life expectancy significantly influence the ecological footprint, while industrialization, financial development, and globalization exert a comparatively smaller impact. Researchers and policymakers should consider these determinants for effective sustainable development planning. These findings underscore the intricate interplay of factors shaping the ecological footprint and offer insights for effective policy interventions towards sustainable development.

Director's Creativity in the Context of European Cultural Practices of State Support for Film Production and Distribution

The purpose of the article is to study the European experience of state support for directorial creativity, audiovisual production and distribution, to determine scientific guidelines for the adaptation of optimal foreign models of film and television creativity, which will contribute to the development of the film and television process in Ukraine. Research methodology. In developing the topic, the researcher comprehensively applied the methods of scientific analysis, comparison, and generalisation. Analytical and systematic methods in their unity were involved to consider the art history plane of the problem. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that the director's creativity is investigated in the context of European cultural practices of state support for audiovisual production and distribution and became the subject of a special study for the first time. The appropriateness of using the system method in studying the peculiarities of the European film-making process has been proven. A comprehensive analysis was carried out and the peculiarities of the production and distribution of author's film products in European countries were revealed. Conclusions. The presented in the article data expand the knowledge regarding the specifics of the production and distribution of directorial models of author's films in the European space and enable their use in educational courses, the creation of educational, and methodological literature on the theory and history of cinema and television, directing, and producing.&#x0D; Key words: directorial creativity, author's cinematography, audiovisual art and production, television, distribution, state support, director-author.

The Environmental Impact of Changes in the Structure of Electricity Sources in Europe

The limited use of non-renewable energy sources facilitates a reduction in the negative environmental impact of electricity production. The policies of European countries aim to change the structure of electricity sources, focusing particularly on non-renewable sources. The aim of this study was to assess changes in the structure of electricity generation depending on the energy sources used in 34 European countries in the years 1990–2020 in terms of their environmental impact. This study was conducted using cluster analysis: a method applied in multivariate comparative analyses. Such an approach provided a new, broader outlook on changes in the structure of electric energy production in Europe. A total of nine homogeneous groups of countries were distinguished in terms of energy transformation. The ecological scarcity method 2013 was applied to assess the environmental impact of electricity production in the analyzed countries. In the investigated period, the negative environmental impact of electricity production in European countries decreased. The median of the volume of this impact, determined based on the structure of production in 1990, for the analyzed countries was 464 UBP/1 kWh. In the following years, the value of the median dropped to 413 UBP/1 kWh (2000), 322 UBP/1 kWh (2010), and 204 UBP/1 kWh (2020), respectively. The diversification of the countries in this respect also decreased, which resulted in a reduction in the number of clusters from eight in 1990 to two in 2020.

Производство ржи в странах Европы

Grain crops occupy a special place in agricultural production, which is due to their importance for humans. With population growth, the role of grain crops will only increase. In this regard, the problem of statistical assessment of production is still relevant. Knowing the production volumes and the factors influencing them, you can plan production and consumption. The object of the study was rye production in European countries. Rye is one of the most important agricultural crops. Cultivated much later than barley and wheat, it is of great importance for humans. It is used not only for grain production, but also as a fodder crop. The main research methods were static methods. Dynamics and structure indicators were calculated. A factor analysis of rye production in Eastern European countries was carried out. After analyzing statistical data for sixty years of observations and collecting data on the production of this crop in Eastern and Western Europe for the period from 1993 to 2021, we came to the following main conclusions. During the analyzed period, we note a decrease in the production of this crop. This reduction is caused precisely by a decrease in acreage, and not by a change in yield, the growth of which we are seeing. This suggests that production in European countries, where the main acreage of this crop is concentrated, is extensive. We associate the reduction in the acreage of this crop with the expansion of areas under wheat and triticale. Rye is being replaced in crop rotations. If the tendency to reduce the acreage of rye persists, then in the future this crop may completely disappear in Europe. The introduction of high-yielding sorts, the use of advanced techniques and production technologies can prevent this.

Environmental efficiency and sustainability of food production and consumption in the EU

About 88 million tons of food is wasted in Europe every year, which makes it one of the most serious regions for food waste in the world. This research uses a two-stage undesirable dynamic data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to explore the environmental efficiency of food production and food consumption in 25 countries of the European Union (EU) from 2010 to 2018. It addresses two issues: (1) greenhouse gas emissions from food production in European countries (greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and fisheries) and (2) food loss from food production and food waste from food consumption in European countries. The research results are as follows. 1) The greenhouse gas emission efficiency of agriculture and fisheries in most countries has improved year by year. 2) The problem of food waste caused by food consumption in most countries is more serious than the problem of food loss caused by food production; thus, most food waste is generated by consumers. 3) France, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Malta, and the Netherlands have better environmental efficiency and better environmental sustainability in food production and consumption. Ireland, Portugal, and Slovenia are less environmentally efficient and less environmentally sustainable in food production and consumption. This study suggests that local governments, firms, and consumers in EU countries should work together to reduce food waste and improve the sustainability of food production and consumption.

Основи функціонування малого аграрного підприємництва в умовах євроінтеграції

Goal. To determine the peculiarities of functioning and potential possibilities of promoting the development of small agrarian entrepreneurship in the conditions of the activation of European integration processes. Methods. The methodological basis of the research is general scientific and special methods: abstract, analysis and synthesis, comparative, and analytical grouping. Results. It was established that in recent years, Ukraine had been actively developing its activities in the direction of deepening economic cooperation with the European Union (EU) in the agricultural sector. The results of studies of the common agrarian policy of the EU countries confirm that it is aimed at significant support for farmers. Family farms are recognized as the basis of agricultural production in European countries. The influence of the deepening of the European integration processes on the functioning of small agrarian business entities is considered, and the main advantages that they can receive are determined. A SWOT analysis of the development of small agrarian entrepreneurship in the conditions of European integration was carried out. Strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats are shown, as well as development benchmarks are shown, which should be taken into account when developing a strategy for the behavior of small agrarian entrepreneurship in the conditions of the activation of European integration processes. Conclusions. The study of the main vectors of the EU agrarian policy and the possibilities of its application in Ukraine showed that taking into account the peculiarities of the development of small agrarian entrepreneurship in the process of its implementation will contribute to solving complex theoretical and practical problems of regulating the domestic agrarian sector.

Sustainable development of organic farming like innovation element in the system of food security of the region

The ever-increasing interest in organic farming products on the part of consumers stimulates organic producers to expand their product range and search for new markets and distribution channels. Especially demanded organic products in European countries and the United States. Increased requirements for the production of organic matter presupposes the presence of certain conditions in terms of certification of lands, technologies and quality characteristics of organic products. This, in turn, requires a regulatory and legal framework at the state level, a certification system, including the rules and procedure for certification of land and products, organizations with the right to conduct accreditation procedures, pricing and possible preferences for small businesses and the private sector of the population. This will optimize the requirements for the phased passage of the certification procedure and serve as a stimulating element for attracting new producers of organic products. An equally important strategic problem is the organization of effective marketing channels for organic products. The relevance of food security and the availability of food are topical issues in Russia. In the agro-industrial multifaceted, issues related to low profitability of production, preservation of the genetic material of farm animals, and others have not been resolved. The main measures to increase the economic accessibility of food can be implemented through regional programs for sustainable development of country area One of the urgent problems of the world community is the development of organic farming and the formation of markets for organic products. At the same time, commodity differentiation of organic products and geographic segmentation are the main factors influencing the development of organic farming. The producers of organic products in Russia, as a rule, are small businesses. Development of organic farming is of particular importance for cross-border agro-oriented regions, since it contributes to the development of export activities and commodity diversification. For the Altai Territory, the development of organic farming makes it possible to effectively develop new areas of gastronomic and rural tourism.

Film producer: European cultural context

The purpose of the article is to identify the specifics of the development of the producer's activity in cinema in the context of the European cultural space and to outline the vectors of mutual influence of the producer's activity in the countries of the Eurospace and Ukraine. Methodology. In elaborating the topic, the historical method was used to identify the peculiarities of the origin and development of the profession of film producer under the influence of socio-cultural, economic, political factors, in particular, in Ukraine; analytical method and methods of scientific analysis, comparison, generalization, which came in handy in the process of establishing artistic, production, organizational, managerial, financial and economic features of the film producer in the European cultural space. For the sake of art history and culturological aspects of studying the problem, methods of systematization and analysis were used. The scientific novelty of the study is that the origin of the profession of producer in cinema is considered in the context of both European and Ukrainian cultural space, and has become the subject of a special multi-vector study; the content of the concepts of "film producer", "production system" as specific unique integrity and unity of interconnected elements is argued and clarified; the expediency of using the comparative method to study and manifest the peculiarities of production in the filmmaking process of European and domestic cultural space is proved. Conclusions. Acquaintance with the materials of this study enriches the arsenal of knowledge about the origins of the film producer in the culture of film production in European countries and Ukraine and provides a scientific basis for their use in courses on theory and history of culture, including filmmaking, production and directing.

Access to Medicines via Non-Pharmacy Outlets in European Countries-A Review of Regulations and the Influence on the Self-Medication Phenomenon.

Non-pharmacy trade concerns the sale of medicinal products outside of pharmacies, such as limited-service pharmacies, supermarkets, petrol stations, shops open to the public, and kiosks. Access to medicinal products via non-pharmacy outlets varies across the European countries, with a general deregulation of this market area observable. Increasing the availability of medicines by allowing patients to obtain them outside of pharmacies contributes to the spread of self-medication. The aim of this article was to review the legal regulations enabling the non-pharmacy trade in OTC (over the counter) medicinal products in European countries, with particular emphasis on the analysis of active substances contained in medicines available in the non-pharmacy trade. This analysis has made it possible to distinguish three categories of countries: (1) where there is a non-pharmacy trade in OTC medicinal products, (2) where there is a limited non-pharmacy trade in OTC medicines, (3) where there is only a pharmacy trade in OTC medicinal products. In the context of these considerations, we highlight the impact of patient access to medicinal products via non-pharmacy sources on raising the prevalence of self-medication. This article identifies the advantages and risks of self-medication, emphasising the role of the pharmacist as an advisor to patients within the scope of the therapies used.

The European charcoal trade

Abstract About half the wood extracted worldwide from forests is used as fuelwood to produce energy, about 17 percent is converted to charcoal (FAO 2017) which represents one of the least controlled/monitored segments of the European timber market. Although charcoal has a significant share on the European market of wood-based products it is not yet covered by the European Timber Regulations (EUTR), (EU) No 995/2010. For this project, a total of 150 charcoal consignments from eleven countries (Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Ukraine, Czech Republic, and Belgium) were examined and evaluated based on the 3D-reflected light microscopy technique. The high-resolution study indicates the proportion of different European timbers compared with that of timbers from subtropical and tropical regions. The share of subtropical and tropical species is surprisingly high with approximately 46% for material received from all countries studied, but far over 60% for Spain, Italy, Poland, and Belgium. The study shows that comparing the results for charcoal received from these countries there is an inversely proportional relation of certified products (FSC and PEFC) and products with timbers from subtropical or tropical origins. In the charcoal consignments from Switzerland, the share of timbers from subtropical or tropical origin is only 13.5%, whereas that of certified products is 60%. In material received from Spain, the proportion of timbers from subtropical or tropical regions is 67%, whereas that of certified products only 8%. A careful check of the declaration on the packaging, of the accompanying certificates, and the information on origin revealed alarming evidence: only 25% of the consignments examined provide information on the bags, e.g., with regard to the processed wood species; and well over half of such declarations were incorrect and/or incomplete. A trade flow analysis of EU member states was carried out to contribute to a better understanding of the relationships between international charcoal trade flows and the end products in European countries. This approach contributes to an essential understanding of charcoal transit in Europe and the results constitute a strong motive for the inclusion of charcoal in the respective annex to the EUTR.

Organic livestock in the Republic of Croatia and Europe

The aim of the present study was to analyze the situation in organic livestock farming in Croatia and Europe. In the European countries in the year 2017, around 4.5 million cattle, 5.2 million sheep, 1 million pigs and 50 million poultry were registered in organic farming. The highest share of organically registered domestic animals compared to the total population in Europe and the European Union-28 was in cattle (3.5% and 5.2%) and sheep (3.4% and 5.0%), and the lowest in pigs (0.6% and 0.7%). In Croatia the highest share is in sheep (8.57%) and the lowest in poultry (0.02%) number. The largest increase in recent ten years in the EU has been in the number of poultry (by 103%) and the smallest in the number of pigs (by 47.6%), while the increase was the number of cattle and sheep was around 76% and 74%, respectively. In Croatia organic sheep production increased the most (by 65.0%), while the number of cattle and poultry increased by 62 and 64%, and the smallest increase is in the number of pigs (by 24%). The majority of organic meat of all species of domestic animals is produced in France and in United Kingdom, while organic milk is produced mostly in Germany and France. During the year 2018, most organic beef was produced in the UK and France, organic pork in France and Finland, organic sheep meat in Spain and the UK, organic goat meat in Spain, while most of organic poultry was produced in France and in the UK. A significant increase in the number of livestock in organic farming in Europe and in Croatia indicates an increasing interest in organic livestock farming, not only increase of farmers and processors but also increase of consumers of organic products in European countries.

Reusing Sewage Sludge in Agriculture: A Mini-Review

Sewage sludge production in European countries has widely raised in the last decade and its fate is currently landfilling, incinerators, composting, land application, or anaerobic digestion. To explore its agronomic potential, the main target of this mini review is to understand the effects of anaerobic digestates from sewage sludge in agriculture as soil improver.

Regulation and marketing of cannabidiol-containing products in European countries. Pharmacists’ knowledge in Bulgaria

To assess the current regulatory frameworks of cannabidiol-containing products/preparations on the European market, we analyzed data gathered from 19 European countries using the functionalities of the computer software EPITT (European Pharmacovigilance Issues Tracking Tool). In addition, we investigated pharmacists’ knowledge, awareness and attitudes toward cannabidiol (CBD) in Bulgaria. We used questionnaires covering various domains including availability of CBD products or preparations, some of their general characteristics (dosage forms, CBD and THC content, safety profile, etc.) and use for medical conditions in accordance with the countries’ national regulatory requirements. The results indicate three main approaches for the application of CBD: (1) according to its licensed therapeutic indications (Sativex®, Epidiolex®); (2) for additional specific indications (drugs, magistral or standardized preparations) and (3) as an Investigational New Drug or for supplementation. The results for CBD on the pharmacy market in Bulgaria (2019) showed that it is sold as a food supplement in various formulations (oral drops, oils, sprays, capsules, etc.) but is also used for one or more medical conditions. Top three are: pain, anxiety and cancer. Good tolerance was reported in 96% of the cases. Bulgarian pharmacists showed a good knowledge of the differences between Marijuana and industrial hemp, and are well aware of the THC content in the available hemp-derived products. In conclusion, a compelling rationale exists for further scientific research and legal regulation in order to better use the therapeutic value of the non-psychotropic cannabidiol for the treatment of many medical conditions.