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The Western Balkan countries, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, participate in the framework of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations. In total, there are 193 countries committed to fulfilling the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was implemented in 2015. One of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals is to promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth and decent work for all. This goal is expressed in the following indicators: employment and unemployment rates, people killed in accidents at work, real GDP per capita, resource productivity, and domestic material consumption. The aim of this paper is to analyze SDG 8 in the Western Balkan economies. Since the Western Balkan countries are EU candidates or potential candidates, comparing their performance with the EU average is vital. The results show that although Western Balkan countries have improved their performance, they still fall behind the EU average. They should focus more on increasing their economic growth rates and providing more sustainable workplaces. Therefore, future actions to be enhanced by the economic policy in the Western Balkans should include the implementation of legal facilitations for start-ups and other firms in order to boost the stimulus for entrepreneurship, develop sustainable migration policy, and promote stable forms of employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the first records in Bulgaria of some interesting or less-known species of the genus Tricholoma, namely Tricholoma arvernense, T. aurantium, T. boudieri, T. cingulatum, T. rapipes and T. viridilutescens. Of these, Tricholoma arvernense, T. rapipes and T. viridilutescens seem to be first reports from the Balkan Peninsula. Illustrations of the Bulgarian findings are included, along with data on their localities and ecology, and comments on the known distribution in the Balkan countries. The distinguishing features of the respective species from their closest allies are also briefly accounted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results of research on the impact of national culture, big five personality traits, and emotional intelligence on job performances and organizational commitment in teleworkers in West Balkan countries. These impacts were also determined for employees in conventional working arrangements, which enabled a comparison of the results for these two groups of respondents. The research was conducted in the countries of the West Balkan and included 313 respondents. National culture and emotional intelligence have a greater impact on job performances and organizational commitment for employees in conventional working arrangements than in teleworkers. Big five personality traits in some cases affect stronger for employees in conventional working arrangements, while in some cases they affect more powerfully in teleworkers. Teleworkers are less influenced by the environment, and thus less influenced by national culture. Also, teleworkers have fewer opportunities to use emotional intelligence in achieving business goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plant communities dominated by Asphodelus ramosus are quite common in the Mediterranean Basin, especially in the most degraded vegetation stages caused by grazing and fires. The aim of this paper is to provide a phytosociological description of the Asphodelus ramosus-dominated plant community of the Murge Plateau, in southeastern Italy, through 28 phytosociological relevés. Cluster analysis (flexible Beta method) and ordination (non-metric multidimentional scaling) were used to compare this plant community with other dry grassland associations in the same area and with other Asphodelus ramosus-dominated plant communities from Italy and western Balkans. The results allowed the description of a new association for the Murge Plateau: the Gelasio columnae-Asphodeletum ramosi. The new association has been tentatively classified in the alliance Hippocrepido glaucae-Stipion austroitalicae (Scorzoneretalia villosae order), because of the presence of several species typical of this alliance, although it is intermediate between this alliance and the more thermophilous vegetation of the Lygeo sparti-Stipetea tenacissimae class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proceeding from the premise that international statebuilding mechanisms are frequently used by the European Union (EU), particularly in Western Balkan states, this paper critically examines the effects from this effort, taking into consideration the Macedonian example. The focus of this analysis is on a specific phase of the prolonged statebuilding effort, evaluating the interaction among EU and Macedonia in the context of the so-called Przino process. The research reveals that EU's approach to statebuilding through prioritizing regional stability and sustaining of status-quo situation in the state, even though it created a temporary stabilization of the internal political crisis; however, the political self-regulation's capacity of EU candidate - member state is being problematized. The Macedonian experience, seen through the Przino process, shows that the applied mechanisms are transforming the state's political order to a certain degree and are also problematizing the principle of popular sovereignty. Instead of strengthening institutions, non-institutional practices and entities are being established, that go beyond the state's constitutional framework in certain aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Turkic varieties of the Balkans use two main diametrically opposed subordination strategies: (i) the Turkic model, where typical subordinate clauses are prepositive, nonfinite, contain clause-final subordinators, etc. and (ii) the Indo-European model, where typical subordinate clauses are postpositive, finite, contain clause-initial subordinators, etc. The paper observes that Balkan Turkic additionally uses several kinds of subordinate clause that allow for problematic mixtures of these two models ('X-clauses'). Spread over a spectrum between the Turkic and Indo-European extremes, X-clauses can, for instance, be prepositive but contain clause-initial subordinators. The paper, then, hypothesizes that X-clauses emerge due to uncertainties in the structural parameters of the Balkan Turkic subordination system. Such uncertainties are typical of complex systems undergoing change and arise in the present case due to the shift in Balkan Turkic away from Turkic towards Indo-European subordination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper shows that there is a need in most of the Balkan countries to change the law governing the insolvency issue by clearly defining insolvency and thereby removing the confusion surrounding it from the legislation. It is also essential to harmonize the legal provisions so that the term insolvency is used consistently throughout the legal text. The paper also shows the need to define solvency properly in textbooks and present the correct methodology to assess solvency. In this way, it can be expected that neither the term (in)solvency nor the (in)solvency indicator(s) will be incorrectly used by scholars from the Balkan region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The paper aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the effectiveness of anti-money laundering (AML) regulations in measuring banking sector stability in Western Balkan countries, as well as to explore the possibility of enhancing banking sector policy and performance. The study employs a quantitative methodology created on secondary data from 2012 to 2021. The data analysis methodology incorporates static and dynamic approaches to examine the banking sector stability using OLS and 2SLS. The results of the study show that the tight A M L i , t implementation of both approaches has a positive and statistically significant impact on the banking sector stability ( B S S ). The value of the paper is unique in that it applies the most recent data in this field for Western Balkans countries, and it brings benefits for a better understanding of the effectiveness of A M L regulations. The research will encourage fruitful discussion among policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and financial institution executives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The results of a comparative analysis based on the Electoral Integrity Index, evaluated for the period 2011-2021 in the Balkan countries are this paper's objectives. Referring to perceptions of the level of fulfillment of international standards for democratic elections (PEI), the Balkan region is classified in the group of countries belonging to the "Moderate" category. In the Balkan countries, the positive relationship between the electoral process and the development of liberal democracy is evident, while the level of corruption is a factor that has a significant effect on the electoral process. Clusters analysis performed using estimates of distances between indicators related to the electoral process, the development of a liberal democracy, general economic development and the level of corruption present significant distances. The development of liberal democracy in Balkan countries is conditioned by the level of realization of synergy in the interaction between different factors. This paper aims to identify the legal framework in the details of Balkan countries related to electoral reform, going through recommendations through comparison and quantitative methodology and bringing Czech legislative dimension as a smart solution of problems that countries face in the electoral process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Environmental policy of the European Union has largely contributed to the diffusion and strengthening of International environmental law, and has yielded a relatively wide harmonization of high standards in this area among the Member States, as well as among countries that strive to become fully-fledged members of the EU. The Green Agenda for the Western Balkans is an example to that end. As a growth strategy, it aims at stimulating growth in the region and helping the transformation from the traditional economic model to a sustainable economy, in line with the European Green Deal priorities. Therefore, this paper will look at to what extent has the regional environmental governance network, precisely the cooperation with the European Environmental Agency (EEA), fostered alignment with the EU Environmental policy by Montenegro as the EU candidate country. The cooperation between Montenegro and the European Environmental Agency dates back to more than a decade ago, and it has been formalised by signing a Memorandum of Understanding on October 23, 2020, which represented a step towards full membership of the country in the EEA. Cooperation with the EEA also increases the possibility of access to European funds, which will be used to invest in green technologies and renewable energy sources. The adoption, implementation and enforcement of the EU acquis on Environment, is at the same time, a condition that the Western Balkan countries must meet in order to satisfy criteria set by the accession negotiations. In addition, the Western Balkan countries as signatories to the Paris Agreement have pledged to restructure their economies in order to achieve the goals set in the agreement. This is particularly relevant having in mind the EU aspirations to become the first climate-neutral society by 2050. To this end, and having special sensitivity towards the challenges the region of Western Balkans is facing, the Union has committed generous resources to the Western Balkans green transition. Hence, the assistance provided by the EU will depend on the quality of the preparatory work done. Therefore, the practical aspect of this paper will be to draw attention to the importance of the EU support in this area, but also to highlight the genuine responsibility and effort expected from Montenegro as a case study, to develop high quality and sustainable projects leading to restructuring its economy into a green one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper aims to empirically analyze the relationship between economic growth and financial development, in the region of Western Balkan countries, over the period 2010-2020. The relationship is demonstrated by the effects of independent variables such as trade (T), inflation consumer prices (ICP), general government final consumption (GGFCE), domestic credit to the private sector (DCPS), broad money (BM), and the real interest rate (IR), on the dependent variable, such as GDP growth. Hence, to evaluate this impact, we employed the regression model. Although, a correlation matrix is presented to identify the relationship between the study variables. Based on the results presented, there is a positive relationship between trade, inflation rate, and interest rates. Additionally, based on the regression results that were produced using the fixed effect technique, it can be seen that trade (T), inflation (ICP), interest rates (IR), and domestic credit to the private sector (DCPS), positively impact economic growth. The main objective of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of this connection and draw new conclusions that might greatly benefit policymakers and the Western Balkan community, by considering the fundamental role of the financial sector in sustainable economic growth. The study's second objective is to fill the vac-uum in the literature for this period and a sample of counties according to specific macroeconomic variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tobacco Industry is one of the largest in the world, with very high impact in global economy, widely known as the fourth largest market in the world. In Albania tobacco industry is also an important part of the country's economy, a market that experiences great dynamics of changes both in terms of import and in relation to the production of tobacco for export. Albania applies only a specific excise tax, having the lowest tax burden on tobacco among Western Balkan countries. The total tax burden on cigarettes stands around 66% of the retail selling price (RSP) for a pack of 20 cigarettes of the most sold brand. This paper aims to study all the dynamics of tobacco market in Albania, changes in tobacco taxation and the impact of these changes in Albanian economy. Thus, this paper focuses on analyzing the impact of tobacco taxation on tobacco consumption. At the end of the paper, the impact of changing its control policies on smoking behavior and exposure to advertising, if any, will be evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In 2015–16, Europe witnessed the biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War. Over a million people moved via different migration routes. The key route was the Balkan corridor running from Turkey, via Greece, to Central, Western and Northern Europe. The aim of this paper is to describe the development and changes in the route and provide an analysis of transit via Balkan countries, looking at factors that influenced the shape of the corridor. This refugee crisis was challenging for European countries and the whole European Union (EU). This corridor was unique, being de facto formalized semi‐legal territory, which the EU had never faced before. An official reaction to the crisis was necessary due to the substantial number of people who were on the move, seeking to cross the Balkan countries in the fastest manner possible. Therefore, the response was focused on arranging transport and providing only short‐term accommodation. This paper uses the PESTLE framework to examine the key political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental aspects that influenced the Balkan corridor, as well as changes in the route over time and responses to them. The role of the media in shaping the corridor is also acknowledged, thus resulting in a PESTLE‐M framework. Findings from the research are important, as it is likely that the EU will face a similar crisis in the near future. Therefore, there is a need to prepare and develop a plan in case such a situation arises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper pursues a multiple scenario analysis until 2030 to identify past and potential future labour supply and demand dynamics of four different skill groups in the six Western Balkan (WB6) countries. Simulation results of the baseline scenario show that skill shortages and surpluses would coexist: In all WB6 countries, the low educated would experience labour shortages within or shortly after the projection period while in some WB6 countries there is evidence of growing excess labour among Med‐VETs, Med‐GENs and the highly educated. Additional scenarios point to important country‐specific policy options that can help to mitigate these projected labour market imbalances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the jembe (djembé) as a symbol of Africanness in contemporary Serbian culture. Players' narratives often underline the universality and spirituality of distant, romanticised Africa linking these supposed features to 'archaic' aspects of Serbian and Balkan traditional music. The trope of universally adaptable rhythm has united different players, from pioneers of cross-cultural sound during late Yugoslav socialism to the proponents of present-day multiculturalism in Serbia. This paper is informed by ethnographic research with the group Đembija, a recent Belgrade-based music project, and by the use and discourse surrounding the jembe and other African instruments by other contemporary Serbian musicians. The jembe's use in world music bands serves as the basis for a diversity of ideological, poetic and musical practices. Simultaneously, the aural learning, small scale and 'slow pace' of musicianship, in contrast to the hectic everyday experience of contemporary capitalist society, acquires nostalgic resonances within Serbia's budding cross-cultural jembe playing practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Serbia, one of the Western Balkan countries, emigration from the country continues at a high level while immigration to the country has been small. Concomitantly, a decline in population and depopulation in the rural areas continues. This paper aims to grasp how the mechanism of persisting rapid emigration was formed historically. The paper is constructed as follows: Section 2 will give an overview of the Serbian economy after the Second World War, Section 3 will give an overview of the Serbian economy after the system change in 1990, and Section 4 will discuss actual situations of emigration and related problems. Section 5 examines problems of ‘brain drain’ focusing on the area of medical care, and Section 6 examines challenges the country has to tackle. Finally, the paper concludes by stressing the importance of human capital and the necessity for promotion of return migration of highly-skilled Serbian workers living in advanced EU member states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I analyze the changing nationalist narratives of golden age in the Balkans. By zooming in on the case studies of the late nineteenth‐ and early twenty‐first‐century South‐East European societies, I explain how and why the images of the mythical past are articulated differently in the two historical periods. I argue that in the nineteenth century golden age rhetoric was mostly a top‐down phenomenon centered on transforming Balkan peasantry into the loyal members of their new nation‐states. By the early twenty‐first century, this process has reached its institutional limits and the golden age narratives have become a bottom‐up phenomenon: the key agents of their creation and dissemination are members of civil society, social movements, and ordinary people. I focus on the structural processes that underpin this change to explain the historical dynamics of nationalisms. The paper is based on the qualitative text analysis using nineteenth‐century and early twentieth‐century archival materials and the documents from the contemporary mass media, official records, educational materials, and popular culture in the Balkans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Hardly any studies have investigated the impact of migrant remittances on economic growth (EG) and inequality in the Western Balkans as a whole (WB6). Using the method of instrumental variables (VI), the findings show that while remittances influence economic growth, their inflow also promotes a high level of migration and absorbs a large workforce by influencing the labor market and encouraging uncontrolled individual relocation. This paper also reveals that although remittances have eased income inequalities the share of remittances in a country's economy has declined over the years. After testing for the endogeneity of remittances and controlling for various variables, the results indicate that migrant workers' remittances do not provide strong support for economic growth and inequality. For the sample average, a 1-percent rise in the share of remittances in the economy (i.e., to GDP) will lead to a 0.10-percent rise in the economic cycle i.e. GDP growth, respectively will lead to a 0.05-percent drop in the share of people living in inequality. The findings also show that the interactive effect of remittances and foreign direct investment is lower on economic growth and inequality than the individual effect of each factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on the role of teaching assistants in the inclusion, education, and achievement of pupils with special educational needs. Topics include initiating programmes for creating the first cadres of teaching assistants being employed and deployed in schools in the Balkan states; and rise in paraprofessionals in the delivery of public services such as education, health, social work, law, and the police.

Numerous theoretical and empiric studies investigate the correlation between education and human capital and economic development. Full affirmation of knowledge and the role of education in stimulating economic growth were provided by endogenous theory. The subject of this paper is to analyse the correlation between education and educational system and the economic growth of the Western Balkans countries (WB). The hypothesis of this work says that: education and educational system in the WB affect the growth of GDP per capita. A better education system stimulates and accelerates the economic growth and development. The aim of this research is to prove that an optimal education system stimulates the growth and development in each observed national economy. In this paper, the results of the correlation analysis indicate high compliance of higher education with GDP per capita i.e. higher education population is particularly important for the level of development whereas there is a highly compliant but inverse relation of the population with informal level of education and economic development in the WB countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Balkans is a biogeographically highly diverse region and a worldwide hotspot of endemic freshwater diversity. A substantial part of this diversity is attributed to well recognized and potential ancient lakes in its southwestern part. Despite considerable research efforts, faunal relationships among those lakes are, however, not well understood. Therefore, genetic information from native representatives of the mussel genus Dreissena is used here to test the biogeographical zonation of the Southwestern Balkans, to relate demographic changes to environmental changes, to assess the degree of eco-insularity, to reconstruct their evolutionary history, and to explore the potential of native taxa for becoming invasive. Phylogeographical and population genetic analyses indicate that most populations studied belong to two native species: D. presbensis (incl. the distinct genetic subgroup from Lake Ohrid, D. "stankovici") and D. blanci. In addition, the first confirmed record of invasive D. polymorpha in the Southwestern Balkan is presented. The distribution of native Dreissena spp. is largely in concordance with the biogeographical zonations previously proposed based on fish data. Disagreement, however, consists regarding the assignment of the ancient lakes in the area to biogeographical regions. The data for Lake Ohrid are not conclusive. For Lake Prespa, however, a closer biogeographical connection to lakes of the Vardar region and possibly the Northern Ionian region is suggested. While reconstructing the evolutionary histories of Dreissena spp., signs of major demographic and spatial expansions were found. They started some 320 000- 300 000 years ago in D. "stankovici", some 160 000-140 000 years ago in D. blanci, and some 110 000-70 000 years ago in D. presbensis. These time frames are discussed within the context of available paleogeological data for lakes Ohrid and Prespa. It is suggested that regional environmental changes may have had pronounced effects on the population histories of native Dreissena spp., though the high buffer capacity of Lake Ohrid may have mitigated these effects in D. "stankovici". In addition, local events acting upon individual lakes very likely had considerable effects on the demographic histories of Dreissena spp. as well. The observed patterns of immigration and emigration in and out of ancient lakes may suggest that limited gene flow supported the survival of small isolated subpopulations, while eco-insularity may have prevented excessive hybridization and sympatry of closely related taxa. As for the potential invasiveness of native Dreissena spp., the significant spatial expansions inferred are not human-mediated and all taxa still appear to be restricted to their native ranges. Of concern, however, is that D. presbensis and D. blanci today also occur in artificial water bodies, and that invasive D. polymorpha has reached the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lakes Prespa and Ohrid on the Balkans are considered to be amongst the oldest lakes in Europe. Both lakes are hydraulically connected via karst aquifers. From Lake Ohrid, several up to ca. 15 m long sediment records were studied during the past years. In this study, a first long sediment record from Lake Prespa was studied in order to shed more light on the influence of Lake Prespa on Lake Ohrid and the environmental history of the region. Radiocarbon dating and the occurrence of 3 dated tephra layers provide a good age control and indicate that the 10.5 m long sediment record reaches back to 48 ka. The comparison of the results from this study with those from former studies of the Lake Ohrid cores indicates that Lake Prespa is more susceptible to environmental changes due to its lower volume and water depth. Glacial sedimentation is characterized by low organic matter contents and absence of carbonates in the sediments, which indicate oligotrophic conditions in both lakes. Holocene sedimentation is characterized by particularly high carbonate contents in Lake Ohrid and by particu larly high organic matter contents in Lake Prespa, which indicate a shift towards more mesotrophic conditions in the latter. Long-term environmental changes and short-term events, such as the Heinrich events during the Pleistocene or the 8.2 cooling event during the Holocene, are well recorded in both lakes, but partly expressed in different proxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper relationship between consumption and income is examined in the Western Balkans countries in period 2005-2014. The relationship is explored in form of the Keynesian consumption function structured as a simple regression equation in which variations in consumption are explained by changes in income. Parameters obtained from the regression equation have signs in accordance with the standard economic theory. GDP (used as a proxy for income) has a positive and significant impact on private household consumption. The Hausman and the Breusch-Pagan Lagrangian test are also done in order to decide between usage of random or fixed effect techniques, and after that between random effect and ordinary least square techniques. Marginal propensity to consume appears to be less than average propensity to consume (APC) implying a decrease in APC through time. Consumption expenditures of this group of countries conform to models based on the Keynesian consumption function. Household consumption expenditures are estimated for period 2015-2017 by usage of the World Bank projections and the resulting figures predict an increase in consumption. Policy recommendation from the model used in this paper is that economic growth could be boosted by reducing the factors that influence consumption such as taxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides an introduction to the special issue. It shows a sense in which Visegrád and Balkan EU countries are correlated in macroeconomic performance and integrated with the global business cycles. Using inflation rate levels as a starting point to characterize when these countries began their transitions, it shows that after 1996 both real GDP growth and real interest rates move together to a significant degree both with each other and with the US. This provides a background from which to view the paths since the collapse of the Soviet Union that these transition economies have taken. In addition, comparison is made to US money and banking policy, to provide an outline of how this may impact progress in the transition region. A subsequent summary of the other articles in the issue shows an inter-relation in their themes about how Central, Eastern, and Southeast Europe have progressed since 1991, and how these paths may be affected by Western economic policy. Implications for Central European audience: The paper shows that transition regions can be impacted by international financial integration, including to possible detriment when capital markets are regulated by policy that pushes real interest rates below their natural levels. Negative real interest rate policy since the 2008-2009 financial crisis and again during the Covid crisis may hasten the rise of autocratic democracy and limit social, political, and economic freedom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital technologies play an increasingly important role in our society. The ability to connect and interact quickly and efficiently becomes essential and digital skills are even more relevant for companies and individuals. The main objectives in paper are to show the growth potential possibilities of both the market and the social impact of the social enterprises, considering the digitalization of the same. Hence, the digitalization in Social Services in general sense, is define as the massive adoption of digital technologies to generate, process and share information and implement specific tasks via digital devices. Pandemic most explicitly shown us and taught us that there is great room for the digitization of many old and new businesses, especially in the social entrepreneurship in WBC as huge potential. The main focus of this paper is to increase the awareness of the concept of the Digital Social Entrepreneurship (DSE), as a combination of the social and digital aspects of entrepreneurship. Therefore, the possibilities and obstacles of these process in the Western Balkans countries (WBC) is considered. The results from the analysis in WBC, in the field of social enterprises gives overview of the current situation, which is underdeveloped. SEs in the WBC need to bridge the challenges they are facing in the everyday functioning and the digitalisation process. Theory and modern practices show that digitalisation in these services offer many possibilities and positive effects, including new opportunities for entrepreneurs, new companies/business, new and more productive jobs which leads to sustainable growth. This research recognized common issues when it comes to the challenges that countries are facing, and creates recommendations that might benefit social enterprise in their digitalisation. The issue of digitalisation is crucial for social economy enterprises, because the changes offer both challenges and opportunities. Indeed, new digital technologies enable quicker exchanges of best practices and offer tools to support the values of the social economy through new collaborative, shortcircuit and circular economic models, on which social economy actors could have a defining influence if they rise up to the task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diaspora is a nowadays issue that needs to be treated into the terms of development. Sometimes, it is hard to keep the connection among this network alive worldwide. Regional initiatives can be an useful instrument that can empower diaspora development specifically in the Western Balkan arena. This paper aims to analyze the political context of diaspora development, mostly into the Western Balkan countries and also proposing some alternatives on how regional initiatives can be a solution to keep the diaspora linked and also a successful network. Regional initiatives are perceived as a new and an unknown issue, especially when it comes to refer this instrument to diaspora development. There is a whole network of Albanian people all over in the world, mostly based in Western Balkans, Europe, USA etc. The long historical migration of Albanians has presented often the need for development. Beyond many other instruments used so far, this paper aims to understand the importance on how local and regional initiatives can be a useful instrument that can empower the role of diaspora into another level of approach. Going through this point of view, this paper presents when necessary the legal analysis of European legislation for local and regional initiatives that can be properly used into our diaspora context of living everywhere in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

River valleys are known to be of high natural value; however, they are exposed to a strong human influence. Anthropogenic changes are evident in the structure and species composition of plant assemblages; therefore, vegetation is a very good indicator of the state of the environment. Convolvuletalia sepium tall herb communities are a natural component of riverside vegetation; they are protected in the EU (habitat 6430), yet have been very poorly studied, especially in SE Europe. Information regarding the geographical distribution of these communities, and their floristic composition and threats, along with effective conservation and restoration strategies, remains insufficient; therefore, this study was aimed at a comprehensive investigation of tall herbs. The paper presents results of the first detailed study of this group of communities in Montenegro. Classification of 70 vegetation samples (relevés) using the UPGMA produced six clusters corresponding to plant communities which were included in the Dorycnio recti-Rumicion conglomerati. Two of them were ranked as associations: Mentho longifolii-Pulicarietum dysentericae and Rubo sancti-Eupatorietum cannabini, the latter new to science. Others (communities of Rubus caesius, Rubus caesius-Eupatorium cannabinum, Helianthus ×laetiflorus, and Helianthus tuberosus) were left without a syntaxonomic rank. The ordination analysis with the CANOCO software confirmed the authors' hypothesis that the variability of the vegetation patches studied was related to the land use type and river size. Relevés taken in watercourses flowing through built-up areas were dominated by invasive alien species (IAS). Vegetation samples taken in heavily flooded areas, along the Zeta, one of the largest rivers surveyed, had a simplified species composition. Studies in Montenegro should be continued. Moreover, comparative studies of the Convolvuletalia sepium communities described in the Mediterranean region are also necessary. Attention is drawn to the overly narrow interpretation of habitat 6430 in the lowlands, as it lacks a representation of Mediterranean tall herbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Local governments in the Western Balkan countries are dependent on central governments' transfers, with low fiscal autonomy and limited efforts for own-source revenue mobilisation. The paper identifies that besides central government transfers, other significant factors in determining municipal own-source revenues include central and local public investment, current expenditures, human development index, and population density. Municipal own-source revenue is adversely affected by intergovernmental transfers, implying their de-incentivising effect in collecting local revenues. Local capital expenditure is a significant and strong determinant with a higher strength than central government investments, suggesting their importance for local fiscal autonomy. The human development index as a composite measure, unlike GDP per capita, positively affects the municipal fiscal autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this paper were to assess the role of the EU in the countries willing to join and committed to the negotiation processes (with a particular focus on the WB region) and to explore further and explain the dynamics of the EU's crucial role onto the political performance, summarizing internal and external country and region-based developments. For this purpose, the deployed methodology consists of conducting a comparative quantitative analysis, comparing evidence from selected countries and from selected enlargement waves. The main results of the analysis confirmed that the EU's role in ensuring democratic performances at the country/region level is seriously weakened over time and that it is therefore essential that the EU, especially in uncertain times, rethink and revitalize its democracy-promoting mechanisms to rebuild and re-test itself as a transformative power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Natura Sloveniae: Revija za Terensko Biologijo / Journal of Field Biology is the property of Natura Sloveniae and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Natura Sloveniae: Revija za Terensko Biologijo / Journal of Field Biology is the property of Natura Sloveniae and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Natura Sloveniae: Revija za Terensko Biologijo / Journal of Field Biology is the property of Natura Sloveniae and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Natura Sloveniae: Revija za Terensko Biologijo / Journal of Field Biology is the property of Natura Sloveniae and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Heraldic traditions in southeast European countries are similar, as are the histories of their state emblems and coat of arms. Their development could be classified into three periods: (1) from the founding of the states until the end of World War II; (2) the socialist period; and (3) the period of democratisation after the collapse of socialism. The focus of this work is the processes of the adoption of coats of arms. The descriptions are taken from the appropriate legal documents. This paper examines the emblems and coats of arms of modern southeastern European, or Balkan states, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Slovenia, and Serbia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Balkan Peninsula, the single-arched stone masonry bridge has served for centuries as an essential part of transportation infrastructure. Being exposed to the natural elements and to aging, several of these structures are in a state of disrepair that is accelerated by neglect. Nevertheless, these are important samples of the built heritage encapsulating historical materials, methods of construction and ancient craftsmanship. Still standing for over half a millennium, such bridges testify the wisdom by which the masons chose the location and form of the arch to span over torrents minimizing the wear from water scouring and floods. Preservation of the bridges that are still standing is a priority. With increasing number of bridge collapses reported in the past years under extreme flood, an immediate need emerges for methods of evaluation of the structural vulnerability and measures to enhance their resilience. Using as a case study a bridge built in fifteenth century in Greece, this paper unfolds the essential attributes of a comprehensive assessment framework that combines non-destructive evaluation techniques to reveal information about technologies and details, with a numerical investigation of the resilience of the structure to floods and seismic hazards in order to identify risks of bridge integrity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Balkan Committee was founded in London in 1902 in response to growing British concerns about unrest in the European provinces of the Ottoman Empire. Its key objective was to monitor local events and inform the British public about regional developments. The Committee claimed to be a hub of valid, reliable, and expertly processed knowledge about the region. In this paper I attempt to reconstruct how the members of the Balkan Committee interpreted political developments in Southeast Europe and how they circulated knowledge through various British social organisations. I show that the knowledge disseminated by the Balkan Committee was a resource that fuelled and mobilised British public opinion and political and economic interest in the region. At the same time, the efforts of the Committee members resonated with their historical and social anxieties: the better they understood the Balkans, the better the chances of avoiding a European conflagration in particular, and the easier they would be able to facilitate the progress of the local population in general. I argue that the Balkan Committee framed the information and facts at their disposal in accordance with British travel writing traditions, which fundamentally influenced the way they represented the Balkans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Western Balkan countries’ economic growth and development largely depend on the integration of national economies into international trade flows. Bearing in mind the expanding presence of China in the Western Balkans and the considerable increase in bilateral trade over the previous decade, it is of great importance to focus on the strategies for overcoming main challenges and fostering more balanced trade in the forthcoming period. Regarding that, the main aim of the research was to analyze trade flows and patterns and investigate the trade intensity between the Western Balkan countries and China. Furthermore, the research attempted to determine the main challenges and to consider the strategic approach to their overwhelming, including better exploiting the opportunities provided by trade cooperation with China in the rapidly changing global environment. The paper used desk research - a descriptive analysis of data on merchandise trade between six Western Balkans countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, North Macedonia, and Serbia) and China. The analysis was based on the data available in the UN Comtrade Trade Map, and WTO statistical databases for the period 2016-2021. In addition, the Trade intensity index (TTI) was also used in the paper in order to discover how intensively the Western Balkan countries were trading with China. However, despite the rapid trade growth with China, its share in the WB countries' total trade remains at a relatively low level of about 8%. The trade deficit also increased significantly, indicating a deepening of the asymmetry in the economic relations of the observed countries. Although the trade intensity index (TII) also confirms the deepening of trade relations, the TII value of 0.24 in 2021 indicates that trade between the Western Balkans and China is not developed at a desirable level, and there is considerable room for improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this paper is to develop possible scenarios for reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Serbia by switching from coal-fired to natural gas-fired electricity generation by the end of 2050. Accordingly, the challenges are to establish scenarios and identify measures that are best suited to all Western Balkan countries. In particular, this paper proposes a number of energy mix scenarios that offer some options for reducing CO2 emissions while maintaining an economic way of consumption. Projections of these reduction scenarios are obtained by combining the Kaya identity with the emission factor method. A simplified methodology based on sensitivity analysis is used as a source of data to estimate the nonstatistical uncertainty limits for the projections of the reduction scenarios. The sensitivity analysis is carried out using historical data from Serbia for the period from 1990 to 2019. In addition, a direct verification of the proposed methodology is performed based on historical data for 2020. The developed scenarios 1 and 2 show that CO2 emissions could be reduced by 10.94% and up to 74.44% from baseline in 1990, respectively. The obtained results are also contrasted with the data available for some other countries with similar experiences. Finally, it is found that the developed scenarios are achievable only at significantly decreased levels of coal-fired electricity generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Works on establishment of the spirit levelling network in the Balkan countries were ruled by the political and economic circumstances. This was subject to the analysis since the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy period, over former Yugoslavia in all of its political forms, down to the present countries of the Balkan Peninsula. Heights differences and heights are part of the II Levelling Network of High Accuracy (II.NVT network). The works on establishment of II.NVT network have been organized and performed by the Federal Geodetic Administration of former Yugoslavia and the Geodetic Administrations of the accompanying Republics. The Military-Geographic Institute from Belgrade had performed gravity measurements over one part of the levelling network. "The II.NVT network data are the subject of computer processing, modern analyses, fundamental and applied scientific researches and application in solving some practical tasks" (Rožić in Acta Geodaetica et Geophysica Hungarica 36(2):231–243, 2001). Calculations of accuracy of corrections in different height systems will be presented in this paper. The subject of this analysis is the error sources in the corrections for the orthometric, normal, and normal orthometric heights. The error sources that accompany the spirit levelling procedure are, for the most part, examined with the assumption that the height difference may be determined with the accuracy of 1.0 mm/km. The corrections in different height systems will be made through the function of a link to the directly/indirectly measured values. The accuracy of the correction will be presented by applying the law of error propagation on the data collected in the II.NVT network for the territory with the characteristic relief. The reason for writing this paper is noted deviation from theoretical assumptions on the shape of reference surfaces in the various height systems. The deviation noted are in the part of relief characteristic over the deep karst and high mountains in one polygon of the II.NVT network, over the distance of 40 km. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As COVID-19 had been posing unprecedented challenges, the economic agents as well as the individuals had to adapt to a new lifestyle. The preventing measures against the spread of the virus determined an increase in e-commerce activity in general, and in mobile commerce in particular. In this regard, sellers redefined their strategies revolving around smartphone applications for online shopping, which will gradually become the global shopping standard. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to evaluate the current situation of e-commerce, focusing on the main transformations since the beginning of the pandemic. The methods used in the paper consist in both qualitative research of the literature regarding e-commerce and a quantitative analysis that captures two aspects: on one hand it highlights the change determined by the pandemic in online commerce, and on the other hand it shows an X-ray of the EU states positioning in terms of e-commerce evolution. The latter consists in a comparative Hierarchical Cluster Analysis that aims to provide an image on the situation of EU states, before and after the pandemic has been installed. The Cluster Analysis was carried out in SPSS software and it is based on a series of chosen indicators from Eurostat database. This comparison provides an image of how changes among the clusters take place in terms of e-commerce indicators. It is noted that in countries where the digitization was more developed, the value of the change in online commerce was less considerable, comparing to the Eastern and Balkan states, which had a more significant increase. However, there are significant limitations based on the small number of indicators taken into consideration in this paper. Future work needs to be done in order to explore new ways to address the challenges identified in the development of e-commerce and online shopping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Balkans is considered a vital area in international relations. It has always attracted and is still attracting the interest of global and regional powers and factors on the international stage, including Turkey. Besides the political, economic, and defense aspects, the soft power of Turkish multidimensional diplomacy represents one of the most important segments of the relations between Turkey and the Balkan countries. Turkish government institutions like the Diyanet (Presidency of Religious Affairs), Yunus Emre, Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), TIKA, Turkish State Media, Maarif education institutions, and various non-governmental organizations represent some of the most vital segments of the cultural, religious and educational expansion of the Turkish state in the Balkan countries. This paper is mainly based on the following research methods: historical, descriptive, and in-depth analysis. This study aims to answer the main question of this research - Do the above-mentioned soft power policy tools play a vital role in the further development of Turkey-Balkan countries relations? This paper concludes that the Turkish soft power policy in the Balkans faces a series of challenges that affect its expansion's functionality and success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development and application of e-Government for the needs of citizens, businesses and other digital services is much needed today. Improving the telecommunications infrastructure, increasing online services and creating human resources in the use of information technologies have created conditions for mass application of eGovernment. Today we can talk about e-Learning, e-Health, e-Judiciary, e-Security, e-Administration, e-Business, e-Elections, etc. The development of e-Government is different in different countries of the world. This development can be measured by the situation on the ground. An opportunity to measure the rate of development of e-Government in different countries around the world is based on the so-called e-Government Development Index (EGDI). Mathematically the e-Government Development Index (EGDI) is 1/3 of the sum of the values of the three parameters which are: the online services index (OSI), the telecommunications infrastructure index (TII) and the human capital index (HCI). These indices are produced independently for each country separately and in this paper data from the United Nations are used which are taken from the field every two years and reports are published. The rapid dynamics of technological development in the fields of ITC creates development conditions in e-Government as well. This affects different countries and regions for the e-Government Development Index to be permanently increasing because it increases performance in infrastructure (TII) and online services (OSI) as well as human resources (HCI). The purpose of the study is to compare the level of application of e-Government in several Balkan countries including the following countries: Albania, Greece, northern Macedonia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. For this purpose, carefully selected data from eight e-Government survey reports conducted by the United Nations every 2 years in the period from 2004 to 2018 are used. Based on these data, an analysis of the trend of increasing e-government application and a descriptive comparison between these states. The basic element is the e-Government Development Index (EGDI). The comparison and description of the upward trend is done for three constituent indices of EDGI and then a comparison is made between countries, the average egovernment development index at the global level and regional level. From the data for comparison can be concluded that the constituent indices of EGDI in the countries of this region have had a constant increase. With the outbreak of COVID-19 a significant increase in the application of the Online Services Index (OSI) is expected due to isolation circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the consequences of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) into crime-fighting and present new criminal landscapes in the Western Balkans Six (WB6) (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) at the beginning of the pandemic crisis. Design/methodology/approach: The paper builds on the content analysis of legal acts, strategic documents, academic articles, media reporting, official documents, four semi-structured interviews with civil society organisations, two consultations with police officers and two consultations with civil society organisations. Findings: In the first nine weeks of the spread of COVID-19, the WB6 experienced a small rise in the price of marijuana. The same applied to stimulant drugs like ecstasy and amphetamines. However, very little heroin was available. Prices of protective face masks, disinfectants and medicinal alcohol skyrocketed due to attempts at price gouging. There were cases of scams using mobile and digital technologies, as well as burglaries of newspaper or cigarette kiosks, shops, pharmacies and exchange offices. It was difficult to determine whether the smuggling of and trafficking in human beings experienced a decline or increase. No cases of sexual exploitation for providing online services were noted, although the number of calls made to organisations that assist in the area of human trafficking increased. People with drug and alcohol problems, persons living with HIV, those susceptible to stress, citizens with mental health problems, pensioners, the poor, the homeless and recently released prisoners were the biggest potential victims of crime at the onset of the crisis brought by the pandemic. Research limitations/implications: The research findings are limited to specific forms of crime (illicit drug trade, economic crime, fraud, scams, theft, smuggling of and trafficking in human beings) in the WB6 and based on findings from four interviews and four consultations, together with available secondary data. Originality/value: This is the first overview of criminal activities occurring in the WB6 during the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Croatian & Comparative Public Administration is the property of Institut za Javnu Upravu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)