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Depression affects approximately 280 million people worldwide. 50 % of individuals with depression discontinue antidepressant therapy within six months of initiation. The study objective was to determine the extent and reasons for non-adherence with antidepressants in the United States (US) and five European Countries (EU). Data from the National Health and Wellness Study (NHWS), a self-administered, internet-based cross-sectional survey of US adults in 2019 and 5 EU countries in 2020 was included. NHWS participants who self-reported taking daily prescription medication(s) to treat depression responded to the 19 reasons for non-adherence and one global item in the Medication Adherence Reasons Scale (MAR-Scale). Frequencies were used to identify the reasons for non-adherence. Based on data from 7506 US patients and 4230 EU patients, 46.19 % of patients reported non-adherence to at least one reason in the EU, and 42.9 % in the US. The most common reason for non-adherence in the EU was concern about long-term effects and possible side effects from the medication; and in the US, it was simple forgetfulness. Non-adherence lasted longer due to lack of beliefs in needing medication anymore in both US and EU. The self-reported MAR-Scale can have recall bias and an underestimation of non-adherence. The cross-sectional study design captures the adherence behavior only at one point of time. Individuals on antidepressants have to be educated about the need for the medication and their concerns about long term effects and possible side effects from the medication have to be addressed. • The study measured the extent of non-adherence and reasons for non-adherence. • The study included United States and five countries in the Europe. • The rate of non-adherence was 46 % in the European countries and 42 % in the US. • Concerns about the medicine and forgetting were major reasons for non-adherence. • Individuals on antidepressants need to be further educated about this medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research found that drinking alcohol mixed with energy drinks (AmED) could be riskier than drinking alcohol alone. Our aim was to compare rates of risk behaviors in consumers of AmED versus exclusive alcohol drinkers, matching them based on their drinking frequency. Data about 16-year-old students who reported the number of occasions on which they had drunk AmED or alcohol only in the preceding 12 months (n = 32,848) were drawn from the 2019 ESPAD study. After matching for consumption frequency, the sample consisted of 22,370 students (11,185 AmED consumers and 11,185 exclusive alcohol drinkers). Key predictors comprised substance use, other individual risk behaviors, and family characteristics (parental regulation, monitoring, and caring). The multivariate analysis showed significantly higher odds of being AmED consumers compared to being exclusive alcohol drinkers in the majority of the investigated risk behaviors, including: daily tobacco smoking, illicit drug use, heavy episodic drinking, truancy at school, engaging in physical fights and serious arguments, having troubles with the police, and having unprotected sexual intercourse. Instead, lower odds were found for reporting high parents' educational level, medium and low family economic status, perceived possibility to freely talk about problems to family members, spending free time reading books or other hobbies. Our study shows that, given the same consumption frequency in the past year, AmED consumers typically reported higher associations with risk-taking behaviors compared to exclusive alcohol drinkers. These findings advance past research that failed to control for the frequency of AmED use versus exclusive alcohol consumption. • AmED consumers typically reported higher odds of risk-taking behaviors. • Controlling the frequency of AmED use versus exclusive alcohol consumption. • Multivariate multi-level mixed-effects logistic regression analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The empirical result revealed validation of the pollution Halo Hypothesis. • GDP and its square form an inverted U-shaped curve, which supports EKC hypothesis. • Energy structure correlated positively with ecological footprints. • Renewable energy correlated negatively with ecological footprints. • GDP and ecological footprints have a bidirectional causal relationship. • FDI and ecological footprints have a unidirectional causal relationship. The nexus between economic growth and the ecological footprint has been a recurring focus investigation for a long time. European countries are speeding up their environmental efforts to improve air quality, and their commitments for implementing the Paris Climate Agreement's 2015 treaty action plans. Thus, this paper investigates the environmental Kuznets Curve and the pollutant halo hypothesis for the time period of 1990–2020 for 16 European countries. The empirical analysis uses cross-sectionally augmented autoregressive distributed lag modelling, which accounts for time dynamics, cross-sectional dependence, and cross-sectional heterogeneity. The Augmented Mean Group and Dumitrescu and Hurlin panel causality tests were also employed in this study. The empirical result revealed validation of the pollution Halo Hypothesis, foreign direct investment and ecological footprints have a negative correlation. GDP and its square form an inverted U-shaped curve, which supports the environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis. When it came to ecological footprints, renewable energy had a negative correlation, whereas energy structure had a positive one. Nonetheless, GDP and ecological footprints have a bidirectional causal relationship. Furthermore, the panel non-causality test revealed a bidirectional causality relationship between ecological footprints and GDP, but a unidirectional causality relationship is discovered from foreign direct investment, renewable energy, energy structure and human capital with ecological footprint. According to the findings of the research, a number of policy recommendations for the analysed bloc are provided, including the implementation of resource conservation as well as the establishment of sustainable energy policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We analyze the association between global value chains and gender wage gap. • The analysis covers workers from18 European countries. • Wages of workers of sectors more involved in GVC are lower, more profoundly for females. • Workers with a medium level of education and medium skills are most affected by GVC. • GVCs result in higher gender wage gap in more concentrated sectors. We examine linkages between involvement in global value chains (GVCs) and gender wage inequalities. We use merged data from Structure of Earnings Survey and the World Input Output Database covering 18 European countries. We employ information on employees' personal and company characteristics and a sectoral involvement in GVCs. In general, the wages of workers from sectors more involved in GVCs are lower. However, the relationship between GVC and wages differs according to gender: women are more affected by the negative impact of greater trade involvement than men. There is some education/skill heterogeneity: workers with a medium level of education and medium skills are most affected. Our results show different patterns for concentrated and competitive industries: a greater female wage penalty due to GVC intensification is observed in less competitive sectors. Finally, using the RIF decomposition we differentiate GWG into explained and unexplained part with GVC being responsible for the latter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human development, which encompasses aspects such as health, education, standard of living, and general well-being, is intrinsically linked to environmental sustainability. Studying the trade-off between these two aspects helps ensure that current needs are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The present study aims to understand whether there is a trade-off between the Ecological Footprint (EF) and the Human Development Index (HDI), using data from 42 European countries from 2006 to 2018. Other variables were also employed (Financial Development Index, Globalization Index, Human Freedom Index, Urban Population, Biocapacity, Renewable Energy) in two main models, through several econometric tests (Interactive Fixed Effects, Common Correlated Effect Mean Group). Other models were estimated for robustness checks. It is concluded that there is a trade-off between the EF and the HDI. This leads to problems when trying to achieve human well-being and environmental sustainability simultaneously. This study is innovative as the relationship between human development and environmental degradation has not been analyzed using these two variables for European countries. Understanding the relationship between human development and EF is fundamental to developing effective policies. It is important to adopt integrated approaches that consider social, economic, and environmental aspects. [Display omitted] • There is a trade-off between human development and environmental quality. • Renewable energy improves the environment and has a positive impact on human development. • Biocapacity has a negative impact on the Ecological Footprint • Biocapacity has a negative impact on the human development index. • Urban population improves human development and worsens the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Europe has recently experienced an energy crisis that began with the war between Russia and Ukraine and continued with reciprocal sanctions and power cuts, increasing geopolitical tensions and risks. In such an environment, European countries must decide how to replace energy imports from Russia. As the best option may be to rely on clean energy, this study explores how geopolitical risk (GPR) affects clean electricity generation (i.e., hydro, solar, wind, & nuclear) in five European countries (i.e., Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany, Romania, and Switzerland), which have a high dependency on Russia. The study therefore uses daily data between January 2, 2019 and January 29, 2024 and applies a set of nonlinear methods (i.e., wavelet coherence, quantile-on-quantile regression, Granger causality in quantiles, and quantile regression). The results show that (i) there is a strong dependence of GPR on renewable and nuclear electricity generation over different times, frequencies, and countries; (ii) GPR stimulates hydro electricity generation at higher quantiles across countries except the Czechia; (iii) GPR increases solar electricity generation at higher quantiles in all countries except the Czechia and Switzerland; (iv) GPR mainly stimulates wind electricity generation at higher quantiles, except for Bulgaria and Switzerland; (v) GPR is almost inefficient in nuclear electricity generation. Overall, the study clearly shows the supportive effect of the GPR in promoting renewables, while this is not the case for nuclear energy. Therefore, European countries can rely on renewables as the best alternative against energy blackouts in the short term, considering the varying effect based on time, frequency, quantile, country, and clean energy sources. • Whether rising geopolitical tensions boost clean energy production is investigated. • Frequency and nonlinearity characteristics of the utilized data are considered. • The rise in geopolitical risk does not boost nuclear energy supply. • The augment in geopolitical tension increases clean energy supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the degree of consistency and fungibility of micro and macro sources of global value chain (GVC) data. We combine two datasets for selected European countries over the period 2001–2014: the European Union-European Firms in a Global Economy (EU-EFIGE) firm-level dataset (integrated with panel balance sheet data from Amadeus) and the World Input–Output Database (WIOD) at the country and sectoral level. Although the two datasets come from different sources and are based on different assumptions, we find that (i) the WIOD-based country and sectoral GVC indicators are positively correlated with firm-level proxies based on EFIGE data; and (ii) the GVC indicators from both sources are positively correlated with firm-level labor productivity. These outcomes are robust to various empirical tests and specifications, as well as to controlling for firm, sector, and country heterogeneity. Our results hold relevance for scholars by demonstrating that the available inter-country input–output (ICIO) data can be used to compensate for the scarcity of firm-level data for evidence-based GVC analyses. • We contribute to the applied literature by making methodological advances in GVC data use. • We combine the available micro and macro GVC data for four European countries. • We demonstrate that GVC measures computed from the two data sources are highly consistent. • We advocate utilizing the available ICIO data sources for evidence-based GVC analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Green Deal aims to make Europe the world's first carbon-neutral continent by 2050 - a continent with net-zero carbon emissions. Stimulating the adoption of green technology innovation, clean energy, green finance, and environmental policies are considered effective strategies for achieving Europe's climate goals. This study examines the impact of green technology innovation, renewable energy utilization, financial development, and environmental tax on CO 2 emissions in 25 European countries from 1990 to 2019 while controlling for nonrenewable energy utilization, human capital, and GDP. The fixed effect model and generalized method of moments (GMM) are employed based on the STIRPAT model. The results show that renewable energy utilization, environmental tax, and human capital significantly reduce CO 2 emissions in the realization of Europe's net zero emissions, whereas green technology innovation, financial development, nonrenewable energy utilization, and GDP per capita significantly increase CO 2 emissions. Financial development has a favorable green technology innovation effect on environmental quality. The quantile-on-quantile regression results show significant CO 2 emissions-mitigating effects of green technology innovation, renewable energy utilization, environmental tax, human capital, and financial development. Nonrenewable energy utilization and GDP per capita capture a strong role in propelling CO 2 emissions. Policymakers in European countries can leverage the insights from the study findings to achieve net zero CO 2 emissions through strategic integration of clean energy resources, human capital and environmental tax measures, serving as a model for other countries aiming for net zero emissions. • Examined green technology innovation, clean energy, environmental tax, and financial development for zero CO 2 emissions. • Incorporated human capital index, nonrenewable energy, and economic growth in estimations. • Fixed effect, GMM, and quantile-on-quantile are employed on the Europe dataset. • Renewable energy consumption, financial development, and environmental tax reduce CO 2 emissions. • Financial development reduces CO 2 emissions through green technology innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several benefits of consuming fishery and aquaculture products have been documented by the extant literature. However, the literature has been largely silent on few dimensions of aquaculture products, including the convergence of aquatic products consumption. An importance of investigating the convergence of aquatic products is that it provides hindsight on which countries should be the focus of exporters of the products. Convergence analysis of aquatic products consumption provides information that is relevant to the need to boost local production of aquatic products, and to conserve foreign exchange earnings. The aim of this study is to investigate the convergence of total aquatic products consumption per capita in 27 European Union countries plus United Kingdom, during 1993–2019. We have further considered the convergence of the components of total aquatic products consumption, which include aquatic animals, cephalopods, crustaceans, demersal fish, freshwater fish, marine fish, molluscs, and pelagic fish. Additionally, we have examined conditional convergence by evaluating the determinants of convergence of total aquatic products consumption. Using recently introduced unit root tests that provide for both smooth and sharp breaks, the results provide support for stochastic convergence of total aquatic products consumption per capita. Using a new conditional convergence approach, the analysis demonstrates that population growth rate, real gross domestic product, and prices of aquatic products are factors that enable the convergence of total aquatic products. The results are not materially different across the components of total aquatic products consumption. The implications of the results are discussed in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bioeconomy, emerging as a beacon of sustainable development and global competitiveness, relies on renewable biological resources. This study investigates the interplay between institutional quality and bioeconomy performance in 28 European countries. By employing a Fixed Effect Regression and different sensitivity analyses, we unveil a robust, positive, and statistically significant relationship between the institutional quality and the socio-economic indicator for bioeconomy. The six institutional quality pillars - political stability, control of corruption, government effectiveness, regulatory quality, rule of law, and voice and accountability - positively impact the bioeconomy in Europe. These findings underscore the pivotal role of institutions in shaping bioeconomy performance, emphasizing the profound impact of political stability, regulatory standards, and anti-corruption measures. As a result, our research provides valuable insights for policymakers, highlighting the significance of enhancing institutional quality as a means to advance sustainability and stimulate economic growth through bioeconomy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper empirically examines how digital transformation in both the public and private sectors impacts the performance of marine living resources to demonstrate its importance for promoting a sustainable blue economy. Our approach captures the sustainable performance of countries within the European blue economy using three different measures: value added at the factor cost of capture fisheries, shellfish aquaculture, and marine aquaculture. In the context of digitalization, four different aspects are measured, namely online selling, e-commerce sales, e-commerce turnover, e-commerce, and customer relationship management, while digital public services are measured based on digital literacies, business mobility, and key enablers. By using various empirical techniques, namely a panel-corrected standard error (PCSE) model, FGLS models, and a pooled mean group estimation (PMG) in an autoregressive distributed lag estimation method (ARDL), we provide many remarkable findings. During the 2011–2019 period, we estimate that digitalization will have a significant impact on improving the sustainability of the blue economy in Europe. Nevertheless, long-term effects are more likely to be noticeable. Further, in the shape of a U curve, we also find that digitalization has nonlinear effects on marine living resources in the private and public sectors. In this study, results indicate that digitalization affects marine living resources only to a certain extent once they have reached a certain maturity level. Our findings suggest that European countries should accelerate the digital economy, strengthen the establishment of digital infrastructure, and promote digital implementation on the path toward sustainable marine living resources. • We examine impacts of digital transformation on the performance of marine living resources. • Different measures are used to capture marine living resources. • Digitalization has a significant impact on improving the sustainability of the blue economy. • The effects of digitalization on resource productivity follow a nonlinear U-shaped curve. • Long-term effects are more likely to be noticeable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the dynamic effects of electricity generation (EG) on CO 2 emissions from the residential sector. The study focuses on the EU-4 countries (Germany, Spain, France, and Italy), considers residential CO 2 emissions as the dependent variable, and includes disaggregated level fossil and renewable EG as explanatory variables. In this context, the study runs nonlinear quantile-on-quantile (QQ) regression and Granger causality in quantiles (GQ) as the main models with daily data from January 2, 2019, to March 10, 2023, while quantile regression (QR) is used for robustness check. The findings present that in terms of CO 2 emissions: (i) EG from coal, natural gas, and oil has a stimulating effect at higher quantiles in all countries; (ii) EG from hydro has an increasing effect at higher quantiles, while it has a decreasing effect at lower and middle quantiles in all countries except France; (iii) EG from solar has a dampening effect at higher quantiles in all countries except France; (iv) EG from wind has a declining effect at higher quantiles in both Spain and France; (v) both fossil and renewable energy EG have a causal effect on residential sector CO 2 emissions at the disaggregated level except at some quantiles. Overall, the effect size and the causal effect of EG on CO 2 emissions change for quantiles, countries, and EG sources. Therefore, the study proposes to rely on the specific EG sources for Germany and Italy (solar energy), Spain, and France (wind energy) to mitigate climate change by reducing residential CO 2 emissions. [Display omitted] • The study explores the electricity generation (EG) effect on household CO 2 emissions. • The study investigates EU4 countries at disaggregated EG levels between January 02, 2019 and March 10, 2023. • Solar EG is beneficial in curbing household sector CO 2 emissions in Germany and Italy. • Wind EG is helpful in reducing household sector CO 2 emissions in Spain and France. • The effect size and causal effect change for EG sources, quantiles, and countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In European countries the measurement of the efficiency of Research, Development and Innovation (R&D&I) is a problematic issue for politicians and the general population. For this reason, the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) signed by UN Member States in 2015 includes SDG 9 for Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure. The objective of this study is to assess whether European countries efficiently manage their R&D&I resources. To meet this objective, the output-oriented Dynamic DEA with Network structure based on SBM framework (DNSBM) is used under constant returns in order to first, verify how European countries are positioned in their contribution to realizing SDG 9, considering the dynamic relationships between the resources allocated to R&D&I and their results; and, second, define the long-term relationships between them by applying the Cumulative Divisional Malmquist Index (CDMI) model. This work contributes to the advancement of the research via: (1) development of a framework for the analysis of R&D&I efficiency based on a dynamic network optimization model, where the analyzed periods present interdependence based on the relationships between the inputs and outputs of the R&D&I of SDG 9 and (2) development of a new conceptual model to measure efficiency in the management of R&D&I in a sample of European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital twins (DTs) promise innovation for the marine renewable energy sector using modern technological advances and the existing maritime knowledge frameworks. The DT is a digital equivalent of a real object that reflects and predicts its behaviours and states in a virtual space over its lifetime. DTs collect data from multiple sources in pilots and leverage newly introduced low-cost sensor systems. They synchronize, homogenize, and transmit the data to a central hub and integrate it with predictive and learning models to optimize plant performance and operations. This research presents critical aspects of DT implementation challenges in marine energy digitalization DT approaches that use and combine data systems. Firstly, the DT and the existing framework for marine knowledge provided by systems are presented, and the DT's main development steps are discussed. Secondly, the DT implementing main stages, measurement systems, data harmonization and preprocessing, modelling, comprehensive data analysis, and learning and optimization tools, are identified. Finally, the ILIAD (Integrated Digital Framework for Comprehensive Maritime Data and Information Services) project has been reviewed as a best EU funding practice to understand better how marine energy digitalization DT's approaches are being used, designed, developed, and launched. • Digital Twin (DT) implementation risks and challenges in the marine digitalization. • Digital Twin (DT) existing marine-knowledge framework provided in marine observation and modelling systems. • The ILIAD (Integrated Digital Framework for Comprehensive Maritime Data and Information Services) project. • The DT of Ocean (DTO) to support the design, development and operation of innovative services related to oceans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the degree of educational poverty in European countries using data from OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). This research adopts the class of additive multidimensional poverty measures proposed by Alkire & Foster (2011) and investigates the degree of educational poverty in terms of incidence, breadth, depth and severity. Also, we analyse the impact of students' characteristics and school-level factors on the probability of being educational poor in various learning dimensions. The findings reveal that between 2006 and 2015 the incidence of educational poverty became more relevant in many European countries, while most of them experienced a reduction of poverty depth and severity. Therefore, several policy scenarios are simulated in order to highlight the school factors that can be activate to alleviate the risk of educational poverty in the European countries that experienced the highest incidence of educational poor student. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, countries have been fighting with increasing momentum against outbreaks. This struggle requires the effective implementation of several measures that are required in medical science. However, the cultural characteristics of each society prevent these measures from being applied in the same way globally. One area in which social scientists have not applied much effort is observing the impact of countries' cultural characteristics in the fight against outbreaks. Therefore, this study aims to determine whether cultural differences among countries have an impact on their fight against outbreaks. This study uses the COVID-19 pandemic's total cases and selected European countries' cultural dimension scores as data. Due to the differences in the measurement units of cultural and outbreak variables, a stepwise multiple logarithmic regression analysis is preferred to select the proper regression model. The results have shown that power distance has a significant and negative effect on the increase rate of the total COVID-19 cases per million (IRTCCPM). In addition, the results have demonstrated that both individualism and indulgence have significant and positive effects on IRTCCPM, at the 95 % confidence level. However, the hypotheses concerning the impacts of masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, and long-term orientation on the IRTCCPM are rejected at the α = 0.05 level. In light of the findings of this study, it can be asserted that countries act in harmony with their cultural characteristics in the formal or informal practices of their fight against outbreaks. The contributions of the study can be discussed in academic and practical fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new adjacent accumulation non-homogeneous discrete grey model is proposed. • The proposed model was superior to the other four comparative models. • The consumption of renewable energy throughout Europe and the world was predicted. In this paper, a new adjacent non-homogeneous grey model was proposed to predict renewable energy consumption in Europe. Based on the principle of adjacent accumulation, the proposed model emphasizes the weight relationship between the latest value and the historical data. Meanwhile, the heuristic algorithm is used to optimize the parameters of the proposed model. The model's performance was tested by the examples from four central European countries, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. In addition, the consumption of renewable energy in Europe and the world was predicted respectively, which showed that Europe's proportion of the world's renewable energy consumption will gradually decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We examine the interaction among banking competition, stock and insurance market development, and economic growth. • The focus is on a sample of European countries over 1996-2016. • A panel vector error-correction model is used for the empirical investigation. • There is evidence of Granger causality, both short- and long-run, among the variables. There have been major reforms of the financial system within Europe over the past two decades. These reforms were initiated to enhance the competitiveness and sustainable economic growth of economies in this region. This paper investigates the inter-relationships between the reforms undertaken in the financial sector (banking sector, stock market, and insurance industries) and economic growth in Europe. More specifically, this study examines whether there are Granger causal relationships between banking competition, stock-market development, insurance market development, and economic growth, using a panel dataset covering European countries over the period from 1996 to 2016. Utilizing a multivariate framework, the study's results show that all the variables are cointegrated. The findings reveal a network of Granger causal associates between the variables, including short-run bidirectional causality between stock market development and insurance market development. In the long run, there is compelling evidence of Granger causality from banking competition, insurance market development, and stock market development to economic growth. The results provide valuable insights into the types of financial sector reforms that will enhance sustainable economic growth in Europe. Note 1 : PEG is the per capita economic growth rate; BAC is banking competition; IMD is insurance market development; and SMD is stock market development. Note 2 : SMC is stock market capitalization, STR is stock turnover ratio, LIP is life insurance penetration, NIP is non-life insurance penetration, and TIP is total insurance (life & non-life) penetration. Note 3 : H 1A : BAC Granger-causes PEG ; H 1B : PEG Granger-causes BAC ; H 2A : IMD Granger-causes PEG; H 2B : PEG Granger-causes IMD ; H 3A : SMD Granger-causes PEG ; H 3B : PEG Granger-causes SMD ; H 4A : IMD Granger-causes BAC ; H 4B : BAC Granger-causes IMD ; H 5A : SMD Granger-causes BAC ; H 5B : BAC Granger-causes SMD ; H 6A : SMD Granger-causes IMD ; and H 6B : IMD Granger-causes SMD. Note 4 : Possible Granger causal relationship between any two variables is tested in the presence of the other two variables. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to understand the impact of air quality on the demand of tourism destinations and the impact that tourism may have on the air quality of a specific destination. Nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments were used as a proxy of tourism demand in each location, while PM10 concentrations were a proxy of air quality. Data for five European countries (Austria, Cyprus, Great Britain, Italy, and Switzerland), specifically monthly data from January 2008 to December 2015, was analyzed on a multivariate framework through a Vector Autoregressive Model. Results show that for Austria and Italy tourism growth can deteriorate air quality, while for Cyprus and Great Britain, the poorer air quality of the destination may decrease tourism demand. Causality results show that tourism is a possible cause of increased PM10 levels and variance decomposition results show that shocks in PM10 levels explain a large percentage of the error variation in tourism demand. • Necessity of further exploring the mutual impact of air quality and tourism. • Air quality (PM10) instead of emissions is used, diferently from previous research. • Tourism growth may deteriorate air quality in European countries. • Poorer air quality may decrease tourism demand in some European countries. • Causality and decompositon analysis reveal air quality afects tourism and viceversa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Belgium is the best environmental and circular economy performing country in Europe. • Borders between Western and Eastern Europe in environmental performance have fallen. • Borders between north and south Europe haven't fallen in environmental performance. • The same countries perform well in environmental and circular economy performance. The scope of this research is to present a more holistic approach on measuring countries' performance in managing and exploiting their Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). Specifically, we argue that relying solely on criteria like the recycling and/or the cyclical material use rate, can lead to an overestimation or underestimation of countries' true performance. That is because the level of waste generation is left unaccounted, despite the fact that low waste generation is an important environmental target, and so is the countries' true potential, as it is reflected by their economic and social progress. Instead, we measure the environmental and circular economy performance of 26 European Union countries by implementing Data Envelopment Analysis and tackle the aforementioned problem by using the generated quantity of MSW per capita and the three dimensions of the Social Progress Index as inputs and the recycling and/or the cyclical material use rate as outputs. We do so, using a basic framework and a framework that imposes common weights to enforce a full ranking of the countries. Our study shows large disparities among European countries, with respect to their performance. Interestingly though, the borders between Western and Eastern Europe have fallen, but not those between the north and the south: old EU members, such as Spain or France, perform significantly worst, both from an environmental and a circular economy perspective, than newer members, such as Slovenia or Poland. Finally, Belgium has been revealed as the best performer, both from an environmental and a cyclical economy perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transport sector is the second most important sector contributing to the production of CO 2 emissions worldwide, and it is responsible for more than one third of the total energy consumption within the country-members of the European Environment Agency. With the overarching aim of mitigating climate change, policies, regulations, and new infrastructure investments are employed to facilitate the route to a low-carbon economy. In this paper, we investigate possible determinants of CO 2 emissions caused by transport sector activity for 12 European countries from 1994 to 2014. We examine the effects of environmental policy stringency, climate change mitigation technologies related to transportation, and the share of value added by the transport sector and infrastructure investments (rail, inland waterways, and roads) on the amount of CO 2 emissions caused by the transport sector. We employ panel data analysis – panel unit root tests, panel cointegration tests, the Fully-Modified OLS (FMOLS) approach, the Dynamic OLS (DOLS) approach, and the Granger causality test – in order to examine the relationship between CO 2 emissions caused by the transport sector activity and their statistically significant determinants. Through our analysis, we highlight the importance of factors such as policies and technological innovation in the transition to a low carbon economy, something that is confirmed by our empirical findings. The empirical results of this study indicate that, for the examined countries: i) infrastructure investments do not seem to affect CO 2 emissions caused by the transport sector; ii) CO 2 emissions caused by the transport sector, environmental policy stringency, climate change mitigation technologies related to transportation, and the share of value added by the transport sector are cointegrated; and iii) both cointegrating regressions (FMOLS and DOLS) indicate that the environmental policy stringency and the CCMTs have positive policy outcomes (negative and statistically significant signs) on CO 2 emissions, whereas the share of value added has a positive and statistically significant coefficient only in the case of the FMOLS method; iv) the panel Granger causality test presents a strong bidirectional causal relationship between environmental policy stringency index and CO 2 emissions caused by the transport sector activity for one to three time lags. The findings of this study have important policy implications and warrant further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) with climatic factors gained higher attention since resistance increased with increasing local temperatures in the USA. We aimed to investigate whether the explanatory strength of climatic factors holds true in a region encompassing diverse healthcare systems, like Europe. In particular, we determined whether exposure to temporal climate warming is associated with an increase in AMR prevalence for clinically relevant pathogens. A 30-country cross-sectional study was conducted. The six-year prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA), Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP), Multiresistant Escherichia coli (MREC), and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was determined based on > 900 k clinical isolates. Bi- and multivariate analysis were performed to identify associations with climatic variables using healthcare and socio-economic confounders. CRPA was significantly associated with the warm-season change in temperature, which, alongside corruption perception, explained 78% of total CRPA variance. Accordingly, a 0.5 °C increase of year-wise temperature change (exposition) resulted in a 1.02-fold increase (p = 0.035) in CRPA prevalence (outcome). For a given country, exposition status doubled the odds of outcome attainment compared to non-exposition (OR = 2.03, 95%-CI [1.03-3.99]). Moreover, we found significant associations of CRKP, MREC, and MRSA with the warm-season mean temperature, which had a higher contribution to MRSA variance explanation than outpatient antimicrobial drug use. We identified a novel association between AMR and climatic factors in Europe, which reveals two aspects: climatic factors significantly contribute to the explanation of AMR in different types of healthcare systems, while climate change (i.e. warming) might increase AMR transmission, in particular CRPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates co-influences between inflation cycles of the economies of four Eurozone countries (France, Germany, Spain, and Italy), the United Kingdom (U.K.), and four non-Eurozone countries (Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Switzerland) by fitting a wavelet-based measure of synchronisation and a directional spillover index. We find evidence of short- and medium-term inflation cycle synchronicity and anticyclical inflation cycle co-movements among the U.K. and the Eurozone and non-Eurozone economies under consideration. The synchronicity of the inflation cycle is more accentuated than the joint anticyclical inflation effects. Inflation cycles of the U.K. and the largest selected Eurozone economies are observed to lead those of the selected non-Eurozone economies. The U.K.'s inflation cycle, followed by that of Italy, most noticeably influences those of non-Eurozone economies. The inflation cycles of France, Sweden, and Germany are the largest spillover transmitters, while those of Italy and the U.K. are the largest spillover receivers across the Eurozone and non-Eurozone countries under consideration. • Inflation cycle spillovers among Eurozone and non-Eurozone economies are investigated. • A wavelet-based measure of synchronisation and a directional spillover index approach are implemented. • We find evidence of short- and medium-term inflation cycle synchronicity. • Inflation cycles of the largest selected Eurozone economies lead those of the selected non-Eurozone economies. • The U.K.'s inflation cycle, followed by that of Italy, influences the cycles of the selected non-Eurozone economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Sweet proteins could lower added sugar in products and excessive sugar consumption. • Healthiness (vs. naturalness) framing was key to sweet protein product acceptance. • Healthiness framing impacted health perceptions of individuals with high BMI. • Naturalness framing affected naturalness perceptions of high sweetener users. • Attitudes were enhanced with high (vs. low) BMI, anticipatory guilt, and pleasure. Amidst rising obesity rates in the EU and the significant public health impact of excessive sugar consumption, the debate on reducing sugar through reformulation with sweet proteins derived from precision fermentation gains prominence, presenting a viable alternative to traditional sugars and conventional sweeteners. We conducted two studies to investigate the effects of health (emphasizing sugar reduction) versus naturalness (highlighting sweet proteins as alternatives to artificial sweeteners) message framing on the acceptance of products reformulated with sweet proteins. Study 1 (N = 296, Denmark) evaluated the impact of health and naturalness message framing on attitudes towards such reformulations. Study 2, in a cross-cultural sample (N = 3,000 Denmark, Germany, and Poland), tested the mediating role of health perceptions and the moderating effects of BMI and guilt (Study 2a), as well as naturalness perceptions, sweetener use, and pleasure (Study 2b) on product attitudes. Results of Study 1 indicated that healthiness perceptions had a more persuasive influence than naturalness perceptions. The cross-cultural findings of Studies 2a and 2b revealed that BMI, sweetener usage frequency, anticipatory guilt, and pleasure can modulate these effects. These insights suggest that while both perceived healthiness and naturalness shape attitudes towards sweet protein-enriched products, the significance of health perceptions prevails, with anticipatory emotions of guilt enhancing this influence, particularly when sweet proteins substitute added sugar. Such evidence holds substantial implications for strategies aimed at reducing sugar consumption and fostering the acceptance of products containing alternative sweeteners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evidence resulting from the analysis of the association between economic fluctuations and their impact on the substance use is mixed and inconclusive. Effects can be pro-cyclical (drug-related harms are predicted to rise when economic conditions improve), counter-cyclical (drug-related harms are predicted to rise in bad economic times) or unrelated to business cycle conditions as different transmission mechanisms could operate simultaneously. The main aim of this study is to assess, from a macroeconomic perspective, the impact of economic cycles on illegal drug-related harms in European countries over the 2000-2020 period. To this end, the regime-dependent relationship between drug-related harm, proxied by unemployment, and the business cycle, proxied by overdose deaths will be identified. Applying a time dynamic linear analysis, within the framework of threshold panel data models, structural-breaks will also be tested. The relationship between economic cycles (proxied by unemployment) and drug-related harms (proxied by overdose deaths) is negative, and therefore found to be pro-cyclical. One percentage point in the country unemployment rate is predicted to reduce the overdose death rate by a statistically significant percentage of 2.42. A counter-cyclical component was identified during the 2008 economic recession. The threshold model captures two effects: when unemployment rates are lower than the estimated thresholds, ranging from 3.92% to 4.12%, drug-related harms and unemployment have a pro-cyclical relationship. However, when unemployment rates are higher than this threshold, this relationship becomes counter-cyclical. The relationship between economic cycles and drug-related harms is pro-cyclical. However, in situations of economic downturns, a counter-cyclical effect is detected, as identified during the 2008 economic recession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to measure the relative performance of the countries in transition towards industry 4.0 by using industry level indicators such as big data, CCS and CPS. In the first stage of the analysis, differently from the literature, industry 4.0 performance index for the countries is developed. In the second stage, cluster analysis is applied to determine the different country groupings in transition towards industry 4.0. According to Industry 4.0 index, Denmark has the highest performance among the European countries, Romania has the lowest performance. Turkey also is 31 in the ranking of European countries. Finland, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany have the highest score values. On the other hand, the countries performing below the Union's average were Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. By using ten indicators and including 33 countries, cluster analysis was also performed. Cluster results have indicated that 33 countries can be divided into five groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Although all sort of foods are rich in umami taste, Europeans still have difficulty to recognize it. • We performed a survey on the umami perception in Finland, Germany, and Italy. • We found a significant difference in discrimination, pleasantness and preference by country. • With regard to gender significant differences were observed in pleasantness and preference for umami. Abstract Although scientists have known about the umami taste for decades, it is only recently that it has gradually gained wider public recognition as the fifth primary taste. Umami is elicited by l -glutamate, some amino acids and purine nucleotides. Glutamate is found in a wide range of foods but despite that, this taste is not generally included in taste evaluation tests in European countries because it has been found to be hard to conceptualize by the population. To the best of our knowledge, a comprehensive survey on umami familiarity in European countries has not been conducted. Therefore, we chose three countries representative of northern (Finland), central (Germany) and southern Europe (Italy) for our study. Each group contained 300, 271 and 252 participants, respectively. We collected the categorical descriptors spontaneously expressed by volunteers after tasting an umami solution alone, next to the hedonic value perceived in comparison with a watery salt solution and pure water. A significant difference in the hedonic response by country was found. The Finnish sample group used the correct word "umami" at a higher rate (15%) than Italians and Germans (both at 2%). Finland also showed better discrimination between the monosodium glutamate (umami) and sodium chloride (cooking salt) solutions. Overall, the umami taste was rated less pleasant than the salt, females preferring umami more than males, while it was the other way around for salt. Interestingly, a similar percentage of individuals with very low sensitivity for both umami and salt was detected in the countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-thermal food processing technologies are becoming more important in the organic food sector because, beyond preserving the organic feature, they could offer organic products with additional benefits in terms of enhanced nutritional content and healthiness as well as better sensory properties that could satisfy the more complex demands of organic consumers. Berries have a well-known health benefits and show increasing market shares in European markets while dehydration can increase the food convenience in terms of extended shelf-life. This study investigates for the first time organic consumers' stated preferences, attitudes and individual differences for a non-thermal organic processing technology. Specifically, we investigated consumers' preferences for organic dried strawberries varying in drying technology used, such as the most conventional (i.e. thermal) air drying and the most innovative (i.e. non-thermal) microwave drying, origin, price levels, and nutrient contents in three European countries: Norway, Romania and Turkey. Data from a total of 614 consumers were collected through an online choice experiment. Results show that on average consumers prefer organic dried strawberries produced with air drying technology that have national origin, with natural nutrient content and at low price, but country and individual differences are identified. Consumers who showed least rejection for microwave dried products are young, mostly from Norway and have higher positive attitudes towards new food technologies. Consumers who showed most rejection for microwave dried products are older, mostly from Turkey and have higher positive attitudes for organic, natural and ecological products. Organic producers who adopt microwave drying might better inform consumers about the characteristics, the process and highlight the nutritional benefits of such technology. Finally, this research informs policy makers about the need to define and regulate more clearly microwave drying as an organic technology, as well as to regulate labelling to ensure that consumers are not misled and correctly informed about the new technology. Unlabelled Image • First study to look at consumers' preferences for non-thermal processed (i.e. microwave drying) organic foods. • Preferences for organic dried strawberries are investigated in three European countries. • On average consumers reject microwave drying and prefer air drying. • Producers should better inform consumers of the nutritional benefits of microwave drying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Alcohol outlet density has been linked to rates of substantiated maltreatment both cross-sectionally and over time. Most of these studies have been conducted in Anglo-Saxon countries, especially in the U.S., but other countries, where alcohol outlets and alcohol consumption may have different social meanings, are clearly underrepresented in the literature. Objective The aim of this study was to analyze whether alcohol outlet density is associated with neighborhood-level child maltreatment risk in a South-European city. Participants and setting A longitudinal study was conducted in the city of Valencia (Spain). As spatial units, we used 552 census block groups. Family units with child maltreatment protection measures from 2004 to 2015 were geocoded (n = 1799). Methods A Bayesian spatio-temporal autoregression model was conducted to model the outcome variable. Results Results indicated that, once controlled for other neighborhood-level characteristics, the influence of off-premise density and restaurant/cafe density were not relevant, while bar density showed a negative relationship with child maltreatment risk. Spatially lagged alcohol outlet variables were also not relevant in the model. Conclusions Our results suggest the importance of taking into account the cultural influences on the relationship between alcohol outlets and child maltreatment risk. Future cross-cultural research is needed for better understanding this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a significant transformation in the diffusion of information and communication technology (ICT), development of the venture capital industry, and economic growth in European countries over the past three decades. Using vector error-correction modelling, we examine the possible interrelations between venture capital investment, ICT infrastructure, and economic growth, based on annual data from 25 European countries between 1989 and 2016. Specifically, we examine the direction of Granger causality between these variables. We find that the variables are cointegrated. Our empirical results also illustrate that both economic growth and the development of ICT infrastructure impact all stages of venture capital investment (early, late, and overall VC investment) in the long run. The study also shows that economic growth and late-stage venture capital investment impact internet usage; and internet usage and late-stage venture capital impact economic growth in the long run. The results also reveal strong inter-linkages between the variables in the short run. Overall, empirical results suggest that policy-makers should give special attention to an integrated policy approach for the co-development of the ICT infrastructure, venture capital, and economic growth in Europe. Image 1 • We assess the causal relationship between venture capital investment, ICT infrastructure, and economic growth. • The empirical investigation follows 25 European countries between 1989 and 2016. • We use a panel vector autoregressive model for detecting the direction of causality between the variables. • The study reveals the existence of both unidirectional and bidirectional causality between the variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The European Union (EU) has recently been significantly enlarged with addition of ten countries, almost all from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). This was expected to enhance the performance of the mobile telecommunications industry in the accession countries and in turn to consolidate the highly fragmented European mobile telecoms market to finally reach the single market goal. However, the significant differences between mobile telecommunication performances from one country to another in the enlarged European area raise the issue of how optimal and durable the EU-level reforms have been. We use dynamic quantile regression methods to estimate the effects of mobile telecommunication reforms on the providers' performance in the EU enlargement context. This approach allows uncovering potential asymmetric effects of telecom reforms policy by letting the parameters of regressions vary across the conditional distribution of the sector's performance indicators. Using annual data from on 32 European countries from 1993 to 2011, we document asymmetrical responses to the reforms depending on the conditioning quantile at which they are calculated. Our results show that the effects of the generic and imposed European reforms are notably beneficial and larger for players in developed European countries characterized initially by real and higher degree of the reforms implementation. Accordingly, the success and durability of European reforms, especially in the new CEE member states, which often fail to comply with the pace of the reforms' adoption of industrialized European countries, is not guaranteed when countries specifications are not sufficiently taken into account. A final appealing result regarding the regress of the reform-performance relationship in the mobile markets after enlargement even for western countries attract attention on revising the Europe's current approach to telecoms regulation. Highlights • The study investigates how EU generalized and imposed reforms affect mobile telecommunications performance. • Dynamic quantile regression approach is used to capture the (potential) asymmetrical reform outcomes between older (developed) and new (less developed) EU member states. • Reforms are globally much more effective in developed economies than in new CEE member states. • The debate today is centered on EU-level reform sustainability in the CEE region at the end of conditionality constrains. • A key reason for asymmetrical reforms effects across the EU is the adaptability and thus the progress in terms of real adoption of reforms and in turn their durability. • Multiple levels (national and European) and geographically differentiated policies with substantive coordination may be better able to respond to the contextual factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study explores the relationship between the entrepreneurial orientation of university departments and their entrepreneurial performance, in terms of academic entrepreneurship (spin-offs) and knowledge transfer (patents) outcomes. Moreover, we investigate how internal and external contextual variables interact in this relation. Using survey data from 294 heads of university departments in four different European countries (Italy, Spain, UK and Portugal), we found that entrepreneurial orientation is positively related to the number of spin-offs generated and that this relation is positively moderated by the departments' age and size, as well as the country GDP per capita and R&D expenditure. Surprisingly, entrepreneurial orientation is negatively associated with the number of patents. We further explore the moderating role of contextual variables, discussing our results. Highlights • Universities' entrepreneurial behaviour is more related to spin-offs than patents. • Universities' entrepreneurial performance depends on the context characteristics. • It is not possible to generalize the role of context variables. • European universities are not "really" entrepreneurial yet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Goal-5 of United Nations Development Agenda for gender equality and women empowerment through equalizing the ratio of girls and boys enrolment in primary education remains suffered in almost every part of the globalized world, which does not even violate the basic human rights while it is the mandatory foundation for global peace and prosperity. The contribution of international tourism development to empower women is the key initiative of the developed world to provide an equal opportunity to the women to sustain their livelihoods. This study focused on the role of international tourism development on women empowerment through mediating a number of financial factors in a panel of 24 selected European countries, over a period of 1990–2015. The results show that financial intermediaries act as a catalyst to empower women through international tourism. More specifically, tourism and financial factors promote (i) gender parity in tertiary enrollment, (ii) gender parity in primary and secondary school enrollment, (iii) female employment, and (iv) women's share in non-agriculture wage employment, while the results further support the (i) growth-led tourism, (ii) finance-led growth, (iii) growth stimulate women empowerment, and (iv) tourism-induced women's empowerment hypothesis across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract It is believed that Foreign direct investment (FDI) leads a country's overall development, including tourism development in many countries, but mixed empirical results have been obtained in a long-standing debate. This paper investigates the direct and indirect effects of FDI on the economic growth of seven European Union (EU) countries with remarkable shares of tourism receipts and FDI in their economies. The high level of GDP shares of tourism receipts and FDI in these countries indicates that policy makers consider tourism receipts and FDI as critical factors in accelerating the economic growth. By employing impulse responses function as a complement of Block Exogeneity Wald test, this study proves that it might be wishful thinking. FDI has a negative impact on the economic growth of five of these countries and surprisingly stimulates tourism industry in none of the countries of our sample. Highlights • The direction of causality in FDI-tourism-economic growth nexus is country-dependent. • Tourism has a positive effect on the economic growth in Bulgaria and Spain. • FDI inflows have a negative effect on the economy of Estonia, Hungary, Iceland and Spain. • The economy of Portugal and Croatia is not affected by tourism receipts and FDI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our paper sheds light on the relationship between financial development and the performance of marine living resources. We use factor cost as a measure of the blue economy sustainability of European countries. Indices for financial institutions and financial markets development are considered. These two sub-indicators are then analyzed using three dimensions: depth, access, and efficiency. A panel-corrected standard error (PCSE) model, the Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) model, and the two-step GMM are employed to examine this link. Furthermore, we use the dynamic fixed effect in ARDL to distinguish between the short-run and long-run impacts of financial development. Our estimation results highlight the significance of financial development in improving the sustainability of the blue economy during the 2009–2020 period in the European region. It can be clearly seen that although financial development negatively impacts the factor cost in the short run, a positive relationship between financial development and factor cost can be observed in the long run. Understanding how financial maturity affects the ocean economy provides critical policy implications to promote the sustainable blue economy. • We examine impacts of financial development on marine living resources. • We use five different measures for blue economy performance. • We indicate importance of financial development in improving marine living resources. • This effect is only apparent in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The study conducted a bibliometric and correspondence analysis to investigate scientific awareness. • With the help of correspondence analysis, it is aimed to examine accidents' consequences and severity based on countries. • Literature published in European countries related to marine accidents has been reviewed by using a bibliometric analysis. • The results show that scientific awareness of researchers in countries where serious and very serious marine accidents occur is high. • It is observed that there is gap between European countries in scientific manner and lack of harmonisation in scientific awareness. Marine accidents are a significant issue that can lead to loss of life, damage to ships and cargo, and harm to the marine environment. To gain better understanding of scientific awareness of marine accidents occurred in European countries, this study conducted a bibliometric and correspondence analysis of the scientific literature. Bibliometric analysis was employed to examine various publications, which were released during the period between 2012 and December 2022. Moreover, correspondence analysis was used to classify and analyze marine accidents based on the severity and the consequence of the accidents. The findings indicate that scientific awareness of researchers in countries where serious and very serious marine accidents occur is also high. However, Norway stands out as the country with the highest scientific awareness of researchers despite experiencing marine accidents with less serious. The most significant factor contributing to the prominence of researchers here is their collaborations with researchers from other countries. Overall, this study sheds light on the need for further research and action to improve marine accident prevention. Collaborative efforts involving researchers, maritime stakeholders, and policymakers are necessary to address the complex challenges of marine accidents and to ensure the maritime safety and protection of the marine environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To meet their climate targets, European countries have sought to move from fossil fuels to clean energy. Some of the major elements in this energy transition have involved cutting investment in fossil-fuel generation, decommissioning coal-fired power plants, and increasing investment in technological innovation in energy sources, mainly through Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D). A large part of these, predominately public, RD&D budgets has been assigned to Renewable Energy Sources (RES), while the potential benefits during the transition of technological innovation in fossil-fuel technology have largely been disregarded. The current limitations of RES, such as their intermittency, dependency on weather conditions and lack of effective storage, mean that, in the absence of viable alternatives, fossil fuel energy sources will continue to play a crucial role in ensuring the supply of electricity for some time. Investing in innovation is clearly important for tackling climate change, but a proper understanding of the broader economic and social implications of this investment should consider the entire energy sector, and not be limited to RES. Thus, this study sets out to assess the impact on electricity prices of public RD&D investment in both RES and fossil fuels. To do this, a Feasible Generalised Least Squares model was applied to a panel of 10 European countries using annual data from 2008 to 2021. Our findings provide empirical evidence that public spending on RD&D for fossil-fuel technology reduced electricity prices for households by 0.0028% and for industry by 0.0059%, whereas public spending on RD&D for RES technology seemed to increase household electricity prices by 0.0049%. These findings may be explained by the relative maturity and competitiveness of the respective energy types, which crucially affect the ease with which new technologies are adopted and commercialised. [Display omitted] • Assessment of the influence on electricity prices of RD&D for RES and fossil fuels. • Annual data for 10 EU countries from 2008 to 2021 analysed using FGLS. • Increased public RD&D in RES increases electricity prices. • Increased public RD&D in fossil fuels reduces electricity prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper inspects the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) in various transport sectors in 13 European Union (EU) countries. The study uses the augmented mean group estimator (AMG) estimator to examine the relationships between carbon (CO 2) emissions, income, and energy consumption of four transport modes, such as road, maritime, rail, and air, between 1995 and 2019. The outcomes illustrate that the EKC hypothesis is valid for six countries in air transport, four in maritime transport, three in rail transport, and six in road transport. In addition, the findings indicate that fossil fuels significantly increase CO 2 emissions from transportation modes. In light of the study's findings, EU countries should improve energy efficiency in the transportation sector to become carbon neutral by 2050. In order to ensure an environmental balance between transport modes, policymakers should support innovative activities to increase renewable fuel consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European countries are highly dependent on energy imports, making them vulnerable to international geopolitical threats. In this context, improving energy efficiency emerges as a cost-effective solution. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of geopolitical risk (GPR) on energy efficiency for 18 European countries during 1991–2020 using the Dumitrescu Hurlin Panel Causality test, instrumental variable quantile regression (IVQR) model, and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The study found that GPR has a positive impact on energy efficiency in higher quantities. This trend might be due to the fact that countries with high energy efficiency are better equipped to face GPR, thanks to their investments in infrastructure, particularly renewable energy technology. • GPR do not affect energy efficiency in the lower quantile but positively affects efficiency in the higher quantile. • · Renewable energy consumption in high quantiles, improves energy efficiency.· • GPR can affect energy efficiency in European countries through the energy price channel. • GPR can affect energy efficiency through the environmental channel (renewable resources). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess the impact of a simulated 10% tax-induced cigarette price increase on licit and illicit consumption and tax revenues in 36 European countries. Methods: Employing panel data for licit and illicit cigarette consumption, fixed effects regression models were applied for different income clusters. Results: Total cigarette consumption dropped by about 3.1% as a result of the simulated tax-induced price increase. Annual illicit cigarette consumption increased by 1.52%, (95% confidence interval: 0.21, 2.83), while annual licit cigarette consumption decreased by 4.61% (95% confidence interval: -6.51, -2.72) in the observed 36 European countries. With total consumption decreasing by about 8%, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia were affected the most by the price hike. More specifically, licit consumption in these countries decreased by 18.43% (95% confidence interval: -19.91, -16.95) while illicit use increased by 10.99% (95% confidence interval: 6.01, 15.96). Moreover, the overall annual tobacco tax revenue increased by US$14.69 billion in the simulation. Conclusion: Results of the study suggest that European policy makers continue to implement tobacco taxation policies to control smoking prevalence and national health care expenditures. At the same time, efforts to kerb contraband activities along EU Eastern borders should be intensified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • There is a smaller price corridor for pharmaceuticals compared to non-pharmaceutical services. • Variability of GDP per capita is higher than variability of pharmaceutical prices. • Findings provide limited confirmation that EPR is effective to control pharmaceutical prices. • The minor association of EPR with pharmaceutical list prices could be explained by manufacturers' compensatory mechanisms. • The impact of GDP on pharmaceutical prices is significant but fairly limited. Abstract External price referencing (EPR) is a frequently applied cost-containment measure to control pharmaceutical prices. This study aims to determine the implications of EPR on ex-factory pharmaceutical prices in European countries. Prices of 21 pharmaceuticals and 17 non-pharmaceutical services were collected with a survey and price corridors were defined in 7 countries. To increase the sample size for further analysis, pharmaceutical prices were retrieved from EURIPID database for 8 additional countries. Regression analyses were applied to evaluate explanatory variables on pharmaceutical list prices including EPR components, GDP per capita, and population size in 15 European countries. Price corridor was narrower for pharmaceuticals compared to non-pharmaceutical services. In univariate regression analysis, higher GDP per capita and population size were associated with higher prices, and taking lowest price from referenced basket of countries was associated with lower prices. In multiple regression analysis, GDP per capita, population size and number of countries referencing a country had modest, but significant association with prices. Findings indicate small price variation for pharmaceuticals that points towards the occurrence of price-convergence. The relatively minor association of EPR with pharmaceutical list prices could be explained by manufacturers’ compensatory mechanisms including confidential price reductions and discounts while maintaining high list prices in countries with strong price-control measures or delayed product launch in countries with traditionally lower prices. Consequently, EPR cannot be directly associated with narrow European price corridor, and lower income countries still have slightly lower list prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article employs panel unit root and panel cointegration tests to determine the interactions between innovation, financial development, and economic growth in 49 European countries between 1961 and 2014. The results suggest a cointegrating relationship between the three series. A vector error-correction model is estimated, showing that financial development and innovation are both causative factors of economic growth in the long run. Thus, a policy focus on financial development and innovation is appropriate as an approach to boost the economic performance of these countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Death and harm is well-recognised in detainees in police custody worldwide. Based on the results of previous global surveys and the CPT (European Committee for the Prevention of Torture) recommendations a questionnaire was developed to summarise the current medical aspects of police custody in European countries. The survey was distributed to named contacts in all European countries. Data from 25 European countries was obtained. The results reveal significant differences in the regulations among the different countries, with nothing close to a harmonised European standard in place at present. This study has identified interesting variations in the methods and standards of healthcare and forensic medical services to detainees in police custody (e.g. quantitative mode of monitoring, qualification of the doctors, maximum time allowed for holding a detainee in police custody, body or an organisation that investigates complaints against the police). There are both very detailed legal regulations in some countries while in others there are only generally observed provisions that sometimes are only given in the form of recommendations. A multinational, multiprofessional expert group is required to identify best practices, recommend basic standards of care and identify qualifications which would be appropriate for healthcare professionals working in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the literature on economic growth, there is a non-linear relationship between government size and economic growth, which is usually similar to an inverted U-shaped curve and is used to determine the optimum share of government expenditure. The present study aims to investigate the non-linear relationship among 14 developed European countries during 1995–2014. Final consumption expenditure to gross domestic product (FCE), current expenditure other than final consumption to gross domestic product (OCE), and government gross fixed capital formation to gross domestic product (GFCF) were considered for measuring government size. The results indicate an asymmetric effect of FCE and GFCF on economic growth when they are above and below the optimal level. The optimum values of FEC and GFCF were estimated to be 16.63 and 2.31%, respectively. However, it is noted that OCE always has a negative effect on economic growth. In terms of policy prescriptions, governments of developed countries should be aware that misallocation of public expenditure can occur given it may likely become unproductive after passing an optimal size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose The optimal number of radiotherapy fractions is a relevant input for planning resource needs. An estimation of the total number of fractions by country and tumour site is assessed for 2012 and 2025. Methods European cancer incidence data by tumour site and country for 2012 and 2025 were extracted from the GLOBOCAN database. Incidence and stage data were introduced in the Australian Collaboration for Cancer Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CCORE) model, producing an evidence-based proportion of incident cases with an indication for radiotherapy and fractions by indication. An indication was defined as a clinical situation in which radiotherapy was the treatment of choice. Results The total number of fractions if radiotherapy was given according to guidelines to all patients with an indication in Europe was estimated to be 30 million for 2012; with a forecasted increase of 16.1% by 2025, yet with differences by country and tumour. The average number of fractions per course was 17.6 with a small range of differences following stage at diagnosis. Among the treatments with radical intent the average was 24 fractions, while it decreased to 2.5 among palliative treatments. Discussion An increase in the total number of fractions is expected in many European countries in the coming years following the trends in cancer incidence. In planning radiotherapy resources, these increases should be balanced to the evolution towards hypofractionation, along with increased complexity and quality assurance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims We aimed to examine the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and subclinical atherosclerosis, as assessed by carotid intima-media-thickness (C-IMT) and to investigate whether the effect of social inequality on C-IMT is mediated by cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and whether it is dissimilar in men and women, and in different European countries. Methods We assessed the association of lifelong occupation and educational level with C-IMT in the IMPROVE study cohort including 3703 subjects (median age 64.4 years; 48% men) from Southern (Italy), Western (France and the Netherlands) and Northern Europe (Finland and Sweden). Three summary measures of C-IMT (IMT mean , IMT max , IMT mean-max ), obtained from four segments of both carotids, were considered. Results After adjusting for conventional CV risk factors, current employment status and diet, C-IMT was higher in manual workers than in white collars (+7.7%, +5.3%, +4.6% for IMT max , IMT mean-max and IMT mean , respectively; all p <.0001). Similar results were obtained by stratification for educational level. The effect of occupation on C-IMT was comparable in men and women and in different age groups, and was only partially mediated by differences in CV risk factors. Of note, the association of C-IMT with occupation was significant in Western and Northern Europe but not in Italy, with a significant statistical interaction ( p  = .0005). Conclusions Low SES was associated with subclinical atherosclerosis in subjects with at least three CV risk factors. Such association was stronger in Northern and Western Europe than in Italy. This difference was not completely explained by inequalities in CV risk factors and behavioural variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To identify information available in six European countries (England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden) that addresses the specific needs of people with young onset dementia (YOD) and their carers, and identify gaps.Methods: Search of websites of organisations with potential interest in dementia. Narrative synthesis and comparative analysis.Results: 21 sources of information were identified (Netherlands 6, England 6, France 3, Germany 2, Portugal 2, Sweden 2); 11 were from voluntary sector organisations. Sources dedicated to YOD were limited (4 websites, 4 books); all other YOD information was sub-entries in generic dementia sources, difficult to locate and with limited coverage of relevant topics. Gaps related to implications of living with YOD in Germany, Portugal and Sweden.Conclusion: Availability of information varies among countries, some having no dedicated source and incomplete coverage of issues of importance to YOD.Practical Implications: Information is an important means of supporting carers; their needs change as the condition progresses. A comprehensive resource collating key information is needed so that the issues that differentiate the specific needs of people living with YOD from those of people with dementia in older age are available and easily located. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this last decade, the green growth paradigm has attracted a lot of attention. In addition to protecting the environment and people, green growth also instigates other stringent responsibilities on organizations and governments. Thus, to maintain and protect the environment, organizations must provide support for complex environmental concerns under a governance-enabling regulatory framework. Voluntary environmental initiatives have shown to be an effective strategy for reducing pollution. Through a variety of means, including modifications to procedures, adjustments to raw materials, redesign of products and packaging, and innovations in pollution control technology, these voluntary projects seek to reduce pollution. In order to access this channel within the European countries, we investigate how environmental safeguards are affected by ISO 14001, Structural change, technological innovation, and green Governance. We also took cognizant of spatial inference of environmental pollution using spatial econometric models. According to our econometric findings, (i) obtaining ISO 14001 certification leads to a sizable decrease in carbon emissions in European nations. (ii) The findings indicate spatial agglomeration, and neighbouring nations' pollution patterns are comparable. Because of the physical agglomeration between nations, nations must work together to combat air pollution and ensure progressive, sustainable development. • ISO 1400 shows a potential to abate carbon emissions in Europe. • There is spatial agglomeration between pollution emissions in Europe. • Structural change does not show enough potential to abate pollution. • Abrupt Technology innovation can disrupt sustainable development drive. • Green governance has a low propensity to promote green growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Market competition affects European banks' Environmental, Social, and Governance Controversy (ESGC) performance. • The probability of having a controversy decreases when banks operate in more competitive markets. • Market competition acts as a disincentive mechanism for banks to behave in an immoral or unethical manner. This study empirically investigates the link between competition (measured by the Lerner index) and banks' Environmental, Social, and Governance Controversies (ESGC). Using a logit regression analysis on a sample of European banks over the period 2010–2020, we find that banks respond to increased competitive pressure from consumers and competitors by avoiding their engagement in ESG controversies that can undermine their reputation. Overall, these results highlight that competition is an important factor that stimulates banks' sustainability practices in order to preserve their competitive advantage. These findings are robust and hold for alternative measures of market competition and ESG controversies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to estimate the efficiency of 26 different European Countries over 2001 and 2012 comparing their performance. Data Envelopment Analysis technique is used in a first step to evaluate the performance of each European country. The output-oriented model was used with two specifications (Variable and Constant Returns to Scale) including as inputs labour and capital productivity, the weight of fossil energy and the share of renewable energy in GDP (gross domestic product), being the output GDP per GHG (greenhouse gases) emissions. In a second step, the quantile regression technique was used, to explain different efficiency scores through variables as Environmental Taxes Revenues, Resources Productivity and Domestic Material Consumption. Results indicate that share of renewables and non-renewable energy sources are important to explain differences in emissions. They suggest a significant change in the trend of economic and environmental efficiency in European countries and put forward the high disparities existing among them. Policy recommendations point for the need of higher steps if the goal is to equal countries efficiency scores. Moreover, environmental tax revenue effects are negatively stronger in less efficient countries, whereas also exerting negative influence over those more eco-efficient. Transport taxes affect negatively more eco-efficient countries and positively less eco-efficient countries. Energy taxes only seem to positively influence the lower eco-efficient countries. There is also evidence for a negative premium of efficiency considering domestic materials consumption. Finally, resources productivity shows a positive and significant influence independently of the country technical eco-efficiency level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]