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This paper focuses on the processes of school-to-work transitions in a selected group of countries from South-eastern Europe (SEE), namely: Bosnia and Herzegovina; Croatia; Montenegro; North Macedonia; Serbia; and, Slovenia. Each of these countries display the same roots of development in their educational systems: however, due to their transition and integration processes within the European Union, they implemented different concepts of reforms within their educational systems. In addition, the challenges of youth employability are a common problem for each of the selected countries, and the effectiveness of the processes of school-to-work-transition varies across the countries. By using panel data and multiple linear regression models, this paper estimates the impact of different educational levels on youth employability and changes in the rates of NEET population (aged 15–24) in the selected group of countries over the period 2009 to 2019. The results suggest that the impact of the attained level of education has an ambiguous effect on the rates of youth employment; moreover, the relationship with changes in NEET rates are statistically significant and negative in most of the selected group of countries.

Understanding consumers’ behavior and their handling of high-risk foods at home is essential for reducing the number of foodborne illnesses. This study shows the results of a cross-national analysis of consumers’ perception from nine countries, and the identification of customers’ clusters and its characteristics in order to understand customers’ behavior, and to build safe chilled ready-to-eat (RTE) foods prevention strategies. The cluster analysis resulted in two clusters: (1) “Precautious consumers” characterized by the orientation towards pre-packed RTE foods, with consumers mainly coming from Bosnia and Herzegovina, India, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey. Their attitudes and self-reported practices may be categorized as less risky in terms of food-borne illnesses connected with the consumption of RTE foods; (2) “Unconcerned consumers” preferred cutting and slicing RTE foods freshly at the point of purchase, usually sold at the delicatessen department in a supermarket or at open markets. Those consumers mostly came from Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia and their attitudes and self-reported practices were riskier. These results allow a better understating of what characterizes consumers of RTE foods in different countries. © 2023, Bundesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit (BVL).

The highest quality silage is produced from corn (corn silage), which is also the most common livestock feed. The lack of corn silage in livestock production can be compensated only by concentrated feed, which is usually more expensive, but this is a wellapplied practice in B&H. Therefore, the main aim of this paper was to determine the economic viability of corn silage production in B&H for the period 2014-2019. Primary data for this research were collected based on a semi-structured interview with representatives of the farm "Farma Spreča" Kalesija with a total harvested area of 500 ha. Results indicate that with total harvested area increases 61.29 %, yield increases only 6.26 %, while efficiency decreased by 6.38 % implying problems related to productivity. Based on that, corn silage production in B&H shows positive financial performances, but low yield even with a strong increase in harvested areas indicates the need for further technological and technical improvement.

Rural youth are influenced by a wide range of uncertainties regarding their personal and professional development. Rural youth and in particular rural NEETs (Not in Employment, Education or Training) are especially vulnerable and face higher risks of labour market, social and economic exclusion. This paper aims to analyse the determinants of the dynamics of rural NEETs in three post-transitional countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Serbia) compared to the EU-28 average and to Ireland as an example of an established EU member state with over 50% of its population living in rural areas that can act as a benchmark for effective policy implementation to address challenges of marginalized youth, during the 2009–2019 period. The dynamics of rural NEET status and the efficiency/adaptability of regional development policies are revealed through analysis of macro and socioeconomic factors as well as specific employment-related indicators disaggregated by gender and degree of urbanisation. The comparative analysis indicates deficiencies in regional development policies among post-transitional countries and the potential to adapt modern European practices and policies for improving the rural NEETs’ position.

International audience; Mathematical modelling plays an important role in food engineering having various mathematical models tailored for different food topics. However, mathematical models are followed by limited information on their application in food companies. This paper aims to discuss the extent and the conditions surrounding the usage of mathematical models in the context of European food and drinks industry. It investigates the knowledge, nature and current use of modelling approaches in relation to the industry main characteristics. A total of 203 food companies from 12 European countries were included in this research.Results reveal that the country where the company operates, and size of the company, are more important predictors on the usage of mathematical models followed by the type of food sector. The more developed countries are positioned at the higher level of knowledge and use of available models. Similar pattern was observed at the micro level showing that small or medium sized companies exhibit lack of knowledge, resources and limiting usage of models.

Background The dependency of rural economies on agricultural practices for survival has been in decline for a number of years, seriously threatening rural communities sustainability. It is now evident that attracting young people into agricultural professions is proving difficult. As a consequence, policy measures that aim to enhance the likelihood of rural employment for young people or rural NEETs have been introduced in countries with the aim of reducing at-at-risk-poverty rates and supporting the long term viability of rural economies. The aim of this rapid review is to summarise the published literature reporting on the effectiveness of initiatives, interventions and programmes that target rural NEETs. Methods The following databases will be searched: Web of Science, SCOPUS, EBSCOhost, ERIC and ProQuest. Internet searching through Google Scholar will also be carried out. The result of the search will be downloaded and saved to Mendeley. Informed by PRISMA guidelines, duplicates will be removed. The titles and abstracts of all remaining studies will be screened by at least two independent reviewers informed by the study inclusion and exclusion criteria. Where a decision to include or exclude cannot be reached by the two independent reviewers an additional reviewer will adjudicate. All results, screening process results will be documented in tabular form and communicated in a PRISMA flow diagram. Discussion This rapid review protocol will provide a time limited state-of-the-art evidence report, specific to the challenges experienced by rural NEETs, that will help those involved in policy development, policy response initiatives and proximal implementation. It is intended that additional opportunities for innovation and/or research may be communicated to relevant stakeholders. Hence, they will be able to create a useful framework for embedding rural youth in the context of so needed structural transformation of rural communities. The authors would like to acknowledge the support of their individual aliate institutions regarding the development of this research project and the support of COST Action CA18213 Rural NEET Youth Network, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). In addition, the authors would like to acknowledge the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia peer-reviewed

In the last 3 decades, the rapid growth of tourism activities is evident. Globally, tourism is becoming of prime importance for the development of local economies. A similar trend is observed in the Balkan region and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The total contribution of tourism in GDP of Bosnia and Herzegovina growth is evident, from 2.0% in 2011 to 2.6% in 2017, with bright forecasts from United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) which predicted the 3.4% share of tourism in national GDP by 2028. With aim to indicate the development potential of the touristic sector, gastro tourism sector was ‘screened’ through questionnaires with tourists (n = 245) and with destination management offices (n = 7). This approach should provide insights into stakeholder's capability to understand and react to new challenges that brings gastro tourism; insights into the current gastro offer; and insight into profile, motives and overall tourist's satisfaction. Main findings of the study show that the stakeholders' activities and understandings are not enough to provide a unique identity to the sector. On the other hand, tourists' profile and expectations rise with level and type of information they gather, and this study shows that tourists' expectations are more influenced by the age, education and gender of the tourists', while their satisfaction depends on the working status and monthly income. Future research, which is also the main implication of this study, should follow three main avenues: (1) how to build efficient governance mechanism to ensure development of strong stakeholder network able to create, execute and reinvent shared vision and strategic plan; (2) building knowledge and understanding of local culinary system and practice as step ahead in process of territory interpretation and transformation into the valuable intangible touristic resources; and (3) gastro tourist needs, wishes and ways to engage tourist.

The protection of Dalmatian lamb ("Dalmatinska janjetina") with a protected designation of origin label (PDO) is based on the specific quality of meat of Dalmatian pramenka lamb and the traditional lamb breeding method in the geographic area that coincides with the breeding area of Dalmatian pramenka (indigenous Croatian sheep breed). Under the name of "Dalmatinska janjetina", only the meat of lambs of Dalmatian pramenka, bred exclusively in Dalmatia, can be placed on the market. In the process of obtaining a PDO label, which has recently been completed at the Croatian national level and is currently in the process at the EU level, a survey among Croatian consumers (a sample of 1,034 consumers from all over Croatia) was conducted to determine the recognition of this product on the Croatian market, as well as consumer preferences considering similar products from other Croatian regions. The research has shown that Croatian consumers recognize Dalmatian lamb as a traditional, high-quality product. Thus, almost 75 % of the respondents recognize it as a particular type of lamb of better quality than others on the Croatian market. Almost 85 % of the respondents use lamb regardless of type in their diet, but more than 58 % always on special occasions (folk festivals and family celebrations), especially if prepared in the traditional way (lamb on a spit) by which Dalmatia as a region is recognized by more than 85 % of the respondents. The market reputation and connection with the geographic production area are why Croatian consumers rather buy Dalmatian lamb over others., Zaštita "Dalmatinske janjetine” zaštićenom oznakom izvornosti (ZOI) temelji se na specifičnoj kvaliteti mesa i tradicionalnom načinu uzgoja janjadi dalmatinske pramenke na geografskom području koje se poklapa s uzgojnim područjem izvorne hrvatske pasmine ovaca, Dalmatinske pramenke. Pod nazivom "Dalmatinska janjetina" na tržište se može staviti samo meso janjadi dalmatinske pramenke, uzgojene isključivo u Dalmaciji. U zakonskom postupku registracije zaštićene oznake ZOI, koji je nedavno završen na hrvatskoj nacionalnoj razini, a trenutno je u tijeku postupak na razini EU-a, provedeno je istraživanje među hrvatskim potrošačima na uzorku od 1.034 potrošača s područja čitave Hrvatske, kako bi se utvrdila prepoznatljivost ovog proizvoda na hrvatskom tržištu, kao i preferencije potrošača s obzirom na slične proizvode iz drugih hrvatskih regija. Istraživanje je pokazalo da hrvatski potrošači prepoznaju „Dalmatinsku janjetinu“ kao tradicionalni, visokokvalitetni proizvod. Gotovo 75 % ispitanika “Dalmatinsku janjetinu” prepoznaje kao posebnu vrstu janjetine kvalitetniju od ostalih vrsta janjetine na hrvatskom tržištu. Gotovo 85 % ispitanika koristi janjetinu u prehrani, ali više od 58 % samo u posebnim prilikama (narodne svetkovine i obiteljska slavlja), osobito ako se priprema pečenjem na ražnju. Navedeni tradicionalni način pripreme janjetine pečenjem na ražnju više od 85 % ispitanika povezuje s Dalmacijom kao regijom. Ugled na tržištu i povezanost s geografskim područjem proizvodnje (Dalmacija) razlozi su zbog kojih hrvatski potrošači radije kupuju dalmatinsku janjetinu nego druge vrste janjetine., Der Schutz von „Dalmatinischem Lamm“ mit dem Herkunftsschutzzeichen (kroat. Abk. ZOI) beruht auf der spezifischen Fleischqualität und der traditionellen Art der Zucht von Lämmern des dalmatinischen Schafs Pramenka auf dem geographischen Gebiet, das mit dem Zuchtgebiet der originellen kroatischen Schafsrasse, Dalmatinischer Pramenka, überlappt. Unter der Bezeichnung „Dalmatinisches Lamm“ kann man lediglich das Lammfleisch der Dalmatinischen Schafsrasse Pramenka auf den Markt bringen, die ausschließlich in Dalmatien gezüchtet wurde. Im gesetzlichen Verfahren zur Registrierung des Herkunftsschutzzeichens (ZOI), das auf der kroatischen Nationalebene vor kurzem abgeschlossen wurde, wobei das Verfahren zurzeit auf der EU-Ebene anhängig ist, wurde eine Forschung unter den kroatischen Herstellern an einem Muster von 1.034 Verbrauchern aus ganz Kroatien durchgeführt, um die Erkennbarkeit dieses Produkts auf dem kroatischen Markt sowie die Präferenzen der Verbraucher unter Berücksichtigung ähnlicher Produkte aus anderen kroatischen Gebieten festzustellen. Diese Forschung ergab, dass die kroatischen Verbraucher das „Dalmatinische Lamm“ als traditionelles, qualitativ hochwertiges Produkt erkennen. Beinahe 75 % der Befragten erkennen das „Dalmatinische Lamm“ als eine besondere Art von Lamm, die im Vergleich zu den anderen auf dem kroatischen Markt vorhandenen Arten von Lamm weitaus qualitativ hochwertiger ist. Beinahe 85 % der Befragten nutzt das Lammfleisch in der Ernährung, aber mehr als 58 % nutzt es lediglich zu besonderen Zwecken (bei Volksfesten und Familienfeiern), insbesondere, wenn man es als ein ganzes Lamm am Spieß nutzt. Die soeben erwähnte traditionelle Art der Zubereitung von Lamm durch Braten des ganzen Lamms am Spieß verbindet mehr als 85 % der Befragten mit Dalmatien als Gebiet. Das Marktimage und die Verbindung mit dem geographischen Gebiet der Lammzucht (Dalmatien) stellen Gründe dar, wegen derer die kroatischen Verbraucher lieber dalmatinisches Lammfleisch als andere Arten von Lamm bevorzugen., La protección de la carne de cordero de Dalmacia con la Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) está basada en la calidad específica de la carne y la forma tradicional de criar corderos de la raza pramenka de Dalmacia en una zona geográfica que coincide con la zona de cría de la raza ovina originaria de Croacia: pramenka de Dalmacia. Bajo el nombre de carne de cordero de Dalmacia, sólo se puede comercializar la carne de cordero de pramenka de Dalmacia, criado exclusivamente en Dalmacia. En el proceso de solicitud de la marca protegida DOP, completado recientemente a nivel nacional croata y que actualmente está en proceso a nivel de la UE, fue realizada la encuesta de opinión del consumidores croatas sobre una muestra de 1034 consumidores de toda Croacia, para determinar si este producto está reconocible en el mercado Croata, así como las preferencias de los consumidores con respecto a productos similares de otras regiones croatas. La investigación mostró que los consumidores croatas reconocen la carne de cordero de Dalmacia como un producto tradicional de alta calidad. Casi el 75 % de los encuestados reconoce la carne de cordero de Dalmacia como un tipo especial de carne de cordero de mejor calidad que otros tipos de cordero en el mercado croata. Casi el 85 % de los encuestados usa la carne de cordero en su dieta, pero más del 58 % solo en ocasiones especiales (festivales folclóricos y celebraciones familiares), especialmente si se prepara a la parrilla. Más del 85 % de los encuestados asocian esta forma tradicional de preparar la carne de cordero con asado a la parrilla con Dalmacia como región. La reputación en el mercado y la conexión con la zona geográfica de producción (Dalmacia) son las razones por las que los consumidores croatas prefieren comprar la carne de cordero de Dalmacia que otros tipos de carne de cordero., La tutela della carne d’agnello dalmata (“Dalmatinska janjetina”) con il marchio DOP (denominazione di origine protetta) si basa sulla specifica qualità della carne e sulle modalità dell’allevamento tradizionale degli agnelli di razza pramenka dalmata sull’area geografica che coincide con la regione d’allevamento della razza ovina autoctona croata della pramenka dalmata. Con la denominazione di “Dalmatinska janjetina”, cioè, può essere commercializzata sul mercato soltanto la carne degli agnelli di razza pramenka dalmata allevati esclusivamente in Dalmazia. In seno alla procedura legislativa di registrazione del marchio protetto DOP, recentemente conclusosi in Croazia a livello nazionale, e che è attualmente in corso a livello dell’UE, è stato condotto un sondaggio d’opinione tra i consumatori croati su un campione di 1.034 soggetti originari di ogni parte della Croazia, al fine di accertare la riconoscibilità di questo prodotto sul mercato domestico, oltre alle preferenze dei consumatori rispetto a prodotti simili provenienti da altre regioni croate. Il sondaggio ha evidenziato che i consumatori croati riconoscono la carne d’agnello dalmata (“Dalmatinska janjetina”) come prodotto tradizionale e di gran qualità. Quasi il 75 % degli intervistati ha riconosciuto la “Dalmatinska janjetina” come un particolare tipo di carne d’agnello, migliore dal punto di vista qualitativo rispetto agli altri tipi di carne d’agnello presenti sul mercato croato. Quasi l’85 % degli intervistati fa uso della carne d’agnello nella propria alimentazione, ma poco più del 58 % soltanto in speciali occasioni (festività nazionali e celebrazioni in ambiente familiare), in particolare se arrostita allo spiedo. Questa tradizionale tecnica di cottura allo spiedo è associata da oltre l’85 % degli intervistati alla Dalmazia come entità regionale. L’immagine sul mercato ed il collegamento con l’area geografica di produzione (Dalmazia) sono le ragioni per cui i consumatori croati acquistano più volentieri la carne d’agnello originaria della Dalmazia rispetto a ogni altro tipo di carne d’agnello.