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The paper focuses on education in the field of foreign languages, particularly Spanish, in the framework of university study of economic and managerial orientation in Slovakia in order to find out what the labour market requirements are for graduates in the field of foreign language skills. In our research, we focus on Spanish, as no similar relevant research has been done to date in this foreign language. Current research shows that the graduates of economics and management fields lack the link between the content of education and the requirements of the labour market, as well as preparation in the field of foreign language skills. This calls for a better understanding of the real needs of employers and graduates. This paper is based on a questionnaire survey among potential employers of graduates of the University of Economics in Bratislava who require foreign language skills, mainly Spanish, as well as of graduates of the University of Economics in Bratislava who use foreign languages, in particular Spanish in their employment. The paper provides an overview of the specific language competencies and knowledge that are needed in the labour market. The ambition of research is to contribute to improving the link between higher education content and the real needs of the labour market, and thus to boosting the employability of graduates in the labour market.

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The repeated risk of the so-called hard Brexit created great uncertainty about the future of mutual EU-UK trade relations. In 2020, the uncertainty was exacerbated by the COVID-19 global pandemic. These critical situations affected the EU's external trade and, in particular, the EU export capacity. Therefore, in addition to the standard factors, such as GDP, labour productivity or the presence of the FTA determining EU exports, this paper examines those factors that were relevant for EU export between 2016 and 2020, i.e. the uncertainty stemming from Brexit and the global COVID-19 pandemic. Fixed and time effects panel data analysis combined with the difference in difference method and a Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood estimator were used. The negative impact of Brexit uncertainty on EU exports has not been proven. The COVID-19 pandemic, which caused a deep downturn in international trade in 2020, had a negative impact on EU exports. However, EU exports to all partners decreased significantly regardless of the COVID-19 prevalence. This study updates the literature on the nexus between uncertainty and trade by examining the recent critical factors affecting EU export developments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the relationship between international trade and CO2 emissions, focusing on the case of the EU. The authors consider CO2 emissions as a determinant of trade flows. The study concludes that EU exports and imports tend to increase with partner countries whose CO2 emissions are rising, highlighting the importance of this relationship for the expected effects of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).

In 2021, the UK left the EU internal market and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) started to be applied in the mutual trade between the UK and the EU. Although under this agreement trade without tariffs and quantitative restrictions has been maintained, costs in mutual trade increased due to introducing non-tariff barriers to trade. The aim of this paper is to evaluate whether these changes led in the short term to the diversion of trade flows towards other trading partners from both the EU and the UK points of view. To meet this goal, an analysis of trade flows was carried out from the point of view of the EU, as well as the UK. In the case of the EU, changes in trade with the UK were compared with changes in trade with the remaining countries of the world. In the case of the UK, changes in trade with the EU were compared with changes in trade with the rest of the world. The main finding is that since the TCA started to be applied, neither from the point of view of the UK nor from the point of view of the EU, there has been a diversion of trade to other trading partners. Thanks to the TCA, which goes beyond traditional free trade agreements, it was possible to avert the expected negative trade effects of the UK's withdrawal from the EU in the short term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper asks how culture influences corruption within a country. We focus particularly on the effect of cultural dimensions of individualism, long-term orientation and of indulgence on the corruption perception level, on the sample of OECD member states. Using descriptive, correlation and regression analysis we were able to conclude that countries with low level of individualism show high level of corruption. The long term orientation (vs. short term orientation) did not have a significant statistical impact on the corruption level in the reviewed countries. Finally, empirical evidence did not prove that a high level of indulgence is related to a high level of corruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International trade in minerals, particularly tin, tungsten, wolfram, and gold, from conflict-affected or high-risk areas can have significant implications on intensifying and perpetuating the conflicts. It occurs that illegal mines are run by armed groups. As a result, minerals acquired from such sources provide financial means to armed movements and support the conflict. In this respect, several international and national regulatory frameworks for responsible sourcing have been established. The most important international initiative is the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, which provides importers with voluntary guidelines for responsible sourcing policy. In addition, the US passed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2010. Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act lays down the rules for responsible sourcing that are compulsory for any company listed on the US stock exchanges. Following to these initiatives and further public consultations, the European Commission and the European External Action Service introduced a proposal for a comprehensive EU policy focused on responsible sourcing of conflict minerals. The package consists of a legislative proposal laying down rules for self-certification of responsible importers, as well as of additional measures providing for support for SMEs and incentives for importers of conflict materials. The aim of this paper is to analyse the legislative proposal and discuss its possible implications given the fact that the EU legislation should be compatible with standing frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]