scholarly journals New Energy Policy Directions in the European Union Developing the Concept of Smart Cities

Smart Cities ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 241-252
Author(s):  
Adrian Tantau ◽  
Ana-Maria Iulia Şanta
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Living Conditions ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Energy Policies ◽  
New Energy

In the context of the European Union promoting clean energy, sustainability and better living conditions for its citizens, the development of smarts cities is an initiative supported at the European Union level, in line with the new energy policies of the European Union promoted by the package “Clean Energy for All Europeans”. The concept of smart cities gains increasing importance in the European Union, a fact that is reflected in the project “European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities” of the European Commission. Smart cities are a practical example of how the new energy policies shape the lives of the European Union citizens, trying to improve it. As a consequence, new business models arise in big cities, involving the use of technology for better living conditions. These new, technology-based business models are important, as they improve the life quality of the inhabitants, they reduce the climate change impact, and they contribute as well to job creation in the IT-industry, promoting innovation. They have as well a social impact, as they bring experts from energy policies, business, economics, legal and IT together in order to project a new type of city—the smart city. The research hypothesis of the present article is that there is a high acceptance towards the concept of smart cities at the European Union level and that this concept could be implemented with the help of information technology and of artificial intelligence. This way, legal provisions, economic measures and IT-tools work together in order to create synergy effects for better life quality of the citizens of the European Union. The research hypothesis is analyzed by means of the questionnaire as a qualitative research method and is as well assessed by using case studies (e.g., Austria, Finland, Romania). The novelty of the case studies is that the development of smart cities is analyzed due to the new trend towards sustainability in two countries with different living conditions in the European Union.

scholarly journals New Energy Policies for Smart Cities - a Comparison among Smart Cities in the European Union

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1140-1149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrizio D’ascenzo ◽  
Adrian Tantau ◽  
Marco Savastano ◽  
Ana-Maria Iulia Şanta
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Energy Policy ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
European Policy ◽  
Innovative Solutions ◽  
New Energy

Abstract Given the current challenges of climate change our society is dealing with at a global level, the European Union develops a new energy policy based on clean energy. The package “Clean Energy for All Europeans”, which has been adopted by the European Commission in 2016, contains measures for a new energy policy at the level of the European Union, based on promoting an Energy Union by following a harmonized framework and common objectives. Considering this European policy debate an interesting topic, the present paper deals with the research question what will be the reaction of the business environment to the energy policy measures proposed by the European Commission in terms of innovation. Indeed, it focuses on innovative solutions based on clean energy, that will arise for achieving the three dimensions of social, economic and environmental sustainability, such as smart cities. The initiative of helping the development of smart cities is currently supported by the European Commission in the project “European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities”. Innovative measures are related to new financing schemes for the new projects, as new investments are needed for implementing innovative solutions. Case studies from different Member States of the European Union, e.g. Italy, Austria and Romania, will illustrate the concept of smart cities and their development in the European Union allowing for an in depth analysis and comparison among the different business models implemented. The present work presents a mixed method approach based on the combination of both qualitative research methods, such as multiple-case studies and quantitative methods, represented by the analysis and triangulation of data and indicators provided by European institutions. Furthermore, this study presents a multidisciplinary perspective, considering aspects of European policy, European law, business and economics.

scholarly journals The European Union Green Deal: Clean Energy Wellbeing Opportunities and the Risk of the Jevons Paradox

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 4148
Author(s):  
Estrella Trincado ◽  
Antonio Sánchez-Bayón ◽  
José María Vindel
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
European Union ◽  
Great Recession ◽  
International Institutions ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
Financial Framework ◽  
The Common

After the Great Recession of 2008, there was a strong commitment from several international institutions and forums to improve wellbeing economics, with a switch towards satisfaction and sustainability in people–planet–profit relations. The initiative of the European Union is the Green Deal, which is similar to the UN SGD agenda for Horizon 2030. It is the common political economy plan for the Multiannual Financial Framework, 2021–2027. This project intends, at the same time, to stop climate change and to promote the people’s wellness within healthy organizations and smart cities with access to cheap and clean energy. However, there is a risk for the success of this aim: the Jevons paradox. In this paper, we make a thorough revision of the literature on the Jevons Paradox, which implies that energy efficiency leads to higher levels of consumption of energy and to a bigger hazard of climate change and environmental degradation.

scholarly journals 21ST CENTURY SKILLS IN THE CONTEXT OF LIFE QUALITY

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 322
Author(s):  
Inga Zeide ◽  
Indra Odiņa
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
European Union ◽  
21St Century ◽  
21St Century Skills ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Policy Documents ◽  
The Relationship

The article addresses comparative qualitative content analysis as a part of the grounded theory research to explore the relationship between English language proficiency of economically active adults and their quality of life. Using comparative qualitative content analysis of the policy documents in respect of lifelong learning as main data collection method, the authors of the article aim to identify the relationship between the 21st century skills and indicators of life quality by comparing the sources that define the 21st century skills and analysing them in the context of the “8+1” dimensions of life quality offered by the European Union. The following research questions have been proposed: how 21st century skills are defined in the policy documents and how they relate to the quality of human life. The analysis of European Parliament, Council of the European Union, Word Economic Forum and Eurostat policies, models, strategies and their implementation in respect of lifelong learning reveals existing gaps and points at the urgent need in profiling the development of human skills to enhance human well-being and life quality in Europe. Besides, developing new skills and improving existing ones can be a tool for improving the quality of life in the future, whereas the dimensions of life quality can serve as a prerequisite for skills development.  

scholarly journals Podstawowe determinanty jakości życia mieszkańców wsi i miast po akcesji Polski do Unii Europejskiej = Basic determinants of rural and urban inhabitants’ life quality after Poland’s accession to the European Union

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 23-38
Author(s):  
Barbara Chmielewska ◽  
Józef Stanisław Zegar
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Subjective Evaluation ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Living Conditions ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Central Statistical ◽  
Main Determinants

The purpose of the study is to assess changes concerning main determinants of rural and urban inhabitants’ life quality in the period after Poland’s accession to the European Union (years 2006–2017). The study was conducted basing on results of the European Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) and household budgets of the Central Statistical Office of Poland. Assessment of rural population’s life quality was based on indicators characterizing the unbiased living conditions (income, expenses, infrastructure, environment, housing and furnishings) as well as subjective evaluation. However, in assessing the life quality, environmental and climatic advantages of rural areas were not taken into account. Basic indicators relate to individuals or households. Life quality in rural areas is lower than in urban ones, which is primarily due to inferior income of rural residents. Furthermore, the level of expenditure is lower, mainly regarding high rank needs. Rural areas are characterized by lower equipment in basic technical infrastructure and durable – especially modern goods – in comparison to urban areas. Inhabitants of rural areas subjectively assess their life quality to be worse than the urban population. They also believe that possibility of satisfying their needs is lower than in cities.

scholarly journals The energy union - Perspectives for consolidating the European Union through a common energy market

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 232-239
Author(s):  
Ana-Maria Iulia Şanta
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Energy Policy ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Energy Market ◽  
The European Union ◽  
European Union Level ◽  
Energy Union ◽  
New Energy

Abstract The European Union develops a new energy policy as an answer to the challenges of climate change which is a global issue affecting all of us. The package “Clean Energy for All Europeans” adopted by the European Commission in 2016, contains instruments for a new energy policy at the level of the European Union, based on an Energy Union, on promoting energy efficiency and the use of Clean Energy. These are the first steps in creating an institutional and legal framework for a common energy market of the European Union. This way the Internal Market of the European Union would be completed by a common energy market and the result would be a consolidated European Union. This is the research hypothesis the present paper is dealing with. It analyzes as well the impact of the new energy policies on the business environment in terms of new innovative business models at European Union level. The research is based on an interdisciplinary approach considering aspects of European policy, European law, business and economics. Qualitative research methods, such as the analysis of European regulations and provisions representing the basis for a harmonized framework in the energy sector at European Union level and case studies from European Union Member States will be applied. Relevant indicators provided by the European Commission and by Eurostat statistics analyzed in the present paper will complete this assessment.

Perspectives and Challenges of European Ageing

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Martin Zsarnoczky
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Local Environment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
European Population ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Cohesion Policy ◽  
Member States

Improving the life quality of the European population is an important goal set in the cohesion policy, which is valid for the whole of the European Union’s territory. The cohesion policy of the European Union strengthens the kind of European solidarity through which geographically different social groups receive similar opportunities to improve their life quality and well-being. To reach this positive goal, the accessibility programs created by the European Union are highly important. The ideology of European accessibility determines complex strategic objectives and imbues these with useful content. The group of elderly people is one of society’s accessibility groups, whose representation will be more and more prominent in the future due to European demographic changes. Member states of the European Union have different approaches to the growing role of seniors in society, which is partly due to their cultural traditions. These viewpoints may provide different answers regarding the processes of ageing, however, the appropriate care of the elderly is a joint social responsibility of each of the member states. The shifting dialogue between generations can be viewed as a positive change, nevertheless, other environmental influences can affect the processes. These environmental impacts can be factors that contribute to ageing. The complex research results of these show that, despite previous stereotypes, during the biological ageing of the human body there is a healthy ageing process in which activity, vitality, success, happiness, well-being and the quality of life play a substantial role. We have studied a group of seniors who have exceptionally active lives and extraordinary results in Hungary. The results of this Hungarian group of seniors show which factors and individual impressions in a local environment contribute to a high-level life quality, which can be an outstanding example and model to be followed by other European senior groups.

scholarly journals Quality of life (QOL) the essence of social work supervision

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 138-147
Author(s):  
Rita IELIAUSKIENĖ
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
European Union ◽  
Social Work ◽  
European Integration ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Main Attention ◽  
New Challenges

New challenges and priorities of social work modernization processes in the context of European integration and enlargement of the European Union are analysed in this theoretical article. Main attention is paid to the problematics of a person in a changing society. The priorities of citizens‘ activity in a society should be based on knowledge on the being of a personality, its entirety, because only by knowing the object of affection of our activity, we can allow it to create a vision of a better life and embody it in the real life.The article highlights the person‘s search for meanings in a changed world. The essence of a person‘s structure, importance of culture, morale, ethics and value thinking for creating life quality is revealed on a philosophical and theoretical level.The scientific problem presented in the article defines the following questions:- What attitude to personality of full value is important for a social worker when creating life quality?- Can a person‘s life quality be an essential motive of the supervision created?The object of the research were the attitudes of philosophers, psychologists and the author, their thoughs on the personality, its place in a changing world and creation of life quality as a motivation of social worker‘s supervision.

scholarly journals Modelling the European Union Sustainability Transition: A Soft-Linking Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6303
Author(s):  
Andrea M. Bassi ◽  
Valeria Costantini ◽  
Elena Paglialunga
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Computable General Equilibrium ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Intrinsic Complexity

The European Green Deal (EGD) is the most ambitious decarbonisation strategy currently envisaged, with a complex mix of different instruments aiming at improving the sustainability of the development patterns of the European Union in the next 30 years. The intrinsic complexity brings key open questions on the cost and effectiveness of the strategy. In this paper we propose a novel methodological approach to soft-linking two modelling tools, a systems thinking (ST) and a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, in order to provide a broader ex-ante policy evaluation process. We use ST to highlight the main economic feedback loops the EGD strategy might trigger. We then quantify these loops with a scenario analysis developed in a dynamic CGE framework. Our main finding is that such a soft-linking approach allows discovery of multiple channels and spillover effects across policy instruments that might help improve the policy mix design. Specifically, positive spillovers arise from the adoption of a revenue recycling mechanism that ensures strong support for the development and diffusion of clean energy technologies. Such spillover effects benefit not only the European Union (EU) market but also non-EU countries via trade-based technology transfer, with a net positive effect in terms of global emissions reduction.

The Berlin Process. Bringing the Western Balkan Region Closer to the European Union

Südosteuropa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Christina Griessler
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Eu Enlargement ◽  
The Political ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Political Activities ◽  
New Energy ◽  
Western Balkan Region ◽  
Slow Progress ◽  
Proactive Measures

AbstractFor the countries of the Western Balkans, the path to membership in the European Union (EU) has been particularly tortuous. Its slow progress has created frustration among applicant countries. In 2014 Germany, stepping into the political void that had formed, inaugurated what has come to be known as the Berlin Process, an initiative aimed at injecting new energy into the dormant EU enlargement process. The author examines the political activities initiated between 2014 and 2019, analysing the official documentation of the Berlin Process along with publications such as policy papers and media commentaries. She concludes that although meaningful and proactive measures have been taken, such efforts have not been successful in persuading or enabling the Western Balkan states to implement the political and economic reforms required for EU accession.

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