Rising fuel prices can affect driver behavior and thus the number of accidents, which is a key road safety issue. The aim of this paper was to assess and quantify the relationship between fuel prices (FP) and the number of road accidents in Europe. Content analysis of statistics from the countries was used to collect data, which were examined using Ramsey resets and Poisson distributions and then processed using negative binomial regression (NB), cluster analysis and visualization using contour plots. The results show that in Germany and Poland there is a statistically significant low negative correlation between fuel price and the number of traffic accidents, while in the Czech Republic and Denmark the relationship is weaker and statistically insignificant. In Iceland, no significant correlation was found. The contribution of this paper is to provide important insights that can be used in the development of transport policies and regulations to improve road safety. The main limitations include the difficulty of data collection, as many countries do not publish detailed statistics, and the low number of accidents in Iceland, which makes it impossible to perform a robust analysis for this country and may cause generalization of the results.

In June 2023, the European Union (EU) enacted the Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR), which requires agricultural products to enter and leave its territory free from deforestation. The regulations apply to seven commodities: cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya, wood, and their derivate products grown or raised on land subject to deforestation or forest degradation will be banned from entering the EU market. EUDR will have a significant impact on Vietnam’s Exports of Agricultural Products. Coffee, rubber, wood, and wood products are the main industries in Vietnam affected by this regulation, as the country exports a substantial portion of these products to EU markets. This article examines the impacts of the European Union Deforestation Regulation on Vietnam’s coffee supply chains, discusses possible unintended effects on coffee farmers and farming households, and explores strategies to mitigate these negative impacts while highlighting specific challenges that may arise. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding and management of Vietnam’s agricultural exports, particularly in the coffee sector. Additionally, the article gives some recommendations for improving Vietnam’s laws and policies on deforestation-free products.

The ongoing railway reforms in Ukraine are crucial for the country’s integration into the European Union’s transportation network. A major challenge lies in the difference in track gauge widths: Ukraine predominantly uses a 1520 mm gauge, while European countries utilize a 1435 mm gauge. This 85 mm difference presents significant logistical and operational barriers, hindering smooth cross-border trade and travel. The study examines the current state of Ukraine’s railway system, highlighting the urgent need for infrastructure modernization to meet European standards. Methods include a comparative analysis of Ukraine’s railway network with those of EU member states, focusing on integration challenges and potential solutions. Results indicate that aligning Ukraine’s railway with European standards could substantially enhance connectivity, reduce transit times, and foster economic growth. However, “Ukrzaliznytsia’s” slow adaptation to these necessary changes is a major roadblock. The study concludes that the construction of a standard-gauge railway linking Ukraine to the EU is vital not only for improving trade routes but also for supporting Ukraine’s broader political and economic aspirations towards EU membership. Circular economy principles, such as resource optimisation, extending the life cycle of existing infrastructure and reusing materials from dismantled railway facilities, can offer a cost-effective and sustainable approach. This infrastructural change will serve as a catalyst for deeper integration, strengthening Ukraine’s position within the European transportation network.

This study introduces a cross-country comparative analysis of the role of News Ombudsperson in the public media corporations in Spain and France. It investigates the specific media self-regulatory processes established to reduce reputational risks and increase the trust and credibility of the media organisations. It aims to fill in the gaps in prior research by applying a qualitative framework developed using indicators derived from scholarly work on regulation and governance and media management. The variables selected for the analysis are extracted from prior interdisciplinary research and focus on media self-regulatory processes, complaints management mechanisms, election, reporting procedures, checks and balances, roles, visibility and transparency of News Ombudspersons in two countries which represent the Polarised Pluralist media system category. Research questions are raised in relation to the main variables identified for the comparative analysis. Data were collected from multiple publicly available international sources, including public media organizations databases, national media regulatory authorities, and academic studies. Results reveal cross-country variations. The systematic investigation of different forms of self-regulatory procedures might lead to concrete recommendations and best practice models for media organizations beyond the European Union. Further research could address the role of media audiences as relevant stakeholders in media governance processes.

Our study focusses on the sustainable finance framework of the European Union. Given that the concept, target system and practical implementation of sustainability have become one of the top priorities, we consider it important to present in an understandable and simple form what activities and regulations have been created in this regard within the scope of the European Union’s common policy. Starting from the concept of sustainability, we analyse its significance. We examine the economic, social, corporate governance and environmental pillars and the European Green Deal based on them as foundations, as well as some prominent elements of sustainable finance: the Taxonomy, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation and the Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. We review the relationships and interactions of the above elements. We describe the sustainability objectives of the European Green Deal and the resources related to them, as well as the Sustainable Finance package of the European Commission. We also provide an overview of the regulatory details of the above-mentioned elements of EU law, thereby making the complex and complicated process of regulation transparent. These issues are relevant to Hungary and other EU member states located in Central and Eastern Europe and they have an effect on their policies.

In this paper advanced Sentiment Analysis techniques were applied to evaluate public opinions reported by rail users with respect to four major European railway companies, i.e., Trenitalia and Italo in Italy, SNCF in France and Renfe in Spain. Two powerful language models were used, RoBERTa and BERT, to analyze big amount of text data collected from a social platform dedicated to customers reviews, i.e., TrustPilot. Data concerning the four European railway companies were first collected and classified into subcategories related to different aspects of the railway sector, such as train punctuality, quality of on-board services, safety, etc. Then, the RoBERTa and BERT models were developed to understand context and nuances of natural language. This study provides a useful support for railways companies to promote strategies for improving their service.