ECOLOGICAL FACTORS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE COUNTRIES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Main Article Content

Iryna Sergiivna MAREKHA

Abstract

Introduction. The investigations of the factors of economic development refer to the traditional economic problems. Under sustainable development concept, ecological factors of economic development of the European Union countries deserve special attention.

Purpose. The aim of the article is to actualize the ecological background of economic development aspects in terms of nature business-management on the example of the Member States of the European Union. To obtain the above mentioned aim, we should settle the following tasks: to determine the ecological quality of economic development; to analyze a strategy elaborated by the Member States called “Europe - 2020” for its resource efficiency; to establish links between natural resources use and economic development; to reveal eco-environmental determinants of the economic development associated with the resource business; to estimate of ecological and economic profile of the resource culture on the cross-country level; to offer some recommendations to improve the strategy “Europe - 2020” based on ecological outcomes.

Methods. The ecological factors being divided into two groups - positive and negative –  are formalized and ranked from - 1 to + 1 in the article. This approach helps to compare positive and negative ecological factors of the economic development between each other. The approach has been developed especially for factorial analysis. 

Results. To the key eco-environmental determinants of the economic development the author refers such ones: saving of natural resourcesexploitation of natural resource; environmental protectionenvironmental pollution; wastes utilizationwastes production; restoring forestation deforestation; alternative energy productionenergy consumption; production of environmentally friendly food – food consumption. Based on these key indicators, it is possible to estimate ecological and economic profile of the culture associated with the resource saving business for a definite country and compare it to the global situation.   

Originality. In the article it is proposed to divide ecological factors into two categories: factors-stimulators and factors-destimulators of economic development. Having compared these factors between each other, it is possible to make an ecological and cultural profile of economic development of the analysed countries.

Conclusion. The author believes that the proposed approaches to the estimation of ecological and economic components of the European countries’ development can contribute significantly to their global competitiveness. The obtained results could be used to estimate the performance of the strategy “Europe 2020”. 

Article Details

Section
Статті
Author Biography

Iryna Sergiivna MAREKHA, Sumy State University,

PhD, assistant

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