Private households are an important group of energy consumers. Based on Eurostat data, their energy consumption constituted 30% of the final consumption of energy use across the European Union in 2021. The cost of energy is one of the main components of household budgets; thus, the prices provided by energy carriers have a significant impact on energy consumption. The price offered to the final consumer consists of three components: the price of energy and its supply, network costs, and taxes and levies. The values of the three components, however, depend on several factors, among which the structure of the energy markets and energy policies in individual EU countries play a key role. This work aimed to analyze and assess the structure of electricity prices offered to households across EU countries in the years 2019–2021. The differences and similarities between the pricing policies of selected products in the EU and their impacts on households’ purchasing capacity were captured and a non-pattern classification method (k-means) was applied as a research tool. The results indicated that the heterogeneity of the electricity price structure increased significantly over the period analyzed. This may be a consequence of the use of strongly differentiated tools to mitigate electricity price increases and the steps being taken towards low-carbon economies.

When looking for energy-saving solutions, one should bear in mind the savings that can be obtained through behavioral changes. The article shows that a simple incentive can have a statistically significant impact on employees’ pro-ecological behavior. First, the introduction refers to the general perspective of striving for a global implementation of the Sustainable Developments Goals (SDGs). Additionally, the stakeholders’ point of view is presented, based on reports submitted to the Responsible Business Forum competition (Poland). The two motivating trends are referenced, which include increasing the contribution of powering office buildings to the overall energy demand and increasing the appreciation of behavioral changes as alternatives or complements to technological solutions in pursuit of the SDGs. The following sections of the article present an experiment carried out at one faculty of the University of Warsaw, which consisted of checking the effect of the incentive to lower the temperature in offices after working hours on the actual change in the behavior of the employees. After several weeks of observation of end-of-day thermostat settings in several dozen offices, a statistically significant effect was found. This proves that even simple incentives can lead to pro-ecological behavioral changes.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore the potential of micro-credentials as a tool for integrating Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into university curricula and for mitigating student dropout. In light of delays in achieving the 2030 Agenda goals, the study examines whether micro-credentials can enhance sustainability competencies through flexible, student-centred learning pathways. To address the research gap regarding the limited understanding of student perceptions of both ESD and micro-credentials, a pilot study was conducted among students at the Faculty of Management, University of Warsaw. Design/ methodology/approach: The survey covered the following thematic areas: perceived importance of sustainable development, optimism about current sustainability levels, perceived usefulness of micro-credentials in ESD, and general opinions about micro-credentials. Based on measures of importance and optimism, four student clusters were identified: relaxed, committed, realistic, and average. The results show that ESD is considered important by all groups except the relaxed cluster, while the realistic group expressed the lowest optimism regarding global and local sustainable development. Respondents consistently perceived smaller social environments, particularly families, as more sustainable than larger ones. Students rated the potential usefulness of micro-credentials ESD as high, although the perceived level of current implementation was moderate. Despite limited familiarity with the concept, students are already using micro-credentials, anticipate their growing popularity, and expect recognition of the associated learning outcomes. Many also viewed micro-credentials as a promising tool for reducing dropout rates. Findings: Overall, the pilot study demonstrates that student-derived evidence can inform the design of sustainability-oriented curricula and support the assessment of the educational potential of micro-credentials. The findings suggest that a comprehensive follow-up survey could assist universities in tailoring interventions to diverse student groups and further strengthen the role of micro-credentials in higher education.

The article presents an attempt to analyse the efficiency of health care systems in sub-regions of Poland in comparison to sub-regions of EU countries, using the indicator of average life expectancy and an innovation indicator developed on the basis of the European Innovation Scoreboard. The basic source of data presented in the article is commonly available data from databases of countries or international organisations: the Polish Central Statistical Office (GUS), Eurostat, WHO. Comparative methods were applied to the following indicators: the expenditure on health care, life expectancy and innovation at the country level. Life expectancy depends mainly on health expenditure, but also on access to innovative therapies. Countries referred to as “modest innovators”, to which Poland belongs, have a lower indicator of life expectancy than innovation leaders. Innovation is becoming the main engine of progress in health care.

The study is aimed at identifying the information gap in the field of quality of life research, with regard to the quality of life and rural development indicator systems. In addition, selected indicators particularly important for the elderly in the European Union rural areas are compared. The existing indicator systems which enable an international comparison have a wide scope. Their disadvantages are that only some of them are classified by rural and urban areas (Eurostat indicators), that they are selected and presented in accordance with the current EU policy targets (rural development indicators) and that data are aggregated up to the NUTS 3 level (subregional), which makes it difficult to use this information for strategic planning at the local level. Among the three selected measures of quality of life of the elderly in rural areas, Poland ranks well below the average in access to health care. Artykuł ma na celu wskazanie luki informacyjnej w obszarze badań nad jakością życia, w odniesieniu do istniejących systemów wskaźników jakości życia lub rozwoju obszarów wiejskich. Porównano wybrane wskaźniki jakości życia dla obszarów wiejskich Unii Europejskiej, szczególnie istotne z punktu widzenia osób starszych. Istniejące systemy wskaźników jakości życia umożliwiające międzynarodowe porównania mają szeroki zakres przedmiotowy. Ich wadą jest natomiast przedstawianie tylko części wskaźników w rozgraniczeniu na obszary wiejskie i miejskie (wskaźniki Eurostat), dobór i sposób prezentacji wskaźników zgodny z aktualnymi priorytetami polityki UE (wskaźniki rozwoju obszarów wiejskich) oraz agregacja danych najwyżej do poziomu NUTS 3 (podregiony), co utrudnia wykorzystanie tych informacji do planowania strategicznego na poziomie lokalnym. Spośród wybranych trzech mierników jakości życia osób starszych na obszarach wiejskich, Polska wypada wyraźnie poniżej średniej w dostępności do usług medycznych.