After the accession of the ten new member states to the EU in 2004 and the following membership of Bulgaria and Romania in 2007, the (neo)endogenous development method LEADER has become pan-European. LEADER was implemented in all EU countries in the period 2007–2013, however, its application and potential to impact rural areas differed from country to country. Therefore, the aim of the article is to describe these differences on the basis of support outputs of LEADER under Axis 4 of the Rural Development Programs in 2007–2013. Respecting different path dependencies of the EU states, the article demonstrates the differences in the implementation of this method in two basic territorial units of the EU member states according to the length of the EU membership, as well as the length of experience in implementation of the LEADER method. The scope of LEADER implementation and the potential impact significantly differed between the old and new member states, and the internal heterogeneity of groups is also evident. On the one hand, lack of embeddedness of the method is manifested among the EU12 states (the need for dynamic growth of institutional capacity), on the other hand, socio-economic and political factors modify scope, potential impact and way of implementation of the method in individual countries.

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) are ubiquitous environmental bacteria that can induce pulmonary and non-pulmonary diseases in susceptible persons. It is reported that the prevalence of NTM diseases is increasing in developed countries, but this differs by regions and countries. NTM species distribution and the rate of diseases caused by NTM vary widely in the historical territories of Moravia and Silesia (Czech Republic). This epidemiologic study of NTM diseases covers the period 2012–2018, reviews isolates obtained from patients with clinical disease and investigates correlations with related socio-economic and environmental factors. Individual NTM patients were included only once during the studied period and results were presented as incidence rate per year. The most frequently isolated NTM meeting the microbiological and clinical criteria in the study were the Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare complex, followed by Mycobacterium kansasii and Mycobacterium xenopi. A previously described endemic incidence of M. kansasii in the Karviná district and M. xenopi in the Ostrava district was also observed in this study. The incidence of NTM patients in the whole studied territory was 1.10/100,000 inhabitants (1.33/100,000 in men and 0.88/100,000 in women). The annual incidence of lymphadenitis in children (≤5 years of age) was 2.35/100,000 of the population of children during the 7 year period but increased in the year 2018 to 5.95/100,000. The rate of human tuberculosis in the studied area was 1.97/100,000 inhabitants. The incidence of NTM pulmonary diseases correlated with a lower socio-economic status (r = 0.63) and a higher concentration of benzo[a]pyrene pollution in the air (r = 0.64).

The main purpose of the article is to present a spatial and temporal assessment of selected broadening and deepening activities associated with multifunctional agriculture in post-socialist Czechia. Although a number of studies of multifunctionality have been published, geographical assessment of multifunctional activities has been quite limited. The authors used quantitative research methods based on different data sources (Farm Structure Survey data and individual databases) to capture the dynamic and spatial distribution of selected multifunctional activities, specifically organic farming, agricultural anaerobic digestion plants, agritourism, and eco-agritourism. The analysis focused on two geographical attributes that influence the farming sector: conditions of an area for agriculture, and the importance of rural space. The results show that the role of multifunctional agriculture was strengthened as an integrating element of rural development in the period 2003–2013. Spatially differentiated growth of a number of farms that were developing broadening and deepening activities was particularly localized in mountainous areas. The authors conclude that multifunctional agriculture plays an integrating role in rural development in such regions because conditions for agriculture are a more crucial geographical attribute in its localization than the importance of rural space.

Since its accession to the EU, the Czech Republic has gradually strengthened its support for area-based approaches in local development. In the light of the increasing financial support and the growing number of local action groups (LAGs), optimism seems to be appropriate that the elements of local governance have the potential to be implemented in the Czech Republic now more than ever before. Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) in the programming period of 2014–2020, however, throws away the advantage of having the local focus, one of the essential elements of integrated territorial development tools. We back up this claim with an analysis of the implementation process of the CLLD method at the national level, the evaluation of the strategic and implementation parts of the 43 strategies of CLLD LAGs, and in-depth interviews with 23 LAG managers. Our results show that the offer only partially meets the identified local needs of LAGs. The final strategy of CLLD has been created in the background of the pragmatic approach of actors in the territory influenced by the defined range of topics. The potential for the strengthening of local governance is limited, while a hidden top-down effect is applied.

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A total of 281 guano samples were collected from caves (N = 181) in eight European countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia) and attics in the Czech R. (N = 100). The correlation of detection of mycobacteria between Ziehl–Neelsen (ZN) microscopy and culture examination and qPCR was strong. ZN microscopy was positive in guano from caves (58.6%) more than double than positivity in guano from attics (21.0%; p < 0.01). From 89 mycobacterial isolates (73 isolates from cave guano and 16 isolates from attics’ guano), 68 (76.4%) isolates of 19 sp., ssp. and complex were identified as members of three Groups (M. fortuitum, M.chelonae, and M. mucogenicum) and four complexes (M. avium, M. terrae, M.vaccae, and M.smegmatis). A total of 20 isolates (22.5%) belonged to risk group 1 (environmental saprophytes), 48 isolates (53.9%) belonged to risk group 2 (potential pathogens), and none of the isolates belonged to risk group 3 (obligatory pathogens). When comparing bat guano collected from caves and attics, differences (p < 0.01; Mann–Whitney test) were observed for the electrical conductivity, total carbon, total organic, and total inorganic carbon. No difference (p > 0.05; Mann–Whitney test) was found for pH and oxidation-reduction potential parameters.