As a consequence of increasing air pollution, the European Commission has decided to introduce special directives laying down the measures to achieve climate and energy neutrality. Renewable energy (RE) sources play an important role in the pursuit of these goals, which has been taken into account in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The aim of this article is to describe patterns and trends in the achievements of the energy policy of European Union (EU) countries in the field of renewable energy in sustainable development. The identification of leaders in this field gives the possibility to analyse actions taken by the governments of these countries and the possible implementation of the introduced solutions on the ground of individual Member States at the regional and national levels. At the beginning Main goal of energy policy on the field of renewable energy sources (RES) is to increase production from environmentally friendly sources that is why trends were determined in order to assess the rate of achievement of the national target for changes the share of energy from renewable sources in total gross energy consumption. Groups of similar countries were then identified on the basis of three indicators corresponding to the targets set in the climate and energy package. In the group of analysed countries, 14 have achieved the 2020 targets and 4 have exceeded the 2030 targets. The main renewable energy sources (RES) are biofuels, wind, and hydropower. In the assessment of the achievement of energy policy targets, the best situation was observed in the case of Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. These countries have significantly increased the share of renewable energy in total energy consumption. Compared to other EU countries, they have reduced the economy’s energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions the most.

The objective of the paper is to diagnose organisational culture of selected universities and analyse its impact on the innovation processes within them. The subject matter of the study was organisational culture and innovation at universities. The subjects were four selected universities in Poland, Austria, Germany, and Ukraine. The paper provided a definition of organisational culture and its typology. It further discussed the organisational culture of universities and the relationships between organisational culture and innovativeness. The literature review provided foundations for building a model for the formation of a type of organisational culture at universities that is innovation-friendly, which is the added value of the paper. It offers actions worth taking to shape innovation-friendly culture at universities. It is particularly important during difficult time of changing labour market, when universities greatly impact the attitudes of young people. The knowledge of how to shape innovation-friendly organisational culture at universities is necessary for academia to profile future employees in times of continuous changes. To investigate the relationship between organisational culture and the innovativeness of universities, we designed an original survey questionnaire [S1 File]. Organisational culture was diagnosed with the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument by K.S. Cameron and R.E. Quinn. The analyses were conducted in Dell Statistica v. 13.1 (StatSoft Polska). We normalised data from the Likert rating scale using Kaufman’s and Rousseeuw’s formula. We used Spearman’s correlation coefficient and Kendall’s W to calculate correlations. The research shows that the investigated Polish and Austrian universities are dominated by hierarchy and market cultures. On the other hand, the German and Ukrainian universities host all cultures, but clan and adhocracy dominate there. Moreover, the analyses demonstrated that although the adhocracy culture was the least visible in the investigated organisations, it contributes to university innovativeness the most. The conclusions were used to build a model for promoting innovation-friendly organisational culture at universities. The model contains answers to the research questions. In addition, it offers guidelines for shaping organisational culture to bolster innovation at universities. The research identified relationships between organisational culture and university innovativeness and components that create innovation opportunities at universities as its contribution to management theory. When applied in practice, the guidelines can help form the university’s organisational culture bottom-up.

In this article, the impact of the Russia–Ukraine conflict on food security in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is analyzed. With Ukraine being recognized as one of the major global grain producers and exporters, the conflict is seen as posing a significant challenge to MENA countries, which are heavily dependent on grain imports from Ukraine. The importance of global linkages in food supply chains and their influence on regional food security is highlighted in this context. Utilizing secondary data from 2002 to 2021 obtained from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the study focuses on demography and food security, analyzing how these factors intertwine with grain export dynamics. The escalating hostilities have disrupted transportation routes, damaged infrastructure, and hindered logistics, resulting in substantial export volume reductions. Geopolitical tensions have exacerbated these effects, diminishing confidence among MENA grain importers. The study highlights how these disruptions have influenced global supply chains, prices, and agricultural product availability, with a specific focus on the MENA region’s challenges in food security, compounded by conflicts, climate change, and import dependence. A detailed demographic analysis reveals the impact of population changes on food demand and distribution, offering insights into how population growth and urbanization, alongside shifts in malnutrition and obesity rates, affect food security. The study concludes that the MENA region’s increasing reliance on food imports, coupled with climatic and political variabilities, underscores its growing vulnerability to global supply chain disruptions and the need for robust strategies to address these challenges.

Energy security affects the functioning of countries politically, economically, and socially. Energy is an important factor in sustainable development efforts. Hence, countries are assessing their energy systems for compatibility with sustainable development goals by creating new concepts for energy development. Combining the concepts of energy security and sustainable energy consumption, an analysis of the differentiation of EU countries in terms of selected indicators indicated in Goal 7 of Agenda 2030 was carried out in dynamic terms. Two groups of indicators were distinguished. One group of indicators was selected to represent the changes in energy demand reported by final consumers, taking into account the use of energy obtained from renewable sources. The second group of indicators represents those relating to the security of supply of raw materials, i.e., energy dependency indicators broken down by major energy commodities and an energy productivity indicator. The analysis uses the coefficient of relative proximity of the facility to the ideal facility proposed in the TOPSIS method. The analyses carried out do not indicate that there is a relationship between the level of sustainable energy consumption and energy productivity or energy import dependency. A statistically significant correlation was observed between energy import dependency by oil and petroleum products and primary energy consumption, and between the share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption and total energy import dependency.

This study examined the effects of a 6-week Nordic Walking (NW) training, at the intensity corresponding to the dominance of lipid metabolism, on the levels of selected physiological indices, the haemodynamic indices of the cardiovascular system and physical fitness in sedentary women older than 55 years of age. In addition, the physiological response of the female body to the walking effort on treadmill with poles (NW) and without poles (W) was compared and the influence of training on this response was determined. A single group study with a pre-test/post-test study design was conducted. Eighteen women performed NW controlled intensity training 3 times a week for 6 weeks. Body composition, resting blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), maximum oxygen uptake (VO₂max) as well as circulatory and respiratory indices in two graded walking efforts on mechanical treadmill NW and W were measured before and after training period. The intensity of workouts, which considered the dominance of lipid metabolism, was determined individually, based on the dynamics of changes in the level of physiological indices during the graded intensity NW. After the course of training, body mass, fat mass, resting BP and HR decreased significantly (p < 0.05). HR and respiratory exchange ratio recorded during NW and W at 1.75 m^.s^-1 walking speed decreased, while the oxygen pulse increased (p < 0.05). VO₂max increased significantly (p < 0.05). Before and after the training period HR, oxygen uptake per minute, and energy expenditure during NW were significantly higher than in W (p < 0.05). The study showed that 6-week NW training at the intensity corresponding to the dominance of lipid metabolism can provide improvement in body composition, cardiovascular function and physical performance in previously sedentary women. NW compared to the regular walk with the same speed revealed higher energy expenditure.