In this paper, we investigate the influence of R&D expenditure on economic growth in the EU28 during the period of 2002–2012. For this purpose, we constructed a multiple regression model, which showed that, ceteris paribus, an increase in R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP by 1% would cause an increase of real GDP growth rate by 2.2%. This model takes into consideration actual financial crises and emphasises the negative influence of fertility rate in the EU28 on economic growth. We believe that the achieved research results can be beneficial to the economic policy makers in the innovation and demographic areas.

The purpose of this paper is to appoint the causality between economic activity in the sector of distributive trade and the economic growth of 28 European Union nations. Specifically, it examines the impact of changes in turnover per employee in the distributive trade sector in EU member states on the tangible economic growth rate. The determination to adopt this approach stems from the fact that existing studies mainly explore indirect relationship between economic activities in distributive trade and economic development, with less focus on the direct impact of distributive trade on economic growth. The paper utilizes information for the period from 2008 to 2015. The research relies on multiple regression model, with the Hausman test its robustness. The results indicate that a hike in turnover per employee in the distributive trade sector by 10 euros per year in one EU member state increases its real economic growth rate by 0.15% in that same year. The significance of the made results is reflected in the fact that the survey takes into account the last economic crisis, and highlights negative effects of final consumption expenditure of general government % GDP on the tangible economic growth rate in EU member states. Keyword : distributive trade, service sector, retail, wholesale, economic growth, economic development, European Union This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Retail and retail development have become increasingly important in the economies of a number of countries in recent years. Given that retail chains are in direct contact with consumers, food retail control is important for both consumers and retailers. Additionally, food control is an important business segment of all companies involved in the food distribution chain, from food production, processing, storage, and sales to end consumers. On the one hand, the right to healthy and safe products is one of the basic consumer rights. On the other hand, retail chains tend to deliver healthy and safe products to consumers, using the principle of efficiency and positive business performance. In line with the above, i.e. food retailers’ challenge to satisfy consumer demands for healthy and safe products, but also to achieve positive business performance, the aim of this paper is to analyse the importance of food control for retail development, with particular reference to the market of the Republic of Serbia. For this purpose, empirical research is carried out on a sample of 169 food retailers. Using the available financial data, as well as data obtained from field research, the paper tests hypothesis on the impact of food control, as measured by the percentage allocation for the introduction of food safety standards, on food retail performance. The ANFIS method is used, and the results show positive impact of food control on food retail development in the Republic of Serbia.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the contribution of the agricultural sector to the European Union member states’ economic growth in the period from 2002 to 2021. This paper makes an attempt to answer the question of whether the agricultural sector contributes to the economic growth of the European Union countries, in terms of incentives that their governments give to the agricultural sector. For this purpose, a multiple regression model is developed with one dependent and several independent variables, and the obtained research results show a positive influence of the agricultural sector, expressed through agricultural production, on economic growth rate of EU 27 countries in the analyzed period.