The Republic of Serbia is traditionally a country of emigration, especially since the 1960s. As a result of this emigration, return migration has become an increasingly intensive migratory process in the 21st century. This study aims to examine the factors behind return migration, as well as to explore the characteristics of the reintegration process in Serbia, including the sustainability of return. This paper is based on a survey (N = 172) and interviews (N = 20) conducted with return migrants in Serbia. The research findings point to the diversity of the return migration factors, among which a longing for the country of origin is singled out as the most important. Regarding the reintegration process, this study highlights several differences that are apparent between retired returnees on the one hand and other returnees (students, employed, unemployed) on the other. The results show that the satisfaction with quality of life upon return is higher among older returnees and that the satisfaction with quality of life decreases as the respondents’ level of education increases. It is also found that the sustainability of return is connected to the life satisfaction and that respondents who plan to migrate again are the least satisfied with the quality of life compared to those who plan to stay and those who have not decided yet. This paper provides insights into some of the critical elements of the return migration and reintegration process in Serbia. Since return migrants can contribute to sustainable socio-economic development due to their human, social and financial capital, this study may be of relevance to the development of strategies and the implementation of policies in the domain of migration governance.

Solar activity, as the dominant feature of the Sun, has an impact on nature, technology, humans, and their activities on Earth. The aim of this paper is to investigate the linkages between solar activity, natural disasters, and population displacement in Southern Europe, particularly focusing on the characteristics of natural disasters induced displacement during different phases of solar activity. For the purpose of the paper, data on solar activity and displacements induced by hazards category and type in the period 2008?2023 (24 and 25 Solar Cycle) were collected. The quantitative analysis is supported by statistical procedures (seasonal-trend decomposition by Loess-STL, tests for stationarity, correlation analysis, cross-correlation functions-CCF, vector autoregression-VAR, linear regression model, principal component analysis-PCA, k-means) computed in the software R. The results show certain linkages between solar activity and displacements induced by weather related hazards, and indicate that the intensity of this type of displacement is significantly higher during periods of greater solar activity. This paper opens up new horizons for future research in the field of solar activity impact on population displacement.

Sustainable spatial transformation, urban governance, and the constraints of urban-rural development can be traced through migration. In the Republic of Serbia, after the rapid increase in the number of people living in urban areas due to internal migration, structural changes in settlements have begun with natural decline and emigration. However, the far-reaching effects of migration on shrinkage have received little attention in policy or practice. To shed light on and predict possible future patterns, this paper looks at the attitudes and intentions of the population towards migration and identifies determinants that influence migration plans for possible future flows inside and from the Republic of Serbia. The paper is based on data from a survey and interviews conducted in the area of the City of Leskovac (N = 1124) with the population 20 + years, local authorities, civil society and the private sector, i.e. those who play a central role in addressing the challenges and optimizing the opportunities created by the growing trend of migration. The survey results show that most respondents support the emigration process, which is mainly influenced by economic factors. In this context, the trend of emigration is expected to continue in the future, and it is perceived as an obstacle to achieving sustainability goals and rarely as an opportunity.

The X1.59 solar flare on 3 July 2021, was the first X-class flare of Solar Cycle 25 and the first since the X-class flare on 10 September 2017. This event was notable for producing a rare geomagnetic crochet, a temporary and localized perturbation in Earth’s magnetic field during the flare’s peak. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first VLF-based analysis of this event, as well as the first comprehensive multi-instrument investigation of it. VLF observations from the NAA and DHO transmitters were used to investigate the ionospheric response via amplitude and phase variations. Key low ionosphere parameters, including the effective reflection height, sharpness factor, time delay and electron density profiles were derived. The results reveal rapid ionospheric responses closely correlated with X-ray flux peaks, including sudden phase and amplitude perturbations indicative of increased low ionosphere ionization and the geomagnetic crochet effect. Simultaneously, cosmic-ray measurements from ground detectors showed negligible modulation and no significant Forbush decrease, consistent with the flare’s weak and partially Earth-directed CME. Also, the spectrum of energetic protons measured in-situ in near-Earth space shows little disturbance. This integrated study demonstrates the sensitivity of the lower ionosphere to intense solar radiation and highlights the limited short-term impact on cosmic-ray and solar energetic proton flux, providing a comprehensive assessment of flare-driven space-weather effects during the early phase of Solar Cycle 25.