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This paper analyzes the relationship between the welfare state and educational policies in Europe. One of the ways to measure the development of the welfare state has been the analysis of social spending. Based on this indicator, it is possible to verify that there was no destruction of the Social State, but a change in its execution and in the relationship between state, society and market. These are changes arising from the resumption of free market theses and the new conformation of the capital and labor relationship. In this context, New Public Management was introduced and education came to be considered as another business opportunity for capital. Despite the fact that the welfare state maintained its foundations, with the educational reforms the market appropriated public resources, altering the provision of education services and its own conformation as a social right. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real estate represents one of the most profitable and of interest areas of investment. In 2019, the year before the pandemic, real estate represented 3.1% of Europe's GDP, and investment in new constructions or in the renovation of old ones accounted for more than 10% of all investment products in the European economy. This paper analyses the evolution of the real estate industry in the post-pandemic period, the trend being a favourable one, of growth. Real estate constitutes the basis for the proper functioning and development of the other sectors of the economy, therefore it is important to analyse the reaction of the industry in relation to an economic crisis, such as the one caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The crisis has been the subject of debate for the past two years, as it has caused unprecedented changes in Europe's economy and, of course, in residential markets. Currently, the geopolitical situation in Europe, represented by the conflict in Ukraine and the refugee crisis, has the effect of increasing energy costs, the price of building materials and labour costs. In the given context, we reflected how the real estate market in Europe evolved in the pre- and post-pandemic period, following a series of essential indicators in the field: the evolution of constructions, real property prices, mortgage rates, rents and purchasing power of investors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper provides insights into the mental health consequences of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic from the Central, Eastern, Nordic, Southern, and Western subregions of Europe, represented by five member countries of the European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS). On the basis of the existing national research and experiences in these countries, we propose five lessons learned. (1) There is no evidence of a mental health pandemic so far in the countries in focus. No increase in severe mental disorders but some increase in the symptoms of common mental health disorders are observable. More high-quality longitudinal studies are needed to understand the mental health burden of the pandemic. (2) The pandemic affects countries (including the mental health situation) differently, depending on the level of the exposure, management policies, pre-pandemic structural characteristics, and healthcare resources. (3) The pandemic affects people differently: the exposure severity to pandemic-related stressors differs between individuals, as well as individual resources to cope with these stressors. There are winners and losers as well as identifiable at-risk groups that need particular attention. (4) Besides the negative consequences, the pandemic has had a positive impact. The rapidly applied innovations within the system of healthcare responses provide a window of opportunity for positive changes in mental healthcare policies, strategies, and practices. The increased focus on mental health during the pandemic may contribute to the prioritization of mental health issues at policy-making and organizational levels and may reduce stigma. (5) A stress- and trauma-informed response to COVID-19 is required. The European community of psychotraumatologists under the leadership of ESTSS plays an important role in promoting stress- and trauma-informed healthcare and policies of pandemic management. Based on the lessons learned, we propose a stepped-care public mental health model for the prevention of adverse mental health outcomes during pandemics. Population mental health is affected differently in the COVID-19 pandemic: there are winners and losers, as well as identifiable at-risk groups that need particular attention. A stress- and trauma-informed public mental health stepped-care model can address pandemic-related mental health burden in a systematic way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the 1990s until the pre-COVID-19 outbreak, commercial nightlife has become central to the urban branding, and tourism marketing strategies of many European cities. However, the night-time leisure industry has stalled in Europe as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the unprecedented lock-down and physical distancing measures imposed by several national governments. This short paper aims to picture the uncertain scenario that the nightlife industry of Europe, and Portugal, might have to face in post-pandemic times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disease mapping seeks to represent the risk of a disease. This paper focuses on the spatial analysis of risk for pandemic COVID-19 in Europe and the Mediterranean. Morbidity and mortality data for 54 countries in ratio format were used. Two hypotheses were considered, the first one is that the data are homogeneous and the second one is that the ratios are defined in a heterogeneous manner requiring the stratification on the basis of covariables and the methodology of Jenks' intervals. Spatial risk models were applied as well as methods for the representation of clusters. The results show that the best representation is obtained with the Poisson-Gamma Model under stratification. The variations in the ratios are due to the individual policies of each country for the management of the pandemic. The cluster analysis shows that there is a high mortality process in Eastern Europe. The behavior of the pandemic should be evaluated in the space-time process as well as in other heterogeneous and highly unequal regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maritime passenger transport is an important form of passenger transport, both for business and pleasure, but is often neglected in scientific literature. The main goal of this paper is to emphasize the importance of maritime passenger transport in Europe. In order to identify its main features and actors, i.e. the leading European countries and ports in the maritime passenger transport, separately for cruise and non-cruise transport, a quantitative analysis was carried out based on the data gathered from Eurostat and CLIA Europe. It was concluded that the features of maritime passenger transport in two main European regions, the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, differ significantly. Therefore, the final analysis of maritime passenger transport in Europe was conducted for each region separately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the principal features of climate is its spatial variability. Long distance travels are an essential part of life in contemporary societies. In 2012 tourism arrivals reached 1 billion people at the global scale. In a short time one can move to extremely different climatic conditions and one's organism is under great pressure of atmospheric stimuli which can be very different from those experienced at home. Spatial differences in climate stimuli need various adaptation strategies in humans. The paper considers adaptation strain in tourists from seven central and northern European cities travelling to the Mediterranean regions of Barcelona, Rome and Athens for the period 1991-2000. The Adaptation Strain Index (ASI) was applied for this purpose. Seasonal and spatial patterns of bioclimatic contrasts are considered. Summer was the season with greatest spatially differentiated adaptation strain, but in winter the need for adaptation was the highest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]