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At present, tourism is one of the fastest growing industries worldwide. At the same time, tourism represents an important sector of the EU economy in terms of income, capitalization of all categories of resources, balanced monetary circulation, stimulating production in other economic sectors due to its inter-sectorial and multiplicative nature and employment, especially by facilitating the integration of vulnerable segments (young people and women) in the labour market. However, in an increasingly saturated marketplace, the development and promotion of European tourism must be guided by the sustainable development framework which focuses on the long-term competitiveness of the sector. Using a set of selective tourism indicators and the cartographic method, this paper investigates the impact (economic, social and environmental) of tourism in the member states and if tourism maintains the centre-periphery configuration of EU. The conclusions of this article draw several action lines for improving tourism sustainable development in EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environment is the basic factor to continue human survival and long-term prosperity of mankind is unthinkable if we are not able to ensure that future generations can enjoy the full benefits of nature. At the same time, development is needed to tackle poverty in developing countries and to empower people everywhere to live in a civilized manner in a more favorable environment. The aim of this article is to examine if the sustainable development indicators (greenhouse gas emissions, resource productivity and people at risk of poverty or social exclusion) have an impact on the economic growth and if there are significant discrepancies between countries in 2010 compared to the base year of analysis (2000), using this indicators. The analysis focuses particularly on the countries situated in Central and Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia). Based on the result obtained, the author shall try to trace, in the conclusion, a few guiding lines which could be of strategic importance for stimulating action and awareness that environmental protection and economic development must be contemporary concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]