The purpose of the study is to assess the impact of European integration processes in Ukraine on the development of investment potential and institutional maturity of rural communities. As a result of the analysis of strategic documents of all rural communities of Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv and Rivne regions, a low level of institutional capacity to attract investments was established. Based on the analysis of the strategies, programs, and investment passports of 79 united territorial communities, it is found that only 39.2% of them have approved development strategies, and 45% of communities have socioeconomic development plans. To assess the challenges and threats arising during the process of implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, the author's methodology was developed and the method of expert assessments was applied-the survey involved 75 experts from 20 regions of Ukraine. It is found that there are much more opportunities (59) than threats (17) at the level of rural communities. Such findings, together with low community activity in attracting investment and developing investment attractiveness, indicate that decentralization and new opportunities arising from European integration processes are still underutilized and are a sign of low institutional maturity of rural communities.

No abstract

The aim of this article has been to investigate the impact of supply chains on sustainable forest development. The results of the research carried out by the authors show that the supply chain ensures more sustainable use of forests and saves lumber from energy production. The article outlines the synergy between supply chain performance and the sustainable use of forest resources. With balanced supply chain processes, it is possible to achieve the sole usage of wood waste and non-productive wood for the production of energy. The authors of the article have compared the data on Lithuanian and Polish border regions and have developed a model for the supply chain effect on orests' preservation. The model demonstrates that supply chain reduces the amount of energy used in energy production and increases the use of wood waste to meet the energy needs of society.

No abstract

No abstract