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The topic of the article considers the functioning of the renewable energy (RE) sector in Poland. This is really important in the context of the energy transition of the national economy because it influences the creation of modern technologies and increases the competitiveness and innovation of the country. Poland is in a process of energy transition where the RE sector has been developing for two decades. The authors aimed to research the RE sector improvement possibilities in Poland, including the influence of this sector on chosen social and economic aspects. Because of this research's aim a critical situation assessment of RE in Poland was conducted and a survey of a group of experts in this field was also involved. Legal, physical and mental determinants and their influence on RE sector were looked into. In the legal determinant context a necessity to simplify relevant legislation acts in Poland was found. Undoubtedly there is a need to improve several legal acts, including the Distance Act. In physical determinants it was found that solar, wind and biomass energy have the biggest chances for development. In the case of mental determinants the authors paid attention to the need of educating the public about using and obtaining energy. It is also important to make people aware how the RE sector influences the low emission economy positively. This will improve the creation of new jobs and reduce the emissions of harmful substances to the environment.

We intend to contribute the empirical evidence in regard to identifying the impact of external environment on the activity of business angels in Czechia. Although prior academic studies have argued that e.g. overall economic growth, capital market, legal structures and the protection of property rights, corruption, innovativeness, the tax rate and labour market policy are the main determinants of the decision-making of business angels in the well-developed market, little is known about exogenous factors affecting behaviours of informal venture capitalists in Central and Eastern European countries. To our knowledge, we are the first who attempt to uncover the perception of changing economic conditions on business angel decision-making while using a qualitative survey research approach as primary data on business angels is currently not available. The results indicate that business angels pay little attention to the impact of the general macroeconomic conditions, as well as the role played by the capital market. They refer to 'critical' issues related to the difficult predictability of legislative changes. Dissatisfaction has also been expressed with the functioning of the public administration. Business angels also consider the current situation on the labour market and public education policy to be serious barriers to business development in the Czech Republic.

This study aims to understand how Covid-19 contagious disease and the EU's policy response may affect macroeconomic performance. Previous studies on this topic have used historical data sets on "rare macroeconomic disasters" such as Great Influenza to assess the impact of the current pandemic on the global economy. The authors examine the main channels of transmission and targeted policy response to mitigate crisis qualitatively. The authors use heuristics and apply qualitative trend-based analysis because the current pandemic is a unique event for which accurate quantitative data are not currently available. Researchers first identify a set of eight variables based on previous academic theories. They then express each variable as a trend: ascending, descending, and constant. The numerical calculations consist of 17 scenarios, supplemented by 24 transitions and a transition graph. Besides, the article proposes a graphical solution to examine the change in GDP that is too small. The results of the study should be understood as a reference point to allow both private and public stakeholders to understand better the relationship between the observed variables and their dynamics. The research provides a comprehensive list of future events to examine further the implications for the economy as a whole and each individual.

This study aims to understand how Covid-19 contagious disease and the EU's policy response may affect macroeconomic performance. Previous studies on this topic have used historical data sets on "rare macroeconomic disasters" such as Great Influenza to assess the impact of the current pandemic on the global economy. The authors examine the main channels of transmission and targeted policy response to mitigate crisis qualitatively. The authors use heuristics and apply qualitative trend-based analysis because the current pandemic is a unique event for which accurate quantitative data are not currently available. Researchers first identify a set of eight variables based on previous academic theories. They then express each variable as a trend: ascending, descending, and constant. The numerical calculations consist of 17 scenarios, supplemented by 24 transitions and a transition graph. Besides, the article proposes a graphical solution to examine the change in GDP that is too small. The results of the study should be understood as a reference point to allow both private and public stakeholders to understand better the relationship between the observed variables and their dynamics. The research provides a comprehensive list of future events to examine further the implications for the economy as a whole and each individual. First published online 26 April 2021

This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydropower in the East European Region: Challenges and Opportunities ; The present paper indicates that hydropower, including small hydropower plants (SHPs), may play a very important role in Poland's energy transformation in the near future. The development of SHPs may also increase water resources in the steppe Poland. Additionally, the aim of the present research is to conduct the PEST analysis of SHPs in Poland, taking into account the SHP potential. For the first time, maps showing the power and location of potential SHPs on the existing dams in Poland are presented. SHPs should be an important element of energy transition in Poland, especially on a local scale—it is stable energy production. Our analysis shows that there are 16,185 such dams in Poland, while the total capacity of potential hydropower plants in Poland would be 523.6 MW, and the total number of new jobs is estimated at 524. It was calculated that the annual avoided carbon dioxide emissions will amount to 4.4 million tons, which will reduce Poland's emissions by 1.4%. The construction of SHPs can bring significant environmental and economic benefits. As far as the PEST analysis is concerned, the political environment of SHPs in Poland can be described as unfavorable (2.86 points). The economical nature of PEST analysis (3.86 points) should be considered as friendly for the development of SHPs. The social nature of PEST analysis can be considered as neutral (3.36 points). The technological nature of the PEST analysis can be considered as neutral (3.21 points).

The subject matter discussed in the article concerns the problem of the energy transformation of the European Union (EU) countries. In the case of the EU, the energy transformation has specific characteristics due to formal legal and institutional provisions. This means that the member states are obliged to implement the adopted Community Energy Strategy, which was defined under the European Green Deal. According to the EU policy, all member states are to have climate-neutral and zero-gas-emission economies by 2050. The energy transformation is to be largely based on the diversification of the energy sources used, with a dominance of renewable energy sources (RES). The article presents a research problem, where the question was asked whether achieving climateneutral energy independence based solely on RES is possible at the regional level. It seems that the positive answer is an important argument in the discussion about the possibility of all member states achieving the goals set under the European Green Deal. Additionally, stating the possibility of energy independence from RES for a selected region is an important argument to promote just and bottom-up initiatives in order to carry out the energy transformation more effectively. The assessment of the energy potential from renewable sources at the regional level was carried out on the example of a selected NUTS 2 region, the Greater Poland Voivodeship in Poland. The main objective of the study is to analyze the possibility of obtaining independence from RES by the selected Greater Poland Voivodeship. The implementation of the objective consists of determining the energy potential from RES in the Voivodeship under study on the basis of the methods of a geographic information system (GIS). GIS methods were selected due to the fact that they allow for the spatial positioning of point, line, and surface structures in relation to the potential of RES, thus ensuring high accuracy of the obtained estimates. The analysis carried out in the study shows that the technical potential of RES in the Greater Poland Voivodeship is higher than the current electricity and heat usage. This means that by focusing solely on RES in the region, the Greater Poland Voivodeship can fully meet the energy demand thanks to its green resources. It should be emphasized that the Greater Poland Voivodeship is one of the coal-dependent regions in Poland that has already prepared a structured plan of just transformation. A locally and bottom-up prepared strategy assumes the conversion of the region from a "Coal Energy Region" into a "Green Energy Valley" in which economic development will be strictly connected to RES energy independence.