Journal of Security and Sustainability Issues

The Russian Federation, with its plans to regain influence over former Soviet bloc countries, currently constitutes the main military danger for the EU and NATO. Because the war is so close to the EU’s borders, European allies have every reason to increase army financing instead of fuelling a transatlantic disagreement about burden sharing. This article deals with the question of whether the high strategic threat posed by Russia has increased military spending among European allies and decreased free-riding practices after 2014. To analyse this problem, we applied Spearman’s Rank Correlation test and then made a comparative analysis of 21 countries that are both EU and NATO members. Our results confirmed that European allies did not react in the same way to the Russian threat. We proved that strategic factors played a key role in the majority of Eastern European members of NATO, but not across Western European allies.

The article investigates the specifics of the military-industrial complex functioning in Ukraine. Theoretical analysis has shown that the development of the country’s defense industry and the state of enterprise`s financial security within this industry have a dual impact on various components of the national security system: is a realization tool of the national interests, which in turn creates opportunities for its strengthening, and it can also be a source of threats to the state`s economic security by its components due to the accumulation of internal negative elements on enterprises (insufficient development and low level of military products competitiveness, obsolescence of fixed assets at enterprises, etc), as well as due to the low ability of enterprises to respond adequately to the challenges arising from changes in external conditions and factors (disruption of sustainable cooperation, increased competition between different military products in domestic and foreign markets, etc). The activity legal framework, legal status and structure of the state concern “Ukroboronprom” have been defined. The strategic growth priorities of defense industry of Ukraine have been cleared up. The financial security of enterprises operating in the defense industry can be ensured not only by using passive mechanisms to resist internal and external destructive factors, but also by mechanisms of efficient interaction with the environment. This in turn allows the company to avoid the need to invest capital in sources of raw materials, production or creation of distribution channels. Access to certain technologies or knowledge, the advantages of narrow specialization and the possibility of increasing consumer value, these all are important reasons for establishing strategic cooperation between different companies.

This study basically examines the relationship between government external debt, corruption, and ECNG in selected five ASEAN countries, by estimating the magnitude and direction of the regression relationship, as well as the causal relationship. In addition, as a contribution in the direction of government and economic policymakers, this study intends to proffer recommendations as to the efficient management of public resources, in order to cushion the adverse effects of external indebtedness on other macroeconomic variables and welfare standards. Such effects include high cost of servicing, corruption, and capital flight, considering that investors fear being highly taxed when debts get to a certain level by the government. The findings of the study have revealed the fact that the the negative results on the economy, there is need for addressing the threat of increasing debt by the government through using alternative sources of capital investment. This can include economy openness for capital and relaxing the import restrictions and increased valuable exports. Investment can be increased in the domestic economy and wealth can be created through realizing the in-tax revenue from capital imported, which is against the interest payment on external debt. Moreover, the investment can increase ECNG, which results in transfer of technology to the domestic economy increasing the probability of more employment opportunities.

The article analyses conceptions of both, the economic security and financial security of the state, in respect to a recent increase of attention given to assuring the state’s economic security while emphasizing mostly the financial factor. Therefore, a thorough analysis on the two conceptions, as well as, on their interrelation, based on scientific literature, revealed that state’s financial security and stability can reflect the economic security of the state only to some extent. The performed scientific practical research verified the hypothesis, which emerged during theoretical research, that financial security and stability cannot fully ensure the economic stability of the state.

The article analyses an in-house procurement concept in the contexts of scientific doctrine, substantive law and legal practice. The Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on public procurement and repealing Directive 2004/18/EC is discussed in the part of provisions regulating cases where a public contract between public entities is not a subject to public procurement procedures. In addition, statistical data of in-house procurements in Lithuania are presented and threats of in-house procurement concept application as well as possibilities of improvement thereof are assessed.