Abstract: This article analyzes the research on European youth policy. The subject of the study is the main trends, typology, and principles of functioning of youth "transitions" in European countries. The need to study the phenomenon of youth "transitions" is relevant and timely as today, there is no generally accepted view on the ways to study these processes. The methodological basis of the study was analysis and synthesis, as well as institutional, systemic, and comparative approaches. Based on the studied material, the authors conclude that when considering strategies for youth "transitions," it is necessary to consider several institutional areas, such as the type of socially-oriented state and the specifics of the transition from study to work. The interaction of these strategies provides different models of youth transitions. These studies highlight important interethnic differences depending on the modes of distribution of social assistance, types of capitalism, as well as growth strategies. Thus, we have considered various strategies for structuring the transition to adulthood: to explain the different models of youth "transitions," it is necessary to consider several institutional areas, such as the type of socially oriented state and the specifics of the transition from study to work. The interaction of these strategies gives different models of youth transitions. Although many European researchers argue that age policy is important in this regard due to the aging of society and the growth of "gray power," most of the works devoted to this issue actually refute the hypothesis of bias in favor of the elderly: these studies emphasize important interethnic differences depending on the modes of distribution of social assistance, types of capitalism, as well as growth strategies. As a result, we conclude that young people should be considered part of society as a whole, and, therefore, to understand how they move into adulthood, it is necessary to see the full institutional, political, and economic picture.

Abstract: This article analyzes the research on European youth policy. The subject of the study is the main trends, typology, and principles of functioning of youth "transitions" in European countries. The need to study the phenomenon of youth "transitions" is relevant and timely as today, there is no generally accepted view on the ways to study these processes. The methodological basis of the study was analysis and synthesis, as well as institutional, systemic, and comparative approaches. Based on the studied material, the authors conclude that when considering strategies for youth "transitions," it is necessary to consider several institutional areas, such as the type of socially-oriented state and the specifics of the transition from study to work. The interaction of these strategies provides different models of youth transitions. These studies highlight important interethnic differences depending on the modes of distribution of social assistance, types of capitalism, as well as growth strategies. Thus, we have considered various strategies for structuring the transition to adulthood: to explain the different models of youth "transitions," it is necessary to consider several institutional areas, such as the type of socially oriented state and the specifics of the transition from study to work. The interaction of these strategies gives different models of youth transitions. Although many European researchers argue that age policy is important in this regard due to the aging of society and the growth of "gray power," most of the works devoted to this issue actually refute the hypothesis of bias in favor of the elderly: these studies emphasize important interethnic differences depending on the modes of distribution of social assistance, types of capitalism, as well as growth strategies. As a result, we conclude that young people should be considered part of society as a whole, and, therefore, to understand how they move into adulthood, it is necessary to see the full institutional, political, and economic picture.

Abstract: Energy resources are becoming an increasingly politicized commodity, which at the same time retains special technical and economic characteristics, which complicates the work of the foreign policy leadership. Using a cognitive approach to foreign policy analysis, the authors conduct a study of the relationship between energy and foreign policy through the prism of different cognitive structures used by subjects to assess the landscape of the world energy. On this conceptual basis, the authors explore the evolution of the relationship between energy and foreign policy: how much energy is a useful tool of foreign policy, and, conversely, how deeply the goals of energy policy are embedded in foreign policy and affect the sphere of energy security. The main results of this study should be considered the conclusion of the authors that in order to distinguish energy as a foreign policy area, it is useful to distinguish between short-term and long-term energy vulnerability. The degree of long–term vulnerability is determined by the availability of real alternatives - the ability to diversify energy routes and sources.
Thus, energy security is the dominant, but not the only factor determining energy as an area of foreign policy. The problem of energy sustainability is penetrating deeper into the world foreign policy agenda, since it is related to energy independence. Thus, depending on the influence of environmental beliefs on political, economic and social structures, energy sustainability can affect energy needs, energy imports, and hence energy independence. In addition, discussing the importance of energy sustainability, first of all it is necessary to focus on the problem of security, since energy sustainability is associated with the influence of internal resource consumption on the level of energy independence, and energy security focuses on the influence of external factors on ensuring sufficient energy supplies, and hence on energy independence.

Abstract: The subject of this research is the analysis of the work of the European “brains trust” necessary for the preliminary assessment of the relevance of the expert-analytical activity in the European political space, as well as an aptitude for generating ideas and provision of the required information on the pertinent issues of the European Union. The article examines the EU political system, as well as formal and informal political processes, within the framework of which the political entrepreneurs attempt to influence the EU policy. In addition to that, the authors conduct identification of the types and levels of the think tanks activity of the European Union, specificities of their work in particular “areas of effect”.  Considering the set tasks, this work uses the traditional for humanitarian disciplines methods of comparative analysis, case studies, theory of political decision-making, etc. The conducted analysis allowed acquiring an idea about the trends of development and work of the think tanks oriented at the European Union. Taking into account the high level of competition within the political environment of the European Union, we can suggest that in the midterm perspective only the large, well-structured, and finances think tanks will be able to continue their existence. One of the most noticeable trends of modernity consists in the expansion of research dedicated to the European Union in the programs of the national think tanks, which reflects the growing influence of the EU policy.