Issue 6, 2020

This contribution examines the Chinese presence in the Western Balkans region – a country in the process of joining the European Union – the motivations, the methods of entry and the achievements of the Chinese companies which are present there. The impact of this presence is analyzed both in its economic aspects – trade, investment, construction of infrastructure – and geostrategics, in particular its impact on the integration of these countries, on the alternatives that it proposes in the face of the integration process led by the European Union.
JEL: F1; F5; F6; P2; P5

Attracting and retaining workforce in Bulgaria as part of the emerging integrated European labour market is characterized by a number of challenges related to both the level and dynamics of wages and the Quality of Working Environment. In the context of the multifaceted nature of the Quality of Working Environment concept in the present study, the emphasis is on the managerial capacity of the organizations to ensure both a convincing connection of the work results/achievements with the salary, as well as the compliance with the regulations of the labour and social security legislation. Thе survey results show that among the working-age population in Bulgaria, the negative attitudes dominate towards the offered in the organizations link between the work results/achievements and the salaries. The incorrect practices in the field of wages and social security “encourage” turnover and reduced motivation of employees with all the ensuing consequences on the attractiveness of organizations in Bulgaria as employers. Successfully overcoming these challenges should be considered as a contribution to improving the quality of the working environment and increasing the attractiveness of organizations as an employer with all the ensuing consequences on the decisions of individuals to participate in the workforce in Bulgaria.
JEL: J21; M12; M21

The current study is dedicated to the research of the differences in regional aspect in the development of educational infrastructure (by region and districts), which give a chance to evaluate the access to education at different levels. For this purpose, choice of indicators that reflect the coverage of the population on a different level of education have been made. As a result of the comparative assessment of the differences in the educational infrastructure between Bulgaria and the EU countries, it is found that at all levels of education there are positive changes, as on some indicators Bulgaria achieves/exceed the corresponding values of countries with closer or higher social-economic development. Detailed analyzes were conducted to identify regional differences in the access of children/students to pre-school and school education. An adequate place is given to the problem of drop-outs as a factor for reducing student coverage.
JEL: Н75; R58; I21; I25

The present study is devoted to the opportunities provided by the circular economy for the implementation of the integrated strategy for smart specialisation. At the end of the period of validity of the current strategy, it is imperative to monitor the extent to which the identified thematic areas in the strategy have fulfilled their purpose, as well as whether a change in them is necessary.
JEL: Q53; Q55; Q58; L59

Inclusion “fourth” Governance pillar in concept for understanding and assessment system of agrarian sustainability is increasingly justified in academic, government, international, and private organisations documents. In Bulgaria, practically there are no comprehensive assessments of governance sustainability of agriculture. This study tries to fill the gap and suggests a holistic framework for understanding and assessing the governance sustainability of Bulgarian agriculture. Newly elaborated approach is “tested” in a large-scale study for assessing governance sustainability of the country’s agriculture at national, sectoral, regional, eco-system and farm levels. It has been proved that it is important to include “missing” Governance Pillar in the assessment of integral and particular sustainability of agriculture and agro-systems of various type. Multiple Principles, Criteria and Indicators assessment of Governance sustainability of Bulgarian agriculture indicate that the Overall Governance Sustainability is at Good but close to Satisfactory level. There is a considerable differentiation in the level of Integral Governance sustainability of different agro-systems. Individual indicators with the highest and lowest values determine the critical factors enhancing or deterring particular and integral Governance sustainability of evaluated agro-system. Results on integral sustainability assessment based on micro and macro data show some discrepancies which are to be taken into consideration in analysis while assessment indicators, methods and data sources improved.
JEL: Q12; Q18; Q56

External and internal factors influence the potential of urban agriculture development. They lead to numerous effects and some of them stressed on the economic aspect. The benefits and effects of urban agricultural practices have an impact on people, society and the quality of life in the cities. The purpose of the article is based on the evaluation of the economic aspects of urban agriculture to propose conclusions about its economic benefits for people and society in Bulgaria. The study provides a literary review of various perceptions and authoritative views on the effect of urban agriculture from an economic point of view. The data is collected by qualitative methods of research connected to the economic aspects of urban agriculture and assessment is used for generalized conclusions about the economic benefits for people and society. The results are part of scientific project DN 05/18 Urban agriculture as a strategy for improving the quality of life of urban communities, funded by the Bulgarian Science Fund.
JEL: Q1; Q01

Bulgarian sheep husbandry is the most traditional occupation that helped people earning their living for thousands of years. It has laid the foundations of the crafts and industry in our country. The manuscript presents information on the measures taken by the European Parliament (EP) for the sheep husbandry development during the next decades. Detailed data on the state and development of sheep farming in Bulgaria for a period of 118 years are presented and recommendations are made in line with the theses from the EP resolution. The results of the study show that the sheep population in EC countries are declining by 2% annually. Compared to the 1980s, their number has decreased by 25 million. Sheep meat consumption in the EC has declined by 3.5 kg at 2 kg per capita. For the same period, a drastic decrease in the number of sheep and their products has occurred in Bulgaria. Compared to the 1980s, the number of sheep in the country was reduced by over 9 million. The total sheep meat production has decreased about 23 times, and that of sheep milk – 4.5 times. Consumption of sheep meat in Bulgaria decreased to 1.5 kg per capita. Sheep wool, which before the transition was a leading source of income, was removed from the group of main products and included in the by-products group.
From this part, it may be concluded that Bulgaria has a substantial natural resource of pastures and cultivable land for the development of a significantly larger scale of livestock husbandry as it had been at all stages of country's development. Raising animals on pastures could be a good source of revenue for people, providing higher added value and contributing to the revival of rural areas.
The next part of the paper presents information on the main economic indicators of dairy ewes and local autochthonous sheep breeds. The influence of the farming system on the ultimate economic results in the farms: extensive in the mountainous areas; semi-intensive in semi-mountainous areas and intensive for the plain regions of the country was studied. For this purpose, three of the most typical Bulgarian sheep farms with 300 ewes, 60 replacement female yearling sheep and 7-8 rams were selected. All natural and economic indicators were reported per one ewe.
Sheep subject of the study was from the Bulgarian Dairy Synthetic Population, which is the most typical representative of Bulgarian dairy sheep husbandry (65.9% of the population). The second breed is the indigenous Srednorodopska sheep – a most typical representative of autochthonous sheep farming with a relative share of 26.59%. Both breeds account for 90% of the national sheep population.
The results from the investigation of the three flocks reared under different geographic and technological conditions evidence a relatively poor economic effect. Sheep reared indoor all year round whose feeding was balanced, showed better economic performance.
The sheep breeds and farming systems, subject of the present study provide sufficient objective information for the present state of Bulgarian sheep husbandry. The results allowed making important conclusions on the future development of the branch and proposing directions for its successful development.
JEL: Q1; Q12; Q13

The present study aims to develop a methodology for the management of tourism regions created and registered in Bulgaria, based on the Concept for tourism zoning, from the point of view of the main and additional product specialisation. Based on established theoretic models, such as the descriptive and the conceptual, as well as on good practices of developed receptive and emitting tourism destinations, the current study creates a toolkit for future research and evaluation of the management of newly developed tourism regions, and in particular, the Sofia tourism region.
JEL: L83; L21; O26