Issue 3, 2001

The study provides an additional explanation to the well-known facts for differences in performance among transition economies in Europe and especially for this inability of the Balkan transition countries to follow the Central European ones. It is argued that the prevailing fragmentation and conflict in the Balkan region, as well as the existing ethnic rivalry and regional instability are major factors that significantly impede growth, structural change, economic progress, transformation and development. It is presented a number of theoretical propositions and analyse some basic economic characteristics of the Balkan region related to market size, development potentials, trade relations and foreign direct investment. On the basis of these characteristics an attempt is made to highlight the costs and benefits of the options available to the individual countries in the region with respect to regional conflict or regional cooperation.
JEL: P20, F02, P52

The main objective of the study is to determine the place, weight and if possible the tendencies in the development of the sector of small and medium enterprises in Bulgaria in the period 1996 - 1999. The analysis is based on data from annual balance sheets and reports for incomes and costs of the firms, for which National Statistical Institute gathers information. Studied are the size structure of enterprises, their contribution to the Gross Added Value, sales, employment, export and import, analyzed are the profit, profitability, long-term material assets and debtness of the different groups of enterprises. Compared are the results by size groups, forms of ownership and branch belonging.
The results from the study show that the micro firms adapt easier to the conditions of the market economy and as a whole the size structure of the economy reaches the one in the EU countries.
JEL: M13, L11

Bulgaria wants to develop actively an international tourism. The successes in this direction depend mostly on the type and character of the tourist travels. They are the starting position for understanding, developing and managing of the tourism as a business.
This study analyzes the volume and structure of the international tourist travels to the country, their target determination, season fluctuation, used transport, duration and realized incomes. Revealed are positive as well as negative changes in the characteristics of the international tourist travels to Bulgaria in the transition to market economy in the period 1990 - 2000. special attention is drawn to their distribution to emitting markets and territorial concentration. On this base are mentioned the target tourist markets for Bulgaria. Formulated are conclusions, which can direct the interested institutions and economic agents to concrete marketing, financial-economic, strategic and other management decisions.
JEL: L83

The study includes data, analyses and estimations for the public area - economic, demographic, social, political, etc. in Bulgaria and its development in the transition to market economy and the democratization of the public relations (1989 - 1999), which made inevitable the pension reform and the new Code for the obligatory public insurance (COPI), valid since 01.01.2000. It also includes characteristics of the suggested in 1999 pension reform and new three-column system for pension insurance and mostly of its first (basic) column. The study has formulations and reasons for its main objectives, principles and most significant concrete norms and mechanisms, on which at favorable public environment, speed and extent of realization of its main objectives and principles depends. The study has also identification and analyses of the main factors, on which depends the regaining of the trust in the new pension system, regaining the social justice in the distribution of the pension incomes, increase of the total level of the pensions and the pension protection and financial stabilization of the pension system in short-term, middle-term and long-term perspective.
The publishing of the study allows the interested current and future research fellows, specialists and other readers:
• To get acquainted more profoundly with the main motives of the suggested and confirmed by the Parliament at the end of 1999 new model and architecture of the system for pension insurance, with its main objectives and principles, concrete norms and mechanisms, etc.
• To build or add to their own criteria and estimations for the reasoning and effectiveness of the pension reform, for the potential and really revealed achievements and weaknesses of the valid since 01.01.2000 COPI, for necessary additional discussions and corrections in some of the concrete norms and mechanisms of COPI and their parameters - in order to fasten the realization of the main objectives of the mension reform:
1. Regaining the social justice in the pension insurance.
2. Increasing the size and the level of the pension and the pension protection.
3. Financial stabilization of the system.
4. Fastened social integration of Bulgaria with the European Union in this extremely important and publicly significant area of the social policy and practice - the pension insurance.
JEL: J26

It is described the production boundaries in the System of National Account (SNA) and it is pointed the ways for their taking in its. It is considered the structuring in according to economics activities and institutional units.
It is investigated the economics structure of the SNA and embracing basic blocks and systems.
It is done cognitive analysis of the structural sections by means of the production is enveloped.

The study makes analysis of the influence of the Central bank on the economic development in connection with the bank system. With that end in view active money, interest rate, exchange rate, inflation and unemployment have been considered in the conditions of central banking and Currency Board. Economic essence of E-money have been also discussed. On the base of analysis of money politics of Bulgarian National Bank before and after introducing of the Currency Board have been produced some suggestions for changes in mechanism of its influence of the economic development in that country.
JEL: G21, O16