State-owned fuel stations are a recognition of regulatory failure

There are currently 3,200 fuel stations in Bulgaria and the country ranks ninth in the EU (excluding Croatia) according to the fuel stations’ number. However, in terms of the number of fuel stations per capita, our country is in second place, with 1 fuel station per 2188 people, ahead only of Greece. Source: Eurostat Of

What kind of signal European elections have sent

The elections for European Parliament have sent a very clear message to politicians from all political families and this message has two main points: a need of reforms and a further deepening of the integration processes within the European Union itself. The message concerning the need of reforms comes from the fact that traditional parties

Business opportunities in times of a crisis

Is a new economic crisis approaching and how deep will it be? According to world financial and banking institutions, as well as highlighted economists and analysts, the world is in the beginning of aseriouseconomic slowdown, which is expected to propagatefurther at the end of this year and the early next one. The latest argument, which

What is the relationship between neoliberalism and the global financial crisis and can critical theory help us to understand this contemporary crisis?

In the core of the term “neoliberalism” stands the understanding that the economic and social problems can be resolved by means of competitive markets[i]. The competitive markets are considered to be superior in regard to efficiency, justice, freedom, or a combination of them[ii]. Neoliberalism promotes substitution of government functions with services offered by private profit-seeking

Economic challenges before Bulgaria in 2019

On November 8 the European Commission published it autumn economic forecast for the EU economy up to 2020. As it was expected the EC forecasts slowdown of the EU economy during the three-year period 2018 – 2020, in line with the forecasts of IMF and other international financial institutions. Economic development of EU 27 (without

Brexit and its consequences on affected countries, including Bulgaria

As the process of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union accelerates, there are more arising questions concerning the different routes and scenarios which this monumental change could take, as well as its direct and indirect influence on major affected countries— the United Kingdom itself, in addition to other EU Member States, such as in

Economic and Political Risks before the Russian Federation

Crimea’s annexation by Russia, the severe opposition of Moscow to the rest of the world and most of all to USA and EU and the subsequent sanctions, raise the question would these sanctions affect in any way the main parties in the conflict? Considering the isolation that Russian fell into as well as the fact

Reforms, Law Enforcement and Power

No radical economic reform can be implemented without relevant laws to regulate the economic environment. Establishing the power of the law is one of the basic pillars of modern Western civilization, although it is hardly ever understood in Bulgaria. Here, people still believe that crucial reforms can be made without the need of strong legislation

What’s in the Basis of Economic Prosperity?

This analysis will compare 30 European member states in terms of certain macroeconomical indicators, as shown in the enclosed table, for finding out a dependency regarding their tax systems and the level of their economic development. As I hope the analysis will show, economic prosperity is not based by all means on the type of

GERB’s Reformer Hypocrisy

They say GERB would be making reforms, should it win a second mandate. At a meeting between the government and the business, held on the 3rd of December, Mr. Simeon Dyankov asked the ministers what kind of reforms they were going to initiate, should GERB happen to win a second mandate. Since, for a full