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Ivan Marinov
ANALYSIS OF THE BEHAVIOUR OF ONLINE CONSUMERS FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION: RELATIONSHIPS AND EXTREME VALUES
Abstract:
The present study aims to reveal relationships and extreme values concerning online consumer activity within the European Union. The conclusions of the research are based on official statistics relating to people from the 27 EU member states who made online purchases in 2022. The study utilised analysis of variance (ANOVA) and descriptive statistical methods to analyse the grouped data from the research. In the course of the study, statistically significant correlations between sequentially selected factors, such as age, education, and digital skills of the respondents, and the dependent variable – online purchasing activity of consumers from the EU, were derived.
With the help of a box plot, it is observed that the percentages of male and female online shoppers aged between 16 and 24 years from Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus reach moderately low extreme values in the distribution. Using the same graphical method, a moderately low extreme value of the percentage of women with higher education from Bulgaria, who made online purchases in 2022, is visualised. The percentages of online consumers who are "professionals" in the field of ICT from Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania are abnormally low, and for "non- professionals" in this field, the percentage of online consumers from Romania appears as a moderately low extreme value. The obtained empirical results can be transformed into reference points for the formation of market strategies by traders.
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Marajn Angeleski, Olivera Kostoska
DIGITAL LEARNING IN A POST-PANDEMIC ECONOMY: EVIDENCE FROM EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
Abstract:
Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has enabled countries to jump faster into the future of digital learning. However, the question arises as to what the lasting effects of the pandemic would be, in terms of what education will look like in the post-Covid era; will this way of learning become the ‘new normal’ or should the world immediately be returned to pre-pandemic mode of physical classroom.
Purpose: This article aims to address the above-mentioned challenge by examining trends, shifts, and changes in doing online courses or using online learning materials across European countries prior to the outbreak of the pandemic until the time when many countries removed the measures.
Methods: The analysis is based on Eurostat statistical data for 37 European countries regarding Internet use by individuals doing online courses and Internet use in general from 2019 to 2022. Aside from descriptive statistical analysis and distribution of data and trends, a cluster analysis is performed to examine how different groups of countries respond to pandemic-induced changes and how they can move forward in terms of digital learning practices. All statistical measurements are performed in the Python programming language using diverse set of libraries, including algorithm for conducting a cluster analysis.
Results/conclusions: The results suggest that during the temporary physical closures due to the pandemic, online courses were considered a safe backup system for learning and training, but the popularity of virtual courses declined as social restrictions began to ease. At the same time, the composition of clusters evolves over time, which points to changes in the dynamics of engagement in online courses among various groups of countries. Overall, the analysis made here represents a useful guide for formulating strategies to further promote and support digital inclusion and online education initiatives.
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Mariyana Pavlova Banova, Asen Bozhikov, Ivan Angelov, Iskren Tairov, Aleksandrina Borisova Aleksandrova, Kristina Georgieva, Mariela Stoyanova
INTEGRATING CRISIS MANAGEMENT MECHANISMS IN EUROPEAN COHESION POLICY
Abstract:
The series of challenges facing modern society posed by the consequences of the global economic crisis, the debt crisis in Europe, the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, etc. inevitably determine the relevance of research in the field of crises and the mechanisms for dealing with them.
The aim of this publication is to examine the effectiveness of the introduced crisis management toolkits within the EU. The research methods used are limited to the study of scientific knowledge on the relevant issue, critical analysis and expert evaluation of the adopted approach to recovery by the Community. As a result of the conducted research, the tools that the EU applies to deal with the negative consequences of Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine have been clarified. Priority areas for impact are identified depending on the applied mechanisms and new horizons for development are defined. In this context, the role of integrated territorial investments (ITI) in this process is also considered.
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Plamen Yordanov, Tanya Ilieva, Yordan Yordanov
THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC POTENTIAL
OF VOLUNTARY PENSION INSURANCE
IN BULGARIA
Abstract:
The aim of the study is to characterise the overall state and outline the development opportunities of voluntary pension insurance in Bulgaria. Research publications and officially disclosed empirical data for the period 2002 – 2024 have been used. The study examines changes in the number of insured individuals, the amount of the insurance contribution and the accumulated funds, the achieved returns, the share of net assets relative to GDP and to the total amount of household deposits, as well as the growth rates of managed assets and the amount of the insurance contribution compared to the growth rates of GDP, the average insurance income, and the amount of household deposits. It is concluded that voluntary pension insurance has not managed to provoke the desired widespread interest. The possible reasons for this are identified, and suggestions for its future development are outlined.
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Radi Dimitrov
CURRENT ISSUES IN ACCOUNTING FOR COSTS FINANCED BY THE EUROPEAN UNION FUNDS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Abstract:
Projects, financed by the operational programmes under the European structural and investment funds, provide funding to individual sectors and activities under condition with the aim to enhance integration, increase the quality of operations and services, develop human resources, and in the long run to improve social, economic and political situation in the European Union Member States. The study clarifies the main problems in accounting for costs in relation to the implementation of these projects in budget organizations in the country. The focus is on regulations on the eligibility of operations and activities in regard to the absorption of the EU financial support.
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Donka Zhelyazkova, Sergey Piddrubrivnyy
POSSIBLE SCENARIOS FOR DEVELOPING EU TRADE RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA
Abstract:
The study presents general scenarios for the future development of EU trade relations with Russia, which are conditionally marked as ‘stagnation’, ‘optimistic’ and ‘pessimistic’. The dynamics of the sanctions regime is used as a key indicator for distinguishing these scenarios. We associate the first scenario, called ‘stagnation’, with the expectations of a serious slowdown in the economic growth of the EU and Russia. The second, described as ‘optimistic’, is based on expectations for a gradual recovery and development of the trade relations between the two countries over a long period of time. The third scenario is defined as ‘pessimistic’, given the consolidated tightening of anti-Russian sanctions within the transatlantic alliance and the expansion of Russia’s countermeasures.
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Donka Zhelyazkova, Sergey Piddrubrivnyy
STAGES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF EU TRADE RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA
Abstract:
The study focuses on four main stages in the development of EU trade relations with Russia, covering the time horizon between 1992 and 2020. These stages are conditional and follow the analogy of the life cycle main stages (establishment, growth and maturity of relations). However, in connection with the reciprocal restrictive measures constituting a special interest in the context of the issues discussed in the study, the contemporary stage, conditionally called the period of challenges, is examined separately. The relevance of the topic and the importance of the problem are related to the strategic significance of EU trade relations with Russia and the intensity of trade, investment and financial flows migrating between them on the one hand, and to the need to revise these relations in the context of the modern economic and political environment, on the other.
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Nelly Stangacheva
THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF THE INVESTMENT DECISION OF KOZLODUY NPP TO EXTEND THE SERVICE LIFE
OF UNIT FIVE AND UNIT SIX
Abstract:
In the contemporary dynamically changing macroeconomic and legislative environment, the issue of the efficiency of the investment decision to extend the service life of unit five and unit six of the only enterprise in the Republic of Bulgaria which uses nuclear power in the technological process of generating electricity is of crucial importance. Considering the fact that the materialization of any investment is an essential prerequisite for accomplishing the major objective of a company while ensuring that sources of funding are rationally exploited, the behaviour of Kozloduy NPPP is undoubtedly defined in unison with the imperative regulations of Bulgarian legislation and the priorities of Europe 2020 Strategy which aim at achieving sustainable development by promoting a more resource-efficient, sustainable, and competitive economy.
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Radi Dimitrov
PROVIDING ACCOUNTING INFORMATION FOR THE AUDIT OF EUROPEAN UNION FUNDS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Abstract:
Professional players on the Russian market in microelectronics form temporary partnerships so that they can design and develop microelectronic devices with a certain life cycle. This paper proves that the capacity of such partnerships to develop successfully and to achieve the goals they have set depends on the stages of their development, i.e. the stages of a partnership life cycle. The materialisation of these partnerships refers to all stages of the technological value chain of microelectronic devices, which allows each professional player on the Russian market in microelectronics to perform their functions. Each stage of the partnership life cycle relates to specific features and key success factors. By analysing the stages of partnerships life cycles, it is possible to predict and identify potential problems in terms of the materialisation and development of inter-organisational relationships.
