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Compared with the other central and eastern European countries - Hungary, Czech and Slovak republics and Poland, foreign investment turns to be a new phenomenon for the Bulgarian economy. Thus the public opinion on it is in a process of forming. The role of researchers, different studies, the mass-media and foreign investors, themselves, in inspiring public support and acceptance of foreign investment is of great importance. This will contribute to the success of investments that have been made as well as to their further attraction to the country.
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In recent years, curbing corruption is a top priority of most international institutions. The European Union attaches paramount importance to the problem of corruption in the two successive waves of accession in 2004 and 2007. The pre-accession process has prompted the European Commission to develop its own mechanism to assess the progress of anti-corruption reforms. Like many other key areas for the functioning of the internal European market, the development of EU anti-corruption policy has logically led to the creation of a single European methodology for defining standards for measuring corruption.
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This analysis represents the results of a specialised study of the educational integration of refugee and asylum-seeking children (RASC) in the Member States of the European Union, conducted in 2011 by the Center for the Study of Democracy within the framework on the INTEGRACE project. With regard to Bulgaria, the main approaches, mechanisms and deficiencies in the system for educational integration of RASC were presented and recommendations for its improvement were given.
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Trafficking in persons is a lucrative crime and a gross human rights violation, which affects all EU Member States. Trafficking in children merits special attention of anti-trafficking efforts as children are especially vulnerable to trafficking, re-trafficking and victimisation and the number of children trafficked throughout the EU is on the rise. Investigation, protection and prevention measures for child trafficking are especially needed as the exploitation of children and violation of their rights have dramatic negative effects on children and society as a whole. While there is some empirical evidence on trafficking in human beings for the purpose of sexual exploitation of women, other forms of trafficking have not drawn attention of researchers, academics and policy makers. This means that victims of exploitation fall outside the radar of identification and thus cannot access the available assistance. Having this in mind, a consortium of seven partner organisations3 sough to explore three specific under-researched forms of child trafficking in order to contribute to the knowledge on how and why children fall prey to exploitation. The three forms studied are child trafficking for the purpose of begging exploitation, child trafficking for the purpose of pick-pocketing and child trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation of boys.
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The national and regional energy security of Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries has become a hot topic of discussion in the EU recently, focusing the attention of experts, policy makers, and the general public on ongoing and future energy projects but also on the features of energy governance in these countries. The interruption of gas supplies to Europe as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian pricing dispute in 2009, the continuing Russian-Ukrainian crisis after the annexation of Crimea, and the EU-Russia controversies regarding the South Stream pipeline project, as well as Gazprom’s non-compliance with the EU regulations in several anti-trust cases in the past few years are the major cornerstones that shape the CEE energy security framework and policy options as the region remains heavily dependent on Russian oil, gas, and nuclear technology. At the same time, the fragile democratic traditions in the CEE countries, the existing networks of political protectionism and economic oligarchy, and the opaque business practices nurtured by corruption and links with organized crime, have been reinforced by the negative implications of Russian economic and geo-political influence. Russia has exploited its dominant position in the energy market and its long-term links with certain political and economic groups to shape political decisions across the region according to its own interests, but often to the detriment of the home country consumers. The current review of energy security risks in four selected CEE countries, two energy poor – Bulgaria and Serbia, and two energy-resourced– Romania and Ukraine, assesses the factual situation per se and the transparency and accountability of energy policy governance in the region.
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The national and regional energy security of Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries has become a hot topic of discussion in the EU recently, focusing the attention of experts, policy makers, and the general public on ongoing and future energy projects but also on the features of energy governance in these countries. The interruption of gas supplies to Europe as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian pricing dispute in 2009, the continuing Russian-Ukrainian crisis after the annexation of Crimea, and the EU-Russia controversies regarding the South Stream pipeline project, as well as Gazprom’s non-compliance with the EU regulations in several anti-trust cases in the past few years are the major cornerstones that shape the CEE energy security framework and policy options as the region remains heavily dependent on Russian oil, gas, and nuclear technology. At the same time, the fragile democratic traditions in the CEE countries, the existing networks of political protectionism and economic oligarchy, and the opaque business practices nurtured by corruption and links with organized crime, have been reinforced by the negative implications of Russian economic and geo-political influence. Russia has exploited its dominant position in the energy market and its long-term links with certain political and economic groups to shape political decisions across the region according to its own interests, but often to the detriment of the home country consumers. The current review of energy security risks in four selected CEE countries, two energy poor – Bulgaria and Serbia, and two energy-resourced– Romania and Ukraine, assesses the factual situation per se and the transparency and accountability of energy policy governance in the region.
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Improvement of registration of non-profit organisations (NPOs) – associations and foundations, is a necessary precondition for strengthening the civil society and increasing its transparency and accountability. An easy and simple registration procedure, with no duplication of information and functioning automatic exchange of data, is an important stage in the establishment of a modern registration system. It also guarantees the availability of reliable and up-to-date information on all registered entities.
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The role of Bulgarian media in public life came under scrutiny after several media outlets were used as an instrument for triggering political crises and for political engineering (2013 – 2014). At that time, the Bulgarian media market was experiencing the impact of two negative trends. On the one hand, the economic crisis of 2009 – 2013 had cut advertising revenues by half. On the other, the old models of media financing were diminished by the use of digital technologies and the explosive growth of social networks and mobile communications. The loss of financial sustainability by the media presented unique opportunities for Bulgarian oligarchic groups. By accumulating a significant share of the media market, they reached an unprecedented level of political influence (including direct influence on the legislative, executive and judicial powers). The media was used as an instrument for state capture that could present severe security and economic risks.
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For all criminal offences related to drugs, even for possession of small quantities intended for personal use, the main sanction according to Bulgarian criminal law is imprisonment. Unlike in Norway, non-custodial penalties in Bulgaria such as probation have extremely limited scope of application for drug-related offences. At the same time, other alternatives to imprisonment are virtually non-existent.
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After Bulgaria joins the EU in 2007 the country will receive access to the Structural Funds (SF) and the Cohesion Fund of the European Union (EU), which are the main instruments for reducing the economic and social disparities within the Union. The effective management of these proceeds entails good knowledge of the EU Funds’ requirements and thorough preparation at national, regional and local levels both by the public and private sectors, including the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In 2000 in Lisbon, the European Commission and the EU Member States agreed upon the ambitious goal that by 2010 the European Union would have to become the most dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world . The instruments and mechanisms to achieve this goal have been outlined in the Lisbon Strategy of the EU. In 2005, an interim review on the progress of the Lisbon Strategy was done, based on which it was concluded that the Union was falling behind in some of its basic parameters, and that the gap between the EU and the leading innovative world economies of the United States and Japan was broadening.
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In prison, certain groups of inmates are subject to disadvantages due to specifics of their origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, etc. These groups usually need special treatment, which is not always provided, which leads to unequal treatment and violation of their rights. This handbook examines the situation of such vulnerable groups within the prison systems of Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Lithuania and Spain. Starting from the classification of the UN Handbook on Prisoners with special needs and looking at the different national contexts, the authors identify different groups as vulnerable in different countries. In order to encompass as many groups as possible, their list was extended to include some particularly marginalised groups, such as sex offenders, prisoners with disabilities, etc. Each group is viewed in context, explaining the situations of vulnerability both generally and in the selected countries. From one side, the handbook presents the efforts for compensation of vulnerabilities in every country available in the legislation or provided by prison authorities or other actors. From the other side, it identifies the gaps in the measures and practices, which vary both from country to country and from group to group.
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Prof. Georgy Fotev is a Bulgarian sociologist. His scientific works are in the areas of theory and history of sociology and the disciplinary fields of modern sociology. The focus of the research interests of G.Fotev is the nature of sociology as a multiple paradigm science. Another major theme in the works of Georgy Fotev is the dialogue as a base and horizon of multiple paradigm sociology. Georgy Fotev has publications in the fields of historical sociology, sociology of politics, ethnosociology, the crisis of legitimacy, sociology of values, etc. His books "The long night of communism in Bulgaria" and "Bulgarian melancholy" throw light on the dramatic fate of the Bulgarian national society. Georgy Fotev was Minister of Education and Science (1991 - 1992). He is professor emeritus of New Bulgarian University. In 2003 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the American University in Bulgaria. Mankind is shaken by a multitude of uncertainty. There is an increasing perception that uncertainty becomes permanent. The focus is on the existential, social, political, economic, global and other basic varieties of human uncertainty. The author explores the fundamental conditions of human uncertainty and the main forms of her manifestation and experience. The phenomenon is seen in the light of the new science of chaos and complexity in the context of the risky society/world, in terms of catastrophic consciousness and the conditions of crisis types. Particular attention is paid to trust as a fundamental social attitude and condition against decadent attitudes and nihilism.
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The monograph attempts to provide an empirically grounded answer to a number of discussional scientific issues related to individual decision-making differences by building a comprehensive conceptual model and constructing a specifically selected toolbox as a prerequisite for creating an empirically validated methodology in the field of research of individual differences in decision-making. Original empirical results have been obtained confirming that the style of decision-making is not identical to cognitive style (nor is it a subset, but contains a cognitive component that does not exhaust any of the styles) and is related to mental self-regulation due to individual differences, generated by the ways of satisfying the hedonistic motif (regulatory focus and fashion), the need to control excitement (stress control), and the need for connectivity and increased self-esteem. These results are a prerequisite for the further development of individual decision-making research as well as the decision-making theory itself, because it allows for a fuller consideration of individual differences and their interaction with the characteristics of the situation and the problem that is being solved.The methodological basis of the study is the cognitive survival theory of Seymour Epstein. The results and theoretical summaries obtained empirically confirm the validity of the global personality theory that has the potential to explain new scientific problems, incorporating private theories such as E. Tory Higgins' motivational theory and Mark R. Leary's sociometric mechanism.
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The chapter presents a socio-demographic analysis of the population from the Romanian territory adjacent to the Danube.
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In order to gain a clear understanding of the social structure of the Yugoslav state, the origins of South Slav society and its subsequent evolution must be examined. Two points should be borne in mind: first, Yugoslav society is now and always has been predominantly rural; second, social relations are based primarily on ancient Slavic traditions as modified by the codes of the medieval kings.
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The Jubilee International Scientific Conference on the "Economic Science, Education and the Real Economy: Development and Interactions in the Digital Age", held on 11 – 12 May 2020, is dedicated to the 100th anniversary оf the University of Economics-Varna. Against the background of the cultural and economic rise from the end of the XIX and the beginning of the XX century, on May 14, 1920 the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Varna decides to open a Higher School of Commerce in the city. This marks the beginning of higher economics education in the country. For the period of its existence the university has trained over 155,000 specialists with successful self-realization in the country and abroad. Today, more than 8,000 Bachelors, Masters and Doctorates from 52 countries study in 27 Bachelor's, 29 Master's and 16 Doctor‟s programs. One hundred years for a Bulgarian university is a remarkable anniversary. Some European universities have a much longer history, but when we give assessments, we must always consider the historical context. From this point of view and within the post-liberation period, 100 years of existence, for a Bulgarian university, is a remarkable achievement. The University of Economics – Varna is one of the oldest universities in Bulgaria and the university is rightly proud of its history. The Jubilee International Scientific Conference is focused on digitalization and all those profound transformations it causes in the economy and society. The theme of the conference has been chosen in the period preceding the outbreak of the global coronary virus pandemic. This is important to note because the current economic situation has changed dramatically. As a result of the state of emergency and the imposed social isolation, the economies all over the world have entered a recession. The business, our social and cultural lives have come to a standstill. The economic crisis that has begun is unprecedented both in its cause and most likely in its scale and scope, and it is currently confronting us with specific economic problems. But we believe in science and medicine, in the human mind and intelligence, and we have no doubt that the epidemic will be brought under control and sooner or later the world will return to normal. Then the fundamental determinants of economic activity shall start to operate, one of which is the ongoing process of digitalization. The present economic situation has confronted us with specific economic problems, but it has also shown in a clear and unequivocal way how important new technologies are in modern life, in particular in the conditions of emergency and social distance. It is in these conditions that all our communication, the opportunity for public institutions to continue with their work, online university and school education, etc. rest on digital technologies today. This conference has also been made possible by modern technology. The crisis, from a certain point of view, has given a new impetus to the digitalization of society. In the context of current events and the explanations given above, the topic of the conference is focused on the long-term development of the economy and society as a whole. The scientific event aroused considerable interest. The conference was attended by 340 scientists, researchers, lecturers, PhD students and students from 23 Bulgarian and 15 foreign universities and research organizations from Germany, Lebanon, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia and Ukraine, as well as representatives of business and various institutions. Plenary reports of the conference have been presented by: Prof. Evgeni Stanimirov PhD - Rector of the University of Economics – Varna, "Quo vadis, education?", Prof. Daniela Bobeva PhD, Institute for Economic Research at BAS, "Costs and Benfits of Euro Adoption in Bulgaria: lessons Learned from the Long Path of Bulgaria to the Euro' Mr. Plamen Rusev PhD, one of the successful alumni of the University of Economics-Varna, Executive Chairman of the Webit Foundation and a member of the Board of Directors of Endeavor Bulgaria, addressed the plenary session with a speech on "Bulgaria – a platform for creating global initiatives." The proceedings covers 263 reports, in 4 volumes. The range of problems in the reports is wide, in line with the idea of the scientific forum: to analyze the manifestation of digitalization not only in business and economy, but its social, institutional and legal aspects, as well. A very important part of the conference is the reports that examine the impact of digitalization on education and science.
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Young people are often exposed to various life situations that gradually come during their lives. The quality of life of young people in Slovakia is conditioned by several areas of social policy therefore, these issues are very important for research. The aim of the paper is to point out the analysis of selected factors (areas) that affect the life situations of young people in Slovakia. We pay attention to the areas of support and protection of the establishment of young families and preparation for parenthood, support of employment of young people and support of housing policy of young people. In this paper we work with the analysis of secondary data, which relate to selected monitored areas focused on young people in Slovakia. The data we use in the article are of a quantitative character. We will use the method of analysis, synthesis, induction and deduction to achieve the set goals. Another key method that we use in the paper is descriptive statistics (Rimarčík, 2007; Chajdiak, 2010; Marek, 2015). In Slovakia, the issue of young people often appears only as a political issue. In scientific discourses, the issue of young people is addressed in isolation, as evidenced by several contributions from the authors. The authors of this paper present the problems of selected factors (areas) influencing the perspectives and reality of young people in Slovakia in an integrated manner.
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The research follows the evolution of the number of legitimate athletes, of the number of coaches and of the number of departments (clubs) within two sports federations: the Romanian Basketball Federation and the Romanian Handball Federation. The statistics show a different dynamic regarding the number of legitimate athletes in the period 1992-2019, the study making a comparison between the two federations in terms of management programmes and the impact thereof on the dynamics of the number of athletes, coaches and number of departments.The research started from the hypothesis that the type of management and marketing applied at the federation level is very important because it directly influenced the existence of the number of clubs, coaches and implicitly the number of legitimate athletes, in the context in which both federations are national structures under the control of the Ministry of Youth and Sports and funded from a single source, to a large extent. The data were collected from the National Institute of Statistics of Romania, from the Ministry of Youth and Sports and from the website of the two Federations. The study refers to certain differences in the application of management and marketing strategies and the evolution of the 2 federations. The research also offers some explanations from a social, economic and political perspective of the dynamics of the compared parameters.
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