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The main emphasis in the development of the EU economy over the past decade is placed on two challenges - globalization and the ageing population. The common basis for an adequate response to these challenges is the competitiveness of the European economy. On the one hand, the energy as a polyvalent resource plays an important role in the improvement of the competitiveness of each economic system. On the other hand, the provision of the economies with energy resources, i.e. their dependence on imported energy resources, is different. The possibilities of an economic system to increase its competitiveness while reducing its dependence on imported energy resources is determined by the ability to increase the efficiency with which energy resources are used. Energy efficiency is becoming a bridge between the competitiveness of an economic system and its dependence on imported energy resources.

The main objective of this study is to provide a theoretical and empirical framework for analyzing the relationship between economic growth and the property rights institute in different countries. The key idea is that property rights are multifarious and can be classified according to their role in economic development. These days it is the intellectual property rights that impact the economic development through propensity to innovate. However the protection of intellectual property rights does matter for economic growth only in a well-developed political and legal environment. We find that economic performance in high developed countries is to a greater extent contingent upon quality of the protection of intellectual property rights than in less developed economies. This finding raises an important question about the credibility of the preponderant approach based on a simple unification of countries with different institutional framework under one umbrella when analyzing their effects on growth. Such an approach may provide inconsistent and misleading results and lead to false conclusions and wrong policies.

In today‘s world international business, in all forms and modifications, is an integral and vital part of the economy of each country. It changes shape depending on the economic climate and the problems which need to be solved by any society individually and by humanity as a whole. In the last few decades what becomes more important is not just getting rich and achieving economic growth but achieving it through sustainable development, through protecting the environment and preserving it for the future generations. Major problem of modern society and economic development is the problem of environment protection and specifically how to prevent climate change, whose effects are of global significance. The present study briefly presents some of the changes in modern business practices due to the impact of the measures taken at international level to mitigate climate change. The impact that these measures have on the business activity of the international companies is discussed in brief. Some opportunities both to reduce companies’ environmental footprint and to enter new markets with new activities are described.

This study examines the CO2 emissions elasticity of income, population and Energy because it has become imperative for Africa to follow cleaner development pathways. The specified models, guided by the STIRPAT, EKC and EEO framework, are estimated by applying a dynamic regression technique. To minimise data attrition, different sample periods, between 1971 and 2013, are adopted for each 26 sampled African countries. The findings support the literature that environmental quality is a normal good in economies but do not support the neoclassical view that it is a luxury one. Economies in which a cleaner environment is found to be an inferior good are of higher threat to Africa’s environment than economies where a cleaner environment is a normal good. African countries with positive population elasticity depict a threat to having a cleaner CO2 environment in Africa. The study finds the EKC for 15 countries, the U-shaped relationship for six countries and a linear relationship for five countries. It, also, discovers that energy consumption, followed by affluence, is the primary driver of human-induced CO2 emissions in African countries while the population is a lower impact-factor than affluence and recommended that CO2 mitigation should relentlessly be made a regional, national and local focal issue.

Energy security and economic growth are two dependent indicators. Research and the creation of a set of methods designed to monitor the dependencies of these two indicators will lead to sustainable and predictable energy stability in Bulgaria. The assessment of these methods needs to be done by trained and highly qualified experts. Furthermore, the realization that energy supply planning, energy policy and energy security is a continuous process is a prerequisite for introducing innovative and reliable methods for enhancing the economic independence and growth of all sectors in our country.

The telecommunications industry is an integral part of the modern global economy. However, its role is significantly different from the influence of other sectors of the economy on the general pace of development of human civilization. The article discusses the state and prospects of the development of telecommunication services in Kazakhstan in the context of digitalization. Kazakhstan's telecommunications industry consists of a set of telecommunications networks and services that transmit information and implement telecommunications services to consumers. The aim of the article is to study the structure and trend analysis of the telecommunication market in Kazakhstan in terms of digitalization.

The efficiency is the major economic category, which measures the final result and the expenses related to the production and provides value expression. The article aims to analyze the prospects and conditions for the development of field vegetable production in Bulgaria. Field vegetable farming is a traditional and fast developing sector of the Bulgarian agriculture. Its condition and development is determined by the various natural and geographic conditions in the country and the experience in cultivating and farming vegetable crops, which are traditional for the Bulgarian population. The vegetable farming is organized in individual private agricultural farms and agricultural farming cooperatives and is performed in small areas. The crisis in the vegetable farming raised a lot of questions that need to be answered. It is necessary to overcome the decrease in vegetable production. This can happen by establishing efficiently operating organizational companies. The most important reasons for the reported decrease are the result of the improperly conducted reforms in the agriculture industry as a result of which the economic condition of the sector is declining. A serious flaw is that the farmers are selecting certain crop production without conducting any preliminary marketing and without any signed contracts for produce realization.

The current research is focused on the extremely urgent issue of adaptation to climate change in two of the most vulnerable sectors of Bulgarian economy, namely agriculture and tourism. The author presents a system of indicators which is the ground for evaluation of the adaptation preparedness at business and state level for each of the studied economic sectors and which helps identify the adaptation policy weaknesses and formulate recommendations for improvement. Based on the methodology used, the results of the study show that adaptation preparedness is alarmingly low in both sectors. Despite the fact that the majority of company representatives declare that they are already facing the negative consequences of climate change for their businesses and that they demonstrate high motivation for implementation of adaptation practices, the presence of various barriers prevents them from moving from the planning to the implementation phase of the selected adaptation strategy. On the other hand, state institutions are currently focused on an initial phase of research and planning of adaptation measures and currently are unable to support Bulgarian businesses in their efforts to adapt to climate change. Bulgaria lags behind most of the European companies such as Austria, Belgium, Germany, Malta, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and UK, which are quite advanced in terms of their climate change adaptation policies. This delay puts the competitiveness of the agriculture and tourist sectors under the risk of climate change threats.

Railway transport makes significant contributions to the economy of every country. Approximately 30 000 people are directly employed in this sector in Bulgaria, and the added value to the GDP amounts to approximately 2% (NSI, 2019а). Railway transport is crucial for a more sustainable transport sector, stable economic development, as well as social cohesion and connectivity of citizens. The article presents a study of the technical and operational factors for the work of railway transport as well as energy consumption during freights. The goal is to outline the way these indicators affect the stable development of railway transport and what their actual influence is in regard to carrying out railway passenger transport. The speed and energy efficiency of railway passenger transport have been analysed, as they will serve as the foundation for specific suggestions on how to carry out passenger transport in Bulgaria more effectively. JEL: R42, Q49

This paper proposes an innovative approach towards introduction of an up-to-date sustainable development philosophy founded on the principles of combination and balance of common and individual interests on multilateral perspective, i.e. individuals vs. organizations, public groups vs. governmental authorities, industry vs. macroeconomic development, nation states vs. international regional development etc. The optimal implementation of such an approach is imminently dependent on an authentic self-awareness of own identity, values, purposes and motivation for positive contribution to the common well-being. The author’s arguments are based on the conviction that when more individuals and organizations harness deeper understanding of the mutual benefits within their operations area and undertake collaborative efforts to solve common problem their steadfast long-term development may be secured even in times of social-economic-political-eco-etc. crises and within a dynamically changing environment. Main purpose of current article is the concentration of the research on looking for and applying the principles of consistency, exchange of good collaborative practices and consequently strategic and operational utilization of the synergy effect, systems thinking and the holistic approach. Collaborative efforts would lead to greater effectiveness and optimization that satisfies individual and common interests in multiple environmental dimensions. The study aims to analyze the potential of a new network paradigm for provision of effectively applied strategies within the contemporary sustainable development context. Some good practices within the area of joint development of sustainable strategic networks in tourism industry in Bulgaria are presented. A case study of a culinary and hospitality cluster recently established in the Dobrudzha region is about to demonstrates the strategic network viability and sustainability in a contemporary agricultural geographic context. Almatourism - Journal of Tourism, Culture and Territorial Development, Vol 5, No 3 (2014): Special Issue ItFits