Economic Archive

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  DEBT SUSTAINABILITY OF EU MEMBER STATES: A CLUSTER ANALYSIS

  The aim of this article is to perform a cluster analysis of the EU member states in terms of their public debt sustainability. To this end, the existing theoretical constructs related to the concept of debt sustainability were reviewed in to determine the advantages and disadvantages of certain indicators for assessing debt sustainability. In the ... The aim of this article is to perform a cluster analysis of the EU member states in terms of their public debt sustainability. To this end, the existing theoretical constructs related to the concept of debt sustainability were reviewed in to determine the advantages and disadvantages of certain indicators for assessing debt sustainability. In the course of the research, the methodological grounds of the analysis were defined and the countries were grouped into four clusters.

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  INVENTION AND PATENT ACTIVITY IN BULGARIA IN THE PERIOD 2012–2017

  Patents provide for serious protection for inventors, thereby enabling them, on the one hand, to recover costs faster and, on the other, to gain a larger market share or to protect existing positions in a competitive environment. In this regard, the purpose of the article is to identify the dynamics and trends in the invention activity of national ... Patents provide for serious protection for inventors, thereby enabling them, on the one hand, to recover costs faster and, on the other, to gain a larger market share or to protect existing positions in a competitive environment. In this regard, the purpose of the article is to identify the dynamics and trends in the invention activity of national and foreign applicants, and on this basis to draw conclusions and guidelines that would be useful for the business. The research uses a systematic approach, analysing data from the database of the Patent Office of the Republic of Bulgaria for the period 2012–2017. The survey shows that Bulgaria is of interest to patent holders mainly from the EU, US, Switzerland and JAPAN. On the other hand, the Bulgarian applicants are sufficiently active in the invention activity, which has an effect on the competitiveness of the national economy.

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  EUROPEAN CHEMICAL INDUSTRY – CURRENT STATE AND CHALLENGES

  The European chemical industry is one of the major and most important industrial sectors of the Community economy. The present paper aims to present an analysis of its current state and, on this basis, to highlight the main challenges it must address in the coming years. The presentation of the main characteristics of the chemical industry on a ... The European chemical industry is one of the major and most important industrial sectors of the Community economy. The present paper aims to present an analysis of its current state and, on this basis, to highlight the main challenges it must address in the coming years. The presentation of the main characteristics of the chemical industry on a global scale, which gives a clearer idea of the state of the industry as a whole also plays an important role in the study. The following main conclusions are drawn from the analysis made. First, an increase in the share of chemical substances and products in the EU’s total exports and imports, which determines the growing importance of the sector to the European Union. Second, the European chemical industry is still lagging behind China on a global scale due to a variety of reasons, including the country’s industrial policy and sector reforms. Third, in the future, the industry will have to cope with a number of challenges in areas such as the environment, international competitiveness, sustainable development and the circular economy.