Торговельно-економічні зв’язки Болгарії з країнами Європейського Союзу (1989 – 2021 рр.)

Abstract

UA : Об’єкт дослідження – аналіз соціально-економічного і політичного реформування в Болгарії після краху соціалістичної системи з метою подальшого вступу в Євросоюз. Предмет дослідження – торговельно–економічне співробітництво Болгарії з країнами Європейського Союзу. Мета роботи – метою роботи є дослідження впливу інтеграційних процесів до ЄС на економіний та соціальний розвиток Болгарії в контексті порівняльного аналізу стратегічних програм в умовах глобалізації. Поставлена мета передбачає такі науково-дослідницькі завдання: 1. виконати історіографічний та джерелознавчій аналіз наукової розробки даної теми; 2. проаналізувати загальну картину зовнішньої політики Болгарії на сучасному етапі та взаємовідносини з провідними країнами світу. 3. розглянути основні положення та засади співробітництва Болгарії та ЄС, проаналізувати усі ризики та переваги. 4. дослідити загальний економічний стан Болгарії на сучасному етапі, та вплив ЄС на його формування. Новизна роботи полягає у ретельному перегляді та дослідженні досвіду Болгарії у питаннях трансформації своєї політики та економіки на європейський лад. Було узагальнено основні дії політикуму країни у представленому напрямку і основні тенденції розвитку європейської економічної діяльності. Важливим, також, було вивчення впливу політичного аспекту на поведінку держави в тих чи інших гострих питаннях безпеки в економічній сфері, яке не завжди співпадало з матеріальним аспектом питання. Теоретичне та практичне значення дипломної роботи в тому, що вміщені в дослідженні підходи і отримані результати можуть знайти застосування в навчальному процесі – при розробці лекцій, спеціальних курсів, методичних рекомендацій на допомогу викладачам і студентам навчальних закладів, у тому числі магістерських програм. Положення і висновки дипломного проекту можуть бути використані органами державного управління при підготовці проектів подальшого розвитку співробітництва та партнерства в області міждержавних відносин, зовнішньополітичного і зовнішньоекономічного співробітництва. Висновки. Країна загалом має достатній вплив у регіоні, однак залишаються відкритими питання вирішення низки питань реструктуризації політики, економічної сфери та інтеграції у регіональні структури. З цього питання у країні проводиться інтенсивна політика пошуку нових альтернатив, що виражається у створенні нових економічних проектів та приєднання до європейських проектів у цій сфері. У зовнішній політиці явно видно європейський вектор співпраці, але в економічній сфері простежується загравання з іншими неєвропейськими державами, що інколи стає в розріз з загальноєвропейським баченням та переконаннями.

EN : A small state with a favorable geographical location on the dividing line between large countries and their blocs, with a transitional structure and economy, can act as an intermediary for rapprochement of its much more powerful partners. Bulgaria plays a role of a gateway state for the European Union. The Republic of Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula as a whole have historically played a very important role in the geopolitical dimension located almost at the junction of civilizations. In modern times, the Balkan territories continued their difficult journey, struggling to cope with the influence of the socialist camp and a desire to be in the European dimension. Finally, in the early 1990s, these countries were able to self-determine and further develop under the European vector, together joining the great cause of the European Union. The governments of the former socialist countries faced the most difficult tasks of stabilization, liberalization and institutional transformation. One of the most important issues was also the regulation of economic relations. With the adoption of many reforms to integrate the national economy into the world economy, some positive progress was made on this issue, which later resulted in its accession to the European Union. Relevance of the research topic. Globalization is an objective and natural process, one of the main factors of socio-economic progress, a system-forming element of world politics, involving all countries, including Bulgaria. The increase in the commonality of the world economy, complexity and intertwining of economic processes forces the search for new ways of defending national interests in the world market, which led to Bulgaria’s making an important solution of accession to the European Union (EU). The adaptation of the world economy to modern geopolitical realities poses new global threats and challenges. In this regard, the sphere of international relations is undergoing radical changes through transformation processes that have a direct impact on the development of countries. Thus, today’s realities include, above all, the growing role of globalization. Globalization is an objective process. In addition to globalization, another major process in the development of the modern world is regionalization, which significantly affects economic life as well as the political, social, cultural and civilizational consequences in the countries, especially those that are members of certain integration associations. These consequences are increasingly being felt by almost all countries of the world. Among them, in particular, is Bulgaria, which is fully consciously, actively and purposefully advancing on the path of integration into the world community and into the European space. Thus, the strategic development of the world as well as that of Bulgaria are influenced by globalization processes, which act as major processes in determining state strategy vectors. This is the only way, in which, under modern conditions, Bulgaria hopes to get the necessary support and defend its interests on the international arena. The conditions of cooperation involve the unity of national interests, similarity of socio-political systems, complementarity of economies, kinship of cultures, languages, historical traditions and religion. Therefore, the object of this study is the analysis of socio-economic and political reforms in Bulgaria after the collapse of the socialist system and transformation of the country with a view to further accession to the European Union. The research subject is the trade and economic cooperation of Bulgaria with European countries and further integration into the European Union. The purpose of the research is to study the impact of EU integration processes on the economic and social development of Bulgaria in the context of comparative analysis of the strategic programs under globalization. This purpose involves the following research tasks: 1. To perform the historiographical and source analysis of the scientific development of this topic. 2. To analyze the general picture of Bulgaria’s foreign policy at the present stage and its relations with the leading countries of the world. 3. To consider the main provisions and principles of cooperation between Bulgaria and the EU, analyze all risks and benefits. 4. To study the general economic situation in Bulgaria at the present stage, and the influence of the EU on its formation. The geographical framework of the research includes the territory of Bulgaria and the EU. The chronological framework. The lower chronological boundary set is 1989 due to the beginning of the Velvet Revolutions and reorientation of the Bulgarian political course towards the EU and NATO, which led to the transformation of the economy and rethinking of the relations with neighboring countries. The upper limit is set as the present time, i.e. 2021, when we can talk about the significant changes in the economy, namely in the fuel and energy sector of the country, and foreign policy guidelines. This period may have been fundamental for the Bulgarian national economy and for the country as a whole. It is planned to go beyond the chronological limits due to the need to solve certain problems. The research methods. The methodological basis of this work involves the methods of theoretical generalization (to study the processes of modern development of the world economy), comparison (in the analysis of the customs regulation systems in Bulgaria and the EU), systematization (to bring information material into a single system), statistical analysis methods (to study the development of foreign economic activities of Bulgaria with the EU). The novelty of the research paper lies in a careful review and study of Bulgaria’s experience in transforming its politics and economy into a European one. The main actions of the country’s political elites in the given area and the main trends in the development of European economic activities were summarized. It was also important to study the influence of the political aspect on the behavior of the state in certain acute issues of security in the economic field, which did not always coincide with the material aspect of the issue. The given topic is insufficiently studied in the historical literature. Most surveys on the problems of the EU enlargement to the East do not specifically address the problems of Bulgaria’s integration into the EU, limiting themselves to the theory of integration, legal aspects of the EU, problems of economic cooperation between EU member states, prospects for integration after the enlargement. Researchers only pay attention to the problems of Bulgaria’s integration in the framework of EU enlargement to the East and do not delve into the analysis of Bulgaria’s situation both before and after accession to the European Union. Conclusions. After conducting an in-depth analysis in the field of trade and economic relations between Bulgaria and the EU in recent years, in general, the period from the late 1990s to the present, the tasks set for our paper were fulfilled. Generally, the issues of global trade and economic cooperation are sharp and relevant. The period of time under study was marked by some profound economic and political changes for the Republic. Despite all the difficulties of economic development after the collapse of the world socialist system, Bulgaria has been able to develop more or less successfully due to the reforms in foreign and domestic policy. As a result of the political transformation in Bulgaria, the monopoly of the Communist Party was abolished, a multiparty system was formed, the Constitution was adopted, and a number of legislative reforms were carried out in order to achieve European standards. Bulgaria’s state apparatus has agreed to cease its monopoly regulation of the entire economic life, becoming only part of civil society, leaving most sectors of the economy, but retaining its regulatory role in it, focusing on creating a new legal framework, tax and social policy, supporting systemic transformation and the process of establishing a modern competitive market system similar to that which has long existed in the developed capitalist countries. The difficult period of Bulgaria’s transformation has radically changed the attitude of people and society, rebuilt the economic and political potential of the state. The source and historiographical basis for the implementation of this work included the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria, laws and regulations, state programs and national strategies, international treaties. A large number of articles, conference proceedings, and analytic materials of domestic and foreign researchers have been studied and analyzed. Domestic historiography is quite scarce in this regard, but we can still identify the main areas of economic cooperation within Ukraine – Bulgaria – EU, where the Republic is a kind of leader and mentor of Ukraine for European integration. Another important area of domestic research is the study of large-scale regional economic cooperation, based on the basic principles of economic development established within the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in the region. Membership in the EU, NATO, WTO and other international organizations has a positive impact on the political and economic integration of the country into the international community and the common trade and economic area of South-Eastern Europe. After the sixth enlargement, the disparity within the EU increased, as Bulgaria is the poorest member of the European Union. The gap in the level of socio-economic development between the old and newly recruited EU members is unprecedented. This explains a rather wide promotion of the socio-economic and political transformations. Owing to the support of the European Union, which encouraged Bulgaria to accelerate and optimize transformation, the Bulgarian government has begun to carry out the necessary reforms to meet the EU criteria. Today, Bulgaria is actively developing its foreign economic relations, focusing on the openness of its economy and making significant efforts to integrate the country into European and world structures. One of the main external areas of cooperation is the country’s active participation in regional economic projects. Based on the rhetoric of the political elite of modern Bulgaria, the European direction of economic and political development, and further accession to European structures, remains fundamental for the state. At the same time, it is emphasized that every political decision will be consistent with the interests of the citizens, although in practice, as we could see in the course of our study, this principle is not always followed. In the context of this research topic, it was important to study the current challenges and threats that have arisen at the present stage, or have become traditional. This is especially interesting for the Balkan region, which has historically become one of the centers of conflict between East and West interests, a corridor between Europe and Asia. This advantageous geopolitical position, at the same time, becomes the epicenter of challenges to European security, which, of course, is reflected in Bulgaria’s security policy that also takes into account the interests and problems of the region. The analysis shows that Europe has enough leverage and resources, as well as a wide range of policy instruments to implement measures to counter many threats. But, Bulgaria, as a very poor and corrupt country, finds it very difficult to resolve all pressing issues on its own, so it constantly considers the standpoints of relevant international structures and cooperates with them, which inevitably leaves its mark on its foreign policy behavior on the world stage. By cooperating with the EU and NATO, Bulgaria has so far managed to meet the challenges that arise. Bulgaria is a significant South-Eastern stronghold here, and it is taking significant steps to implement the presented initiatives for the regional development of trade programs. The influence of other international organizations is also felt, which is also reflected in the economic environment. To summarize all the stated above, if we look at Bulgaria’s position on the geopolitical map of Europe in terms of economic influence in general, we can say that the country has enough leverage and influential patrons to promote it in the region. However, a number of fundamentally important issues of restructuring domestic policy and eliminating corruption in the government, integrating into some regional structures and stabilizing the situation in Europe in general, related to the epidemiological situation in the country and all the ensuing consequences, remain unresolved.