Regional transformations in Bulgaria and challenges for sustainable development

Abstract

Structural changes in rural areas are a subject of widespread discussion. During the transition to a market economy, Bulgarian agriculture underwent serious reforms, and after the accession to the EU, the transformations of the sector became even more significant. Political and socio-economic changes have an impact on agricultural production, organisational structure, and market performance. These processes have played an essential role in the development of rural areas. The aim of the study is based on an analysis of structural changes in Bulgarian agriculture, to outline their impact on the models of transformation of rural areas and make recommendations for sustainable development. Significant changes are observed during the analysed period. The agricultural sector remains polarised and dominated by several significant sub-sectors – cereals and oilseeds. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) does not contribute to balanced and sustainable development and deepens disparities. During the new programming period, the opportunities for modelling the CAP are significant and vary considerably. A new conceptual framework needs to be implemented in Bulgaria - the local model related to regional specifics can solve some of the challenges.