International Economic Relations

Международни икономически отношения

About Us

Department of International Economic Relations at the Dimitar Tsenov Academy of Economics - Svishtov has a history of over 30 years. It was founded in January 1993, and its first and long-term leader was Prof. Atanas Damyanov, DSc, who was also Rector of the Academy from 1991 to 1999.

The lecturers from the Department of International Economic Relations are members of various professional organizations such as the Union of Scientists in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Project Management Association (BAUP) and others. Members of the academic staff of the department participate as experts in the activities of organizations such as the National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency (NEAA), the Bulgarian Institute for Standardization (BDS) and others. The habilitated lecturers are members of the editorial boards of scientific publications, including Electronic Journal "Dialogue", Economic Archive Journal, etc., as well as reviewers of foreign publications.

Currently, the total number of members of the department is eight, namely:

Scientific Research

The range of research of the lecturers from the Department of International Economic Relations is wide. It covers the micro, meso and macro levels on the one hand, and the national, regional and global market dimensions on the other.

Thematically, the developments of the department cover areas such as: international trade in products and services; international competitiveness; international human resource management; international investment policy and offshore business; international marketing; regional economic integration; international tourism; international business and processes of internationalization of companies; international strategies; corporate social responsibility; circular economy, etc.

For the period 2015-2020, a total of 70 scientific papers have been published, 52 of which in Bulgarian editions and 17 in foreign ones. The monographic works are 3; 12 studies, 2 of which abroad; the articles are 19, four of them in foreign editions. 36 scientific reports were presented, 11 of them abroad.

Also noteworthy is the fact that a significant part of the research has been transferred to the educational process, feeding the specialty with new knowledge. A number of bachelor's and master's courses could be listed here, such as Corporate Internationalization, International Strategies, International Tourism, International Business Alliances, International Economic Comparisons, Offshore Business, Trade Negotiations and others.

The scientific publications of the academic staff of the department are the result of independent scientific research and work on individual, collective, national and international projects. In the period 2015-2022, members of the department worked individually or in a team on a number of research projects funded by the Bulgarian Research Fund. Some of them are:

Project: Vulnerability of small open economies to external shocks.

Project: Study of the processes of differentiation in the European Union and outlining the factors for their occurrence.

Project: Transfer of knowledge and communication skills through case study in foreign languages.

Project: Study on the impact of EU environmental regulations on the international competitiveness of chemical companies.

Project: Integration processes in the global economy.

Project: Socio-economic development of the Bulgarian Danube region - trends and prospects.

Project: Internationalization of the companies from the wine industry in our country.

Project: The European transition to a circular economy - application in Bulgaria.

Project: Sustainable and inclusive growth - the European perspective.

Internationally, we can mention the participation in the international project "Central European Network for Sustainable and Innovative Economy (CENetSIE)", launched in 2019.

Training of students and doctoral students

The Department of International Economic Relations provides training in the three educational and qualification degrees - bachelor, master and doctor.

In the Bachelor's degree, the department accepts and trains students majoring in International Economic Relations in full-time, part-time and distant learning form. For the last five years, 477 bachelors have been trained and graduated: 293 full-time and 184 part-time. From the 2019/2020 academic year, admission to the specialty in distance learning form has started, as well as admission to the specialty "International Business" in English, offered to foreigners. The training in all forms and specialties of this level of education lasts 4 years. During their education, students study fundamental and specialized courses, as well as two foreign languages.

The Department of International Economic Relations trains students in the Master's degree in the programs "International Business and Management" in full-time and distance form, and "International Tourism" in distance form. The department also participates in the training of students in a joint master's program "Management of International Projects", teaching in Bulgarian and English. The master's programs are developed and offered to students who have completed a bachelor's degree in economics, to those who have completed a bachelor's degree in non-economic specialties, and after a professional bachelor's degree.

In recent years, a significant part of the educational portfolio is the training offered in the Doctoral program "World Economy and International Economic Relations" in full-time, part-time and independent form.

For the 2015-2020 the number of doctoral students is 23, three of whom have entered in the last year. During the same period, 13 PhD students have successfully defended their dissertations related to Cross-border cooperation, the Transatlantic partnership, Export promotion organizations, the European Union's environmental policy, the Energy market, Globally established companies and others. Currently, the department has 9 full-time and part-time doctoral students, one of whom is a foreign citizen. The topics they work on are focused on the problems of developing countries, the tourism business, the energy market, European policies and institutions, human resources and others.

In addition to the courses provided for in the curricula, all students and doctoral students can take advantage of the mobility opportunities of the Erasmus + program. The share of students majoring in IER in the outbound mobility, realized by the Academy of Economics, is the largest, compared to the other departments. Our students also actively participate in the Erasmus Student Network.

Great attention is paid to the project engagement of students and PhD students. Here we can mention the infrastructure and research project "Laboratory for research of doctoral students in the field of international economic relations", which resulted in the publication of a collection of proceedings of doctoral students at the department.

Events of the department

One of the most significant recent event was the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Department of International Economic Relations. In May 2018, a solemn meeting of the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Management and Marketing and an international scientific forum were held. The international conference on "Integration Processes in the Global Economy" was attended by 81 authors from 15 universities from Bulgaria, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania and Azerbaijan, and the submitted 71 papers were published in a collection of reports.

An important part of the scientific commitment of the members of the department is related to the annual scientific-practical conference for students and doctoral students in the specialty "International Economic Relations", which began in 1996 on the idea and organization of Head Assistant Professor Simeon Momchev, PhD and Prof. Ivan Stoykov, DSc. Over the years, the conference has established itself as a place for scientific expression of students and doctoral students outside the classroom and has evolved in thematic, institutional and geographical aspects. In 2014, the department of the same name at the University of Economics-Varna joined the event, and in 2015 the Department of Economics at the University of Ruse "Angel Kanchev". From 2014, all approved papers are published on the conference website www.mioconference.eu in an electronic edition with ISBN number.

In order to strengthen the link between university education and practice, the Department of International Economic Relations signed a number of agreements with various organizations: CableTEL EAD, Sarten Bulgaria OOD, FrontEx International AD, Customs Agency, Diversystem EOOD, Bulgarian Export Insurance Agency EAD, Hewlett-Packard Bulgaria EOOD, Siemens EOOD, Adecco Bulgaria, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company, Amway Bulgaria, Svishtov Customs, KAM Customs Agency EOOD - Svishtov, LeBow College Business, Drexel University, USA, etc.

In 2017, students and lecturers in the specialty fulfilled an order from the practice for research of the real estate market in Bulgaria and Greece in the form of a competition with a prize fund; paid a visit in a real working environment in the international company ABB Bulgaria EOOD, Sevlievo branch (April 2018); conducted practical trainings in the production base of Kalinel EOOD and the Tourist Information Center in the town of Troyan (April 2019).

Events with Alumni Club MIO

Alumni Club MIO - an association of graduates of the Department of International Economic Relations at Tsenov Academy of Economics, helds annual meetings in the spring in Svishtov. Founded in 2011, the Club follows its goals with various events in order to enable fruitful cooperation in the scientific, professional and social spheres between the Department of the same name and its alumni, as well as to carry out various educational events to foster the skills of its students.

Training simulation of an Assessment Center; job interview simulation; seminar on "Own business versus career development in a corporate business environment - pros and cons" (March 17-18, 2017);

Master class on "Intercultural communications in the modern business environment" (November 16, 2018);

Public lecture on "Digital mind, analog heart"; training on "Business Intelligence - the intersection of business and technology" (April 6, 2019).

Public lecture and training in the field of international human resource management (April 20, 2021).

The department together with Alumni Club MIO organizes various sports and cultural events such as:

Spring Balls for Students

Alumni Ball

Basketball tournaments

Photo contests

Planting trees

Visits to tourist sites and attractions within the annual student conference,

Talent competitions and more.

Publications

Monographs

Iliev, Dragomir. Integration of Bulgarian companies in the new international market space / Dragomir Iliev // Svishtov, Academic Publishing House - Tsenov-, 2018, 201 p., ISBN: 978-954-23-1716-6

Lyubenov, Zdravko. Social corporate responsibility in international tourism / Zdravko Lyubenov // AI Tsenov, 2017, 128 p., ISBN: 978-954-23-1430-1

Studies in peer-reviewed and indexed journals

Zaharieva, Galina et al. DEBT MANAGEMENT EVALUATION THROUGH SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINES: ON THE EXAMPLE OF ITALY AND GREECE / Andrey Zahariev, Mikhail Zveryakov, Stoyan Prodanov, Galina Zaharieva, Petko Angelov, Silviya Zarkova, Mariana Petrova // Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, 2020, 3, pp. 2382-2393, ISSN: 2345-0282 (Scopus, Q1)

Gorcheva, Tanya. The international division of labor and production specialization in modern fovltaic business. Yearbook. Academy of Economics DA Tsenov- Svishtov, issue 122/2019; pp.7-54. ISSN: 0861-8054.

Lyubenov, Zdravko and others. Challenges for international business in the European Union / Zdravko Lyubenov, Ivaylo Petrov, Diana Eftimova, Hristiana Venelinova, Kostadinka Shumanova // Almanac of Scientific Research. SA DA Tsenov - Svishtov, 2019, 27, pp. 370-399, ISSN: 1312-3815

Gorcheva, Tanya. Competitiveness and sustainable development of tourism / Tanya Gorcheva // Sustainable development and competitiveness of regions: Collective monograph - Plovdiv, 2018. Plovdiv, Academic Publishing House "Talent", 2018, pp. 59-74, ISBN: 978-619-203 -230-2

Iliev, Dragomir, etc. Study of the processes of integration and differentiation in the European Union / Dragomir Iliev, Daniela Ilieva, Daniela Trifonova // Almanac of Scientific Research. SA DA Tsenov - Svishtov, 2017, 24, pp. 179-204, ISSN: 1312-3815

Stefanov, Galin. Vulnerability of small open economies to external shocks / Galin Stefanov // Almanac of Scientific Research. SA DA Tsenov - Svishtov, 2017, 24, pp. 373-391, ISSN: 1312-3815

Lyubenov, Zdravko and others. Internationalization of the companies from the wine industry in our country / Zdravko Lyubenov, Sofia Vergilova // Almanac of Scientific Research. SA DA Tsenov - Svishtov, 2016, 23, pp. 387-416, ISSN: 1312-3815

Articles in peer-reviewed and indexed journals

Gorcheva, Tanya. Character of the tourist attractiveness of modern cities / Tanya Gorcheva // Economic Thought, 2018, 3, pp. 33-51, ISSN: 0013-2993.

Gorcheva, Tanya. The arrangements of the Paris Conference on Climate Change Management and the Consequences for International Trade / Tanya Gorcheva // Economic Thought, 2017, 4, pp. 46-66, ISSN: 0013-2993.

Zaharieva, Galina. The Relationship between Export Structure and Economic Development: The Bulgarian Case / Galina Zaharieva // Економiка i органiзацiя управлiння, 2016, 4, pp. 21-27, ISSN: 2307-2318.

Iliev, Dr., Stefanov, G., Yotov, J. Estimation of the effects of national borders on trade between Bulgaria and the EU - application of the empirical gravitational model of international trade / Dragomir Iliev, Galin Stefanov, Yoto Yotov // Business Management, 2016 , 4, pp. 43-63, ISSN: 0861-6604.

Sarkisyan-Dikova, Karina. Impact of Modern Information and Communication Technologies on Corporate Communication Process / Karina Sarkisyan-Dikova // Economica, 2015, 1, pp. 131-140, ISSN: 1810-9136.

Iliev, Dragomir et al. Development of the national economies and the foreign trade relations between Ukraine and Bulgaria (in the period 2005-2014) / Dragomir Iliev, Dragomir Iliev // Journal of Empirical Studies, 2016, Vol. 3 (1), pp. 7-20, ISSN: 2312-6248.

Petrov, Ivaylo. Crowdfunding as an Alternative Source of Support for Entrepreneurial Initiatives / Ivaylo Petrov // Journal of Entrepreneurship & Innovation, issue 7. Rousse University, 2015, p. 89-98, ISSN: 1314-0175.

Reports

Zaharieva, Galina. Dynamics and structure of the high-skill and technology-intensive manufactures export of the EU Countries / Galina Zaharieva // Современная архитектура мировой экономики (4I’s): инвестиции, инновации, индустрия, интеграция: Материалы международной научно-практической конференции - Ростов-на-Дону, 2019 г.Ростов-на-Дону, Издательско-полиграфический комплекс РГЭУ (РИНХ), 2019, pp. 129-133, ISBN: 978-5-7972-2686-4

Zaharieva, G., Sarkisyan-Dikova, K., Lubenov, Z. Contribution of transport services to Bulgaria’s economic development / Galina Zaharieva, Zdravko Lyubenov, Karina Sarkisyan-Dikova // Knowledge - International Journal. Scientific papers, 2019, 31.1, pp. 135-141, ISSN: 2545-4439

Petrov, Ivaylo. Trends in managing people in the sharing economy (Тенденции при управлението на хората в споделената икономика) / Ivaylo Petrov // Конкурентоспособность национальных экономик и регионов в контексте глобальных вызовов мировой экономики: монография. Ростов-на-Дону - Таганрог, окт. 2017 г., Том 2, 2017 г. ISBN: 978-5-9275-2540-9.

Momchev, Simeon. Opportunities for international business development through offshore and foreign outsourcing / Simeon Momchev // Competitiveness of national economies and regions in the context of global challenges of the world economy: a monograph. Rostov-on-Don - Taganrog, Oct. 2017. Rostov-on-Don, Southern Federal University, 2017, pp. 144-149, ISBN: 978-5-9275-2540-9

Angelov, Ivan. A methodology for the analysis of the national policy to attract FDI / Ivan Angelov // Economy and Politics in the Post-Crisis World: Proceedings of international conference - Varna, 16-17 October 2015 г.Varna, University publishing house "Science and economics", 2016, pp. 56-63, ISBN: 978-954-21-0875-7

Angelov, Ivan. Development of FDI in the conditions of industry 4.0 / Ivan Angelov // Integration processes in the global economy: International scientific conference. Collection of reports - Svishtov, May 11–12, 2018. AI Tsenov, 2018, pp. 317-324, ISBN: 978-954-23-1667-1