Annual study on competitiveness of the Bulgarian economy, based on the methodology of the World Economic Forum, Davos

Since 1999 the Center for Economic Development is the official partner of the World Economic Forum in collecting information on Bulgaria for the preparation of the Annual Global Competitiveness Report /GCR/ of the Forum.

From its first appearance in 1979 the GCR has evolved over the years into the world’s most authoritative and comprehensive assessment of countries’ competitiveness, providing invaluable insights into the policies, institutions and factors that enable sustained economic growth and long term prosperity.

The Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum is published on an annual base and it provides the latest thinking of competitiveness, presenting the newest insights from academia, and serving as a crucial tool for policy-makers, industry leaders, and civil society to identify the impediments to, and the best practices for enabling, economic growth.

Every year CED with the support of the ESTAT Sociological Agency conducts a Survey among Bulgarian and foreign companies. The survey’s methodology and the analysis of the findings are based on the methodology of the World Economic Forum. The sample is fully representative, since it covers companies from different sectors of the economy, small and medium-sized enterprises, export-oriented companies and financial institutions.

The participants in the survey are asked to use a seven-grade scale (7 being the top mark) to appraise questions, which are grouped into several principal factors: state governance, institutions, finance, openness of economy, infrastructure, technological level, labor, competition on the domestic market, and company management etc.
After the official publication of the Report the experts of the Center for Economic Development prepare comments and analysis of Bulgaria’s positions and results regarding the competitiveness of the national economy.

Press-conferences are organized for presenting the GCR. The Report is reverberated by representatives of national and regional media. They publish and broadcast a great number of articles, news coverages, and interviews. The Bulgarian Economic Portal – www.ECON.bg also contributes to the popularization of the results of the Report.

Based on the analysis of the national competitiveness CED experts formulate different issues for achieving higher productivity and economic growth. CED is involved in the implementation of the submitted proposals by securing the commitment of experts from the public administration and business associations in the discussions, and by concrete proposals for amendments to the legislation, which will result in improved business climate and increased competitiveness.

Contact person:
Anelia Damianova
tel.(+359 2) 81 90 760
E-Mail: A.Damianova@ced.bg