CHALLENGES AT COMPETITIVE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE VINE AND WINE SECTOR AND THE PRODUCTION OF BEER IN BULGARIA

Abstract

The importance of this study is to determine the competitiveness and sustainability of the vine and wine sector and the production of beer in Bulgaria after the accession to the EU. Development of wine viticulture is determined by the demand of wine on the global market and the traditional demand of local wines on the national market. This requires complete market researches about demand of wines, varietal structure of vineyards, cultivated area and applied technologies of production. In the article in order to assess the place of Bulgarian vine and wine sector and production of beer in the structure of world trade with such goods is used Balassa index with its three varieties – RCA1, 2, 3.

The main conclusions from this study are that vine and wine sector in the period of Bulgaria‘s membership in the EU is unsustainable and with declining competitiveness in domestic and external market while the production of beer in Bulgaria after the country‘s accession to the EU is stable and competitive. The production of barley increases over 15% and the domestically produced beer is about 90% of consumption of beer in the country.