Bulgaria Ranks on one of the Last Places for Innovations in EU

Bulgaria and Romania are the two countries in the European Union, defined as "modest innovators," a report by the European Commission showed. According to it, Bulgaria has improved its achievements compared to the previous seven years. A sharp decline has been observed from 2011 to 2012, and an improvement has begun.

In its report, EU countries are divided into four groups: leading innovators, strong, moderate and modest innovators.

Bulgaria is a Modest Innovator. Over time, performance has increased relative to that of the EU in 2011.

Employment impacts and Intellectual assets are the strongest innovation dimensions. Employment fast-growing enterprises of innovative sectors, Design applications, and Trademark applications, score relatively high above the EU average. Finance and support, Attractive research systems and Innovators, are the weakest innovation dimensions. Bulgaria's lowest indicator scores are on R&D expenditure in the public sector, Most cited publications, and Lifelong learning.

Bulgaria's GDP per capita, the employment share of high and medium high-tech manufacturing, the turnover share of large enterprises, and top R&D spending enterprises per 10 million population are well below the EU average. Average annual GDP growth, the turnover share of SMEs, and enterprise births are well above the EU average.

In Bulgaria, the employment rate in the manufacturing sector is 19.5% (against 15.5% in the EU). However, employment in high-tech manufacturing enterprises in total manufacturing employment in Bulgaria is 19.9%, while in the EU 37.5%.

In the services sector employment was 41.6 percent (41.8 percent in the EU), but employment in the services associated with a high level of knowledge was 27.6% of total...