Competition soft law in French and German courts:A challenge for online sales bans only

Ten years after the decentralization of EU competition law enforcement, this paper aims to ascertain through empirical means whether Commission-issued competition guidelines and notices (soft law) actually help to enhance enforcement consistency at the national level. This is what the European Commission itself maintained in White Paper on Modernization in 1999. The main premise of the White Paper is that if soft law is to help enhance consistency (a goal central to the current regime), it needs to be treated consistently by national judiciaries within and across EU jurisdictions – a difficult task, however, given its lack of binding force. Therefore, to ascertain the extent to which and how national courts in two select jurisdictions – France and Germany – engage or refuse to engage with supranational soft law, a theoretical framework of ‘judicial recognition’ of soft law is superimposed on a sample of 84 national judgments. While not discouraging, the results show some significant discrepancies that require further attention

Regional employment policies in the field of healthcare

Providing sufficient number of qualified healthcare professionals is a worldwide challenge. The existing demographic trends in Bulgaria, related to population’ decline and aging, as well as aging of the medical staff, suppose urgent intervention both from the government and the regional management. This is the only way to overecome the crisis relatet to the lack of educated and trained healthcare professionals. Their mobility is motivated by different factors, including higher salaries, better opportunities for specialization, better working conditions, etc. The migration process in Bulgaria have intensified since the country entered the European Union and the borders are open, including for the medical workers, as part of the regulated professions. But healthcare mobility has a direct impact on the effectiveness of health systems.The retention of qualified healthcare staff on a local level is a complex process, which requires detailed analysis and a preparation of sustainable long-term strategy. The purpose of this article is to present the significance of the problem and to propose recommendations and concrete steps for the local government.The development and the implementation of such a strategy will improve human resources’ management in the healthcare sector and would reduce the mobility of healthcare professionals

Is the Bulgarian Health Care System Attractive to Young Medical Specialists: A Study of Attitudes among Medical University Students in Bulgaria

The article presents an author’s survey on intentions for realization abroad of qualified medical specialists. The study provides an opportunity to decision-takers to anticipate the trends in Bulgarian healthcare system according to healthcare personnel in short- and medium term. Analyzing and evaluating those intentions could be a starting point, a basis for establishing and implementing effective retention policies for medical specialists in the country.The article presents an author’s survey on intentions for realization abroad of qualified medical specialists. The study provides an opportunity to decision-takers to anticipate the trends in Bulgarian healthcare system according to healthcare personnel in short- and medium term. Analyzing and evaluating those intentions could be a starting point, a basis for establishing and implementing effective retention policies for medical specialists in the country

Mobility of Medical Specialists – A Challenge for the Bulgarian Health System

In Bulgaria, the problem of the availability of medical personnel is not a new phenomenon – the shortage of specialists from different professional fields has deepened over the years, which limits the access of the population to medical care and the efficiency of the healthcare system. Significant regional imbalances in health workforce distribution are also observed. The outlined problems are strengthened by the increased migration and mobility of health professionlas.Policies in this field are made in the presence of an information vacuum – there is no maintained information database on the profile of medical specialists in the country, there is no structured information about the medical specialists, who already emigrated – by years, by profession, by profession, etc

What I thought was so important isn\u27t really that important : international perspectives on making meaning during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the physical and mental health of people everywhere. The aim of the study is to understand how people living in 15 countries around the globe experience an unexpected crisis which threatens their health and that of loved ones, and how they make meaning of this disruption in their narratives. Methods: Data were collected through an anonymous online survey during May-September 2020, which was during or just after the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, depending on the country. The questionnaire included demographic and three open-ended questions as prompts for stories about experiences during the initial months of the pandemic. The text was analyzed through inductive thematic content analysis and quantified for full sample description, demographic and subsequently international comparisons. Results: The final qualitative dataset included stories from n = 1685 respondents. The sample was 73.6% women and 26.4% men. The mean age of participants was 39.55 years (SD = 14.71). The identified four groups of overarching themes were: The presence and absence of others; Rediscovering oneself; The meaning of daily life; Rethinking societal and environmental values. We discuss the prevalence of each theme for the sample as a whole and differences by demographic groups. The most prevalent theme referred to disruptions in interpersonal contacts, made meaningful by the increased appreciation of the value of relationships, present in (45.6%) of stories. It was more prevalent in the stories of women compared to men (chi(2) = 24.88, p = .001). Conclusions: The paper provides a detailed overview of the methodology, the main themes identified inductively in the stories and differences according to select demographic variables. We identify several major ways of making meaning of the pandemic. The pandemic has impacted many aspects of people\u27s lives which give it meaning, no matter where they live

ANALYSIS OF THE MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS IN THE BULGARIAN HOTEL INDUSTRY: THE CASE OF THE BIJOU HOTEL

The trends in the communicational policies and the good practice of positioning the leading tourist destinations are aimed at the distinction of the offered products, at the certain groups and campaigns for the imposition of a brand. In this sense Bulgaria must have a clear strategy for the features and the unique offers which form the identity of a destination. Our communicational campaigns must emphasize on the specifics, on the personal experience and emotions.The purpose of this article is to prove that marketing communication is an effective way for the company to be represented, to have a good reputation, to build its image and to create the best conditions for its development.The trends in the communicational policies and the good practice of positioning the leading tourist destinations are aimed at the distinction of the offered products, at the certain groups and campaigns for the imposition of a brand. In this sense Bulgaria must have a clear strategy for the features and the unique offers which form the identity of a destination. Our communicational campaigns must emphasize on the specifics, on the personal experience and emotions.The purpose of this article is to prove that marketing communication is an effective way for the company to be represented, to have a good reputation, to build its image and to create the best conditions for its development

THE ANIMATION – AN ATTRACTION AND /OR A NEED (THE CASE OF COMPANY BVS ENTERTAINMENT LTD.)

Animation industry is constantly presented in each tourism activity. It has the purpose to positively affect the tourists and leave the feeling of exclusiveness, uniqueness and unforgettable memories of the trip. Tourism animation has complex nature – it should affect the tourists to take part in animation events without using any compulsion, bring people together through communication, find, direct and develop various types of talents and abilities among the tourists, and etc. Therefore the problems animator is facing require him/her to have different knowledge and skills which should be successfully applied in a particular case. In a way animator’s occupation represents a mixture of the jobs of the teacher, social worker, colleague, friend and all of this should be skilfully combined in one person. Animator should predispose all the tourists, affect them positively, make lots of contacts without neglecting or protecting individuals, be able to entertain and amuse all the tourists in interesting and attractive way. Animator should be able to work in perfect harmony not only with tourists and fellow animators but also with his/her colleagues performing other types of tourism services / accommodation and food / because otherwise a separate animation program could hardly be achieved.The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that animation is no longer an additional service in tourism, but a vital necessity for any tourist complex, providing it with an unique competitive advantage.Animation industry is constantly presented in each tourism activity. It has the purpose to positively affect the tourists and leave the feeling of exclusiveness, uniqueness and unforgettable memories of the trip. Tourism animation has complex nature – it should affect the tourists to take part in animation events without using any compulsion, bring people together through communication, find, direct and develop various types of talents and abilities among the tourists, and etc. Therefore the problems animator is facing require him/her to have different knowledge and skills which should be successfully applied in a particular case. In a way animator’s occupation represents a mixture of the jobs of the teacher, social worker, colleague, friend and all of this should be skilfully combined in one person. Animator should predispose all the tourists, affect them positively, make lots of contacts without neglecting or protecting individuals, be able to entertain and amuse all the tourists in interesting and attractive way. Animator should be able to work in perfect harmony not only with tourists and fellow animators but also with his/her colleagues performing other types of tourism services / accommodation and food / because otherwise a separate animation program could hardly be achieved.The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that animation is no longer an additional service in tourism, but a vital necessity for any tourist complex, providing it with an unique competitive advantage

Study on the risk exposure of seafood consumers in Bulgaria to hydrophilic marine toxins

INTRODUCTION: Marine biotoxins can be accumulated in shellfish and in turn can lead to severe illness or chronical consequences in human shellfish consumers. AIM: The aim of this study was to assess the levels of hydrophilic marine biotoxins in both farmed and wild mussels from the Bulgarian coast sampled in 2017 and to estimate the exposure (acute and chronic) of Bulgarian consumers to detected toxins if investigated mussels were consumed. To the group of hydrophilic marine toxins belong amnesic toxins (domoic acid, isodomoic acid) and paralytic toxins (neosaxitoxin, gonyautoxins and their decarbamoyl and N-sulfocambamoyl analogs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The hydrophilic toxin – domoic acid (DA) was determined by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Paralytic toxins (saxitoxin (STX), neosaxitoxin (NEO), gonyautoxin-1 (GTX1), gonyautoxin-2 (GTX2), gonyautoxin-3 (GTX3), gonyautoxin-4 (GTX4), gonyautoxin-5 (B1), decarbamoyl gonyautoxin-2 (dcGTX2), decarbamoyl gonyautoxin-3 (dcGTX3), decarbamoyl saxitoxin (dcSTX), N-sulfocarbamoyl gonyautoxin-1 (C1), N-sulfocarbamoyl gonyautoxin-2 (C2)) were investigated via high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FD). RESULTS: Among all hydrophilic toxins investigated DA and GTX2 were detected in the studied samples. Mean domoic acid in whole mussel meat was estimated to be 0.139 mg/kg mm which is below the regulatory limit of 20 mg/kg mm. Mean GTX2 level in whole mussel meat was calculated to be 0.151 μg saxitoxin dihydrochloride equivalent (STX.2HCl eq)/kg which is far beneath the legislative limit of 800 μg STX.2HCl eq/kg mm. Estimation of acute exposure for both detected toxins – DA and GTX2, and of chronic exposure to domoic acid showed similar results among male and female, as well as among wild and cultivated mussel consumers. CONCLUSION: This study showed an overall low contamination level of wild and farmed mussels with hydrophilic marine biotoxins compared to the regulatory limits. This leads to the conclusion that there is low acute and chronic exposure via consumption of contaminated mussels

The impact of dental metal restorations on the oral oxidative stress level

Dental materials may influence the equilibrium between production and destruction of free radicals, thus creating conditions for developing of local or general oxidative stress. Metal ions, emitted from base dental alloys, may cause changes in cell struc