The Business Cooperation in the Serres-Bulgaria Region and Consequences of Bulgaria’s Accession to the EU

Abstract

This paper refers to business cooperation in the cross-border region of Serres (Greece)-Bulgaria and the impact of the integration of Bulgaria to the EU in the region. Based on literature results on the impact of EU enlargement, especially in border areas, we present results of a primary research held on companies in the Serres Prefecture, designed to assess cross-border business cooperation and the impact on the region from the accession of Bulgaria to the EU. A low degree of extroversion and international orientation of business from Serres is found, although Bulgaria’s accession to the EU had a positive impact in their decision for making business in the neighbouring country. A positive effect is recorded in financial results of enterprises, which explains the high degree of satisfaction. An assessment of the significance of obstacles on behalf of the businesses shows that competitiveness, at least for now, operates stronger to the benefit of the Bulgarian side and less towards the side of Serres. A gap is recorded when assessing the impact on Serres from the EU-Bulgaria integration and the opportunities created in the area, respectively.