THE BULGARIAN COOPERATIVE MODEL: A SUBJECTIVE VIEW OF THE OBJECTIVE FACTS

In the period 2005 - 2022, the registered cooperatives in Bulgaria are 9037, operating in nineteen out of twenty-one economic sectors of the national economy. Their number was the largest in 2005 - 5274, and the smallest in 2021 - 3833. Under the influence of objective and subjective factors, their number decreased by 2.4 times in 2022 compared to 2005. At the beginning of 2025, a survey was conducted on 4.6% of operating cooperatives in Bulgaria. Different types of cooperatives were randomly selected. The aim is to establish their potential under current conditions. The main conclusions of the study are: For the respondents, the cooperative is a "model for collective action of member-cooperators", in which, through joint management and mutual assistance, people are placed at the focus of the activity. Over 2/3 of the respondents are chairpersons of the cooperatives. They have higher education and have good professional experience; Agricultural production cooperatives are dominant; According to the value of the assets owned, 2/3 of cooperatives are micro-enterprises, and the remaining 1/3 are small enterprises; The amount of income received covers the costs incurred, but the profit is relatively low.; The available potential of cooperatives does not create opportunities for investment and innovation, some of the conditions in the country are an obstacle to this.