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In the last few years, the Kardzhali region has been very attractive to new immigrants, mostly from abroad. The second half of the past decade is also characterized by significant growth in investment, which brings with it a very high growth of wages in small municipalities in the area. However, poor labor market performance is hampering significant improvements in the structure of household budgets and shrinking poverty, and indicators in the education and health systems reveal significant deficits.

In recent years, Smolyan has positioned itself as one of the leading areas in school education with consistently high results between the individual municipalities and schools in it. However, this success has not yet been transferred to the labor market, which reached its peak in employment a few years before the onset of the new crisis under the pressure of labor demand from neighboring areas. As a result, the local economy is developing more slowly than its direct competitors, but at the same time there are significant improvements in poverty and material deprivation. Among the biggest problems remains the significant emigration, which continues even in 2020, when most regions of the country are reversing the negative trends.

For the tenth consecutive year, the Institute for Market Economics presented the only study on the scale and depth of the social and economic condition of the districts in Bulgaria.The regional profiles of the IME are based on 66 indicators, which present the real picture in the 28 districts in the country and allow to deepen the conversation about regional development and the challenges facing local authorities. The focus of this year's presentation is on healthcare in the COVID-19 areas.

The healthcare crisis caused by the pandemic raises many questions about the adequacy of the country's health system, its capacity, opportunities and problems. This analysis is based on the indicators in the Health category from the IME study "Regional Profiles: Development Indicators". A review of a number of other data on resources, outcomes and effects in the health system complements this base and outlines some key parameters of access to healthcare and the impact of the 2020 pandemic. Tracking what is happening at the local level highlights the differences and specifics of health care in each Bulgarian region. The latest comparable data at the district level are for 2020.

At the end of November, the NSI will have the final data on the activity of non-financial enterprises in the country in 2020 with sectoral and regional breakdowns. These data are key for the detailed monitoring of the pandemic effect and for the economic situation of the municipalities in the country in general. Based on preliminary data for some municipalities, incl. the capital, we can outline the overall picture in the country in the year of the pandemic.

For almost two years now, the health sector has been the focus of public debate over the pandemic. Data on the number and distribution of general practitioners and specialists in the fields in 2020 reveal a worrying trend of deteriorating access to physicians in almost the entire country.

While 2020 was particularly difficult for the tourism industry, in 2021 the picture is at least somewhat more favorable. The change came both in the form of various government support schemes for business and relief in travel requirements in Europe. However, the past summer season can in no way be compared to the period before the crisis, and the industry seems to be facing significant problems in the medium term as well.