Challenges for Enterprise Development in Forestry, Wood Processing and Non-Wood Products and Services – Seminar Overview

This paper summarizes the main results and messages gained from the 35 scientific reports and presentations of an international seminar and workshop “Challenges for enterprise development in forestry, wood processing and non-wood products and services”, organized by the Institute of Economics at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the COST Action E30 of the European Science Foundation, in Yundola, Bulgaria, October 2004. The objective of the scientific reports and discussions was to gain a better understanding of the problems of economic integration of consumers’ demand and forestry production and possible solutions of forest-based entrepreneurship in small-scale forestry, wood processing and non-wood forest products and services. The defined suggestions are directed to further development of the theory and to practical solutions for planning and implementation of rural development activities such as structural funds in many sparsely populated regions in Europe. The results contribute to a better understanding of similarities and differences in challenges for enterprise development in forestry, wood processing and non-wood products and services in EU member states, Associate candidate states and other countries from Central and South-Eastern Europe.