Today, we are all taking advantage in one form or another of the opportunities of a shared economy.
The sharing of resources, most often unused or partially used resources, is called a shared economy. This sharing can be free, it can be for profit. Modern forms, when they have a commercial element, use online platforms where supply and demand meet, the authority, the reputation of both sides is checked. According to studies of international institutions before the COVID crisis, expectations were that by 2025 almost 50% of the world's gross national product will be produced, will pass through one or another form of shared economy, said Vesselin Iliev - Director of International Economic Relations Center at the Bulgarian Industrial Association.
It is not such a new phenomenon. What is new is this mass commercialization that is entering, is already surrounding us and we are not even aware of how many elements of the shared economy are around us. Starting with electric mopeds, with which people travel up and down, putting a penny there, in the machine, or most mobile communication services, or sharing the Internet. Not to mention rent-a-car, or renting some things, or services can also be, Airbnb for accommodation, a very popular and increasingly used tool for short trips, also for the transportation of persons from one to another place. Of course, a distinction must be made between the commercial form of the sharing economy, when profit is pursued, in the case of rent-a-car, for example, such forms of shared travel, where cost-sharing without pursuing any commercial benefit, i.e. a distinction must be made between whether it is a profession, a taxi and a taxi driver is also a form of shared economy, but it is a profession or something that is not an occupation, incidental and has no burden on the family budget or balance sheets of a company", explained Vesselin Iliev.
The boom in the sharing economy is mainly due to the almost complete lack of regulations. There are few regulations, which makes the process attractive, but on the other hand there is a need for regulations.
The shared economy has its advantages and they are aimed at individuals, but not at legal entities. For young people, the shared economy is a challenge: "It has not only an economic factor and expression, it also has its social presence. It builds contacts, builds communications, builds new partnerships, opportunities for work endeavors that no one expected could arise, many ideas and shared creativity."
