The Economics Department was established in 1948.

Until 1990 its name was Political Economy Department and then it was renamed as Economics Department and the speciality – Macroeconomics.  

Lots of the best lecturers and scientists from the Department have exercised responsible functions associated with the management of the university, General Economics Faculty and a number of academic institutions. The best authorities of the Department as Acad. Jacques Nathan, Prof. Kiril Grigirov, Prof. Lalew Radulov, Prof. Stoyadin Savov and Prof. Kamen Mirkovich have occupied the positions of Head of Department and Rector. The present Rector of UNWE Prof. Stattey Stattev is also an alumnus of the Department.

An authoritative place among the university community have won also the lecturers: Corr. Mbr. Todor Vladigerov, Prof. Lyuben Berov, Prof. Krastyu Dobrev, Prof. Todor Valchev, Prof. Jacques Arroyo, Prof. Ivan Yordanov, Prof. Chavdar Beyazov, Prof. Ivan Kostov (Head of the Department since 1980 to 1984), Prof. Nikola Velikov, Prof. Stelios Pavlidis, Prof. Marin Petrov, Prof. Stoyan Shalamanov, Prof. Stefan Paskalev, Assoc. Prof. Ivanka Dobreva, Assoc. Prof. Vasilka Valchanova, Assoc. Prof. Mihail Lozanov, Assoc. Prof. Yovan Tsokovich, Assoc. Prof. Zdravko Obretenov, etc.

The Department has prepared the professionals who have set the start of new fields and specialities at the university: Economic Sociology, Economics and Organization of Scientific Research and Development Activities, Economics of Non-Production Sphere.

The Economics Department provides education on fundamental and special academic disciplines for acquisition of knowledge in the field of microeconomics and macroeconomics within the framework of Educational Qualification Degree of Bachelor and Master and Educational Scientific Degree of Doctor. The academic plans and the educational level are in compliance with the requirements and criteria of the leading European and world universities.

In Educational Qualification Degree of Bachelor at the Economics Department is provided the preparation of professionals on the speciality Macroeconomics and speciality Economics (in the Bulgarian and English language), regular and distance form of education. 

In Educational Qualification Degree of Master the Economics Department provides education of professionals on the speciality Macroeconomics and since the academic year 2013/2014 the Department has started two new Master`s Degree Programmes: Economics and Law (jointly with the Legal Faculty of UNWE) and Macroeconomics and Finance (jointly with the Finance Department of UNWE).

The education of Doctoral students is in the scientific field of Political Economy (Microeconomics and Macroeconomics).

The Economics Department implements the education of students from the whole university in Bachelor`s degree on four major disciplines: Fundamentals of Economic Theory, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Economics and Public Sector.

The Department is also leading in lecturing on some other modern fields of Bachelor`s programmes as World Economy, European Integration and some faculty disciplines as Microeconomic Theory, Macroeconomic Theory, Economic Policy, Economics of Public Sector, Institutional Economics.

The lecturers create prerequisites for the profound study of theoretical principles related to the economic systems functioning at micro-level and macro–level elaborated by the modern fields of theoretical economy. They also follow the growing trend towards cooperation and convergence of social sciences – mainly in relation to the economics, policy, law and sociology using the interdisciplinary approach in the elaboration of new academic courses.

Economics Department is the first Department at the university where has been created the necessary methodical and technical facilities and it implements the test of student knowledge in Educational Qualification Degree of Bachelor from the whole university by electronic examinations on four major disciplines: Fundamentals of Economic Theory, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Economics and Public Sector. The computerization of exams is continuously improved and expanded including special disciplines as well as disciplines of Educational Qualification Degree of Master and distance learning.

The lecturers successfully implement the principle of synthesis of the academic lecturing and scientific research work. Inter-Departmental discussions, seminars, scientific conferences and other events of a kind are constantly held at the Department as well as projects and independent scientific research are elaborated (textbooks, academic aids, monographs, habilitation theses, doctorates, studies, articles, analyses, etc.)

The Economics Department implements cooperation in various forms:

• keeps close professional relations with the Departments of General Economic Theory from the Economic University of Varna and D. A. Tsenov Economic Academy of Svishtov, the Economic Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Science, etc.;

• the lecturers from the Department participate in projects on mobility of the European Programmes Leonardo da Vinci and Erasmus.

• the Departmental collective has successfully completed a project on the Creation of Multimedia System for Implementation of Lecturing Courses, Seminar Studies and Electronic Examinations at the UNWE on the intergovernmental agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Bulgaria.

The academic lecturing, scientific research and international activities carried out by the Department contribute to the development of economic theory and practice as well as to the preparation of highly qualified professionals according to the European standards.

In the specialities studied at the Department are educated and formed professionals in the field of theoretical and applied microeconomics and macroeconomics.

References for the fruitful work of Department in the preparation of highly qualified professionals is their realization as university lecturers, analysts at the state institutions and private entities, scientific associates at the most reputable research institutes. Not a few of them occupy important posts in and out of the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria being respected in the field of banking and at all levels of economic activity in the real sector of economy.

         Lecturers at the Department have been or still are:

• Prof. Lyuben Berov – Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria since December 1992 to October 1994;

• Assoc. Prof. Ivan Kostov – Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria since May 1997 to July 2001;

• Reneta Indzhova – interim Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria since October 1994 to January 1995;

• Prof. Rumen Gechev - Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria and Minister of Economic Development since January 1995 to February 1997; Member of the 42^nd National Assembly.

• Assoc. Prof. Kristalina Georgieva – European Commissioner on international cooperation, humanitarian aid and crisis management at the present body of the European Commission (2009 – 2014);

• Prof. Statty Stattev – Rector of UNWE and member of the Governing Council of Bulgarian National Bank since 2004;

• Kalin Hristov – since 2009 – member of the Governing Council of the Bulgarian National Bank and its Deputy Governor, Head of the Issue Department; Minister of Finance in the interim government since March, 2013 to May, 2013.