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Vratsa Municipality
Local partner of Coalition 2000
Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development – Sofia
20, F.J. Curie Str., floor 12, Sofia 1113
Tel. 963 2147, fax: 6399 4281, e-mail: fed@exco.net
The Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development was established in 1997.
Activities: studies, consultancy and training in entrepreneurship, small and medium-sized enterpreses (SME), regional and local development.
Mission: to assist the creationand consolidation of small and medium-sized enterprises.
Goals: conducting annual studies about the state and development of SME in the country, establishing and maintaining contacts with Bulgarian and international institutions, working in the sphere of SME policy or support, organizing seminars and discussions on the problems of SME, publishing and disseminating the results of studies and other literature on SME problems, assisting local and regional government bodies in the establishment encouraging SME development, consultancy in preparing and monitoring projects linked with SME development on a national and local level.
Name of project: Measures for Fighting Corruption in Local Administration (Vratsa and Haskovo)
Duration: 8 months
Project goals: Identification and analysis of legal and institutional prerequisites for corrupt practices and behavior among local government and local administration bodies, study of existing corruption in local administration in the exercise of management and control powers in the economic sphere and licensing and registration regimes above all, providing information and training to local business representatives and the third sector about existing measures and practices in the fight against corruption, establishing an anti-corruption expert group (business and NGO representatives) and adoption of an action plan.
Need for project: Changing the way of thinking and actions of municipal civil servants in the direction of more information to society and greater transparency and accountability of the work of municipality. Increasing the conviction of citizens that corruption is a problem which affects everybody and which should be discussed and against which measures should be taken. Creating a climate of public intolerance to the phenomenon of corruption, increasing confidence between business representatives and local government. Raising the prestige of NGOs and the mass media as transformers of “good practice” and a corrective for legal awareness and moral behaviour.
Target group: a) the enterprises whose economic activity is subject to a registration or licensing regime, supervised by the local administration b) local NGOs – human rights organizations, representing the interest of entrepreneurs, professional and branch organizations, etc., municipal and regional administration, control bodies – tax, custom, etc., local mass media.
1999
Haskovo
December 26-27 – press conferences: announcing the project of the Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development, including special monitoring of the effect of corruption on private business. The most common forms of racketeering in privatization transactions, tenders and issue of lecences will be analyzed jointly with the local Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Vratxa regional governor attended.
Media coverage: morning block of Channel 1 of BNT on 28.12.1999, Radio Horizont – 27.12.1999, all local radio stations and cable TV networks, Demodratsiya and Zamya-28.12.1999, Haskovska Tribuna, Novinar-Yug – 30.12.1999, newsletter No.6/December 1999 of the Maritsa Regional Association of Municipalities.
2000
January: anonymous poll among business circles, monitoring of municipal privatization and services, and developing a training programme of civic initiatives in the fight against corruption for local NGOs. The results of the poll conducted among business circles in Haskovo show that the respondents consider corruption to be greatest among customs officers (84%), followed by policemen (42%) and tax officials (36%). The study shows that businessmen in the municipality have most often come up against corruption in relation to the management of municipal property (leasing, etc.) – 50% of respondents, in relation to services such as issue of road construction permits, plans, etc. – 56%, application of permission regimes and municipal procurement – 28% each, appraisals of enterprises and separate units – 22%, and privatization – 20%. The study also makes some proposals for the fight against corruption, e.g. media coverage of corruption scandals (78% of respondents). Furthermore, 30% of the businessmen consider that preventive measures are more important than subsequent ones for curbing corruption in the economic shpere.
February 2 -- Anti-corruption conference in Haskovo to discuss the results of the poll and discussion with the participation of regional and municipal administration representatives, including the secretaries of Haskovo and Svilengrad municipalities, businessmen, journalists, NGOs, the Maritsa Regional Association of Municipalities, senior officials of Svilengrad Customs, tax administration. Formation of an expert group for fight against corruption.
February 17 – Fight Against Corruption public forum in Vratsa to analyze the results of the sociological survey (poll) and discussion with the participation of the deputy regional governor and secretary of the municipality, Customs Office – Vratsa, Regional Directorate of Internal Affairs, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the National Secretary of the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour, companies and NGOs. Formation of an expert group for fight against corruption.
March – preparatory workshop for training anti-corruption practices with the participation of various representatives and experts of Coalition 2000
April – training seminars in Haskovo and Vratsa for the members of the expert groups and representatives of the local NGOs. Issues connected to anti-corruption action, theory and practice, were considered – legal prerequisites for anti-corruptive action; mechanisms of corruptive behavior in the state and economy of Bulgaria and anti-corruptive action; comparative data about the corruption rate in Haskovo and Vratsa and the attitude of bussiness and public officials toward the corruption in Haskovo. Preparation of working groups.
May – workshops-seminars with the working groups for answering current questions about their activities: 1) Review of the participation in the privatization auction procedures; 2) Overview of the complaints, which are the specific fields involved and the uncomfortable questions; 3) Execution of the existing programs and the various municipal activities.
May – June – organizing the anti-corruption expert group with representatives of the public administration and municipal government, 2 NPO (Technics Dome) and one independent lawyer from Vratsa. The group performed certain informational, expert and monitoring activities.
Flexible working group was also organized in Haskovo that paid attention to relevant questions – check for complaints, performance of the informational program at Haskovo Municipality, preparation, accepting and executing anti-corruption measures in the municipalities PCO 4, Maritsa, expert training and so on. The group could accomplish the project’s activities for the expected three months.
June 28 – concluding seminar about the program in Vratsa. The accomplished activities were discussed and a work report prepared. The auction monitoring presented most of the interest.
July 5 – concluding conference in Haskovo. The topic “Information, rights and responsibilities of citizens” gained great attention and those who attended participated in the discussion with reports, many leading activists in the Haskovo Municipality and surroundings. There was a discussion of the public official ethical index and a report about the execution of the anti-corruption program.