February 11, 2003

Ms. Debra McFarland, Mission Director, USAID/Bulgaria

Dear Ministers, Members of Parliament, Honorable Judges, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, distinguished guests!
It's really a privilege and an honor for me to be here today.

This is the third Policy Forum that I have attended and it's a pleasure to see that it has become a regular topic on the national policy dialogue agenda. I would also like to thank our host today, the Center for the Study of Democracy, for its continued leadership in promoting Bulgaria's anticorruption agenda. USAID is pleased to support the Center in the important work it performs.

Today I want to acknowledge all of you who have committed yourselves to the difficult task of bringing greater transparency and accountability to Bulgaria's public sector. The fight against corruption is attracting an increased international attention. I can assure you that corruption is a topic that is on the mind of the US Government and our Congress as it considers funding and other support for this region of the world. Moreover, the fight against corruption in all areas of society, both public and private, becomes even more important in the context of forthcoming NATO membership and EU accession. Bulgaria has publicly stated its firm commitment to fighting corruption in the interests of democracy and economic development. In this regard, USAID is particularly pleased to assist the Government of Bulgaria's efforts to advance its ambitious National Anti-Corruption Strategy and Action Plan.

USAID has made anti-corruption work one of its top strategic priorities until its graduation from US assistance in Bulgaria. Last year, the Prime Minister visited Washington D.C. and we jointly launched the Open Government Initiative in response to the increased political will and societal pressure to combat corruption. We anticipate that our resources and your support will contribute considerably to the successful implementation of Bulgaria's National Anticorruption Strategy in the critical areas of audit and public procurement, and that this will lead to a greater measure of public trust and confidence in governmental institutions, something that the people of Bulgaria so sorely need. The activities of Coalition 2000 and other Bulgarian NGOs in promoting and monitoring governmental accountability and public awareness of corruption is critically important. In this regard, publications such as Coalition 2000 annual Corruption Assessment Report are important indicators for where Bulgaria stands in the fight against corruption. This report serves as the most substantive analytical paper on this subject today. It reviews critical areas of corruption and identifies concrete steps to be takes in order to fix the problem.

I hope that this year's report will stimulate an active public debate on the issues raised. And I hope that this debate leads to action. I am fully convinced that effective anticorruption measures require a joint effort of all national stakeholders: public, private, media and civil society. I hope that this year's report will inspire each organization to pursue its own role in the fight against corruption.

And I implore Bulgarian decision makers to advance the legislative changes necessary and provide the resources to put in place the implementation mechanisms to fight corruption.

Thank you very much and I really look forward to a very lively debate as I know we always have at this forum.

Thank you!