Mission: Impossible?
Striving to achieve the CSD's mission of "building
bridges" was particularly challenging during 1995. So challenging
in fact, it defied all of our expectations. The reasons for this
are many and complex - from the economic hardships and political
controversies, to pressures placed on the non-profit sector, and
repeated attempts to narrow the boundaries of the re-emerging civil
society. The drawing we have chosen for the cover of this year's
report - a precarious bridge held in place by a passing celestial
body - is admittedly self-ironic. However, it is an accurate
illustration of the "mission impossible" which CSD has
undertaken.
- Despite these obstacles, the CSD staff continued to build upon
its work from previous years with characteristic enthusiasm and
dedication. In 1995, our primary efforts focused on:
- Building an adequate institutional framework for economic
reform;
- Drafting a new Collateral Law;
- Training a critical mass of investment fund managers to take
part in the
process of mass privatization;
- Monitoring the public attitudes and expectations of mass
privatization;
- Final drafting of a new law on non-profit organizations - this
law provides for modern legal regulation of the voluntary sector.
CSD has managed to enlist the support of all major NGOs in the
country.
Two developments deserve particular notice in this year's
highlights.
European policy studies have evolved into a major component of
the CSD's research and advocacy activities. The project Europe
2000: Bulgaria and the European Union was a pioneer effort related
to the implementation of the Europe Agreement between Bulgaria and
the EU, which entered into force in early 1995. The extensive
policy analysis document prepared for the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs laid the groundwork for the formulation of the country's
pre-
accession strategy in several key areas of implementation. As a
testimony to the quality of our work, this document was presented
by the government at a number of events held within the Structured
Relationship established by the Europe Agreement.
In another development, Vitosha Research succeeded the CSD's
Sociological Program. The new entity focuses on market research
activities, including consumer and media research, advertising
assessment and marketing consultancy in addition to traditional
opinion polling and social research. This specialization is an
important contribution towards the long-term viability and
financial sustainability of CSD.
The other programs of the Center were equally successful.
Cooperation with the Council of Europe, the Central and East
European Law Initiative (CEELI) of the American Bar Association,
and the Institutional Reform and the Informal Sector (IRIS) project
of the University of Maryland continued throughout 1995.
The next year also promises to be a challenging one for the CSD
staff who remain committed to fostering civil society in
Bulgaria.
In conclusion of this brief overview, I would like to share my
satisfaction with a recent evaluation of the CSD as "one of the few
full service think tanks in Central Europe." Such words are a
compliment to the Center's achievements over the past seven years,
and a testimony to the quality, hard work and devotion of our
professional staff.
Book donation is generally considered outside the main focus of
the Center's activities but it has, nevertheless, proved very
useful for introducing foreign expertise to the country. Responding
to this demand, CSD continued its book donation initiative and
distributed over 40,000 volumes donated by the Sabre Foundation and
the Sabre Trust to libraries, NGO's and various institutions across
the country.
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