 Overview of 1997
In a difficult year for Bulgaria, marked by
political crisis, economic and currency collapse, and renewed
commitment to reform, CSD continued its effort of promoting the
transition process through impact on policy making and civil
society.
The political transformations in the country,
beginning with the interim democratic cabinet and followed by a new
UDF government convened after early elections in April, opened up
new opportunities for the increased role which non-government
organizations (NGOs) have assumed in Bulgaria's transition to
democracy and market economy. Faced by the urgency and immensity of
the tasks at hand, the public administration was more receptive to
the support of civil society organizations. The non-profit sector
was recognized as a partner and a valuable policy resource for
democratic stabilization and economic development.
In this changing environment CSD was able to
participate more effectively in Bulgaria's reform process,
contributing especially to the government's economic policy-making
effort. The year's highlights included, among other achievements,
an increased capacity of the CSD Economic Program to identify
crucial areas of reform and mobilize broad public support to such
priority issues in the country's economic agenda as the development
of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and capital
markets.
1997 was also the year in which CSD was established
as the leading Bulgarian NGO with a strong record of policy
analysis in the field of European integration. Based on the
research findings of several projects commissioned by the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs CSD prepared eleven policy papers in major areas
of Bulgaria's accession strategy to the EU: from democratic
institution building and rule of law to capital markets
development, regional cooperation and the environment. These
documents, compiled in two volumes in English and Bulgarian, will
be published in March 1998.
In 1997 CSD also enhanced its visibility on the
World Wide Web. For think tanks and policy institutes, such as CSD,
the ability to develop effective outreach mechanisms is of vital
importance to ensure the impact of their policy research and
advocacy activities. Recognizing the important role which modern
information technologies could play in this process, CSD invested
considerable effort into establishing its institutional presence on
the Web.
Launched in early 1997, CSD's Internet home page
(www.csd.bg) is a comprehensive guide to the Center's activities
and future plans, partners and projects. It is also an archive of
CSD's continuous efforts to promote the reforms in Bulgarian
society since 1989. The page provides detailed information on the
Center's institutional history, program achievements, series of
policy publications and schedule of events.
"Going website" was for CSD an important step
towards fulfilling the role of a full service think tank. The
ability to provide instant online information to a practically
world-wide audience strengthens the impact of CSD's projects and
supports our mission of 'building bridges between scholars and
policy makers'. Opening the results of CSD's work on different
policy issues of the transition to democracy and market economy in
Bulgaria to the general public through the Internet not only adds
to the transparency of the policy process, but also allows us to
receive valuable instant feedback from all concerned
institutions.
At the end of 1997, CSD initiated a strategic,
long-term process of coalition-building among local NGOs to promote
institutional reform and the implementation of anti-corruption
strategies in Bulgaria. This process attests to the increased role
and stronger institutional capacity of the civil society in this
country which allows it to participate more actively in areas of
priority for the success of Bulgaria's reform efforts.
Dr. Ognian Shentov
President
Sofia, January 1998
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