1. Initial Steps: the Background of the
Coalition 2000 process
Coalition 2000 is an initiative of a number
of Bulgarian non-governmental organizations aimed at combating
corruption through a process of cooperation among governmental
institutions, NGOs and individuals drafting an Anti-Corruption
Action Plan for Bulgaria, and implementing an awareness campaign
and a monitoring system. The Coalition 2000 process was
officially launched on April 7, 1998 with the support of the United
States Agency for International Development and The World Bank.
The initiative, which resulted in this process, was
launched by CSD in March 1997 through a series of consultations
with Bulgarian institutions and, later, international partners. At
the time, CSD solicited the input of a number of Bulgarian NGOs as
to the possible format, scope and priorities of the development of
a national anti-corruption Action Plan. The Center for Social
Practices (Dr. Evgenii Dainov), the Access Association (Dr. Valeri
Russanov) and the Center for Economic Development (Dr. George
Prohaski) had the most substantial contributions to shaping the
coalition and ensuring the representative nature of the
Coalition 2000 process.
Particular attention was also paid to the
involvement of the judiciary in the development phase. The design
team was able to benefit from the input of the Association of
Judges in Bulgaria, particularly Ms. Kapka Kostova, Chair of the
AJB Board and Chair of the Sofia Regional Court and Ms. Nelly
Koutzkova, Chair of the Sofia District Court.
CSD, in cooperation with the Information Centre on
the Council of Europe in Sofia (ICCES) and its Director, Mr. Boyko
Todorov, has informed and requested the opinion of the Council of
Europe. The Council is a key international organization in this
area and has already implemented a number of intergovernmental
anti-corruption projects in the countries of Central and Eastern
Europe, including Bulgaria.
Today, the counteraction of corruption most
urgently calls for society to take a common stand in protection of
its own interests. I am confident that this [Policy] Forum will
make a real contribution towards coordinating priorities in the
anti-corruption efforts of the government, on the one hand, and of
civil society, on the other. I personally do not have any doubts
that a coalition of non-governmental organizations and government
representatives has its place in our new social practices.
Petar Stoyanov,
President of the Republic of Bulgaria
Particularly important for elaborating the format
and scope of the process were the discussions with the United
States Agency for International Development (USAID). At the end of
July 1997, CSD hosted a meeting of the USAID mission of
anti-corruption experts to Bulgaria. Consultations were continued
with the local office of the Agency. Building on the experience of
two policy projects of a similar format carried out with the
support of USAID - on SME development in November 1996 and capital
markets in July 1997 - CSD was in a position to provide an enhanced
institutional capacity for an anti-corruption coalition-building
process focused on a public awareness effort.
A number of meetings and consultations with
representatives of the World Bank (WB) and its Economic Development
Institute (EDI) were held in order to benefit from the advanced
experience of the Bank in this area. In 1997, the EDI and WB
provided documents and materials for the design phase and advised
CSD on various sources of expertise which could be utilized during
the implementation. A mission of the WB/EDI in September 1998
evaluated Coalition 2000 as a model strategy and suggested
some additional activities, including a public service delivery
survey.
Coalition 2000 is still the most impressive
anti-corruption initiative I have come across in all the countries
I am currently working with (20 countries).
Petter Langseth,
Senior Public Sector Management Specialist,
The World Bank
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) has
long emphasized improved governance as a condition for sustainable
development. As a result of the consultations with Mr. Antonio
Vigilante, Resident Coordinator of the UN in Bulgaria, who has been
very supportive of the initiative, it was agreed that UNDP's local
office will invite a number of internationally renowned experts for
short missions to Bulgaria to advise the initiative. The experts
have been involved in a number of similar efforts in Latin America
and other regions where the UNDP has programs.
Since the early stages of the formation of
Coalition 2000, CSD and the other NGOs were active in
seeking cooperation with the International Development Law
Institute (IDLI) in Rome. IDLI is an intergovernmental organization
with a leading record of providing legal assistance to countries in
transition. IDLI’s long experience in working with Bulgarian public
and private institutions in the field of legal reform benefited the
design of the concept and the actual establishment of partnership
relations within Coalition 2000. In the future activities of
the Coalition, IDLI’s input will be crucial in the implementation
of pilot projects at the local government level, in the reform of
the judiciary, in law drafting, etc.
2. Concept and Design
The concept for structuring the activities of
Coalition 2000 rests upon several ideas which identify the
focus of the process and the main target groups of the activities.
The factors and circumstances which generate corrupt practices in
Bulgaria make it necessary that anti-corruption efforts address
several aspects of the problem: the legislative framework, the
administrative set-up, the existing perceptions and attitudes
(public awareness), and the existing behavior patterns. In this
respect the anti-corruption effort of Coalition 2000 is
parallel to the social marketing model used in anti-corruption
campaigns developed by WB experts. The desired impact (curbing
corruption) could be produced following a three-stage process,
including: cognitive change (this involves problem diagnostics and
formulation of a research-based impact strategy); inducing affect
(this is the process of converting messages into emotional/moral
commitments); behavioral change (this involves inducing people to
change some aspects of their actual behavior and transforming moral
disapproval into a public action agenda).
Coalition 2000 is probably the most comprehensive
anti-corruption initiative in those countries where there are [Open
Society] foundations.
George Soros,
financier and philanthropist
In terms of content the main elements/activities of
the Coalition 2000 initiative are as follows:
- Creating a trustworthy anti-corruption agency
through consensus and coalition building. In addition to being
the result of a partnership effort, it will enable a favorable
environment for the establishment of future coalitions. The main
component of consensus building is the Policy Forum: a policy
design tool which starts at expert level with the identification of
problems, and culminates in a public forum which involves
representatives of all relevant institutions and organizations and
which endorses a consensus policy document - Anti-Corruption Action
Plan.
- Obtaining relevant knowledge through a series of
corruption assessment panels and tracking progress through process
monitoring (Corruption Monitoring System). The principal
objective of the assessment and the monitoring is to analyze the
scope, intensity, types, and sources of corrupt behavior in the
public sector. The methodology includes both quantitative and
qualitative surveys. Indicators used for corruption assessment will
at later stages be used to monitor institutional progress and to
produce a Corruption Assessment Index. The monitoring will serve
also as a "watchdog" tool of the public policy process and as a way
to encourage public discussions.
- Defining the impact objectives: development of
an Action Plan (AP). The AP incorporates different mechanisms
enhancing trust and transparency in different sectors of public
life. Involving policy-makers and representatives of the business
community and trade unions in the drafting process maximizes impact
in this respect. Of particular importance is the fact that the AP
is a consensus document approved by the principal actors in
Bulgarian society. Furthermore, based on the consensus reached, the
implementation of the AP will largely be a result of the joint
effort of all parties involved in the drafting process.
Many of the steps and ideas included in the
Coalition 2000 plan are at the forefront of best international
practice and we can applaud that.
Thomas O’Brien,
Resident Representative,
the World Bank, Sofia
- Bringing about affective and behavioral change
through dissemination and advocacy. The effective
implementation of the AP will be supported through different
mechanisms: a) building awareness of corruption and its various
forms in Bulgarian society by using different forms of public
education, public discussions and dissemination of the research
findings and policy recommendations; b) transforming public
awareness into an advocacy role, keeping the issue of corruption at
the forefront; c) pressing government to implement anti-corruption
strategy and reforms.
3.Implementation: CSD and the Coalition
2000 process
The implementation of the activities under the first
stage of the Coalition 2000 initiative has actively involved
all CSD programs. The role of CSD as Secretariat has brought about
serious responsibilities connected with the draft Anti-Corruption
Action Plan, the organization of the Policy Workshop and the Policy
Forum of Coalition 2000 and the pilot launch of the
Corruption Monitoring System.
In the second half of 1998, the successful
implementation of the first stage of the Coalition 2000
initiative has become possible thanks to, along with CSD, the joint
efforts of the Access Association, the Applied Research and
Communications Fund, the Association of Judges in Bulgaria, the
Bulgarian Association for Fair Elections and Human Rights, the
Center for Economic Development, the Centre for Social Practices,
the Economic Policy Institute and the European Movement - Bulgaria.
The United States Agency for International Development has provided
financial support whereas the United Nations Development Program,
the World Bank and its Economic Development Institute, the Council
of Europe, and the International Law Development Institute, Rome
have contributed with expert assistance.
I would like to congratulate Coalition 2000 very
much for its excellent plan and I would like to congratulate it
even for the title [Clean Future], which is very beautiful and
looks to the future when, one day I suppose, we will have a Clean
Present.
Antonio Vigilante,
Resident Coordinator,
the United Nations, Sofia
The second phase of the Coalition 2000
initiative, which is expected to last for two and a half years,
must see the transformation of Coalition 2000 proposals and
ideas into new legislation that will restrict discretionary powers
of public officials and establish clear rules of the game aiding
both domestic and foreign investors. This should also be a period
of enhanced anti-corruption awareness and of changing attitudes
towards corrupt practices influenced positively by the mobilizing
power of the Coalition 2000 anti-corruption campaign.