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!
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