Public councils at a regional/
municipality level
|
This is a local structure which is based on
the principle of coalition building for the realization of
anti-corruption activities. The anti-corruption council was
presented in two versions - 1. District level and 2.
Municipality/city level.
In order to promote a dialogue between the citizenry
and the public officials, the councils include representatives of
the municipality/district governments, the judiciary, the police,
specialists in different areas, and civic associations for the
fight against corruption.
Examples of such district anti-corruption councils are
the ones established in the towns of Smolyan, Nedelino, Banite,
Chepelare and Varna. The anti-corruption councils consist of
representatives of all institutions relevant to the problem of
corruption at the district level, as well as representatives of
non-governmental organizations, independent experts and local
journalists. The councils have already adopted Anti-Corruption
Action Plans through which they intend to implement long-term
initiatives in this area.
|
Mediation
groups
|
Such groups have been created by the
Association of Young Lawyers in the towns of Pleven and Liaskovets.
They consist of lawyers, journalists and representatives of
non-governmental organizations. These mediation groups offer
assistance to citizens who have been unreasonably denied
administrative services by the local authorities. Another aspect of
their work is to monitor the activity of local authorities in order
to curb corruption.
|
Corruption-Free
Zones
|
The objective of this initiative is to promote
an anti-corruption regime in the performance of public services
within the limits of a particular territory. More specifically, in
the framework of the Clean Future awareness campaign, the
"Anti-Corruption Society" Association developed a project entitled,
"The Student Town - A Corruption-Free Area." This project is
targeted at curbing corrupt practices within the limits of the
so-called Student Town (campus area where most of the students of
Sofia based universities reside) in Sofia, and as a short-term
initiative, envisages promoting greater transparency in the
allocation of places in student dormitories.
|
Telephone hotline for citizens
affected by corruption
|
An anti-corruption telephone hotline was
opened in many Bulgarian towns, as part of the "Clean Future"
campaign (Smolyan, Plovdiv, Pleven, Vratsa, Varna, etc.) The
following objectives necessitate the collection of evidence of
corruption: 1) Need for information on the scope and dynamics of
corruption in a given municipality and the mechanisms of widespread
corruption; 2) Creating an atmosphere of mutual trust between the
local anti-corruption organization and citizens; 3) Providing
free-of-charge consultations to citizens affected by corruption; 4)
Transferring the corruption signals to the relevant public
authorities.
|
Announcing a post office box for
corruption related complaints
|
This is usually done as complementary to the
telephone hotline. Post office addresses to collect signals of
corruption have been announced by most of the local partners of
Coalition 2000.
|
Seminars & Round Table
discussions
|
In 1999 and 2000, 47 meetings took place
within the framework of the Clean Future campaign of Coalition
2000 with the objective of promoting public awareness of the
anti-corruption initiative, and of assessing the anti-corruption
measures in various municipalities.
|
Information
days
|
19 information days were held by Coalition
2000 partners in Sozopol, Lovetch, Triavna, etc. Their purpose
was to provide information and consultations to the local public
especially in the context of the Coalition 2000 Action Plan and the
results of corruption monitoring and the anti-corruption
effects.
|
Townhall
meetings
|
13 townhall meetings were organized by
Coalition 2000 local partners. NGO representatives and
citizens were able to meet with local elites and to present to them
their grievances related to corrupt practices. Proposals to improve
transparency in local government and measures to enhance public
control over local administration were considered.
|
Local Government "Transparency
Matrix"
|
The matrix was developed by Coalition
2000 experts for the purpose of measuring transparency in the
activity of local authorities concerning municipal budgets. The
matrix analyses seven main areas of municipal finance dividing
expenses into two categories: fixed and flexible, and aimed to
identify potential weak positions which could be prone to
corruption.
|
Anti-Corruption
brochures
|
Anti-corruption awareness brochures have been
distributed by local non-governmental organizations as part of the
Clean Future campaign. Here are some of the titles: "Recommendation
for Fighting Corruption" (Black Sea Law Community - Bourgas);
"Environmental Science against Corruption" (Vratsa); a bulletin
"Corruption and Civic Culture" (Town and Culture Foundation -
Varna); a bulletin "Monitoring of Municipal Privatization" (Public
Barometer Association - Sliven). The book "A Circle against
Corruption" summarized the four national round-tables organized
about the corruption in football in Kiustendil, Varna, Plovdiv,
Pleven (Good Hope Foundation - Sofia). The results of the surveys
of public officials from the administration of Veliko Turnovo
Municipality, the Customs Bureau in Gorna Oriahovitsa, the
Prosecutor's Office and the Court in Veliko Turnovo carried out in
October 2000 were compiled and published in the book "Corruption
through the Eyes of the Institutions" (Local Agenda 21 Association
- Veliko Turnovo).
|
Civil/administrative
handbooks
|
This type of handbooks were developed as a
response to the need of citizens of a particular municipality. It
includes a summary of the regulations guiding the work of local
administration, such as procedures for granting permits, etc. Such
handbooks were already published in Pleven, Liaskovets, Pazardjik,
and other cities.
|
Concerts/events
|
Concerts by Bulgarian popular singers against
corruption were organized in Sofia and Razgrad.
|
Media outreach
|
Coalition 2000 presented its television clips developed within the framework
of the Clean Future campaign. Emphasis was placed on the importance
of using televised messages as part of the anti-corruption
awareness campaign. Over 200 specialized articles were published in
the local press for the period of two years. In all towns the local
media reflected with specialized interviews the events, organized
by Coalition 2000 local partners.
|
Experts groups
|
Groups of experts from state owned and private
companies, and representatives of government agencies, such as the
Customs Agency and the Tax Service, were set up in Vratsa and
Haskovo within the framework of the anti-corruption project of the
Foundation for Entrepreneurship Development, a Coalition
2000 partner.
|
Youth anti-corruption
debates
|
Anti-corruption discussions with the
participation of students from high schools in the towns of
Nedelino, Banite, Chepelare in the Smolyan district, as well as the
sessions of the Club of the Young Philosophers in Varna, were
followed up by proposals for introducing anti-corruption education
to the courses on civil society and government at the high school
level.
|
Lectures on anti-corruption at
the university level
|
On the basis of the educational manual
"Anti-Corruption", prepared by an expert group and published by
Coalition 2000, a series of lectures was introduced at the
Universities in Sofia, Shoumen, Varna, as well as at special
seminars for mayors and municipality councils members at Pazardjik
and Plovdiv districts.
|
Local Media
Workshop
|
Regular meetings of the local media with
representatives of the municipality aiming at establishing dialog
and trust in the anti-corruption efforts as well as at transparency
in the municipality anti-corruption measures. Within the framework
of the anti-corruption project of the Union of Bulgarian
Journalists several round tables "Together Against Corruption" were
organized in the towns of Svishtov, Silistra, Varna.
|
Civic Observer at Municipality
Forums
|
The Civic Observer is elected in some
Bulgarian municipalities by local non-governmental
organizations.The competencies of the Civic Observer involve
monitoring of: public procurement, licensing, leasing, repair and
construction of municipal sites. The institutionalization of the
Civic Observer requires the voluntary cooperation of the local
authorities on the basis of the existing legislation regulating
civil rights and participation in local self-government.
Coalition 2000 recommends the signing of a cooperation
memorandum with the municipality. The Civic Observer submits
regular reports about his activity, and informs the public and the
media of the findings of the observation.According to these lines
Civic Observers are functioning at the municipalities of Shoumen,
Varna, Smolyan.
|
Local
Ombudsman
|
The local ombudsman, or public mediator, is an
independent institution which safeguards the legitimate rights of
the citizens against unlawful acts of the public administration. It
was introduced at the municipalities of Koprivshtitsa, Sapareva
Banya, Sevlievo and Mladost-Sofia within the ombudsman project of
the Center for Social Practices, one of the founders of
Coalition 2000.
|
Open municipalities
web-site
|
It allows building up a database on the local
anti-corruption initiatives. The web-site includes the reports of
the civic observers, the local ombudsman, and the coordinators of
the local projects, information about municipal practices, joint
initiatives on local and regional level, specific cases of
corruption in the region, etc.
www.online.bg/coalition2000
|