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| Press Conference: Corruption in Bulgaria 2010
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 On 21 February 2011 the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) presented the results from the Corruption Monitoring System (CMS) for a thirteenth consecutive year. Applied since 1998 and developed by the Center for the Study of Democracy and Vitosha Research, the CMS measures the actual incidence (corruption victimization) and dynamics of corruption in Bulgaria, but also assesses the attitudes and the perceptions of businesses and the general population towards corruption.
Mr. Alexander Stoyanov, Director of Research at CSD, presented the latest data from the Corruption Monitoring System showing some divergent trends in the dynamics of corruption in the business sector vs. the general population. According to the data, there has been a continuous decline in the corruption pressure applied by the administration onto the general population. The latter has, in turn, led to a drop in the level of corruption among the general population, thus, reducing the number of corrupt transactions from a monthly average of 171,000 in 2009 to 85,000 in 2010. Yet, Mr. Stoyanov noted that, despite citizen’s reduced susceptibility to corruption, the level of administrative corruption remains high. During the last three months of 2010, one in every ten Bulgarians, who have dealt with the public administration, resorted to bribing as a means to receive services.
Unlike the general population, no decline in administrative corruption has been observed in the business sector. The number of bribes paid by businesses to the administration is slightly higher in 2010, compared to 2009, while businesses have become more susceptible to corruption. The level of corruption in the business sector is still below its values prior to Bulgaria`s accession to the EU. Yet, during the last three months of 2010, one in every six firms that dealt with the public administration reported using a bribe in order to receive a particular service or avoid penalty.
The Bulgarian population still has a high tolerance for corrupt activities. About a quarter (or 26 percent) of the Bulgarian population would agree to giving and/or receiving a bribe, while three fourths would not - whatever the circumstances. Mr Stoyanov noted that the share of the population not willing to accept and/or offer a bribe should be about 90 percent for a society to be considered averse to corruption. A decisive factor for the involvement of the population in corrupt activities is the corruption pressure applied by the public administration - 40 percent of those exposed to such pressure admitted to participating in corrupt activities. However, in the absence of such pressure by the administration, the share of people willing to engage in corrupt practices was below 4 percent.
Mr. Ruslan Stefanov, Director of the Economic Program at CSD, continued the discussion by highlighting the effect of the global financial and economic crisis on the spread of corruption in Bulgaria. The general population and the business sector have been affected differently by the crisis. The economic downturn has led to a drop in disposable income, thus reducing peoples’ ability and willingness to use bribing mechanisms, while increasing the fear of job loss among the administration. Both have led to a reduction of corruption – a trend that was also reinforced by enhanced control and monitoring measures on the part of the Bulgarian administration in 2010.
In the business sector, the economic crisis has led to an increased dependency of firms on the public administration, which is but one explanation of the observation that the levels of corruption in the business sector have remained high.
Dr. Maria Yordanova, Director of CSD’s Law Program, stressed on the necessity for completing the interpretation of the CMS data with reliable statistics on the investigation and prosecution of cases of corruption as well as on the convictions. She noted that such data covering the same period are not yet available. According to data as of the second and third quarters of 2010, the number of legal proceedings and convictions against cases of corruption has increased. Meanwhile, despite being cases of "heightened public interest" and monitored by the European Commission under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, the number of legal proceedings and actual convictions on corruption cases against high level officials is extremely low. The investigations of such cases remain insufficient, while the strengthened control measures by the Bulgarian administration apply primarily to the general population and small and mid-sized businesses. Strong political will is essential but not sufficient for restricting corruption. Efficient mechanisms to apply the adopted policy measures in practice are also vital for achieving results.
Briefing Note: Corruption in Bulgaria in 2010 (Adobe PDF, 280 KB)
Presentation of Mr. Alexander Stoyanov, Director of Research, Center for the Study of Democracy (Adobe PDF, 748 KB)
Media Coverage (In Bulgarian)
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