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| National Meeting of the Local Public Mediators
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 On 23 July 2007 the Center for the Study of Democracy organized a national meeting of local public mediators. The event was realized with the support of USAID. The purpose of the discussion was to consider the actual problems of local government and the possibilities to amend the legal framework regulating the powers and activities of the public mediators.
Ms. Ginka Chavdarova, Executive Director of the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria (NAMRB), local public mediators from the country and experts from CSD participated in the meeting.
 During the discussion the participants discussed the proposals made by the local public mediators to the Local Self-Government, Regional Policy and Urban Development Committee and the Legal Affairs Committee of the National Assembly concerning the amendments to the Law on Local Self-Government and Local Administration in its part regulating the election, statute and activity of the local public mediators. According to the members of the National Association of Local Public Mediators in the Republic of Bulgaria the amendments are supposed to introduce uniform standards as regards some aspects of the activity of the local public mediators such as their legal status, remuneration, relationships with the municipal councils, etc.
 Local public mediators shared some problems, which make their work more complicated, e.g. for some of them there is a prohibition for membership in NGOs, which prevents their acceptance in the National Association of Local Public Mediators and makes it necessary for the municipal councils in these municipalities to vote special decision to allow such membership.
The public mediators discussed their cooperation with the National Ombudsman and the idea of the latter to establish regional offices throughout the country. The participants emphasized unanimously on the necessity of legislative regulation of their relationships with the National Ombudsman, including the possibility of forwarding complaints between the national and the municipal institutions.
 Participants also talked about the probable impediments for the creation of local public mediators in more municipalities in the country. Some of the public mediators proposed revision of the legal framework and replacement of the existing qualified majority with a simple one, whereas others took a firm stand in favor of the introduction of an obligation for every municipal council to elect a public mediator.
Despite proposed views participants expressed their concern that before the local elections it is hardly to believe that the National Assembly would consider any proposals for legislative amendments.
 The Public Mediator of Pazardzhik Municipality and Chairman of National Association of Local Public Mediators in the Republic of Bulgaria Mr. Ivan Dimitrov described his impressions from his visit to Libya connected with the trial against the Bulgarian nurses. Mr. Angel Stefanov, Public Mediator of Sofia Municipality talked about his trip to the Netherlands and his meetings with the Ombudsman of Amsterdam.
 Ms. Chavdarova proposed that public mediators draw up a brief presentation explaining the advantages and the significance of their institution for the municipalities, which will be included in the manual for the newly elected mayors and municipal councilors currently prepared by the National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria .
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