March 14, 2003
Center for the Study of Democracy
Speaking notes for Mr. Boyko Kotzev, Deputy
Minister of Interior
I would like to thank CSD for the opportunity
to speak today on the partnerships that underpin much of our work
in the Ministry of Interior. One of the big questions for all
governments, & politicians, is what the role of the state should
be. There was a time, particularly given our history, when the
state took responsibility for everything. Circumstances have
changed. Other factors play a large role in shaping the life of our
country: economy (domestic, European & global); business
environment; civil society; our relationship with other nation
states; and cultural changes are forces that the state interacts
with rather than controls. In many areas of public policy, & I
think this applies particularly to drugs; we need to replace the
notion of control with the need to develop
partnerships.
I would like to illustrate this theme of
partnership in three ways: 1) our work with the UK; 2) Drugs
policy & strategy; 3) public-private partnerships.
UK Partnership
The Ministry of Interior has developed a strong
partnership with our UK counterparts. In the area of people
trafficking NSCOB works closely with NCIS. Our joint work covers
everything from investigations into breaches in visa regulations,
to protecting vulnerable people organized crime groups involved in
people trafficking. We have a UK advisor in the Ministry of
Interior. His work has helped us move forward in the areas of
(operational information; community policing; institutional reform;
anti-corruption measures) & is a good example of how "know how" can
be transferred from one institution to another. At the operational
level UK Customs provides valuable support to both the MoI &
Bulgarian Customs. Our record on drug seizures is something that we
recognize as benefiting from our partnership with the UK.
Drugs
An area that I am personally responsible for on behalf of our
government is the development & implementation of our first
national anti-drug strategy. I would like to use this opportunity
to publicly thank my UK counterpart, Vic Hogg, from the Home Office
for the support that he & his team of experts have provided to
Bulgaria. The development of cross-institutional strategies is
difficult, not just here in Bulgaria, but in most administrations -
a theme that I will return to shortly. However, the Ministry of
Interior, has successfully overcome the initial barriers that
delayed the development & implementation of our national strategy.
We now have a National Anti-Drug Strategy, adopted by the Council
of Ministers on February 7th & are working hard on the development
of detailed action plans that will ensure the delivery &
implementation of our national strategy.
As a result of our national strategy I hope
that we will see more criminals involved in drug trafficking in
prison; more addicts successfully treated; fewer young people
starting to use drugs. This sounds simple. However, achieving
these results will not be easy. As a minimum it will require our
government institutions to work together at national, regional &
local level. We have learnt from our UK advisors that partnerships
within government are crucial to success, & like all partnerships,
they require commitment, perseverance & patience. Our government
has adopted the new strategy & in doing so calls upon all of us to
work towards its successful delivery.
Public-Private Partnerships
I opened my talk by suggesting that in a modern
democracy government cannot & should not seek to do everything. In
the area of drugs policy there is clearly a role for a number of
players to be involved: business; media; voluntary sector; local
communities; and individual citizens. The results we want -
"more criminals involved in drug trafficking in prison & more
addicts successfully treated; fewer young people starting to use
drugs"- will have more chance of being delivered if we can
develop effective partnerships between public and private entities.
This is still a relatively new area for us, but there are areas of
good practice that can act as models for the way forward:
- Our hosts Centre for Study of Democracy provide a
non-government perspective to our understanding of corruption & its
impact on the economy. Their current work on levels of drugs use
will help guide our understanding at the national level;
- Pheonix House, lead by Dr Petar Vassilev, with
assistance from foundations & the private sector, has established a
therapeutic community which is successfully treating young addicts
& providing them with support to find their way back into
society;
- The Foundation for a Free & Democratic Bulgaria has
drawn upon the expertise of Procter & Gamble, one of the world's
biggest businesses, to bring basic drugs information & awareness to
many thousands of Bulgarian parents - literally getting the
prevention message home.
These are three important examples of how
partnerships can add significantly to what government can do. In
striving to achieve our aims, it is clear that we need to
encourage, develop & sustain effective partnerships that will
support Bulgaria's national anti-drugs strategy.
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