The year 2002 has been important and successful
for Bulgaria ’s aspiration to become a member of NATO and the European
Union.An invitation to join the Alliance and a clear road map for EU integration
came as a result of years of sustained government effort and wide public
support.What became nonetheless apparent was that to undertake the obligations
of membership the country needed a significant improvement in the capacity
to apply the law.Thus,CSD ’s focus on the linkages between the rule of
law and a number of soft security issues was again at the forefront of
transition reforms.
Five years ago CSD began to promote a new public-private
cooperation approach to one of the key rule of law areas –anti-corruption.In
2002,the main outcome of its leadership -Coalition 2000 ,one of the most
successful anti-corruption initiatives in a transition country –looked
back on a number of achievements.Having influenced government policy,enhanced
public intolerance and helped Bulgaria improve over 20 points in its international
corruption ranking,in 2002 the Coalition laid out the strategy for its
work during the next several years.It now covers a wide range of areas
including the informal economy,judicial and administrative reform,and
corporate governance.Asign of its international impact was the growing
number of requests for exchange of best practices from countries from
the NIS,Southeast Europe and other regions.
One of the crucial factors for the sustainability of anti-corruption
measures is security sector reform.CSD started to develop its expertise
in this area a few years ago and now combines policy analysis with practical
support measures.The Center ’s seminal analysis of the origins of cross-border
crime and corruption in Southeast Europe was carried out as part of its
effort to promote public-private cooperation in the framework of the Southeast
European Legal Development Initiative (SELDI).
Reducing the size of the gray economy is indispensable for
establishing a functioning market economy and reducing corruption pressure.CSD
initiated a process of building of a network of experts,policy makers
and think tanks in Europe actively involved in studying and drafting policies
to counter informal economy. Two international conferences were held in
April and November 2002 to strengthen the network and discuss results
of academic and policy research.
Since 1998,CSD has been the main proponent of the establishment
of an ombudsman institution in Bulgaria.Law drafting and public awareness
have been among its key achievements in previous years.In 2002,the Center
focused on the development of ombudsman offices at the municipal level.As
a result of awareness and advocacy activities,more and more representatives
of the civil society and local authorities agree that the effectiveness
of the existing local ombudsmen and the successful establishment of new
ones will increase the transparency in the work of the administration
and the decision making process at the local level.It is expected the
future national ombudsman to work successfully for protecting human rights,
preventing cases of maladministration and abuse of power and serve as
a mechanism for combating corruption.
Another key CSD initiative in 2002 was the promotion of registry
reform in Bulgaria.Aiming to improve the business environment in Bulgaria
and prevent judicial corruption,a CSD task force developed a feasibility
study on the opportunities for reforming the system of official registers
in the country based on a comprehensive research and analysis of the situation
in Bulgaria and the best practices implemented in other countries.CSD
’s effort is aimed at encouraging a wide public and expert debate for
developing the overall concept of the registration reform in Bulgaria.
The Center continued its book donation program started in
1990 when it established a partnership with the US Sabre Foundation.It
has continued for 12 years to provide Bulgarian students and professionals,government
and business with invaluable knowledge in a wide range of subjects.In
2002,the Center received and prepared for distribution 10,000 books worth
USD 428,000.
The capacity to combine research and policy advocacy work
has always been CSD ’s strong characteristic.In 2002,it was advanced in
new areas that are crucial to the success of the Bulgarian transition.
Dr. Ognian Shentov CSD President, Sofia, February 2003 |