Series:CSD Papers on Politics

ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNMENT: SELF AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Since the end of 1999 Vitosha Research with the Center for the Study of Democracy and Freedom House foundation, has been working on an international project entitled Accountable Government: Self and Public Perception. Activities under this initiative included the conducting of sociological surveys in Romania, Slovakia, and Bulgaria. Fieldwork was conducted in the period March 23 - April 15, 2000. The present paper outlines the findings of the surveys conducted in Bulgaria among the general population and MPs from the 38th National Assembly.

Approximation of Bulgarian to EU Legislation: Protection of Competition, Protection of Intellectual Property and Right of Establishment, August 1995

Author(s): Chavdar Popov,Pavlina Popova,Krasimira Damjanova / Language(s): English

The significance of the harmonisation of legislation of the associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe (ACCEE) with the legislation of the European Community (EC) was already underlined by the European Council in Copenhagen (21-22 July 1993). The approximation of the Bulgarian legislation with that of the EC is one of the fundamental tasks of the strategy for the preparation of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe to join the Union, adopted at the meeting of the European Council in Essen on 9-10 December 1994.

Coalition Building and Monitoring in Transition Countries

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Once an "exotic" issue in the diplomatic exchanges, corruption became a constant part of the agenda of the international community in the early and mid-1990s. In recent years, corruption has evolved into one of the priority problems of transition societies. At the same time different approaches have been elaborated both to counter corruption and to take its dimensions, survey the background factors, and the multitude of meanings it has been attributed with by public opinion. In this respect the work of Coalition 2000, which combines civil society pro-active anticorruption measures and monitoring instruments, has emerged as a unique advocacy and research tool leading to practical results. The publication is divided into four major sections: 1. Anti-Corruption In A Transition Environment; 2. Implementing Anti-Corruption in Bulgaria; 3. "Clean Future" Public Awareness Campaign; 4. Local Anti-corruption Initiatives: The Coalition 2000 Local Government Transparency Program.

Commentary on the Governmental Mass Privatization Project, October 1993

Author(s): Vesselin Passev / Language(s): English

The belated start of privatization made the realization of the government's privatization program for 1993 impossible. Merely 2 per cent of the designated enterprises will be sold by the end of the year. The work of the Privatization Agency on preparing the companies for privatization is slowed down by the fact that in a great many instances the legal state analysis indicates that the ownership of long-term assets is unestablished.

CONDUCTING SOCIOLOGICAL AND SPECIALIZED SURVEYS AND ASSESSMENT RESEARCH TO EVALUATE THE RESULTS FROM THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL CHILD STRATEGY (NCS)

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The objective of surveys commissioned by State Agency for Child Protection was to register changes in the first three years of implementation of the National Child Strategy to summarize assessments of target groups and the general public on the key priorities of the National Strategy, to establish whether they meet the support and understanding by the general public and of specific groups associated with its implementation, to recognize the knowledge and progress in achieving the main objectives of the overall policy on child protection.

Counter-Terrorism Measures of the Republic of Bulgaria. Implementing United Nations Resolutions Against Terrorism

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The CSD and Ministry of Foreign Affairs collected the main official documents related to the suppression of terrorism which had been adopted by the Bulgarian government and the UN Security Council. It provided a basis for discussion at the regional policy forum International Cooperation in Countering Terrorism held on June 27, 2002 in Sofia.

CSD Annual Report 2003

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Since its establishment in 1990, the Center for the Study of Democracy has sought to pioneer difficult reforms and provide vision as to the future challenges facing Bulgaria and the Balkan region. CSD’s strong institutional capacity has opened new avenues and areas where civil society can make a contribution to reforms. Over the years, CSD has taken the lead in advocating key reforms in areas such as the regulatory framework for non-profits, establishment of the ombudsman institution, the introduction of anti-smuggling policies and other areas

CSD Annual Report 2004

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The Center for the Study of Democracy seeks to pioneer difficult reforms and provide vision as to the future challenges facing Bulgaria and Southeast Europe. CSD’s strong institutional capacity has opened new avenues and areas where civil society can make a contribution to reforms. Over the years, CSD has taken the lead in advocating key reforms in areas such as the regulatory framework for non-profits, establishment of the ombudsman institution, the introduction of anti-smuggling policies and other areas.

CSD Annual Report 2005

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

CSD Annual Report 2006

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

A critical year for Bulgaria’s EU membership, 2006 was also a period of intense public and political debate on the issues at the core of the agenda of the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) – justice and home affairs (JHA) reform.

CSD Annual Report 2007

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The first year of Bulgaria’s EU membership, 2007 continued to be a period of intense public and political debate on the issues at the core of the agenda of the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) – justice and home affairs (JHA) reform. Thus, CSD’s watchdog and policy work was of utmost relevance to the initial adjustment of the country to the requirements of membership.

Democracy that Delivers: Unlocking the Potential of Transition

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

This publication contains the materials from an international conference, “Democracy that Delivers”, held on May 21, 2008, in Sofia. The construction of democracy has never been an easy undertaking. The constant trade-offs between openness and security, oversight and efficiency, between pluralism and the need for consensus on strategic reforms make sure that democracy is never taken for granted. Its advancement becomes all the more difficult when– in times of transition from repressive regimes – it is associated with great expectations that have to be met within short periods of time. The massive transformation from authoritarian regimes to open access societies that was prompted by the fall of communism required the unbundling of the concept of democracy. Reforms had to be sequenced, the provisions of public goods prioritized, the need for various institutions demonstrated. Post-communist transition became a giant laboratory for the engineering of democratic governance.

Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in the Context of Bulgaria's Accession to the European Union

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The text contains the proceedings of the conference Democratic Institutions and Human Rights in the Context of Bulgaria's Accession to the European Union, 19 June 1995.

DG Enlargement Guidelines for the Support to Civil Society in the Enlargement Region

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The enlargement countries face a range of challenges, especially in fields such as the rule of law, corruption, organised crime, the economy and social cohesion. Civil Society actors and organisations can make a substantial contribution to addressing many of these through their lobbying, advocacy and oversight activities at national, regional and local level. When it comes to democratic governance and the rule of law and fundamental rights, including freedom of expression & association and minority rights, they can create demand for enhanced transparency, accountability and effectiveness from public institutions and facilitate a greater focus on the needs of citizens in policy-making. The DG Enlargement Guidelines on the EU enlargement support to civil society are elaborated following online and national consultations. The consultations process will continue until the end of August 2013.

EKONOMIA E FSHEHTË NË EVROPËN JUGLINDORE: BASHKËRENDIMI I PËRPJEKJEVE RAJONALE PËR TË REDUKTUAR EFEKTET E SAJ NEGATIVE

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Albanian

According to the authors of the policy brief, not declaring in full or partially economic activities in SEE remains widespread in virtually all areas of government – permissions and licenses, labour contracts, social security, taxes and custom duties. It signals a persistent gap between formal and informal institutions and lack of coherent enforcement of rules. Corruption pressure is higher towards those engaged in the hidden economy. At the same time their susceptibility to corruption is also higher, confirming the institutional incongruence. The immense diversity of the scale (from 19 % in Croatia to 81 % in Kosovo), prevailing patterns (no written contracts in Turkey, non-payment of health care contributions in Kosovo, envelope wages in FYR of Macedonia and Bulgaria, non-formalised business in Albania), formal vs informal wage average (higher formal wages in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Turkey and lower in Kosovo and Bulgaria) requires country specific tailor-made policies and sequencing of reforms.

European Standards and Ombudsman Institutions in Southeast Europe

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The publication European Standards and Ombudsman Institutions in Southeast Europe presents a summary of the discussion at the International Conference European Standards and Ombudsman Institutions in Southeast Europe held on June 6-8, 2002, in Sofia. The conference was organized jointly by the Center for the Study of Democracy and Friedrich Ebert Foundation and was attended by ombudsmen and representatives of the institution from Sweden, Belgium, Greece, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia and Kosovo as well as experts and representatives of institutions and organizations from Bulgaria actively involved in the process of introducing Ombudsman institution in Bulgaria.

EXPERT EVALUATION NETWORK DELIVERING POLICY ANALYSIS ON THE PERFORMANCE OF COHESION POLICY 2007-2013. YEAR 1 – 2011. TASK 2: COUNTRY REPORT ON ACHIEVEMENTS OF COHESION POLICY. BULGARIA.

Author(s): Daniela Mineva,Ruslan Stefanov / Language(s): English

DG Regional Policy at the European Commission published a Report on Bulgaria's progress on the Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and Energy Efficiency in Buildings and an Evaluation Report on the Achievements of the Cohesion Policy in Bulgaria. The two reports were prepared by CSD experts in the framework of the Expert Evaluation Network delivering policy analysis on the performance of the Cohesion Policy 2007 - 2013. The first report provides an overview of the available support by the EU Structural Funds and the national instruments promoting RES and energy efficiency in buildings. It also describes the legislative framework and the operation of various state institutions in this area. The report lists the remaining challenges to the management authorities, the businesses and the households which aim to utilize more efficiently the EU financial assistance and to reduce the energy poverty in the country. The second report reviews all supported areas by the Cohesion Policy in Bulgaria and in particular the assistance provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The report is based on statistical and financial data and interviews with representatives of the Managing Authorities of Operational Programmes (OPs). The text describes the progress under the OPs and the impact of the economic crisis on the implementation of the financed projects. The report presents the main conclusions drawn from the OPs mid-term reviews and foregrounds the remaining challenges to Bulgaria.

Expert evaluation network delivering policy analysis on the performance of Cohesion policy 2007-2013. Year 3 – 2013. Task 2: Country Report on Achievements of Cohesion policy. Bulgaria.

Author(s): Plamen Shalafov,Ruslan Stefanov / Language(s): English

In March 2014, DG Regional Policy at the European Commission published a report on Bulgaria's progress on the job creation as an indicator of outcomes in ERDF programmes and an evaluation report on the achievements of the Cohesion policy in Bulgaria. The two reports were prepared by CSD experts in the framework of the Expert Evaluation Network delivering policy analysis on the performance of the Cohesion Policy 2007 - 2013. The first report provides an overview of the methodology, data reporting and wider use of the indicator ‘job creation’ for monitoring the impact of the Structural Funds. The second report reviews all supported areas by the Cohesion Policy in Bulgaria and in particular the assistance provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The report is based on statistical and financial data and interviews with representatives of the Managing Authorities of Operational Programmes (OPs). The text describes the progress under the OPs and the impact of the financed projects. The report presents the main conclusions drawn from the OPs evaluations and foregrounds the remaining challenges to Bulgaria.

Foreign Policy and National Security in the Context of Bulgaria`s Accession to the European Union

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

The text includes the conference proceedings of the event held on 29 June 1995.

Healthcare Reforms in Bulgaria: Towards Diagnosis and Prescription

Author(s): Konstantin Pashev / Language(s): English

The paper shows the evolution of this reform path to low compliance by both customers (contributors) and service-providers (contractors with the National Health Insurance Fund), which leads to excessive regulations and control, and crowding out of the private sector. The outcome is a system that is increasingly driven by administrative controls at the expense of market incentives. Based on this analysis it identifies the relevant policy implications and opportunities for moving the stalled health reforms out of the institutional impasse.